qid int64 1 74.7M | question stringlengths 12 33.8k | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list | response_j stringlengths 0 115k | response_k stringlengths 2 98.3k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
43,785 | The TV guide in Windows Media Center only shows 7 lines. The font is massive and it is a real pain having to scroll so much to compare channels and see what is on.
Does anyone have a fix to change the font size and display more lines at once? If there was just the option to decrease the font size throughout Windows Media Center - I'd take it. | 2009/09/19 | [
"https://superuser.com/questions/43785",
"https://superuser.com",
"https://superuser.com/users/6937/"
] | The patch and procedure to increase the number of lines described here:
[**Hacking Windows 7 Media Center:** Increasing the Default Number of Rows in the EPG](http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/12/increasing-the-default-number-of-rows-in-the-epg.html)
 | The hack in accepted **Answer** is no longer available for download.
In spite of many other video media players I have tried, I like how WMC PVR features work... like record the next episodes with many criteria for auto-delete...
Your *best bet* is to use the [Resource Hacker tool.](http://www.angusj.com/)
Open **Microsoft.MediaCenter.Shell.dll** in your resource editor (prefix Microsoft is truncated in older x32 versions) and browse to ...
HTML > ... EPG.MCML file. Inside **search** for key words in the following lines and edit the values as described:
Name=”InitialGridPosition” Left=”FilterButton,1,1″ Right=”Parent,1,-53″ Top=”FilterButton,0, –44
Name=”InitialGridPosition” Left=”FilterButton,1,1″ Right=”Parent,1,-53″ Top=”FilterButton,0, **-134**
Set Target=”[FilterButtonLayout.Bottom.Offset]” Value=“493”
Set Target=”[FilterButtonLayout.Bottom.Offset]” Value=“**580**”
Set Target=”[Table.VisibleRowCapacity]” Value=“7”
Set Target=”[Table.VisibleRowCapacity]” Value=“**11**”
Font FontName=”global://comm:LightFontFace” FontSize=“48”
Font FontName=”global://comm:LightFontFace” FontSize=“**0**”
SAVE FILE
Then open WMC
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1EIdm.jpg)
Open Resource Hacker> Open File> C:\Windows\ehome\Microsoft.MediaCenter.Shell.dll
Make above edits and If you want to make font smaller Search Font > change size to 10 or whatever F3 (repeat)
... until prompted to Compile (yes)> tab to left column and repeat...(search ..."font" ..edit value F3 ...etc.
There are dozens of locations in many HTML files.
When searching beyond one HTML file to the next , after an edit you may be prompted to **Compile text** bu then F3 stops working until you ^f find text again then F3.... It's not very elegant code.
Then Press SAVE Icon. |
60,353,069 | I want to set up a bunch of raspberry pies that each run a webserver, and then allow people to simply go to a website on their laptop and get an overview of all of these raspberries on the network (and then of course they'll be able to do stuff with them by calling the web server).
Is it possible to set up the raspberry pies in such a way that they are discoverable on the local network from JavaScript? Without the need of a server? Or is this only possible from native apps? | 2020/02/22 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/60353069",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/987706/"
] | * Allow devices an access to your local network (Just Google OSX local network port, Raspberian network access)
* Then use any discovery library that you want.
I'd suggest using something like [Cote](https://github.com/dashersw/cote-workshop) NodeJS (easly runs on raspbery and any device) - it discovers any other process running cote on local network automaticly;
You can also build your own discovery script or just configure in advance | You could install node.js on your raspberry pies and install socketio on your pies. Then you could simply interactive with them from the client side |
10,092 | Why Ubuntu uses the Indicator Applet?
It loses a lot of usability, why made it when Gnome already have one?
---
**Example**
Without indicator applet:
Application is in the icon tray
Left click opens the application window
Right click shows a menu related to application
With indicator applet:
Application is in the icon tray
Left click shows a menu with a few options related to application
Right click shows a menu related to "indicator applet"
This means it takes 2 clicks to show the application main window,
while before it need only one.
Why make something that already exists and is useful?
Why change for something that no has usability? | 2010/10/28 | [
"https://askubuntu.com/questions/10092",
"https://askubuntu.com",
"https://askubuntu.com/users/4928/"
] | Design justification and analysis is [available here](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DesktopExperienceTeam/ApplicationIndicators). | >
> Why make something that already exists and is useful? Why change for something that no has usability?
>
>
>
Design-over-function.
It sounds harsh but the original remit was the cut down the number of icons and standardise the way they work. There's little consideration for what these icons need to accomplish or how people use them.
The process was very transparent but the conclusions drawn (that tooltips are bad, that similar things should be clustered, that things should all operate in exactly the same way) haven't helped usability or design in the short-medium term.
[Jorge's blog post](http://castrojo.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/application-indicator-update/) from earlier in the year hailed these positives but I'll post under them what I think has actually happened as a result.
* **More accessability, and note how he’s scrubbing through the menus with his keyboard.**
But less accessibility where most people want it. The music menu is agnostic so there is (or at least was - I haven't used IA in some months) no way to quickly skip tracks with a roll of the mouse wheel. The messaging menu is compacted so there's no way to toggle the to-tray effect of single applications with one click. There aren't any tooltips so it's harder to find out what the current song or current volume or current network or who has sent you a message. It's *less* accessible through lower function.
I think this alone highlights the biggest issue when you try to standardise things. Each NA icon is supposed to control different applications and each of those works in a different way. Imposing a very restrictive set of design rules might make it look pretty (even that's debatable - my eyes have cones as well as rods, please use them!) but it means you have to invent a new way to control the application through its icon. So far all these alternative methods appear to be somewhat less intuitive or accessible than their predecessors.
There's also no consideration for people who don't want things clustered. I for example have oodles (3840px) of horizontal panel space. Clustering applications together just makes it even harder for me to get atomic control over something and doesn't have *any* positive impact. I'm sure others with less horizontal space would like to disable certain clusters.
* **For third party applications of the world this means they can support one “linux” thing.**
Not at all. Not even for application only targeting Ubuntu. Some users (raises a hand) really dislike IA so remove it. Not all supported versions of Ubuntu run IA. Other distributions aren't picking up IA with the same enthusiasm.
In short, application developers need to do *more* work now than they did before. Even more so if Ubuntu does drop the Notification Area (if it hasn't already).
* **Everything behaves the same in both desktops and everything is consistent.**
Apart from when you use an application where IA isn't targeted. Then you have IA and NA looking different, working different and the effect is about fourteen miles worse than just using NA.
* **My tray doesn’t feel like a back alley.**
I won't repeat everything from the first point but it now feels like an incapable section that is practically only good for indicating things. There's an illusion of control but it's overshadowed by too many clicks and a lack of tooltip-driven feedback.
I honestly think that Microsoft did it right in Windows XP. Show whatever's running and wants to show an icon but hide things that you never use.
That said, there are things that could improve how IA works. The major one being to use hover instead of click for selecting IA icon. That would reduce the need for tooltips and bring things back to single-click status. And if they do want to take over the world with it, they need to replace NA completely. The only way to do that is to take the same interface as NA does and support all the applications that NA currently provides.
I wrote a post a while back [documenting the regressions like this in 10.04](http://thepcspy.com/read/ubuntu-10-04-is-good-not-perfect/). I have a bad feeling that within the next six months there's going to be a similar post about Unity which (unless it shows some unrealistically huge improvements soon) is just going to destroy the desktop experience. |
2,772,481 | We have a bunch of unit tests which test a lot of webpages and REST API services.
Currently when our tests run it pulls from these pages live but this can take ages to run sometimes, and it also feels like the tests should be testing more of our code - not just relying on them being up and responding (if that makes sense..).
Is it better practice to save a valid api response and with the unit tests load this in during setup?
Thoughts? | 2010/05/05 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/2772481",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/133498/"
] | It sounds like you are trying to test too much at a time yes.
You should test the code generating the response for the Rest API (if this code is under your cotrole) and the code using it completely separately. If you don't control the code generating the API you should feed the code using it with fake, valid API answers and use them for your tests.
Relying on the pages being up and responding sounds a lot more like integration testing. If you are relying on an external API, it is always interesting to have integration test to validate that the API still behaves as you expect, though. | I would much rather use a test/mock data source instead of the actual live one. That will let you read the data without actually using network resources and will give better performance (depending on your architecture it may or may not be easy to switch which data sources you use).
But equally important it will let you play around with the data you give back, and lets you test edge cases, invalid data response etc. Depending on what your application does with the data, that may be important. |
2,772,481 | We have a bunch of unit tests which test a lot of webpages and REST API services.
Currently when our tests run it pulls from these pages live but this can take ages to run sometimes, and it also feels like the tests should be testing more of our code - not just relying on them being up and responding (if that makes sense..).
Is it better practice to save a valid api response and with the unit tests load this in during setup?
Thoughts? | 2010/05/05 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/2772481",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/133498/"
] | It sounds like you are trying to test too much at a time yes.
You should test the code generating the response for the Rest API (if this code is under your cotrole) and the code using it completely separately. If you don't control the code generating the API you should feed the code using it with fake, valid API answers and use them for your tests.
Relying on the pages being up and responding sounds a lot more like integration testing. If you are relying on an external API, it is always interesting to have integration test to validate that the API still behaves as you expect, though. | The way I would handle this is to use mocking. Lets assume that you have a class that is responsible for calling the external services, and a separate class that *uses* those results. You could create a mock of the class that calls the services, and just return any particular result you want. Then, you can test the class that needs the results without dealing with any external calls.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mock_object>
<http://martinfowler.com/articles/mocksArentStubs.html> |
30,582 | I have a word count goal for my fantasy novel (climate fiction/fantasy) of 100 - 120,000 words. It doesn't need to fall in this range, but that is the typical length of books I read when I pick up a new author. So it's a metric, and I am not wedded to it, but if I come out at say 50,000 words or 400,000 words then I am not writing the sort of thing I am trying to write.
My first draft was 110,000 words. The story arc was what I wanted, and the characters developed well enough. I thought through the edit process I might lose 10% and end at 100,000 words, fair enough. But, I'm losing closer to 25%. I'm now to Chapter 7 (of 21 chapters) and have lost over 6000 words already. At this rate the manuscript will be just over 90,000 words when I am done, and that is just the first edit. I expect I will tighten it up a second and third time.
I don't want to add words for the sake of words, obviously. What I'd like, though is to add depth to the characters and story. It looks like I will have room to do that.
**My question: What sorts of elements can add depth to a story or to characters? (and incidentally lengthen it.)**
If a character feels weak, for example, would more internal dialogue, or more external dialogue, or more memories, or perhaps a new minor character to throw him into relief... Are these all equal options? Since it is fantasy, would there be devices that would be appreciated by the reader (history of the world, told through interchanges between the wise elder and the young hero, for example?)
What are the tools (and tricks) that advanced writers use to deepen their stories? I know I am flailing a bit here. I bolded the question that you can focus on, if you want to ignore the surrounding fluff.
**Edit**: Since asking this question, I've found *The Emotional Craft of Fiction* to be a great resource for adding depth (and therefore length) to the manuscript.I believe that working through this book with my manuscript in hand added at least 10% to the length, and much more to the emotional depth of the story. | 2017/10/03 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/30582",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26683/"
] | First, 90K is a very respectable word length for a novel, so make sure you're not just trying to meet an artificial goal when your book is already complete. Personally, I much prefer books lean, and with no extra fat on them.
Second, it's hard to give generic advice without knowing where exactly your book might be weak. Your characters might be thinly drawn, or lack backstories, or internal lives, or be unsympathetic, or your descriptions might be weak or your plot might benefit from a subplot, but it's impossible for us to know which (if any) is true. So my advice would be to not start from "I need words, what good ones can I put in" but rather "what is my book lacking?" If your intervention isn't filling in a specific gap in your story, it's likely to feel grafted on and superfluous.
As a push in the right direction, mainly we as writers err by not putting on the page those things in our heads that help us see vividly and understand the characters and their world. Remember, if it isn't on the page, in some fashion, *it doesn't exist for the reader.* | I think in general you want your character to suffer pain, or inflict it. You want to create conflicts where there were none before; not tectonic conflicts but more minor ones. Problems that reveal something about their character (which of course demands you invent something about their character, consistent with what else is known).
Most stories are about the obstacles that keep the hero from getting to a position in which they finally can confront the villain and stop their nefarious plan. It sounds like you already have the part about the plot and story arcs, you just need to add some more obstacles that serve to reveal heretofore unimagined soft spots or hard spots in your characters. |
101,140 | This is not a problem but I want to know what's going on with my LG L91A 19" monitor. I've been using this monitor for the last 3 years and I have no problems with it. Recently I realized something strange:
After I use my computer, I always switch off my multi-outlet electrical socket which provides electricity for my PC, external HDDs and monitor to make sure that there is no electrical flow through the system. While I was staring around the monitor, I realized by chance that the on/off light on the bottom-right corner was flashing *every 15-20 seconds*. It flashes in a pale blue color. Normally when the monitor is on, it is always on with a strong neon blue color. First I thought that this could be due to the capacitors, but after ***a few hours*** the flashing was continuing as I checked it. I observed this situation several times. Another thing I realized yesterday was that a few minutes later as I cut off the electricity, the monitor's screen flashed just for a split second in a semi-bright gray color. I thought that it is some kind of electrical discharging but I'm not sure. Is that normal? What's going on inside my monitor?
My multi-outlet electrical socket is something like this:
 | 2010/01/27 | [
"https://superuser.com/questions/101140",
"https://superuser.com",
"https://superuser.com/users/13567/"
] | Are you sure that the Monitor is still plugged to the multi socket? Sounds like the monitor is taking the energy from somewhere else because I can not think that a capacitor can maintain the led on/off [and the electronics to detect that there is no signal] for hours.
EDIT 1:
Your last comment makes me think that what I said about some energy coming back from a third device is true. No need to be an UPS, just a device with big capacitors that can give energy back. Try to unplug not the monitor but the other devices to see when the monitor stops flashing and you will get the one that is giving energy to the monitor. Just try
[He says that this is what is happening and asks if it is normal]
EDIT2:
Yes, its pretty normal. Devices have capacitors to do several things. [Making it simple] Capacitors store electrical energy inside. When you stop the devices the capacitor has energy inside and probably the output of the capacitor is opened due to the switching off so the capacitor releases its energy by its input. Nothing bad can happen, for sure, its a normal operation | I agree that this might be an electrical discharge.
Do you turn off your monitor before you cut the power? If no, please do turn it off first. I can imagine such side effects from directly cutting power...I have a TV (flat screen), which is brightly flashing and sounds like it just imploded if I directly cut the power without shutting it off first. |
603,513 | Scenario: power outlet in the yard for electric vehicle, to avoid running an ugly extension from inside home and leaving an open window; I need to avoid that anyone just comes and uses my power though.
Enter the switch I'm looking for.
This would be the operational flow:
1. Attach the charging cable of the vehicle to the outdoor outlet (no current will flow since the outlet is not powered - yet)
2. get inside, arm said switch, current will start flowing as the vehicle begins charging, and the switch will stay on
3. Either the vehicle stops charging, or I unplug it, or someone else does because they want to use my energy for free: the switch will detect no more current flowing through it, and will disarm, leaving the outdoor outlet inactive
I found two somewhat similar questions:
[Need a switch/circuit breaker that stops power supply to equipment when power comes back after outage](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/384591/need-a-switch-circuit-breaker-that-stops-power-supply-to-equipment-when-power-co) (not good for me, since it is intended to check for incoming power, not outgoing current flow)
[I'm looking for a circuit breaker that interrupts the circuit when current drops to zero](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/487375/im-looking-for-a-circuit-breaker-that-interrupts-the-circuit-when-current-drops) (not good, as it is for DC rather than AC)
Is there a name for this peculiar kind of switch, and/or is DIY easily accessible? | 2022/01/08 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/603513",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/229369/"
] | There are control panels for pool/submersible pumps with dry run protection (switch off when current is below a setup value). Maybe you find some one-phase starter that can fit your needs. | If a fixed power-on time is acceptable, then a lamp timer or bathroom heat lamp/fan timer can be wired in series with the outlet. This would make power available for 4 hours (for example) no matter how dead the vehicle's batteries are. Granted, someone could still come up and steal your power, but not for very long, and not at all after the timed period (like overnight). If nothing else, this is a temporary solution until you get a sensing circuit built. |
603,513 | Scenario: power outlet in the yard for electric vehicle, to avoid running an ugly extension from inside home and leaving an open window; I need to avoid that anyone just comes and uses my power though.
Enter the switch I'm looking for.
This would be the operational flow:
1. Attach the charging cable of the vehicle to the outdoor outlet (no current will flow since the outlet is not powered - yet)
2. get inside, arm said switch, current will start flowing as the vehicle begins charging, and the switch will stay on
3. Either the vehicle stops charging, or I unplug it, or someone else does because they want to use my energy for free: the switch will detect no more current flowing through it, and will disarm, leaving the outdoor outlet inactive
I found two somewhat similar questions:
[Need a switch/circuit breaker that stops power supply to equipment when power comes back after outage](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/384591/need-a-switch-circuit-breaker-that-stops-power-supply-to-equipment-when-power-co) (not good for me, since it is intended to check for incoming power, not outgoing current flow)
[I'm looking for a circuit breaker that interrupts the circuit when current drops to zero](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/487375/im-looking-for-a-circuit-breaker-that-interrupts-the-circuit-when-current-drops) (not good, as it is for DC rather than AC)
Is there a name for this peculiar kind of switch, and/or is DIY easily accessible? | 2022/01/08 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/603513",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/229369/"
] | There are control panels for pool/submersible pumps with dry run protection (switch off when current is below a setup value). Maybe you find some one-phase starter that can fit your needs. | Install a security camera. What you describe is definitely theft and is prosecutable. The presence of a camera should be enough to dissuade folks anyhow. This isn't like porch pirates who can come and go in a few seconds...someone using your juice would be vulnerable to detection for quite a long time. |
603,513 | Scenario: power outlet in the yard for electric vehicle, to avoid running an ugly extension from inside home and leaving an open window; I need to avoid that anyone just comes and uses my power though.
Enter the switch I'm looking for.
This would be the operational flow:
1. Attach the charging cable of the vehicle to the outdoor outlet (no current will flow since the outlet is not powered - yet)
2. get inside, arm said switch, current will start flowing as the vehicle begins charging, and the switch will stay on
3. Either the vehicle stops charging, or I unplug it, or someone else does because they want to use my energy for free: the switch will detect no more current flowing through it, and will disarm, leaving the outdoor outlet inactive
I found two somewhat similar questions:
[Need a switch/circuit breaker that stops power supply to equipment when power comes back after outage](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/384591/need-a-switch-circuit-breaker-that-stops-power-supply-to-equipment-when-power-co) (not good for me, since it is intended to check for incoming power, not outgoing current flow)
[I'm looking for a circuit breaker that interrupts the circuit when current drops to zero](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/487375/im-looking-for-a-circuit-breaker-that-interrupts-the-circuit-when-current-drops) (not good, as it is for DC rather than AC)
Is there a name for this peculiar kind of switch, and/or is DIY easily accessible? | 2022/01/08 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/603513",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/229369/"
] | One can buy current switch modules, such as [these](https://customer.honeywell.com/resources/techlit/TechLitDocuments/63-0000s/63-2651.pdf) (google "current switch"), basically a current transformer and electronics to operate a switch contact based on the measured current in one module.
A relay circuit can be designed that allows activating the relay using a momentary start button. A normally open contact from the current switch module placed in parallel with the start button would keep the relay enabled after the start button has been released, but when the monitorred current drops too low the contact opens and the relay turns off.
Current switch requirements:
* Self powered - These "steal" the energy required to operate themselves from the conductor being monitorred. Not requiring a power supply simplifies the circuit.
* Adjustable setpoint for the current level at which the contact enables, so you can tune for your load.
* Monitor side must be rated for AC mains and the current your load requires.
* Contact side must be rated for AC mains and the current the relay coil requires. Normally open contact that closes when the current is above the setpoint.
Relay requirements:
* DPST (or DPDT) with contacts rated for AC mains and the current your load requires.
* Coil that runs on AC mains.
[simulate this circuit](/plugins/schematics?image=http%3a%2f%2fi.stack.imgur.com%2fYBtCQ.png) – Schematic created using [CircuitLab](https://www.circuitlab.com/) | There are control panels for pool/submersible pumps with dry run protection (switch off when current is below a setup value). Maybe you find some one-phase starter that can fit your needs. |
603,513 | Scenario: power outlet in the yard for electric vehicle, to avoid running an ugly extension from inside home and leaving an open window; I need to avoid that anyone just comes and uses my power though.
Enter the switch I'm looking for.
This would be the operational flow:
1. Attach the charging cable of the vehicle to the outdoor outlet (no current will flow since the outlet is not powered - yet)
2. get inside, arm said switch, current will start flowing as the vehicle begins charging, and the switch will stay on
3. Either the vehicle stops charging, or I unplug it, or someone else does because they want to use my energy for free: the switch will detect no more current flowing through it, and will disarm, leaving the outdoor outlet inactive
I found two somewhat similar questions:
[Need a switch/circuit breaker that stops power supply to equipment when power comes back after outage](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/384591/need-a-switch-circuit-breaker-that-stops-power-supply-to-equipment-when-power-co) (not good for me, since it is intended to check for incoming power, not outgoing current flow)
[I'm looking for a circuit breaker that interrupts the circuit when current drops to zero](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/487375/im-looking-for-a-circuit-breaker-that-interrupts-the-circuit-when-current-drops) (not good, as it is for DC rather than AC)
Is there a name for this peculiar kind of switch, and/or is DIY easily accessible? | 2022/01/08 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/603513",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/229369/"
] | If a fixed power-on time is acceptable, then a lamp timer or bathroom heat lamp/fan timer can be wired in series with the outlet. This would make power available for 4 hours (for example) no matter how dead the vehicle's batteries are. Granted, someone could still come up and steal your power, but not for very long, and not at all after the timed period (like overnight). If nothing else, this is a temporary solution until you get a sensing circuit built. | Install a security camera. What you describe is definitely theft and is prosecutable. The presence of a camera should be enough to dissuade folks anyhow. This isn't like porch pirates who can come and go in a few seconds...someone using your juice would be vulnerable to detection for quite a long time. |
603,513 | Scenario: power outlet in the yard for electric vehicle, to avoid running an ugly extension from inside home and leaving an open window; I need to avoid that anyone just comes and uses my power though.
Enter the switch I'm looking for.
This would be the operational flow:
1. Attach the charging cable of the vehicle to the outdoor outlet (no current will flow since the outlet is not powered - yet)
2. get inside, arm said switch, current will start flowing as the vehicle begins charging, and the switch will stay on
3. Either the vehicle stops charging, or I unplug it, or someone else does because they want to use my energy for free: the switch will detect no more current flowing through it, and will disarm, leaving the outdoor outlet inactive
I found two somewhat similar questions:
[Need a switch/circuit breaker that stops power supply to equipment when power comes back after outage](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/384591/need-a-switch-circuit-breaker-that-stops-power-supply-to-equipment-when-power-co) (not good for me, since it is intended to check for incoming power, not outgoing current flow)
[I'm looking for a circuit breaker that interrupts the circuit when current drops to zero](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/487375/im-looking-for-a-circuit-breaker-that-interrupts-the-circuit-when-current-drops) (not good, as it is for DC rather than AC)
Is there a name for this peculiar kind of switch, and/or is DIY easily accessible? | 2022/01/08 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/603513",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/229369/"
] | One can buy current switch modules, such as [these](https://customer.honeywell.com/resources/techlit/TechLitDocuments/63-0000s/63-2651.pdf) (google "current switch"), basically a current transformer and electronics to operate a switch contact based on the measured current in one module.
A relay circuit can be designed that allows activating the relay using a momentary start button. A normally open contact from the current switch module placed in parallel with the start button would keep the relay enabled after the start button has been released, but when the monitorred current drops too low the contact opens and the relay turns off.
Current switch requirements:
* Self powered - These "steal" the energy required to operate themselves from the conductor being monitorred. Not requiring a power supply simplifies the circuit.
* Adjustable setpoint for the current level at which the contact enables, so you can tune for your load.
* Monitor side must be rated for AC mains and the current your load requires.
* Contact side must be rated for AC mains and the current the relay coil requires. Normally open contact that closes when the current is above the setpoint.
Relay requirements:
* DPST (or DPDT) with contacts rated for AC mains and the current your load requires.
* Coil that runs on AC mains.
[simulate this circuit](/plugins/schematics?image=http%3a%2f%2fi.stack.imgur.com%2fYBtCQ.png) – Schematic created using [CircuitLab](https://www.circuitlab.com/) | If a fixed power-on time is acceptable, then a lamp timer or bathroom heat lamp/fan timer can be wired in series with the outlet. This would make power available for 4 hours (for example) no matter how dead the vehicle's batteries are. Granted, someone could still come up and steal your power, but not for very long, and not at all after the timed period (like overnight). If nothing else, this is a temporary solution until you get a sensing circuit built. |
603,513 | Scenario: power outlet in the yard for electric vehicle, to avoid running an ugly extension from inside home and leaving an open window; I need to avoid that anyone just comes and uses my power though.
Enter the switch I'm looking for.
This would be the operational flow:
1. Attach the charging cable of the vehicle to the outdoor outlet (no current will flow since the outlet is not powered - yet)
2. get inside, arm said switch, current will start flowing as the vehicle begins charging, and the switch will stay on
3. Either the vehicle stops charging, or I unplug it, or someone else does because they want to use my energy for free: the switch will detect no more current flowing through it, and will disarm, leaving the outdoor outlet inactive
I found two somewhat similar questions:
[Need a switch/circuit breaker that stops power supply to equipment when power comes back after outage](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/384591/need-a-switch-circuit-breaker-that-stops-power-supply-to-equipment-when-power-co) (not good for me, since it is intended to check for incoming power, not outgoing current flow)
[I'm looking for a circuit breaker that interrupts the circuit when current drops to zero](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/487375/im-looking-for-a-circuit-breaker-that-interrupts-the-circuit-when-current-drops) (not good, as it is for DC rather than AC)
Is there a name for this peculiar kind of switch, and/or is DIY easily accessible? | 2022/01/08 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/603513",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/229369/"
] | One can buy current switch modules, such as [these](https://customer.honeywell.com/resources/techlit/TechLitDocuments/63-0000s/63-2651.pdf) (google "current switch"), basically a current transformer and electronics to operate a switch contact based on the measured current in one module.
A relay circuit can be designed that allows activating the relay using a momentary start button. A normally open contact from the current switch module placed in parallel with the start button would keep the relay enabled after the start button has been released, but when the monitorred current drops too low the contact opens and the relay turns off.
Current switch requirements:
* Self powered - These "steal" the energy required to operate themselves from the conductor being monitorred. Not requiring a power supply simplifies the circuit.
* Adjustable setpoint for the current level at which the contact enables, so you can tune for your load.
* Monitor side must be rated for AC mains and the current your load requires.
* Contact side must be rated for AC mains and the current the relay coil requires. Normally open contact that closes when the current is above the setpoint.
Relay requirements:
* DPST (or DPDT) with contacts rated for AC mains and the current your load requires.
* Coil that runs on AC mains.
[simulate this circuit](/plugins/schematics?image=http%3a%2f%2fi.stack.imgur.com%2fYBtCQ.png) – Schematic created using [CircuitLab](https://www.circuitlab.com/) | Install a security camera. What you describe is definitely theft and is prosecutable. The presence of a camera should be enough to dissuade folks anyhow. This isn't like porch pirates who can come and go in a few seconds...someone using your juice would be vulnerable to detection for quite a long time. |
239,371 | I am a bit confused when we should use power net in the schematic capture versus a normal net.
For example, if I place a 3V3, I would use a power net, however I see sometimes some schematic where some net/node for tension consideration which are placed with normal net.
Example:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xKkmA.jpg) | 2016/06/06 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/239371",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/104309/"
] | This doesn't really depend on the type of the net but more on your project type. For a "normal" project which is usually a hierarchical type, your power nets will be global (across all schematic sheets) whereas net labels are only local. This helps with quickly deciding if a net is used in multiple sheets or only the one you are currently looking at. This can be changed in the Project options -> Options dialog, but usually this is set to "Automatic".
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TwZvO.png) | I assume that net +VDD\_SNVS\_CAP only connects between IC pin G9 and C143 - if so, it should be a "normal" net. Just because the net name "looks like" a power net name, doesn't mean that it is really a global power net.
The +3V3 will, I assume, be connected to many things throughout your design, so should be a Global Power net. |
8,410 | In the past I have used Khan Academy to great success to practice advanced math problems. It is useful because it gives simple questions in a multiple choice fashion then it quickly tells whether your were right or wrong, and it will walk you through the correct approach as needed.
Now I am in my first semester of a PhD in economics. Khan Academy has a series on economics, but it is no longer sufficient. The series is not accompanied with practice problems and it is done largely in algebra rather than calculus. Finally, there are a number of graduate topics it entirely misses such as:
1. Phase diagrams
2. Lagrangian multipliers to solve for optimal allocation
3. Compare/contrast of using different models for the same question (Austrian, Solow, Diamond, RCK, DSGE...)
If it helps, a primary course text is Romer's Advanced Macroeconomics, 4ed.
What are some online resources to practice such problems? | 2015/09/26 | [
"https://economics.stackexchange.com/questions/8410",
"https://economics.stackexchange.com",
"https://economics.stackexchange.com/users/5781/"
] | There are lots of good courses (economics, math etc.) on [MIT OpenCourseware](http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm) or interestingly, there are also very very good lectures in YouTube.
But I think the web site for MIT opencourseware is a real treasure. (at least for me). | As far as I know, a lot of universities offer online courses that map closely to the topics you have mentioned. Coursera is one such online resource that amalgamates courses across universities. Perhaps you can check out Mathematics for Economics class if its available. |
332,581 | "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" is a popular cliche. My understanding is that it comes from John Donne's Meditation XVII ([1623](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Meditation_XVII)). But in Donne's poem, the line is
>
> any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore **never send to know** for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
>
>
>
So where did "ask not" come from? Is it a common mistake (or deliberate modernization) or is there another source for this quote?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XEwbU.jpg) | 2016/06/14 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/332581",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/65343/"
] | I was curious to know whether the "ask not" preface that people commonly attach to Donne's original wording was an artifact of the early 1960s, perhaps under the influence of John Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you" rhetoric in his inaugural address of January 20, 1961, or whether the cobbled-together wording preceded Kennedy's speech. To find out, I ran Google Books searches for the phrase (in various forms) from 1600 through 1961.
