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June 10

The AIM-9 Sidewinder guidance system

The Apollo Guidance Computer of 1966 was roughly as powerful as an Apple II of 1977.

The earliest AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared guided air-to air missile was first introduced in 1957. How good was its earliest computer and the 5-cell CdS IR sensor array?

I thought such a primitive weapon could only be launched withing visual distances from the enemy's tail. The controller probably could not take aerodynamics into its calculations. Maybe it was just an analog PID controller for proportional navigation built with very rough gravitational compensation (going up is tougher than going down). The missile certainly knows which way is up because it has fins and four rollerons. I don't think its IR seeker could measure the distance to the target. Looks like it could only provide a very rough target direction.

The solid rocket engine inside the missile could only provide seconds of thrust. When it dies, its thermal battery dies shortly after. Having very limited kinetic energy, it probably did not have many tries to adjust the fins to get to the enemy's tail. All its was able to do, I guess, was to get close to the enemy's tail (with just a few very imprecise tries) as possible and then let the proximity fuse determine when to detonate and hope for the best.

This crude design must have been statistically significantly better than an unguided rocket fired at the same conditions for the Pentagon to buy it. I wonder what was the lowest technological advancements to build a usable guided missile before we have today's computers and sensors that was good enough to replace machine guns and dumb rockets having nothing at all. -- Toytoy (talk) 03:19, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

.apk¬1

Something better than “My Jarvis” is sought, for an android smart phone please, what can you refer? 103.67.158.187 (talk) 17:33, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

It's not that bad. Also take a look at these URLs on naming: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.190778-What-did-you-name-your-computer?page=8 http://wiki.c2.com/?TipsForNamingComputers https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/267154 http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/not-just-any-name-tips-for-picking-good-names-for-your-devices/ Graeme Bartlett (talk) 08:59, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

.apk¬2

Which dictionary is used by many that does not require an internet connection while using on a Smart Phone? 103.67.158.187 (talk) 17:33, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

I use WordWeb but couldn't you search for things? CambridgeBayWeather, Uqaqtuq (talk), Sunasuttuq 00:31, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

OTG Cable

I use to possess a "USB v2.0 4-in-1 Hub" connected to my PC and power-cut became a case - mouse (*1), keyboard (*1), numeric pad (*1) was connected. I changed it to a "USB v3.0 4-in-1 Hub" and now its okay - mouse (*1), keyboard (*2), speakers (a pair) are connected.

What do I do with a OTG cable? what are your experiences? Plus:

1) I wish to buy one but I don't want the same problem I faced with my PC, and I only wish to disconnect the "USB v3.0 4-in-1 Hub" from the PC and connect it to my Smart Phone, which OTG Cable could you refer me to that will work without a power-cut issue?

2) I also don't mind possessing a fresh new "4-in-1 OTG cable" for travelling purpose - I will buy both (1) and (2) after saving the required sum...

116.58.205.208 (talk) 18:18, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

See USB On-The-Go. The 5th pin in the B connector set to ground turns the USB device into a host when the device supports the host (OTG) mode. Note, the battery from the device is being utilized to supply a 5 volts boost converter to feed the external USB devices. See also the downgrade compatibility of USB. Once plugged the USB-OTG adapter, a USB hub can be plugged when supported. Battery charging the host is usually not supported in the OTG mode, but external devices can be supported by an active USB hub. --Hans Haase (有问题吗) 11:21, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

RfC Announce: Wikimedia referrer policy

In February of 2016 the Wikimedia foundation started sending information to all of the websites we link to that allow the owner of the website (or someone who hacks the website, or law enforcement with a search warrant / subpoena) to figure out what Wikipedia page the user was reading when they clicked on the external link.

The WMF is not bound by Wikipedia RfCs, but we can use an advisory-only RfC to decide what information, if any, we want to send to websites we link to and then put in a request to the WMF. I have posted such an advisory-only RfC, which may be found here:

Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)#RfC: Wikimedia referrer policy

Please comment so that we can determine the consensus of the Wikipedia community on this matter. --Guy Macon (talk) 21:37, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

June 11

Code generation by artificial intelligence

Google's AlphaGo has beaten the world’s best human Go player. It seems like AI technology today is sophisticate enough to do more complex jobs. So I wonder if there are some noticeable projects that aim to generate useful code by AI. For example, an Automatic programming application which can translate from human language to programming language like C/C++. As we can see, traditionally, writing computer program requires intensive human interference. - Justin545 (talk) 02:09, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

Computers already write code solving certain extremely narrow and well-defined problems. See LEX and YACC. We are a long way from an AI that can code 1% as well as an 8-year-old who is just learning how to program his first Arduino. If we ever do build an AI that can code (a BIG if), and if that AI is better at creating AIs that can code than humans are (another BIG if), it will be able to write an AI that is better than itself, and then that new AI can write another, still better, then that one can write another...

