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January 21

video file

Is there a way to or a free download tool that lets me keep video files I play on my computer? I'm running WindowsXP. I was trying to find a downloadable copy of Obama's inaugural address, but all I could find were commentaries. It's already being cut down to sniplets at most news sites. I'm afraid if I don't save a copy now I'll never get to watch the whole thing again. --76.97.245.5 (talk) 09:06, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Try searching for '<your browser name here> cache path' or something like that and you might be able to find the things you want from there. There also seems to be some "flash video resources downloader" plugin for firefox, but I haven't tried that. --194.197.235.61 (talk) 09:22, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Ten years ago, on Windows 9x and IE, this was really simple. You just had to copy the *.avi or *.mpg files from "C:\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files". Today, it is slightly more complicated. Although browsers still store files in temporary folders, many (perhaps most) videos are Flash based and/or streamed, and cannot be saved and played in common media players that easily. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 10:41, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Not really a technical matter, but I believe the recordings of Obama's speech will be available for a long time. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 11:04, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Yea, but probably at sites like YouTube. News orgs always seem to want to edit things down to sound bites, making them essentially useless. StuRat (talk) 13:35, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

• It depends on the format of the video. For YouTube, you use a site like this to download the .flv file, which you can then play in VLC player. If it's Quicktime, you can just examine the source code (View... --> Source) for the .mov file link, or right-click on the movie if you have Quicktime Pro to download it. You can also look in the cache, as was mentioned above. In XP, the path is C:\Documents and Settings\<your user name>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files.--K;;m5m k;;m5m (talk) 11:28, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

I would skip the keepvid site and go right to here, which will convert the file to something useful and download it for you as well. Matt Deres (talk) 16:09, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. I had meanwhile managed to capture one, but it will only play with a lot of distortion. I'll get to work on feeding it though the site Matt suggested today. --76.97.245.5 (talk) 00:08, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Be sure to check the file(s) carefully. I checked through the files I'd downloaded and about a third had no sound in them. Sorry for the red herring; the first two or three I'd tried came through perfectly so I thought the site was good. Matt Deres (talk) 11:41, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

I personally find the original files far more useful then crappily recompressed ones. You don't actually need KeepVid or any website, Orbit and other tools are able to download mostly anything you throw at them and able to find the URL too. Really if you have VLC you should have no problems with most files you download, except perhaps RM files for which there's RealPlayer Alternative, if you're using Windows Nil Einne (talk) 12:12, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

If all you want is Obama's speech, then you should go to the whitehouse.gov. Below each youtube video on whitehouse.gov website is a download link to a high quality MP4 file. Much better than using special youtube downloaders and converters. For other Youtube videos, VLC media player will play .flv without converting. — Shinhan < talk > 07:38, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

gnuplot with XCode

How can I use gnuplot with XCode (programming in C) on Mac OS? If I have an output file with data in, how do I plot it from within C? Is it something to do with a makefile?

--Cash4alex (talk) 12:24, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Google is your friend. (I understand, however, if you don't yet know the keyword API to search for. In this context, "a Y X API" means "a library for controlling program/system X from language Y".) Makefiles are certainly irrelevant. --Tardis (talk) 15:40, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Sound doesn't work

I am running Damn Small Linux on an eMachines T5010 computer. How would i go about setting up the sound card so it works in Linux? Step-by-step would be nice; i am relatively new to Linux.  Buffered Input Output 13:58, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

1. Figure out what sound hardware you have. "lspci" is useful for this.
2. Configure the kernel. Assuming you're using menuconfig and a 2.6-series kernel, you'll want

   Device drivers ->

   Sound->

   <*> Enable sound support

   Advanced Linux Sound Architecture ->

   <*> Advanced Linux Sound Architecture

   Find your hardware under either USB devices or PCI devices and enable it

3. Build and install the new kernel
4. Install the ALSA libraries and utilities
5. Run "alsamixer" to un-mute the sound on your system

There are additional steps for programs that only support the older OSS API, and for MIDI support. --Carnildo (talk) 23:23, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

DSL uses a 2.4.31-KNOPPIX kernel. There is no menuconfig.  Buffered Input Output 13:44, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Excel

Hi

Is there a way to apply a forumla to a cell location? I have a list of 100 values, repeated 4 times on one above the other. I'd like to average each position over all 4 repeats so I'd like to write a formula like:

=average(Bx,B(x+100),B(x+200),B(x+300)).