---
***Clearing up a misdated match***
As noted by FumbleFingers in a comment beneath the posted question, a Google Books search for the now-familiar "Ask not..." form of the phrase returns a very early match allegedly from League of Wisconsin Municipalities, [*The Municipality*](https://books.google.com/books?id=XeHnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22but+I+believe+it+is+crucial+work+at+this+point%22&dq=%22but+I+believe+it+is+crucial+work+at+this+point%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi9vaOh36PWAhWk0FQKHb_CANsQ6AEIKDAA) (1936):
>
> "No man is an island, apart to himself.....so **ask not for whom the bell tolls**, it tolls for thee." John Dunne wrote these lines two centuries ago. Yet they embrace us today.
>
>
>
If the 1936 date were correct, this match would antedate both Kennedy's speech and Hemingway's novel, [*For Whom the Bell Tolls*](https://books.google.com/books?id=XeHnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22entire+state+will+begin+to+shrink%22&dq=%22entire+state+will+begin+to+shrink%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0_KT83qPWAhVprlQKHSvACqgQ6AEIKDAA) (1940)—whose epigraph, by the way, quotes Donne's poem accurately. But if you combine snippets to extend the boundaries of the viewable text from the "1936" source, you'll find that an earlier paragraph begins with a [reference to "President-elect Nixon"](https://books.google.com/books?id=XeHnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22but+I+believe+it+is+crucial+work+at+this+point%22&dq=%22but+I+believe+it+is+crucial+work+at+this+point%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWjZrc4aPWAhWnqlQKHXEbCi4Q6AEIKDAA)—proof that the quoted language is actually from a different and much later source—specifically, from [*Annual Congress of Cities*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jZpWAAAAYAAJ&q=%22entire+state+will+begin+to+shrink%22&dq=%22entire+state+will+begin+to+shrink%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0_KT83qPWAhVprlQKHSvACqgQ6AEILDAB), volume 45 (1969). The Google Books match from 1936 is based on erroneous linkage between the 1969 text and the title page of an unrelated 1936 periodical collection.
---
***Early confirmed matches for 'Ask not for whom the bell tolls'***
I mentioned earlier that the epigraph Hemingway uses for his novel quotes Donne accurately. So does the 1943 film version of the novel (starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman), according to the [IMDB listing](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035896/) for the movie:
>
> **Opening credits prologue:** any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde: and therefore never send to know For Whom The Bell Tolls It tolls for thee.
>
>
>
Nevertheless, legitimate matches for "ask not for whom the bell tolls" begin popping up soon after Hemingway's novel appeared.
From "[Pinkett's Prattle](http://idnc.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/illinois?a=d&d=LCN19410310.2.36&txq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell+tolls%22)," in the *[Lincoln University, Pennsylvania] Lincolnian* (March 10, 1941):
>
> Glancing over the headlines, I see that: ... Over 500 persons were arrested in Delaware for Sunday blue law violations. Who arrested the cops? ... Connie Mack rates the Yanks the greatest team of all time. I wonder if anyone had the nerve to ask him what he thought of the A's? ... Eighteen members of Bulgaria's parliament voted against Hitler's occupation of that country. "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**; it tolls for them" . . .
>
>
>
From "[Exchanges: Toll On, Toll On](http://newspaperarchive.vassar.edu/cgi-bin/vassar?a=d&d=miscellany19440607-01.2.15&txq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell+tolls%22)," in the *Vassar [College, Poughkeepsie, New York] Miscellany News* (June 7, 1944):
>
> News of servicemen on Campus told by the "Minnesota Daily" includes what they term "Vital Statistics: budding leaves, sprouting trees, gentle zephyrs and sunny days are taking their toll. We have it on very reliable authority that Miss Muriel Goldsmith and Pfc. Joe Cantor are on the verge of matrimony."
>
>
> This use of the word "toll" seems to us unnecessarily lugubrious; its moody connotations are infinite—"**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**," and "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day." We could continue.
>
>
>
From "[Quiz](http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/78212654?searchTerm=%22not+for+whom+the+bell+tolls%22)," in the *[Perth, Western Australia] Daily News* (December 21, 1946):
>
> 9—You know the book and film title "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Here is the quotation from which it comes "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee." Who was the English poet who wrote the poem ? *Swinburne; Milton; Shakespeare; Donne; Shelley?*
>
>
>
From Richard Boyer, [*If This Be Treason*](https://books.google.com/books?id=rxhMAQAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWsK3K-6PWAhVIslQKHbEEC5oQ6AEIOjAE) (1948) [combined snippets]:
>
> ...in Spain are in prison. So is the country. **Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee.
>
>
> But it need not. It will not if the people organize for peace and abundance behind the Progressive Party and Henry Wallace. It will not if the people mobilize and force President Truman to live up to his campaign promises; to move for international peace, to liquidate the Taft Hartley Law, to terminate the cold war, to maintain the Bill of Rights for all Americans and not only for these Americans with whom Wall Street agrees.
>
>
>
From [*Northwestern University on the Air, the Reviewing Stand*](https://books.google.com/books?id=2O3RAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9r5j79KPWAhUIllQKHTVOADwQ6AEIKDAA) (1948) [combined snippets]:
>
> MR. HAGSTRUM: I was rather amused to read that after Hemingway's *For Whom the Bell Tolls* came out with its quotation from John Donne's *Devotions* people came to the libraries and wanted the complete works of John Donne. Here was one book which influenced another much in the same manner as a movie will influence the sale of the book.
>
>
> MR. BUCHANAN: That's because of "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee."
>
>
> MR. HAGSTRUM: Exactly.
>
>
>
---
***Confirmed matches from the decade 1951–1960***
Three of the five matches for "ask not for whom the bell tolls" that I found from the 1940s were from college newspapers, along with one from an Australian newspaper quiz and one from an American political screed. In the 1950s and in 1960, the wording appeared much more frequently (I found sixteen instances of it) and in a wider array of sources.
From [*Official Proceedings of the New York Railroad Club*](https://books.google.com/books?id=cQbWAAAAMAAJ&q=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&dq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPs-LP7aPWAhXph1QKHf4jDfgQ6AEIKDAA), volume 62 (1951) [combined snippets]:
>
> You probably remember Ernest Hemingway's book of a few years ago entitled "FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS." The theme was that when one man dies, a little bit of all mankind dies. The full quotation on which he based his story was, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**, it tolls for everyone." If anything was ever true as it applies to business that certainly is true today. Years ago the bell tolled for the railroads. No one was very frightened then, but as the bells toll for others we gain understanding and frightened comrades.
>
>
>
From [*Aircraft*](https://books.google.com/books?id=sWYPAAAAIAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQgvMAI), volume 13 (1951) [combined snippets]:
>
> And it is a well known truth that for the first four or five postwar years the little man knew little and cared less about how he could personally be affected by the earlier counterparts of the violation of an obscure place called Korea or the usurping of an oil refinery in Abadan. To him, "**ask not for whom the bell tolls**, it tolls for thee", was only a gloomy quotation from a poem, not likely to be construed as a warning.
>
>
>
From [*The Election Issues of 1952: A Series of Addresses and Papers*](https://books.google.com/books?id=xiu2AAAAIAAJ&q=%22the+Constitution,+nor+on+the+statute+law%22&dq=%22the+Constitution,+nor+on+the+statute+law%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI-NL0jKTWAhWLg1QKHc2eCAgQ6AEIKjAA) (April 24, 1952) [combined snippets]:
>
> If American liberty is, in fact, being lost, don't blame it on the Constitution, nor on the statute law, nor even on what Whitman calls "the insolence of Elected Persons". The blame will lie, not on the extension of federal power, but on the ordinary citizen who lies supine while he is being stripped of his most valuable possessions. For what they can do to one man, they can do to any other. "**Ask not for whom the bells tolls**. It tolls for thee."
>
>
>
From [*New Zealand Engineering*](https://books.google.com/books?id=TGPVAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQg-MAU), volume 7 (1952):
>
> Hence, to prevent his dying of starvation, or his children of disease and malnutrition, has an appeal to us. The quotation from John Donne, from which Hemingway took the title of his book, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", seems to me to have especial relevance here: ". . . for I am involved in all mankind. **Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee.
>
>
> We are all involved in all mankind.
>
>
>
From "[Tower to Town](http://newspapers.bc.edu/cgi-bin/bostonsh?a=d&d=bcheights19541105.2.19&txq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell+tolls%22)," in the *[Boston College, Massachusetts] Heights* (November 5, 1954):
>
> There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight (and tomorrow). We mention a few diversions that could succeed in dragging you away from the three r's.
>
>
> "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**; it tolls for thee." A series of PreCana Conferences for engaged couples will begin Monday evening, November Bth, at St. Alphonsus Hall, Smith St., Roxbury. For information on this invaluable aid to a successful marriage, contact Mr. or Mrs. Joseph Hanbury, 88 Calumet St., BE 2-9281. Reservations are necessary.
>
>
>
From Gladys Edwards, [**Not in the Stars**](https://books.google.com/books?id=jKLzAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWsK3K-6PWAhVIslQKHbEEC5oQ6AEISzAI) (1945[?]/1956) [combined snippets]:
>
> **"Man Is The Brother of Man ..."**
>
>
> The poet spoke a great truth when he said, "a part of all humanity and nothing that is human is alien to me." You have heard it expressed in many ways. An old proverb says, "Man is the brother of man whether he likes it or not." John Donne said, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**, it tolls for thee. " It is said in many ways because, however it is expressed, it is one of the great truths.
>
>
>
From "[Addresses by Members of the House of Representatives](https://books.google.com/books?id=7NAKAQAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQgzMAM)," in *The Lithuanian Situation* (1956):
>
> Mr. HOLTZMAN. ... As no man can be an island entire unto himself, so no nation can stand apart and enjoy freedom while others are crushed by tyranny, for every bit of freedom that is lost anywhere in the world makes every man that much less free. In the words of John Donne, **ask not "for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee," wherever freedom is destroyed.
>
>
>
From [*Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress*](https://books.google.com/books?id=vEVHOq3vHd8C&q=%22the+defeat+of+Charles+Deane+of+%22&dq=%22the+defeat+of+Charles+Deane+of+%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivkpv3_qPWAhWIq1QKHdd8CM4Q6AEIKDAA), volume 102 (1956) [combined snippets]:
>
> Mr. EDMONDSON. Mr. Speaker, it has been a privilege and an honor to serve in the House of Representatives with the gentleman from North Carolina, CHARLES DEANE. There is an old bit of verse which includes the words: **Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee.
>
>
>
From Hollington Tong, [*What is Ahead for China?: Collection of Speeches, June 1956-February 1957*](https://books.google.com/books?id=f41CAAAAYAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWsK3K-6PWAhVIslQKHbEEC5oQ6AEIPTAF) (1957) [snippet view]:
>
> And so, I tell you in the words of the English poet, if that dread combination ever hardens, then **ask not for whom the bell in Red China tolls**. It will toll for you—for all of us!
>
>
>
From Georgia State AFL-CIO, [*Proceedings of the Annual Convention*](https://books.google.com/books?id=D99aAAAAYAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQhLMAg) (1957):
>
> We are not asking for ourselves. I read it someplace somewhere, and I guess there was a movie made someplace somewhere that they called “A Bell for Adano."
>
>
> Somebody said in that, I think, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**, for the bell tolls for thee."
>
>
> And that is why when there is a strike of the Dobb's House workers, when there is a picket for the painters, when there is a picket on for any union, that is your union on fight, that is your union that is trying to live, that is the organization you ought to support.
>
>
>
From [*Selections from Freedom*](https://books.google.com/books?id=XlUFAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQgrMAE), volume 6 (1957):
>
> We recognise that as long as we are careless of the well-being of others we provide conditions wherein both they and we suffer. As Eugene Debs said: 'While there is a soul in prison, I am not free' or John Donne: '**Ask not for whom the bell tolls** : it tolls for thee.'
>
>
>
From Cooperative Union, [*Report of the Annual Co-operative Congress*](https://books.google.com/books?id=lujgdWgS0dAC&q=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&dq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigj_iJ76PWAhVkhlQKHQ0ADfQQ6AEIMTAC) (1958):
>
> **Ask Not For Whom The Bell Tolls**
>
>
> Mr. A. E. Jupp, C.S.D. (Co-operative Productive Federation): I speak as a delegate from the Co-operative Productive Federation. When I listened to the first few contributions to the discussion I began to wonder whether the Co-operative Movement had given up its celebrated role of self-criticism for one of self-castigation. The punishment meted out for sins of omission in the past made me wonder whether we should be so exhausted by that punishment as to be unable to face the future.
>
>
>
From [*Punch*](https://books.google.com/books?id=qLUSAAAAIAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQg3MAQ), volume 236 (1958) [combined snippets]:
>
> Later (by wire):
>
>
> IF NO REPLY TO MY LAST LETTER WITHIN THREE DAYS SHALL HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO ASSUME IT WAS SENT IN ERROR TO EVENING STANDARD STOP NOW THAT YOU HAVE GOT HAILSHAM DOWN THERE **ASK NOT FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS** STOP WHAT ON EARTH CAN CHELTENHAM AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS BE THINKING OF YOU EXCLAMATION MARK
>
>
>
From [*Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): House of Representatives*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ZktPAQAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQgnMAA), volume 14 (1959) [combined snippets]:
>
> which will not face up to the fact that we have 81,000 registered unemployed and which will not recognize the grave moral effects of unemployment, the cancer in the heart of the community. We are reminded of the old proverb, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**". Unemployment affects not only the worker but every one in the community.
>
>
>
From Frederik Gruber, [*Aspects of Value*](https://books.google.com/books?id=rzQrAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=it+tolls) (1959) [combined snippets]:
>
> Every individual in the free world wants, for himself at least, freedom, welfare, equality, and peace: freedom both for individual self-realization and from oppressive governmental and organizational control; welfare for the pursuit of happiness and the good life; equality and the recognition of human dignity and worth as a material right from the Creator; and peace within the framework of democratic liberty. Unfortunately, many men are not convinced of the "togetherness" about which Cowan writes, especially in "The Magic Garden," nor, do we realize fully the impact of John Donne's plea for brotherhood in the lines, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee," or the neighborliness of the Good Samaritan.
>
>
>
And from a [speech of February 1, 1960](https://books.google.com/books?id=3PxB5IH415QC&q=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&dq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigj_iJ76PWAhVkhlQKHQ0ADfQQ6AEIODAE), in *Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress*, volume 106, part 2 (1960):
>
> NO MAN IS AN ISLAND—**ASK NOT FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS**
>
>
> No man is an island, entire of itself—
>
>
> Said John Donne‚ ...
>
>
>
---
***Conclusions***
Altogether, I found twenty-one matches for "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" prior to 1961: five from the period 1941–1948 and sixteen from the period 1951–1960. The sources of these matches ranged from college newspaper reporters to speakers at trade associations and union gatherings to political commentators to (of course) elected officials.
Purely on the basis of the time sequence, I suspect that the ultimate cause of the misquotation of Donne's verse was Hemingway's novel—not because it misquoted Donne, but because it popularized a previously rather obscure verse known to relatively few people, and it did so without fully repeating the original wording for context. Presented with the fragment in Hemingway's title, people supplied the "Ask not" prefatory words to round the phrase into a complete sentence in a simple yet solemn (not to say stilted) form.
By 1960, awareness of the expression in its "Ask not" form was widespread. The chronology indicates that it was probably firmly established in popular culture before Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you" inaugural speech of 1961. Indeed, if anything, it may have influenced Kennedy's choice of his syntactically similar phrase.
Ultimately, I couldn't find a single obvious source of the "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" wording that would explain its popular adoption. Rather, it seems to have developed slowly, over a period of years, as people unfamiliar or only slightly familiar with Donne's original wording came to believe that the "Ask not" wording was the original form of the phrase. | W.J. Rayment on indepth info.com does a good job explaining...
"People of that time were understandably agitated when they heard the funeral bell toll. At the time people lived by the bells in the church steeple. To hear funeral bells was the equivalent today of broaching the obituaries in the newspaper. It is interesting to note that Donne tells his reader to "never send to ask...". For modern readers this will seem a curious phrase. Yet at the time, modern communication systems did not exist. Anyone with wealth had servants to provide the conveniences that today are provided by machines in most technological societies. Thus Donne is speaking to the wealthy person saying, don't send your servant to find out who is dead."
So today it would be more like saying "When you see/hear that there is a terrorist attack, don't google "who were the victims of the terrorist attack?", because we are all connected and therefore all victims of the terrorist attack (terrorist attack in this example)." The important part isn't who died - but that a piece of humanity died.
I think the proper way to structure phrases using this quote would be ... don't ask "for whom the bell tolls", since the "don't ask" isn't part of the quote - just part of the way people tend to use the quote. |
332,581 | "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" is a popular cliche. My understanding is that it comes from John Donne's Meditation XVII ([1623](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Meditation_XVII)). But in Donne's poem, the line is
>
> any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore **never send to know** for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
>
>
>
So where did "ask not" come from? Is it a common mistake (or deliberate modernization) or is there another source for this quote?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XEwbU.jpg) | 2016/06/14 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/332581",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/65343/"
] | W.J. Rayment on indepth info.com does a good job explaining...
"People of that time were understandably agitated when they heard the funeral bell toll. At the time people lived by the bells in the church steeple. To hear funeral bells was the equivalent today of broaching the obituaries in the newspaper. It is interesting to note that Donne tells his reader to "never send to ask...". For modern readers this will seem a curious phrase. Yet at the time, modern communication systems did not exist. Anyone with wealth had servants to provide the conveniences that today are provided by machines in most technological societies. Thus Donne is speaking to the wealthy person saying, don't send your servant to find out who is dead."
So today it would be more like saying "When you see/hear that there is a terrorist attack, don't google "who were the victims of the terrorist attack?", because we are all connected and therefore all victims of the terrorist attack (terrorist attack in this example)." The important part isn't who died - but that a piece of humanity died.
I think the proper way to structure phrases using this quote would be ... don't ask "for whom the bell tolls", since the "don't ask" isn't part of the quote - just part of the way people tend to use the quote. | The English form consisting of a verb (bare form) followed by **not** is a common literary device.
Here is a charming explanation of it in a book called :
\*\*The Mother Tongue: an elementary English grammar by
George Lyman Kittredge, Sarah Louise Arnold · 1908 · English language
[The Mother Tongue](https://archive.org/stream/mothertongue02arno/mothertongue02arno_djvu.txt)
>
> 501. In poetry and the solemn style prohibition is often expressed by the simple imperative, followed by not .
>
>
> *Look not* upon the wine when it is red.
>
>
> *Speak not*, but go.
>
>
> *Judge not* , that ye be not judged.
>
>
>
Apart from those Bible citations by those authors, Shakespeare uses this form but it is a pain to search for it:
*Timon of Athens*
[I, 1]
I thank you; you shall hear from me anon:
**Go not away**. What have you there, my friend?
*Romeo and Juliet*
LADY CAPULET
**Talk not** to me, for I’ll not speak a word.
Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.
Exit. (3.5.196-203)
[See more examples from Shakespeare site](https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/search/search-results.php)
So, "ask not" [for whom the bell tolls] comes from a poetic usage of an imperative followed by not.
And William Wordsworth used "ask not for whom":
Ask not for whom, O Champions true!
She was reserved by me her life's betrayer;
She who was meant to be a bride
Is now a corpse: then put aside
Vain thoughts, and speed ye, with observance due
Of Christian rites, in Christian ground to lay her." (1835)
[The Egyptian Maid](https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/text/wordsworth-the-egyptian-maid)
I do not know who first said "Ask not for whom the bell tolls", but it is not a misquotation, but rather a poetic usage in keeping with English attested to by The Bard. |
332,581 | "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" is a popular cliche. My understanding is that it comes from John Donne's Meditation XVII ([1623](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Meditation_XVII)). But in Donne's poem, the line is
>
> any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore **never send to know** for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
>
>
>
So where did "ask not" come from? Is it a common mistake (or deliberate modernization) or is there another source for this quote?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XEwbU.jpg) | 2016/06/14 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/332581",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/65343/"
] | I was curious to know whether the "ask not" preface that people commonly attach to Donne's original wording was an artifact of the early 1960s, perhaps under the influence of John Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you" rhetoric in his inaugural address of January 20, 1961, or whether the cobbled-together wording preceded Kennedy's speech. To find out, I ran Google Books searches for the phrase (in various forms) from 1600 through 1961.
---
***Clearing up a misdated match***
As noted by FumbleFingers in a comment beneath the posted question, a Google Books search for the now-familiar "Ask not..." form of the phrase returns a very early match allegedly from League of Wisconsin Municipalities, [*The Municipality*](https://books.google.com/books?id=XeHnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22but+I+believe+it+is+crucial+work+at+this+point%22&dq=%22but+I+believe+it+is+crucial+work+at+this+point%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi9vaOh36PWAhWk0FQKHb_CANsQ6AEIKDAA) (1936):
>
> "No man is an island, apart to himself.....so **ask not for whom the bell tolls**, it tolls for thee." John Dunne wrote these lines two centuries ago. Yet they embrace us today.
>
>
>
If the 1936 date were correct, this match would antedate both Kennedy's speech and Hemingway's novel, [*For Whom the Bell Tolls*](https://books.google.com/books?id=XeHnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22entire+state+will+begin+to+shrink%22&dq=%22entire+state+will+begin+to+shrink%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0_KT83qPWAhVprlQKHSvACqgQ6AEIKDAA) (1940)—whose epigraph, by the way, quotes Donne's poem accurately. But if you combine snippets to extend the boundaries of the viewable text from the "1936" source, you'll find that an earlier paragraph begins with a [reference to "President-elect Nixon"](https://books.google.com/books?id=XeHnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22but+I+believe+it+is+crucial+work+at+this+point%22&dq=%22but+I+believe+it+is+crucial+work+at+this+point%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWjZrc4aPWAhWnqlQKHXEbCi4Q6AEIKDAA)—proof that the quoted language is actually from a different and much later source—specifically, from [*Annual Congress of Cities*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jZpWAAAAYAAJ&q=%22entire+state+will+begin+to+shrink%22&dq=%22entire+state+will+begin+to+shrink%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0_KT83qPWAhVprlQKHSvACqgQ6AEILDAB), volume 45 (1969). The Google Books match from 1936 is based on erroneous linkage between the 1969 text and the title page of an unrelated 1936 periodical collection.
---
***Early confirmed matches for 'Ask not for whom the bell tolls'***
I mentioned earlier that the epigraph Hemingway uses for his novel quotes Donne accurately. So does the 1943 film version of the novel (starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman), according to the [IMDB listing](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035896/) for the movie:
>
> **Opening credits prologue:** any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde: and therefore never send to know For Whom The Bell Tolls It tolls for thee.
>
>
>
Nevertheless, legitimate matches for "ask not for whom the bell tolls" begin popping up soon after Hemingway's novel appeared.
From "[Pinkett's Prattle](http://idnc.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/illinois?a=d&d=LCN19410310.2.36&txq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell+tolls%22)," in the *[Lincoln University, Pennsylvania] Lincolnian* (March 10, 1941):
>
> Glancing over the headlines, I see that: ... Over 500 persons were arrested in Delaware for Sunday blue law violations. Who arrested the cops? ... Connie Mack rates the Yanks the greatest team of all time. I wonder if anyone had the nerve to ask him what he thought of the A's? ... Eighteen members of Bulgaria's parliament voted against Hitler's occupation of that country. "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**; it tolls for them" . . .
>
>
>
From "[Exchanges: Toll On, Toll On](http://newspaperarchive.vassar.edu/cgi-bin/vassar?a=d&d=miscellany19440607-01.2.15&txq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell+tolls%22)," in the *Vassar [College, Poughkeepsie, New York] Miscellany News* (June 7, 1944):
>
> News of servicemen on Campus told by the "Minnesota Daily" includes what they term "Vital Statistics: budding leaves, sprouting trees, gentle zephyrs and sunny days are taking their toll. We have it on very reliable authority that Miss Muriel Goldsmith and Pfc. Joe Cantor are on the verge of matrimony."
>
>
> This use of the word "toll" seems to us unnecessarily lugubrious; its moody connotations are infinite—"**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**," and "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day." We could continue.
>
>
>
From "[Quiz](http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/78212654?searchTerm=%22not+for+whom+the+bell+tolls%22)," in the *[Perth, Western Australia] Daily News* (December 21, 1946):
>
> 9—You know the book and film title "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Here is the quotation from which it comes "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee." Who was the English poet who wrote the poem ? *Swinburne; Milton; Shakespeare; Donne; Shelley?*
>
>
>
From Richard Boyer, [*If This Be Treason*](https://books.google.com/books?id=rxhMAQAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWsK3K-6PWAhVIslQKHbEEC5oQ6AEIOjAE) (1948) [combined snippets]:
>
> ...in Spain are in prison. So is the country. **Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee.
>
>
> But it need not. It will not if the people organize for peace and abundance behind the Progressive Party and Henry Wallace. It will not if the people mobilize and force President Truman to live up to his campaign promises; to move for international peace, to liquidate the Taft Hartley Law, to terminate the cold war, to maintain the Bill of Rights for all Americans and not only for these Americans with whom Wall Street agrees.
>
>
>
From [*Northwestern University on the Air, the Reviewing Stand*](https://books.google.com/books?id=2O3RAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9r5j79KPWAhUIllQKHTVOADwQ6AEIKDAA) (1948) [combined snippets]:
>
> MR. HAGSTRUM: I was rather amused to read that after Hemingway's *For Whom the Bell Tolls* came out with its quotation from John Donne's *Devotions* people came to the libraries and wanted the complete works of John Donne. Here was one book which influenced another much in the same manner as a movie will influence the sale of the book.
>
>
> MR. BUCHANAN: That's because of "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee."
>
>
> MR. HAGSTRUM: Exactly.
>
>
>
---
***Confirmed matches from the decade 1951–1960***
Three of the five matches for "ask not for whom the bell tolls" that I found from the 1940s were from college newspapers, along with one from an Australian newspaper quiz and one from an American political screed. In the 1950s and in 1960, the wording appeared much more frequently (I found sixteen instances of it) and in a wider array of sources.
From [*Official Proceedings of the New York Railroad Club*](https://books.google.com/books?id=cQbWAAAAMAAJ&q=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&dq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPs-LP7aPWAhXph1QKHf4jDfgQ6AEIKDAA), volume 62 (1951) [combined snippets]:
>
> You probably remember Ernest Hemingway's book of a few years ago entitled "FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS." The theme was that when one man dies, a little bit of all mankind dies. The full quotation on which he based his story was, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**, it tolls for everyone." If anything was ever true as it applies to business that certainly is true today. Years ago the bell tolled for the railroads. No one was very frightened then, but as the bells toll for others we gain understanding and frightened comrades.
>
>
>
From [*Aircraft*](https://books.google.com/books?id=sWYPAAAAIAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQgvMAI), volume 13 (1951) [combined snippets]:
>
> And it is a well known truth that for the first four or five postwar years the little man knew little and cared less about how he could personally be affected by the earlier counterparts of the violation of an obscure place called Korea or the usurping of an oil refinery in Abadan. To him, "**ask not for whom the bell tolls**, it tolls for thee", was only a gloomy quotation from a poem, not likely to be construed as a warning.
>
>
>
From [*The Election Issues of 1952: A Series of Addresses and Papers*](https://books.google.com/books?id=xiu2AAAAIAAJ&q=%22the+Constitution,+nor+on+the+statute+law%22&dq=%22the+Constitution,+nor+on+the+statute+law%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI-NL0jKTWAhWLg1QKHc2eCAgQ6AEIKjAA) (April 24, 1952) [combined snippets]:
>
> If American liberty is, in fact, being lost, don't blame it on the Constitution, nor on the statute law, nor even on what Whitman calls "the insolence of Elected Persons". The blame will lie, not on the extension of federal power, but on the ordinary citizen who lies supine while he is being stripped of his most valuable possessions. For what they can do to one man, they can do to any other. "**Ask not for whom the bells tolls**. It tolls for thee."
>
>
>
From [*New Zealand Engineering*](https://books.google.com/books?id=TGPVAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQg-MAU), volume 7 (1952):
>
> Hence, to prevent his dying of starvation, or his children of disease and malnutrition, has an appeal to us. The quotation from John Donne, from which Hemingway took the title of his book, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", seems to me to have especial relevance here: ". . . for I am involved in all mankind. **Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee.
>
>
> We are all involved in all mankind.
>
>
>
From "[Tower to Town](http://newspapers.bc.edu/cgi-bin/bostonsh?a=d&d=bcheights19541105.2.19&txq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell+tolls%22)," in the *[Boston College, Massachusetts] Heights* (November 5, 1954):
>
> There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight (and tomorrow). We mention a few diversions that could succeed in dragging you away from the three r's.
>
>
> "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**; it tolls for thee." A series of PreCana Conferences for engaged couples will begin Monday evening, November Bth, at St. Alphonsus Hall, Smith St., Roxbury. For information on this invaluable aid to a successful marriage, contact Mr. or Mrs. Joseph Hanbury, 88 Calumet St., BE 2-9281. Reservations are necessary.
>
>
>
From Gladys Edwards, [**Not in the Stars**](https://books.google.com/books?id=jKLzAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWsK3K-6PWAhVIslQKHbEEC5oQ6AEISzAI) (1945[?]/1956) [combined snippets]:
>
> **"Man Is The Brother of Man ..."**
>
>
> The poet spoke a great truth when he said, "a part of all humanity and nothing that is human is alien to me." You have heard it expressed in many ways. An old proverb says, "Man is the brother of man whether he likes it or not." John Donne said, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**, it tolls for thee. " It is said in many ways because, however it is expressed, it is one of the great truths.
>
>
>
From "[Addresses by Members of the House of Representatives](https://books.google.com/books?id=7NAKAQAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQgzMAM)," in *The Lithuanian Situation* (1956):
>
> Mr. HOLTZMAN. ... As no man can be an island entire unto himself, so no nation can stand apart and enjoy freedom while others are crushed by tyranny, for every bit of freedom that is lost anywhere in the world makes every man that much less free. In the words of John Donne, **ask not "for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee," wherever freedom is destroyed.