On would think that the computer the AI runs on could end up being the limiting factor, but if (another big if) the Reprap project ever reaches the point where a Reprap can create a better Reprap, we could see the same runaway improvement in the computer hardware.

Fortunately, Wikipedia has a lot of experience with things that grow without limit. See my Essay at WP:CANCER :) --Guy Macon (talk) 02:54, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

It sounds sad and hopeless. AI can only solve pretty narrow problems as you said. IBM Watson seems to only solve medical issues and nothing else. Understanding natural language or solving general problems by AI is likely to be impossible. :( - Justin545 (talk) 03:26, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible". — Lord Kelvin, 1895

I would say that it's impossible for the foreseeable future. Plus, where are you going to find users who know what they want and can give clear and well-defined business rules? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 05:42, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

If you want an explanation as to why computers haven't written much code, it has to do with the humans. To simplify the process, assume that I want a computer to write a program to add two single digit numbers. It will ask for one number, ask for the next number, and then spit out the sum of the two numbers. Getting it to ask for the first number will take a while, but that isn't too hard. Then, we need to get it to ask for a second number, which isn't too hard. Then, we want it to spit out a number after asking for the first two numbers. That isn't too hard. Those three things are easy because there is no relationship between them. Surely a computer will accidentally prompt for input at some point in randomly writing code. Now, getting it to add the two single-digit inputs is the hard part. If the computer is close to getting it right, we reward it. If it is completely wrong, we punish it. How do you, as the human, decide when and how much to punish or reward? For this example, lets assume that the test is that we give full reward if the answer is exactly correct. Then, to decide punishment level, we take the absolute value of the correct answer minus the answer the computer gave us. Assume the correct answer is 8 and the computer answered 5. The punishment level will be 3. That will eventually get the computer to write code that can sum two digits, right? Wrong. We are thinking like humans, not computers. The computer will "evolve" to a condition what limits punishment. The minimum answer possible is 2. The maximum answer possible is 18. The middle answer, which is the one with the least punishment, is 10. So, the computer will most likely write a computer that asks for two numbers and then responds with 10. I've used this example repeatedly, having a population of randomly created Java byte code generators. The result is always the same. It asks for two numbers and spits out 10. If the human involved (me) was more intelligent, he would devise a better test and, possibly, the AI would perform better. But, humans aren't all that smart. So, the tests they develop greatly limit the AI. 71.85.51.150 (talk) 18:22, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

I think the point would be making the computer understand both natural language and programming language. The only feedback in reinforcement learning is reward (IIRC) which is an insufficient clue and results in sort of guessing. Give some correct examples to the computer to teach it what is an adding operation (perhaps, sort of like neural network which is trained by examples) to avoid guessing. And teach how adding operation is represent in programming language and the connection to the word "add" in English. - Justin545 (talk) 03:23, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

By the way, Both neural network and reinforcement learning algorithms are adopted by AlphaGo. I mean reinforcement learning still has it's value especially in chess-like board games and neural network is not the only solution to AI. - Justin545 (talk) 04:04, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Let's look at it another way, using the same example of the instructions: "write a program to add two single digit numbers". The following questions come up:

0) Do we allow negative numbers ? If not, what error message do we give if they attempt to supply them ?

1) Where does it get the numbers ? Randomly generated ? Read from a file ? Speech recognition ? Typed on a keyboard ?

a) Let's say the answer was "Typed on a keyboard". Now, do we expect input like "1+2<enter>" or "1,2<enter>" or "1 2<enter>" or "1<tab>2<enter>" or "1<enter>2<enter>" or "12<enter>" ? Alternatively, instead of waiting for <enter> to be pressed, do we accept the typed input automatically after the 2nd digit is pressed ? Or do we wait some period to allow them time to correct a typo and then accept the input automatically ? If so, what period of time and do we always wait this period or take the input immediately, if they hit <enter> ? Note that if we allow negative numbers then there may be up to 4 characters typed in, along with any separator, not just 2.