I can't do this, is there another way I can achieve the same thing?

Thanks!

Aaadddaaammm (talk) 14:21, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

You probably want =average(B1,B101,B201,B301). If you place this formula in a separate column (D, for instance) and then auto-fill from D1 to D100 you will have a column of 100 averages. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 14:43, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, new question: I've copied and (special) pasted formulas I made with the concatenate command, and now they are not calculated. If I double click on each and hit enter it calculates them, but I've got several thousand and I don't want to click on them all. Any hints here? Is there a "calculate all formulas" button, or something? Thanks Aaadddaaammm (talk) 15:16, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Pressing F9 should recalculate everything. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 15:33, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

I would so love for it to be that easy, but F9 does nothing for me. Excel doesn't seem to understand that they are formulas until I double click them... Any other tips? I've been trying macros, but they are not working for me. Aaadddaaammm (talk) 15:47, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Why is it necessary to "(special) paste" the formulas? You should be able to accomplish most everything with standard "paste" or the auto-fill feature. To create a constant formula (one that doesn't change cell identifiers automatically) either use '$' to specify invariant terms or complete three cells manually, select them all, then use auto-fill. If it still isn't working we're going to need more information on what exactly you are trying to do. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 21:19, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Total size of all Wikipedia articles

Hello RD. Quick question, what is the total size of all Wikipedia articles in TB if summed together? -- Samir 14:24, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Does this help? Cycle~ (talk) 14:45, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

And this. Cycle~ (talk) 14:46, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Rock on. You are awesome. For some reason couldn't find it when I searched. Take care -- Samir 14:51, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

You can even download the entire wikipedia DB if you want, see Wikipedia:Database download. :) -- Aeluwas (talk) 17:46, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Not even close to a terabyte. How about this oldie for a real challenge "I want to download the Internet. Do I need a bigger hard disk?" :) Dmcq (talk) 23:53, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

If you go here: [1] you'll see raw files - available for download. The relevent file is enwiki-latest-pages-articles.xml.bz2 - which is the raw text for all of the articles. No Talk: pages, no WP: pages, no User: pages and no pictures. So the raw text of the English-language Wikipedia articles is only 4.1Gbytes. That's using BZ2 file compression. That's actually the October 2008 version - it'll have grown quite a bit since then. But even allowing for some growth - you could fit it onto a single DVD-ROM (indeed a single-sided, single layer DVD-ROM). Unless you have a very old computer or your hard drive is very full - you should have plenty of space to download it onto your computer and if you have a decent net connection, you should be able to download it all overnight. SteveBaker (talk) 03:25, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

ipod shuffle (clip version) with old USB (1)

Does the iPod shuffle (the clip version) work with a very old computer that only has old USB (USB 1)?

Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.120.227.136 (talk) 16:14, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Yep. As long as the computer can run iTunes, then the iPod should work with it. flaminglawyer^c 22:19, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Yes, all USB 2.0 devices should work on 1.1 connectors (at a lower data rate, of course). --69.151.28.135 (talk) 05:16, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Inkscape fire

Does anyone know a way to make fire lettering in Inkscape? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.219.228.172 (talk) 18:13, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

It depends on what you want "fire lettering" to really look like. Options include (combinations of):

• turn the text into a shape, and then manually manipulate the top vectors of each letter to resemble a stylised fire effect (that's a lot of heavy lifting)
• turn the text into a shape, copy, expand, and repeat a few times. Then overlay the resulting forms with a roughly common baseline, and colour in a fire-like way
• a firey gradient fill in the text object

87.113.74.22 (talk) 20:02, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

I think I'd paint the effect I wanted in a paint program (GIMP, Photoshop, etc) at really high resolution - perhaps with a limited color palette - then use Inkscape's capability to convert raster images into vectors. Do a couple of letters first to make sure it does what you want. SteveBaker (talk) 03:01, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

I want it to look like this: [2] or like this: [3]. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.219.228.172 (talk) 18:13, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Conficker virus/trojan whatever?

