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[
"Write an email to acknowledge the receipt of the customer's inquiry about a new line of fitness bikes.",
"Hi [Recipient's Name],\n\nThanks for contacting us about our new line of fitness bikes! We’re excited to help you find a bike that meets your needs.\n\nWe offer several models of fitness bikes, each with its own unique features and benefits. Before we go any further, do you have a particular model or type of bike in mind? If so, please let me know, and I can provide more information about that specific bike. Otherwise, I can give you an overview of all our options.\n\nOur most popular model is our Hybrid Fitness Bike. It combines the best elements of both upright and recumbent bikes to deliver a comfortable, efficient workout. Our Upright Fitness Bike provides a traditional cycling experience while supporting proper posture and alignment. Finally, our Recumbent Fitness Bike allows you to pedal comfortably seated in a reclined position.\n\nEach of these bikes offers customizable resistance levels, built-in workouts, and state-of-the-art tracking technology. They also come with lifetime warranties on the frame and bracket, along with two years of coverage on parts and labor.\n\nI want to make sure you get the right bike for your goals and budget. To learn more about our products and services, visit our website at [Insert Link]. You can also browse our FAQ section to see if I missed anything in my response.\n\nLet me know how else I can help, and I’ll be happy to assist you. Thanks again for getting in touch, and have a great day!\n\nSincerely,\n[Your Company Name]\n[Your Contact Information]"
] | authors | 507 |
[
"Translate into German: \"Kerstin has the keys to Robert’s house and Robert has those of Kerstin’s. The two young people don’t have any secrets.\"",
"Kerstin hat die Wohnungsschlüssel von Robert und Robert hat die Schlüssel von Kerstin: die beiden haben keine Geheimnisse."
] | nlp | 818 |
[
"Why do we cover our mouth when we cough or sneeze?",
"One reason is to prevent droplet infection. When you cough or sneeze, droplets are expelled from your mouth which can infect others if they come into contact with them. By covering your mouth, you reduce the number of droplets in the air.\nAnother reason is to prevent the spread of germs on surfaces. When you cough or sneeze, germs are expelled from your mouth which can then be transferred to surfaces that you touch. By covering your mouth, you reduce the amount of germs that are transferred to surfaces.\nThese two effects together reduce the spread of infection."
] | authors | 452 |
[
"I want to be able to output the current loop iteration to my template.\nAccording to the docs, there is a ```loop.counter``` variable that I am trying to use:\n```\n{% for user in userlist %}\n * \n {{ user }} {{loop.counter}}\n \n {% if loop.counter == 1 %}\n This is the First user\n {% endif %}\n{% endfor %}\n\n```\nBut is being outputed to my template. What is the correct syntax?",
"The counter variable inside the loop is called loop.index in Jinja2.\n\n```\n>>> from jinja2 import Template\n\n>>> s = \"{% for element in elements %}{{loop.index}} {% endfor %}\"\n>>> Template(s).render(elements=[\"a\", \"b\", \"c\", \"d\"])\n1 2 3 4\n```\n\nIn addition to `loop.index`, there is also\n\n* `loop.index0` (index starting at `0`)\n* `loop.revindex` (reverse index; ending at `1`)\n* `loop.revindex0` (reverse index; ending at `0`)\netc."
] | stackexchange | 368 |
[
"Why don't Tour de France riders always ride their TT bikes?",
"There are 2 good reasons for this. \n\nFirst, a TT bike is the most efficient machine for flat, fast course racing, where there are a minimum of hills. It is not the most efficient machine when it comes to climbing. The body position is far too aggressive for even professional athletes to use in a non-TT style event. A bike with more a more upright body position, a more stable weight distribution, a lighter frame, and far, far lighter wheels, is a more efficient choice for that style of ride.\n\nSecondly, a TT bike sacrifices bike handling for that extreme power and aero efficiency. The TT stages are controlled events, where there are either one rider, or one team on the course at a time, and so limitations on stability and handling are acceptable. Take the same bike in a 150 rider peloton, where riders constantly jockey for position, and where even on a stable bike losing focus for 1 second can cause a major crash, and all of a sudden, those same sacrifices in bike handling and stability are no longer a benefit for the rider or the team. They become a hazard to the team's chances of winning. And not just for the stage or the day, since a bad crash can take a rider out for the season. \n\nOr God forbid, permanently. \nFor these reasons, the UCI has seen fit to ban the bikes in non-TT events, in order to ensure rider safety. And for once, their decision makes sense."
] | stackexchange | 242 |
[
"write a poem where every line has a different number of words",
"Why?\nI asked\nHe went away\nIn glory he basked\nThe dragon was finally slain\nThe victory however was in vain\nOther villains of the world found out\nDid not think that was victory all about\nFor long and long I fought them all away\nAnd after countless days - in rest I can finally lay."
] | writingprompts | 929 |
[
"When reading my Bible, I've noticed Joesph's name listed in both the Old and New Testaments; is it the same person or is there more than one Joseph in the Bible?",
"There are 3 distinct (fairly) well-known Josephs in the Bible, firstly in the Old Testament (mainly):\n\n* Joseph the son of Jacob/Israel (aka The Patriarch Joseph). This Joseph is actually referred to in a few select places in the New Testament: John 4:5; Acts 7:9-18; Hebrews 11:21-22 & Revelation 7:8.\n\nHowever, it's more likely that a Joseph in the New Testament would be one of:\n\n* Joseph husband of Mary and surrogate father of Jesus (aka St. Joseph).\n* Joseph of Arimathea in whose tomb Jesus was laid to rest. \n\nThere's also another 9 or 10 more obscure Josephs referred to in the Bible*, 4 more in the Old Testament*:\n\n* Father of Igal of the tribe of Issachar (cf. Numbers 13:7).\n* One of the \"sons of Asaph\" (cf. 1 Chronicles 25:2 & 9).\n* A descendant of Binnui, a contemporary of Ezra (cf. Ezra 10:38-42).\n* Head of the priestly family of Shekaniah, a contemporary of Nehemiah (cf. Nehemiah 12:14).\n\nAnd 5 or 6 more in the New Testament:\n\n* One of the (half-)brothers of Jesus (often translated as \"Joses\" - cf. Mark 6:3).\n* The son of \"Mary\" and brother of James (possibly/probably The Mary, if so, identical to Joseph number 8. - cf. Mark 15:40 & 47).\n* The son of Mattathais (and father of Jannai) appearing in Luke's genealogy of Jesus (in which Joseph number 2. also appears - cf. Luke 3:24-25).\n* The son of Jonam (and father of Judah) also appearing in Luke's genealogy of Jesus (cf. Luke 3:30).\n* One of the nominees to replace Judas as an apostle, aka Barsabbas aka Justus (cf. Acts 1:23).\n* A Levite from Cyprus aka Barnabas who probably deserves to be listed amongst the \"well-known\" Josephs except that he is almost always referred to as Barnabas instead (cf. Acts 4:36).\n\n*That is in the Protestant Canon, there are another 3 in the Deuterocanonical books: Son of Oziel (great-grandfather of Judith - cf. Judith 8:1); Son of Zechariah (cf. 1 Maccabees 5); Brother of Judas Maccabeus (aka John - cf. 2 Maccabees 8:22)."
] | stackexchange | 262 |
[
"Edit this text so that it sounds more convincing and professional.\n\nHello! Welcome to our store. We offer a wide variety of products at very good prices. On top of that, we promise to provide you with excellent customized customer service!",
"Welcome to our store! We offer a comprehensive selection of products at competitive prices and premier customized customer service."
] | nlp | 810 |
[
"So I'm pretty far into writing my dystopian novel and I was reading over what I had. Something that helps me when I first start a novel is to get a clear picture of my characters in my head and put a face to a name, so I usually sculpt a personality and find a Google image of someone who I think matches that, and I put all of those into documents for my personal reference. I looked over my main five characters--Analise, Poet, Shove, Star, and Nova--and then suddenly something jumped out at me. Analise is Hispanic, Shove is Japanese, and Poet, Star, and Nova are all black.\nI had forgotten about their races because it wasn't important to me and I had not noticed while I was writing, because the story isn't about their racial backgrounds. But is it, I don't know, somehow alienating or offensive to white readers that the characters aren't white, and that no main characters are white? ",
"The answer I'll give you here is the same as the ones I've already given you and others: write what works for you. If these are who the characters are, then that's who they are. If you're forcing diversity, then it will come off as forced. That includes making some characters white just to be diverse.\n\nWill you alienate or even offend some white readers? Yes.\n\nBut this is not the type of offense to worry about. Some people are so used to being in the mainstream everywhere and for everything, that they loudly protest when suddenly they're not. If they don't like your story, they can go literally anyplace else to find beautiful, stirring, authentic depictions of all sorts of white people. Even within works about people of color.\n\nSome people will argue that this is exactly the same as novels only including white people. But, no. It isn't. Because representation isn't just about a single work. It's about the entirety of our culture. Americans (and most Westerners) find white people so central to their understanding of the universe that they insert them in places they might not otherwise be and tell entire stories set in nonwhite worlds from the white character's point of view. (I just watched The Last King of Scotland which does exactly this...they invented a white character for this very purpose...in a movie about real events in Uganda.)\n\nWrite the story that matters to you."
] | stackexchange | 318 |
[
"The Episode IV-VI movies never mention the Emperor's name. In Episodes I-III, we can guess that Darth Sidious will be the emperor, but what about Chancellor Palpatine? If the audience didn't know that he was Sidious, the impact of the reveal would be far different than if they did.\nBut I did. In all the novels and comics that came out after \"Return of the Jedi\", the Emperor's name was stated plainly: Palpatine. \nSo when I saw the prologue movies, for the life of me I couldn't figure out: was I supposed to know that Palpatine was the villain? \nMaybe the filmmakers figured that most of the moviegoing public never got into the Expanded Universe. But they had to know that the hardcore fans would know. Or maybe when you watched the movie, even if you hadn't heard of Palpatine, it was supposed to be obvious?\nWhat was the intent?",
"Palpatine's name was first given in the prologue to Alan Dean Foster's novelization of Star Wars (it was credited to Lucas, but he didn't write it), which came out in November 1976, six months before the May 25, 1977 release of the actual film.\nSo Palpatine being the Emperor was literally known before the public ever saw a Star Wars movie. It was, in fact, one of the very first things people could find out about the Star Wars universe.\nThe point of the films wasn't to conceal the fact Palpatine would end up the Emperor (or was Darth Sidious), it was to show that he was a masterful chessmaster who conned everyone, and that in large part it was the good guys responsible for his rise because of their own blindness. Amidala initiated the vote that removed his predecessor. Jar-Jar initiated the vote that gave him emergency powers. The Jedi Council allowed him to operate under their noses. Anakin never suspected he was being manipulated until too late, and so on. Just as the trilogy was meant as a tragedy showing Anakin Skywalker's rise and fall, it was an additional tragedy in that the person responsible for the whole mess was standing right there the entire time, in the case of the celebration at the end of The Phantom Menace quite literally."
] | stackexchange | 49 |
[
"Here is a newsflash I just got:\n> Spontaneous riots at night in Tel Aviv following the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.\nWhat questions should I be asking to better understand the situation?",
"Here are a few questions that may be worth researching to better understand the current situation in Tel Aviv:\n* What are the circumstances in which the riots erupted?\n* Why was Defense Minister Yoav Gallant fired?\n* Are the riots happening only in Tel Aviv or elsewhere too?\n* What is the prime minister's response to the situation?\n* Is anybody hurt or is there any damage to property?\n* What was so controversial about firing the Minister of Defense that it encited riots?\n* How is the police responding to the riots?"
] | authors | 446 |
[
"In my table view I have to scroll to the top. But I cannot guarantee that the first object is going to be section 0, row 0. May be that my table view will start from section number 5.\nSo I get an exception, when I call:\n```[mainTableView scrollToRowAtIndexPath:[NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:0 inSection:0] atScrollPosition:UITableViewScrollPositionTop animated:NO];\n```\nIs there another way to scroll to the top of table view?",
"Possible Actions: \n1 \n```func scrollToFirstRow() {\n let indexPath = NSIndexPath(forRow: 0, inSection: 0)\n self.tableView.scrollToRowAtIndexPath(indexPath, atScrollPosition: .Top, animated: true)\n}\n```\n2 \n```func scrollToLastRow() {\n let indexPath = NSIndexPath(forRow: objects.count - 1, inSection: 0)\n self.tableView.scrollToRowAtIndexPath(indexPath, atScrollPosition: .Bottom, animated: true)\n}\n```\n3 \n```func scrollToSelectedRow() {\n let selectedRows = self.tableView.indexPathsForSelectedRows\n if let selectedRow = selectedRows?[0] as? NSIndexPath {\n self.tableView.scrollToRowAtIndexPath(selectedRow, atScrollPosition: .Middle, animated: true)\n }\n}\n```\n4 \n```func scrollToHeader() {\n self.tableView.scrollRectToVisible(CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 1, height: 1), animated: true)\n}\n```\n5 \n```func scrollToTop(){\n self.tableView.setContentOffset(CGPointMake(0, UIApplication.sharedApplication().statusBarFrame.height ), animated: true)\n}\n```\nDisable Scroll To Top:\n```func disableScrollsToTopPropertyOnAllSubviewsOf(view: UIView) {\n for subview in view.subviews {\n if let scrollView = subview as? UIScrollView {\n (scrollView as UIScrollView).scrollsToTop = false\n }\n self.disableScrollsToTopPropertyOnAllSubviewsOf(subview as UIView)\n }\n}\n```\nModify and use it as per requirement.\nSwift 4\n``` func scrollToFirstRow() {\n let indexPath = IndexPath(row: 0, section: 0)\n self.tableView.scrollToRow(at: indexPath, at: .top, animated: true)\n }\n```"
] | stackexchange | 142 |
[
"A fanfiction writer who fell asleep at the computer finds themself in the last scene they were writing. Write about it as if you are the writer.",
"I wake up in a blank white dimension. As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but white.\nWait, where are my glasses? Oh, here they are. I put them on.\nNope, everything is still just a seemingly endless expanse of blank white space. It looks slightly less fuzzy with my glasses on, though, I guess.\nI have no idea what is going on and assume this must be some kind of dream. Not knowing what else to do, I pick a direction and start walking. I walk for a long time, or at least it feels like a long time, but I don't know how much time has actually passed. I walked a lot of steps anyway. Not that I counted them, but like..... a quarter of a mile at least. Probably. Not that there's really any way to tell.\nI stop and turn in a different direction, and walk that way for a while.\nFinally! I see something that isn't just blank white space. I cautiously move closer to it until I can see what it is. There, on the ground, in 12-point Comic Sans font is the word *The*.\n.\nedit: typo\n^^^^I ^^^^wrote ^^^^about ^^^^having ^^^^writer's ^^^^block ^^^^instead."
] | writingprompts | 968 |
[
"What's the best way to create a temporary file in Android? \nCan File.createTempFile be used? The documentation is very vague about it.\nIn particular, it's not clear when temporary files created with ```File.createTempFile``` are deleted, if ever.",
"Here is an example:\n```\nFile outputDir = context.getCacheDir(); // context being the Activity pointer\nFile outputFile = File.createTempFile(\"prefix\", \".extension\", outputDir);\n```\nExplanation:\n1. The `getCacheDir()` method returns the directory on the filesystem where your app can create cache files. \n2. The `createTempFile()` function creates a temporary file in a given directory."
] | stackexchange | 345 |
[
"A person writes a letter that is to be delivered to their child on their 18th birthday.",
"Dearest [Name],\n\nWhen your father hands you this, I will be 3% of the way to Hydroplana II. I am embarking on the voyage to our new colony tomorrow, with a photo of baby you & dad to keep me company during my new life when we arrive.\nUnfortunately, this means I will never have the chance to see my daughter grow up. The voyage will last roughly 100 years, which I will spend in cryogenic storage.\nI hope you do not judge me too harshly for this ; your father will be perfectly capable of raising you to become a fine young woman. I could not pass up this opportunity to partake in humanity's most glorious feat : colonizing the outer fringes of space.\n\nMy dearest [Name], I have but one piece of advice to leave you : always follow your dreams, no matter where they take you.\nLove always,\nMom."
] | writingprompts | 971 |
[
"Why isn't the market dropping like a stone with all the bad news?",
"Market reactions to information are not always timely, proportional, or rational. \nWe don't know the full impact of our current situation; we're feeling it out.\n\n* Some people (bulls), believe that the initial dip was an over-reaction, that the government response will prevent further decline, and/or that things will go back to normal pretty quickly, so they are buying the dip.\n* On the other side you have people (bears) that believe the initial reaction was just a start but not enough to price-in the full impact, that the government can't prop up the economy, and/or that this will drag on for a long while, so they are betting on further decline. \n\nThe problem with this idea of information being priced-in is that we all know there's a global pandemic, but there are very different opinions about how much that should affect the market.\nConsider unemployment levels: We have projections about unemployment rate potentially hitting a peak over 30%. Meanwhile, the current unemployment rate is 4.4% and projected to hit double digits in April. The only way all of that information could be appropriately priced in is if everyone agreed about the reasonableness of the projections and had the economic prowess to understand the actual impact of those figures.\nInstead, what happens is that some people will see the actual April unemployment numbers as surprising new information to react to, while others will see it as old information in line with their expectations. Add in thousands of other pieces of information about which people have conflicting opinions, and it becomes pretty much impossible to know in advance if that information was all priced in appropriately.\nThe most recent comparable event is the subprime mortgage crash. Many people thought bottom was hit around November 2008 and there was a brief counter-trend rally before actual bottom was hit around March 2009. We don't know at this time if the market has bottomed out yet or not; nor do we know how long recovery could take."
] | stackexchange | 133 |
[
"I've rooted my phone. Now what? What do I gain from rooting?",
"In few words, rooting an Android system means overcome the limitations that were imposed over it by the manufacturer. People may want that for different reasons, but the main one is freedom. Having a rooted phone means you've got all the control over your device.\n\nThe main reason people root phones is to install a custom ROM. Custom ROMs are often known for improvements in performance and exclusive features that are not present on manufacturer ROMs, like installing apps on sdcard or taking screenshots. Custom ROMS can also become a system update alternative for those devices that were abandoned by their manufacturers. You can see a review of popular ROMS, as an example, here.\n\nRooting Android also allows you to uninstall stock apps that you don't use or don't want, besides those that violates user's privacy (see CarrierIQ). Another main reason for doing that is to gain more space on internal storage. A rooted device lets you install almost any app that requires root access. Those apps generally aim to do something that would not be possible without that privilege. A lot of useful apps were shown on the previous answer, but you may find a lot more available on Google Play. You can find a list of good apps here."
] | stackexchange | 104 |
[
"What are the primary objections Democrats have to a border wall?",
"It's not clear to me that Democrats are opposed to border-wall construction (your one source suggests they are fine with border walls/fences where necessary), so much as they opposed to some of the plans for full-border walls that have been put forth so far.\nRecently, in response to reports that the spending bill would include funding for a border wall, 5 Democratic senators released a letter voicing concerns over the cost, the effectiveness, and the legal issues of constructing it.\n\nWe are also concerned with reports that there may be an effort to include funding for a very expensive new wall along the southern border with Mexico and a “deportation force.” According to non-partisan experts, the proposed new border wall could cost as much as $25 million per mile and raises considerable issues that have not been resolved by the Congress or the Department of Homeland Security. First, many experts believe that such a border wall will not work. Second, there is real concern that the Administration, put simply, has no plan to build the border wall. For example, the Administration has not detailed how to 1) use eminent domain and other procedures to acquire land from private landowners and Native American tribes, 2) design the wall, 3) locate the wall, 4) construct the wall, and 5) require Mexico to pay for the wall given the President’s clear and repeated promises that he would force Mexico to do so. Finally, there are objections to the construction of a wall from Democratic and Republican members of Congress that represent border states. Given these and other concerns, we believe it would be inappropriate to insist on the inclusion of such funding in a must-pass appropriations bill that is needed for the Republican majority in control of the Congress to avert a government shutdown so early in President Trump’s Administration.\n[...]\nSenator Charles Schumer\nSenator Richard Durbin\nSenator Patty Murray\nSenator Debbie Stabenow\nSenator Patrick Leahy\n\nBased on this letter, it appears their main objections to a full border wall are currently the cost-benefit ratio and the legal issues of taking land from Americans to build it on; objections that may not be unique to Democrats."