2) What do we do with the results ? Save to a file ? Read aloud with speech generating software ? Display to the screen ?

a) If the answer is to read it aloud, do we call 0 out as "zero", "nil", or something else ? What accent do we use ? Male or female voice ? What speech rate ? What volume ? Do we say something like "The sum is" before we read the number ?

b) If we save it to a file, what is the file name ? Do we ask the user to enter the file name ? Is there a default file name ? Do we need a widget to allow them to select an existing file name ? Do we default to the current directory/folder or ask them which one we want ? What if we don't have write access to the file or folder/directory they choose ? What if the file system is full ? What if that file name already exists ? Do we overwrite it automatically, or give an error, or pop up a warning that it already exists and allow them to overwrite it ? Or do we offer an option to append to the file ? What is the format of the file ? A .txt file ? Is there a header or column headings ? Do we just put the answer in the file or the entire operation, like "1+2=3" ?

3) What do we do if the input is something other than a pair of 1 digit numbers ?

4) What happens when the program completes this task ? Do we end the program, automatically ask for the next pair of numbers, or ask the user what they want to do ?

And these are just some of the Q's that come up with a very basic program. For a more complex program, the Q's expand dramatically. Any type of automatic code generation program would need to have default settings to answer all of these Q's, which the user could then change. StuRat (talk) 14:41, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Think that the computer is a computer science student or a software engineer so maybe you can talk to it "Based on your common sense, writing a program to add two single digit numbers. Ask me if don't know how the details of input and output are implemented.". Making conversation with computers has been realized such as what you would do with iPhone Siri. - Justin545 (talk) 03:01, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Agreed. I'm not saying it's not possible, just that it's much more complex than one might think. And for a complex program it would need to ask so many clarification questions as to negate much of the advantage over writing the code yourself. Either that, or it would be full of "bugs", here being defined as not acting the way you intended it to act, because you never specified that to the automatic programming tool. (And, assuming the automatic programming tool isn't perfect, it may well introduce some bugs of it's own.) StuRat (talk) 15:05, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

There is a MASSIVE general misunderstanding regarding "AI"-Projects like Google's AlphaGo! According our article TensorFlow google's "TPU"-Processors manage "up to 180 teraflops of floating-point performance" per second and against Lee Sedol 50 TPUs where used. This is less an "intelligence" approach but a brute force one. 180 teraflops * 50 = 9 Petaflop's aka 9 thousand billion (9 000 000 000 000/s) float point calculations per second. Btw. this is only a tiny machine. The TOP500 is currently lead by a chineese Supercomputer that manages a peak of 125 Petaflop's. In a picture these duels more or less look like someone with a gun dueling a nuclear bomb. --Kharon (talk) 15:11, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

If you compute brain power in FLOPS, Lee Sedol should have won easily. The human brain is slow, but absurdly parallel - apparently the median estimate for brain power is 10¹⁸ FLOPS, or about 1000 PetaFLOPS [1]. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 19:44, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

• The problem is, what do you mean by "generating code by AI"? I can see two ways of looking at it, and in both cases we already have it.

In the restricted sense of "you give some inputs to the computer and out comes some code", then Eclipse or any IDE qualifies: you click to create a form or a given workflow and it takes care of the mundanities of writing the code.

In the more theoretical sense of "the computer looks for some input without active supervision and future behavior is determined without human intervention", any kind of unsupervised machine learning (such as AlphaGo, or at a smaller scale our friend ClueBot NG) could qualify. Of course, that is philosophically not much more than a data read followed by if/else tests; but then, what is your criteria? Tigraan^{Click here to contact me} 15:32, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

• There may be a general misunderstanding that the hard part about programming is the programming language. It very much is not. The hard part is exactly specifying the problem to solve, and natural language is very bad at that. Formal languages like programming languages are much better. Generating specialised code from data is also not that hard - I've done it since about 1999, when I noticed how many errors I could avoid. And, as mentioned above. automatically written parsers and scanners have been around since the 1970s. What is hard is general problem solving, which probably is AI-complete. But we can expect more and more tools to support programmers and to take over more and more routine tasks. Look at Intellisense and Interface builder, or model-driven software development. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 19:54, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

I don't think AIs will need to generate code, that's looking at the situation the wrong way.

The point would be that you train an AI to do a task that you would otherwise have to write a lot of code for. (Not that the AI would write actual code and then compile it.)