So, I come back from a month abroad in Europe (to the UK); I switch on my PC and find a dirty big but incomplete message that has no Close button obliterating a large part of my screen telling me in part that my automatic update has failed. So there I am wondering what has happened whilst I was away and I decide to bypass the message and log on to AOL and then on to my Windows Protection Suite as provided by McAfee via AOL telling me my PC, Files, EMail and Internet are unprotected so I click on FIX and nothing changes, so now I worry. And then I decide to delete McAfee from my Program list and then I re-install it successfully and do a full Scan and then my McAfee tells me I am fully protected again. Phew. But now I am wondering why do I pay AOL/McAfee/Windows XP £2.99 per month for protection if I am exposed to viruses such as Conficker in my absence (I only learned about this from Wiki's Main Page today). And why wasn't I told about this by AOL - I did try their Live Help Desk but got a message telling me that in order to improve their customer service to me AOL had discontinued that facility??????? And having done all of that, why do I still get the incomplete message at startup telling me that the automatic update has failed despite McAfee telling me my PC etc., are all now fully protected? Thanks for letting me rant and thanks in anticipation of any helpful responses to this novice PC user. Oh - and is anyone ever traced who has initiated these viruses worms and trojans and are they ever prosecuted? 92.21.251.196 (talk) 19:42, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Well, with AOL, that's kind of what a lot of people would expect; it's not exactly a universally beloved service. Still, as reviled as AOL may be, in this instance, it's not necessarily their fault. McAfee is probably a little more to blame here, since they're the ones who provided the software that was supposed to keep this from happening. But even then, it's a little hard to say it's their fault: they can only prevent what they can catch in time, and if the worm slipped under their radar, well, that's that. It can be argued that their software should have caught it, but, well. Can't catch 'em all. I'm sure their software did tell you that your computer is fully protected, but any piece of software that tells you that is lying -- at least if by "fully protected" you expect it to mean that "it cannot be breached or infected by malware". It simply means that there are no security problems the program is aware of. There are always going to be bugs that can be exploited, and a piece of malware can always avoid detection if its creator is clever enough.

Perhaps a tiny bit of the blame could also be said to fall in your own lap: a patch for the bug in Windows that enabled Conficker to work was released three months ago, and if you'd installed that patch at the time, chances are that your computer wouldn't have been infected.

But that is blaming the victim. The malware's author is obviously the person who really should be blamed -- and to answer your question, yes, sometimes these people get caught, but a lot of the time they don't. Usually, there's not a lot of evidence to go by, but sometimes these moral cripples do get caught: David L. Smith, who wrote the infamous Melissa worm, for example, was caught and got a ten-year sentence (which was reduced when he turned stoolie, but still). Likewise, Sven Jaschan, the author of the Netsky and Sasser computer worms was caught and convincted, though he got off relatively easily since he was a minor. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 21:04, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

January 22

basic C++ help

I'm new to programing, and it's really frustrating. I need my program to read from a file (groceries.data) and then output it. I just can't seem to get it to work. This is what I have, based on textbook examples and handouts.