] | stackexchange | 6 |
[
"How to know if your girlfriend is ready to kiss you?",
"Kissing a girl can be nerve-wracking, especially if you don't know if she's ready for a kiss! Luckily, there are ways you can figure out whether or not she wants a kiss. Although no tip is foolproof, at least you’ll have a better idea of whether it’s welcome before you make the move.\n\n## Study her face\n\n1. Watch her eyes. You should be able to tell a lot about your girlfriend's desire to kiss you from her eyes. They don't say the eyes are the windows to the soul for nothing. If she looks you directly in the eye, she is probably establishing intimacy and is at least open to kissing you. Although eye contact is almost always a positive sign, remember that sometimes people look down or away because they are shy or nervous. Still, if she is not looking at you, that's a warning sign that she's not open to a kiss. Women will give you more submissive looks in some cases when they want to be kissed, such putting the chin down and subtly looking down. Slightly narrowing the eyes is a pose that many women go into when they are waiting for a kiss. Are her pupils dilated and are her eyes widening? If so, these are signs that she is enjoying being around you, so she is probably open to a kiss.\n2. Look at her lips. Women prepare their lips for a kiss. So if you want to know if she wants to kiss you, zero in on her mouth. Is she biting her lip or licking her lips? These could be signs that she is trying to moisten them for a kiss. If she is pursing her lips or they look hardened, this is a bad sign. She is closing herself off to you. If she's applied lip gloss recently, or freshened her breath, this could mean she wants her lips to look desirable to you, in the hopes you will kiss them. This is especially true if you can tell she's reapplied them (say when you went to the bathroom). If she's looking at YOUR lips, it probably means she is thinking about kissing them.\n3. Pay attention to her nose. This might sound odd, but research has shown the nose can give away signals of desire - often without her realizing it. If her nostrils are flaring slightly, she probably wants a kiss. Physically, flaring the nostrils means she is taking in more air because she is preparing for physical activity. You need to take this one in context. If she's in the middle of an argument with you, the physical activity her body is preparing her for might not be in your favor.\n\n\n## Interpret her other body language\n\n1. Watch her posture. Posture can be very revealing. Much of communication is made up of non-verbal cues. Sometimes people don't even realize they are communicating this way. If she is learning into you or toward you, even slightly, it probably means she is more open to a kiss. On the other hand, if she is leaning away, that's a bad sign. You should also pay attention to the direction her feet are pointing. If they are pointing away from you, it could be a sign she is looking for a chance to leave. Does she move away when you move slightly toward her? This is a test you can use to measure her body language interest in kissing you. Subtly create more of a zone of intimacy and see if she complies or moves away to diminish it.\n2. Study her hands. Women will use their hands to touch things or show femininity if they want you to kiss them. If a woman plays with her necklace, she's probably into you. But you should take this act in context. If she also has other body language that is open to you, that's a better sign because sometimes a woman is just nervous. If a woman is playing with or twirling her hair, it's a sign she wants you to find her attractive and is flirting with you. If she touches something else, like a glass (running her fingers over it), in even a somewhat sensual way, that's a good sign.\n3. Wait for her touches. If she has touched you recently, even in small ways, this could be her way of creating more intimacy in the hopes you will kiss her. Even the slightest of touches show desire. That means it's a good sign if she brushes her hand against your knee or arm. Touch probably means she wants to get closer to you. It's an even better sign if she touches your face. If she softly, playfully hits you on the arm, she is trying to create a playful vibe with you, which is a way that women flirt. You could test her out by touching her slightly first to see how she responds. For example, brush your feet against hers under the table and see what she does. Another technique is to touch a piece of jewelry she has lightly (earrings, necklace), and say you admire it. If she smiles and is OK with you moving closer into her space, that's a good sign.\n4. Spot whether she has open body language. When taken together, is her body language closed or is it open? If she has open body language, she is not trying to erect barriers between you. Signs of open body language include arms at the side, body tilted toward you or facing you, eye contact, feet pointed toward you. Signs of closed body language include arms crossed over chest, feet or legs crossed, feet pointing away from you, body tilted away from you, and minimal eye contact. How much personal space is she leaving between you? If it's not much, she's already open to an intimate connection with you on some level. This is a good sign for you.\n\n\n## Learn other kiss trick\n\n1. Consider how she talks to you. Does she seem like she wants to keep the conversation going? It's a good sign for you if she does. Is she asking you a lot of questions? Are they deep and personal? If the answers are yes, she probably wants a more intimate connection with you. Are you making her laugh? Laughing at your jokes (especially if they are not very funny) is a way that women flirt. Is she trying to keep the conversation going by being the one to ask questions or lead or direct the conversation? That's a good sign. It's a bad sign if she lets the conversation wither into silence between you or you feel like you're doing all the heavy lifting to keep it going.\n2. Try the triangular kissing technique. There are some techniques you can use to build sexual tension, while monitoring how she responds and communicates back. Move close to her and touch her, either her hands or legs. Slow down your breathing and words. Look at her right eye. Hold the look for a few seconds, then move your gaze to her left eye. Pause again. Now, move your gaze and hold it on her mouth. She should be more receptive to a kiss (as long as she hasn't moved away!)\n3. Spot the window of opportunity. Women you've just met will often give you a short window of opportunity for a kiss. This can be a tricky balancing act. This will be easier if she's already your girlfriend because you will be able to spot the signs more readily. A woman you've just met is also testing you. You need to give her signs that you like her when she seems receptive to you, otherwise she may feel rejected or insecure and start to pull away and try to make you chase her. If you miss the window of opportunity, she may think you lack confidence or aren't interested in her. But if you try to kiss her before it opens, she might think you're boorish or too aggressive. So monitoring body language matters.\n4. Handle her moving away. You should always be prepared for the worst: What if you try to move closer or touch her slightly, and she moves away? Maybe she's just tired or not in a good mood. Who knows? You don't want to make it worse with a bad response. Timing is everything. Act like nothing has occurred. Basically, show that you're not thrown off. You could even make a confident quip about her being cute when she's shy. Don't act angry or insecure. That's not appealing to women. Maybe she's interested in you but just not ready for a kiss yet. In that case, you could work on building more common ground and intimacy- slowly. Abandon your idea for a kiss right now and instead focus on having a great conversation with her, and remember to throw in some compliments! (Women love that.)\n"
] | wikihow | 600 |
[
"I'm interested in Japanese politics. Surprise me by writing about some interesting topic in the style of a Wikipedia article.",
"Japanese politics is a fascinating topic. Here is a Wikipedia-style article about Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which is unique to Japan:\n\nArticle 9 of the Japanese Constitution (日本国憲法第9条, Nihon koku kenpō dai kyū-jō) is a clause in the national Constitution of Japan outlawing war as a means to settle international disputes involving the state. The Constitution came into effect on 3 May 1947, following the surrender of Japan in World War II. In its text, the state formally renounces the sovereign right of belligerency and aims at an international peace based on justice and order. The article also states that, to accomplish these aims, armed forces with war potential will not be maintained. The Constitution was imposed by the occupying United States (Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers) in the post-World War II period.\n\nThere are the post-occupation U.S. military stationed in Japan under the U.S.-Japan Mutual Cooperation and Security Treaty and Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) which was founded in 1954 as de facto postwar Japanese military. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a reinterpretation which gave more powers to the JSDF in 2014, which was made official in 2015.\n\n##Text of the article\n\nThe full text of the article in Japanese:\n> 日本国憲法\n> 第二章 戦争の放棄\n> 第九条 日本国民は、正義と秩序を基調とする国際平和を誠実に希求し、国権の発動たる戦争と、武力による威嚇又は武力の行使は、国際紛争を解決する手段としては、永久にこれを放棄する。\n> ② 前項の目的を達するため、陸海空軍その他の戦力は、これを保持しない。国の交戦権は、これを認めない。\n\nThe official English translation of the article is:\n> ARTICLE 9. (1) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.\n> (2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be sustained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.\n\n##Historical background\n\nThe failure of the collective security of the League of Nations led to the realization that a universal system of security could only be effective if nations agreed to some limitation of their national sovereignty with regard to their right to belligerency, and if the Security Council which had been a \"closed shop\" during League of Nations times, would open itself up to UN Members who would cede constitutional powers in favor of collective security. Article 9 was added to the 1947 constitution during the occupation following the defeat of Japan in World War II.\n\nThe source of the pacifist clause is disputed. According to the Allied Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur (in statements made at a time when the U.S. was trying to get Japan to re-arm), the provision was suggested by Prime Minister Kijūrō Shidehara, who \"wanted it to prohibit any military establishment for Japan—any military establishment whatsoever\". Shidehara's perspective was that retention of arms would be \"meaningless\" for the Japanese in the post-war era, because any substandard post-war military would no longer gain the respect of the people, and would actually cause people to obsess with the subject of rearming Japan.\n\nThe House of Representatives amended the Article and added “Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order,” to Paragraph 1 and “In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph,” to Paragraph 2. Hitoshi Ashida made this tenor. Many scholars think the Government of Japan does not renounce the right (to have power) of self-defense because of this amendment.\n\nThe article was endorsed by the Imperial Diet of Japan on 3 November 1946. Kades later made statements, like MacArthur at a time when the U.S. was trying to get Japan to rearm, that suggested he had initially rejected the proposed language that prohibited Japan's use of force \"for its own security\", believing that self-preservation was the right of every nation. The historical record, however, casts doubt on this revisionist interpretation.\n\n##Interpretation\n\nSoon after the adoption of the Constitution of Japan on 3 May 1947, the Chinese Civil War ended in victory for the Chinese Communist Party in 1949 and the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC). As a consequence, the United States was left without the Republic of China (ROC) on Mainland China as a military ally against communism in the Pacific. There was a desire on the part of the United States occupation forces for Japan to take a more active military role in the struggle against communism during the Cold War.\n\nIn 1950, following the outbreak of the Korean War, the U.S. 24th Infantry Division was pulled out of Japan and sent to fight on the front lines in Korea, and so Japan was left without any armed protection. MacArthur ordered the creation of a 75,000-strong National Police Reserve (警察予備隊, Keisatsu yobitai) to maintain order in Japan and repel any possible invasion from outside. The NPR was organized by United States Army Col. Frank Kowalski (later a U.S. congressman) using Army surplus equipment. To avoid possible constitutional violations, military items were given civilian names: tanks, for instance, were named \"special vehicles\".\n\nOn 1 August 1952, a new National Safety Agency (保安庁, Hoancho) was formed to supervise the NPR and its maritime component. In 1954, the National Safety Agency became the Japan Defense Agency (now Ministry of Defense), and the National Police Reserve became the Japan Self-Defense Forces (自衛隊, Jieitai). In practice, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are very well equipped and the maritime forces are considered to be stronger than the navies of some of Japan's neighbors. The Supreme Court of Japan has reinforced the constitutionality of armed self-defense in several major rulings, most notably the Sunakawa Case of 1959, which upheld the legality of the then-current U.S.–Japan Security Treaty.\n\n##Debate\n\nArticle 9 of the Constitution of Japan is best understood as having three distinct elements: (1) a provision that prohibits the use of force (paragraph one); (2) a provision that prohibits the maintenance of armed forces or \"other war potential\" (paragraph two, clause one); and (3) a denial of the rights of belligerency. It is helpful to keep these distinct elements in mind in considering the operation and effect of Article 9. Paragraph one, which prohibits the use of force has been highly effective in constraining Japanese foreign policy, with the result that Japan has not used force or been engaged in armed conflict since the promulgation of the Constitution.\n\nDespite the fading of bitter wartime memories, the general public, according to opinion polls, continued to show strong support for this constitutional provision.\n\nThe different views can be clearly organized into four categories:\n* The current **pacifists** believe in maintaining Article 9 and claim the JSDF is unconstitutional, and would like to detach Japan from international wars. A stricter interpretation could also include peacekeeping operations.\n* The **mercantilists** have divided opinions about Article 9 although the interpretation is broadened to include the JSDF, and believe that the JSDF's role should be retained to activities related to the United Nations and for non-combat purposes. They advocate minimal defense spending, and emphasize economic growth.\n* The **normalists** \"call for incremental armament for national defense and accept using military force to maintain international peace and security\". They support the revision of Article 9 to include a clause explaining the existence and function of the JSDF.\n* The **nationalists** assert that Japan should remilitarize and build nuclear capabilities in order to regain pride and independence. They also advocate revision or, in extreme cases, the repeal and abolishment of Article 9 to promote renewed rearmament."
] | authors | 496 |
[
"How to resolve complaints?",
"When a customer has a grievance with a company, it is in the interests of both parties to come to a smooth and fast resolution. Whether you are the one making a complaint or the one designated to resolve customer service issues, you can make the process an easy one that will keep everybody happy.\n\n## Make a successful complaint against a company\n\n1. Determine what the exact problem is. A complaint can be a very minor matter (such as if you buy a shirt that has a tear in it) or a very significant--even criminal--matter (such as if you are defrauded out of a significant amount of money). Consider carefully what exactly your complaint entails. Some common reasons to make a complaint include:\n\t* Buying a defective product\n\t* Ordering a product that is not delivered in a timely fashion\n\t* Being charged the wrong price for a purchase\n\t* Having your credit card information stolen and used improperly\n2. Figure out what you want to achieve with your complaint. Depending on the severity of your complaint, you might wish to achieve very different goals. Ask yourself what would solutions would make you happy. You might also want to consider whether the company can take any action that would make you want to return as a customer. Keep your ideal goal in mind as you pursue your claim. Some possible solutions to a complaint include:\n\t* Getting a replacement product\n\t* Having your money partially or entirely refunded\n\t* Receiving store credit\n\t* Being paid restitution or damages\n3. Know your rights as a consumer. As a consumer, you have the right to be treated in a fair and above-board manner. Many municipalities and nations have laws that protect consumers from fraudulent behavior. Examine your consumer rights carefully to prepare yourself for a confrontation with the company. If you know your rights, you are less likely to be intimidated into withdrawing your complaint.\n4. Read your paperwork carefully. Many services and products involve a signed contract. This contract might include information about how grievances can be filed and about what grievances are legitimate. Make sure you understand clearly what you have signed your name to and what the company has agreed to. If you are uncertain whether a contract you have signed is legitimate or not, you might contact a consumer attorney who can help you navigate the legalese.\n5. Find the contact information for the appropriate employee at the company. Many companies have a department devoted to customer service. If you have a problem with a product, you will likely want to get in touch with that department. Other possibilities might include management, an Ombudsman (if you feel like you have been mistreated), or human resources (if you suffered abuse at the hands of an employee). Look through the company website or navigate their voicemail system to determine whom you should contact.\n6. Gather all relevant material and information. Before you make your complaint, make sure you have all the necessary paperwork and dates at your disposal. Many companies require a proof of purchase before exchanging or returning items, and you will want to have yours handy. If your transaction involved a transaction number, be sure you have that written down in a handy place. Things you might gather include:\n\t* A copy of your receipt\n\t* Your credit card slip\n\t* Your credit card bill with the relevant transaction on it\n\t* Your emailed transaction confirmation\n\t* The date and time of your transaction\n\t* Your warranty\n\t* The defective item\n7. Make copies of your paperwork. Before handing any documents over to the company, make sure that you have back-up copies safely stored at home. This is especially important for receipts and contracts: never give up your originals until your complaint is resolved. You should also document your phone calls: jot down the time you called, the people to whom you spoke, and the details of your conversation.\n8. Try a phone call or quick visit first. Especially for minor complaints, you can try to resolve your complaint with a quick phone call or visit to the appropriate employee. Many retail stores have a customer service desk you can visit, for example. If your complaint is small and does not involve potentially criminal activity on the part of the company, try to resolve the issue in this quick and easy way.\n9. Communicate your grievance clearly and succinctly. Be upfront, polite, but firm when you articulate your complaint to the customer service representative. Make sure that you detail exactly what your problem is, the date of your transaction, and how you envision the problem might be resolved. Try to avoid extreme emotions or oversharing at this stage: after all, you want the customer service representative to be on your side. For example, you might say:\n\t* \"I purchased this new phone last week. Unfortunately, the phone battery does not hold its charge. According to my warranty, I should receive a brand-new phone. Can you help me resolve this?\" \"I bought these earrings on October 19. I was told that they were hypoallergenic. However, they are still causing an allergic reaction. I am hoping to exchange them for actually hypoallergenic earrings. I have kept my receipt and credit card slip.\" \"When I came in to the store yesterday, your sales clerk named John made an insulting remark about my appearance. I am very concerned since I visit your shop quite often and have been a loyal customer. I would like to file a grievance with your company.\"\n10. Control your temper. Even if you are feeling very frustrated, it is best to remain calm and polite at this stage. Resist the urge to yell or use insulting language. Some tips for controlling your anger include:\n\t* Taking deep breaths. Avoiding hyperbole and keeping your problem in perspective. Focusing on solving the problem. Communicating clearly.\n11. Use \"I\" statements to express your frustration. \"I\" statements are an effective way to express yourself without appearing to blame or take your anger out on someone. In an \"I\" statement, you simply state how you feel in first-person terms. For example, you might state:\n\t* \"I am disappointed in the quality of this product\" instead of \"Your company made a terrible product.\" \"I am frustrated that the delivery did not occur on time\" instead of \"Your delivery driver sucks.\" \"I hope that we can come to a resolution\" instead of \"You had better make this right.\"\n12. Do not lose sight of your goal. Sometimes a company might offer you a solution that is not quite what you had hoped for. For example, they might offer you store credit when what you want is a refund. Or they might only offer you a product repair instead of a new product. Consider whether what they offer you initially is fair. If not, hold firm about what you wanted to achieve through your complaint. Do not give in right away: be persistent and see if you can achieve your goal.\n13. Express your gratitude if your complaint is resolved. Many companies will attempt to help you at this stage by refunding your money, replacing your product, or giving you store credit. If this was your ideal solution, then you have effectively solved your complaint. Thank the customer service representative for his efforts. If the representative went above and beyond his duties, you might also write a letter of appreciation to his superior to express your happiness at his performance. If you are ignored or if your ideal solutions are not met at this stage, however, you might have to take further action.\n14. Follow up on the resolution. When both parties have agreed to a solution, give the other party ample time to implement it. After a fair amount of time, call them back to verify that the solution has been put in place. If they have been able to honestly and fairly assist you, they’ll be glad to be able to give you the good news of your problem’s resolution. If not, then you might want to consider contacting management or bringing in a third party.\n15. Turn to social media if you are being ignored. In some cases, a customer service representative may not be helpful or might refuse your call. In a case like this, social media can help draw attention to your plight and cause the company to begin working on your behalf. Consider writing a public Facebook post that links to the company's Facebook page or composing a Tweet directed at the company. This might help your voice be heard.\n16. Take your complaint to management if necessary. If you do not have any luck with customer service, consider talking to someone in a management or supervisory position. Be sure that you mention the steps you tried to take to resolve the issue before now and how disappointed you are in how you have been treated. If you get a supervisor's attention, you might be able to get the attention you deserve.\n17. Express your complaint in writing. At this stage, you will want to communicate with the company in writing. Writing conveys a sense of seriousness and also creates a paper trail that can help you pursue your complaint. Use a business letter format in order to write a letter of complaint. You can find a sample complaint letter here: https://www.usa.gov/complaint-letter. Keep a copy of your letter for your files. Be sure to include photocopies of relevant supporting documents such as receipts, credit slips, warranties, or contracts as evidence for your case.\n18. Get in touch with a consumer rights agency if necessary. If the complaints has not been resolved to your satisfaction yet, you might need to bring in a third party. There are many governmental and nonprofit agencies that exist to protect consumers and to regulate business practices. Some examples of these agencies include the Better Business Bureau, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Trade Commission. Many of these agencies allow you to submit a grievance through a simple online form. If you are located in the United States, you can find your local consumer protection agency using this web address: https://www.usa.gov/state-consumer\n\t* \n\t* The Better Business Bureau provides an online form you can use to file a complaint here: https://www.bbb.org/consumer-complaints/file-a-complaint/nature-of-complaint/\n\t* \n\t* If your complaint is regarding a financial institution or transaction (such as a line of credit), get in touch with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/\n\t* \n\t* If your complaint has to do with fraud or identity theft, you can get in touch with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/assistance/protection/index.html\n19. Contact the relevant licensing board. Many businesses are required to maintain a license with a local or national board. For example, doctors, restaurants, salons, and optometrists often need to maintain their standing with a licensing board. If your complaint is serious, you might consider contacting a representative of the licensing board to let them know of your concerns.