ApLundell (talk) 16:34, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Rocket leauge

Rocket leauge is the game which was released in 2016 and it was developed by Psionix. You can play this game on any console or on computer. One match has 5 minutes and it´s played with football ball. Team which score more goals against other team won the game. In Rocket leauge are those modes: Duel(1v1), Doubles(2v2), Standard(3v3), Chaos(4v4), Snow day(3v3, played with puck), Rocket labs(3v3, experimental maps), Hoops(2v2, played like Basketball). When you play competitive you can gain some rank for each mode when you have played 10 matches. In every season which resets every half of year developers add some new ranks and the old ranks they´ll just delete. Today is season 3 so there are these ranks: Bronze I,II,III -> Silver I,II,III -> Gold I,II,III -> Platinum I,II,III -> Diamond I,II,III -> Champion I,II,III -> Grand champion. Also when new season starts theres big tournament named RLCS(Rocket leauge championship series) with prize pool about 300,000$(Season 3 prize pool). RLCS is played in gamemode 3v3. There´re also some pro teams like Mock-it esports, G2, Flipsid3 tactics, Norther gaming. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.102.174.204 (talk) 12:15, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

Rocket League is enjoyed by many, and we have a decent article on it. I don't see you asking any questions though. If you have a question, please ask it. This is a reference desk, not a place to discuss or promote video games. SemanticMantis (talk) 20:24, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

.apk¬3

Which "english" to "spanish" as well as "spanish" to "english" dictionary is used by many that does not require an internet connection while using a Smart Phone? 43.245.120.76 (talk) 18:29, 11 June 2017 (UTC)

Google Translate will support off-line translation - you will need to download the app, and then in the app download both the English and Spanish dictionaries. After than you can turn off mobile data, but still be able to translate between these languages. LongHairedFop (talk) 21:16, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

June 12

Can I set up a Windows 7 virtual machine on a computer with Kaby Lake?

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 42.61.51.210 (talk) 06:56, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Shure but under/for windows 7 there is no Opcode support for the cpu from Intel (almost unknown, there is actually software, kind of like the better known bios on mainboards, working inside cpu's). Ofcourse a higher version windows host OS can do that but that may have consequences for the virtual machine from producing errors to crashes with no chance for normal users to ever debug these. --Kharon (talk) 15:30, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

I am not sure that opcodes are OS dependent. I think there will be absolutely no problem in setting up Windows 7 virtual machine on a computer with Kaby Lake. Ruslik_Zero 19:38, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

It will work. I'm doing that as I type this, as a matter of fact. It gives you the giant "unsupported hardware" message on boot, but it still works just fine, so long as you're not running any software that requires a Kaby Lake. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 23:48, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

D-type screwlocks

D-subminiature connectors often have a pair of raised chassis nuts into which screw cable hood jackscrews. My experience says these are always UNC 4-40 thread. Is there a formal specification that says this, or is it just common practice? -- SGBailey (talk) 14:11, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Invented by Cannon in 1952, (see D-subminiature) there are now standards MIL-DTL-24308, and IEC 60807-3 and DIN 41652 The mil standard [2] does not seem to specify the screw. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 00:30, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Computer screen cleaner

Safe to use? ROG Swift '27 (not sure if relevant)

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTM5NlgxNTI0/z/EKEAAOSwCGVYBTAD/%24_58.JPG

This might seem stupid but other brands clearly write "Computer" on their packaging.Matt714 (talk) 23:17, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

In my country the packages have to show the ingredient. If you see approx 98% deionized water 1% of a wetting agent like alcohol and a drop of a non-ionic surfactant such as Triton X-100 it should be OK. Gosh. Looking at the price of this stuff on Amazon it would be cheaper to buy Champagne! Personal, I just use distilled water and with an eye dropper drip in a bit of vodka and a drop of Ecover. It is the same stuff but very, very much cheaper. You can also use it to clean CDs and records (for those below a certain age, records were what we used to listen to music). Aspro (talk) 00:20, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

How do people handle massive quantities of data?