>
>
>
From [*Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress*](https://books.google.com/books?id=vEVHOq3vHd8C&q=%22the+defeat+of+Charles+Deane+of+%22&dq=%22the+defeat+of+Charles+Deane+of+%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivkpv3_qPWAhWIq1QKHdd8CM4Q6AEIKDAA), volume 102 (1956) [combined snippets]:
>
> Mr. EDMONDSON. Mr. Speaker, it has been a privilege and an honor to serve in the House of Representatives with the gentleman from North Carolina, CHARLES DEANE. There is an old bit of verse which includes the words: **Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee.
>
>
>
From Hollington Tong, [*What is Ahead for China?: Collection of Speeches, June 1956-February 1957*](https://books.google.com/books?id=f41CAAAAYAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWsK3K-6PWAhVIslQKHbEEC5oQ6AEIPTAF) (1957) [snippet view]:
>
> And so, I tell you in the words of the English poet, if that dread combination ever hardens, then **ask not for whom the bell in Red China tolls**. It will toll for you—for all of us!
>
>
>
From Georgia State AFL-CIO, [*Proceedings of the Annual Convention*](https://books.google.com/books?id=D99aAAAAYAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQhLMAg) (1957):
>
> We are not asking for ourselves. I read it someplace somewhere, and I guess there was a movie made someplace somewhere that they called “A Bell for Adano."
>
>
> Somebody said in that, I think, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**, for the bell tolls for thee."
>
>
> And that is why when there is a strike of the Dobb's House workers, when there is a picket for the painters, when there is a picket on for any union, that is your union on fight, that is your union that is trying to live, that is the organization you ought to support.
>
>
>
From [*Selections from Freedom*](https://books.google.com/books?id=XlUFAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQgrMAE), volume 6 (1957):
>
> We recognise that as long as we are careless of the well-being of others we provide conditions wherein both they and we suffer. As Eugene Debs said: 'While there is a soul in prison, I am not free' or John Donne: '**Ask not for whom the bell tolls** : it tolls for thee.'
>
>
>
From Cooperative Union, [*Report of the Annual Co-operative Congress*](https://books.google.com/books?id=lujgdWgS0dAC&q=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&dq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigj_iJ76PWAhVkhlQKHQ0ADfQQ6AEIMTAC) (1958):
>
> **Ask Not For Whom The Bell Tolls**
>
>
> Mr. A. E. Jupp, C.S.D. (Co-operative Productive Federation): I speak as a delegate from the Co-operative Productive Federation. When I listened to the first few contributions to the discussion I began to wonder whether the Co-operative Movement had given up its celebrated role of self-criticism for one of self-castigation. The punishment meted out for sins of omission in the past made me wonder whether we should be so exhausted by that punishment as to be unable to face the future.
>
>
>
From [*Punch*](https://books.google.com/books?id=qLUSAAAAIAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQg3MAQ), volume 236 (1958) [combined snippets]:
>
> Later (by wire):
>
>
> IF NO REPLY TO MY LAST LETTER WITHIN THREE DAYS SHALL HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO ASSUME IT WAS SENT IN ERROR TO EVENING STANDARD STOP NOW THAT YOU HAVE GOT HAILSHAM DOWN THERE **ASK NOT FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS** STOP WHAT ON EARTH CAN CHELTENHAM AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS BE THINKING OF YOU EXCLAMATION MARK
>
>
>
From [*Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): House of Representatives*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ZktPAQAAMAAJ&q=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-95qw_aPWAhXDx1QKHRbRCeg4ChDoAQgnMAA), volume 14 (1959) [combined snippets]:
>
> which will not face up to the fact that we have 81,000 registered unemployed and which will not recognize the grave moral effects of unemployment, the cancer in the heart of the community. We are reminded of the old proverb, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**". Unemployment affects not only the worker but every one in the community.
>
>
>
From Frederik Gruber, [*Aspects of Value*](https://books.google.com/books?id=rzQrAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22ask+not+for+whom+the%22&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=it+tolls) (1959) [combined snippets]:
>
> Every individual in the free world wants, for himself at least, freedom, welfare, equality, and peace: freedom both for individual self-realization and from oppressive governmental and organizational control; welfare for the pursuit of happiness and the good life; equality and the recognition of human dignity and worth as a material right from the Creator; and peace within the framework of democratic liberty. Unfortunately, many men are not convinced of the "togetherness" about which Cowan writes, especially in "The Magic Garden," nor, do we realize fully the impact of John Donne's plea for brotherhood in the lines, "**Ask not for whom the bell tolls**. It tolls for thee," or the neighborliness of the Good Samaritan.
>
>
>
And from a [speech of February 1, 1960](https://books.google.com/books?id=3PxB5IH415QC&q=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&dq=%22not+for+whom+the+bell%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigj_iJ76PWAhVkhlQKHQ0ADfQQ6AEIODAE), in *Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress*, volume 106, part 2 (1960):
>
> NO MAN IS AN ISLAND—**ASK NOT FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS**
>
>
> No man is an island, entire of itself—
>
>
> Said John Donne‚ ...
>
>
>
---
***Conclusions***
Altogether, I found twenty-one matches for "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" prior to 1961: five from the period 1941–1948 and sixteen from the period 1951–1960. The sources of these matches ranged from college newspaper reporters to speakers at trade associations and union gatherings to political commentators to (of course) elected officials.
Purely on the basis of the time sequence, I suspect that the ultimate cause of the misquotation of Donne's verse was Hemingway's novel—not because it misquoted Donne, but because it popularized a previously rather obscure verse known to relatively few people, and it did so without fully repeating the original wording for context. Presented with the fragment in Hemingway's title, people supplied the "Ask not" prefatory words to round the phrase into a complete sentence in a simple yet solemn (not to say stilted) form.
By 1960, awareness of the expression in its "Ask not" form was widespread. The chronology indicates that it was probably firmly established in popular culture before Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you" inaugural speech of 1961. Indeed, if anything, it may have influenced Kennedy's choice of his syntactically similar phrase.
Ultimately, I couldn't find a single obvious source of the "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" wording that would explain its popular adoption. Rather, it seems to have developed slowly, over a period of years, as people unfamiliar or only slightly familiar with Donne's original wording came to believe that the "Ask not" wording was the original form of the phrase. | The English form consisting of a verb (bare form) followed by **not** is a common literary device.
Here is a charming explanation of it in a book called :
\*\*The Mother Tongue: an elementary English grammar by
George Lyman Kittredge, Sarah Louise Arnold · 1908 · English language
[The Mother Tongue](https://archive.org/stream/mothertongue02arno/mothertongue02arno_djvu.txt)
>
> 501. In poetry and the solemn style prohibition is often expressed by the simple imperative, followed by not .
>
>
> *Look not* upon the wine when it is red.
>
>
> *Speak not*, but go.
>
>
> *Judge not* , that ye be not judged.
>
>
>
Apart from those Bible citations by those authors, Shakespeare uses this form but it is a pain to search for it:
*Timon of Athens*
[I, 1]
I thank you; you shall hear from me anon:
**Go not away**. What have you there, my friend?
*Romeo and Juliet*
LADY CAPULET
**Talk not** to me, for I’ll not speak a word.
Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.
Exit. (3.5.196-203)
[See more examples from Shakespeare site](https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/search/search-results.php)
So, "ask not" [for whom the bell tolls] comes from a poetic usage of an imperative followed by not.
And William Wordsworth used "ask not for whom":
Ask not for whom, O Champions true!
She was reserved by me her life's betrayer;
She who was meant to be a bride
Is now a corpse: then put aside
Vain thoughts, and speed ye, with observance due
Of Christian rites, in Christian ground to lay her." (1835)
[The Egyptian Maid](https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/text/wordsworth-the-egyptian-maid)
I do not know who first said "Ask not for whom the bell tolls", but it is not a misquotation, but rather a poetic usage in keeping with English attested to by The Bard. |
8,816 | If you post a question, Stack Exchange with all their clever AI produces a list under your title called "Questions that may already have your answer". This makes a lot of sense for Stack Overflow, where duplicate questions are to be avoided. It makes a lot less sense for Code Review, where the fiftieth "Tic Tac Toe in Python" is as welcome, and deserves bespoke review, as the first.
While there may be some advantage to some users who click through a few of them and learn a few tricks about their problem or asking a good question, I suspect that on balance it causes more confusion and leads instead to users either not posting at all, or posting not-an-answer answers to and resurrecting long dead threads. | 2018/05/04 | [
"https://codereview.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/8816",
"https://codereview.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://codereview.meta.stackexchange.com/users/167190/"
] | Unfortunately, this is not something we can support or special-case, at least not in the foreseeable future.
As most of you are aware, Code Review is a bit of a special site; questions are not asked for the same purpose here that questions are asked on most other Stack Exchange sites, nor are they held to the same expectations as questions asked elsewhere. In some cases, [it is feasible](https://codereview.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/9038/code-review-questions-must-contain-code) to adjust the software to meet Code Review's unique needs, as those needs are already fairly close to what is needed elsewhere...
But this site is unusual in its lack of duplicates, and may be completely unique in not being particularly bothered by that. As such, we've no support at all for disabling this feature, and adding such support would introduce fragility. Best-case, it makes for an inconsistent experience across Stack Exchange sites; worst-case, it gets broken accidentally because no one thinks to test it. Neither are great outcomes.
Finally, as you noted there may be some utility to this feature, even here. In addition to being able to learn from others' work, showing similar titles may provide some additional motivation to... Pick a more unique or descriptive title. | As you said, it does not make sense to close them as a duplicate as they should be just as welcome, not only because the code may be a little different, but also that conventions may (READ: will) change over time.
As @SimonForsberg said, it would make sense to change its purpose, but with the new name, it would not make much sense as a flag. Hence it would make sense to disable it.
Or, even better, we could leave it there, but it would not visually do anything. However, it would end up letting the system know that they are related questions. |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | Yes. If you are no longer interested in or available for a job, you should cancel the interview in advance. You are not offending the employer in any way. | It is an interview and not confirmation that one has the job. Just like the employer may be very impressed with you, another candidate can walk in after you, and the employer feels that person is now a better fit. Therefore, if you are no longer interested in the position for any reason it is better to cancel and let someone else have the spot. |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | Yes. If you are no longer interested in or available for a job, you should cancel the interview in advance. You are not offending the employer in any way. | I strongly suggest you to not to cancel the appointment and be there on time.
Cancelling the appointment is the adult thing to do, of course. However, you can't be certain if the HR department of the company is adult as well. **Yes, they can blacklist you only for changing your mind.** Therefore, in case you consider working for that company in future, you should go to the interview.
About the second company, you can ask them to schedule the interview for another date.
Of course at the end you are the one who makes pro's and con's list and decide if the company worth preserving for future. |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | Why is the location not ideal? Do you really not want the job, or would you want the kind of work if it was located somewhere else? Do you have plenty of other offers or no urgent need to be employed? The answers to those might change this answer, but it might be too early to rule out the job completely.
* "location not ideal" - you will be unlikely to find a job where everything is "ideal", and will have to compromise something. Why not location?
+ If you do find a job where everything is "ideal", it will be more desirable, competition for it will be stronger; your previous questions say you have no work experience at all and that puts you in a difficult place when it comes to picking and choosing an ideal job - a "less than ideal job" is often better than "no job". Depends on your situation, of course.
* If the "not ideal location" is something every candidate would tend to dislike (e.g. by a busy airport and therefore noisy, or in a place with no local parking), then the company might know this and have to offer more to compensate for it and attract good candidates.
+ Or if they don't offer more, you could try and negotiate something because of it.
* If they are a bigger company they might have multiple offices, you could find out - if so, ask if they have similar openings at any other locations. They have your name on record and have shown a spark of interest in you, that might get you a similar interview with them, but somewhere else.
* If you go to the interview and are offered the job, you then have (a) a fallback job offer in case other interviews don't go well, (b) a genuine offer you can use when interviewing elsewhere to bargain with ("can you match this offer?"), and (c) a genuine offer which gives you a sense of grounding, you can at least get an offer for a job at that level.
* If the job still has some of its attraction, consider how long you could put up with the location - in order to gain (experience, references, money, etc) - or what you could learn by dealing with the location before moving on.
* The interview might completely change your view on the company or the people. After all, they all manage to work there, so can it really be that bad? Maybe it's not as (noisy, smelly, inconvenient, rough, run-down, difficult to get to) as you expect. Something might make you want the job a lot - and be willing to put up with the location problem - or it might make you not want the job for a dozen other reasons (management practices, other employees, lack of company direction, job is not as advertized).
>
> Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time?
>
>
>
If there is absolutely no way you could be convinced to take the job, then it's a bit unethical for you to take their time for practice, and it's probably better for your reputation if you politely decline than if you turn up and half-ass it or no-show.
But can you really decide with that much certainty, without going to see? | Possibly a little bit of an "unethical" answer here as you would be wasting the interviewer's time... But, you may like to use the opportunity to get a bit of interview practice.
I'm just guessing by your username that maybe you have not been out in the job market long. But speaking from experience - I found my first few interviews quite difficult, and wasn't really prepared as I was new to interviewing, but I learned valuable lessons and gained confidence from each one.
From that point of view I was wasting the interviewer's time anyway. |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | Why is the location not ideal? Do you really not want the job, or would you want the kind of work if it was located somewhere else? Do you have plenty of other offers or no urgent need to be employed? The answers to those might change this answer, but it might be too early to rule out the job completely.
* "location not ideal" - you will be unlikely to find a job where everything is "ideal", and will have to compromise something. Why not location?
+ If you do find a job where everything is "ideal", it will be more desirable, competition for it will be stronger; your previous questions say you have no work experience at all and that puts you in a difficult place when it comes to picking and choosing an ideal job - a "less than ideal job" is often better than "no job". Depends on your situation, of course.
* If the "not ideal location" is something every candidate would tend to dislike (e.g. by a busy airport and therefore noisy, or in a place with no local parking), then the company might know this and have to offer more to compensate for it and attract good candidates.
+ Or if they don't offer more, you could try and negotiate something because of it.
* If they are a bigger company they might have multiple offices, you could find out - if so, ask if they have similar openings at any other locations. They have your name on record and have shown a spark of interest in you, that might get you a similar interview with them, but somewhere else.
* If you go to the interview and are offered the job, you then have (a) a fallback job offer in case other interviews don't go well, (b) a genuine offer you can use when interviewing elsewhere to bargain with ("can you match this offer?"), and (c) a genuine offer which gives you a sense of grounding, you can at least get an offer for a job at that level.
* If the job still has some of its attraction, consider how long you could put up with the location - in order to gain (experience, references, money, etc) - or what you could learn by dealing with the location before moving on.
* The interview might completely change your view on the company or the people. After all, they all manage to work there, so can it really be that bad? Maybe it's not as (noisy, smelly, inconvenient, rough, run-down, difficult to get to) as you expect. Something might make you want the job a lot - and be willing to put up with the location problem - or it might make you not want the job for a dozen other reasons (management practices, other employees, lack of company direction, job is not as advertized).
>
> Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time?
>
>
>
If there is absolutely no way you could be convinced to take the job, then it's a bit unethical for you to take their time for practice, and it's probably better for your reputation if you politely decline than if you turn up and half-ass it or no-show.
But can you really decide with that much certainty, without going to see? | I strongly suggest you to not to cancel the appointment and be there on time.
Cancelling the appointment is the adult thing to do, of course. However, you can't be certain if the HR department of the company is adult as well. **Yes, they can blacklist you only for changing your mind.** Therefore, in case you consider working for that company in future, you should go to the interview.
About the second company, you can ask them to schedule the interview for another date.
Of course at the end you are the one who makes pro's and con's list and decide if the company worth preserving for future. |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | If the location of the opportunity is a complete deal-breaker (e.g., it would be a 6 hour commute), then I would cancel the interview.
If you're a student however, and still getting career advice from your mother (nothing wrong with that!), you might consider taking the interview, even if you have to reschedule one of your appointments.
You just never know. Interviews are chances to network, to improve your communication skills, and simply get better in selling yourself. In the process, you might find out something about the job that offsets the location issue. | It is an interview and not confirmation that one has the job. Just like the employer may be very impressed with you, another candidate can walk in after you, and the employer feels that person is now a better fit. Therefore, if you are no longer interested in the position for any reason it is better to cancel and let someone else have the spot. |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | If the location of the opportunity is a complete deal-breaker (e.g., it would be a 6 hour commute), then I would cancel the interview.
If you're a student however, and still getting career advice from your mother (nothing wrong with that!), you might consider taking the interview, even if you have to reschedule one of your appointments.
You just never know. Interviews are chances to network, to improve your communication skills, and simply get better in selling yourself. In the process, you might find out something about the job that offsets the location issue. | Why is the location not ideal? Do you really not want the job, or would you want the kind of work if it was located somewhere else? Do you have plenty of other offers or no urgent need to be employed? The answers to those might change this answer, but it might be too early to rule out the job completely.
* "location not ideal" - you will be unlikely to find a job where everything is "ideal", and will have to compromise something. Why not location?
+ If you do find a job where everything is "ideal", it will be more desirable, competition for it will be stronger; your previous questions say you have no work experience at all and that puts you in a difficult place when it comes to picking and choosing an ideal job - a "less than ideal job" is often better than "no job". Depends on your situation, of course.
* If the "not ideal location" is something every candidate would tend to dislike (e.g. by a busy airport and therefore noisy, or in a place with no local parking), then the company might know this and have to offer more to compensate for it and attract good candidates.
+ Or if they don't offer more, you could try and negotiate something because of it.
* If they are a bigger company they might have multiple offices, you could find out - if so, ask if they have similar openings at any other locations. They have your name on record and have shown a spark of interest in you, that might get you a similar interview with them, but somewhere else.
* If you go to the interview and are offered the job, you then have (a) a fallback job offer in case other interviews don't go well, (b) a genuine offer you can use when interviewing elsewhere to bargain with ("can you match this offer?"), and (c) a genuine offer which gives you a sense of grounding, you can at least get an offer for a job at that level.
* If the job still has some of its attraction, consider how long you could put up with the location - in order to gain (experience, references, money, etc) - or what you could learn by dealing with the location before moving on.
* The interview might completely change your view on the company or the people. After all, they all manage to work there, so can it really be that bad? Maybe it's not as (noisy, smelly, inconvenient, rough, run-down, difficult to get to) as you expect. Something might make you want the job a lot - and be willing to put up with the location problem - or it might make you not want the job for a dozen other reasons (management practices, other employees, lack of company direction, job is not as advertized).
>
> Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time?
>
>
>
If there is absolutely no way you could be convinced to take the job, then it's a bit unethical for you to take their time for practice, and it's probably better for your reputation if you politely decline than if you turn up and half-ass it or no-show.
But can you really decide with that much certainty, without going to see? |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | Yes. If you are no longer interested in or available for a job, you should cancel the interview in advance. You are not offending the employer in any way. | If the location of the opportunity is a complete deal-breaker (e.g., it would be a 6 hour commute), then I would cancel the interview.
If you're a student however, and still getting career advice from your mother (nothing wrong with that!), you might consider taking the interview, even if you have to reschedule one of your appointments.
You just never know. Interviews are chances to network, to improve your communication skills, and simply get better in selling yourself. In the process, you might find out something about the job that offsets the location issue. |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | If the location of the opportunity is a complete deal-breaker (e.g., it would be a 6 hour commute), then I would cancel the interview.
If you're a student however, and still getting career advice from your mother (nothing wrong with that!), you might consider taking the interview, even if you have to reschedule one of your appointments.
You just never know. Interviews are chances to network, to improve your communication skills, and simply get better in selling yourself. In the process, you might find out something about the job that offsets the location issue. | I strongly suggest you to not to cancel the appointment and be there on time.
Cancelling the appointment is the adult thing to do, of course. However, you can't be certain if the HR department of the company is adult as well. **Yes, they can blacklist you only for changing your mind.** Therefore, in case you consider working for that company in future, you should go to the interview.
About the second company, you can ask them to schedule the interview for another date.
Of course at the end you are the one who makes pro's and con's list and decide if the company worth preserving for future. |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | Yes. If you are no longer interested in or available for a job, you should cancel the interview in advance. You are not offending the employer in any way. | Why is the location not ideal? Do you really not want the job, or would you want the kind of work if it was located somewhere else? Do you have plenty of other offers or no urgent need to be employed? The answers to those might change this answer, but it might be too early to rule out the job completely.
* "location not ideal" - you will be unlikely to find a job where everything is "ideal", and will have to compromise something. Why not location?
+ If you do find a job where everything is "ideal", it will be more desirable, competition for it will be stronger; your previous questions say you have no work experience at all and that puts you in a difficult place when it comes to picking and choosing an ideal job - a "less than ideal job" is often better than "no job". Depends on your situation, of course.
* If the "not ideal location" is something every candidate would tend to dislike (e.g. by a busy airport and therefore noisy, or in a place with no local parking), then the company might know this and have to offer more to compensate for it and attract good candidates.
+ Or if they don't offer more, you could try and negotiate something because of it.
* If they are a bigger company they might have multiple offices, you could find out - if so, ask if they have similar openings at any other locations. They have your name on record and have shown a spark of interest in you, that might get you a similar interview with them, but somewhere else.
* If you go to the interview and are offered the job, you then have (a) a fallback job offer in case other interviews don't go well, (b) a genuine offer you can use when interviewing elsewhere to bargain with ("can you match this offer?"), and (c) a genuine offer which gives you a sense of grounding, you can at least get an offer for a job at that level.
* If the job still has some of its attraction, consider how long you could put up with the location - in order to gain (experience, references, money, etc) - or what you could learn by dealing with the location before moving on.
* The interview might completely change your view on the company or the people. After all, they all manage to work there, so can it really be that bad? Maybe it's not as (noisy, smelly, inconvenient, rough, run-down, difficult to get to) as you expect. Something might make you want the job a lot - and be willing to put up with the location problem - or it might make you not want the job for a dozen other reasons (management practices, other employees, lack of company direction, job is not as advertized).
>
> Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time?
>
>
>
If there is absolutely no way you could be convinced to take the job, then it's a bit unethical for you to take their time for practice, and it's probably better for your reputation if you politely decline than if you turn up and half-ass it or no-show.
But can you really decide with that much certainty, without going to see? |
74,678 | I applied for a position, and the company got back to me with an interview invitation. I accepted, the interview has been scheduled, and the time confirmed. Following this, I had a conversation with my mother who brought up a consideration about the job that didn't previously occur to me (it's location is less than ideal, if you're curious). I don't want the job anymore, but should I cancel? Is going ahead with the interview unethical, as it disrespects the interviewer's time? But I also don't want the cancellation to be a "black spot" on my record.
Another consideration is that another company sent an interview invitation for the same time, but my main concerns are the ethics and my professional reputation. | 2016/08/22 | [
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74678",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com",
"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55956/"
] | Possibly a little bit of an "unethical" answer here as you would be wasting the interviewer's time... But, you may like to use the opportunity to get a bit of interview practice.
I'm just guessing by your username that maybe you have not been out in the job market long. But speaking from experience - I found my first few interviews quite difficult, and wasn't really prepared as I was new to interviewing, but I learned valuable lessons and gained confidence from each one.
From that point of view I was wasting the interviewer's time anyway. | I strongly suggest you to not to cancel the appointment and be there on time.
Cancelling the appointment is the adult thing to do, of course. However, you can't be certain if the HR department of the company is adult as well. **Yes, they can blacklist you only for changing your mind.** Therefore, in case you consider working for that company in future, you should go to the interview.
About the second company, you can ask them to schedule the interview for another date.
Of course at the end you are the one who makes pro's and con's list and decide if the company worth preserving for future. |
24,969,889 | In apps like Google+ or Facebook, you can tap on the upper right icon on the actionbar and the content below the actionbar slides to the left while a menu to the right of the content slides in, like this:
How is this done? Is there some built-in class/widget I can add? I don't want just a menu that pops up but slides in while the content slides out.
Here is a post that addresses this but it's 2 years old:
[Facebook Slider Menu](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13185070/facebook-slide-menu-slide-to-right-in-android)
Maybe Google added this as a built-in feature since then like they did with the Navigation Drawwer? | 2014/07/26 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/24969889",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/753632/"
] | It's called Navigation Drawer and it is a built-in option in Android. Please visit:
[Navigation Drawer | Android Developers](https://developer.android.com/design/patterns/navigation-drawer.html)
**EDIT (by AndroidDev)**
Here is how a dual navigation drawer is implemented:
[DrawerLayout Double Drawer (Left and Right Drawers simultaneously)](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17861755/drawerlayout-double-drawer-left-and-right-drawers-simultaneously) | You can also take a look at the open-source [SlidingMenu](https://github.com/jfeinstein10/SlidingMenu) library, that is used by an impressive list of apps. It should allow you to achieve the customizations you want.
There's also a [Play Store Demo app called SlidingMenu Demo](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.slidingmenu.example) you can try. |
12,986 | Once the polls close, news networks will start projecting the winner of a state, sometimes almost instantly.
Do they collaborate with other news networks when projecting the winner or do they project the winner independently? For example, CNN projected the winner, do ABC News or NBC also project it?
**Note:** I'm not asking about how do they do it, e.g. using exit polls, etc. Just want to know if all news networks project the winner together or independently. | 2016/11/07 | [
"https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/12986",
"https://politics.stackexchange.com",
"https://politics.stackexchange.com/users/9638/"
] | If descendants of slave owners have to compensate descendants of slaves, many people would find themselves compensating, well, themselves. For example, Barack Obama had at most [one ancestor](http://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/2012/10/08/obama-related-to-americas-first-slave/) who might have been a slave, and that would be through multiple generations of [slave owners](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/mar/04/uselections2008.barackobama). He would be a net payer under that kind of system.
Donald Trump's ancestors were in Scotland and Germany during slavery. He wouldn't pay anything. On the bright side, he probably doesn't have any enslaved ancestors, so he wouldn't get money either.
The Bush and Cheney families are distantly related to Obama, so assuming they are related to the same slave owning ancestors, they too would be net payers.
A proposal from the [Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/reparations-black-americans-slavery_us_56c4dfa9e4b08ffac1276bd7). They want to use a system that requires a person to have claimed to be African-American on a census at least ten years prior and demonstrate an enslaved ancestor.
Of course, they don't explain how poor people would be able to demonstrate an enslaved ancestor. Perhaps they think it would be all right if middle class and rich African-American families got all the benefits. Nor do they explain how they would verify such ancestral claims.
A more realistic example from [Gawker](http://gawker.com/what-reparations-in-america-could-look-like-1633066247). Their idea is to use poverty as a proxy for enslavement and pay from the government in general. Middle class and rich African-Americans would receive no reparations. Impoverished descendants of slave owners would pay nothing (presuming they don't pay taxes).
Of course, that sounds a lot like the existing anti-poverty programs. | It will depend on how well the state has kept records; and it might be a good instance of where the technology of big data could come identifying the *likelihood* of someone being a descendent of slaves.
Even if one doesn't have complete genealogy records, one might be satisfied if such a system is able to positively identify say 90% positively; one could verify such a system by taking a randomised control set of people who are known to be such descendents. |
30,135 | So first here's the problem. I used to be a Blackberry user and could selectively turn things silent/off/loud but with the iPhone it seems to be an all or nothing deal. I run a small company so I need to be able to be reached in the event something goes wrong and I'm sleeping. My old system for this was to turn everything to silent except for voice calls which would play a loud ringtone to wake me up. I don't get many voice calls except for work related stuff so this worked perfectly.
The question is can I replicate this somehow on the iPhone? Even if there was some kind of app that could play a noise and notify me when someone needed something. I know it's possible based on [this StackOverflow question](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2913185/how-to-play-sounds-in-locked-mode-on-iphone) but short of writing my own app is there anything out there that can help? | 2011/11/04 | [
"https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/30135",
"https://apple.stackexchange.com",
"https://apple.stackexchange.com/users/8040/"
] | You can use [Find my iPhone](http://www.apple.com/iphone/built-in-apps/find-my-iphone.html) to remotely play a sound, even if your phone is in silent mode. Requires someone to trigger it in the web interface or iOS app. | I haven't tried this but ... assuming you are running iOS 5, under Settings -> Sounds where you can pick a tone for each kind of alert, it looks like "None" is a choice in all the categories. So you could turn off sounds for everything except the Ringtone. |
95,258 | Why are SHA3 algorithms considered more secure than their SHA2 counterparts? Surely in part, it is due to their resistance to length extension attacks. But specifically, when considering collision resistance they have the same O(n) attack times.
Is it because they are more resistant to preimage attacks? | 2021/09/24 | [
"https://crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/95258",
"https://crypto.stackexchange.com",
"https://crypto.stackexchange.com/users/92223/"
] | This is more of an addendum to fgrieu's answer than an answer in itself, but 3 things stand out that *COULD* make SHA3 more secure than SHA2 from a design standpoint.
The first and most obvious is the state size, SHA3 is substantially larger at 1600 bits than even SHA512... at only 512 bits. SHA3 being a sponge function gets its security level from how much of that state size it keeps hidden from the final hash output, and that is one of the reasons it is immune to length extension attacks. SHA-512 and SHA-256 output their entire state, the rest of the SHA2 family truncates to the desired length. Having the entire state available can make certain attacks against block cipher based hashes like SHA2 easier, tough truncation may lead to other attacks.
The second may change over time, the security buffer, or how much of the full round count is not broken by the best attacks against the hash function. For collisions against SHA2 this is between 56% [(practical collisions for SHA-256)](https://eprint.iacr.org/2016/374) and 30% [(pseudocollision for SHA-256)](https://eprint.iacr.org/2011/037) but a whopping 79% for SHA3 [(practical 5 rounds collision)](https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/147)
And the final thing is more about the way the hash can be implemented in software, SHA3 on 64-bit platforms requires less code to implement, which means less code to possibly be implemented insecurely. It is also considered (by most people that I know) easier to read the SHA3 code, and the round constants can be generated algorithmically at runtime.
>
> Why are SHA3 algorithms considered more secure than their SHA2 counterparts
>
>
>
The SHA3 competition was created because of new attacks against MD5 and SHA-1, which created a perceived threat that future analysis of SHA2 that could lead to practical attacks. This has not come to pass, and SHA2 has stood its ground against cryptanalysis.