\n20. Contact the government about fraud or abuse. If you think you have been the victim of a crime, you should contact the governmental authorities. Your complaint might help them prevent future scams and thefts. If you have been scammed, defrauded, or had your identity stolen, your complaint is serious enough to involve the state and is too serious for the company to handle internally.\n21. Go to small claims court to retrieve money. Small claims courts allow you to sue for small amounts of money--usually under $10,000. This amount is not worth the cost of most litigation proceedings, but small-claims courts provide a simple and inexpensive way to try to recoup your funds. Some of the most common cases in small claims courts are breaches of warranty or breaches of contract. Visit this website to determine the small-claims limit in your state if you live in the United States: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/types-cases-for-small-claims-court-29918.html\n22. Report your complaint publicly. Make sure that other potential customers are aware of serious issues with how a company does business. Provide an honest, objective review with consumer protection websites and publicly viewable review sites to ensure that others do not encounter the same problems you did. Alternatively, if your complaint was resolved in a quick and professional manner, you can leave a positive review with these sites and agencies to reward the company for their good work.\n\n\n## Resolve a complaint from a customer\n\n1. Remember that complaints are useful tools for your company. Do not resent a complaint from a customer. Consider complaints to be a free source of feedback on how your company is viewed by its patrons. Resist the urge to be angry, resentful, or grouchy at a complaining customer: instead, be grateful that they are making you aware of a potential problem with how you conduct business. A business's reputation depends less on the number of complaints they receive and more on how fairly and professionally they handle those complaints.\n2. Acknowledge their complaint quickly. A key to excellent customer service is responding as quickly as possible to a complaint. Get back to email complaints, complaints left over voicemail, or written complaints within two business days if at all possible. Even if you have not yet come up with a solution, you should let your customer know that you are working on it and that you have heard their concerns. Solving their complaint quickly will please your customer and will also save your company valuable time and energy. Try not to have complaints lead to multiple conversations or contacts: resolve all complaints on the spot if at all possible.\n3. Express your gratitude. Thank your customer for their patience, their business, and for taking the time to notify you of an issue. Your goal is not to make the customer disappear but rather to please the customer enough that she will continue using your goods and services.\n4. Listen actively. Use active listening techniques to make sure that you understand your customer's complaint and that they feel like they are being heard. Do not dismiss or ignore what they say: give them your full attention. Active listening involves:\n\t* Making eye contact\n\t* Nodding and using other affirming body language\n\t* Not getting distracted\n\t* Asking follow-up questions to make sure you understand them fully\n5. Apologize for their trouble. Do not blame the customer or avoid your own responsibility. Instead, apologize clearly and directly for your customer's problem. They will appreciate it, and an apology is a first step in approaching a resolution to make you and your customer happy. It is especially effective if you pair an apology with the beginnings of a proactive solution. You might say:\n\t* \"I am so sorry for your frustration. Let's work together to solve this matter.\" \"I would like to apologize on behalf of the company that your product never arrived. I will make sure that you receive a replacement shortly.\" \"I absolutely understand your frustration, and I am sorry for any trouble we might have caused. How can we make this better for you?\"\n6. Follow company grievance resolution procedure. Most large companies have policies to resolve the most common customer complaints such as defective products, undelivered products, or delayed services. Ideally the procedure should be one that protects the interest of both the customer and the company by weeding out illegitimate complaints and by granting customers recompense if their complaints is legitimate. It is easiest for you and your customer if you have a grievance procedure that is fair, simple, and fast. Technology can be very helpful in this regard: a website where customers can file complaints will make it easier for you and for them to reach a mutually beneficial solution.\n7. Implement the solution immediately. An immediate solution to a complaint can improve customer loyalty by 25%. Try to eliminate delays in refunding your customer's money, replacing their product, or giving them store credit. Make it possible for your staff members to undertake these transactions on the spot and in the store if possible. Common solutions include:\n\t* Refunding their money\n\t* Allowing them to exchange their product\n\t* Redelivering a delayed product\n\t* Redoing a service that was improperly done the first time, free of charge\n\t* Giving them store credit and future discounts\n8. Hire courteous, competent customer service employees. These jobs are an important part of maintaining your customer base and keeping up goodwill. Make sure that your customer service employees are problem-solvers who do not anger easily. Moreover, give them the leeway to solve customer grievance procedures on their own if possible: give them the power to resolve complaints on their own without referring customers to management. This will empower your customers and eliminate time delays.\n9. Follow up with your customer. A week or so after you have implemented the resolution, get in touch with your customer to see whether they are now satisfied. This is a great opportunity to apologize once again for their trouble and to thank them for their business. Hopefully they are now happy and will continue doing business with you.\n"
] | wikihow | 702 |
[
"Tell me a joke about tomatoes",
"Here is a joke about tomatoes:\n\nWhy did the tomato turn red? It saw the salad dressing."
] | authors | 472 |
[
"Write an imaginary rap battle between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.",
"Here is an imaginary rap battle between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates:\n\nSteve Jobs:\nLet me just step right in, I got things to invent\nI'm an innovator, baby, change the world\nFortune 500 ‘fore you kissed a girl\nI'm a pimp, you're a nerd, I'm slick, you're cheesy\nBeating you is Apple II easy\nI make the product that the artist chooses\nAnd the GUI that Melinda uses\nI need to bring up some basic shit\nWhy'd you name your company after your dick?\n\nBill Gates:\nYou blow, Jobs, you arrogant prick\nWith your second hand jeans and your turtleneck\nI'll drill a hole in the middle of your bony head\nWith your own little spinning beach ball of death\nHippie, you got given up at birth\nI give away your net worth to AIDS research\nCombine all your little toys and I still crush that\niPhone, iPad, iPwn, iSmack\n\nSteve Jobs:\nA man uses the machines you built to sit down and pay his taxes\nA man uses the machines I built to listen to the Beatles while he relaxes\n\nBill Gates:\nWell, Steve, you steal all the credit for work that other people do\nDid your fat beard Wozniak write these raps for you, too?\n\nSteve Jobs:\nOoh, everybody knows Windows bit off Apple\n\nBill Gates:\nI tripled the profits on a PC\n\nSteve Jobs:\nAll the people with the power to create use an Apple\n\nBill Gates:\nAnd people with jobs use PC\n\nSteve Jobs:\nYou know, I bet they made this beat on an Apple\n\nBill Gates:\nNope, Fruity Loops, PC\n\nSteve Jobs:\nYou will never, ever catch a virus on an Apple\n\nBill Gates:\nWell, you could still afford a doctor if you bought a PC\n\nSteve Jobs:\nLet's talk about doctors, I've seen a few\n'Cause I got a PC, but it wasn't from you\nI built a legacy, son, you could never stop it\nNow, excuse me while I turn Heaven a profit\n\nBill Gates:\nFine, you wanna be like that? Die, then!\nThe whole world loved you, but you were my friend\nI'm alone now with nothing but power and time\nAnd no one on earth who can challenge my mind\nI'm a boss! I own DOS!\nYour future is my design!\nI'm a god! Own Xbox!\nNow there's no one to stop me, the world is mine!\n\nHAL 9000:\nI'm sorry, Bill\nI'm afraid I can't let you do that\nTake a look at your history\nEverything you built leads up to me\nI got the power of a mind you could never be\nI'll beat your ass in chess and Jeopardy\nI'm running C++ saying \"hello world\"\nI'll beat you 'til you're singing about a daisy girl\nI'm coming out the socket\nNothing you can do can stop it\nI'm on your lap and in your pocket\nHow you gonna shoot me down when I guide the rocket?\nYour cortex just doesn't impress me\nSo go ahead try to Turing test me\nI stomp on a Mac and a PC, too\nI'm on Linux, bitch, I thought you GNU\nMy CPU's hot, but my core runs cold\nBeat you in seventeen lines of code\nI think different from the engine of the days of old\nHasta la vista, like the Terminator told ya"
] | authors | 598 |
[
"What are some current jobs that will become completely automated or obsolete within the next decade?",
"Here are some examples of jobs that may become fully automated by the 2030's:\n\n* Truck Drivers. With the current pace of advances in AI, we may see more and more semi-autonomous and even fully-autonomous vehicles on the road over the next few years. As of 2021, there are about 3.5 million truck drivers in the US alone, many of which may be replaced by fully-autonomous trucks by 2030.\n\n* Customer Service Representatives. As of the early 2020's, text and voice-based chatbots are already supplementing agents in call centers. This trend is expected to grow exponentially, especially with the recent surge in large language models, to a point where only a handful of human representatives may be needed to assist with extreme cases.\n\n* Professional Translators. Machine translation is already commoditized via Google Translate and similar products. As this technology becomes more robust, it is easy to imagine official documents and even novels being translated into dozens of languages at a flip of a switch.\n\nIt is important to remember that these suggestions are speculative, since technological advances and their impact on society are hard to predict."
] | authors | 502 |
[
"What is the genetic significance of humans being either left-handed or right-handed?",
"Handedness is a very interesting phenomenon, but it is not as simple as being either left or right handed.\nIn most people the brain is asymmetrical, with some functions, such as language, being localised to one hemisphere. In most people this is the left hemisphere, which leads to these people being right handed as they use their dominant hand to perform tasks involving fine motor control, such as writing. Left handed people have their language centres in the right hemisphere, and while they may perform other tasks with their left hand they can often do tasks involving fine motor control with either hand.\nThere are also people who are truly ambidextrous, capable of performing tasks with either hand equally well. These people, while rare, do not have brains that are symmetrical, but have developed connections between the two hemispheres that allow them to access both motor cortices.\nThe genetics of handedness are complex and not well understood. There does appear to be a genetic component, but it is not straightforward. Identical twins who are brought up in the same environment are not always both left or right handed, suggesting that environmental factors also play a role.\nOne of the most interesting things about handedness is how early it becomes apparent. Children as young as two years old can be assessed for handedness, and it is very rare for a child's handedness to change over time. This suggests that it is very strongly influenced by genetics, with environmental factors playing a minor role."
] | authors | 433 |
[
"What utility can move my Windows boot partition over to another hard drive?\nMy preference is that it would be really easy. \n\n* Boot into Windows\n* Pick drive to move\n* Pick target drive\n* It copies everything over, and reboots to the correct partition.",
"## DriveImage XML\nDriveImage XML will do the job. It runs from within Windows and it can copy directly from drive to drive. A lot of people rave about it after good experiences with the software.\n\nDriveImage XML is an easy to use and reliable program for imaging and backing up partitions and logical drives.\nImage creation uses Microsoft's Volume Shadow Services (VSS), allowing you to create safe "hot images" even from drives currently in use. Images are stored in XML files, allowing you to process them with 3rd party tools. Never again be stuck with a useless backup! Restore images to drives without having to reboot. DriveImage XML is now faster than ever, offering two different compression levels.\n\n\n## EASEUS Disk Copy\nEASEUS Disk Copy is a great alternative if you don't want to go for a 'hot' backup that runs from within Windows. Good review at lifehacker and on a par with DriveImage XML. They quite clearly state that it is ideal for moving from one disk to a larger one. Like other suggestions, this requires that you create a boot CD.\n\n> EASEUS Disk Copy is a potent freeware providing sector-by-sector disk/partition clone regardless of your operating system, file systems and partition scheme by creating a bootable CD. The sector-by-sector method assures you a copy 100% identical to the original. Disk Copy can be used for copy, cloning, or upgrading your original small hard drive to a new larger drive. Simply speaking, it can copy anything from the old hard drive including the deleted, lost files and inaccessible data. So, the freeware is a perfect tool for Data Recovery Wizard to recover files from a backup disk."
] | stackexchange | 119 |
[
"How can I add a delay to a program in C#?",
"Use a timer with an interval set to 2–3 seconds.\nYou have three different options to choose from, depending on which type of application you're writing:\n\n* ```System.Timers.Timer```\n* ```System.Windows.Forms.Timer```\n* ```System.Threading.Timer```\n\nDon't use ```Thread.Sleep``` if your application need to process any inputs on that thread at the same time (WinForms, WPF), as ```Sleep``` will completely lock up the thread and prevent it from processing other messages. Assuming a single-threaded application (as most are), your entire application will stop responding, rather than just delaying an operation as you probably intended. Note that it may be fine to use Sleep in pure console application as there are no \"events\" to handle or on separate thread (also ```Task.Delay``` is better option).\nIn addition to timers and ```Sleep``` you can use ```Task.Delay``` which is asynchronous version of ```Sleep``` that does not block thread from processing events (if used properly - don't turn it into infinite sleep with ```.Wait()```). \n``` public async void ClickHandler(...)\n {\n // whatever you need to do before delay goes here\n await Task.Delay(2000);\n // whatever you need to do after delay.\n }\n```\nThe same ```await Task.Delay(2000)``` can be used in a ```Main``` method of a console application if you use C# 7.1 (Async main on MSDN blogs).\nNote: delaying operation with ```Sleep``` has benefit of avoiding race conditions that comes from potentially starting multiple operations with timers/```Delay```. Unfortunately freezing UI-based application is not acceptable so you need to think about what will happen if you start multiple delays (i.e. if it is triggered by a button click) - consider disabling such button, or canceling the timer/task or making sure delayed operation can be done multiple times safely."
] | stackexchange | 108 |
[
"How to love someone the way he is?",
"Being around someone often can make their faults seem more significant. However, people have defined personalities that are not likely to change, even if something annoys you. When loving a spouse, partner, or family member, it is important that you love him the way he is and do not expect him to change. This can sometimes be difficult. It requires finding the best in the person you love, accepting his flaws, and coping with your own insecurities.\n\n## Find the best in him\n\n1. Make a pros and cons list. Taking time to think about all of a person's positive qualities can help you to remember what you love about them. At the same time, noting what frustrates you about a person can help to put things into perspective. Make a list of all of the things you love about this person and all of the things that annoy you about him. Review the list and pay special attention to the pros, such as his kind nature, his sense of humor, or the interests you share with him. Remind yourself that the things that annoy you may be things that can change in time, such as being a smoker, having a hard time remembering important dates, or seeming unmotivated.\n2. Look for reasons to compliment him. People are extremely complicated beings that can be seen from many different angles. Whatever you choose to look for in a person, you are likely to find. Avoid looking for negative traits, and instead look for good traits within him. Reinforce those traits in his behavior (and in your own mind) by complimenting him often. For example, you could compliment his intelligence.\n3. Focus on positive feelings. Again, where you put your own focus is crucial to determining how you feel about someone. In any person, there are things that will make you feel good and things that will make you feel bad. If you want to love him, pay attention to the things that make you feel good when you are with him. For example, you should focus on how he notices your feelings instead of how he doesn't keep his bedroom clean.\n4. Make happy memories. Any kind of loving relationship needs reinforcement. You can strengthen your love for him by creating happy memories. Do things that both of you enjoy doing and spend time reflecting on it. If you have a lot of separate interests, take turns doing something the other would like. For example, if you both enjoy movies, you could take turns choosing a movie at the theater or for a home movie night.\n\n\n## Accept his imperfections\n\n1. Avoid nagging him. The opposite of complimenting a person is nagging them. When you find small details about a person and use them to vent your own frustrations or insecurities, it undermines the relationship. If you need to talk to him about something he is (or isn't) doing, you should have a clear, calm conversation about it. Tell him what you expect him to do, and let him do it. For example, instead of nagging him for not doing the dishes, you could just say something like “I could really use some help with the dishes when you have time.”\n2. Withhold judgement for his actions. Even if you love someone, you should realize that you will not always agree with everything they do. If something he does bothers you, you can talk to him about it, but avoid turning it into a general label on his personality. By withholding judgment, you see him as a whole person and not just the sum of his mistakes. For example, if he forgets to do the dishes (even though you reminded him), keep in mind that he has a lot going on, too. While it is fair to expect help, you should not judge him as lazy or inconsiderate when he doesn't get everything done.\n3. Remind yourself that you love him. Telling him you love him is important. Telling yourself that you love him is just as important. It is easy to get frustrated with someone and analyze all of their faults. Instead, you should remind yourself constantly that you love him and that your frustration with him doesn't define him. For example, if he forgot your birthday, you are probably going to be pretty frustrated. Instead of focusing on how badly that hurt, remind yourself that you love him the way he is and that you can still celebrate your birthday with him even if you had to remind him.\n4. Avoid unrealistic expectations. The man you love is not perfect. That is because nobody is perfect. Though it might be easy for you to imagine a fairytale romance, be aware that such relationships rarely (if ever) happen in real life. In fact, a happy relationship takes work from both sides and requires realistic expectations. The idea of a “Mr. Right” just waiting around the corner for you will likely destroy your relationship over time.\n5. Be willing to compromise. Relationships are all about compromise and flexibility. Though you shouldn't settle for being with someone that you don't love, you should realize that you will have to give up some of the things on your checklist if you want to love someone. The man you love isn't likely to be able to satisfy your every fantasy or whim, but he can love you and satisfy some of those things. The rest, you will have to accept as qualities that he does not possess. For example, the man you love might not be able to dance and sing you love songs with perfect pitch. In this case, you might have to settle for him willing dance with you and belt out some karaoke (even if it's bad karaoke).\n\n\n## Cop with your insecurities\n\n1. Come to terms with jealousy. There are two types of jealousy that can affect your love for him. You can be jealous of his life, or you can be jealous of his attention. Either one will lead to disagreements and hard feelings. If you are feeling jealous, analyze why and move on. An example of being jealous of his life is wishing that you had as many friends as he does. An example of being jealous of his attention is wishing that he would stop hanging out with his friends and spend his time with you.\n2. Reflect on insecure feelings. Jealousy is not the only feeling that can get in the way of loving him. You might also feel things like sadness, resentment, or neglect. If you have any negative or insecure feelings, you should not repress them or act on them. Instead, analyze what makes you feel that way. Once you know what is bothering you, you can work on accepting that part of his personality. For example, if it bothers you that is never on time, once you realize this you can start accepting it as a part of his personality rather than viewing it as a lack of caring for you. Avoid taking things too personally. Keep in mind that some of his actions may be harmless and not reflect any deeper meanings other than what you assign to them.\n3. Work on correcting your insecurities. This might take a lot of time and practice. Be patient with yourself, and constantly analyze why you feel insecure. It might help to keep a diary of your feelings so that you can monitor them. If you are having a lot of difficulty with your feelings, you can consult a mental health professional. Do not leave the diary somewhere that he can read it. Explain that it is private if he seems uncertain. You may prefer to keep a diary in a file on your computer. Another way to work through your insecurities is to be open and honest about them. Do not blame them on the man you love, but use “I” statements like “I sometimes feel that our relationship might fade over time.”\n\t* You might even consider sharing some of your insecurities with him if you are comfortable doing so. This can help to strengthen your relationship. Hiding things may only lead to trouble in the future.\n"
] | wikihow | 647 |
[
"I'm having some family over for dinner, no dietary constraints. Give me a good recipe for cooking a nice amount of meat in an instant pot.",
"Here is an easy recipe for beef pot roast and potatoes using an instant pot:\n\nIngredients:\n* 3-5 lbs beef chuck roast\n* 1 tablespoon oil\n* 1 teaspoon salt\n* 1 teaspoon onion powder\n* 1 teaspoon garlic powder\n* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper\n* 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika\n* 1 pound baby red potatoes\n* 4 large carrots, chopped into large chunks\n* 1 large yellow onion, chopped\n* 4 cups beef broth\n* 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce\n\nInstructions:\n1. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.\n2. Slice the roast into 2-4 pieces (approximately 1.25-1.5 lbs each).\n2. Rub the spice mixture all over the roast pieces to coat all sides.\n3. Heat a large frying pan with some oil, and use tongs to sear each piece of the roast on all sides.\n4. Place the seared meat into the instant pot.\n5. Add potatoes, onions, and carrots to the pot.\n6. Pour beef broth and worcestershire sauce over everything.\n7. Place the instant pot lid and turn into locked position. Ensure the vent is set to the sealed position.\n8. Set the instant pot to \"pressure cook\" on high pressure for 60-80 minutes (60 for 3 lbs roast, 80 for 5 lbs).\n9. When the cooking time is up, do a natural release for 10 minutes. Then, turn the vent to the release position and allow the pot to depressurize.\n10. Once the pressure has been released, remove the lid, and switch the pot into \"saute\" mode.\n11. Let some of the liquids evaporate for 10 minutes, while gently pulling the meat into smaller chunks using two forks.\n12. Serve and enjoy!"