Nowadays, a single organization may have thousands or millions of people. A government may have billions of citizens and may hire some citizens to do work through a public school, public hospital, or public university. In either case, how would people, specifically accountants, handle such massive quantities of data? Microsoft Excel only allows a limited row of cells. I don't know much about Access, but I've heard that it's used to handle databases and such. Is keeping track of everyone's records done automatically by a machine or by a human? 50.4.236.254 (talk) 23:42, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Irrelevant for the updated question.
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
All your contributions to Wikipedia appear to exist of just asking a lot of multiple faceted questions here or distributive editing. Do your own simple searches. Google is your friend! Aspro (talk) 00:39, 13 June 2017 (UTC) First, I don't know what you mean by "distributive editing". Second, I have modified the question, because I think the latter questions are irrelevant and confuses the main point. The main question is about handling large quantities of data. That is, by the way, the ONLY question, which contradicts your point of my asking multiple-faceted questions. 50.4.236.254 (talk) 01:27, 13 June 2017 (UTC) First: Here for instance: [3]. Second: You're now moving your goal posts by narrowing down your multifaceted question. Aspro (talk) 01:55, 13 June 2017 (UTC) Is there a problem with revising a question? If a question is too broad or unclear, then I see no problem with revising it and making it clear by getting rid of excesses or tangentially or closely related questions. 50.4.236.254 (talk) 03:54, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

You mentioned databases, which are specifically designed to handle massive quantities of data. I'd start there. StuRat (talk) 01:56, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Off-the-peg databases such as Excel are only intended for use by small businesses. Government departments and muiltinationals will have custom databases built to meet their specific requirements.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:28, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Excel is neither a database not a database management system (terms often used interchangeably). Many generic DBMSes can handle massive amounts of data, and for what we today call Big Data, more specialised systems exist. In general, they come with a query language such as SQL and/or an API and you develop your software against these interfaces to do what you need it to do (or, in reality, to do what some ill-specified, ill-thought-out requirements-document that's been half hacked together by a crowd of crazy monkeys, and half slipped in by your competition to give them a leg up in the call for tender, can be twisted to mean). --Stephan Schulz (talk) 07:54, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

To be fair, a database is in many ways an abstraction of a spreadsheet, and excel does spreadsheets. So while you're not wrong, it's generally forgiveable for non-programmers to fail to make the distinction. I often explain how databases work to people in terms of an excel workbook, as the analogy is obvious and most people know what a workbook is. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 13:12, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

But the OP's question arises specifically because he's not distinguishing between databases and spreadsheets. In this context I think it's quite relevant to point out the difference. CodeTalker (talk) 17:04, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Agreed. For massive quantities of data, you want a full database management system, not a spreadsheet. StuRat (talk) 17:18, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

A modern relational database is not really that similar to a spreadsheet. A single database table is quite similar to a single worksheet. But it would be quite painful to model the relational part of a RDBMs in Excel, and that is a large part of what makes a database useful. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 17:58, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

• And here I thought we were trying to help the OP, not prove who has the bigger nerd penis. Fuck this, I'm done here. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 19:43, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Rather than argue about databases vs spreadsheets, it should be noted that relational databases have traditionally been used to store massive quantities of data. Currently, NoSQL databases are increasing in popularity because they remove a lot of the headache of normalizing incoming data. Instead, you normalize just what you use on the way out (normally by moving it to a relational database). For a common application, see the Epic medical record system. It uses a NoSQL database to store data coming from various sources. It has a data normalizer tool that extracts the data and puts it into a relational database in Oracle, MSSQL, or MySQL. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 19:31, 15 June 2017 (UTC)

June 13

Internet Security and SSN

I have read on websites that advise against inserting the social security number too early on in the job application. Usually, a legitimate employer should request the SSN later in the application process, like after offering the job to the candidate. Similarly, paper applications (from Panera Bread) and electronic kiosks (from Target) may ask for SSN. Why do employers ask for SSN so soon in the first place, right on the job application? For security purposes, can one make up a SSN, and if the SSN is later required for a background check, then the real SSN is offered? Or is it best to stop applying to those corporations altogether? SSN identity theft seems to be the highest kind of theft, as it is attached to bank accounts, credit scores, and medical history. Why can't all legitimate employers by law ask for SSN after the hiring? Just how common is SSN theft? 50.4.236.254 (talk) 11:14, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

It appears that unless you live in New York, Connecticut or Massachusetts you don't have a choice if you want a good shot at getting the job. These two links are quite informative: 12. Thanks ツ Jenova20 ^(email) 11:36, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

One reason to ask for it early is to discourage illegal immigrants from applying, as they won't have one. Of course, they can make one up, but must know it will be checked at some time, making it pointless to even apply. And yes, there are other ways potential employers can verify citizenship, but they cost time and money. If illegal immigrants never apply for jobs in the first place, then they don't waste either. StuRat (talk) 15:00, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Is there a tool that can 'Twitterize' text to be fit 140 characters?