#include <fstream>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;


int main(){
  string groceries;
  ifstream groceries ("groceries.data", ios::in);
  groceries>>...
    cout << groceries; << endl;
}

It keeps giving me errors. Where am I going wrong? Thanks for your help, whoever helps. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.82.78.80 (talk) 01:19, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

I wrapped your source inside a <syntaxhighlight lang="">..</syntaxhighlight> for readability. I see a couple of problems. First, I would suggest naming your ifstream object something different from your string (both are currently named "groceries"). Next, when reading from the stream, the stream object should be placed to the left of the >> operator, and the object (string) to receive the data to the right. That statement would be terminated with a semicolon. Finally, you have an extra semicolon in your output statement. It's okay and quite common to have multiple output items strung together with multiple << operators in a single statement.

Try updating your code to see if you make any progress. If you still have problems, post your next version and we'll try to help. -- Tcncv (talk) 01:41, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

#include <fstream>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;


int main(){ fstream file;
 char line[80];//to input the data from the file
 file.open("groceries.data",ios::in);
 while(!file.eof())  //to keep it running until the last of the file is encountered
 {
  file.getline(line,80,'\n');//to input the string from the file linewise
  cout<<line<<endl;//outputting the string to the screen
 }
}

I think that should work. Vineeth h (talk) 14:22, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

standard tetris game, windows?

can anyone recommend a free STANDARD tetris game I can download for Windows XP. I just tried like 5 of them, and I tried all the top results for "java tetris" in my browser too and none of them are good, standard tetris.

Do any of you play one you can recommend for me? Please only answer if you've actually, seriously played it for a long time. Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.120.227.136 (talk) 01:31, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Well, I haven't "actually, seriously played it for a long time", but perhaps you can find some helpful information on a Wiki devoted to Tetris. I suspect at least one person there will have "actually, seriously played it for a long time". -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 02:07, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Okay, you don't have to have "actually, seriously played it for a long time" but even if you haven't "actually, seriously played it for a long time" do you know of a specific one you can recommend for me? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.120.227.136 (talk) 02:19, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Technically, no. But this list of "fan games" probably has something to suit you. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 02:45, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

The definitive tetris for windows came with the excellent Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack. It's the one that Peter is playing in Office Space. BOWEP isn't sold anymore but it's been available here for a long time. You might also want to look at TetriNET .froth. (talk) 18:58, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

€

Does anyone know what symbol occupied the place of the euro sign (option-shift-2) on U.S. Mac OS keyboards before the euro was introduced? Lesgles (talk) 04:37, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

According to the apple support website it replaced the currency symbol. Nanonic (talk) 07:56, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! Lesgles (talk) 06:04, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Download Wikipedia.

Very soon i will be visiting a relative in a third world country. Among other things i will be bringing a laptop to give to the relative. My relative does now have internet and has no way of getting access to the internet, so I would like to put a full (or nearly full) copy of the English Wikipedia on to this laptop. I would like it to be in the same format as it is online. What would be the easiest way of going about this?

Thank you 98.238.145.2 (talk) 06:43, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

[4]. Note that the English version is around 14 gigabytes, and there's no way to choose which articles you want. If you want a smaller version, you'll have to set up a local web server like Apache, get PHP and MediaWiki, and import pages-articles.xml.bz2. That one's 4.1 GB. --wj32 ^t/c 08:54, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

(edit conflict) If I am not mistaken, the Wikipedia article database is a (huge) XML file. It should not be that difficult to write a Windows application using a Internet Explorer component for viewing the pages from a database file. (Do not try to read from the original XML file, though – reading a 4 GB file to RAM is still highly inadvisable.) Has no one ever tried this before? Are there no Wikipedia EXEs already compiled? --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 08:59, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Is there a way to download the complete 14gb? ceo 09:41, 22 January 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ceo (talk • contribs)

You might be interested in WP:Wikipedia-CD/Download, a good selection of articles in 2006. Hopefully a new version on DVD instead will come sometime soon but I don't know any details of that. Dmcq (talk) 10:51, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

I don't know what you mean by "is there a way to download the complete 14gb". It's here. --wj32 ^t/c 22:47, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Wizard (software)

What is the etymology or reasoning behind the name of this? thanks, --Molten Epidermis (talk) 12:20, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