The SHA3 competition spawned many fantastic hash functions that were more functionally capable than SHA2, had better hardware performance, or had better performance to security ratios. But that does not mean that SHA3 is the de facto MORE secure hash function.. but it also does not mean that SHA2 is either. They are very different designs, and SHA3 is more capable, AND SHA3 has a potentially higher security buffer, but neither are broken (except for length extension attacks, but that was already known). | I know you already mentioned length extension attacks in your question, but I don't think the importance of that can be overstated in how SHA3 is *practically* more secure than SHA2 - especially whenever you'll be designing your own cryptographic protocols/systems on top of it. Thanks to length extension attacks, use of SHA2 may require active measures (e.g. HMAC) beyond the hash itself in order to use it safely, and *most people using it don't understand this*. Even if they do, the need occupies space in one's mental model that could be spent on more valuable things.
In addition, implementations of SHA2 may be subject to side channels that, in certain contexts, leak information about the data being hashed. This can be critical when the hash is used with key material, such as in HMAC or signatures. [This paper](https://eprint.iacr.org/2017/985.pdf) claims to successfully recover private keys from the (2017) WolfSSL implementation of Ed25519 using such a side channel. SHA3 by design does not invite side channel leaks. |
66,481 | When Queen Elizabeth II is in Scotland, she worships in the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland, rather than in the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is in full communion with the Church of England.
The **political** reason for this is obvious, but how is this theologically justified? (Or alternately, does no justification exist, with politics overriding theology?) How can the Queen believe in apostolic succession and episcopal governance south of the Tweed, and in Presbyterianism north of the Tweed? | 2018/09/27 | [
"https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/66481",
"https://christianity.stackexchange.com",
"https://christianity.stackexchange.com/users/42956/"
] | There's no inherent incompatibility. Both denominations believe in forms of apostolic succession (though not the kind asserted by the Catholic Church.) [Wikipedia explains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_succession):
>
> The Anglican Communion "has never officially endorsed any one particular theory of the origin of the historic episcopate, its exact relation to the apostolate, and the sense in which it should be thought of as God given, and in fact tolerates a wide variety of views on these points". Its claim to apostolic succession is rooted in the Church of England's evolution as part of the Western Church. Apostolic succession is viewed not so much as conveyed mechanically through an unbroken chain of the laying-on of hands, but as expressing continuity with the unbroken chain of commitment, beliefs and mission starting with the first apostles; and as hence emphasising the enduring yet evolving nature of the Church.
>
>
> Jus Divinum Regiminis Ecclesiastici (English translation: The Divine Right of Church Government), which was promulgated by Presbyterian clergy in 1646, holds that historic ministerial succession is necessary for legitimate ministerial authority. It states that ministerial succession is conferred by elders through the laying on of hands, in accordance with 1 Timothy 4:14. The Westminster Assembly held that "There is one general church visible" and that "every minister of the word is to be ordained by imposition of hands, and prayer, with fasting, by those preaching presbyters to whom it doth belong".
>
>
>
From the Presbyterian perspective, all Presbyterian elders are actually bishops. Pressies have the most bishops! The biggest difference between Anglicanism and Presbyterianism is that wherever Anglicans have one leader, Presbyterians will have a plurality. This happens at basically all structural levels.
The formal definition of the Presbyterian church structure that we know today was developed by the [Westminster Assembly of 1643-1653](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Assembly). The Assembly was called by the English Parliament and was intended to bridge the divisions between puritans, the Church of Scotland (who already had a form of Presbyterianism), and the more traditional Church of England episcopalians. James VI & I had said that he wanted to push episcopalian government on the Church of Scotland, which they, naturally, were not happy with. This conflict actually [devolved into a couple of small wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishops%27_Wars) (and arguably resulted in the English Civil Wars and the execution of Charles.) Against the wishes of Charles, the English Parliament [called the assembly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Assembly#Calling_the_assembly), and the majority of the assembly were Church of England clergy, though a few Scots were also sent. In return for a military alliance, the Scottish Parliament had required the English Parliament to bring its church government in line with the Scottish Presbyterian model. The majority of the people selected for the Assembly did support Presbyterian governance, and that's the conclusion they reached.
But [Cromwell won the civil war](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Assembly#Conflicts_with_Parliament) before the Assembly could finish its work. His parliament established religious tolerance, and the Westminster Standards were not formally adopted in English. Individual parishes could adopt Presbyterianism, and 64 out of London's 108 did. [But when the monarchy was restored](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Assembly#Legacy) the Assembly was repudiated, and laws were passed that returned the Church of England to a strict episcopalian structure. [As a result, as many as 2500 ministers left the Church of England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Ejection).
I think the theological justification is that the Church of England has never seen itself as the only legitimate church. It has always recognised its sister church in Scotland, even before the Westminster Assembly when the initial form of Presbyterian polity was in place. The Church of England has its own theological arguments for episcopalian polity, but it can't deny that Presbyterianism has strong Biblical and theological backing, and that it has a long history in England and could have become the official position of the Church of England had some battles turned out differently. For the British monarch to worship in different denominations is natural given that the English and Scottish crowns are separate. It would also be appropriate for the monarch to worship in other unestablished Protestant denominations in recognition of the centuries old (and hard won) principle of religious nonconformity. | Her Majesty has, on occasions, worshipped at churches of many denominations, including Roman Catholic. She attended Vespers at Westminster (RC) Cathedral on St. Andrew's Day, 1995, to mark the centenary of the commencement of its construction.
Her involvement in the Church of Scotland is on a different level from this. She is more than an occasional, or even regular, worshipper. She is a full member of the Church of Scotland, as well as being a full member of the of the Church of England. She is Supreme Governor of the Church of England only.
Lay members of the Church of Scotland are not required to assent or agree with all aspects of Church doctrine, and neither are lay members of the Church of England. So there is nothing inherently contradictory in being a lay member of either or both churches, without necessarily agreeing with either on a whole range of possible doctrinal issues. Both Churches regard Holy Scripture as paramount.
As Queen, she declared herself to be "a faithful Protestant" in February 1952 immediately she returned to London from Kenya, where she became Queen on her father's death. She also swore
>
> I, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British dominions beyond the seas, Queen, Defender of the Faith, do faithfully promise and swear that I shall inviolably maintain and preserve the Settlement of the True Protestant Religion as established by the laws of Scotland ....
>
>
>
Similar promises in relation to England, and a promises to maintain within the United Kingdom the Protestant Religion, were made during her Coronation Service in 1953.
With regard to bishops, as curiousdannii points out, the Church of England does not necessarily believe that the apostolic succession of the episcopacy, via the manual transmission of the laying on of hands, is essential. It does however attach importance to the fact that it has maintained it and does maintain it; and has sought to remove some doubts on this by the involvement in C of E consecrations, since the 1930s, of Old Catholic bishops from the Utrecht Union. This is done without absolutely claiming that it is essential, but in recognition that some people think it is, or might be. If the Queen believes, in common with probably most Anglicans, that it is not essential then the different polity presents no personal problem to her.
The Church of England also teaches that every national or particular Church has the right to ordain its own rites and ceremonies. The Church of Scotland teaches that all Churches are more or less pure.
In fact, the Queen is not the only Church leader who might be accused, wrongly I think, of changing her beliefs according to which country she is in. The Pope, when in Rome, does not accept the canonicity of the 3rd Book of Maccabees, but there are Eastern Catholic Churches which do accept it. The Pope recognises these Eastern Churches as the authentic expression of Christianity within their respective geographical areas. Does he alter his beliefs when crossing the border?
Queen Victoria was the first monarch since the Union of the Crowns, 1603, to spend a significant amount of time in Scotland. She took Holy Communion at Crathie Church, near to her holiday home, Balmoral Castle, in the Aberdeenshire Highlands. This caused something of a furore in some parts of the Church of England, who argued that, as an Anglican, she ought, if she had wanted to take Communion, to have done so in the Scottish Episcopalian Church, the Anglican Church in Scotland. Victoria much preferred the simplicity in the Highland Kirk, to the more elaborate services she was used to in England.
Victoria pointed out that the bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church were "mere dissenters". For one thing, unlike their English counterparts, they had not been appointed by her. Her view seems to have been that neither the Church of England, nor the Church of Scotland, was perfect, but that each was the authentic, national, brand of Christianity in its own country.
While accepting curiousdannii's argument that there is no theological objection to the Queen worshipping in any Protestant Church, given religious tolerance; I suspect the reason, at least historically, is more to do with recognition of the importance and status of a national Church within its boundaries.
There are many justifications for having multiple denominations, each with its own particular doctrine. But there are also arguments against schism and in favour of unity. At least to Queen Victoria, and I suspect to her great-great-granddaughter, the concept of a national Church, and the idea of unity as a good thing where it can be had (though not to be enforced), was more important than questions of whether or not to have bishops or any of the other things about which Christians may disagree.
The theological justification is that the unity and status of the national Churches is seen as of greater importance than the differences in doctrine. |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | I've used [Linode](http://www.linode.com/index.cfm) and [Slicehost](http://www.slicehost.com/) with great success.
I've also discovered recently [Mosso](http://www.rackspacecloud.com/cloud_hosting_products/servers) which might be interesting depending on target usage. It's interesting to know it's owned by Rackspace and so is Slicehost. Mosso (now called Rackspace Cloud it seems) offers a really simple interface for creating virtual machines, similar to [Amazon's EC2 offer](http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/).
All of these let you choose from a range of distro and give you complete root access to configure the server as you want. Support for Linode and Slicehost has been great although my experience has been even better with the latter.
Finally, you can also have a [dedicated server](http://iweb.com/products/) at iWeb (amongst others) for pretty cheap where you don't need to take care of the hardware itself. They offer a wide-range of support package too if needed. If you really want to use virtual machines, you could install [Xen](http://www.xen.org/) on a dedicated machine and manage as many VMs as the hardware can handle. | Also depends if you want a dedicated solution or a shared solution. If dedicated (not on shared hardware with other customers) VM's you would want to look into a hosting provider which will build your own infrastructure and maintain it. Cost of course is not cheap for these, I know a few good ones that can do either. |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | I'm a fan of linode - <http://www.linode.com/> | I've hosted virtual machines with <http://www.melbourne.co.uk/> and have really liked their level of service so far. |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | I'm a fan of linode - <http://www.linode.com/> | I don't think you can get cheaper prices than <http://www.prgmr.com>
They have very good, personal support as well. They've been very helpful with performance issues I had from ordering too small of a machine initially.
My blog is hosted there, and I'm happy with it. |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | I've used [Linode](http://www.linode.com/index.cfm) and [Slicehost](http://www.slicehost.com/) with great success.
I've also discovered recently [Mosso](http://www.rackspacecloud.com/cloud_hosting_products/servers) which might be interesting depending on target usage. It's interesting to know it's owned by Rackspace and so is Slicehost. Mosso (now called Rackspace Cloud it seems) offers a really simple interface for creating virtual machines, similar to [Amazon's EC2 offer](http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/).
All of these let you choose from a range of distro and give you complete root access to configure the server as you want. Support for Linode and Slicehost has been great although my experience has been even better with the latter.
Finally, you can also have a [dedicated server](http://iweb.com/products/) at iWeb (amongst others) for pretty cheap where you don't need to take care of the hardware itself. They offer a wide-range of support package too if needed. If you really want to use virtual machines, you could install [Xen](http://www.xen.org/) on a dedicated machine and manage as many VMs as the hardware can handle. | Check out Slicehost |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | Check out Slicehost | Also depends if you want a dedicated solution or a shared solution. If dedicated (not on shared hardware with other customers) VM's you would want to look into a hosting provider which will build your own infrastructure and maintain it. Cost of course is not cheap for these, I know a few good ones that can do either. |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | I've used [Linode](http://www.linode.com/index.cfm) and [Slicehost](http://www.slicehost.com/) with great success.
I've also discovered recently [Mosso](http://www.rackspacecloud.com/cloud_hosting_products/servers) which might be interesting depending on target usage. It's interesting to know it's owned by Rackspace and so is Slicehost. Mosso (now called Rackspace Cloud it seems) offers a really simple interface for creating virtual machines, similar to [Amazon's EC2 offer](http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/).
All of these let you choose from a range of distro and give you complete root access to configure the server as you want. Support for Linode and Slicehost has been great although my experience has been even better with the latter.
Finally, you can also have a [dedicated server](http://iweb.com/products/) at iWeb (amongst others) for pretty cheap where you don't need to take care of the hardware itself. They offer a wide-range of support package too if needed. If you really want to use virtual machines, you could install [Xen](http://www.xen.org/) on a dedicated machine and manage as many VMs as the hardware can handle. | I don't think you can get cheaper prices than <http://www.prgmr.com>
They have very good, personal support as well. They've been very helpful with performance issues I had from ordering too small of a machine initially.
My blog is hosted there, and I'm happy with it. |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | I don't think you can get cheaper prices than <http://www.prgmr.com>
They have very good, personal support as well. They've been very helpful with performance issues I had from ordering too small of a machine initially.
My blog is hosted there, and I'm happy with it. | Also depends if you want a dedicated solution or a shared solution. If dedicated (not on shared hardware with other customers) VM's you would want to look into a hosting provider which will build your own infrastructure and maintain it. Cost of course is not cheap for these, I know a few good ones that can do either. |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | I've hosted virtual machines with <http://www.melbourne.co.uk/> and have really liked their level of service so far. | Also depends if you want a dedicated solution or a shared solution. If dedicated (not on shared hardware with other customers) VM's you would want to look into a hosting provider which will build your own infrastructure and maintain it. Cost of course is not cheap for these, I know a few good ones that can do either. |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | I've used [Linode](http://www.linode.com/index.cfm) and [Slicehost](http://www.slicehost.com/) with great success.
I've also discovered recently [Mosso](http://www.rackspacecloud.com/cloud_hosting_products/servers) which might be interesting depending on target usage. It's interesting to know it's owned by Rackspace and so is Slicehost. Mosso (now called Rackspace Cloud it seems) offers a really simple interface for creating virtual machines, similar to [Amazon's EC2 offer](http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/).
All of these let you choose from a range of distro and give you complete root access to configure the server as you want. Support for Linode and Slicehost has been great although my experience has been even better with the latter.
Finally, you can also have a [dedicated server](http://iweb.com/products/) at iWeb (amongst others) for pretty cheap where you don't need to take care of the hardware itself. They offer a wide-range of support package too if needed. If you really want to use virtual machines, you could install [Xen](http://www.xen.org/) on a dedicated machine and manage as many VMs as the hardware can handle. | I'm a fan of linode - <http://www.linode.com/> |
41,037 | We have some boxes at a reputable (expensive) hosting company.
They don't offer a simple/flexible VM solution.
All I want is the ability to create CentOS VMs (mainly) to host our (mostly) static sites (corporate etc), maintaining the big boxes for more traffic/DB intensive services.
Any suggestions. | 2009/07/15 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/41037",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/1786/"
] | Check out Slicehost | I've hosted virtual machines with <http://www.melbourne.co.uk/> and have really liked their level of service so far. |
94,189 | I am looking to back up several Linux machines to a local Windows machine.
The machine resides on a LAN behind a router connected to a high-bandwidth cable modem with a static IP address. I can configure the router for port forwarding, if necessary.
I am currently exploring using rsync, specifically [cwRsync][1], to perform this backup. I have some questions:
1. When using rsync, which machine is the "server" and which is the "client"? Is the backup source the client and the backup destination the server, or vice-versa?
2. A cwRsync FAQ page hints that an OpenSSHD service should be running on a Windows machine for that machine to be able to be sent files via rsync. If OpenSSHD is truly needed, then which specific distribution or version do you recommend?
3. Can you think of a simpler and more effective way to effect this backup? I've used rsync across Linux machines with little trouble before, but it seems that getting this to work with a Windows machine involves quite a bit more work.
Thank you for your help! | 2009/12/14 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/94189",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/24523/"
] | 1. It doesn't matter
2. No, you don't need an ssh server to use rsync as a client
3. I'd just run rsyncd on all the Linux machines, and cygwin on the Windows machines and write a script on Windows (maybe a cron job too) to get the files off the Linux machines. | If you are running the rsync process on the Windows machine with cygwin installed, than you don't need to install OpenSSHD on that Windows server to receive backups. You would only need to install this if you were intending on initializing the backups on the remote linux servers. |
627,719 | I've been using SubSonic.Query all these while, until one day when I can't do "IS NULL" by adding WHERE, then I realized that SubSonic.SqlQuery existed and it has a function of "IsNull()". After checking out the source code, Query and SqlQuery is not inherited in any way, so what's their major difference and how to decide which to use?
Edit: I just realized that I could actually do "IS NULL" by using "Comparison.Is". That makes me even more confuse as both SqlQuery and Query can almost do the same thing | 2009/03/09 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/627719",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/20007/"
] | SqlQuery was added in version 2.1. It's vastly superior to Query as it supports is null and joins in particular. Here's a [post that covers it](http://subsonicproject.com/2-1-pakala/subsonic-version-2-1-pakala-preview-the-new-query-tool/) (it was called Query2 at the time) or see my [3-part series on how I use SubSonic](http://john-sheehan.com/blog/category/subsonic/). | I am not sure what DB you are targeting but the IsNull Method did not work correctly for the Oracle Provider. I had to fix change a couple lines to get it to work on my machine. |
86,652 | Hello I have recently bought a driver for 50w white LED, I was wondering if it is possible to power 50W RGB LED chip via this driver? I know white LED has different amperage, my driver is for warm white and is 1.5A and similar driver for RGB coloured LED drives much lower at 650mA.
So my question is: Can I power my RGB array using this white LED driver? Is there a device such as "buck" or "step down" that would enable me to? | 2013/10/27 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/86652",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/30947/"
] | Assuming the RGB LED is somewhat similar to those on the first few pages when googled, with an array for each colour channel, it is possible that you could drive each of the channels somewhat inefficiently and at a more-or-less random colour by adding some ballast resistors so that the total current through each channel adds up to the current from your constant current source and the voltage across each channel and ballast resistor is the same.
What a single constant current source won't allow you to do is change the colour hue, so there is very little point in using an RGB LED with it rather than a white one.
If you don't want to control the channels individually, then you should be able wire it up with ballast resistors so the voltages and currents match the that of the white LED. One of the specs said [sic]
>
> 50W White:
>
>
> Forward Voltage (VF): DC 32-34V
>
>
> Forward current (IF): 1750MA
>
>
> 50W RGB:
>
>
> DC Forward Voltage (VF): Red 16-19V, Greed 24-27V, Blue 24-27V
>
>
> DC Forward current (IF): 600MA
>
>
>
So the blue and green channels would need to drop around 7V and the red around 15V at 600mA to match the white LED. So you'd be wasting around 17W of power to get a lower quality of light.
Buying resistors which can safely dissipate that power will cost about the same as a white LED which will perform the job better. This won't allow you to control the led channels individually - you need all three on for it to handle the power of the white led, so you won't even be able to have seven colours and off let alone the full depth a proper RGB driver would give. | Without links to datasheets for the driver and the LEDs, this answer is part speculation.
The "while LED driver" is most likely to be a constant current driver, and as stated, apparently drives 1.5 Amperes constant current. Now, if the "50 Watt RGB LED" (presumably a multi-chip module) is rated for 650 mA, then driving it with a 1.5 Ampere constant current source is a recipe for trouble:
If the RGB LED module has internal current regulation, the driver will raise drive voltage in an attempt to deliver its rated 1.5 mA, and since this would fail, the driver is likely to overheat or indicate a fault condition.
If, on the other hand, the RGB LED module does not have its own current limiting, then the driver will overload the LED's current capacity, leading to, most likely, an immediate demise of the LED.
LED drivers often have a **current-setting pin** or a mechanism for setting the actual current to be delivered to the load, with the driver's rating (1.5 Ampere in this case) being the maximum supported value. In this case, simply configure the LED driver's current setting to the desired current for the R or G or B of the RGB LED that needs to be driven.
Note, though, that the RGB LED would require separate constant-current drive outputs for each of the R, G and B channels. If the while LED driver is not a multichannel device, this isn't going to work.
Neither white nor RGB LEDs have anything inherently locking them into a "white LED driver" or a color LED driver: In fact, white LEDs are typically blue or UV LEDs on the inside, with a secondary phosphor to emit the white light. So the constant current driver simply isn't affected either way by the color of the LED. |
215,261 | What all should i do to use mod\_fcgid instead of mod\_php on ubuntu and centos. what are the main benefits and difference's between two | 2010/12/22 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/215261",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/64430/"
] | mod\_php:
* a bit faster, than mod\_fcgid
* runs under httpd process
* have access to apache api ( de.php.net/manual/en/ref.apache.php )
* bad for shared hosting, since all domains run under the same user
mod\_fcgid:
* scripts runs under the user you want (good for shared hosting)
* enhanced security
* can run more than just php
* you can rund multiple php versions i.e. php4, php5, php5.1, php5.2, php 5.3 | cgi = each request starts a process and get's results back to client
fcgi = application (Ruby/Django for example) or interpreter (PHP) stays running and webserver forwards requests and gets responses from it.
FastCGI is almost always faster (for stuff that supports it), however some very ancient stuff (nagios for example) needs cgi.
Only real advantage of cgi is that where there is no traffic scripts cgi application does not use memory, but usually webserver is intelligent enough to shut down FastCGI app that's not used for some time, so that's not a real advantage |
1,292,009 | In objective c, if the using the getter and directly accessing the ivar do exactly the same thing, no lazy loading code in the getter, all it does is returns the ivar, would you still use the accessor or access the ivar directly since there is no difference? Why?
EDIT: I'm talking about inside the class. | 2009/08/18 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/1292009",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/148195/"
] | There is a small performance advantage to be enjoyed by using the ivar directly. However, to avoid confusion, I typically prefix my ivars with \_ on the front, and then synthesize a property using @synthesize foo = \_foo; which means I can either do [self foo] or \_foo. It then becomes clearer in the code which I'm referring to.
However, the advantage isn't much, and some might argue that this is premature optimisation. What using the property (or method) will give you is the ability to evolve your class later and change the ivar but whilst keeping the property the same (e.g. making it a calculated property). It will also allow subclasses to override your property and still work.
(By the way, there are still some cases where referring to property syntax can be helpful, such as when writing to the ivar. In this case, the property support for copy|retain can be helpful in freeing up the previous object and getting the right sequence of retain/release calls) | I decided to always use the [self ivar], not directly ivar, even though I use standard ObjC bracket notation , not dot notation. Only exception is if [self ivar] is a lazy-loading accessor and I already used it in the method and I know it has been initialised and I don't want to check if it is nil the 10 more times I use it in the method. |
14,709 | I want to know why android version isn't updated with the same version which is available for the windows? Android version is always lower than the tor bundle for windows.
Not only that, even Orfox isn't updated with the latest bundle version as it is available for windows version. Tor bundle including Firefox is always of newer version than android's Orfox.
Also, Tor for windows is more often updated than Orbot for android. Even, Tor Browser for windows is also more often updated than Orfox for android.
You won't believe me that I asked these same questions to their supported emails so often that i also don't remember now how many times i asked them?
So far, no luck getting any answers from them!
As a result, i came here looking for answers. I hope to get satisfying answers from any one of you that why android versions aren't updated as often as windows versions???? | 2017/05/03 | [
"https://tor.stackexchange.com/questions/14709",
"https://tor.stackexchange.com",
"https://tor.stackexchange.com/users/17344/"
] | Orbot
=====
The Orbot currently in Google's Play store [appears to be based on Tor 0.2.8.9](https://github.com/n8fr8/orbot/blob/15.2.0-RC-8-multi/orbotservice/src/main/java/org/torproject/android/service/TorServiceConstants.java#L137). Yes, this isn't the newest release of Tor, not even the newest version of the 0.2.8.x series (which is [still supported](https://blog.torproject.org/blog/updates-old-tor-stable-release-series-02428-02513-02611-0277-02813).) The [changelog](https://gitweb.torproject.org/tor.git/tree/ChangeLog?id=4e5df7355514377338c3b284950daedd7091edbd) tells me that Orbot is not missing any severe security issues, so you should be fine.
As to why Orbot isn't using the newest Tor version, I don't know for sure, but my guess is lack of time and resources. Take a look at the [commit history](https://github.com/n8fr8/orbot/commits/master) and you'll see that just one person has worked on it lately.
Btw, there is a [newer beta version available on github](https://github.com/n8fr8/orbot/releases/tag/15.4.0-beta-2-multi). So, work to have it updated is in progress.
Orfox
=====
As with Orbot, Orfox appears to lack (human) resources. It would even appear that the same person that maintains Orbot also maintains [Orfox](https://github.com/guardianproject/Orfox/commits/dev). I looked at the updates and security updates for [45.6](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2016-95/), [45.7](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2017-02/), [45.8](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2017-06/) and [45.9](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2017-11/) appear to be missing. This are the security advisory for the Desktop version, Firefox does not release an Android version of the ESR channel, so some vulnerabilities may not apply to Android. Also, Orfox inherits some hardening from Tor Browser, so a few vulnerabilities are likely not applicable because of it. I would appear that Orfox has been updated due to a severe security issues before, take a look at [this](https://twitter.com/guardianproject/status/804081487121448961) and [this](https://twitter.com/guardianproject/status/804437925291294720).
All in all, I'd say improvements can and should be made.
Conclusion
==========
I guess, I can't but agree with you that both should be updated. Yet, keep in mind that Orfox, Orbot as well as Tor itself depend on funding and volunteering, so consider supporting Tor. Running relays, answering question on stackexchange, developing software, Telling your friends about Tor and monetary support are all very much appreciated.
And, Yes, Orbot and Orfox should stick to the same release schedule as Tor and Tor Browser respectively. However, I'm still very thankful to [the Guardian Project](https://guardianproject.info) and its people that they provide this tools and I'm sure they are trying their best to make improvements where ever it is needed most.
Out of curiosity, how and when did you try to contact the developers? | The version of Tor provided with Orbot isn't broken. Tor Browser updates are normally only to address security issues in Firefox, not to address security issues in Tor itself.
This is why Orbot is currently okay.
Orfox is currently under active development, it doesn't get updated as often as it should, it has leaks and is out of date and doesn't currently defend against fingerprinting in the same ways that Tor Browser does. It should be considered the best option out of a set of bad choices.
The mobile phone app space for Tor on both iOS and Android is, unfortunately, underdeveloped and incomplete. It also has a lot of snake oil in it that claims to do things that it doesn't.
Update: GeKo, one of the Tor Browser developers left a [comment on the Tor Projects blog](https://blog.torproject.org/blog/tor-0306-released-new-series-stable#comment-267287) stating that Orfox may be replaced by an official Tor Project Tor Browser for the mobile platform and that the Guardian Project is planning an update for both:
>
> I've heard the Guardidan Project is working on updates to both. That said we'll plan to build a Tor Browser for Mobile (Android) later this year which will supersede Orfox. It should get as regular updates as the Tor Browser for desktop (and should have feature parity as well). So, stay tuned. :)
>
>
>
Thanks to [user139336](https://tor.stackexchange.com/users/16326/user139336) for pointing me to this information. |
55,058 | I have about 100 GB of messages in my GMail account. What is easiest way to migrate the 100 GB GMails to Skydrive? There used to be an online software called *Trueswitch* that could do that, but it is no longer available. [yippiemove.com](http://yippiemove.com) is similar service, but they do not support IMAP.
I'm considering using this transfer service <https://www.cloudhq.net/dropbox/backup/google_gmail/skydrive>
Is this a feasible service to import 90GB of GMail to Skydrive ?
Are there any other solutions to importing 100GB of GMail to Skydrive? | 2014/01/26 | [
"https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/55058",
"https://webapps.stackexchange.com",
"https://webapps.stackexchange.com/users/57811/"
] | Microsoft recently launched a feature that allows you to easily migrate your Gmail account to Outlook.com (which I assume is what you mean since SkyDrive is the Microsoft equivalent of Google Drive). Here is the blog post annoucing this:
<http://blogs.office.com/2013/12/11/outlook-com-makes-it-even-easier-to-switch-from-gmail/>
I use both services, but I can understand your desire to switch! | Since December 2013 Google has been rolling out the ability to download your data from a number of google ervices including gmail.
The [Instructions are here](http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/download-copy-of-your-gmail-and-google.html):
>
> You can download all of your mail and calendars or choose a subset of
> labels and calendars. You can also download a single archive file for
> multiple products with a copy of your Gmail, Calendar, Google+,
> YouTube, Drive, and other Google data.
>
>
>
This is done at the account level nor the gamil level:
So go to:
1. account
2. Data tool
3. Select Data to download
4. Create an Archive
5. Then start selecting what you want to download. |
173,683 | I wish to see who has accessed my server and what speed they have downloaded the website at. How can this be done? | 2010/08/23 | [
"https://serverfault.com/questions/173683",
"https://serverfault.com",
"https://serverfault.com/users/-1/"
] | 'Who' can be seen in your access logs, the location of which is configurable but defaults (in debian) to /var/log/apache2/access.log
'What speed' can be garnered by using the [Custom Log module](http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/mod_log_config.html) and dividing %B (bytes sent) by %T (time to serve the request). | If by "who", you mean "what IP addresses", then yes, that information should be in your apache access\_log. Also in that log, you'll find information as far as how much data was tranferred. |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | Here is a solution for 3 players and more that only needs one object to move and only at
*Brazening! time* so it is unlikely to be forgotten.
I think it meets all your requirements and might blend in your game
without looking too artificial.
In its basic form the number of turns between *Brazening! times* depends
on the number of player which may, or may not be a good feature,
depending on your secret game mechanics.
The idea is that *Brazening!* happens when the player has the Brazen
token during his turn.
The *Brazen token* might be anything but making it substantially big
(such as the totem in Jungle Speed) decrease the likelihood of
forgetting it.
The *Brazen token* is passed from player to player at each *Brazening!
time* in the opposite sens of the change of turn.
The following drawing explains it for four players marked by numbered
circles.
The turn direction is indicated in orange and the *Brazen token* passing
direction is in blue.
The *Brazen token* is figured by the blue 'B' and the turn by the orange
'T'.
The number of the turn is written in orange in the centre square.
Based on this simple mechanic, you can adjust the number of turn
between *Brazening! times* by altering the passing rule.
If *Brazening!* requires some specific actions to be done, then you can
ask the player having the token to do it so the player doing the *Brazening!* changes every time. It might even been done *with* the object, thus making it blend smoothly with the game theme. | You could try a method similar to the dominion method of keeping track of actions; say it out loud! It *never* fails.
>
> Say how many you have left out loud; this trick works every time (i.e. "I'm playing the Festival and now have two Actions remaining. I play a Market and have two Actions remaining. I play another Festival and now have three Actions remaining….").