Is there a tool that can take a piece of text and intelligently shorten it such that it fits Twitter's 140 character restriction? I'm aware of URL shorteners, and I am using one, but I'm looking for something more, something that can parse text and remove unnecessary words and replace words with common abbreviations. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 11:51, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Yes, it's called the human brain. In all seriousness, unless there are very strict guidelines as to how the original text is composed, or what subject the text is about, it would be extremely difficult to get a computer to summarize text in a cogent way. Now, if you just want something that can find and replace certain words and phrases, something like this might be what you're looking for. I've never used it before, so I can't give an opinion on it's usefulness or ease of use, though. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 13:08, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Sure, nobody said it was easy. But the world is full of people who like to do difficult things with computers, and sometimes let other people freely use the things they make. See here [4] for examples of how the routines I linked below are used productively all over reddit on a daily basis. Note: of course it's not as good as a human, and sometimes it fails miserably. But often this can take in general text and summarize it in a useful manner. SemanticMantis (talk) 17:32, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Could you could use the text as an image instead? People are always doing that when reposting screenshots and walls of text from elsewhere. Thanks ツ Jenova20 ^(email) 14:40, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Sounds like you want something similar to a Automatic summarization tool or a text simplification tool. However, usually they're used for summarizing documents or paragraphs into a handful of sentences. I'm afraid I'm not aware of one that works well on individual sentences. ApLundell (talk) 16:12, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

However, You may be interested in Twitterative and Tweet Compressor, and this interesting tool.

ApLundell (talk) 16:18, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

This page [5] summarizes text using language processing algorithms. SemanticMantis (talk) 17:32, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

You could auto-disemvowel the text (for which apps exist) and then restore the few vowels necessary to remove ambiguity. Before disemvowelling's use for internet forum moderation, similar abjad modifications of written English were used (manually) as one form of business shorthand which, obviating the need to learn new symbols, was quicker to learn though not ultimately as fast as symbolic shorthands. (One used to see ads in London Underground carriages offering secretarial courses – "F u cn rd ths u cn bcm a scrtry & gt a gd jb.") {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.217.208.38 (talk) 12:26, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Thanks, there seems to be an active area of development for these types of tools. I've tried a number of them, they all seem to do things differently, and there is no one stand out that I tried. But thanks, I'll just use my human brain for now. This does seem like a good candidate for an open source code project. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 15:04, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

How do I convert this into JavaScript?

This is apgsearch and I am trying to understand the code, but I need it in JavaScript.

# *************************************
# * Ash Pattern Generator (apgsearch) *
# *************************************
# * Version: v1.1  (beta release)     *
# *************************************
...large program redacted....

# apg_verify()

32ieww (talk) 22:56, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

I have redacted the program, as it really is too big for here, and is probably not a compatible copyright license. The program should be available here: http://catagolue.appspot.com/binaries/apgsearch-2015-05-25.py . Do a google search for "python to javascript conversion" and see if there is anything that you like there. It will not be super straight forward as there are dependencies with libraries that you need to substitute with some other code as well. Also the data structure will ahve to be converted too somehow. Examples include Pijs[6] and transcrypt[7] or skulpt, brython, pyjaco and pythonScript[8]. Another alternative is to grab the C++ version and convert that. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 00:06, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

June 14

Power Off Button

Refer me to a good “Power Off Button” button for a android phone please? 116.58.200.27 (talk) 17:13, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Have you tried holding down the power/lock button? It normally displays the options to power off, restart, or lock the phone. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 17:46, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

A software is requested. 103.67.159.185 (talk) 17:55, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

I'm guessing that these requests relate to software you are writing for the Android phone, and would like to add those buttons to it. Is this correct ? StuRat (talk) 18:00, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

If that is the case, most stock Android systems do not give the programmer access to Shutdown/Reboot functions. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 18:07, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Restart Button

Refer me to a good “Restart Button” button for Android phone please? 116.58.200.27 (talk) 17:13, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Bolding and Underlining

Which software will allow me to “bold” and or as well as “underline” a word or a sentence anywhere in an Android phone.