My hypothesis: The application (wizard) makes all sorts of "strange and complicated" things for you (e.g. installing an application), like a wizard, after asking you a few questions. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 15:15, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Some time ago (10-15 years) I worked on a project where I needed to use the Spanish version of Microsoft Excel, and noticed that it used the word for "Assistant" instead of "Wizard". I never found the reason for this - some cultural sensitivity perhaps? - and I don't know if it's still the case. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 13:31, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

RAR or 7zip

what's the best archive format for storing large numbers of file? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 12:28, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Acording to http://www.kikizas.net/en/apps.7z.html there is not much difference though anecdotally you are more likely to recover data from corrupt RAR archives. -- Q Chris (talk) 12:42, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Sorry i should have been more specific. I'm not too bothered about the compression, i'd like to know which works best for large numbers of files, recovery (as you said), cross platform implementation etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 13:03, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

(A little off topic) One issue for us tightwads is that the 7zip software is a free download, but winrar is only a 30-day free trial. 7zip also a supports a wide range of archive formats including RAR. Astronaut (talk) 18:54, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

I duno about 30-day trial, works for me no nag screens or nothing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 20:47, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

TBH I hadn't checked recently but just now I got a nag screen saying that Winrar is not free and after a 40 day trial period I must buy a license or remove it. However, considering the wide range of free alternatives, I'm in no rush to splash out 30 Euros. Astronaut (talk) 23:42, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Safe Games?

At my school, I have two periods in which I have no class; I attempted to play Antari's Impossible Quiz, which is completely innocent -and- FUN! But, my school is somehow stopping it from loading. So any suggestions on some game sites that wouldn't be blocked? —Preceding unsigned comment added by EWHS (talk • contribs) 14:24, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

How should we know your school's internet blocking policy? The best advice I can give is to google for gaming sites and try them until something works. Algebraist 14:36, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Another advice is to follow your school's rules, and not use computers for gaming at all. (Indeed, there might be reasons for why some sites are blocked.) --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 15:18, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

But that's not fun!  Buffered Input Output 17:16, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

How do you know that his school's rules state that computers are not to be used for gaming at all? (They might! But the original poster doesn't say anything of the sort.) I mean, I don't think it's at all unusual for schools to just block sites en masse and not worry too much about sites that wouldn't violate the school's policy getting caught in the wave. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 17:25, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm guessing that you have much better games at home, so my suggestion is to use that time at school to do your homework and study, so you will have two more hours at home each day to play the really excellent games. This will also keep you from getting in trouble for playing games on the computers at school, if that's not allowed. StuRat (talk) 18:40, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

It's possible to bypass some blocks using anonymizers. In high school, one of the guys in my computer class set one up so we could play games and browse humor sites. If you don't have a friend who knows computers, a site like [5] might work. I don't recommend using that, since there's probably rules against it, but it's something to think about. As far as finding sites that won't be blocked, I doubt it's possible. They probably just block every site with any kind of animation on it. Black Carrot (talk) 16:03, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Most Flash games can be downloaded and put on a flash drive. You should then be able to play them at school.

Xcode on two Macs-discepancy

I have written a program in the Xcode environment. I can run it on an iMac (Power PC) with no problem, but when I try to run exactly the same program (I just copied and pasted the code between environments) on my macbook, it launches a gbd debugger, and when I run it in terminal it says 'floating point exception.' Why is this happening when it is exactly the same code? The versions of Xcode are 3.1 and 3.0 respectively, but the code is a very primitive C program, so I don't see how that should be a problem...