>
>
>
Have your players start their turn with "It has been 1 year since the Brazening" and when they say "It has been 5 years since the Brazening" they have to do the brazening action. Remember: *this trick works every time*
You could add a minor penalty to a player who gets the number wrong to encourage everyone else to pay attention and keep track! |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | Probably the simplest method would just be to add a turn marker. Have an area on the board with the numbers one through five printed out on it, with an "It's Brazening Time!" highlight around the the number five.
If you're playing a game with a definite number of turns, just print all turn numbers with a highlight around every fifth. If you have an indefinite number of turns, just mark out a five turn cycle, with the turn marker going back to turn one after every Brazening.
This may not be ideal since it can be easy for players to forget to advance a turn marker during the heat of the game, but it's simple to figure out, requires only a single moving part (i.e., the turn marker itself) and is a common enough mechanic in a lot of games. This sort of system can be added to pretty much any game, regardless of mechanic; what it lacks in ideality it makes up for in universal compatibility.
A more ideal system would be to somehow tie it into an existing game mechanic (e.g., the above suggestion works much better if you're already tracking turns because of a definite turn limit). RoToRa gives some good examples of this in [his answer](https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/a/7944/1926), but exactly what will and will not work is *very* dependant on the mechanics of the game itself.
In your game, it would be well worth looking at *any action that must be performed every turn*, and find some way to map it to the five-turn cycle. | I recently saw a beautiful solution for this problem in the game **Ora et Labora**. It uses a wheel which you turn after a round is finished. The wheel mechanism updates not only the costs of the available goods, it can also trigger events (here settlement phases). Depending whether you play with 1,2,3,4 players or according to the fast-game or normal-game rules, there will be a unique wheel to keep the game balanced.
If you want to learn more, there is a [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOlrBDsltrg) that reviews the game. |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | If you only need the *Brazening* to happen *approximately* every X turns, you could simply roll a die at the beginning of every turn with a 1/X chance. For a 1/5 chance, for instance, roll a D10, and if it comes up 1 or 2 then *Brazen* away!
Whether or not this method is useful would depend completely on the purpose of the *Brazening* mechanic and the importance of its predictability. If it's necessary for some kind of restocking of important materials (like drawing cards or recovering health), this method probably won't work. On the other hand, if the purpose of the *Brazening* is to periodically make things more difficult/interesting for your players, or to temporarily modify other mechanics to mix things up, its randomness might be desirable! | I recently saw a beautiful solution for this problem in the game **Ora et Labora**. It uses a wheel which you turn after a round is finished. The wheel mechanism updates not only the costs of the available goods, it can also trigger events (here settlement phases). Depending whether you play with 1,2,3,4 players or according to the fast-game or normal-game rules, there will be a unique wheel to keep the game balanced.
If you want to learn more, there is a [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOlrBDsltrg) that reviews the game. |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | If you only need the *Brazening* to happen *approximately* every X turns, you could simply roll a die at the beginning of every turn with a 1/X chance. For a 1/5 chance, for instance, roll a D10, and if it comes up 1 or 2 then *Brazen* away!
Whether or not this method is useful would depend completely on the purpose of the *Brazening* mechanic and the importance of its predictability. If it's necessary for some kind of restocking of important materials (like drawing cards or recovering health), this method probably won't work. On the other hand, if the purpose of the *Brazening* is to periodically make things more difficult/interesting for your players, or to temporarily modify other mechanics to mix things up, its randomness might be desirable! | Here is a solution for 3 players and more that only needs one object to move and only at
*Brazening! time* so it is unlikely to be forgotten.
I think it meets all your requirements and might blend in your game
without looking too artificial.
In its basic form the number of turns between *Brazening! times* depends
on the number of player which may, or may not be a good feature,
depending on your secret game mechanics.
The idea is that *Brazening!* happens when the player has the Brazen
token during his turn.
The *Brazen token* might be anything but making it substantially big
(such as the totem in Jungle Speed) decrease the likelihood of
forgetting it.
The *Brazen token* is passed from player to player at each *Brazening!
time* in the opposite sens of the change of turn.
The following drawing explains it for four players marked by numbered
circles.
The turn direction is indicated in orange and the *Brazen token* passing
direction is in blue.
The *Brazen token* is figured by the blue 'B' and the turn by the orange
'T'.
The number of the turn is written in orange in the centre square.
Based on this simple mechanic, you can adjust the number of turn
between *Brazening! times* by altering the passing rule.
If *Brazening!* requires some specific actions to be done, then you can
ask the player having the token to do it so the player doing the *Brazening!* changes every time. It might even been done *with* the object, thus making it blend smoothly with the game theme. |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | Probably the simplest method would just be to add a turn marker. Have an area on the board with the numbers one through five printed out on it, with an "It's Brazening Time!" highlight around the the number five.
If you're playing a game with a definite number of turns, just print all turn numbers with a highlight around every fifth. If you have an indefinite number of turns, just mark out a five turn cycle, with the turn marker going back to turn one after every Brazening.
This may not be ideal since it can be easy for players to forget to advance a turn marker during the heat of the game, but it's simple to figure out, requires only a single moving part (i.e., the turn marker itself) and is a common enough mechanic in a lot of games. This sort of system can be added to pretty much any game, regardless of mechanic; what it lacks in ideality it makes up for in universal compatibility.
A more ideal system would be to somehow tie it into an existing game mechanic (e.g., the above suggestion works much better if you're already tracking turns because of a definite turn limit). RoToRa gives some good examples of this in [his answer](https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/a/7944/1926), but exactly what will and will not work is *very* dependant on the mechanics of the game itself.
In your game, it would be well worth looking at *any action that must be performed every turn*, and find some way to map it to the five-turn cycle. | If you only need the *Brazening* to happen *approximately* every X turns, you could simply roll a die at the beginning of every turn with a 1/X chance. For a 1/5 chance, for instance, roll a D10, and if it comes up 1 or 2 then *Brazen* away!
Whether or not this method is useful would depend completely on the purpose of the *Brazening* mechanic and the importance of its predictability. If it's necessary for some kind of restocking of important materials (like drawing cards or recovering health), this method probably won't work. On the other hand, if the purpose of the *Brazening* is to periodically make things more difficult/interesting for your players, or to temporarily modify other mechanics to mix things up, its randomness might be desirable! |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | I'm no game designer, so this is just off the top of my head:
I'd try and tie it to a mechanic that already exists in the game and which the players can't avoid, or at least get a obvious (maybe short term) advantage from, so it's unlikely to for them to forget.
Examples:
* Each player gets 5 cards at the start of the game and must play one each turn. When everyone has no cards left, execute *Brazening* and everyone draws 5 new cards.
* A pool of 5 times *number of players* tokens in it, and at the start of their turn a player must take a token and do something with it. When the pool is empty, it's time to *Brazen* and then refill the pool.
What kind of actions do the players take in your game? Maybe if you roughly describe the mechanics, we could find a simple may to modify them. | I recently saw a beautiful solution for this problem in the game **Ora et Labora**. It uses a wheel which you turn after a round is finished. The wheel mechanism updates not only the costs of the available goods, it can also trigger events (here settlement phases). Depending whether you play with 1,2,3,4 players or according to the fast-game or normal-game rules, there will be a unique wheel to keep the game balanced.
If you want to learn more, there is a [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOlrBDsltrg) that reviews the game. |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | I'm no game designer, so this is just off the top of my head:
I'd try and tie it to a mechanic that already exists in the game and which the players can't avoid, or at least get a obvious (maybe short term) advantage from, so it's unlikely to for them to forget.
Examples:
* Each player gets 5 cards at the start of the game and must play one each turn. When everyone has no cards left, execute *Brazening* and everyone draws 5 new cards.
* A pool of 5 times *number of players* tokens in it, and at the start of their turn a player must take a token and do something with it. When the pool is empty, it's time to *Brazen* and then refill the pool.
What kind of actions do the players take in your game? Maybe if you roughly describe the mechanics, we could find a simple may to modify them. | Probably the simplest method would just be to add a turn marker. Have an area on the board with the numbers one through five printed out on it, with an "It's Brazening Time!" highlight around the the number five.
If you're playing a game with a definite number of turns, just print all turn numbers with a highlight around every fifth. If you have an indefinite number of turns, just mark out a five turn cycle, with the turn marker going back to turn one after every Brazening.
This may not be ideal since it can be easy for players to forget to advance a turn marker during the heat of the game, but it's simple to figure out, requires only a single moving part (i.e., the turn marker itself) and is a common enough mechanic in a lot of games. This sort of system can be added to pretty much any game, regardless of mechanic; what it lacks in ideality it makes up for in universal compatibility.
A more ideal system would be to somehow tie it into an existing game mechanic (e.g., the above suggestion works much better if you're already tracking turns because of a definite turn limit). RoToRa gives some good examples of this in [his answer](https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/a/7944/1926), but exactly what will and will not work is *very* dependant on the mechanics of the game itself.
In your game, it would be well worth looking at *any action that must be performed every turn*, and find some way to map it to the five-turn cycle. |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | I'm no game designer, so this is just off the top of my head:
I'd try and tie it to a mechanic that already exists in the game and which the players can't avoid, or at least get a obvious (maybe short term) advantage from, so it's unlikely to for them to forget.
Examples:
* Each player gets 5 cards at the start of the game and must play one each turn. When everyone has no cards left, execute *Brazening* and everyone draws 5 new cards.
* A pool of 5 times *number of players* tokens in it, and at the start of their turn a player must take a token and do something with it. When the pool is empty, it's time to *Brazen* and then refill the pool.
What kind of actions do the players take in your game? Maybe if you roughly describe the mechanics, we could find a simple may to modify them. | You could try a method similar to the dominion method of keeping track of actions; say it out loud! It *never* fails.
>
> Say how many you have left out loud; this trick works every time (i.e. "I'm playing the Festival and now have two Actions remaining. I play a Market and have two Actions remaining. I play another Festival and now have three Actions remaining….").
>
>
>
Have your players start their turn with "It has been 1 year since the Brazening" and when they say "It has been 5 years since the Brazening" they have to do the brazening action. Remember: *this trick works every time*
You could add a minor penalty to a player who gets the number wrong to encourage everyone else to pay attention and keep track! |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | If you only need the *Brazening* to happen *approximately* every X turns, you could simply roll a die at the beginning of every turn with a 1/X chance. For a 1/5 chance, for instance, roll a D10, and if it comes up 1 or 2 then *Brazen* away!
Whether or not this method is useful would depend completely on the purpose of the *Brazening* mechanic and the importance of its predictability. If it's necessary for some kind of restocking of important materials (like drawing cards or recovering health), this method probably won't work. On the other hand, if the purpose of the *Brazening* is to periodically make things more difficult/interesting for your players, or to temporarily modify other mechanics to mix things up, its randomness might be desirable! | You could try a method similar to the dominion method of keeping track of actions; say it out loud! It *never* fails.
>
> Say how many you have left out loud; this trick works every time (i.e. "I'm playing the Festival and now have two Actions remaining. I play a Market and have two Actions remaining. I play another Festival and now have three Actions remaining….").
>
>
>
Have your players start their turn with "It has been 1 year since the Brazening" and when they say "It has been 5 years since the Brazening" they have to do the brazening action. Remember: *this trick works every time*
You could add a minor penalty to a player who gets the number wrong to encourage everyone else to pay attention and keep track! |
7,943 | I'm working on a new board game where there's an action (we'll call it *Brazening*) that only happens every X turns (let's say it happens every 5 turns).
What's a good way to keep track of when it's time for the next *Brazening*?
The perfect method would:
* be easy for players to do
* be hard for players to forget
* require a minimum of pieces or moving parts
* not require pencil and paper
There might not be a perfect method. | 2012/07/24 | [
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7943",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com",
"https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/1888/"
] | I'm no game designer, so this is just off the top of my head:
I'd try and tie it to a mechanic that already exists in the game and which the players can't avoid, or at least get a obvious (maybe short term) advantage from, so it's unlikely to for them to forget.
Examples:
* Each player gets 5 cards at the start of the game and must play one each turn. When everyone has no cards left, execute *Brazening* and everyone draws 5 new cards.
* A pool of 5 times *number of players* tokens in it, and at the start of their turn a player must take a token and do something with it. When the pool is empty, it's time to *Brazen* and then refill the pool.
What kind of actions do the players take in your game? Maybe if you roughly describe the mechanics, we could find a simple may to modify them. | Use 5 cards (assuming you want to perform the action every 5 turns). Every turn the current play picks a card and puts it at the bottom. If that card shows Brazening than perform the related actions.
Cons:
* You need to have several blank cards to get to 5 cards.
Pros:
* Hard to forget because *every* turn a player has to take the top card so they get part of the turn.
* When needing more actions later you can write on one of the blank cards (or Brazening card) a new action.
* You can change the rules easily by adding/removing another card (meaning a different time scheduling for events).
* You can easily randomize different events if needed. |
42,056 | grepping, awking, sedding, and piping are day-to-day routine of a user of any Unix-like operating system, may it be on the command line or inside a shell script (collectively called *filters* from now on).
At their essence, when working with "standard" Unix CLI programs and shell builtins (collectively called *commands* from now on), filters need a precise expected format for stdin, stdout, and stderr in each filter step in order to work correctly. I call this precise expected format of some command an API of this command in the following.
As someone with web development background, I compare this kind of data collecting and data processing technically with [web scraping](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping) - a technique which is very instable whenever there is the slightest change in data presentation.
My question now relates to the stability of Unix command APIs.
1. Do commands in a Unix-like operating systems adhere to a formal standardization with respect to their input and output?
2. Have there been instances in history where updates to some important command caused to break the functionality of some filter that was built using an older version of said command?
3. Have Unix commands matured over time that it is absolutely impossible to change in such a way that some filter could break?
4. In case filters may break from time to time due to changing command APIs, how can I as a developer protect my filters against this problem? | 2012/07/01 | [
"https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/42056",
"https://unix.stackexchange.com",
"https://unix.stackexchange.com/users/20230/"
] | There are only de facto IO standards — whitespace and null separated output.
As for compatibility, we usually revert to checking version numbers of individual filters. Not that they change much, but when you want to use a brand new feature and still want the script to run on older versions, you have to "ifdef" it out somehow. There is practically no capability reporting mechanism, save for manually writing test cases. | Scripts do break, some more often than others. The old and famous software tends to stay relatively the same, and often has compatibility flags when it changes anyway.
Scripts written on one system tend to carry on working, but often break another. |
42,056 | grepping, awking, sedding, and piping are day-to-day routine of a user of any Unix-like operating system, may it be on the command line or inside a shell script (collectively called *filters* from now on).
At their essence, when working with "standard" Unix CLI programs and shell builtins (collectively called *commands* from now on), filters need a precise expected format for stdin, stdout, and stderr in each filter step in order to work correctly. I call this precise expected format of some command an API of this command in the following.
As someone with web development background, I compare this kind of data collecting and data processing technically with [web scraping](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping) - a technique which is very instable whenever there is the slightest change in data presentation.
My question now relates to the stability of Unix command APIs.
1. Do commands in a Unix-like operating systems adhere to a formal standardization with respect to their input and output?
2. Have there been instances in history where updates to some important command caused to break the functionality of some filter that was built using an older version of said command?
3. Have Unix commands matured over time that it is absolutely impossible to change in such a way that some filter could break?
4. In case filters may break from time to time due to changing command APIs, how can I as a developer protect my filters against this problem? | 2012/07/01 | [
"https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/42056",
"https://unix.stackexchange.com",
"https://unix.stackexchange.com/users/20230/"
] | First, very brief answers to your questions:
1. Formal standardization of input/output conventions: **no**
2. Breakage in the past due to changing output: **yes**
3. Absolutely impossible to break future filters: **no**
4. How can I protect myself against changes: **be conservative**
When you say "API", you're using a term that (for good or ill) implies too much formality around filter input/output conventions. Very (and I do mean "very") broadly, the primary conventions for data that is ameable to easy filtering are
* each input line is a complete record
* within each record, fields are separated by a known delimiter character
A classic example would be the format of /etc/passwd. But, these default conventions are probably violated to some degree more often than they're followed to the letter.
* There are lots of filters (often written in awk or perl) that parse multiline input formats.
* There are lots of input patterns (eg, /var/log/messages) where there is no well defined field structure, and more general regular expression-based techniques must be used.
Your fourth question, how to protect yourself against variations in output structure, is really the only one that you can do anything about.
* As [@jw013 said](https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/42062/9537), look at what the posix standards say. Of course, posix doesn't specify all commands you'll want to use as input sources.
* If you want your scripts to be portable, try to avoid the idiosyncracies of the whatever version of the some command you happen to have isntalled. For example, many GNU versions of standard unix commands have non-standard extensions. These may be useful, but you should avoid them if you want maximum portability.
* Try to learn what subsets of commands arguments and output formats tend to be stable across platforms. Unfortunately, this requires access to multiple platforms along with time, because these differences won't be written down anywhere, even informally.
In the end, you can't protect yourself fully from the problems you're worried about, and there's no single place to look to for a "definitive" statement of what a certain command should do. For many shell scripts, especially those written for personal or small-scale use, this simply isn't a problem | There are only de facto IO standards — whitespace and null separated output.
As for compatibility, we usually revert to checking version numbers of individual filters. Not that they change much, but when you want to use a brand new feature and still want the script to run on older versions, you have to "ifdef" it out somehow. There is practically no capability reporting mechanism, save for manually writing test cases. |
42,056 | grepping, awking, sedding, and piping are day-to-day routine of a user of any Unix-like operating system, may it be on the command line or inside a shell script (collectively called *filters* from now on).
At their essence, when working with "standard" Unix CLI programs and shell builtins (collectively called *commands* from now on), filters need a precise expected format for stdin, stdout, and stderr in each filter step in order to work correctly. I call this precise expected format of some command an API of this command in the following.
As someone with web development background, I compare this kind of data collecting and data processing technically with [web scraping](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_scraping) - a technique which is very instable whenever there is the slightest change in data presentation.
My question now relates to the stability of Unix command APIs.
1. Do commands in a Unix-like operating systems adhere to a formal standardization with respect to their input and output?
2. Have there been instances in history where updates to some important command caused to break the functionality of some filter that was built using an older version of said command?
3. Have Unix commands matured over time that it is absolutely impossible to change in such a way that some filter could break?
4. In case filters may break from time to time due to changing command APIs, how can I as a developer protect my filters against this problem? | 2012/07/01 | [
"https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/42056",
"https://unix.stackexchange.com",
"https://unix.stackexchange.com/users/20230/"
] | First, very brief answers to your questions:
1. Formal standardization of input/output conventions: **no**
2. Breakage in the past due to changing output: **yes**
3. Absolutely impossible to break future filters: **no**
4. How can I protect myself against changes: **be conservative**
When you say "API", you're using a term that (for good or ill) implies too much formality around filter input/output conventions. Very (and I do mean "very") broadly, the primary conventions for data that is ameable to easy filtering are
* each input line is a complete record
* within each record, fields are separated by a known delimiter character
A classic example would be the format of /etc/passwd. But, these default conventions are probably violated to some degree more often than they're followed to the letter.
* There are lots of filters (often written in awk or perl) that parse multiline input formats.
* There are lots of input patterns (eg, /var/log/messages) where there is no well defined field structure, and more general regular expression-based techniques must be used.
Your fourth question, how to protect yourself against variations in output structure, is really the only one that you can do anything about.
* As [@jw013 said](https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/42062/9537), look at what the posix standards say. Of course, posix doesn't specify all commands you'll want to use as input sources.
* If you want your scripts to be portable, try to avoid the idiosyncracies of the whatever version of the some command you happen to have isntalled. For example, many GNU versions of standard unix commands have non-standard extensions. These may be useful, but you should avoid them if you want maximum portability.
* Try to learn what subsets of commands arguments and output formats tend to be stable across platforms. Unfortunately, this requires access to multiple platforms along with time, because these differences won't be written down anywhere, even informally.
In the end, you can't protect yourself fully from the problems you're worried about, and there's no single place to look to for a "definitive" statement of what a certain command should do. For many shell scripts, especially those written for personal or small-scale use, this simply isn't a problem | Scripts do break, some more often than others. The old and famous software tends to stay relatively the same, and often has compatibility flags when it changes anyway.
Scripts written on one system tend to carry on working, but often break another. |
9,525 | Isn't there a [story where the Buddha accosts a monk](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vayamo/index.html) who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way
Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada ([Verse 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZiE-EofAE)) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously. The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.
It maybe so, but it was also his good karma to have access to medicine in this lifetime is it not?
Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been [foretold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABpankara_Buddha#Prediction), so why did he practice?
Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?
This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.
I got to thinking about this after reading [this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/3301/physical-exercise-as-a-monk) about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.
I'm interested in hearing opinions in general, or an answer that can reconcile the two if possible. Thanks. | 2015/06/12 | [
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/9525",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/715/"
] | IMHO:
"..his Buddhahood had been foretold, so why did he practice? "
In the foretelling of his future, his future practice has also been seen but not mentioned. It is his practice in the past and the future which leads him to become a Buddha. He cannot **not** practice in the future, because that is his conditioning from the past.
If we see kamma as conditioning/tendencies and particularly good tendencies then we can leave it all to kamma and concentrate on the unskilful tendencies in the present, changing them to skilful tendencies for the present and future.
The middle way is between two personal extremes and that is relative. So we can say that what looks like heroic to mere mortals is just the middle way for Bodhisattvas and Maha Arahants.
For serious practitioners what matters in the end is the result of the state of their mind rather than their body. We can't tell by the end state of their body, the state of the mind, nor can we tell how much each one has to scarify or exert himself to attain liberation; but that he do the utmost he can.
The answer is that we cannot tell from observation of a person's practice whether he is practising in the middle way. That has been the case since the Buddha's time and in almost all cases the Buddha praise those who exert themselves.
**We find our own middle way to practice and leave it all to kamma (present skilful action) and vipaka (past conditioning/tendencies/seeds)** | *"**Isn't there a story where the Buddha accosts a monk who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way**"*
The string story is in [AN 6.55](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.055.than.html).
*"**Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada (Verse 1) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously.**"*
It seems this story is not described in Dhammapada, but in a commentary? I could not find a full text of it.
*"**The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.**"*
I've never found this kind of wording in any sutta: "karma dictates" or "because of karma, he must". Describing karma in this way is not only at odds with the actual karma doctrine taught by the Buddha, but he also criticized the idea that "karma dictates": it would be impossible to anyone to live the holy life, become an arahant, become a Buddha, if that was the case.
*"**Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been foretold, so why did he practice?**"*
The questioning above is similar to the way the Buddha often debunked this very idea.
>
> "Monks, for anyone who says, 'In whatever way a person makes kamma, that is how it is experienced,' there is no living of the holy life, there is no opportunity for the right ending of stress. But for anyone who says, 'When a person makes kamma to be felt in such & such a way, that is how its result is experienced,' there is the living of the holy life, there is the opportunity for the right ending of stress.
>
>
> -- [AN 3.99](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.099.than.html)
>
>
>
A book I would suggest here is [Good, Evil and Beyond: Kamma in the Buddha's Teaching](http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/good_evil_beyond.pdf) (besides the suttas where karma law is taught).
*"**Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?**"*
It's less about macho, and more about determination.
Also "middle way" does not mean avoiding anything one may personally consider to be "extreme". When this denomination is used by the Buddha, he is either talking about avoiding specific sterile and false/incorrect extremes:
>
> "There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.
>
>
> -- [SN 56.11](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html)
>
>
>
...or explaining how this is his strategy of teaching:
>
> "'Everything exists': That is one extreme. 'Everything doesn't exist': That is a second extreme. Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle: : From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications ...
>
>
> -- [SN 12.15](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.015.than.html)
>
>
>
*"**This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.**"*
Though Zen has the habit of increasing the dramatic effects a noch, still, it's how determination is conveyed. Underlying this intense determination is a sense of *urgency*, often produced by an experience of insight into the dhamma.
So, it's not about heroism -- not in the western sense. Nor about sacrifices. The kind of sacrifices praised by the Buddha are sacrifices of unwholesome acts of body speech and mind. Are sacrifices related to the household life, and so on.
It was pointed out that physical pain may significantly affect one's mind in a karmic way. But mostly as an explanation of the law of karma, not as a practice to be undertaken -- that is, to inflict pain in oneself. (I don't remember the sutta, unfortunately; it's a passage where the Buddha says someone who undergoes a lot of pain may find him/her self reappearing in a better realm because of that).
**"*I got to thinking about this after reading this question about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.*"**
As far as their body negligence, from the point of view of Buddhism (and of the path to Nirvana) these monks are blameless or not depending on their intention. The bodily pain (or what one could see as a "sacrifice") produced by these health disorders alone is not necessarily praiseworthy or blameworthy -- though it could present itself as an obstacle which could have been avoided. Finally, their suffering depends on their skill and maturity. |
9,525 | Isn't there a [story where the Buddha accosts a monk](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vayamo/index.html) who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way
Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada ([Verse 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZiE-EofAE)) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously. The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.
It maybe so, but it was also his good karma to have access to medicine in this lifetime is it not?
Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been [foretold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABpankara_Buddha#Prediction), so why did he practice?
Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?
This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.
I got to thinking about this after reading [this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/3301/physical-exercise-as-a-monk) about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.
I'm interested in hearing opinions in general, or an answer that can reconcile the two if possible. Thanks. | 2015/06/12 | [
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/9525",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/715/"
] | *"**Isn't there a story where the Buddha accosts a monk who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way**"*
The string story is in [AN 6.55](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.055.than.html).
*"**Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada (Verse 1) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously.**"*
It seems this story is not described in Dhammapada, but in a commentary? I could not find a full text of it.
*"**The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.**"*
I've never found this kind of wording in any sutta: "karma dictates" or "because of karma, he must". Describing karma in this way is not only at odds with the actual karma doctrine taught by the Buddha, but he also criticized the idea that "karma dictates": it would be impossible to anyone to live the holy life, become an arahant, become a Buddha, if that was the case.
*"**Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been foretold, so why did he practice?**"*
The questioning above is similar to the way the Buddha often debunked this very idea.
>
> "Monks, for anyone who says, 'In whatever way a person makes kamma, that is how it is experienced,' there is no living of the holy life, there is no opportunity for the right ending of stress. But for anyone who says, 'When a person makes kamma to be felt in such & such a way, that is how its result is experienced,' there is the living of the holy life, there is the opportunity for the right ending of stress.
>
>
> -- [AN 3.99](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.099.than.html)
>
>
>
A book I would suggest here is [Good, Evil and Beyond: Kamma in the Buddha's Teaching](http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/good_evil_beyond.pdf) (besides the suttas where karma law is taught).
*"**Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?**"*
It's less about macho, and more about determination.
Also "middle way" does not mean avoiding anything one may personally consider to be "extreme". When this denomination is used by the Buddha, he is either talking about avoiding specific sterile and false/incorrect extremes:
>
> "There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.
>
>
> -- [SN 56.11](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html)
>
>
>
...or explaining how this is his strategy of teaching:
>
> "'Everything exists': That is one extreme. 'Everything doesn't exist': That is a second extreme. Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle: : From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications ...
>
>
> -- [SN 12.15](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.015.than.html)
>
>
>
*"**This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.**"*
Though Zen has the habit of increasing the dramatic effects a noch, still, it's how determination is conveyed. Underlying this intense determination is a sense of *urgency*, often produced by an experience of insight into the dhamma.
So, it's not about heroism -- not in the western sense. Nor about sacrifices. The kind of sacrifices praised by the Buddha are sacrifices of unwholesome acts of body speech and mind. Are sacrifices related to the household life, and so on.
It was pointed out that physical pain may significantly affect one's mind in a karmic way. But mostly as an explanation of the law of karma, not as a practice to be undertaken -- that is, to inflict pain in oneself. (I don't remember the sutta, unfortunately; it's a passage where the Buddha says someone who undergoes a lot of pain may find him/her self reappearing in a better realm because of that).
**"*I got to thinking about this after reading this question about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.*"**
As far as their body negligence, from the point of view of Buddhism (and of the path to Nirvana) these monks are blameless or not depending on their intention. The bodily pain (or what one could see as a "sacrifice") produced by these health disorders alone is not necessarily praiseworthy or blameworthy -- though it could present itself as an obstacle which could have been avoided. Finally, their suffering depends on their skill and maturity. | The teaching that the string on the stringed musical instrument must not be too taut or too loose, but it should be tuned precisely, is taught in the [Sona Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.055.than.html). The middle path is also expounded in the [Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.piya.html) (below) and discussed [in this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/8164/471). I believe that the Buddha was very firm on the middle path teaching.
>
> "Monks, these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has
> gone forth from the household life. (What are the two?) There is
> addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the
> way of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is
> addiction to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and
> unprofitable.
>
>
> "Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata (The Perfect One) has
> realized the Middle Path; it gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads
> to calm, to insight, to enlightenment and to Nibbana. And what is that
> Middle Path realized by the Tathagata...? It is the Noble Eightfold
> path, and nothing else ...
>
>
>
However, you found the story of Cakkhupāla Thera which is [here](http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=001) and [here](http://realtruthlife.blogspot.com/2011/07/dhammapada-commentary-yamaka-vagga.html). You have got the story right, but I think you have misinterpreted the Buddha's reply as to why Ven. Cakkhupāla is blind despite being an arahat.
The Buddha said "As a result of this evil deed the physician lost his eyesight many times in his later existences." He did not say, "he did not take his medicine in this life and therefore became blind due to his past karma". Ven. Cakkhupāla definitely had the free will to accept or reject the medication, and this is not impaired by his past evil deed.
On the other hand, we can say that he contracted the eye infection due to his past evil deed. If he had taken the medication, we still do not know whether he would end up cured or blind. Even if he was cured, he might still become blind later. Hence, there is no relationship between his decision to not take the medicine and his past evil deed.
Ven. Cakkhupāla's decision to not take medication, could be considered a form of self-mortification which may or may not be related to him achieving Nirvana. The Buddha did not comment about this. He only commented on how the arahat could be blind - the reason is his past deeds. And this only explains why he contracted the eye infection in this life.
Furthermore, the Buddha says that not everything that we experience is the result of our past karma, in the [Sivaka Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.021.than.html) (below) and also discussed [in this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/8935/471). Hence, Ven. Cakkhupāla rejecting his medicine or Gautama choosing to search for enlightenment is not completely the result of their karma. They had their own free will too, in their last lives. It is only that Gautama's past karma contributed towards his strong inclination towards enlightenment but did not absolutely fate him to it.