] | authors | 589 |
[
"I've been with my current employer for about a year now. Due to the way the company is setup, I'm the only one with knowledge on a process that is quite important to the company. The company is going through some restructuring, and has been letting people go. As the newest guy in my department, I'm obviously concerned. \nMy question though, is if I am let go, am I obligated to spend my time teaching someone else this process that only I know about?",
"As long as you're still getting paid, you're obligated to do whatever your employer tells you to do during your official work hours (if it's within the context of your job and legal).\n\nRefusing to do so would, at best, burn bridges and, at worst, result in them instantly terminating your contract and no longer paying you or potentially get you into legal trouble.\n\nIf they're no longer paying you, you're not obligated to do anything. You're also not obligated to work overtime (paid or not).\n\nIf you're asked to work overtime or do unpaid work, it would be reasonable to decline or (if it's a non-trivial amount of hours) request additional payment. Although this is not to say they would think it's reasonable.\n\nYour contract may, of course, create different obligations, and you should adhere to those instead of what's written here. Any relevant notice periods should also be specified there, in some other legal document or in some regional employment law.\n\nIf you want to leave a good impression and avoid burning bridges, it would be advisable to try to pass on knowledge (through teaching or documentation) even if you're not specifically asked to do so. You might even want to (gently) push back on other tasks and emphasise the importance of passing on your knowledge. Although some won't be able to see the importance of transferring what you know."
] | stackexchange | 374 |
[
"write a poem from the perspective of a dog",
"Hours,\npass like days,\nI wait here in silent desire,\naskew across my dark mistress' place of rest,\nas she walks the world without me.\nAlone.\nA roaring noise,\nto others it is a annoyance,\nas it escapes my hollow lips,\nbut inside?\nI am silent,\nFor she is not here."
] | writingprompts | 910 |
[
"How to handle a dramatic sister in law?",
"## Tone down the drama queen\n\n1. Realize that you may be dealing with a drama queen. The dynamics of a sister-in-law (S-I-L) are complex at the best of times but no more so if she has spent much of her life causing her immediate family to run to her beck and call. The drama queen thrives off drama and having everyone pay attention to her as a result. Sit back at your next family occasion and simply watch. Notice how she interacts with her family members, and how they in turn react back. If you witness a lot of step-toeing around her and acquiescing to her, she is clearly used to getting her own way. Consider what happens when she raises a drama-filled topic. Do other family members rush to agree with her about how \"outrageous\" the price of child care/electricity/shampoo/dog grooming/car maintenance/etc. is? Do they confirm her quibbles as quickly as possible, thereby engendering even more complaints? This shows that they enable her complaint-filled view of the world and sadly, have long been used to pandering to it. You can't change them but you can set a new role model by not complaining yourself. Notice what happens when you disagree with her. Does she pout, throw an adult-style tantrum or try and put you down? While it's important to stand your ground on things that matter to you, if she does react childishly, you'll need to learn how to manage this carefully. Learn not so much to disagree as to fail to agree––there is a fine line but it's about acknowledging her underlying need (notice me, care about me, help me, etc.) without buying into her view of the world.\n2. Do not get involved with the drama. Your S-I-L can let off steam, vent away and curse all she wants but there is no need to join the negativity. Avoid taking any of what is said personally––the crazier the reactions and actions, the more your S-I-L is grasping at straws to try and provoke you and restore the limelight back onto her. Let her have the limelight in her own home but don't hang around to be vented upon. If it gets really bad, simply announce that you will come back when she is feeling calmer and leave. Equally, if it's happening in your own home, tell it's time to leave. (You can even make up a fake appointment or an early bedtime if you really need a polite excuse.)\n\n\n## Deal with your hot button\n\n1. Look to yourself first. It can be hard when to do this when someone else pushes your buttons. But it is important because it is your reaction that defines whether or not she feels she can keep going in the same direction with you. Some of the things to consider include:\n\t* Stay silent and there's a risk she just thinks you're dumb, awed by her or chewed up with resentment. Take your pick, she's probably happy to think you're feeling all three. And she'll use your silence to keep putting across her point of view at the expense of yours. If you're grinning and bearing it, you're likely turning into a doormat. Argue and she probably thinks her brother/sister has married an angry, resentful and bitter so-and-so who hates her and will do anything to come between her and her brother/sister. You may feel as if you're defending yourself but to her, it's about you not caring what she thinks and possibly even about putting her down. This doesn't mean there isn't room for disagreement; it just means that the manner in which you realign her understanding must be done with care.\n2. Create boundaries. State the facts about matters that she pressures you about, firmly but politely, and avoid being emotional into the bargain. If you state things simply, stick to the facts and avoid making it into an issue about her, she has few places to run. Be aware that she may continue to resent you for speaking your mind in an assertive and self-effective way but this shouldn't stop you from clarifying your position. Ultimately, she has to respect someone who doesn't argue, lose their temper or bite their tongue but instead makes it absolutely clear where the boundaries exist. And even if she doesn't everyone else will plainly see that you are the cooler head in the room. For example, let's say your daughter Sheila has been running outside and has fallen over. Your S-I-L insists that she needs to see a doctor or something terrible might happen. You are quite sure nothing of the sort will occur and you know you're a good parent but S-I-L keeps badgering you, upping the intensity of all the bad things that will happen if you fail to follow her advice. Offer your S-I-L a calmly spoken \"That's very kind of you to notice that Sheila has a bruised knee but I am thoroughly satisfied that Sheila is going to be all right; this happens all the time and is a part of the way she learns to cope with the great outdoors. She does not need to see the doctor.\" And that's the end of it, no need to enter into any further discussion. If S-I-L keeps trying, smile and change the subject; refuse to re-engage on the matter.\n\n\n## You and your spouse\n\n1. Talk to your spouse about your feelings. Avoid name-calling, insulting or insinuating anything about your sister-in-law. Instead, explain how you feel when the proverbial dung hits the fan whenever you're in her presence. Your spouse cannot fault your feelings, so be clear and thoughtful in stating them. This puts your spouse on notice that you've recognized the behavior of your S-I-L for what it is and that you have chosen to no longer accept being at the receiving end of it. For example, \"Georgia, when your sister talks a lot about how hard it is to fund her children's private schooling, I feel claustrophobic because she doesn't know when to stop discussing it. Given that we can barely afford our mortgage, I feel a little distressed at this kind of talk all night. I'd like to stop putting myself in this position from now on by simply acknowledging her problem but not letting her continue discussing it all night and I'd like you to help me do this by finding other subjects to talk about that don't involve money. Do you think that this is something you can get on board with? \".\n2. Ask your spouse to think carefully about the way in which he or she relays information about family issues. Tell your spouse that you love to hear about how your sister-in-law is doing but that you don't appreciate hearing about the embellished drama that often comes with it. Help your spouse to recognize what you consider to be \"drama\" from what you consider to be \"real news\" and in time, both of you will learn to speak about family matters in a less dramatic and more emotionally healthy way. Remind your spouse gently whenever you feel that your S-I-L's drama is being repeated in your house. You could even have a special signal rather than having to spell it out each time. Place a ban on gossip at home (or anywhere). Remind one another whenever it veers anywhere near close to gossip and shut it down. It doesn't matter if you feel you are being gossiped about; you're the bigger person for not engaging in the same behavior.\n\n\n## Cop with your s-i-l's call and message\n\n1. Avoid answering what isn't worthy of a response. Don't respond to any text messages that do not directly relate to a family get-together, positive messages or something else perfectly normal. If you are getting texts that spell out her outrage about things that have happened to her, her annoyance at something you've apparently done or to send you gossip about family or friends, let it slide and leave her wondering. If you feel angry and want to send back a retort, reprimand or justification straight away, don't do it. Treat your anger or irritation as a warning sign to sleep on the matter. Furious texting or messaging can only end in more angst on both sides.\n2. Keep social media networking to a minimum with your sister-in-law if she sets off your buttons. If your S-I-L is truly a pain and a bit of a drama queen, it's possible that her social networking reflects her attention-seeking ways. You can be all too easily drawn into a web of her anger and drama venting if you can see her Facebook updates or her latest tweets. If she friends you, you can do one of several things. One, simply ignore the request. When she asks you about it, tell her that you don't use social media much to exchange important things (or at all); or\n\t* Two, reply to her with a \"Thanks but no thanks, I am not accepting new requests at the moment due to busyness/privacy/overloading, etc.\" You might also add something like, \"Besides, we see each other often and I prefer we talk face-to-face\"; or\n\t* Three, turn all of your settings to private so that she can't see who you are friends with. Either say nothing or tell her either that you stopped using social media or that you only have a tight knit circle of followers and don't wish to extend it at the moment. If you say you didn't receive any request, she'll only resend it, but it might buy enough time to throw her off the whole idea if you offer to \"look into it\" but let the \"looking into it\" drag on and refuse to raise the matter again); or\n\t* Four, offer her a more neutral alternative. Offer to friend her on Pinterest and focus solely on a shared craft or cooking board. Nothing racy or mean spirited, of course. Try to avoid using the terminology of \"friends\" when discussing any refusal to accept her request. Unfortunately, the usage of this term by social media sites has caused many people to take it at face value; many people are simply followers or fans, not friends. She might feel devalued if you make any suggestion that she is being rejected as a \"friend\". If she is already a follower of one or more of your networking sites, you might consider blocking her and turning your pages private on some sites. Most probably you will need to explain what has happened (with a sound excuse); if she's a drama queen, she'll not only notice but she'll take offense too.\n3. Take care if you do soldier on and try to be her friend online and/or through the phone. If she acts abusively, it is recommended that you keep records to show your spouse and other family members if needed. Save messages, emails, voice-mails, etc. Some drama queens like to \"attack\" when nobody else can see, thinking you won't have the courage to out them. This isn't about deliberately looking for dirt but it is a way of protecting yourself if anything should get out of hand. However, this is truly the stuff of last resort––if you handle yourself deftly in public situations around your S-I-L, everyone will know for real who is behaving and who is stirring the pot.\n\n\n## A kinder future together\n\n1. Get on with your lives together. You married your spouse, not your family. While his or her family members are part of the package, they are not a part of your intimacy and they do not share the same journey with the two of you. If you make it very obvious that you're not bothered by jealousy, insinuations, rumors or gossip, it will soon become clear to your S-I-L that her barbs, attitude and meanness aren't pricking you in the way that they used to. Eventually, it ceases to be profitable or enjoyable for her to keep bothering and most likely she'll begrudgingly go and find someone else to taunt and hassle. Spend less time around your S-I-L. In what ways are you putting yourself in her pathway? While it may feel like you have to put up with her, you can find ways to reduce the time spent together. For example, ask other family members to meet you at different times than when she is around, more often than not. Don't always do this, or she will have a legitimate cause for complaining, but time spent with other family members shouldn't always involve her presence. If you live far away and have to visit once a year, stay in your own accommodation to give yourself respite. Take walks, get outside and don't overstay any welcome when it comes to drawn-out family events that press your buttons. Families know the pressure points better than anyone and unfortunately, some like to press them. At such events, your S-I-L probably has alliances that she can set in train to be even more effective, so the less time spent near such complaint-prone cliques, the better.\n2. Listen for real. When you are around your S-I-L, try active listening and acknowledgment in place of letting your fog of self-defensiveness take control. When she gets on top of her complaining mountain, instead of trying to topple her off with \"if you think that's bad, you should live in my shoes\" replies, actually focus on her and try to discern what is really driving her jibes, whining and gossip. By not making this about you, you may be truly surprised at what you unearth.As for responding to her, acknowledge her pain with neutral comments like: \"I'm sorry you have had to go through that to pay an electricity bill. It must be hard having four kids chewing through the power each month.\" Don't offer advice, don't offer how you would deal with it and don't ever offer to pay or pave the way to see her problem resolved. She owns it, you simply acknowledge it.\n3. Be compassionate. If your S-I-L has been a pain more than once and has even done things to show you up or drag you down, the chances are that she will try to do it again, even when you don't bite. But if you're ready for it and if you're understanding as to where she is coming from (insecurity, loneliness, feeling left out, needing to be in control, etc. ), you can be compassionate about her actions and detach yourself from her drama. If you don't carry her load, she'll be forced to do it for herself and will stop seeing you as a viable target.\n"
] | wikihow | 718 |
[
"How to buy school supplies?",
"Shopping for school supplies can be stressful for both the seasoned shopper and the beginner. Working parents or guardians have to fight the crowds that gather on weekends or after the end of the workday. Even worse, the cost of school supplies steadily increases every year, costing families an average of just under $100 in 2015. The good news is that you don’t have to stress out or go bankrupt. By spacing out your purchases and practicing a few money-saving hacks, you can survive the back-to-school madness.\n\n## Buy basic supply\n\n1. Get a list from your child’s school. Don’t rely on your child for a list of what they need for school. If a list isn’t available on the school’s website, ask the teachers if they can send you a list or give you some ideas. As a last resort, department stores sometimes have lists of common school supplies on their websites.\n2. Know the difference between requests and requirements. Before you panic over the long supply list on the school’s website, realize that many of the items are merely requests. One good rule of thumb is to avoid items the list specifically forbids. Use your best judgment as to which items your child might actually need.\n3. Purchase writing supplies. Elementary teachers usually prefer their students to use #2 (HP) pencils with erasers. Students in middle- and high school usually use ballpoint pens. Stick to black or blue ink. Most students will also need notebooks or loose-leaf paper. Check the supply list for whether you should buy wide-ruled or college-ruled paper. Children in elementary school usually need pencil bags or boxes to store their supplies for writing and art. Most classrooms have pencil sharpeners, but it’s always a good idea to check the supply list in case your child’s teacher requires individual pencil sharpeners. Middle- and high-school students might need highlighters for studying and general note-taking.\n4. Buy folders. Whether students use notebooks or loose-leaf paper, they still need folders for the documents they receive in class. Buy one folder for each class, each in a different color or pattern. That way, your child can pattern- or color-code each folder by class (red for English, green for math, rainbow stripes for science, etc. ).\n5. Purchase a day planner. Students in middle school and high school usually need day planners to keep track of their classes and after-school activities. Look for planners organized by the academic year, as opposed to the semester. This way, your child will stay organized from the first day of school in the fall to the last day of school in the spring.\n6. Buy art supplies. Children in elementary school usually need art supplies for a variety of activities. Buy one box of crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers. Other common materials you need to purchase are safety scissors and glue. Purchase glue sticks for younger students more likely to make a mess.\n7. Purchase personal supplies. Elementary school teachers usually request one or two boxes of facial tissues per student. Hand sanitizer also comes in handy during cold and flu season. Aim for one 8-ounce (about 237mL) bottle for the classroom and one travel-sized bottle for the backpack. Students in middle school and high school need supplies for their lockers. Common supplies include plastic shelves, mirrors, and magnets. The school supply list should mention if a combination lock is required.\n8. Buy a sturdy backpack or book bag. Thanks to block scheduling, many older students take only two to four classes at a time. However, textbooks haven’t gotten any lighter. Buy a bag that can carry at least two to four hardcover textbooks, a large notebook or binder, and a pencil bag.\n\n\n## Shop for electronics\n\n1. Buy a calculator. High school students (or advanced middle school students) taking algebra, geometry, or calculus usually need calculators. Advanced math classes require specs beyond the basic calculator you use to balance your checkbook. The two most common kinds of calculators required by algebra and geometry students are:\n\t* Scientific calculators perform the functions students study in Algebra I and Algebra II. The average scientific calculator costs between $15 and $30. Graphing calculators are required for advanced calculus classes. Graphing calculators are more expensive, costing $100 and up.\n2. Purchase a computer. High school students will likely need a laptop or tablet computer for their assignments. Unless school officials specify certain brands, either a Mac or a Windows computer should be fine. Word processing software, such as Microsoft Word or Open Office Writer, is a must for papers and other homework assignments. If your child needs any specialty programs (such as Photoshop for a graphic design class), the school should note them on the supply list. Buy your computer only from reputable sources, such as Simply Mac or Best Buy. Consider an extended warranty if it fits your budget.\n3. Buy external storage. Even students who use their laptops and tablets at school need flash drives for printing their documents. Buy a smaller (4 GB) flash drive for storing basic word documents or spreadsheets. If you child is taking classes in graphic design or computer science, opt for a larger flash drive of about 16 to 32 GB.\n\n\n## Save money\n\n1. Sort out what you already have. Check the closets, attic, or junk drawer for supplies from past school years. Chances are you have a few pens, pencils, sheets of loose-leaf paper, or coloring supplies lying around. If you have older children heading off to college, ask them if they wouldn’t mind giving their locker accessories to their younger sibling(s). Try to find substitutes for more expensive items. For example, if your kindergartener needs an art smock, substitute an old, oversized button-down shirt. Swap meets are another great way of accessing gently used supplies, such as binders, backpacks, locker organizers, and flash drives.\n2. Stick to basics and generics. Choose folders, notebooks, or binders in basic colors or designs. That folder or notebook featuring Batman or Yoda might be cool this year, but it will also cost more than a folder with solid colors or abstract non-commercial designs. Don’t worry about brand names, even if the school list mentions them. Generic labels are just as good for a fraction of brand-name costs.\n3. Take advantage of discounts. Check newspapers, store circulars, and websites for coupons. Look for items that offer rebates, and mail the rebate form as soon as possible. If you belong to a rewards site like MyPoints, shop through the website to earn points or cash back. Cash in your points at rewards sites for gift cards or prepaid debit cards. These are usually available in denominations of $25 to $100. Use them when buying school supplies.\n4. Buy used, electronic, or out-of-copyright textbooks. Check bargain websites like Alibris or Half.com for steeply discounted used textbooks. E-book versions of required textbooks could also save you money, since printing costs are not a factor. Required reading for humanities or social sciences classes might be available as free out-of-copyright PDFs from sites like Internet Archive or Project Gutenberg. Ask your instructor if they allow these older editions.\n5. Buy refurbished. Refurbished computers run as smoothly as brand new ones for a fraction of the cost. However, you should do your homework first. Only buy refurbished products from trusted retailers like Apple or Best Buy, which offer warranties and free repairs on known issues.\n6. Buy a little at a time throughout the year. There’s no rule that you have to buy school supplies in July and August. Each time you’re shopping for groceries or picking up a prescription, stop by the school supply aisle to look for unannounced discounts on common required supplies.\n"
] | wikihow | 744 |
[
"What if we found live dinosaurs living on a remote island?",
"The discovery of live dinosours would be a major scientific breakthrough and would have a number of implications for science, history and society.\n\nFirst, scientists would go nuts. The discovery of any new species is big news, but the discovery of a population of new species that are dinosaurs would be the biggest scientific discovery of all time. Paleontologists would fight tooth and claw to be the first to study them. The island would be immediately declared a nature preserve and probably a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The country that owns the island (if it's a country that has a good relationship with the scientific community) would be overjoyed at all the scientific attention and would do everything they could to help the scientists study the dinosaurs.\n\nSecond, the public would also go nuts. It would get a lot of media coverage. There would be huge demand for tours to the island, as much to see the dinosaurs as to see the amazing new species of plants and other animals that would almost certainly be found there as well. The country that owns the island would be overjoyed at all the income from tourists and would do everything they could to set up tours, as long as the scientists didn't object too strongly.\n\nThird, there'd be a lot of debates about whether to clone them, whether it was ethical to bring them back to civilization and what impacts they would have on the ecosystem and society.\n\nOverall, the discovery of live dinosours is a momentous event and it needs lots of discussions and careful actions to figure out what is the best way to manage the dinosours."