Note: “OneNote” software of (from) “MS Office” is only to do with ‘in it work’. The desire is to ‘‘bold’’ and ‘‘underline’’ in the whole phone and in all of its software’s content, wherever you can type a word…

116.58.200.27 (talk) 17:13, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Security, Safety, and Photographs Online

Hello,

I run a cultural community website. I am considering showcasing photos from members of the community when they go on holiday to different places.

My question is..... how much concern should we have regarding photos that show actual people there, as opposed to just a landmark or something? What are the details and factors involved, and is it risky? ( I am looking from the perspective of someone using the photos to identify a person, with malicious intent of some kind, but if there are other factors, i'd like to hear that too! )

Thanks in advance for any background information or thoughts on this topic.

Edit: Additional thought. What about random people who happen to, for instance, get in the frame with the Eiffel Tower?! Should we not post this image because we didnt ask any of those 100+ people if they would allow the photo? Funny question but does have some true implications. I've seen my University make people who are students sign off allowing them to show photos with them in for events etc. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.173.144.188 (talk) 18:12, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

216.173.144.188 (talk) 17:49, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Facial recognition software could possibly be used to identify them, provided their face is in the database. Also, reverse image search tools like TinEye could be used to find the same photo, posted elsewhere, along with identifying info. So, there are real concerns. A would-be stalker could potentially see a pic of a person they want to stalk, and find their address or phone number using such a tool. At the very least, I suggest you give them a release to sign which lists the risks. StuRat (talk) 17:57, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Thanks StuRat, could you please also comment on the above edit? Thanks! 216.173.144.188 (talk) 18:13, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Assuming this is not automated and that a human will pick the photos before uploading them... You could blur out the faces. It isn't hard. Most photo editors make it easy to circle an area and click "blur". 209.149.113.5 (talk) 18:16, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

If Adobe Flash needs updating, why does the notice take over the entire screen?

As far as I can tell, I never got a response to this in the Yahoo community. I would have to guess this is the result of an ad that needs Adobe Flash to work, and when it won't, the notice that I need to download the update takes over the entire screen with this URL, replacing the Yahoo email or list of emails that were there. What's really a concern is the button to click on to download, which has the name of a web site beside it. That's nice of them to let me know this might be a scam, but I wasn't planning to update using that link.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 21:21, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Making video volume go to eleven

I hated my in-built mac speakers so I bought a real system - Harman Kardon SoundSticks III - that are all hooked up. It's working – audio coming from the speakers – except that YouTube videos I've tried are playing at such a quiet volume that I can barely hear them. The sound system is turned to maximum volume and the YoutTueb video turned to maximim volume. In preferences → sound output and input volume is set at highest and input is set to "Line in". Is there some kind of governor on YouTube videos that I can remove? Any suggestions?--173.68.77.60 (talk) 22:56, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Does this mac have surround sound? Is it possible that you hooked the speakers to the rear channels instead of the front channels? I've made that mistake before on my PC and Youtube was one of the things most noticeably effected for whatever reason. ApLundell (talk) 23:14, 14 June 2017 (UTC)

Run VLC media player.

Select Media->Open network stream...->Network tab->Enter the URL for the YouTube video->Play. Video and audio should start.

Then select Tools->Effects and filters->Audio Effects tab->Equalizer: Increase Preamp slider and click on Enable. The combination of this, the manual volume control, the on-screen "rainbow" volume booster (125%) and, if you must abuse it, shoving all 10 equalizer sliders to maximum should get all the volume you need. Blooteuth (talk) 18:00, 15 June 2017 (UTC)

June 15

Uploading an exercise online

What's the easiest way of uploading exercises for a small group of people (~15)? It has to allow the students to check their answers and some way of tracking results (to know who answered what, how many times they tried). It does not have to be for free. --Clipname (talk) 16:42, 15 June 2017 (UTC)

Blackboard and Moodle are common tools for this. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 17:57, 15 June 2017 (UTC)

Why and what it is ?

I bought to ease and effectivate the Multimeter use - instead of the two blunt needle-likes as are always supplied along DMM, I could use now alligator grips (or whatever they are called), and also the spring-loaded ones that are quite effective in gripping minutest of parts as shown [9].But in practice I even was unable to get precise resistance of required components (which can be measured exactly by using simple red and black wire terminals supplied by original manufacturer.) The problem is a small black box which, when opened shows this is [10]. Can anyone please explain the purpose of it here ? And what could be done to it or to something else to make the DMM's working ideal ? 27.255.221.168 (talk) 21:02, 15 June 2017 (UTC)