>
> "There are cases where some feelings arise based on phlegm... based on
> internal winds... based on a combination of bodily humors... from the
> change of the seasons... from uneven care of the body... from harsh
> treatment... from the result of kamma. You yourself should know how
> some feelings arise from the result of kamma. Even the world is agreed
> on how some feelings arise from the result of kamma. So any brahmans &
> contemplatives who are of the doctrine & view that whatever an
> individual feels — pleasure, pain, neither pleasure-nor-pain — is
> entirely caused by what was done before — slip past what they
> themselves know, slip past what is agreed on by the world. Therefore I
> say that those brahmans & contemplatives are wrong."
>
>
>
Yes, there may be stories of Buddhist monks who did not take care of their health or practised extreme ways in pursuit of enlightenment. But this does not meet Buddha's teaching of the middle path. The Vinaya rules laid down by the Buddha for monks, allows monks to have meals before noon daily, and also allows monks to take medicine at any time of the day for their illnesses. Hence, we must accept that this is inline with Buddha's middle path teaching, as laid down for monks.
The will and determination to achieve enlightenment can be strong but the middle path should still be followed. How would music be created, if the string is too taut or too loose? |
9,525 | Isn't there a [story where the Buddha accosts a monk](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vayamo/index.html) who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way
Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada ([Verse 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZiE-EofAE)) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously. The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.
It maybe so, but it was also his good karma to have access to medicine in this lifetime is it not?
Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been [foretold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABpankara_Buddha#Prediction), so why did he practice?
Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?
This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.
I got to thinking about this after reading [this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/3301/physical-exercise-as-a-monk) about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.
I'm interested in hearing opinions in general, or an answer that can reconcile the two if possible. Thanks. | 2015/06/12 | [
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/9525",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/715/"
] | *"**Isn't there a story where the Buddha accosts a monk who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way**"*
The string story is in [AN 6.55](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.055.than.html).
*"**Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada (Verse 1) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously.**"*
It seems this story is not described in Dhammapada, but in a commentary? I could not find a full text of it.
*"**The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.**"*
I've never found this kind of wording in any sutta: "karma dictates" or "because of karma, he must". Describing karma in this way is not only at odds with the actual karma doctrine taught by the Buddha, but he also criticized the idea that "karma dictates": it would be impossible to anyone to live the holy life, become an arahant, become a Buddha, if that was the case.
*"**Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been foretold, so why did he practice?**"*
The questioning above is similar to the way the Buddha often debunked this very idea.
>
> "Monks, for anyone who says, 'In whatever way a person makes kamma, that is how it is experienced,' there is no living of the holy life, there is no opportunity for the right ending of stress. But for anyone who says, 'When a person makes kamma to be felt in such & such a way, that is how its result is experienced,' there is the living of the holy life, there is the opportunity for the right ending of stress.
>
>
> -- [AN 3.99](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.099.than.html)
>
>
>
A book I would suggest here is [Good, Evil and Beyond: Kamma in the Buddha's Teaching](http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/good_evil_beyond.pdf) (besides the suttas where karma law is taught).
*"**Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?**"*
It's less about macho, and more about determination.
Also "middle way" does not mean avoiding anything one may personally consider to be "extreme". When this denomination is used by the Buddha, he is either talking about avoiding specific sterile and false/incorrect extremes:
>
> "There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.
>
>
> -- [SN 56.11](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html)
>
>
>
...or explaining how this is his strategy of teaching:
>
> "'Everything exists': That is one extreme. 'Everything doesn't exist': That is a second extreme. Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle: : From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications ...
>
>
> -- [SN 12.15](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.015.than.html)
>
>
>
*"**This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.**"*
Though Zen has the habit of increasing the dramatic effects a noch, still, it's how determination is conveyed. Underlying this intense determination is a sense of *urgency*, often produced by an experience of insight into the dhamma.
So, it's not about heroism -- not in the western sense. Nor about sacrifices. The kind of sacrifices praised by the Buddha are sacrifices of unwholesome acts of body speech and mind. Are sacrifices related to the household life, and so on.
It was pointed out that physical pain may significantly affect one's mind in a karmic way. But mostly as an explanation of the law of karma, not as a practice to be undertaken -- that is, to inflict pain in oneself. (I don't remember the sutta, unfortunately; it's a passage where the Buddha says someone who undergoes a lot of pain may find him/her self reappearing in a better realm because of that).
**"*I got to thinking about this after reading this question about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.*"**
As far as their body negligence, from the point of view of Buddhism (and of the path to Nirvana) these monks are blameless or not depending on their intention. The bodily pain (or what one could see as a "sacrifice") produced by these health disorders alone is not necessarily praiseworthy or blameworthy -- though it could present itself as an obstacle which could have been avoided. Finally, their suffering depends on their skill and maturity. | Great Question Buddho!
It is true, the middle way is always the best way. I think your understanding of Karma however may be slightly off the mark. This can all be explained in terms of qualities and quantities. The monk who lost his eyes in replace for the vision of enlightenment seems slightly absurd, losing your eyes due to bad karma however can be the case.
Here is why: If this person committed a terrible deed in their last life of lets say gauging someone's eyes out it would seem fitting that they lost their eyes in that life or the next. The bad karma however is not so Solid! If this person in the next life worked very hard to do good things for people and the earth than they could attain enlightenment without losing their eyesight! If they live a quite a good life but still have defilements this person might get cataracts instead of losing their eyes. If however, this person lives a life with no intention to remove defilements than they may very well lose their eyes. Does this make a man who sits for so long that he loses his eyes an enlightened being? Surely not. Meditation is helpful for gaining insight, better concentration, patience and contentment which are all good qualities. But if you want to generate good karma and in doing so remove bad karma, than you must work hard to improve the beings and planet around you. Buddhists refer to karma as 'action' and because 'action' is happening all the time than 'your' action or 'your' karma is also happening all the time. Work hard to do good and you will become a good karmic being, regardless of your passed sins. The only variable that you have to be concerned with is the weight of your passed sins, if they are heavy like killing than you will have to work extremely hard to redeem yourself. This is opposed to people who don't have heavy sins, and so your bad karma will need to be overthrown by your good karma before you are to achieve enlightenment. But you certainty don't have to lose your eyesight in order to do so!
Hope this helps :) |
9,525 | Isn't there a [story where the Buddha accosts a monk](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vayamo/index.html) who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way
Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada ([Verse 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZiE-EofAE)) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously. The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.
It maybe so, but it was also his good karma to have access to medicine in this lifetime is it not?
Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been [foretold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABpankara_Buddha#Prediction), so why did he practice?
Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?
This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.
I got to thinking about this after reading [this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/3301/physical-exercise-as-a-monk) about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.
I'm interested in hearing opinions in general, or an answer that can reconcile the two if possible. Thanks. | 2015/06/12 | [
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/9525",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/715/"
] | IMHO:
"..his Buddhahood had been foretold, so why did he practice? "
In the foretelling of his future, his future practice has also been seen but not mentioned. It is his practice in the past and the future which leads him to become a Buddha. He cannot **not** practice in the future, because that is his conditioning from the past.
If we see kamma as conditioning/tendencies and particularly good tendencies then we can leave it all to kamma and concentrate on the unskilful tendencies in the present, changing them to skilful tendencies for the present and future.
The middle way is between two personal extremes and that is relative. So we can say that what looks like heroic to mere mortals is just the middle way for Bodhisattvas and Maha Arahants.
For serious practitioners what matters in the end is the result of the state of their mind rather than their body. We can't tell by the end state of their body, the state of the mind, nor can we tell how much each one has to scarify or exert himself to attain liberation; but that he do the utmost he can.
The answer is that we cannot tell from observation of a person's practice whether he is practising in the middle way. That has been the case since the Buddha's time and in almost all cases the Buddha praise those who exert themselves.
**We find our own middle way to practice and leave it all to kamma (present skilful action) and vipaka (past conditioning/tendencies/seeds)** | The teaching that the string on the stringed musical instrument must not be too taut or too loose, but it should be tuned precisely, is taught in the [Sona Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.055.than.html). The middle path is also expounded in the [Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.piya.html) (below) and discussed [in this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/8164/471). I believe that the Buddha was very firm on the middle path teaching.
>
> "Monks, these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has
> gone forth from the household life. (What are the two?) There is
> addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the
> way of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is
> addiction to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and
> unprofitable.
>
>
> "Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata (The Perfect One) has
> realized the Middle Path; it gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads
> to calm, to insight, to enlightenment and to Nibbana. And what is that
> Middle Path realized by the Tathagata...? It is the Noble Eightfold
> path, and nothing else ...
>
>
>
However, you found the story of Cakkhupāla Thera which is [here](http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=001) and [here](http://realtruthlife.blogspot.com/2011/07/dhammapada-commentary-yamaka-vagga.html). You have got the story right, but I think you have misinterpreted the Buddha's reply as to why Ven. Cakkhupāla is blind despite being an arahat.
The Buddha said "As a result of this evil deed the physician lost his eyesight many times in his later existences." He did not say, "he did not take his medicine in this life and therefore became blind due to his past karma". Ven. Cakkhupāla definitely had the free will to accept or reject the medication, and this is not impaired by his past evil deed.
On the other hand, we can say that he contracted the eye infection due to his past evil deed. If he had taken the medication, we still do not know whether he would end up cured or blind. Even if he was cured, he might still become blind later. Hence, there is no relationship between his decision to not take the medicine and his past evil deed.
Ven. Cakkhupāla's decision to not take medication, could be considered a form of self-mortification which may or may not be related to him achieving Nirvana. The Buddha did not comment about this. He only commented on how the arahat could be blind - the reason is his past deeds. And this only explains why he contracted the eye infection in this life.
Furthermore, the Buddha says that not everything that we experience is the result of our past karma, in the [Sivaka Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.021.than.html) (below) and also discussed [in this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/8935/471). Hence, Ven. Cakkhupāla rejecting his medicine or Gautama choosing to search for enlightenment is not completely the result of their karma. They had their own free will too, in their last lives. It is only that Gautama's past karma contributed towards his strong inclination towards enlightenment but did not absolutely fate him to it.
>
> "There are cases where some feelings arise based on phlegm... based on
> internal winds... based on a combination of bodily humors... from the
> change of the seasons... from uneven care of the body... from harsh
> treatment... from the result of kamma. You yourself should know how
> some feelings arise from the result of kamma. Even the world is agreed
> on how some feelings arise from the result of kamma. So any brahmans &
> contemplatives who are of the doctrine & view that whatever an
> individual feels — pleasure, pain, neither pleasure-nor-pain — is
> entirely caused by what was done before — slip past what they
> themselves know, slip past what is agreed on by the world. Therefore I
> say that those brahmans & contemplatives are wrong."
>
>
>
Yes, there may be stories of Buddhist monks who did not take care of their health or practised extreme ways in pursuit of enlightenment. But this does not meet Buddha's teaching of the middle path. The Vinaya rules laid down by the Buddha for monks, allows monks to have meals before noon daily, and also allows monks to take medicine at any time of the day for their illnesses. Hence, we must accept that this is inline with Buddha's middle path teaching, as laid down for monks.
The will and determination to achieve enlightenment can be strong but the middle path should still be followed. How would music be created, if the string is too taut or too loose? |
9,525 | Isn't there a [story where the Buddha accosts a monk](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vayamo/index.html) who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way
Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada ([Verse 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZiE-EofAE)) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously. The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.
It maybe so, but it was also his good karma to have access to medicine in this lifetime is it not?
Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been [foretold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABpankara_Buddha#Prediction), so why did he practice?
Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?
This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.
I got to thinking about this after reading [this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/3301/physical-exercise-as-a-monk) about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.
I'm interested in hearing opinions in general, or an answer that can reconcile the two if possible. Thanks. | 2015/06/12 | [
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/9525",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/715/"
] | IMHO:
"..his Buddhahood had been foretold, so why did he practice? "
In the foretelling of his future, his future practice has also been seen but not mentioned. It is his practice in the past and the future which leads him to become a Buddha. He cannot **not** practice in the future, because that is his conditioning from the past.
If we see kamma as conditioning/tendencies and particularly good tendencies then we can leave it all to kamma and concentrate on the unskilful tendencies in the present, changing them to skilful tendencies for the present and future.
The middle way is between two personal extremes and that is relative. So we can say that what looks like heroic to mere mortals is just the middle way for Bodhisattvas and Maha Arahants.
For serious practitioners what matters in the end is the result of the state of their mind rather than their body. We can't tell by the end state of their body, the state of the mind, nor can we tell how much each one has to scarify or exert himself to attain liberation; but that he do the utmost he can.
The answer is that we cannot tell from observation of a person's practice whether he is practising in the middle way. That has been the case since the Buddha's time and in almost all cases the Buddha praise those who exert themselves.
**We find our own middle way to practice and leave it all to kamma (present skilful action) and vipaka (past conditioning/tendencies/seeds)** | I want to say something, not about karma but about doing it now.
The middle way notwithstanding, perhaps it was essential to the Buddha's own enlightenment. I don't know in which sutta this appears, but [this narration](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel433.html) of the life of the Buddha by Bikkhu Bodhi says,
>
> Now he was alone, and complete solitude allowed him to pursue his quest undisturbed. One day, when his physical strength had returned, he approached a lovely spot in Uruvela by the bank of the Nerañjara River. Here he prepared a seat of straw beneath an asvattha tree (later called the Bodhi Tree) and sat down cross-legged, **making a firm resolution that he would never rise up from that seat until he had won his goal**. As night descended [etc.]
>
>
>
Thiago's answer says something about Zen and 'urgency'. That 'urgency' reminds me of a word I like, '[akalika](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/8092/254)' which meaning 'timeless' means immediately, without delay, continuous and eternal (and the absence of *kalika*).
Anyway, maybe the following is a Zen story which helps to illustrate: [Three Days More](http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/25threedaysmore.html) |
9,525 | Isn't there a [story where the Buddha accosts a monk](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vayamo/index.html) who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way
Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada ([Verse 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZiE-EofAE)) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously. The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.
It maybe so, but it was also his good karma to have access to medicine in this lifetime is it not?
Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been [foretold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABpankara_Buddha#Prediction), so why did he practice?
Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?
This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.
I got to thinking about this after reading [this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/3301/physical-exercise-as-a-monk) about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.
I'm interested in hearing opinions in general, or an answer that can reconcile the two if possible. Thanks. | 2015/06/12 | [
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/9525",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/715/"
] | IMHO:
"..his Buddhahood had been foretold, so why did he practice? "
In the foretelling of his future, his future practice has also been seen but not mentioned. It is his practice in the past and the future which leads him to become a Buddha. He cannot **not** practice in the future, because that is his conditioning from the past.
If we see kamma as conditioning/tendencies and particularly good tendencies then we can leave it all to kamma and concentrate on the unskilful tendencies in the present, changing them to skilful tendencies for the present and future.
The middle way is between two personal extremes and that is relative. So we can say that what looks like heroic to mere mortals is just the middle way for Bodhisattvas and Maha Arahants.
For serious practitioners what matters in the end is the result of the state of their mind rather than their body. We can't tell by the end state of their body, the state of the mind, nor can we tell how much each one has to scarify or exert himself to attain liberation; but that he do the utmost he can.
The answer is that we cannot tell from observation of a person's practice whether he is practising in the middle way. That has been the case since the Buddha's time and in almost all cases the Buddha praise those who exert themselves.
**We find our own middle way to practice and leave it all to kamma (present skilful action) and vipaka (past conditioning/tendencies/seeds)** | Great Question Buddho!
It is true, the middle way is always the best way. I think your understanding of Karma however may be slightly off the mark. This can all be explained in terms of qualities and quantities. The monk who lost his eyes in replace for the vision of enlightenment seems slightly absurd, losing your eyes due to bad karma however can be the case.
Here is why: If this person committed a terrible deed in their last life of lets say gauging someone's eyes out it would seem fitting that they lost their eyes in that life or the next. The bad karma however is not so Solid! If this person in the next life worked very hard to do good things for people and the earth than they could attain enlightenment without losing their eyesight! If they live a quite a good life but still have defilements this person might get cataracts instead of losing their eyes. If however, this person lives a life with no intention to remove defilements than they may very well lose their eyes. Does this make a man who sits for so long that he loses his eyes an enlightened being? Surely not. Meditation is helpful for gaining insight, better concentration, patience and contentment which are all good qualities. But if you want to generate good karma and in doing so remove bad karma, than you must work hard to improve the beings and planet around you. Buddhists refer to karma as 'action' and because 'action' is happening all the time than 'your' action or 'your' karma is also happening all the time. Work hard to do good and you will become a good karmic being, regardless of your passed sins. The only variable that you have to be concerned with is the weight of your passed sins, if they are heavy like killing than you will have to work extremely hard to redeem yourself. This is opposed to people who don't have heavy sins, and so your bad karma will need to be overthrown by your good karma before you are to achieve enlightenment. But you certainty don't have to lose your eyesight in order to do so!
Hope this helps :) |
9,525 | Isn't there a [story where the Buddha accosts a monk](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vayamo/index.html) who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way
Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada ([Verse 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZiE-EofAE)) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously. The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.
It maybe so, but it was also his good karma to have access to medicine in this lifetime is it not?
Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been [foretold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABpankara_Buddha#Prediction), so why did he practice?
Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?
This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.
I got to thinking about this after reading [this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/3301/physical-exercise-as-a-monk) about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.
I'm interested in hearing opinions in general, or an answer that can reconcile the two if possible. Thanks. | 2015/06/12 | [
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/9525",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/715/"
] | I want to say something, not about karma but about doing it now.
The middle way notwithstanding, perhaps it was essential to the Buddha's own enlightenment. I don't know in which sutta this appears, but [this narration](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel433.html) of the life of the Buddha by Bikkhu Bodhi says,
>
> Now he was alone, and complete solitude allowed him to pursue his quest undisturbed. One day, when his physical strength had returned, he approached a lovely spot in Uruvela by the bank of the Nerañjara River. Here he prepared a seat of straw beneath an asvattha tree (later called the Bodhi Tree) and sat down cross-legged, **making a firm resolution that he would never rise up from that seat until he had won his goal**. As night descended [etc.]
>
>
>
Thiago's answer says something about Zen and 'urgency'. That 'urgency' reminds me of a word I like, '[akalika](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/8092/254)' which meaning 'timeless' means immediately, without delay, continuous and eternal (and the absence of *kalika*).
Anyway, maybe the following is a Zen story which helps to illustrate: [Three Days More](http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/25threedaysmore.html) | The teaching that the string on the stringed musical instrument must not be too taut or too loose, but it should be tuned precisely, is taught in the [Sona Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.055.than.html). The middle path is also expounded in the [Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.piya.html) (below) and discussed [in this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/8164/471). I believe that the Buddha was very firm on the middle path teaching.
>
> "Monks, these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has
> gone forth from the household life. (What are the two?) There is
> addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the
> way of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is
> addiction to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and
> unprofitable.
>
>
> "Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata (The Perfect One) has
> realized the Middle Path; it gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads
> to calm, to insight, to enlightenment and to Nibbana. And what is that
> Middle Path realized by the Tathagata...? It is the Noble Eightfold
> path, and nothing else ...
>
>
>
However, you found the story of Cakkhupāla Thera which is [here](http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=001) and [here](http://realtruthlife.blogspot.com/2011/07/dhammapada-commentary-yamaka-vagga.html). You have got the story right, but I think you have misinterpreted the Buddha's reply as to why Ven. Cakkhupāla is blind despite being an arahat.
The Buddha said "As a result of this evil deed the physician lost his eyesight many times in his later existences." He did not say, "he did not take his medicine in this life and therefore became blind due to his past karma". Ven. Cakkhupāla definitely had the free will to accept or reject the medication, and this is not impaired by his past evil deed.
On the other hand, we can say that he contracted the eye infection due to his past evil deed. If he had taken the medication, we still do not know whether he would end up cured or blind. Even if he was cured, he might still become blind later. Hence, there is no relationship between his decision to not take the medicine and his past evil deed.
Ven. Cakkhupāla's decision to not take medication, could be considered a form of self-mortification which may or may not be related to him achieving Nirvana. The Buddha did not comment about this. He only commented on how the arahat could be blind - the reason is his past deeds. And this only explains why he contracted the eye infection in this life.
Furthermore, the Buddha says that not everything that we experience is the result of our past karma, in the [Sivaka Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.021.than.html) (below) and also discussed [in this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/8935/471). Hence, Ven. Cakkhupāla rejecting his medicine or Gautama choosing to search for enlightenment is not completely the result of their karma. They had their own free will too, in their last lives. It is only that Gautama's past karma contributed towards his strong inclination towards enlightenment but did not absolutely fate him to it.
>
> "There are cases where some feelings arise based on phlegm... based on
> internal winds... based on a combination of bodily humors... from the
> change of the seasons... from uneven care of the body... from harsh
> treatment... from the result of kamma. You yourself should know how
> some feelings arise from the result of kamma. Even the world is agreed
> on how some feelings arise from the result of kamma. So any brahmans &
> contemplatives who are of the doctrine & view that whatever an
> individual feels — pleasure, pain, neither pleasure-nor-pain — is
> entirely caused by what was done before — slip past what they
> themselves know, slip past what is agreed on by the world. Therefore I
> say that those brahmans & contemplatives are wrong."
>
>
>
Yes, there may be stories of Buddhist monks who did not take care of their health or practised extreme ways in pursuit of enlightenment. But this does not meet Buddha's teaching of the middle path. The Vinaya rules laid down by the Buddha for monks, allows monks to have meals before noon daily, and also allows monks to take medicine at any time of the day for their illnesses. Hence, we must accept that this is inline with Buddha's middle path teaching, as laid down for monks.
The will and determination to achieve enlightenment can be strong but the middle path should still be followed. How would music be created, if the string is too taut or too loose? |
9,525 | Isn't there a [story where the Buddha accosts a monk](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vayamo/index.html) who's bleeding from performing walking meditation for too long, and tells him practice must be like a Veena's string - not too tight, not too loose? i.e the middle way
Yet, I remember a story in the Dhammapada ([Verse 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZiE-EofAE)) about a monk who refused to take his eye medicine because he had vowed to not lie down for three months and remain practicing full time. Since the medicine wasn't effective unless taken lying down, he lost his eyes.
The text says he simultaneously lost his vision and gained his vision - i.e. he became an arahant by practicing so arduously. The Buddha peeks into his past lives, and says Karma dictates that he must lose his eyes in this lifetime for sins of the past.
It maybe so, but it was also his good karma to have access to medicine in this lifetime is it not?
Leaving everything to Karma has me confused - because if that is so, then why practice, even enlightenment if it is in our karma will be obtained without effort. Gautama the Buddha was certainly going to become a Buddha, his Buddhahood had been [foretold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABpankara_Buddha#Prediction), so why did he practice?
Second, what's with the open praise of macho effort right at the start of the Dhammapada? What happened to the middle way?
This is not an isolated instance, there are several stories about heroic efforts from monks. The most famous must be the version where Bodhidharma plucks out his eyelids. There's also another version where he loses his legs to atrophy by not moving for nine years.
I got to thinking about this after reading [this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/3301/physical-exercise-as-a-monk) about monks and exercise. I am reminded of "A path with heart", by Jack Kornfield, where the author, himself a Buddhist monk under Ajahn Chah for several years talks about exercise and several other normal healthy things monks ignore in order to pursue enlightenment single mindedly. He recounts interviewing several monks who suffered from diabetes and other lifestyle diseases that came from not eating healthy food, from not exercising, from developing an aversion to their body and consequently not caring enough.
I'm interested in hearing opinions in general, or an answer that can reconcile the two if possible. Thanks. | 2015/06/12 | [
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/9525",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com",
"https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/715/"
] | I want to say something, not about karma but about doing it now.
The middle way notwithstanding, perhaps it was essential to the Buddha's own enlightenment. I don't know in which sutta this appears, but [this narration](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel433.html) of the life of the Buddha by Bikkhu Bodhi says,
>
> Now he was alone, and complete solitude allowed him to pursue his quest undisturbed. One day, when his physical strength had returned, he approached a lovely spot in Uruvela by the bank of the Nerañjara River. Here he prepared a seat of straw beneath an asvattha tree (later called the Bodhi Tree) and sat down cross-legged, **making a firm resolution that he would never rise up from that seat until he had won his goal**. As night descended [etc.]
>
>
>
Thiago's answer says something about Zen and 'urgency'. That 'urgency' reminds me of a word I like, '[akalika](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/8092/254)' which meaning 'timeless' means immediately, without delay, continuous and eternal (and the absence of *kalika*).
Anyway, maybe the following is a Zen story which helps to illustrate: [Three Days More](http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/25threedaysmore.html) | Great Question Buddho!
It is true, the middle way is always the best way. I think your understanding of Karma however may be slightly off the mark. This can all be explained in terms of qualities and quantities. The monk who lost his eyes in replace for the vision of enlightenment seems slightly absurd, losing your eyes due to bad karma however can be the case.
Here is why: If this person committed a terrible deed in their last life of lets say gauging someone's eyes out it would seem fitting that they lost their eyes in that life or the next. The bad karma however is not so Solid! If this person in the next life worked very hard to do good things for people and the earth than they could attain enlightenment without losing their eyesight! If they live a quite a good life but still have defilements this person might get cataracts instead of losing their eyes. If however, this person lives a life with no intention to remove defilements than they may very well lose their eyes. Does this make a man who sits for so long that he loses his eyes an enlightened being? Surely not. Meditation is helpful for gaining insight, better concentration, patience and contentment which are all good qualities. But if you want to generate good karma and in doing so remove bad karma, than you must work hard to improve the beings and planet around you. Buddhists refer to karma as 'action' and because 'action' is happening all the time than 'your' action or 'your' karma is also happening all the time. Work hard to do good and you will become a good karmic being, regardless of your passed sins. The only variable that you have to be concerned with is the weight of your passed sins, if they are heavy like killing than you will have to work extremely hard to redeem yourself. This is opposed to people who don't have heavy sins, and so your bad karma will need to be overthrown by your good karma before you are to achieve enlightenment. But you certainty don't have to lose your eyesight in order to do so!
Hope this helps :) |
19,306 | I'm going to try to explain this the best I possibly can, but what I want seems feasible.
I have a studio condensor mic that I use as my microphone input to my computer. When recording I know it is possible to take noise out of the recording by subtracting it from the wavelength. This is often called noise suppression, reduction, or removal. I have speakers on my desk, but the microphone sometimes picks the sound up from there. Is there anyway for my computer to take what is currently being output to the speakers, treat it as noise and remove it from the microphone input in realtime?
I also use the microphone to do voice chat. I have a large room and like to walk around when I talk. Is there anyway to apply a compressor effect to the live input, where when the signal falls below a certain threshold it is boosted and when it goes above a threshold it is softened?
I want to see if I can do this with software instead of hardware.
Edit, I already have wireless headphones but I'd rather not use them since they're bulky. | 2009/08/06 | [
"https://superuser.com/questions/19306",
"https://superuser.com",
"https://superuser.com/users/2673/"
] | I'm very surprised that the BIOS is giving the error about something on the hard drive *before* attempting to boot from DVD, and even more surprised that dell was able to mess with the bios prevent booting from DVD if recovery partition is missing.
What is the exact error?
Perhaps try changing the boot priority so that your DVD drive comes before the hard disk? | You could boot from the [Gparted](http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php) live CD and wipe the disk from there. |
19,306 | I'm going to try to explain this the best I possibly can, but what I want seems feasible.
I have a studio condensor mic that I use as my microphone input to my computer. When recording I know it is possible to take noise out of the recording by subtracting it from the wavelength. This is often called noise suppression, reduction, or removal. I have speakers on my desk, but the microphone sometimes picks the sound up from there. Is there anyway for my computer to take what is currently being output to the speakers, treat it as noise and remove it from the microphone input in realtime?
I also use the microphone to do voice chat. I have a large room and like to walk around when I talk. Is there anyway to apply a compressor effect to the live input, where when the signal falls below a certain threshold it is boosted and when it goes above a threshold it is softened?
I want to see if I can do this with software instead of hardware.
Edit, I already have wireless headphones but I'd rather not use them since they're bulky. | 2009/08/06 | [
"https://superuser.com/questions/19306",
"https://superuser.com",
"https://superuser.com/users/2673/"
] | I'm very surprised that the BIOS is giving the error about something on the hard drive *before* attempting to boot from DVD, and even more surprised that dell was able to mess with the bios prevent booting from DVD if recovery partition is missing.
What is the exact error?
Perhaps try changing the boot priority so that your DVD drive comes before the hard disk? | There is a wealth of information [Here](http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/index.htm#dsr-dos) Probably more than you want to know, you may be able to make it useful i.e. make it restore your Win7 installation, or at least make it so small on the disk that it's insignificant, makes the bios happy because it's there, but not taking up any real space. |
52,328,362 | I have 3 consumers subscribed to a Kafka topic.
A producer publishes 1 message to a topic.
How can I make sure that the message is replicated internally in Kafka and is then consumed by all 3 consumers?
One way would be to not commit the message, but then messages will keep on piling up in the topic. | 2018/09/14 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/52328362",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/5730790/"
] | Kafka never replicates the messages. The message will be always routed to a topic / partition only once.
But Kafka is using a concept of consumer groups to differentiate between different groups of consumers and to decide how they should receive the messages. In your case, you have to assign different consumer group ID to each of these consumers. And once you do that, they will start receiving the messages *in parallel*.
Also, the messages in Kafka are never removed after the consumer consumes them. They will be stored in the topic/partition until they hit the retention limit, which can be based either on time (e.g. keep the messages for one week) or for example by topic size (keep the messages up to 100GB). | The only thing you have to do is to assign different group ids to every consumer |
52,328,362 | I have 3 consumers subscribed to a Kafka topic.
A producer publishes 1 message to a topic.
How can I make sure that the message is replicated internally in Kafka and is then consumed by all 3 consumers?
One way would be to not commit the message, but then messages will keep on piling up in the topic. | 2018/09/14 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/52328362",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/5730790/"
] | You should set 3 different **consumer group** (with different id) for the 3 consumers.
>
> Consumers label themselves with a consumer group name, and each record
> published to a topic is delivered to one consumer instance within each
> subscribing consumer group. Consumer instances can be in separate
> processes or on separate machines.
>
>
> If all the consumer instances have the same consumer group, then the
> records will effectively be load balanced over the consumer instances.
>
>
> If all the consumer instances have different consumer groups, then
> each record will be broadcast to all the consumer processes.