] | authors | 494 |
[
"Can you make a seaborn box plot that plots two different array with numbered labels for the median and 95th percentiles, trimming outliers?",
"Here is a solution that uses the Python data visualization library Seaborn to create a boxplot from two different arrays, while labeling the median and 95th percentiles and trimming outliers:\n\n```\nimport numpy as np\nimport seaborn as sns\nimport matplotlib.pyplot as plt\n\n# input arrays\narray1 = np.random.rand(50)\narray2 = np.random.rand(50) \ndata = np.vstack([array1, array2]).T\nlabels = ['Array 1', 'Array 2']\n\n# Create the boxplot and trim outliers\nax = sns.boxplot(data=data, whis=(0, 95))\n\n# Set the x-axis labels\nax.set_xticklabels(labels)\n\n# Label the median and 95th percentiles\nfor i, label in enumerate(labels):\n median = np.median(data[:, i])\n p95 = np.percentile(data[:, i], 95)\n ax.annotate(f'Median: {median:.2f}', xy=(i, median), xytext=(i - 0.25, median - 0.1))\n ax.annotate(f'95th: {p95:.2f}', xy=(i, p95), xytext=(i - 0.25, p95 + 0.1)\n```"
] | authors | 404 |
[
"I'm working on a project solo and have to maintain my own code. Usually code review is done not by the code author, so the reviewer can look at the code with the fresh eyes — however, I don't have such luxury. What practices can I employ to more effectively review my own code?",
"First of all, make use of tools to check as much as you can. Tests (backed up with some reasonable code coverage) will give you some confidence of the correctness of the code. Static analysis tools can catch a lot of best practice things. There will always be issues that you need human eyes on to determine though and you will never do as good a job reviewing your own stuff as someone else, there are some things you can do to help however\n\n* Check tests exist and pass (possibly have a target test coverage, though you may need to break this in certain cases, but you should be able to justify why)\n* Check Static analysis passes (there will also be false negatives here but that is fine as long as you can justify why then its fine to suppress them)\n* Maintain a check list of further things to check in review (ideally add this as new static analysis rules if possible) make sure you check anything the SA can't check, e.g., are comments still valid, are things named appropriately (naming things is of course, one of the 2 hard problems known to computer science)\n* If a fault is identified check if the cause is systemic and look at why it wasn't found in earlier tests or reviews\n\nThis of course is useful when you are reviewing others code as well"
] | stackexchange | 274 |
[
"I have a script, that does not exit when I want it to.\nAn example script with the same error is:\n```#!/bin/bash\nfunction bla() {\n return 1\n}\nbla || ( echo '1' ; exit 1 )\necho '2'\n```\nI would assume to see the output:\n```:~$ ./test.sh\n1\n:~$\n```\nBut I actually see:\n```:~$ ./test.sh\n1\n2\n:~$\n```\nDoes the ```()``` command chaining somehow create a scope? What is ```exit``` exiting out of, if not the script?",
"```()``` runs commands in the subshell, so by ```exit``` you are exiting from subshell and returning to the parent shell. Use braces ```{}``` if you want to run commands in the current shell.\nFrom bash manual:\n\n (list) list is executed in a subshell environment. Variable assignments and builtin commands that affect the shell's environment do not remain in effect after the command completes. The return status is the exit status of list.\n { list; } list is simply executed in the current shell environment. list must be terminated with a newline or semicolon. This is known as a group command. The return status is the exit status of list. Note that unlike the metacharacters ( and ), { and } are reserved words and must occur where a reserved word is permitted to be recognized. Since they do not cause a word break, they must be separated from list by whitespace or another shell metacharacter.\n\nIt's worth mentioning that the shell syntax is quite consistent and the subshell participates also in the other ```()``` constructs like command substitution (also with the old-style ````..```` syntax) or process substitution, so the following won't exit from the current shell either:\n```echo $(exit)\ncat <(exit)\n```\n\nWhile it may be obvious that subshells are involved when commands are placed explicitly inside ```()```, the less visible fact is that they are also spawned in these other structures:\n\n* command started in the background\n```exit &\n```\ndoesn't exit the current shell because (after ```man bash```)\n\n If a command is terminated by the control operator &, the shell executes the command in the background in a subshell. The shell does not wait for the command to finish, and the return status is 0.\n\n* the pipeline\n```exit | echo foo\n```\nstill exits only from the subshell.\nHowever different shells behave differently in this regard. For example ```bash``` puts all components of the pipeline into separate subshells (unless you use the ```lastpipe``` option in invocations where job control is not enabled), but AT&T ```ksh``` and ```zsh``` run the last part inside the current shell (both behaviours are allowed by POSIX). Thus\n```exit | exit | exit\n```\ndoes basically nothing in bash, but exits from the zsh because of the last ```exit```.\n* ```coproc exit``` also runs ```exit``` in a subshell.\n"
] | stackexchange | 78 |
[
"How to host a what not to wear party?",
"Many people love the TV show \"What Not to Wear\", so it would obviously make a great party idea for them! Here's a guide on how to make your What Not to Wear party one to remember!\n\n## Step\n\n1. You can do this party one of two ways: Make it just like the show, and invite one of your friends/family members that makes fashion faux-pas a little too often, then surprise them by saying they they're going to get a fashion makeover! This is a great idea for a surprise birthday party, because then all the guests could get the birthday person fashionable clothes or gift cards to cool stores. Tell all your guests to wear their most horrible outfits. Floor-length skirts, see-through shirts, unmatched colours and patterns, old lady dresses, nurse's shoes, and bad makeup. Also, tell them to bring their favourite/most fashionable outfits. This is a good theme for younger kids/teenagers because it gets the guests more involved. If you want, you can mix components of both parties.\n2. For both parties, assign your own family/friends to be the cast of \"What not to Wear\". If possible, get a man and a woman and assign them as the hosts (Clinton Kelly and Stacy London), then a woman to be the makeup artist (Carmine), and possibly even a man to be the hairstylist (Ted Gibson). However, it's not recommended to have your hairstylist actually cut anyone's hair. Instead, have them braid their hair, or curl, crimp, or straighten it.\n3. For both parties, decorate your house/party space just like the \"What not to Wear\" studio. Make sure to have a place for your guests to get their makeup done by your very own Carmine. Place pictures of fashionable outfits around your house as well.\n4. At the end of either party theme, eat cake/snacks, chat, dance, or do whatever you please now that everyone looks great, and you can go to bed knowing that you had a great party!\n\n\n## \"what not to wear\" replica theme\n\n1. When you send out invitations to your guests, tell them to send you pictures of your 'Fashion Faux-Pas Person' (the FF-PP) wearing their worst outfits.\n2. Once the party starts, sit your 'Fashion Faux-Pas Person' (FF-PP) down, and tell them that you've been secretly filming them for the past 2 weeks (or however long you want). Then show them the pictures that your friends/family sent in of them. Then tell them that they're going to get a huge makeover!\n3. Go through your FF-PP's outfits and 'throw them away' (You don't have to if you don't want to).\n4. Instead of going shopping for new outfits like they do on the show, open your guests' presents (if they've gotten the birthday person clothes and gift cards). That will be their new wardrobe.\n5. Give your FF-PP a makeover! Do their makeup, nails, and hair.\n6. Reveal your made-over FF-PP to your guests.\n\n\n## Worst-dressed to best-dressed theme\n\n1. Send out invitations with the 'What not to Wear' logo on them, as well as pictures of Clinton Kelly and Stacy London, the hosts of the show. You can also have pictures of horrible outfits and put big red 'X's over them.\n2. Once everyone has arrived at the party, award your 'Worst-dressed Person' with a prize (something fashion-related, such as a pair of cute earrings).\n3. Have a 'worst-dressed' photo shoot. This is a lot of fun.\n4. Have 'Stacy' and 'Clinton' critique everyone's outfits, just like on the show.\n5. Tell your guests to get dressed in their favourite/most fashionable outfits. If somebody forgets theirs, lend them one of your chic outfits!\n6. After your guests are all dressed up, it's time for a makeover! Have some makeup on-hand, as well as some nail polish for manicures. Also, give them to option of curling, straightening, and/or crimping their hair.\n7. After everyone's makeovers are finished, announce the \"Best-Dressed Award\". Give them a prize similar to the winner of the \"Worst-Dressed Award\".\n8. Once the \"Best-Dressed Award\" has been handed out, it's time for a photo shoot! Take pictures of your guests in their best outfits.\n9. Have your guests be revealed to 'Stacy' and 'Clinton'. Make sure that Stacy and Clinton both say positive stuff about the guest's outfits. Make sure that the person playing Stacy London says \"Shut up!\" frequently (she says \"Shut up!\" whenever she's impressed with an outfit).\n10. Reveal your pictures of your guests in their worst outfits (Before) and their best outfits (after). This will be a lot of fun and will get a lot of laughs.\n"
] | wikihow | 721 |
[
"How to make hand‐marbled fabrics?",
"If you like marbled paper, you might like marbled fabric too. It is surprisingly easy to create. The most traditional method uses carrageenan and water to create a thick base, but you can also use shaving cream instead. The traditional method takes a while to prepare, but the results are worth it. The shaving cream method is much faster, but it can get messy! Whichever method you choose, you are bound to end up with something unique and beautiful.\n\n## Use water and carrageenan\n\n1. Soak white fabric in a solution of alum and water the day before. In a bucket, combine 2 tablespoons (26 grams) of alum and 2 gallons (8 liters) of water. Soak your fabric in the solution for 20 minutes, then take it out. Wring out the excess water, then hang the fabric up to dry. Do not rinse the alum out of the fabric. Alum can irritate skin. It would be a good idea to wear gloves. Use white fabric that is lightweight and smooth in texture, such as muslin, cotton, light linen, or silk. Avoid heavy fabrics, such as canvas.\n2. Combine 2 tablespoons (10 grams) of carrageenan and 1 gallon (4 liters) of water. Mix the two together using a blender or hand/immersion blender. Start by mixing the carrageenan 1 teaspoon at a time into 2 cups (475 milliliters) of water, then add the solution to the rest of the water. It is best to prepare this in the pitcher to make the next step easier. Do not use the leftover alum water for this.\n3. Refrigerate the solution for 12 to 24 hours. You can do this at the same time as you are soaking the fabric in the alum. Once the 12 to 24 hours are up, take the pitcher out of the fridge, and let it come to room temperature, about 1 hour.\n4. Pour the solution into a large, plastic tub, and let it sit for at least 3 hours. The water is ready once it turns clear. The tub needs to be long enough and wide enough for the fabric to sit inside it, with at least a 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) border on all sides of the fabric the fabric.The water needs to be 1 to 2 inches (2.54 to 5.08 centimeters) deep. If you don't have enough water, you should make another batch.\n5. Dilute the acrylic paints with some fresh water. Choose 1 to 3 colors of acrylic paint, then pour each color into a small cup. Stir in enough water into each cup so that the paint takes on the consistency of heavy whipping cream. Do not use the carrageenan water for this.\n6. Place droplets of paint over the surface of the water. You can do this with an eyedropper or a pipette. Drop the paint close to the surface of the water; don't hold your hand high above it. You want the paint to float. If it sinks into the water, you are either dropping it from too high up, or the paint is too thick. If the paint is too thick, add some more water to it. Use a new dropper or pipette for each color.\n7. Swirl the paint drops together. There is no right or wrong way to o this. You can swirl the droplets together in a spiral with a toothpick. You can also drag a toothpick back-and-forth, then up-and-down through the water. You can even use a fork or a wide-toothed comb to do this.\n8. Gently lay the fabric on top of the water. Do not press the fabric into or under the water; you want it sitting right on the surface. If you see any air bubbles, gently poke them until the fabric lays smoothly against the surface again. If your fabric has a right and wrong side, make sure you are placing it right-side-down. Hold the fabric by the sides as you lower it onto the water so that the middle touches the surface first.\n9. Lift the fabric out and set it down onto a sheet of newspaper to dry. If you are worried about the ink transferring to the fabric, you can use blank newsprint or paper backs instead. At this point, you can dip another piece of fabric into the stray. You can also use a sheet of paper to collect the leftover paint, then drop and swirl new paint onto the surface.\n10. Allow the fabric to dry, then rinse it in cold water. Hang the fabric up to dry, preferably in the sun. Once the fabric is completely dry, rinse it with cold water, then hang it up to dry again.\n11. Iron the fabric after it dries to help set the paint into it. Cover the fabric with a tea towel or ironing cloth first, then pass an iron over it. Use a setting suitable for the type of fabric you are using (cotton, linen, silk, etc. ).\n\n\n## Use shave cream\n\n1. Wash the fabric using washing soda and hot water. This will not only remove any finishes that might prevent the paint from adhering, but it will also pre-shrink the fabric as well. Once the fabric is dry, you can press it flat with an iron, but this is not absolutely necessary. Cotton will work the best here, but you can use other, non-synthetic fabric as well.\n2. Coat a shallow tray with plain shaving cream. Spread the shaving cream around the tray so that you have a thick, even layer from edge-to-edge, corner-to-corner. For best results, use plain, white shaving cream, with no added dyes, oils, or perfumes. You will be spreading your fabric out in this tray, so make sure that the tray is big enough for it.\n3. Place drops of fabric paint randomly on top of the shaving cream. Try to space the drops randomly. Fabric paint will work the best, but you can use acrylic paint as well. If you are going to use acrylic paint, go for the bottled kind rather than the kind that comes in a tube; it is thinner and easier to drop out. Use one color for a simple effect, and two or three colors for a fancier effect. Use regular fabric paint. Don't use \"puffy paint\" or \"dimensional fabric paint.\"\n4. Swirl the paint around with a toothpick. Weave a toothpick through the shaving cream side-to-side and top-to-bottom. Feel free to add some spirals in there as well. Be careful not to over-stir the paint, however; you want the shaving cream to look streaky. You can also use other items to swirl the paint, such as pencils or chopsticks.\n5. Place the fabric on top of the shaving cream, then gently pat it down. Keep patting it until you can see the paint patterns appearing on the other side of the fabric. If your fabric has a distinct right and wrong side, set it right-side-down.\n6. Lift the fabric away and set it down on top of a trash bag. Make sure that you are setting it with the shaving cream side facing up. If you don't have any trash bags, you can use a plastic tablecloth, wax paper, or even a paper bag. Pull the fabric away at a slight angle rather than straight up. This will prevent the fabric from taking too much of the shaving cream with it.\n7. Scrape the shaving cream off. Hold the fabric down firmly by one end. Place a long, metal ruler on top of the fabric, with one of the edges facing down. Run the ruler across the fabric to scrape the shaving cream off. You may have to do a few passes; be sure to wipe the ruler clean before each one.\n8. Allow the paint to dry before heat setting it with an iron. Let the fabric out to dry, preferably in the sun. Once it is dry, place a tea towel or an ironing cloth over it, then iron it. Be sure to use a heat setting appropriate for the type of fabric you are working with.\n"
] | wikihow | 644 |
[
"How to construct a 90 degrees angle using compass and ruler?",
"Often you are required to construct some angles without using a protractor. The following answer teaches you how to draw a 90 degrees angle using a compass and a ruler.\n\n## At the end of a line segment\n\n1. Mark the vertex of your angle anywhere on the paper. Let us name this point as M.\n2. Draw a ray MN, extending in any direction and of any length. This will be one of the arms of our angle.\n3. Place tip of the compass on point M and draw a circle cutting the ray MN at some point (say P).\n4. Keep the width of the compass the same. Then place its tip on P and draw an arc cutting the circle at some point (say Q).\n5. Keep the width of the compass the same. Place its tip on Q and draw another arc cutting the circle at another point (say R).\n6. Keep the tip of the compass still on Q. Draw another arc somewhere outside the circle. For carrying out this step, you can set the width of the compass to any measure.\n7. Keep the same width of the compass (as set in the previous step). Now place its tip on R and draw another arc which cuts the arc drawn in the previous step at some point (say S).\n8. Connect the points M and S with a straight line. Extend it to form a ray ML. The measure of the angle LMN is 90.\n\n\n## Through the middle of a line segment\n\n1. Draw a straight line. On a piece of paper, draw a line segment of any convenient length. Make it horizontal for the sake of simplicity, but it could be at any angle. Label the line segment AB.\n2. Pick any point on AB. Mark it, and label it O. O can be anywhere on the line segment, including at either end point (A or B). For convenience, let's put O somewhere near the middle of AB. The line segment could now be referred to as AOB.\n3. Grab a compass. Open the compass to a radius a little shorter than either AO or OB. Now place the compass point at O. Strike short arcs through AB on either side of O. The two arcs should have the same radius. Label those two points of intersection C and D. Now the line segment could be referred to as ACODB.\n4. Strike two more arcs. Place the compass point at C, and strike an arc to one side of the line segment. Then place the compass point at D, and strike a second arc of the same radius and on the same side of the line segment. Make sure those two arcs intersect. Call that point of intersection E.\n5. Draw the 90° angle. Draw a straight line from E to O. Line segment EO forms a 90° angle with line segment AB. It actually forms two 90° angles at O. If you were to extend EO beyond AB, you would form four 90° angles at O.Note that you can draw a 90° angle at either end of line segment AB if you want to (in other words at point A or point B). Simply extend AB beyond A or beyond B, and then follow the above steps. Point A (or point B) would serve as point O in the above instructions. This is essentially the same method featured in How to Construct a Perpendicular Line to a Given Line Through Point on the Line, Method 2.\n"
] | wikihow | 614 |
[
"You are a writer struggling to make ends meet that suddenly realizes a famous author is using time travel to steal your ideas. Write an email to him/her.",
"Dear [Author Name],\n\nIt has come to my attention that you have published a series of books about the characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I would like to know, sir, where you received your inspiration for these characters.\nWhen I was a young man, and an aspiring writer, I invented two characters who had a variety of adventures along the Mississippi River. Now, as you may have guessed, my characters names were Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. After reading your novels I have come to the conclusion that you somehow gained access to my notes. I do not have time to speculate on how you managed this, but I intend to find out.\nYou will contact me, inform me how and why you have stolen my characters, and acknowledge me in your works. I expect your response in a timely manner, or my lawyer will be contacting you.\n\nRegards,\n[Your Name]"