>
>
>
from <https://kafka.apache.org/documentation/> | The only thing you have to do is to assign different group ids to every consumer |
52,328,362 | I have 3 consumers subscribed to a Kafka topic.
A producer publishes 1 message to a topic.
How can I make sure that the message is replicated internally in Kafka and is then consumed by all 3 consumers?
One way would be to not commit the message, but then messages will keep on piling up in the topic. | 2018/09/14 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/52328362",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/5730790/"
] | Kafka never replicates the messages. The message will be always routed to a topic / partition only once.
But Kafka is using a concept of consumer groups to differentiate between different groups of consumers and to decide how they should receive the messages. In your case, you have to assign different consumer group ID to each of these consumers. And once you do that, they will start receiving the messages *in parallel*.
Also, the messages in Kafka are never removed after the consumer consumes them. They will be stored in the topic/partition until they hit the retention limit, which can be based either on time (e.g. keep the messages for one week) or for example by topic size (keep the messages up to 100GB). | You should set 3 different **consumer group** (with different id) for the 3 consumers.
>
> Consumers label themselves with a consumer group name, and each record
> published to a topic is delivered to one consumer instance within each
> subscribing consumer group. Consumer instances can be in separate
> processes or on separate machines.
>
>
> If all the consumer instances have the same consumer group, then the
> records will effectively be load balanced over the consumer instances.
>
>
> If all the consumer instances have different consumer groups, then
> each record will be broadcast to all the consumer processes.
>
>
>
from <https://kafka.apache.org/documentation/> |
198,860 | The [Telepathic](https://www.dndbeyond.com/feats/telepathic) feat (TCoE, p. 81) gives you the ability to:
>
> [...] speak telepathically to any creature you can see within 60 feet of you. Your telepathic utterances are in a language you know, and the creature understands you only if it knows that language. [...]
>
>
>
While the [Firbolg](https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/1026387-firbolg#FirbolgTraits)’s “Speech of Beast and Leaf” trait (MP:MotM, p. 15) lets Beasts and Plants:
>
> [...] understand the meaning of your words [...]
>
>
>
Given that you’re using the words of a specific language in your telepathic speech, and Beasts and Plants understand your words when you speak them:
**Do these two abilities together let you speak telepathically to Beasts and Plants?** | 2022/06/04 | [
"https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/198860",
"https://rpg.stackexchange.com",
"https://rpg.stackexchange.com/users/36942/"
] | Ask your DM, but probably yes
-----------------------------
These two rules contradict each other. The one rule says "the creature understands you only if it knows that language", and plants don't know any languages. The other rule says plants "understand the meaning of your words", which is not quite the same as knowing a language but seems to imply the plant can understand you anyway.
We're told that "more specific rules contradict more general rules" but it's not obvious which of these rules is more specific.
When rules contradict each other, the DM makes a ruling.
In this case, it seems pretty clear that this *should* work, because "understand the meaning of your words" is a pretty good substitute for "knows your language". So probably your DM will say yes. | Ask your DM
-----------
[Dan B](https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/198860/how-does-the-firbolg-s-speech-of-beast-and-leaf-feature-interact-with-the-tel/198861#198861) already laid out the main point: there are no explicit rules about this, and the two statements contradict each other, so your DM will have to make a call.
But what is a good ruling here?
Allowing this is unlikely to cause problems, and it feels petty and unfun to not give a character whose stick it is to speak to plants and beasts the ability to also do so when they use telepathy. It should be OK to allow them to work together.
Here are a couple of additonal considerations:
### Power of Telepathy in the game
Other forms of telepathy are more powerful, for example the spell Telepathy
>
> The spell enables a creature with an Intelligence score of at least 1 to understand the meaning of your words and take in the scope of any sensory messages you send to it.
>
>
>
The feat could have easily used this formulation (and match that of the racial ability), but instead is more limited. The feat otherwise would give you the equivalent of a permanent 8th level spell with proficiency in all languages, which would be much more powerful and also allow you to speak to anything with any intelligence. For comparison, the Linguist "half-feat" gives you access to only 3 languages.
So, to keep the feat balanced, the designers were forced to use a formulation that is creating the mismatch in wording here.
### Languages of Beasts and Plants
The limitation in the feat does two things:
1. you cannot speak to creatures that only speak another language just because you are Telepathic
2. you cannot speak creatures that have no language at all, just because you are Telephathic
The second is the exact limitation that Speach of Beast and Leaf overcomes, and it seems reasonable that it should also overcome it in this context.
Most plants and animals are too dumb to know any language. Look for example at the [Shambling Mound](https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/17011-shambling-mound), a plant monster:
>
> **Languages**: --
>
>
>
Because most plants have no language, the Speech of Beast and Leaf cannot be worded to enable you to speak in their language, it needs to be worded differently.
### Intelligence limits on communication
The main disbelief to overcome when speaking with things like insects or plants is that they lack the required intelligence to understand what you are telling them or to tell you anything coherent.
What could a plant with likely 0 or 1 Intelligence and very limited sensory organs even tell you? That the sun feels warm and nourishing on its surface?
Your DM needs to decide how they want to handle this. Are they limiting your communication to just what the creatures can percieve and reason, which would make it pretty useless in the case of most plants, and much weaker (but possibly an entertaining roleplaying challenge) for most animals? Or will they decide it instead is rather something akin to the fox in Tolkien's *Fellowship of The Ring*:
>
> A fox passing through the wood on business of his own stopped several minutes and sniffed. "Hobbits!" he thought. "Well, what next? I have heard of strange doings in this land, but I have seldom heard of a hobbit sleeping out of doors under a tree. Three of them! There's something might queer behind this." He was quite right, but he never found out more about this.
>
>
>
The question if you can meaningfully communicate with dumb animals and plants is more fundamental, than the question if you need to understand their language to do so. If the DM allows it, than they also should allow it when doing it silently. |
262,430 | I don’t know which Moen cartridge I need to replace in shower. I have removed old cartridge in pieces and replaced with the wrong one, I guess because it is leaking worse now. I also could not get clip back in. | 2022/12/13 | [
"https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/262430",
"https://diy.stackexchange.com",
"https://diy.stackexchange.com/users/160143/"
] | Call Moen customer service. I've dealt with them before and they're good. They'll probably ask for pix while you're on the phone. They should be able to supply you with the correct cartridge. | If you couldn't get the clip back in, then you either installed it wrong or it's the wrong cartridge. Moen doesn't change their cartridge design as often as other manufacturers and most have that clip that ensures the cartridge is in all the way and lined up right. Take the pieces to a plumbing supply store if you can't get the cartridge you bought to work. |
616,618 | I'm working on a mechanical device that uses three DSM44 servos, two FEETECH Mini Servo FT1117M, one JX PDI-6208MG Metal Gear Digital Servo, and one DS04-NFC 360 Degree Continuous Rotation Micro Servo Motor with Arduino controller and 6V 8A power supply to the shield.
The DS04-NFC 360 Degree Continuous Rotation Micro Servo Motor in a mechanical device must be kept distant about 8 meters from the controller.
So, I have to find a wire 8-10 meters long and attach connector male/female plugs with a crimping tool, or maybe I can make this with a short male to female lead servo extension cable wire cords, connected to each other to 8-10 meters length long.
I'm not a specialist in motors, powering, and wiring, but as I know, I have to use some kind of servo cable signal booster for such a task.
Can you guide me please, to understand how correctly calculate and provide such a long wire connection and power from the controller shield to a servo motor and separate devices from each other with the required distance | 2022/04/20 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/616618",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/221628/"
] | Your DS04-NFC 360 requires PWM signal, GND and 5V/6V supply voltage (<1A current consumption according to Amazon description).
Generally speaking, for power cables, the only thing that matters is the cable section (see AWG wire current chart online). The bigger the section the more current it will handle.
In your case 1A is very small so you don't really have to care.
The other signal is the PWM signal. Problems with digital signal on long distances are both noise (if you have lots of noisy sources like high power motors ... you can twist GND and PWM if this is a problem for you ... see if it helps, or you can use a shielded twisted pair wire with shield connected to GND on both sides ... use that for really noisy environment) and DISTORSION (due to reflection and/or line capacitance : see "characteristic impedance theory" for more information).
Basically you could end up with a signal that really doesn't look like a beautiful square PWM signal anymore. Using simulation tools like LTSpice and their non-ideal transmission line model you can see the effect of an 8-meter cable (if you know the cable specs of course) and experiment some strategies, or you can just play safe and use one of those "servo cable signal booster". | Consider that you are powering five 8 ohm speakers that only draw power when accelerated.
DSM44 servos draw 0.7A on a surge from 6V so the load appears to be about 8 Ohms DC max with a locked rotor but can surge with step changes to this value then decay so the spectrum.
If you understand Woofers audio systems need heavy gauge wire from the power source to push a cone fast with very low resistance wiring that is 0.1% of the source impedance or worst case 1% (Damping Factor =100) . That can be measured by the added % drop in voltage at max current.
let dV/dI=Zs the source impedance of the supply then the loss of the wire degrades the supply's load regulation error and raises it's source impedance.
Given 6V 8A with 1% load regulation error thus Zs= 1% of 6V/8A= 7.5 mohm .
Ideally, your power cable has a local supercap or Lithium or SLA battery near the device with a much smaller impedance than this to compensate for the wire resistance. This resistance will degrade the servo performance under repetitive motions. So lower is better with good damping then you will understand performance will suffer on stiffness and overshoot, resonance, if you use skinny wires to drive the motors.
The control signals should be shielded in twisted pairs isolated from these power wires that can carry fast impulse currents that may result in crosstalk to the control signals if you do not take care of this. (CAT 5 is convenient)
AWG 16 is enough if you have a big supercap near the load. 13.17 mΩ/m \*8 m ~ 105 mohm which drops the steady state voltage by 0.8V but for short duration motions that may be acceptable or not. |
616,618 | I'm working on a mechanical device that uses three DSM44 servos, two FEETECH Mini Servo FT1117M, one JX PDI-6208MG Metal Gear Digital Servo, and one DS04-NFC 360 Degree Continuous Rotation Micro Servo Motor with Arduino controller and 6V 8A power supply to the shield.
The DS04-NFC 360 Degree Continuous Rotation Micro Servo Motor in a mechanical device must be kept distant about 8 meters from the controller.
So, I have to find a wire 8-10 meters long and attach connector male/female plugs with a crimping tool, or maybe I can make this with a short male to female lead servo extension cable wire cords, connected to each other to 8-10 meters length long.
I'm not a specialist in motors, powering, and wiring, but as I know, I have to use some kind of servo cable signal booster for such a task.
Can you guide me please, to understand how correctly calculate and provide such a long wire connection and power from the controller shield to a servo motor and separate devices from each other with the required distance | 2022/04/20 | [
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/616618",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com",
"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/users/221628/"
] | Servo motors are a DC motor with a gearbox and internal closed loop feedback. They require voltage, ground, and a control signal. Based on the duty cycle of the control signal, the servo will move to that position (or speed, in the case of the continuous rotation servo).
Because they will try to move to and maintain a given position, if they encounter too much physical resistance, they can stall and demand high current (called the stall current). You need to be able to provide the high current, but also some protection in case such current is prolonged. In other words: when the motor is working against a heavy load, it will need higher current. If it gets stuck, you will want to have a means to disconnect or stop it (which may be as simple as a fuse or resettable fuse, or a controller that monitors current and cuts out as needed).
The wire you linked is 28 AWG, which is quite small. Larger currents need larger diameter wire which have less resistance and therefore lower voltage drop. If you look at a wire resistance chart [such as this](https://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm), you can see that 28 AWG copper is about 213 mΩ per meter. In an 8 meter length of cable you're effectively adding about 3.4 Ω of resistance. (Remember, both the voltage supply and ground form the loop, so that's 16 meters of wire.)
If all you did was leave the motor out and shorted that end, there would be 1.76 A of current flowing. (I = E/R) The motor may need more than that to perform well.
Increasing the wire gauge to 12 AWG which has a resistance of 5.2 mΩ per meter, reduces the total resistance to 83 mΩ (about a 40-times improvement). Now with a short, the available current is 72 A — more than enough.
Knowing this, you will want to do the following:
* Use thicker wire (lower AWG #) for less resistance.
* Keep power wiring as short as possible for low voltage/high current applications.
If possible, have your 6 V power supply much closer to the motor(s) and run separate wire to each motor depending on its needs. For example, if a particular motor needs 1-2 A and you limit the wire length to 1 meter, 28 AWG might be suitable.
Finally, the control signal for servos is very low current, so you don't have to increase its diameter in the same way. Obviously for long distances, you may need to use a thicker wire to impose less resistance as well.
All of this means that the typical 3-wire connectors used for servo motors are not going to accept the wire gauge you will need for long wire lengths. From the power supply to the motor will need to use bigger wire and connectors; basically whatever you want to use if you need to be able to connect/disconnect it. You might consider using commonly-available automotive or RC hobby connectors that are rated for higher current. At the motor connection, you can use the existing wires, but you'll have to decide if you need a connector there as well (connecting two dissimilar wire gauges is a little more troublesome). I would be tempted to remove the connector, strip the wire ends, and solder them together, or use some sort of splicing connector like a terminal block or "lever nut." | Consider that you are powering five 8 ohm speakers that only draw power when accelerated.
DSM44 servos draw 0.7A on a surge from 6V so the load appears to be about 8 Ohms DC max with a locked rotor but can surge with step changes to this value then decay so the spectrum.
If you understand Woofers audio systems need heavy gauge wire from the power source to push a cone fast with very low resistance wiring that is 0.1% of the source impedance or worst case 1% (Damping Factor =100) . That can be measured by the added % drop in voltage at max current.
let dV/dI=Zs the source impedance of the supply then the loss of the wire degrades the supply's load regulation error and raises it's source impedance.
Given 6V 8A with 1% load regulation error thus Zs= 1% of 6V/8A= 7.5 mohm .
Ideally, your power cable has a local supercap or Lithium or SLA battery near the device with a much smaller impedance than this to compensate for the wire resistance. This resistance will degrade the servo performance under repetitive motions. So lower is better with good damping then you will understand performance will suffer on stiffness and overshoot, resonance, if you use skinny wires to drive the motors.
The control signals should be shielded in twisted pairs isolated from these power wires that can carry fast impulse currents that may result in crosstalk to the control signals if you do not take care of this. (CAT 5 is convenient)
AWG 16 is enough if you have a big supercap near the load. 13.17 mΩ/m \*8 m ~ 105 mohm which drops the steady state voltage by 0.8V but for short duration motions that may be acceptable or not. |
125,165 | I wrote the following:
>
> The sun **hit** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt
> comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
>
"Hit" is the only verb I could think of. But I wonder if there's a "gentler"
verb to replace it? | 2013/09/03 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/125165",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/4070/"
] | There's really a lot of possible verbs you could use. I've seen:
* touched
* caressed
* brushed
* "lingered on"
* warmed
* gleamed on
to name the first that come to mind.
**Edit:**
I reread the title of your question, why not "fell"?
>
> The sun gently **fell** on Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
> | How about shone? It can be used to refer to any lit surface or lighting source |
125,165 | I wrote the following:
>
> The sun **hit** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt
> comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
>
"Hit" is the only verb I could think of. But I wonder if there's a "gentler"
verb to replace it? | 2013/09/03 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/125165",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/4070/"
] | There's really a lot of possible verbs you could use. I've seen:
* touched
* caressed
* brushed
* "lingered on"
* warmed
* gleamed on
to name the first that come to mind.
**Edit:**
I reread the title of your question, why not "fell"?
>
> The sun gently **fell** on Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
> | Erin **sunned** herself as she walked through the alley. It felt comfortable *on her skin*, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body. |
125,165 | I wrote the following:
>
> The sun **hit** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt
> comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
>
"Hit" is the only verb I could think of. But I wonder if there's a "gentler"
verb to replace it? | 2013/09/03 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/125165",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/4070/"
] | There's really a lot of possible verbs you could use. I've seen:
* touched
* caressed
* brushed
* "lingered on"
* warmed
* gleamed on
to name the first that come to mind.
**Edit:**
I reread the title of your question, why not "fell"?
>
> The sun gently **fell** on Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
> | I like "smiled on" for this set. |
125,165 | I wrote the following:
>
> The sun **hit** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt
> comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
>
"Hit" is the only verb I could think of. But I wonder if there's a "gentler"
verb to replace it? | 2013/09/03 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/125165",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/4070/"
] | There's really a lot of possible verbs you could use. I've seen:
* touched
* caressed
* brushed
* "lingered on"
* warmed
* gleamed on
to name the first that come to mind.
**Edit:**
I reread the title of your question, why not "fell"?
>
> The sun gently **fell** on Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
> | The sun **embraced** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body
The sun **kissed** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley...
* lit
* cosseted |
125,165 | I wrote the following:
>
> The sun **hit** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt
> comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
>
"Hit" is the only verb I could think of. But I wonder if there's a "gentler"
verb to replace it? | 2013/09/03 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/125165",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/4070/"
] | How about shone? It can be used to refer to any lit surface or lighting source | Erin **sunned** herself as she walked through the alley. It felt comfortable *on her skin*, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body. |
125,165 | I wrote the following:
>
> The sun **hit** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt
> comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
>
"Hit" is the only verb I could think of. But I wonder if there's a "gentler"
verb to replace it? | 2013/09/03 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/125165",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/4070/"
] | How about shone? It can be used to refer to any lit surface or lighting source | I like "smiled on" for this set. |
125,165 | I wrote the following:
>
> The sun **hit** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt
> comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
>
"Hit" is the only verb I could think of. But I wonder if there's a "gentler"
verb to replace it? | 2013/09/03 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/125165",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/4070/"
] | How about shone? It can be used to refer to any lit surface or lighting source | The sun **embraced** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body
The sun **kissed** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley...
* lit
* cosseted |
125,165 | I wrote the following:
>
> The sun **hit** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt
> comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
>
"Hit" is the only verb I could think of. But I wonder if there's a "gentler"
verb to replace it? | 2013/09/03 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/125165",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/4070/"
] | I like "smiled on" for this set. | Erin **sunned** herself as she walked through the alley. It felt comfortable *on her skin*, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body. |
125,165 | I wrote the following:
>
> The sun **hit** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt
> comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body.
>
>
>
"Hit" is the only verb I could think of. But I wonder if there's a "gentler"
verb to replace it? | 2013/09/03 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/125165",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/4070/"
] | The sun **embraced** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley. It felt comfortable, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body
The sun **kissed** Erin's skin as she wandered through the alley...
* lit
* cosseted | Erin **sunned** herself as she walked through the alley. It felt comfortable *on her skin*, like a warm blanket enveloping her entire body. |
8,556 | There are similar Questions around Like [this](https://parenting.stackexchange.com/questions/5336/how-to-approach-my-little-brothers-addiction-to-tv-and-computer.com) and [this](https://parenting.stackexchange.com/questions/3054/what-are-some-fun-no-tv-or-computer-activities-that-a-2-year-old-and-a-4-year)
But they dont entirely help me.. I'm pursuing Post graduation and my exams are around. My little one is a **three year old restless girl** who shows little/no interest in any activity except tv and running around.
Its *monsoon here in India*, so outdoor activities are a total no-no.
Pity we have **no** neighbour kids to keep her company, and she is the **only child** at home.
(I live with my parents so as to complete my PG and her dad is away!)
That leaves ***plenty of time in front of the tv.***
I have bought her plenty of books, she dos not like more than 1 story read to her. She shows little interest in colouring. her favorite toy is the "kitchen set"(not more than 15 minutes)and her favorite activies are the physical ones, running-jumping-somersaulting-climbing windows/furniture and whatever she can think of! She can go on for hours like that!!
**Her only playmate is me** and I barely have time after coming from college (and with a mountain of books to study).
She wants me to join her in anything that she does, (I know that's her age and the **physical activities** she is interested in, **tires me out** compeletely), and is tugging at my skirt the moment i come home till she goes to sleep. so in order to buy some time i would send her to watch tv n she's slowly getting addicted(feeling guilty all over).
She watches around **four hours** of tv currently(i am a bad mom, sigh !). My momma (looks after her while I'm gone) is all softy-softy with her, catering to all my daughters whims, letting her watch tv when she is busy in the kitchen(and we have no household help).
My question is how can i get her to play alone(I'm bad momma???) and reduce tv/computer time? (at least till my term exams are over **ie in 3 weeks**). Help !! | 2013/07/31 | [
"https://parenting.stackexchange.com/questions/8556",
"https://parenting.stackexchange.com",
"https://parenting.stackexchange.com/users/4297/"
] | I will echo what the other's have said - you are not a bad mother. You are a mother who is balancing your own expectations for parenting with reality. The world is not an ideal place and therefore we can never be ideal parents.
It sounds like both of you would benefit from her learning independent play. Unfortunately for you both the process of learning independent play is somewhat long and somewhat hands-on. However whatever steps you can take to help her learn how to play on her own will really benefit you both.
I find Janet Landsbury very helpful for discussing independent play. She provides the [following steps](http://www.janetlansbury.com/2012/07/how-to-break-your-toddlers-tv-habit/) for reducing or eliminating toddler TV time, since you wish to do so:
* Explain it to your toddler. Make sure she feels like an equal participant in the changes. Acknowledge that she enjoys TV, explain to her that she's going to have a new way to play during whatever time you want to eliminate TV useage, like when your mom is cooking. Then tell her what it is she will be doing instead, like some new activity. Here it might be helpful for starters to set up an activity option or two for her. You can find a myriad on [Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/search/?q=toddler+activities). For example while your mom is cooking she can enlist your toddler's [help](http://www.noordinaryhomestead.com/10-ways-my-toddler-helps-in-the-kitchen/). Yes, toddler help is probably more of a hinderance, but at the end of the day it prepares your toddler to actually be helpful when he or she is older!
* When your toddler does start whining, screaming, or crying for TV at the appointed time, acknowledge how hard it is. Acknowledge that your toddler likes TV. Tell her that you understand that. Don't tell her it's alright or that she's not allowed to be sad. Provide comfort - either your own cuddles or perhaps a favorite stuffed toy or blanket to hold. But don't give in.
* When she asks about it in the future, explain again why you want her to play another way. Make sure that you treat her with respect as another little human being, though one who is developmentally different then you.
While activities such as [ziploc bag painting](http://in-the-corner.com/2013/02/26/ziploc-bag-painting-and-other-toddler-activities/), [picking up things with tongs](http://thepreschoolexperiment.blogspot.com/2011/11/grab-it-game.html), [coloring](http://simplehomeblessing.com/toddler-tip-thursday/), [a busy board](http://millionayres.com/2159/busy-board-for-a-busy-birthday-boy/), and [so many more](http://pinterest.com/PlayCreateXplor/play-create-explore-blog/) may help ease this transition, the ultimate goal is that your toddler becomes more self-directed and independent in her play. Again, Janet Landsbury [provides](http://www.janetlansbury.com/2013/05/stop-entertaining-your-toddler-in-3-steps-2/) a 3 step method.
* First, when you do have time to play with your daughter, be less intrusive. Perhaps when your exams are over is the best time to begin this. Start letting her determine what toy she wants to play with. Discuss with her what she's doing, but don't step in and redirect her or change it. When she asks for your help instead redirect the question back at her. If she says, "I want you to build me a tower of blocks," don't do it. Instead you respond "Which block do you want to go on your tower first?" Then instead of putting it on for her say, "OK, why don't you put it where you want it to go?" For each step of the way you "sportscast" her actions as needed to encourage her to go the next step. As she gets more confident in this she will need less of your interaction and will begin doing more and more on her own.
* Provide limits, such as boundaries that protect her safety and health. These will help her feel that she is loved and has freedom within those boundaries. One of your important limits is on your time. You can acknowledge that she wants to play with you, tell her when you will next be able to play with her again, and ask her what she will be doing to play while you study or while your mother cooks. Empower her while remaining calm and comfortable with the situation.
* Encourage play that is mind-active. Provide open-ended toys such as blocks. See what kind of games she can invent on her own once she has a few ideas under her belt. When she comes up with her own ideas, encourage them rather than redirecting them because they are "wrong" or "not good enough."
[Here](http://www.janetlansbury.com/2010/08/solo-engagement-fostering-your-toddlers-independent-play/) are further tips for fostering independent play in toddlers.
A second thing which may be helpful for you, though possibly cost-prohibitive on a student budget, is hiring a local tween or teenager to come play with your child. Because you are still present while the older child is playing you don't need an experienced babysitter and the cost is lower. It provides the benefit for the tween or teen of some income and babysitting experience for his or her resume. Perhaps you even have an extended family member or family friend who you can find a non-monetary way of compensating. These older children are usually called "mother's helpers" in my circles and are quite frequently hired by at-home mothers who need another helping hand.
A final note is that you ideally will get your mother on-board with your plans. If you are trying to redirect your toddler's play and your mother is turning on the TV during that time you will have much more of an uphill battle to fight. You hardly need to eliminiate television (I believe the recommendation at 3 is that less than 2 hours is ideal, but some is not considered a problem), so your mother can certainly allow your daughter some. However when you have stated that now is time to play not watch TV, your mother needs to back you up not undermine you. | Repeat this to yourself until you hear and believe the words: YOU ARE NOT A BAD MOM! You are going through some stressful times, and on top of that you have a THREE YEAR OLD! You're allowed to let things slide right now that you might not otherwise. Cross my heart.
Now, it sounds like you need to not only give yourself a little love and forgiveness, but come up with some alternate activities that won't make you feel quite so guilty. Is there any way she can "help" you with your work? For example, when I'm home working 'cause one or more of the kids are home sick (so we're housebound, like you), I will get them some paper and crayons/pencils/whatnot and ask them to make notes for me. So, as I code (I'm a geek by profession) I will think out loud while they "write" what I say (the 5-yr-old actually does, but she can play much more independently at 5 than she could at 3, so doesn't participate much; the 2-yr-old scribbles quite diligently for a few minutes). Then I ask them what I said and sometimes I might get something intelligible and sometimes I might get stories about a dump truck but they feel like they're participating and I actually get some work done.
So maybe there are ways she can help with your coursework. Reading while Mommy reads, writing while Mommy writes, listening while Mommy talks out a problem in the coursework; kids that age love to help and this might actually let her feel involved while allowing you to distract her with something other than TV and the jungle gym you call a home.
Another thing that I use to keep mine occupied when I need to concentrate is errands. The 2-yr-old is my big helper, so I invent things for him to fetch for me. ("Can you bring me the stuffed bear? Thank you! (gives the bear a kiss) Okay, now he wants to go sit on the sofa." Lather, rinse, repeat.) The 5-yr-old will do this too, but her motivation is time; I can get her to do ANYTHING if I tell her "I'll time you!" So she races around doing whatever it is she's doing and I time her and somehow she almost always has a new record. ;>
Hang in there, and forgive yourself a little. You have a heavy load right now and you're doing what you can to survive and better yourself and your family. Other busy moms across the globe have your back. :) |
284,141 | What does *but until* in a sentence mean? I came across the phrase in a sentence that sounded almost exactly as this:
>
> He was a great person **but until** he started caring for other people's feelings.
>
>
>
I have found another example of sentence, tweeted by Rupert Murdoch. His tweet was:
>
> Maybe most Muslims are peaceful, **but until** they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible.
>
>
>
A compact explanation to this tweet would be real handy. | 2015/11/01 | [
"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/284141",
"https://english.stackexchange.com",
"https://english.stackexchange.com/users/145391/"
] | There is no phrase "but until". There are two words, *but* and *until*, which can be looked up in a dictionary.
Your second sentence could be rephrased as "Maybe most Moslems are peaceful. However, until..."; the main verb is *must be held*.
The first sentence is ungrammatical. If you have remembered it correctly, the writer mistakenly inserted "but" or (more probably) omitted "not"; you should remember that many writers are in a hurry on the Internet, and typos, infelicities and even grammatical errors do occur (even, occasionally, on EL&U). | The sentence is badly structured.
>
> Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible."
>
>
>
Paraphrase:
* It is possible that most Moslems are peaceful.
* Most Moslems [refuse to] recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer.
* [Therefore] most Moslems must be held responsible [for...*something*].
* When most Moslems recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer, then they don't have to be held responsible [for...*something*]
This doesn't make a lot of sense, obviously. |
1,593 | This topic was sparked by this posting: [Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28887/is-rav4-se-higher-trim-than-rav4-xle)
It's been suggested that
>
> This question does not appear to be about motor vehicle maintenance or
> repair within the scope defined in the help center.
>
>
>
@Ben has carefully pointed out that another question, this [one about Ferrari wheels,](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28859/what-type-of-ferraris-came-with-wire-wheels) is essentially the same type of question, yet nobody suggested it be closed. The Ferrari question actually received a lot of votes.
@Ben is absolutely right. Personally, I don't care what the rules are, just that they are consistent with the goals of the site at large, and clearly communicated to all. As it stands the "goals" of this forum are NOT clearly stated at all. It's vaguely mentioned [here, at the "What topics can I ask about" page...](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)
Am I looking at this right? What do you guys think?
Who 'owns' this site, us the users, or some mysterious owners somewhere?
When you take a step back what's the big picture goal here? (My thoughts it's to allow us all to help each other with information related to cars and trucks [and sometimes motorcycles] and keeping them running!)
Gray areas:
* Option content of vehicles.
* Recommendations on purchasing decisions related to automobiles.
* Historical content relating to vehicles.
* Making things look pretty (not related to repair or maintenance)
* Recommendations about specific suppliers of automotive parts or tools. (I had recently made a comment about the free multimeter give away program from a tool supplier that somebody took great offense to...)
* etc...
Again I'm open, I would just request the guidelines be better written to cover the gray areas a bit.. | 2016/04/26 | [
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1593",
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com/users/7551/"
] | **RAV4 Question**
I see [Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28887/is-rav4-se-higher-trim-than-rav4-xle) as on topic question.
The OP was asking about trim levels. Certainly they seem to be engaged in shopping BUT the question was very specific about trim levels offered by the manufacturer.
>
> I read a lot of articles online, but still don't understand. Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE ? I asked two different dealers and got two different answers .
>
>
> I understand SE is the sport version .
>
>
> **So which one is higher level?**
>
>
>
I do not see anything in the question that even eludes to shopping advice, I do see an OP asking about trim levels. This seems very clear cut to me AND that this question should not have been closed.
**Ferrari Question**
This, as well, seems clear cut to me. It's of a historical nature about a component of a vehicle, a trim level if you will. It does align with the RAV4 question is of the same vein.