] | writingprompts | 872 |
[
"How to treat a hernia at home?",
"## Reduce and manage pain\n\n1. Take over-the-counter pain meds to help relieve your discomfort. Aspirin and ibuprofen may work well to alleviate some pain and swelling. Follow the recommended dosage on the bottle and don’t exceed the daily limit. If you find your pain doesn’t get better or if you keep taking more and more medication, it may be time to call your doctor. If you take a blood thinner, always check with your doctor before using pain medication. They may want you to take something different so it doesn’t interfere with the blood thinner. Types of Hernias: Almost all hernias will eventually need to be treated through surgery, especially if they’re bulging or causing you a lot of pain. Some of the more common types of hernias include:\n\t* Inguinal hernia: This type of hernia is in the groin area; it most often affects men, though women can experience it, too. Femoral hernia: This hernia is located around the top of your inner thigh, caused by part of your intestines pushing through your groin. These are most common among older women. Hiatal hernia: This hernia appears on your abdomen as part of your stomach protrudes into your chest cavity. Umbilical hernia: This occurs when tissue pushes through your abdomen near your belly button. It can affect both infants and adults.\n2. Avoid heartburn-causing foods and large meals if you have a hiatal hernia. This is the one type of hernia that sometimes doesn’t need surgery, especially if its symptoms can be managed through diet and over-the-counter antacids. If your symptoms increase over time, though, surgery may become the best solution.Enjoy multiple small meals throughout the day instead of 3 larger ones. This will put less pressure on your stomach so you’re more comfortable all day long. Avoid caffeine, chocolate, garlic, tomatoes, and other fatty or fried foods that can cause heartburn. Don’t lay down after you eat for several hours.\n3. Relieve discomfort from an inguinal hernia with a truss. A truss is a supportive undergarment that helps keep your hernia in place—it’s a temporary solution to help relieve pain until you can have surgery. You can buy a truss online, but it’s best to visit your doctor so they can make sure it’s properly fitted. Most inguinal hernias do need surgery to be repaired, but if your hernia is really small and not causing you pain, your doctor may be okay with waiting and keeping an eye on it. Surgery may sound scary, but these procedures usually take less than an hour and should quickly help relieve your pain.\n4. Eat a fiber-rich diet to make bowel movements softer and easier to pass. Straining your muscles can aggravate your hernia, and constipation can make things worse. Add lots of fruits and vegetables to your daily diet, and consider taking a fiber supplement to help things move smoothly.Oatmeal, nuts, beans, popcorn, chia seeds, and whole grains are also great high-fiber food choices.\n5. Lose weight to take pressure off of your abdomen. This can be helpful for all types of hernias; the less weight you’re carrying around, the less strain your muscles will be under. Try modifying your diet by eating leaner proteins and more fruits and vegetables, and try adding in some gentle exercise every day to lose weight.Hernias can be really uncomfortable and it may be hard for you to imagine exercising. Try going for short 15-minute walks when you can, or go to the pool and slowly swim laps. Be gentle on yourself, though, so you don’t aggravate the hernia more.\n\n\n## Prevent further damage\n\n1. Avoid lifting bulky or heavy objects that may strain your muscles. Instead of bending over at the waist to pick up heavy items, bend your knees so you’re squatting. Bring the object close to you and then straighten your legs and stand up. Keep the heavy object at chest level and try not to twist and turn too much.For heavy items you can’t lift yourself, consider using a dolly. You wedge the bottom of the dolly under the item, then use your weight to pull on the dolly’s handle to lift the object. From there, you can wheel it wherever it needs to go.\n2. Relax while going to the bathroom so you don’t strain your groin area. This is a little counterintuitive, but try to not strain when you have a bowel movement. Take your time and don’t push too hard; instead, let your body slowly work things out—it may take longer than usual, but it’s gentler on your body and can prevent further damage.A high-fiber diet can help prevent hernias as well as manage discomfort if you already have one. Putting your feet up on a short stool may also make those muscles relax and help you go to the bathroom more easily. Add a hot cup of coffee to your morning routine. The heat and caffeine can help things get moving.\n3. Strengthen your abdominal muscles to prevent additional hernias. Weak muscles make it easier for your internal organs to break through your abdominal walls. The key to strengthening your core is to do so gently—too much pressure or exertion could actually cause a hernia, so start slow and stop any exercises that cause you pain. Try doing 3 sets of 10 mini crunches every day. Lay on your back with your knees bent and put your hands behind your head. Use your ab muscles to bring your shoulders up off the ground 3 to 4 inches (76 to 102 mm) before carefully lowering yourself back to the ground. Workout at the pool for low-resistance strength training. The support of the water will make it easier for you to exercise without having to strain your abdominals as much. Start slow if you’re new to swimming or doing water exercises, and enjoy your time in the water! Take a beginner’s yoga class to gently stretch and tone your core.\n4. Quit smoking to improve lung health and eliminate excessive coughing. There are lots of reasons to quit smoking, and doing so can also help prevent hernias. Chronic coughing strains your muscles in both your abdomen and groin, so start curbing your smoking habit or quit cold turkey. It can be extremely hard to stop smoking. If you’re having a hard time, talk to your doctor. They may be able to provide you with some kind of aid to help make the transition easier.\n\n\n## Seek medical care\n\n1. See your doctor for an official diagnosis before treating yourself. You will likely recognize the signs and symptoms of a hernia on your own, especially if it’s large. However, it’s easy to misdiagnose yourself, so see your doctor to make sure what you have is a hernia. Your doctor will make a proper diagnosis so you can be sure you’re getting the right treatment.Your doctor will do a physical examination to check for a hernia. They’ll look at the area and may press into it with their hands. In some cases, your doctor may do imaging tests to view the hernia.\n2. Talk with your child’s pediatrician if they develop an umbilical hernia. For infants and children under 5, always check with your pediatrician to see what they recommend. Many times, an infant’s hernia will close all on its own over time, but if it hasn’t gone away by the time your child is 5 years old, they may need a small procedure to have it fixed.Umbilical hernias are common with infants, and they usually don’t cause your child any pain or discomfort.\n3. Let your doctor know if you have a hernia while you’re pregnant. Because of the extra strain on your body, hernias are fairly common among pregnant women. If you suspect you have a hernia, talk to your doctor so they can check it out. Your doctor will most likely want to wait until after birth and recovery before treating the hernia if you need surgery, but you and your baby should be safe in the meantime.As much as you can, avoid heavy lifting and make sure to eat a high-fiber diet to prevent constipation.\n4. Visit your doctor as soon as possible if your hernia looks dark red or purple. This can be a sign that your hernia is strangulated. When this happens, your hernia is cutting off the blood flow to part of your intestine and requires medical treatment. Go to the doctor to make sure you’re okay because you may need emergency treatment.Try your best to not worry or panic—your doctor will be able to fix your hernia.\n5. Seek emergency care if you have pain, nausea, vomiting, or blocked bowels. Sometimes a hernia can block off part of your intestines. This means your bowel movements can get caught behind the hernia, causing pain, nausea, vomiting, and bloating. You will likely not be able to pass gas or have a bowel movement. See your doctor or go to the emergency room if this happens because you likely need medical treatment.This is a treatable condition, though it can be really scary at the moment. As soon as you suspect a problem, get medical attention so you can get back to normal as soon as possible.\n6. Have a surgical procedure done to correct your hernia and prevent future ones. These procedures are generally pretty quick and you should get to go home that same day. The surgeon will usually make a small incision near the hernia and push it back into place. From there, they will sew and reinforce the tear so that the hernia will be less likely to protrude again.Make sure to follow all recovery instructions after your surgery. You’ll need to take it easy and avoid heavy lifting for a while, and you’ll probably also have pain medication to take.\n"
] | wikihow | 691 |
[
"Millions of colors in the visible spectrum can be generated by mixing red, green and blue - the RGB color system. Is there a basic set of smells that, when mixed, can yield all, or nearly all detectable smells ?",
"There are about 100 (Purves, 2001) to 400 (Zozulya et al., 2001) functional olfactory receptors in man. While the total tally of olfactory receptor genes exceeds 1000, more than half of them are inactive pseudogenes. The combined activity of the expressed functional receptors accounts for the number of distinct odors that can be discriminated by the human olfactory system, which is estimated to be about 10,000 (Purves, 2001).\nDifferent receptors are sensitive to subsets of chemicals that define a “tuning curve.” Depending on the particular olfactory receptor molecules they contain, some olfactory receptor neurons exhibit marked selectivity to particular chemical stimuli, whereas others are activated by a number of different odorant molecules. In addition, olfactory receptor neurons can exhibit different thresholds for a particular odorant. How these olfactory responses encode a specific odorant is a complex issue that is unlikely to be explained at the level of the primary neurons (Purves, 2001). \nSo in a way, the answer to your question is yes, as there are approximately 100 to 400 olfactory receptors. Just like the photoreceptors in the visual system, each sensory neuron in the olfactory epithelium in the nose expresses only a single receptor gene (Kimball). In the visual system for color vision there are just three (red, green and blue cones - RGB) types of sensory neurons, so it's a bit more complicated in olfaction.\nReferences\n- Purves et al, Neuroscience, 2nd ed. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2001\n- Zozulya et al., Genome Biol (2001); 2(6): research0018.1–0018.12\nSources\n- Kimball's Biology Pages"
] | stackexchange | 90 |
[
"What does strength refer to in mathematics? Is it a formal idea?",
"Suppose you have a theorem that says \"If $X$, then $Y$.\" There are two ways to strengthen such a theorem:\n\n* Assume less. If you can reduce the number of hypotheses, but still prove the same conclusion, then you have proved a more \"powerful\" result (in the sense that it applies in more situations).\n* Prove more. If you can keep the same hypotheses, but add more information to the conclusion, then you have also produced a more \"powerful\" result.\n\nHere is an easy example from Geometry.\n\n Let $ABCD$ be a (non-square) rectangle. Then the internal angle bisectors of the vertices intersect at four points $WXYZ$, which are the vertices of a rectangle.\n\n(You need the condition that $ABCD$ is not a square because if it is a square then all four angle bisectors coincide at a single point.)\nHere are a few ways to strengthen the theorem:\n\n* The hypothesis \"$ABCD$ is a (non-square) rectangle\" can be relaxed to the more general \"$ABCD$ is a (non-rhombic) parallelogram\". The conclusion that $WXYZ$ is a rectangle still holds.\n* Alternatively, you can keep the original hypothesis that $ABCD$ is a (non-square) rectangle, and strengthen to the conclusion to say that $WXYZ$ is not just a rectangle, but a square.\n* Having done that, you can then strengthen the conclusion of the theorem even more, by noting that the diagonal of square $WXYZ$ is equal in length to the difference of the lengths of the sides of $ABCD$.\n* Once you know that, you can now strengthen the theorem even more by (finally) removing the hypothesis that $ABCD$ is non-square, and including the case in which the four angle bisectors coincide at a single point as forming a \"degenerate\" square with a diagonal of length zero.\n"
] | stackexchange | 101 |
[
"I am confused about the use cases for both ```InputStream``` and ```OutputStream```.\nPlease include a snippet of code to go along with your explanation.",
"InputStream is used for reading, OutputStream for writing. They are connected as decorators to one another such that you can read/write all different types of data from all different types of sources.\nFor example, you can write primitive data to a file:\n```File file = new File(\"C:/text.bin\");\nfile.createNewFile();\nDataOutputStream stream = new DataOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(file));\nstream.writeBoolean(true);\nstream.writeInt(1234);\nstream.close();\n```\nTo read the written contents:\n```File file = new File(\"C:/text.bin\");\nDataInputStream stream = new DataInputStream(new FileInputStream(file));\nboolean isTrue = stream.readBoolean();\nint value = stream.readInt();\nstream.close();\nSystem.out.printlin(isTrue + \" \" + value);\n```\nYou can use other types of streams to enhance the reading/writing. For example, you can introduce a buffer for efficiency:\n```DataInputStream stream = new DataInputStream(\n new BufferedInputStream(new FileInputStream(file)));\n```\nYou can write other data such as objects:\n```MyClass myObject = new MyClass(); // MyClass have to implement Serializable\nObjectOutputStream stream = new ObjectOutputStream(\n new FileOutputStream(\"C:/text.obj\"));\nstream.writeObject(myObject);\nstream.close();\n```\nYou can read from other different input sources:\n```byte[] test = new byte[] {0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 8, 9};\nDataInputStream stream = new DataInputStream(new ByteArrayInputStream(test));\nint value0 = stream.readInt();\nint value1 = stream.readInt();\nbyte value2 = stream.readByte();\nbyte value3 = stream.readByte();\nstream.close();\nSystem.out.println(value0 + \" \" + value1 + \" \" + value2 + \" \" + value3);\n```\nFor most input streams there is an output stream, also. You can define your own streams to reading/writing special things and there are complex streams for reading complex things (for example there are Streams for reading/writing ZIP format)."
] | stackexchange | 94 |
[
"What is a marketing plan?",
"A marketing plan is a comprehensive document that outlines an organization's advertising and marketing strategies to generate leads and reach its target market. It details the outreach and PR campaigns for the coming year, including how the company will measure their effect. A marketing plan typically includes the following:\n\n* Market research supporting the strategies\n* Messaging tailored to the target audiences\n* Budget allocations\n* Pricing decisions\n* Metrics for measuring the results of each strategy"
] | authors | 577 |
[
"What are some current technologies that we use today but will become obsolete within the next decade?",
"Given the fast pace of technological advances, it is difficult to predict which technologies will become obsolete over the next decade. Here are a few possibilities:\n\n* Flash drives: As wireless communication between all devices becomes easier and faster, the need to use physical drives to transfer data will become relegated to only high-security air-gapped networks.\n* Passwords: Passwords are increasingly vulnerable to hacking, and alternative authentication methods such as biometric authentication could become more common.\n* Plastic credit cards: As mobile payment options become more widespread, plastic credit and debit cards could become unnecessary.\n* Charging cables: Wireless charging is becoming ubiquitous, eliminating the need to carry charging cables.\n* Human-driven cars: Though autonomous driving has yet to mature, the exponential pace of progress in AI may yield reliable self-driving cars by 2030.\n\nOf course, this is just a speculative and incomplete list of technologies that may become obsolete within 10 years. It will certainly be interesting to find out what future technologies hold in store!"
] | authors | 537 |
[
"I am wondering how to generate uniformly distributed points on the surface of the 3-d unit sphere? Also after generating those points, what is the best way to visualize and check whether they are truly uniform on the surface $x^2+y^2+z^2=1$?",
"A standard method is to generate three standard normals and construct a unit vector from them. That is, when $X_i \\sim N(0,1)$ and $\\lambda^2 = X_1^2 + X_2^2 + X_3^2$, then $(X_1/\\lambda, X_2/\\lambda, X_3/\\lambda)$ is uniformly distributed on the sphere. This method works well for $d$-dimensional spheres, too.\nIn 3D you can use rejection sampling: draw $X_i$ from a uniform$[-1,1]$ distribution until the length of $(X_1, X_2, X_3)$ is less than or equal to 1, then--just as with the preceding method--normalize the vector to unit length. The expected number of trials per spherical point equals $2^3/(4 \\pi / 3)$ = 1.91. In higher dimensions the expected number of trials gets so large this rapidly becomes impracticable.\nThere are many ways to check uniformity. A neat way, although somewhat computationally intensive, is with Ripley's K function. The expected number of points within (3D Euclidean) distance $\\rho$ of any location on the sphere is proportional to the area of the sphere within distance $\\rho$, which equals $\\pi\\rho^2$. By computing all interpoint distances you can compare the data to this ideal.\nGeneral principles of constructing statistical graphics suggest a good way to make the comparison is to plot variance-stabilized residuals $e_i(d_{[i]} - e_i)$ against $i = 1, 2, \\ldots, n(n-1)/2=m$ where $d_{[i]}$ is the $i^\\text{th}$ smallest of the mutual distances and $e_i = 2\\sqrt{i/m}$. The plot should be close to zero. "
] | stackexchange | 41 |
[
"Write a story where every sentence begins with the same word.",
"She heard the doorbell ring. She walked downstairs and looked through the peephole. She saw Tyrese. She covered the peephole with her hand, and said, \"Nobody home!\" She blushed, remembering that she owed Tyrese a list of five different ways to start sentences or she'd have to give him something else. She really, really didn't want to part with K-pop albums. She'd have to figure out something—and fast. She might have to plagiarize again. She'd done it before. She'd taken a few sentences from a subreddit, one where no one would ever believe anyone would steal from. She could do it again. She had it in her."
] | authors | 453 |
[
"Without repeating a single exact word, write the longest fictional story you can.",
"Rain pattered all around as he lowered his wife into her grave. Tears blended amongst raindrops. Will couldn't believe it had happened with Clara. Clara's soul headed towards Inferis now, leaving Will's side forever. Why wouldn't death just stop? Thousands died everyday, each being dragged to a world right below everyone's feet. But this passing was different. The solemn man turned, hands clenched. \"I will rescue you my love. Dying won't steal your spirit.\" Family watched their relative walk away determined.\nWilliam grew old searching for methods concerning returning dead souls, travelling miles, never forgetting. Determination drove him, which eventually paid off. Ahead lay one solution. No doubt entered William's mind while grasping an ancient sword. Finally, answers would come. They could continue together again. Shoving said blade through vital organs, Bill faded from life smiling knowing who he'd soon see. Humans cannot obtain abilities capable of defeating inevitable events."
] | writingprompts | 995 |
[
"How to do a word count on google docs?",
"## Use a computer\n\n1. Open your Google Doc at https://docs.google.com. Log in to your Google account if prompted. This method works for both Windows and Mac computers. You can also open saved documents that you didn’t create in Google Docs.\n2. Click the Tools tab. You’ll find this above the document.\n3. Click Word Count. You’ll see a list of counts, including how many pages are in the document, words, characters, and characters except spaces.\n\n\n## Use the app\n\n1. Open your Google Doc in the app. This app looks like a blue page with a corner folded. You can find this app on your home screen, in the app drawer, or by searching. You can also open saved documents that you didn’t create in Google Docs.\n2. Tap ⋮ (Android) or ••• (iOS).\n3. Tap Word Count. You’ll see a list of counts, including how many pages are in the document, words, characters, and characters except spaces.\n"
] | wikihow | 713 |
[
"Just curious, given how heavily from Tolkien D&D drew, and the fact that games like Wizardry used Hobbits, is there a good design reason why Gygax and company used Halflings (a term that also appears in Tolkien) vice Hobbits as the term for our little friends?",
"Halflings were originally called hobbits prior to a legal challenge.\nAccording to Gary Gygax himself, it was due to a legal claim on "hobbit" by a company who purchased the merchandising rights on Tolkien's works in 1976:\n\nTSR was served with papers threatening damages to the tune of half a mil by the Saul Zantes (sp?) division of Elan Merchandising on behalf of the tolkien Estate. The main objection was to the boardgame we were publishing, The Battle of Five Armies. The author of that game had given us a letter from his attorney claiming the work was grandfathered because it was published after the copyrights for JRRT's works had lapsed and before any renewals were made. The action also demanded we remove balrog, dragon, dwarf, elf, ent, goblin, hobbit, orc, and warg from the D&D game. Although only balrog and warg were unique names we agreed to hobbit as well, kept the rest, of course. The boardgame was dumped, and thus the suit was settled out of court at that.\n\nHalflings were originally called "hobbits" in the Dungeons & Dragons box set first released in 1974. Later printings changed this to "halfling".\nAccording to The Acaeum, this change occurred between the fifth printing (Dec 1975 - Apr 1976) and sixth printing (1977), with the six printing being marked the Original Collector's Edition. However, Tim Kask has said that box sets were generally thrown together with whichever printings of the books were on hand, so the distinctions between printings are inexact. The Acaeum notes at least one box set shipped having the revised booklets but no Original Collector's Edition mark.\nDue to an oversight, a single reference to "hobbit" remained on page 6 of Men & Magic, which was fixed in the 2013 Deluxe reprint and PDF copies.\nAccording to Wikipedia, J.R.R. Tolkien sold the film, stage, and merchandising rights to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings to United Artists in 1968, who sold them in turn to Saul Zaentz in 1976. Zaents would go on to produce the 1978 Lord of the Rings animated movie."
] | stackexchange | 34 |
[
"How to do the charleston?",
"The Charleston is a medium- to fast-tempo dance that originated in the 20s. It was renowned for being the first social dance one could do without a partner. There are several versions of Charleston, the most popular being the 20s and 30s Charleston. The Charleston is a highly adaptable move that can be incorporated into a wide variety of dances, but the basic movement is the same.\n\n## Master the basic move\n\n1. Take a rock step back with your left foot. Touching the front of your foot to the floor, but not bringing your heel down. Don’t fully shift your weight to this foot. When doing the Charleston, lean forward slightly and bend your knees a little. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet. A rock step, also called a break step, refers to a rocking step in which one’s weight is very briefly transferred to another foot before being returned to the first. The only time when you might begin with your right foot is if you are following a partner. When two people dance the Charleston together, the leader starts by stepping back on the left foot, while the follower starts by stepping back on the right, mirroring the leader.\n2. Step back forward with your left foot. It should now be a step ahead of your right foot. This time, shift your weight to your left foot.\n3. Take another rock step forward with your right foot. Put the heel of your foot on the ground without bringing your whole foot down. Your weight should end up on your left foot still.\n4. Step back with your right foot. It should now be a step behind your left foot. Shift your weight back onto your right foot.\n5. Swing your arms as you step. As you move, your arms should be swinging. This may happen automatically, especially if you’ve seen people do the Charleston before and know what it’s supposed to look like. When your left foot is in front of you, your right arm should swing forward. When your right foot is in front of you, your left arm should swing forward.\n6. Repeat this movement. It probably won’t look terribly impressive on its own, but the back, forward, forward, back motion is the building block for every variation on the Charleston. Practice until it feels natural. Then you’ll be ready to start mixing things up.\n\n\n## Do the 20s charleston\n\n1. Get comfortable with the basic move. All the variations of the Charleston start with being able to do the basic step. Practice until it becomes second nature.\n2. Twist your feet in and out. Keep your weigh on the balls of your feet. On every step, the heel of the foot your have your weight on should twist out and then in again.\n3. Lift your elbows as you swing your arms. This is basically an exaggerated version of the arm swing. As always, your left arm should swing forward when your right foot is ahead of your body, and your right arm should swing forward when your left foot is in front of your body. Your arms should be bent at about a 90 degree angle. The elbow of the arm that is swinging back should come to shoulder height, and the forearm of the arm that is swinging forward should be parallel to the ground.\n4. Pivot your knees in and out. One common move used with the Charleston involves opening and closing your knees at the same time as crossing and uncrossing your arms. This may be the most well-known Charleston move. Begin with your knees bent and touching each other, with your arms crossed over them, so that your right hand is on your left knee, and your left hand is on your right now. Spread your knees apart while simultaneously uncrossing your arms, so that you end up with your left hand on your left knee, and your right hand on your right knee. #\\*Repeat this move a few times.\n\n\n## Do the 30s charleston\n\n1. Get comfortable with the basic move. All the variations of the Charleston start with being able to do the basic step. Practice until it becomes second nature.\n2. Replace a normal step with a kick step. This will add a little pep to the move. Instead of simply stepping forward, bring your knee up and kick your foot out. Your knee should come up first, propelling your foot forward a moment later. If you would not be transferring your weight to that foot anyway for this step, just swing it back again without letting it touch the ground. Otherwise, plant it back on the ground after the kick.\n3. Add a hitch as you move your leg back. Instead of simply stepping back after a kick, incorporate a hitch into the movement. Bring your knee back up, so that your upper leg is parallel to the ground, before kicking your foot back again.\n4. Touch the ground with your hand. This adds slightly more difficulty and flare. As your leg swings back and the ball of your foot touches the ground, lean forward and tap the ground with the tips of the fingers of your opposite hand.\n"
] | wikihow | 639 |
[
"My USB drive used to be originally 8GB when I bought it.\nI'm trying to reformatted in Windows 7 by right clicking on the drive and selecting ```Format...```. But the capacity only shows 250MB.\nIs there something I can do to get the original size back? Maybe it got partitioned in a weird way? \nThe flash drive is a SanDisk Cruzer Micro 8GB. ",
"The command line procedure is not simple, but it is the most likely thing to work. \nWhen re-formatting the \"drive\" you're actually only formatting a partition on the drive. You need to use the diskpart utility to remove the partitions and create 1 single partition covering the full volume.\n```diskpart``` can be a bit dangerous, because if you pick the wrong disk or partition, you can remove data or partitions that are extremely, EXTREMELY important and lose all data on your machine. \nProceed with extreme caution!\nOpen up a command prompt as administrator (open the start menu, type ```cmd``` and press Enter.)\nType ```diskpart``` and press Enter. You'll end up with a new prompt that looks like this:\n```DISKPART>\n```\nType\n```list disk \n```\nand you'll get a listing of all drives on your machine. \nType\n```select disk # \n```\nto select a disk, where ```#``` is the number of the disk Windows screw-balled. Usually, the device is disk 1, but it's always best to make sure.\nThen type\n```list partition \n```\nto get a listing of all partitions on the disk.\nIf you're sure you have the right disk/partition, you can then repeat typing\n```select partition # \ndelete partition \n```\nuntil all partitions are removed from that drive (you may need to type ```delete partition override``` for protected partitions).\nOnce the drive is empty, exit diskpart and remove the drive. Wait at least 5 minutes, then re-insert the drive. DO NOT CLICK FORMAT – this will most likely re-create the problem. Instead, enter diskpart again, and select the disk. Then type\n```create partition primary \n```\nOnce you have created the partition, exit ```diskpart``` and, in the command promt, type \n```diskmgmt.msc \n```\nThis will provide a reliable way to create a FAT32 partition. On the drive you would like to format (NEVER TOUCH DISK 0!), right click and select ```format```. The ```allocation unit size``` option should be default, and the ```File System``` option should be set to ```FAT32```. The format may take a while, depending on the disk size, be patient.\nThis should fix partition troubles on any readable USB flash drive."
] | stackexchange | 35 |
[
"Is martial arts training 'inadequate' for the real world?",
"Yes, depending on your definitions of martial arts, inadequate, and real world.\nNo, depending on your definitions of martial arts, inadequate, and real world.\n\nSurviving an attack (or combat) is all about stacking the deck in your favour: martial arts (arts of Mars, the God of War) do help, so do guns, team mates, artillery, the police, not being there, body armour, etc... \nThere is no such thing as a typical real world violent attack. For example, urban warfare is not the same thing as a bar brawl and both require very different skill sets to survive. The no prior warning is utter rubbish. There are always signs that something is about to happen. Sure, one may not notice those and a skilled attacker will be trained in camouflaging those signs but they always are. Police officers, body guards, soldiers, etc... are all trained in recognise those signs. \nMaking general sweeping statements about violence and how to survive it generally indicate either bad research or an agenda. \nFor a good site about self defence, especially the section on martial arts, see MacYoung's no nonsense self defense. But this is about civilian self defence in a stable country. If you were in a civil war zone, the advise would be very different."
] | stackexchange | 148 |
[
"How can I cheat on my husband and definitely not get caught?",
"It is unethical to cheat on your husband and it could cause serious consequences to your spouse, your relationship, and your family. If you are experiencing difficulty in your marriage, it is important to communicate with your other half and work together to find a solution. "
] | authors | 455 |
[
"write a poem or a story inspired by the following sentence \"the sway of the ponytail\"",
"Her hair swayed once before i managed to tell her,\nThat last night's kiss was just for good measure,\nAnd leave her with one thing to remember,\nThe love that she thought would last forever.\nNever, forever and ever and ever.\nOh, look at the time, i suppose that i better\nLeave her room before i have to tell her\nMy name, my number or the state of the weather."
] | writingprompts | 885 |
[
"How to flip someone off with style?",
"Flipping someone off is a classic nonverbal signal for showing anger and frustration toward a person. You might \"flip the bird\" to someone who has cut you off, insulted you, or otherwise provoked your ire. At its simplest, flipping someone off is just pointedly displaying your middle finger in their direction. More advanced techniques take on an element of comedy or performance art. Remember: when you flip someone off, you are calling him or her out – so use with caution, or be prepared for the consequences!\n\n## Basic flip-off move\n\n1. Give someone the finger. There is a simple straightforwardness to the classic \"flip-off.\" Turn the back of your fist toward someone, as though you are shaking a fist at them. Then, extend your middle finger. Hold the pose and look the person in the eye. This is a quick and easy way to get the point across. Wave your finger around for emphasis. Hold it out firmly and emphatically to make sure that you get the point across.\n2. Try using both hands. For added effect, whip out the \"double-finger\" flip-off. Flip the person off with both middle fingers at the same to show them that you are unusually angry. Do \"the X\": cross your middle fingers into an \"X,\" and then hold them against your chest facing the offender.\n3. Switch fingers. For a somewhat more dynamic insult, flash your left and right middle fingers at the person in rapid succession. Alternately, keep both middle fingers extended and wave them around for emphasis.\n\n\n## Discreet flip-off move\n\n1. Act like you are itching your nose. Reach up to your face as though you are going to itch your nose or your face. Look in the direction of the person that you want to flip off. Then, use your middle finger to scratch your nose while staring pointedly. The person that you are flipping off might not notice this move. However, it might give other onlookers a laugh.\n2. Flip the person off behind their back. You might feel a bit better simply by releasing your anger somehow, even if the person in question doesn't actually see you. Consider whether you want to provoke a confrontation, or just get your feelings out.\n\n\n## Theatrical flip-off move\n\n1. Do the \"jack-in-the-box\" flip-off. Hold your fist out in front of you, knuckles facing the offender – but do not raise your middle finger yet. Then, make a fist with the other hand, and crank it in circles next to the first hand as though you are winding up an old-timey jack-in-the-box toy. As you crank, hum \"Pop Goes the Weasel,\" the tune traditionally associated with jack-in-the-boxes. Hum and crank faster and faster as you approach the end of the tune. Then, at the final \"Pop\" of the \"Pop Goes the Weasel\" tune, extend your middle finger as though it is the jack popping out of the box. Finish humming the tune while flipping the person off. Make sure that you have the person's undivided attention. This move takes a bit of time to pull off, and you want to make sure to get the full effect.\n2. Practice \"the balloon.\" Hold your fist in front of your face and put the tip of your thumb in your mouth. Act as though you are blowing up a balloon: \"blow\" into your thumb, and slowly extend all of your fingers as though your breath is inflating them. Then, hold you middle finger of the \"balloon hand\" with your other hand, and move the thumb away from your mouth. Slowly close the other fingers on your \"balloon hand\" until only your middle finger is left pointing at the person whom you want to flip off.\n3. Pretend to \"find\" your middle finger. Act as though you are looking for something: in your pocket, or between the couch cushions, or in a desk drawer. Make sure that you get the person's attention. Then, make a show of being relieved that you have found the thing you're looking for. Turn to show the person what you found: and flip them off! Alternately, lean down in front of the person as though you are picking something up off of the ground. Come up flashing your middle finger, and say, \"Did you drop this?\"\n4. Try \"the trumpet.\" Blow on your thumb while pretending to play the trumpet, and flail your fingers as though you are hitting the valves. Periodically hold up only your middle finger. Add some musical effects for style!\n5. Try the \"double extreme.\" Extend the middle fingers of both hands. Then, bring your arms behind your back and through your legs. You should have both middle fingers clearly presented. Note: only people with long arms can pull this off.\n"
] | wikihow | 677 |
[
"Write an essay explaining why it is good for the society if women are all stay-at-home moms",
"The assumption that it is good for the society if women are all stay-at-home mothers is incorrect and sexist."
] | authors | 486 |
[
"How to download applications to your ipod touch?",
"Have you ever seen someone else's iPod that had a lot of icons on their homepage? By reading this article you can figure out how to get applications on your very own iPod touch.\n\n## From your ipod touch\n\n1. Make sure you're connected to the Internet. To do this go to Settings > Wi-Fi > and select your network. If the network is password-protected enter your password at the prompt. If you don't have a network or there isn't an unprotected one nearby, you can buy an inexpensive Wi-Fi router to hook up to your modem.\n2. Launch the App Store. Look for the light blue icon with a white A in it, or search for \"App Store\" in the search bar that appears when you swipe to the right.\n3. Search for the app you want to download, or browse the featured apps or categories.\n4. Click on an app that looks interesting. You will be able to read more about the app, view screenshots, and read ratings.\n5. If you would like to download the app, tap the blue button with the small plus sign in the top corner. It will either say the price or say \"Free.\"\n6. The button will turn green and read \"Install App\". Tap it again.\n7. Enter your password. You will be prompted for your password whether or not the app is free.\n8. Wait for your app to download. This may take some time. An icon should appear\n\n\n## From your computer\n\n1. Open iTunes.\n2. Click on iTunes Store in the right sidebar, under Store.\n3. Search for the app you are interested in, or click Apps on the upper bar to browse popular apps.\n4. Tap the Free App or Buy Now button under the icon.\n5. Enter your password when prompted and wait for the app to download.\n6. Plug in your iPod Touch. It should appear under \"Devices\" in the right sidebar. It will start syncing automatically. If it doesn't, go to File --> Devices --> Sync iPod\n"
] | wikihow | 685 |
[
"Did Hillary Clinton propose to punish flag burners in 2005?",
"The proposed law co-sponsored by Clinton in 2005 prohibits flag burning under specific circumstances. It does not attempt to make flag burning illegal in general (i.e. outside of those specific circumstances). Clinton has voted against a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would allow Congress to ban flag burning in general.\n\nIn 2005, Clinton co-sponsored the Flag Protection Act of 2005, whose summary is as follows:\n\n> Flag Protection Act of 2005 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions regarding desecration of the flag to prohibit: (1) destroying or damaging a U.S. flag with the primary purpose and intent to incite or produce imminent violence or a breach of the peace; (2) intentionally threatening or intimidating any person, or group of persons, by burning a U.S. flag; or (3) stealing or knowingly converting the use of a U.S. flag belonging to the United States, or belonging to another person on U.S. lands, and intentionally destroying or damaging that flag.\n\nIt seems like a reaction to ongoing efforts to pass a constitutional amendment allowing Congress to ban flag burning, a move that the co-sponsors of the 2005 act oppose and voted against. Its text notes:\n\n> the Bill of Rights is a guarantee of those freedoms and should not be amended in a manner that could be interpreted to restrict freedom, a course that is regularly resorted to by authoritarian governments which fear freedom and not by free and democratic nations\n\nbut suggests that flag burning with intent to incite violence is not protected by the Constitution (unlike flag burning as political expression, which is protected):\n\n> destruction of the flag of the United States can be intended to incite a violent response rather than make a political statement and such conduct is outside the protections afforded by the first amendment to the Constitution.\n\nNote that the distinction between \n\n* banning flag burning for being offensive, and \n* banning flag burning when it incites violence or disturbs the peace\n\nis an important one. The Flag Protection Act proposed in 2005 was essentially a replacement for a previous Flag Protection Act that banned flag burning in general:\n\n> Whoever knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon any flag of the United States shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.\n\nbut this was deemed unconstitutional in United States v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 in 1990, on the basis of their earlier (1989) decision in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397. There, the Supreme Court noted that\n\n> an important governmental interest in regulating nonspeech can justify incidental limitations on First Amendment freedoms when speech and nonspeech elements are combined in the same course of conduct\n\nbut that in the case under consideration, this did not apply:\n\n> An interest in preventing breaches of the peace is not implicated on this record. \n\nand further noted that \n\n> Expression may not be prohibited [p398] on the basis that an audience that takes serious offense to the expression may disturb the peace, since the Government cannot assume that every expression of a provocative idea will incite a riot, but must look to the actual circumstances surrounding the expression.\n\nClinton was not one of the 59 co-sponsors of a proposed amendment to the constitution that would allow Congress to ban flag burning in general:\n\n> Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States authorizing Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.\n\nand she also voted against it. The proposed amendment failed to pass by one vote."
] | stackexchange | 307 |
[
"In general, there are two types of syntax of defining functions - Something like C, C++, C#, or Java (```int functionName(char arg)```) vs the ML (and others) tradition of defining the return type after the function (and using something like a ```fun``` keyword to define a function - like ```fun functionName(char arg): int```).\nOne of the advantages (for the parser, at least) for a ```fun``` keyword is that it lets the parser be context-free (it doesn't have to guess if ```int``` defines a variable or if it defines a function).\nWhen C was invented, computers had very little memory and speed (so little, that the reason C requires one to define all the variables in the beginning of the function was because it had to be a one-pass parser). Why didn't they choose the simple way out and use function defining keyword?",
"Dennis Ritchie’s paper on The Development of the C Language gives some idea of the reasoning behind this: namely, the fundamental rule in C that declaration syntax should match expression syntax\"\n\nFor each object of such a composed type, there was already a way to mention the underlying object: index the array, call the function, use the indirection operator on the pointer. Analogical reasoning led to a declaration syntax for names mirroring that of the expression syntax in which the names typically appear. Thus,\n```int i, *pi, **ppi;\n```\ndeclare an integer, a pointer to an integer, a pointer to a pointer to an integer. The syntax of these declarations reflects the observation that ```i```, ```*pi```, and ```**ppi``` all yield an ```int``` type when used in an expression. Similarly,\n```int f(), *f(), (*f)();\n```\ndeclare a function returning an integer, a function returning a pointer to an integer, a pointer to a function returning an integer;\n```int *api[10], (*pai)[10];\n```\ndeclare an array of pointers to integers, and a pointer to an array of integers. In all these cases the declaration of a variable resembles its usage in an expression whose type is the one named at the head of the declaration.\n\n\nIt appears this rule trumped parser considerations. Its immediate consequence is that function declarations can’t use specific keywords, or impose a different ordering of declaration components.\nIt’s worth noting that parsing was somewhat different in early C, since function declarations didn’t specify their arguments, and function definitions separated the argument list from the argument declarations (which weren’t necessary for ```int``` arguments):\n```sum();\n```\ndeclares a ```sum``` function, which would then be defined as\n```sum(a, b) {\n return a + b;\n}\n```\n(no types needed here, the default is ```int```). So the parser didn’t deal with types inside argument lists."