>
> This topic was sparked by this posting: Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?
>
>
> It's been suggested that
>
>
> This question does not appear to be about motor vehicle maintenance or repair within the scope defined in the help center.
> @Ben has carefully pointed out that another question, this one about Ferrari wheels, is essentially the same type of question, yet nobody suggested it be closed. The Ferrari question actually received a lot of votes.
>
>
> @Ben is absolutely right. Personally, I don't care what the rules are, just that they are consistent with the goals of the site at large, and clearly communicated to all. As it stands the "goals" of this forum are NOT clearly stated at all. It's vaguely mentioned here, at the "What topics can I ask about" page...
>
>
>
For some clarification here is link to the [off-topic components](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask) that dovetail into the "What can I ask" link.
>
> Am I looking at this right? What do you guys think?
>
>
>
I think you are looking at it correctly. The RAV4 and Ferrari questions are the same. RAV4 shouldn't have been closed.
>
> Who 'owns' this site, us the users, or some mysterious owners somewhere?
>
>
>
We own the site. It's everybody's site. It's yours, it's mine. It's whomever has been here and all the people that will come.
[Stack Exchange](https://stackoverflow.com/company/about) actually 'owns' the site but it is driven by the community, us.
>
> When you take a step back what's the big picture goal here? (My thoughts it's to allow us all to help each other with information related to cars and trucks [and sometimes motorcycles] and keeping them running!)
>
>
>
Yes. Agree completely. Although, please don't minimize the motorcycles :-)
Here's some additional info about the site regs.
[On-topic questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)
[Off-topic questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)
>
> Gray areas:
>
>
> * Option content of vehicles.
>
>
>
My opinion, this is clearly on topic. The moment it becomes QA about what is better or cost then that changes the impetus of the question and it should be closed. Subjectivity can be your yardstick. When it's subjective it's off-topic.
>
> * Recommendations on purchasing decisions related to automobiles.
>
>
>
Yes. Off-topic. Also include any cost into your thinking on whether it's appropriate or not for the site. Cost=bad.
>
> * Historical content relating to vehicles.
>
>
>
Completely OK. On-topic.
>
> * Making things look pretty (not related to repair or maintenance)
>
>
>
Yes. How do I wax my car? How do I take care of my leather seats? How do I fix my sun bleached dash board?
>
> * Recommendations about specific suppliers of automotive parts or tools. (I had recently made a comment about the free multimeter give away program from a tool supplier that somebody took great offense to...)
>
>
>
I'll break this up a bit.
If it's shopping, not OK.
Tools - It's fine. There are [lots of tool questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/tools) here. Seventy-seven at this point. Where to buy them, not ok. Which is better, Craftsman or Matco? Not ok. It's subjective.
I'd like to see what the multi-meter ruckus was about. I can't really speak to that. Without knowing anything I'll just say to you, ***"thanks for sharing with people where they can get a free multi-meter. That's pretty nice of you to take the time to do that."***
**My Thoughts**
I've been watching your answers. They are awesome. Thank you for contributing AND thanks for going to next level and contributing here in meta to look for clarification. I hope you continue to post here.
There is a chat, [here is a link](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/340/the-pitstop). It's a little insane but despite all of our shortcomings in there it's filled with some really good people.
We take pride in the culture within Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair as being a friendly and welcoming place. I'm sorry if you received vitriol regarding the multi-meter question. I hope they weren't rude. For me, I find some of the other sites within the Stack Exchange network broken. Not for the content but more for the attitude of aggression that may permeate them. If find NOT NICE behavior intolerable and do my best to live by the credo of ['BE NICE'](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/be-nice) which is the first entry in the help center under the 'Our Model' section. That being said, if someone is 'NOT NICE' to you, you can always comment back to them simply by pasting the BE NICE link to them as your comment.
Glad your here. Great contributions to the site! | Honestly, a lot of the questions don't fit the guidelines posted, yet I rarely vote them to be closed. To be fair, this is the only Stack Exchange community that directly discusses automotive vehicles. I don't see another community to discuss driving techniques, wheels, paintjobs, modifications, automotive history and car trims. Also, extra good questions most certainly doesn't hurt this community.
Shopping and law advice should remain off-topic, though. The first quickly becomes obsolete, the other is something most people here aren't qualified to answer and is unlikely to get good advice, there's a separate community for that.
In short, the guidelines should be expanded. |
1,593 | This topic was sparked by this posting: [Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28887/is-rav4-se-higher-trim-than-rav4-xle)
It's been suggested that
>
> This question does not appear to be about motor vehicle maintenance or
> repair within the scope defined in the help center.
>
>
>
@Ben has carefully pointed out that another question, this [one about Ferrari wheels,](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28859/what-type-of-ferraris-came-with-wire-wheels) is essentially the same type of question, yet nobody suggested it be closed. The Ferrari question actually received a lot of votes.
@Ben is absolutely right. Personally, I don't care what the rules are, just that they are consistent with the goals of the site at large, and clearly communicated to all. As it stands the "goals" of this forum are NOT clearly stated at all. It's vaguely mentioned [here, at the "What topics can I ask about" page...](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)
Am I looking at this right? What do you guys think?
Who 'owns' this site, us the users, or some mysterious owners somewhere?
When you take a step back what's the big picture goal here? (My thoughts it's to allow us all to help each other with information related to cars and trucks [and sometimes motorcycles] and keeping them running!)
Gray areas:
* Option content of vehicles.
* Recommendations on purchasing decisions related to automobiles.
* Historical content relating to vehicles.
* Making things look pretty (not related to repair or maintenance)
* Recommendations about specific suppliers of automotive parts or tools. (I had recently made a comment about the free multimeter give away program from a tool supplier that somebody took great offense to...)
* etc...
Again I'm open, I would just request the guidelines be better written to cover the gray areas a bit.. | 2016/04/26 | [
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1593",
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com/users/7551/"
] | **RAV4 Question**
I see [Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28887/is-rav4-se-higher-trim-than-rav4-xle) as on topic question.
The OP was asking about trim levels. Certainly they seem to be engaged in shopping BUT the question was very specific about trim levels offered by the manufacturer.
>
> I read a lot of articles online, but still don't understand. Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE ? I asked two different dealers and got two different answers .
>
>
> I understand SE is the sport version .
>
>
> **So which one is higher level?**
>
>
>
I do not see anything in the question that even eludes to shopping advice, I do see an OP asking about trim levels. This seems very clear cut to me AND that this question should not have been closed.
**Ferrari Question**
This, as well, seems clear cut to me. It's of a historical nature about a component of a vehicle, a trim level if you will. It does align with the RAV4 question is of the same vein.
>
> This topic was sparked by this posting: Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?
>
>
> It's been suggested that
>
>
> This question does not appear to be about motor vehicle maintenance or repair within the scope defined in the help center.
> @Ben has carefully pointed out that another question, this one about Ferrari wheels, is essentially the same type of question, yet nobody suggested it be closed. The Ferrari question actually received a lot of votes.
>
>
> @Ben is absolutely right. Personally, I don't care what the rules are, just that they are consistent with the goals of the site at large, and clearly communicated to all. As it stands the "goals" of this forum are NOT clearly stated at all. It's vaguely mentioned here, at the "What topics can I ask about" page...
>
>
>
For some clarification here is link to the [off-topic components](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask) that dovetail into the "What can I ask" link.
>
> Am I looking at this right? What do you guys think?
>
>
>
I think you are looking at it correctly. The RAV4 and Ferrari questions are the same. RAV4 shouldn't have been closed.
>
> Who 'owns' this site, us the users, or some mysterious owners somewhere?
>
>
>
We own the site. It's everybody's site. It's yours, it's mine. It's whomever has been here and all the people that will come.
[Stack Exchange](https://stackoverflow.com/company/about) actually 'owns' the site but it is driven by the community, us.
>
> When you take a step back what's the big picture goal here? (My thoughts it's to allow us all to help each other with information related to cars and trucks [and sometimes motorcycles] and keeping them running!)
>
>
>
Yes. Agree completely. Although, please don't minimize the motorcycles :-)
Here's some additional info about the site regs.
[On-topic questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)
[Off-topic questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)
>
> Gray areas:
>
>
> * Option content of vehicles.
>
>
>
My opinion, this is clearly on topic. The moment it becomes QA about what is better or cost then that changes the impetus of the question and it should be closed. Subjectivity can be your yardstick. When it's subjective it's off-topic.
>
> * Recommendations on purchasing decisions related to automobiles.
>
>
>
Yes. Off-topic. Also include any cost into your thinking on whether it's appropriate or not for the site. Cost=bad.
>
> * Historical content relating to vehicles.
>
>
>
Completely OK. On-topic.
>
> * Making things look pretty (not related to repair or maintenance)
>
>
>
Yes. How do I wax my car? How do I take care of my leather seats? How do I fix my sun bleached dash board?
>
> * Recommendations about specific suppliers of automotive parts or tools. (I had recently made a comment about the free multimeter give away program from a tool supplier that somebody took great offense to...)
>
>
>
I'll break this up a bit.
If it's shopping, not OK.
Tools - It's fine. There are [lots of tool questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/tools) here. Seventy-seven at this point. Where to buy them, not ok. Which is better, Craftsman or Matco? Not ok. It's subjective.
I'd like to see what the multi-meter ruckus was about. I can't really speak to that. Without knowing anything I'll just say to you, ***"thanks for sharing with people where they can get a free multi-meter. That's pretty nice of you to take the time to do that."***
**My Thoughts**
I've been watching your answers. They are awesome. Thank you for contributing AND thanks for going to next level and contributing here in meta to look for clarification. I hope you continue to post here.
There is a chat, [here is a link](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/340/the-pitstop). It's a little insane but despite all of our shortcomings in there it's filled with some really good people.
We take pride in the culture within Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair as being a friendly and welcoming place. I'm sorry if you received vitriol regarding the multi-meter question. I hope they weren't rude. For me, I find some of the other sites within the Stack Exchange network broken. Not for the content but more for the attitude of aggression that may permeate them. If find NOT NICE behavior intolerable and do my best to live by the credo of ['BE NICE'](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/be-nice) which is the first entry in the help center under the 'Our Model' section. That being said, if someone is 'NOT NICE' to you, you can always comment back to them simply by pasting the BE NICE link to them as your comment.
Glad your here. Great contributions to the site! | In my view, the Toyota question is a shopping question - fundamentally they're asking which of the two currently-available versions is better. That's off-topic (and we've had plenty of "which car should I buy" questions closed before.
The Ferrari one is a history question - that's a bit more debatable - my gut feeling is that it shouldn't really be here, but I think it got left open because it's interesting...
In terms of your bullet points, 1,2 and 5 are all shopping advice - off topic. Making things look pretty is on-topic (as long as it's related to a vehicle!) - Historical stuff is the real question - perhaps we need a specific Meta question to decide if it's on-topic or not... |
1,593 | This topic was sparked by this posting: [Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28887/is-rav4-se-higher-trim-than-rav4-xle)
It's been suggested that
>
> This question does not appear to be about motor vehicle maintenance or
> repair within the scope defined in the help center.
>
>
>
@Ben has carefully pointed out that another question, this [one about Ferrari wheels,](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28859/what-type-of-ferraris-came-with-wire-wheels) is essentially the same type of question, yet nobody suggested it be closed. The Ferrari question actually received a lot of votes.
@Ben is absolutely right. Personally, I don't care what the rules are, just that they are consistent with the goals of the site at large, and clearly communicated to all. As it stands the "goals" of this forum are NOT clearly stated at all. It's vaguely mentioned [here, at the "What topics can I ask about" page...](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)
Am I looking at this right? What do you guys think?
Who 'owns' this site, us the users, or some mysterious owners somewhere?
When you take a step back what's the big picture goal here? (My thoughts it's to allow us all to help each other with information related to cars and trucks [and sometimes motorcycles] and keeping them running!)
Gray areas:
* Option content of vehicles.
* Recommendations on purchasing decisions related to automobiles.
* Historical content relating to vehicles.
* Making things look pretty (not related to repair or maintenance)
* Recommendations about specific suppliers of automotive parts or tools. (I had recently made a comment about the free multimeter give away program from a tool supplier that somebody took great offense to...)
* etc...
Again I'm open, I would just request the guidelines be better written to cover the gray areas a bit.. | 2016/04/26 | [
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1593",
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com/users/7551/"
] | **RAV4 Question**
I see [Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28887/is-rav4-se-higher-trim-than-rav4-xle) as on topic question.
The OP was asking about trim levels. Certainly they seem to be engaged in shopping BUT the question was very specific about trim levels offered by the manufacturer.
>
> I read a lot of articles online, but still don't understand. Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE ? I asked two different dealers and got two different answers .
>
>
> I understand SE is the sport version .
>
>
> **So which one is higher level?**
>
>
>
I do not see anything in the question that even eludes to shopping advice, I do see an OP asking about trim levels. This seems very clear cut to me AND that this question should not have been closed.
**Ferrari Question**
This, as well, seems clear cut to me. It's of a historical nature about a component of a vehicle, a trim level if you will. It does align with the RAV4 question is of the same vein.
>
> This topic was sparked by this posting: Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?
>
>
> It's been suggested that
>
>
> This question does not appear to be about motor vehicle maintenance or repair within the scope defined in the help center.
> @Ben has carefully pointed out that another question, this one about Ferrari wheels, is essentially the same type of question, yet nobody suggested it be closed. The Ferrari question actually received a lot of votes.
>
>
> @Ben is absolutely right. Personally, I don't care what the rules are, just that they are consistent with the goals of the site at large, and clearly communicated to all. As it stands the "goals" of this forum are NOT clearly stated at all. It's vaguely mentioned here, at the "What topics can I ask about" page...
>
>
>
For some clarification here is link to the [off-topic components](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask) that dovetail into the "What can I ask" link.
>
> Am I looking at this right? What do you guys think?
>
>
>
I think you are looking at it correctly. The RAV4 and Ferrari questions are the same. RAV4 shouldn't have been closed.
>
> Who 'owns' this site, us the users, or some mysterious owners somewhere?
>
>
>
We own the site. It's everybody's site. It's yours, it's mine. It's whomever has been here and all the people that will come.
[Stack Exchange](https://stackoverflow.com/company/about) actually 'owns' the site but it is driven by the community, us.
>
> When you take a step back what's the big picture goal here? (My thoughts it's to allow us all to help each other with information related to cars and trucks [and sometimes motorcycles] and keeping them running!)
>
>
>
Yes. Agree completely. Although, please don't minimize the motorcycles :-)
Here's some additional info about the site regs.
[On-topic questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)
[Off-topic questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)
>
> Gray areas:
>
>
> * Option content of vehicles.
>
>
>
My opinion, this is clearly on topic. The moment it becomes QA about what is better or cost then that changes the impetus of the question and it should be closed. Subjectivity can be your yardstick. When it's subjective it's off-topic.
>
> * Recommendations on purchasing decisions related to automobiles.
>
>
>
Yes. Off-topic. Also include any cost into your thinking on whether it's appropriate or not for the site. Cost=bad.
>
> * Historical content relating to vehicles.
>
>
>
Completely OK. On-topic.
>
> * Making things look pretty (not related to repair or maintenance)
>
>
>
Yes. How do I wax my car? How do I take care of my leather seats? How do I fix my sun bleached dash board?
>
> * Recommendations about specific suppliers of automotive parts or tools. (I had recently made a comment about the free multimeter give away program from a tool supplier that somebody took great offense to...)
>
>
>
I'll break this up a bit.
If it's shopping, not OK.
Tools - It's fine. There are [lots of tool questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/tools) here. Seventy-seven at this point. Where to buy them, not ok. Which is better, Craftsman or Matco? Not ok. It's subjective.
I'd like to see what the multi-meter ruckus was about. I can't really speak to that. Without knowing anything I'll just say to you, ***"thanks for sharing with people where they can get a free multi-meter. That's pretty nice of you to take the time to do that."***
**My Thoughts**
I've been watching your answers. They are awesome. Thank you for contributing AND thanks for going to next level and contributing here in meta to look for clarification. I hope you continue to post here.
There is a chat, [here is a link](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/340/the-pitstop). It's a little insane but despite all of our shortcomings in there it's filled with some really good people.
We take pride in the culture within Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair as being a friendly and welcoming place. I'm sorry if you received vitriol regarding the multi-meter question. I hope they weren't rude. For me, I find some of the other sites within the Stack Exchange network broken. Not for the content but more for the attitude of aggression that may permeate them. If find NOT NICE behavior intolerable and do my best to live by the credo of ['BE NICE'](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/be-nice) which is the first entry in the help center under the 'Our Model' section. That being said, if someone is 'NOT NICE' to you, you can always comment back to them simply by pasting the BE NICE link to them as your comment.
Glad your here. Great contributions to the site! | Personally I didn't have a problem with the RAV4 question, as it's talking about the vehicle, not which vehicle to purchase (or could easily be made that way). The gist of the question is what does the trim level mean; is one trim level better than another. This is not a shopping question. It can be answered objectively without opinion. After all, *isn't that at least part of the reason why shopping and driving techniques are off-topic*? Shopping is all opinion oriented. Driving techniques are opinion oriented. There is no way to *objectively quantify* in either situation. To me anything related to purchasing vehicles or parts is not a gray area ... it's *verboten*. Just don't go there. I'll vote for closure on most any question which goes there. I also will vote to close ones which look, either with intent or feel, as a driving technique question. Every single answer which may come from it will be opinion and we need to stay away from opinion. This site is cut and dry in this area; **avoid opinion whenever possible**.
As far as how the guidelines are written, I believe this is up to the mods. They have the ability to update, rewrite, or clarify them as needed. Mind you, these are *community driven*, meaning while a change may seem arbitrary to you or I, it takes ratification from Mechanics.SE community before it can or even *should be changed*. Changing how we do or what we allow or even how it's written in the help pages needs to be vetted and well received. That's how they came about in the first place and how they should be looked at for the future. I agree this site is a far different place than it was when it was conceived. We allow a lot more content (questions and answers) on here than was ever thought of when it first started. There very well could stand to be a change or two made. In doing so, we need to make sure most are on board with any adjustments prior to just making it happen. |
1,593 | This topic was sparked by this posting: [Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28887/is-rav4-se-higher-trim-than-rav4-xle)
It's been suggested that
>
> This question does not appear to be about motor vehicle maintenance or
> repair within the scope defined in the help center.
>
>
>
@Ben has carefully pointed out that another question, this [one about Ferrari wheels,](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28859/what-type-of-ferraris-came-with-wire-wheels) is essentially the same type of question, yet nobody suggested it be closed. The Ferrari question actually received a lot of votes.
@Ben is absolutely right. Personally, I don't care what the rules are, just that they are consistent with the goals of the site at large, and clearly communicated to all. As it stands the "goals" of this forum are NOT clearly stated at all. It's vaguely mentioned [here, at the "What topics can I ask about" page...](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)
Am I looking at this right? What do you guys think?
Who 'owns' this site, us the users, or some mysterious owners somewhere?
When you take a step back what's the big picture goal here? (My thoughts it's to allow us all to help each other with information related to cars and trucks [and sometimes motorcycles] and keeping them running!)
Gray areas:
* Option content of vehicles.
* Recommendations on purchasing decisions related to automobiles.
* Historical content relating to vehicles.
* Making things look pretty (not related to repair or maintenance)
* Recommendations about specific suppliers of automotive parts or tools. (I had recently made a comment about the free multimeter give away program from a tool supplier that somebody took great offense to...)
* etc...
Again I'm open, I would just request the guidelines be better written to cover the gray areas a bit.. | 2016/04/26 | [
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1593",
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://mechanics.meta.stackexchange.com/users/7551/"
] | **RAV4 Question**
I see [Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/28887/is-rav4-se-higher-trim-than-rav4-xle) as on topic question.
The OP was asking about trim levels. Certainly they seem to be engaged in shopping BUT the question was very specific about trim levels offered by the manufacturer.
>
> I read a lot of articles online, but still don't understand. Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE ? I asked two different dealers and got two different answers .
>
>
> I understand SE is the sport version .
>
>
> **So which one is higher level?**
>
>
>
I do not see anything in the question that even eludes to shopping advice, I do see an OP asking about trim levels. This seems very clear cut to me AND that this question should not have been closed.
**Ferrari Question**
This, as well, seems clear cut to me. It's of a historical nature about a component of a vehicle, a trim level if you will. It does align with the RAV4 question is of the same vein.
>
> This topic was sparked by this posting: Is RAV4 SE higher trim than RAV4 XLE?
>
>
> It's been suggested that
>
>
> This question does not appear to be about motor vehicle maintenance or repair within the scope defined in the help center.
> @Ben has carefully pointed out that another question, this one about Ferrari wheels, is essentially the same type of question, yet nobody suggested it be closed. The Ferrari question actually received a lot of votes.
>
>
> @Ben is absolutely right. Personally, I don't care what the rules are, just that they are consistent with the goals of the site at large, and clearly communicated to all. As it stands the "goals" of this forum are NOT clearly stated at all. It's vaguely mentioned here, at the "What topics can I ask about" page...
>
>
>
For some clarification here is link to the [off-topic components](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask) that dovetail into the "What can I ask" link.
>
> Am I looking at this right? What do you guys think?
>
>
>
I think you are looking at it correctly. The RAV4 and Ferrari questions are the same. RAV4 shouldn't have been closed.
>
> Who 'owns' this site, us the users, or some mysterious owners somewhere?
>
>
>
We own the site. It's everybody's site. It's yours, it's mine. It's whomever has been here and all the people that will come.
[Stack Exchange](https://stackoverflow.com/company/about) actually 'owns' the site but it is driven by the community, us.
>
> When you take a step back what's the big picture goal here? (My thoughts it's to allow us all to help each other with information related to cars and trucks [and sometimes motorcycles] and keeping them running!)
>
>
>
Yes. Agree completely. Although, please don't minimize the motorcycles :-)
Here's some additional info about the site regs.
[On-topic questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic)
[Off-topic questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)
>
> Gray areas:
>
>
> * Option content of vehicles.
>
>
>
My opinion, this is clearly on topic. The moment it becomes QA about what is better or cost then that changes the impetus of the question and it should be closed. Subjectivity can be your yardstick. When it's subjective it's off-topic.
>
> * Recommendations on purchasing decisions related to automobiles.
>
>
>
Yes. Off-topic. Also include any cost into your thinking on whether it's appropriate or not for the site. Cost=bad.
>
> * Historical content relating to vehicles.
>
>
>
Completely OK. On-topic.
>
> * Making things look pretty (not related to repair or maintenance)
>
>
>
Yes. How do I wax my car? How do I take care of my leather seats? How do I fix my sun bleached dash board?
>
> * Recommendations about specific suppliers of automotive parts or tools. (I had recently made a comment about the free multimeter give away program from a tool supplier that somebody took great offense to...)
>
>
>
I'll break this up a bit.
If it's shopping, not OK.
Tools - It's fine. There are [lots of tool questions](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/tools) here. Seventy-seven at this point. Where to buy them, not ok. Which is better, Craftsman or Matco? Not ok. It's subjective.
I'd like to see what the multi-meter ruckus was about. I can't really speak to that. Without knowing anything I'll just say to you, ***"thanks for sharing with people where they can get a free multi-meter. That's pretty nice of you to take the time to do that."***
**My Thoughts**
I've been watching your answers. They are awesome. Thank you for contributing AND thanks for going to next level and contributing here in meta to look for clarification. I hope you continue to post here.
There is a chat, [here is a link](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/340/the-pitstop). It's a little insane but despite all of our shortcomings in there it's filled with some really good people.
We take pride in the culture within Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair as being a friendly and welcoming place. I'm sorry if you received vitriol regarding the multi-meter question. I hope they weren't rude. For me, I find some of the other sites within the Stack Exchange network broken. Not for the content but more for the attitude of aggression that may permeate them. If find NOT NICE behavior intolerable and do my best to live by the credo of ['BE NICE'](https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/help/be-nice) which is the first entry in the help center under the 'Our Model' section. That being said, if someone is 'NOT NICE' to you, you can always comment back to them simply by pasting the BE NICE link to them as your comment.
Glad your here. Great contributions to the site! | My two cents:
Both questions just feel lazy. You could do a little more quick research and get the information. The RAV4 one is the laziest one and it does annoy me because trim levels vary from location. The Ferrari question is lazy, but it does kinda bring up a meta question about Ferrari. Still doesn't mean its within the scope of the rules.
I would just close both and be done with it. |
115,463 | Say I want to use the Tome of Battle maneuver Moment of Perfect Mind, a maneuver that replaces my Will save with the equivalent Concentration Check.
Out of combat, my warblade and an enemy wizard are negotiating over the price of ferrets. While we are talking he casts a quickened spell of Charm Person.
I have Moment of Perfect Mind readied. Can I use the counter to save as an immediate action, or am I considered flat-footed? | 2018/02/14 | [
"https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/115463",
"https://rpg.stackexchange.com",
"https://rpg.stackexchange.com/users/28926/"
] | **Yes**, regardless of whether or not you have been instructed to roll initiative you can use Moment of Perfect Mind, since its description specifies it can be used at any time (a case of specific beating general).
As per the description of Moment of Perfect Mind:
>
> You can use this maneuver any time you would be required to make a Will save.
>
>
>
Although it requires an immediate action, the rules text in this case specifies that that action can be taken even when one ordinarily couldn't as long as a condition is met (you are required to make a Will save). | As soon as the wizard wants to cast *charm person* on the warblade, combat has started. Matters should follow as normal for surprise combat:
1. The warblade may have an opportunity to notice the wizard was up to something, perhaps Sense Motive or possibly even Spellcraft. This would be as a “replacement” for the usual Spot vs. Hide, Listen vs. Move Silently checks that precede a typical ambush by stealth. The rules don’t really cover situations like this very well (so far as I know), so the DM will have to make something up.
(Or the DM rules that [this is not a surprise situation](https://rpg.stackexchange.com/q/92944/8610).)
2. Initiative should be rolled.
3. There is a surprise round. (Again, probably; if not, just assume the warblade passed any tests there might have been in step 1.)
If the warblade recognized that the wizard was up to something and was just waiting for the wizard to try, and reacted quickly enough (read: passed whatever tests the DM chose for step 1, and beat the wizard’s initiative in step 2), the warblade goes first. He may wish to avoid any overt actions prior to the wizard’s spellcasting, in which case he might delay or ready an action. Either way, [his turn has come up and he is no longer flat-footed](https://rpg.stackexchange.com/q/115558/4563).
If the warblade failed to recognize the threat, he does not act in the surprise round. No matter what his initiative is, he is flat-footed and cannot use *moment of perfect mind*.
If the warblade recognized the threat, but did not beat the wizard’s initiative, he is too slow and is still flat-footed when *charm person* is cast. He cannot use *moment of perfect mind* in this case either. |
115,463 | Say I want to use the Tome of Battle maneuver Moment of Perfect Mind, a maneuver that replaces my Will save with the equivalent Concentration Check.
Out of combat, my warblade and an enemy wizard are negotiating over the price of ferrets. While we are talking he casts a quickened spell of Charm Person.
I have Moment of Perfect Mind readied. Can I use the counter to save as an immediate action, or am I considered flat-footed? | 2018/02/14 | [
"https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/115463",
"https://rpg.stackexchange.com",
"https://rpg.stackexchange.com/users/28926/"
] | **Yes**, regardless of whether or not you have been instructed to roll initiative you can use Moment of Perfect Mind, since its description specifies it can be used at any time (a case of specific beating general).
As per the description of Moment of Perfect Mind:
>
> You can use this maneuver any time you would be required to make a Will save.
>
>
>
Although it requires an immediate action, the rules text in this case specifies that that action can be taken even when one ordinarily couldn't as long as a condition is met (you are required to make a Will save). | There are two questions here. One is about a surprise round, and the other is about being flat-footed.
The Rules As Written say:
>
> When a combat starts, if you are not aware of your opponents and they are aware of you, you’re surprised.
>
>
>
In this scenario, you are arguing with a wizard and therefore are aware of the wizard. If the only participants in the scene are you and the wizard, it is not possible for you to be surprised.
Some DMs might rule that you can still be surprised if you are aware of the wizard but not aware that the wizard is a potential enemy, but that is a house rule. (The [link](https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/92944/is-it-possible-to-have-a-surprise-round-if-your-opponent-is-aware-of-you-but-un) provided by [KRyan's answer](https://rpg.stackexchange.com/a/115464/1658) has some more discussion of this.)
---
Using *moment of perfect mind* is an immediate action, and the [rules for immediate actions](http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#immediateActions) say:
>
> You also cannot use an immediate action if you are flat-footed.
>
>
>
So: if the wizard wants to spellcast at you, then the two of you roll initiative, and if the wizard beats your initiative then you cannot use this discipline. |
20,658,836 | I am having a problem with OnMethodBoundaryAspect used by different projects. In particular I have
- root website which is MVC
- sub-website in ASP.NET
- business & data access layers called both by MVC and ASP.NET
I have implemented my own tracing class VerboseTracing : OnMethodBoundaryAspect, within a separate stand-alone logging DLL.
I have added the attribute at the assembly level in both MVC and ASP.NET project
What I am seeing is that the tracing is only outputting for methods in the MVC project. All the projects reference the logging DLL, as indicated in [Using PostSharp OnExceptionAspect across mulit projects](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11976417/using-postsharp-onexceptionaspect-across-mulit-projects).
Any help would be appreciated as I REALLY REALLY need the logging to work in the non-MVC projects.
I am attaching the VerboseTracing class.
Thanks | 2013/12/18 | [
"https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/20658836",
"https://Stackoverflow.com",
"https://Stackoverflow.com/users/982374/"
] | Checkout the **AttributeTargetAssemblies** attribute parameter.
Here is how I have been able to use aspects across multiple projects. The only difference being I am using a project rather than direct assembly reference to the aspect code.
I add the below line, (with proper assembly and namespace) for every other assembly\namespace I need to add aspects to, that my web project code uses.
>
> [assembly: ProfileAspect(AttributeTargetAssemblies =
> "BusinessLogic.Assembly.Name", AttributeTargetTypes =
> "BusinessLogic.Assembly.Namspeace.\*")]
>
>
> | I think [AlexD](https://stackoverflow.com/users/177460/alexd) might be on to something. You should include your logging DLL, and any dependencies the logging project requires to run inside of your ASP.NET project. So I would assume the logging project depends on PostSharp, so PostSharp should also be installed to the ASP.NET project. |
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