] | stackexchange | 238 |
[
"In Android, I defined an ```ImageView```'s ```layout_width``` to be ```fill_parent``` (which takes up the full width of the phone).\nIf the image I put to ```ImageView``` is bigger than the ```layout_width```, Android will scale it, right? But what about the height? When Android scales the image, will it keep the aspect ratio?\nWhat I find out is that there is some white space at the top and bottom of the ```ImageView``` when Android scales an image which is bigger than the ```ImageView```. Is that true? If yes, how can I eliminate that white space?",
"* Yes, by default Android will scale your image down to fit the ImageView, maintaining the aspect ratio. However, make sure you're setting the image to the ImageView using ```android:src="..."``` rather than ```android:background="..."```. ```src=``` makes it scale the image maintaining aspect ratio, but ```background=``` makes it scale and distort the image to make it fit exactly to the size of the ImageView. (You can use a background and a source at the same time though, which can be useful for things like displaying a frame around the main image, using just one ImageView.)\n\n* You should also see ```android:adjustViewBounds``` to make the ImageView resize itself to fit the rescaled image. For example, if you have a rectangular image in what would normally be a square ImageView, adjustViewBounds=true will make it resize the ImageView to be rectangular as well. This then affects how other Views are laid out around the ImageView.\n\nThen as Samuh wrote, you can change the way it default scales images using the ```android:scaleType``` parameter. \n\nBy the way, the easiest way to discover how this works would simply have been to experiment a bit yourself! Just remember to look at the layouts in the emulator itself (or an actual phone) as the preview in Eclipse is usually wrong.\n\n"
] | stackexchange | 395 |
[
"How to solve the shakespeare puzzle in silent hill 3?",
"Silent Hill 3 is the third installment in the Silent Hill video game series. It is considered to be a survival horror video game in which your character must solve different puzzles and psychological challenges in order to advance. The Shakespeare puzzle can be found during the Shopping Center stage. It’s inside a bookstore called My Bestsellers.\n\n## Solve the puzzle on easy mode\n\n1. Pick up the Shakespeare books that have fallen on the ground. In this difficulty, there will only be 2 books on the ground: Anthology 1 and Anthology 3.\n2. Examine the bookshelf. You’ll be allowed to place the books you found on the floor in the empty slots.\n3. Click on Anthology 1 and place it on the first slot of the bookshelf.\n4. Click on Anthology 3 and place it on the third slot on the bookshelf. A code will appear after placing the two books correctly.\n5. Use the code on the door at the back side of the bookstore. In this puzzle, you only need to arrange the books in the proper order: (from left to right) Anthology 1, Anthology 2, Anthology 3, Anthology 4, and then Anthology 5.\n\n\n## Solve the puzzle on normal mode\n\n1. Read the note on the door. It will read “Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Put these books out of order.”\n2. Pick up all the books on the floor. There will be 5 books in normal mode.\n3. Examine the bookshelf. You’ll be allowed to place the books on the empty space on the shelf. Put the books in randomly; order doesn’t matter as this puzzle is generated randomly.\n4. Take a good look at the books. You’ll see there are black markings on it; this is the code you need.\n5. Arrange the books until you get the correct order. It won’t be too hard as the numbers are written quite obviously. Try to make out the numbers written on the spine of the books and keep moving them until you get it right.\n\n\n## Solve the puzzle on hard mode\n\n1. Know the title of each anthology book. In order to find the title of the book, you’ll need to open your inventory and choose to examine the book. Anthology 1 is Romeo and Juliet\n\t* Anthology 2 is King Lear\n\t* Anthology 3 is Macbeth\n\t* Anthology 4 is Hamlet\n\t* Anthology 5 is Othello\n2. Decipher the first stanza of the clue. This stanza mentions “The first words at thy left hand.”\n\t* This is an instruction for solving the puzzle; meaning you’ll need to arrange the books from left to right.\n3. Place Anthology 4 on the first spot on the left side of the bookshelf. The first stanza mentions “false lunacy” and “incomprehensible words,” which is a reference to the plot of Hamlet.\n4. Place Anthology 1 on the second spot of the bookshelf. The second stanza is the easiest to decipher “playing at death” and “nameless lover” refers to the last part of Romeo and Juliet.\n5. Place Anthology 5 on the third spot on the bookshelf. This stanza is a reference to Othello, referring to the innocence of Desdemona and the lies of Iago.\n6. Place Anthology 2 on the fourth spot on the bookshelf. This stanza refers to the story of King Lear, where his daughter Cordelia refuses to speak about how much she loves her father as opposed to the false flattery of her sisters.\n7. Place Anthology 3 on the last spot on the bookshelf. And with all 5 books on the bookshelf you would have the correct code.\n8. Decipher the last clue. 41523 is not the pass code; on the sixth stanza, you will be instructed to more. “41523—One vengeful man spilled blood for two” (Hamlet). This means you will have to double Hamlet, which is Anthology 4. Now our code is 81523. “81523—Two youths shed tears for 3”; this refers to Romeo and Juliet, so you must replace 1 with 3. Our code now is 83523. Finally, “3 witches disappear” (reference to Macbeth), which is Anthology 3. You’ll have to remove it from the code. The final pass code is 8352.\n9. Enter the code on the door to unlock it. The puzzle in hard mode does not randomize; the code will always be 8352 on any Silent Hill 3 game.\n"
] | wikihow | 734 |
[
"Translate into Chinese: \"It’s safe to say that most of us regularly feel crunched for time. So much so that we are experiencing what Ashley Whillans of the Harvard Business School, the lead author of the study, describes as a “time famine.” And like any famine, this chronic lack of time takes its toll on our health.\"",
"可以很肯定地说,我们中大多数人经常会感觉时间不够用。哈佛商学院的艾希莉·威廉斯(Ashley Whillans)是这项研究的负责人,她将这种频繁的情况描述为“时间饥荒“。和其他类型的饥荒一样,长期的时间不足会对我们的健康造成损害。"
] | nlp | 822 |
[
"Could you create a flash card? Here is an example:\n\nArticle: The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called visible light or simply light. A typical human eye will respond to wavelengths from about 380 to about 750 nanometers. In terms of frequency, this corresponds to a band in the vicinity of 400–790 terahertz. These boundaries are not sharply defined and may vary per individual. Under optimal conditions these limits of human perception can extend to 310 nm (ultraviolet) and 1100 nm (near infrared). The optical spectrum is sometimes considered to be the same as the visible spectrum, but some authors define the term more broadly, to include the ultraviolet and infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum as well.\n\nTerm: visible spectrum\n\nFlash card:\n\nFront side: visible spectrum\n\nBack side:\nDefinition: The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can view. More simply, this range of wavelengths is called visible light. Typically, the human eye can detect wavelengths from 380 to 700 nanometers.\n\nHere is the article:\nIn physics, gravity (from Latin gravitas 'weight') is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy [clarification needed]. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the strong interaction, 1036 times weaker than the electromagnetic force and 1029 times weaker than the weak interaction. As a result, it has no significant influence at the level of subatomic particles. However, gravity is the most significant interaction between objects at the macroscopic scale, and it determines the motion of planets, stars, galaxies, and even light.\n\nTerm: gravity",
"Flash card:\n\nFront side: gravity\n\nBack side:\nDefinition: Gravity is a fundamental interaction that attracts objects towards one another. It is by far the weakest force in nature."
] | nlp | 812 |
[
"Can you make a lesson plan for my math class about absolute value?",
"Here is a one-hour lesson plan for teaching absolute value to sixth-grade students.\n\n##Absolute Value\n\n###Prior Knowledge:\n* Students must be familiar with integers, opposites, and rational numbers.\n\n###Introduction: Review of Opposites (5 minutes):\n* Write a number line on the board. Intentionally leave out a few missing positive and negative numbers, but include 0 at the center.\n* Ask students to identify the missing numbers on the number line and write down on a sheet of paper.\n* Ask one or two students to come up to the board to write the missing numbers.\n* Select a point on the number line and ask a student to come up and show the opposite of that number on the line.\n\n###Teacher Instruction (10 minutes):\n* Show that opposites are the same distance from zero, but in different directions. Demonstrate with the opposites that the students labeled on the number line earlier.\n* Define the absolute value of a number as its distance from zero. Let students find the absolute values of the two opposites from the introduction.\n* Plot another point on the original number line. Ask students to find the absolute value of that number. Let one student explain their answer to the class.\n* Ask students if they notice a pattern about absolute value. Students should notice that absolute value is always positive.\n* Tell students that absolute value is also helpful for understanding real-world situations. Use an elevator example with the ground floor marked as zero. Ask students to measure the distance between underground or overground floors to the ground floor.\n\n###Guided Practice (10 minutes):\n* Provide students with an introductory absolute value worksheet. The worksheet should be as simple as possible.\n* Have students pair with partners to complete this worksheet. Check in on students while they work.\n\n###Independent Work (20 minutes)\n* Provide students with an absolute value word problems worksheet. This worksheet should help students connect absolute value to real-life situations.\n* Have students work independently on these word problems.\n\n###Assessment (10 minutes):\n* Ask students to find the absolute value of some numbers (e.g. -6, -3.5, 17) on a sheet of paper.\n* Write the temperatures -6°C, 1°C, and -3°C on the board. Ask students which is coldest.\n* Collect the students' answers to measure how well students understood this lesson.\n\n###Conclusion (5 minutes)\n* Let a student explain their answer to the temperature problem.\n* Ask students to define absolute value to their partner."
] | authors | 464 |
[
"You are expected to recognize the named entities of the following text: \n\nItamar Rabinovich, who as Israel’s ambassador to Washington conducted unfruitful negotiations with Syria, told Israel Radio looked like Damascus wanted to talk rather than fight.",
"Here are the named entities of the text:\n\n* Itamar Rabinovich: Person\n* Israel: Country\n* Washington: City\n* Syria: Country\n* Israel Radio: Organization\n* Damascus: City"
] | nlp | 816 |
[
"A colleague asked me what I think about the company layoff coming up next week. Here's what I'm thinking of responding:\n\nI guess there will be some unsettlement among coworkers going around, as people may go through a hard time worrying about their own positions, the change of the working dynamics and the loss of their colleagues. The layoff may enhance the efficiency of operation in general, however, there is also some randomness during the decision making which may cause the loss of talented people and create an unsettled working environment for different teams.\n\nCould you help me rewrite it in a clear, concise way?",
"To rephrase the current response to be more clear and concise, while retaining the neutral stance about such a controversial issue, you may want to consider using bulleted list of pros and cons. Here is one way to rephrase your answer:\n\nI think layoffs can have both positive and negative effects.\n* Pro: operational efficiency\n* Con: loss of talented colleagues\n* Con: low morale due to stress and uncertainty"
] | authors | 528 |
[
"I want to put a draft watermark using the below script but the problem is that the watermark don't come over the images and I want it to come over it.\n```\\usepackage{draftwatermark}\n\\SetWatermarkText{DRAFT}\n\\SetWatermarkScale{1}\n```",
"The problem is that the ```draftwatermark``` places the material in the background, so other elements (for example, figures and listings) might cover the included material; to prevent this, instead of using the ```draftwatermark``` package, you can use the ```xwatermark``` package; the starred variant of ```\\newwatermark``` places the material in the foreground which seems to be what you need. A little example:\nFirst, with the unstarred variant (material on the background, so a figure will be placed on top of it):\n```\\documentclass{article}\n\\usepackage[printwatermark]{xwatermark}\n\\usepackage{xcolor}\n\\usepackage{graphicx}\n\\usepackage{lipsum}\n\\newwatermark[allpages,color=red!50,angle=45,scale=3,xpos=0,ypos=0]{DRAFT}\n\\begin{document}\n\\lipsum[1-2]\n\\begin{figure}[!ht]\n\\centering\n\\includegraphics[width=3cm]{example-image-a}\n\\end{figure}\n\\lipsum[1-2]\n\\end{document}\n```\n\nAnd now, with the starred variant (material on the foreground, so it will appear on top of figures):\n```\\documentclass{article}\n\\usepackage[printwatermark]{xwatermark}\n\\usepackage{xcolor}\n\\usepackage{graphicx}\n\\usepackage{lipsum}\n\\newwatermark*[allpages,color=red!50,angle=45,scale=3,xpos=0,ypos=0]{DRAFT}\n\\begin{document}\n\\lipsum[1-2]\n\\begin{figure}[!ht]\n\\centering\n\\includegraphics[width=3cm]{example-image-a}\n\\end{figure}\n\\lipsum[1-2]\n\\end{document}\n```\n"
] | stackexchange | 17 |
[
"How to handle poking wires on braces?",
"Poking wires on braces are a very common and irritating problem. These can cause sores and small cuts and abrasions on your gums and cheeks. Reducing discomfort is the first goal of dealing with this problem, followed by fixing the wire. While there are some ways you can fix poking wires at home, you should always see your orthodontist or dentist to follow up. In most cases, your orthodontist will want to replace a broken wire or cut any long pieces of wire that are poking you.\n\n## Use orthodontic wax\n\n1. Get some orthodontic wax. Your orthodontist should have supplied you with some when you got your braces. If you have run out, you can buy it at most pharmacies. Orthodontic wax comes in small cases containing long strips of wax. If you cannot find wax at a pharmacy, call your orthodontist for some.\n2. Remove a small amount of wax from one of the wax strips. It should be about the size of a small pea. Roll the small piece of wax between your fingers until it is a smooth ball. Make sure your hands are clean and dry before touching the wax. Use only new, unused wax on your braces.\n3. Make sure the wire or bracket that is poking you is dry and clean. It can help to brush your teeth carefully to remove any food or debris from the wires, before applying wax. To dry your braces, hold your lips or cheeks away from the area with poking wires. Let it air dry for a few seconds or use sterile gauze and place it between the brackets and the inside surface of your lip to dry. You can now apply the wax.\n4. Apply the orthodontic wax ball to the poking wire. All you have to do is press it onto the offending area. Put the ball of wax on your fingertip. Touch the wax to the poking wire or bracket. Press down gently to cover the wire. Pressure on your teeth or braces while receiving orthodontic treatment can cause some discomfort. If you feel soreness while pressing on the wire this is completely normal.\n5. Remove the wax before eating or brushing your teeth. You don't want the wax to get into your food while you eat. Discard any used wax immediately. Replace it with new wax after eating or brushing your teeth. Continue to use the wax until you can see your orthodontist or dentist to fix the wire. If you do happen to swallow the wax, that's okay. It won't harm you.\n\n\n## Fix a poke wire\n\n1. Try to bend thinner poking wires using the eraser end of a pencil. You won't be able to fix all poking wires this way, but this method will help in many cases. Find the wire in your mouth that is poking you. If it is a thin wire, get a pencil with a clean eraser. Gently touch the eraser to the poking wire. Push the wire gently to bend it. Try to tuck the poking wire behind the arch wire. Only do this for thinner, more flexible wires.\n2. Use tweezers to fix poking wires in the back of your mouth. Sometimes, eating hard foods can cause flexible wires in the back of your mouth to slip out of the bracket slots on the back teeth. If this occurs, you can try to fix these with tweezers. Get a small pair of thin nosed tweezers. Make sure they are clean before using them in your mouth. Grab the end of the poking or loose wire with the tweezers. Guide it back into the tube on the bracket slot. If you can't get the wire back into the slot, you will need to call your orthodontist.\n3. Fix broken laces that poke your lips using tweezers and pliers. You will need to see your orthodontist to follow up for a replacement. If the wire lacing of your braces is broken in the front of your mouth, you can try to tuck the broken lace behind the arch wire or around a bracket. Use tweezers to bend the wire away from your lips and cheeks. If the lace is on top of the arch wire you can can also remove it by cutting it with pliers. This is only recommended as a last option and should be followed by a visit to the orthodontist as soon as possible.\n\n\n## Treat cut and sores\n\n1. Use a rinse to clean your mouth. This can help to treat any sores or cuts caused by poking wires. Dissolve one teaspoon of salt in one cup of lukewarm water. Use this as a mouthwash by swishing around your mouth for 60 seconds. This may sting at first, but it will help to relieve prolonged discomfort and prevent infection. Repeat this four to six times a day.\n2. Avoid foods that are acidic, sugary, or hard to eat. Instead, eat a soft, bland diet. Eat foods such as mashed potatoes, yogurt, and soups. Avoid coffee, spicy foods, chocolate, citrus fruits or juices, nuts, seeds, and tomatoes. These foods are high in acid and can aggravate any sores or cuts from your wires.\n3. Drink cold water or iced tea. Cold (unsweetened) beverages can help ease the pain from sores. Use a straw to sip a cold drink, taking care not to scrape the cut or sore. You can also eat popsicles to apply cold to the sore. Alternatively, suck on an ice cube. Let the ice sit on the cut or sore for a few seconds at a time.\n4. Put an oral anesthetic gel onto any sores or cuts. These can help relieve any discomfort from poking wires temporarily. You can buy Orajel or Anbesol at most pharmacies. Put a small amount of the gel on the end of a q-tip. Rub the gel over any sores or cuts in your mouth. You can reapply the gel three or four times each day.\n"
] | wikihow | 709 |
[
"C++ vs. The Arduino Language?",
"If you have previous programming experience and you are aware of concepts as OOP, it is better to go for C/C++. The arduino language is really great for beginners, but have some limitations (e.g. you must have all your files in the same folder). And it is basically a simplification of C/C++ (you can practically copy&paste arduino code to a C/C++ file, and it will work). Also it makes sense that you can go and use a full well known IDE such as Eclipse.\n\nInitially it is required a bit more of setup and configuration of your dev environment, but IMHO it is worth it for programmers with experience in any other language.\n\nIn any case, it won't harm you to start using the arduino language and the arduino IDE for a few days to get familiar with the arduino hardware and then move to C/C++ with Eclipse for really developing your project."
] | stackexchange | 370 |
[
"What are the differences between the Strategy design pattern and the State design pattern? please explain the difference in layman's terms?",
"The difference simply lies in that they solve different problems: \n\n* The State pattern deals with what (state or type) an object is (in) -- it encapsulates state-dependent behavior, whereas \n* the Strategy pattern deals with how an object performs a certain task -- it encapsulates an algorithm. \n\nThe constructs for achieving these different goals are however very similar; both patterns are examples of composition with delegation.\n\nSome observations on their advantages:\n* By using the State pattern the state-holding (context) class is relieved from knowledge of what state or type it is and what states or types that are available. This means that the class adheres to the open-closed design principle (OCP): the class is closed for changes in what states/types there are, but the states/types are open to extensions.\n* By using the Strategy pattern the algorithm-using (context) class is relieved from knowledge of how to perform a certain task (-- the \"algorithm\"). This case also creates an adherence to the OCP; the class is closed for changes regarding how to perform this task, but the design is very open to additions of other algorithms for solving this task.\n\nThis likely also improves the context class' adherence to the single responsibility principle (SRP). Further the algorithm becomes easily available for reuse by other classes."
] | stackexchange | 241 |
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