Thanks --Cash4alex (talk) 14:47, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

C (source code) programs are not entirely portable between architectures. Issues about endianness, alignment, packing, memory layout, and pointer type can all vary. Even a very trivial C program can work on one architecture and coredump on another. Equally the foibles of one architecture can hide problems which are exposed on another. What you need to do is to reduce the problem to a minimal case (just a few lines) - if you post that here someone may be able to help - but please don't post the whole big program. Mimetic Polyalloy (talk) 15:22, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

And keep in mind that a Macbook and an IMac have totally different processors (PowerPC vs. Intel); it's worse than just running it on two slightly different computers. I'm no C programmer but it strikes me that you could easily have some PPC-specific library included without realizing that you need to replace it with an Intel one, or something like that. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 15:35, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

It may help to note that the message "floating point exception" can actually be generated without any floating point calculation: often it's generated by integer division by zero. It should perhaps be called "arithmetic exception" instead. --Tardis (talk) 16:11, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

I don't now about the iMac but another possible problem is that floating point exceptions are normally enabled for C programs but disabled for other environments like Java. Perhaps Xcode disables exceptions? Dmcq (talk) 18:33, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Looking at Apple my guess is that endianess is the problem. The powerPC is big enian and I guess your macbook is an Intel little endian version. You may be reading or writing data a bye at a time or using union. Dmcq (talk) 18:37, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Can someone help me fidure this out?

I am now nearly 100% sure that my home desktop has that conflicker worm that we have been hearing so much about. I downloaded that tool that Microsoft says will fix/remove it, but my computer won't run the program. I found out only recently that the desktop at home isn;t set to reconginze me as the admin on the computer, so I want to know if I need admin privilages to run the MS tool to get rid of the worm. Can someone help? 129.108.224.255 (talk) 16:03, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

What operating system are you using? Do you have an anti-virus message that says you have this worm? Do you have the ability to make yourself the administrator or have access to the admin account?Livewireo (talk) 20:45, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Respectively: Windows XP, Not conflicker directly, but all the symptoms match what I am experiencing on the desktop, and I have no idea how to make myself the administrator since the only account on the computer is mine. 76.192.80.133 (talk) 02:33, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

ctrl-alt-delete 3 or 4 times at the login area when Windows finishes loading. (this is if you have a password protected account) then type in "Administrator" and then hit enter. Rgoodermote  21:19, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

ASCII

Why does ASCII start with null and go into things like form feed and bell first instead of starting out with numbers or even letters first? I have a theory that it is because early computers weren't used as word processors, so there was less of a need for ASCII than there was for things that would punch cards, light lights, and ring bells. Dismas|^(talk) 21:49, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

All those early characters were important for the operation of the teletype machines that ASCII was originally designed for. The articles ASCII and ASCII Control Characters have a lot of info on this. APL (talk) 22:16, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

The way ASCII is arranged allows for some neat shortcuts for programmers, all printable characters are in a contiguous range, substracting 30 from the ASCII code for a number results in the value of that number, adding 32 to an upper case letter results in the lower case equivilent and the reverse. My pet theory as to why ASCII starts with null (and thus to keep all non printable character together at the start) is that in the C programming language, strings are terminated by null and the numeric value 0 evaluates to false, so when traversing a string one can use a construct like "while(str[i])" which would stop looping when it encounters the null terminator (Disclaimer: This may be bad practice, I am not a professional programmer). 90.219.129.24 (talk) 23:18, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

The C programming language came along much later than the invention of ASCII, but the reasons for the layout of ASCII is explained in the ASCII artile. Astronaut (talk) 00:17, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

In the specific case of NUL, it's assigned value 0 because ASCII is designed around the needs of punched tape and transmission over teleprinter connections, and 0 corresponds to a blank tape or no signal. --Carnildo (talk) 22:26, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Outlook backup

How do I do this please? Kittybrewster ☎ 22:13, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

The data files used to store messages, appointments etc. are stored in *.pst files in C:\Users\<User Name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook. Usually the interesting file is called Outlook.pst. Just copy this file (or, these files) to a safe location. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 22:34, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

That's the location in Vista. It is somewhere else in XP - I'll try to find out the location. Astronaut (talk) 23:46, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

On XP, Outlook Express files are stored here: C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{...}\Microsoft\Outlook Express\ Astronaut (talk) 11:59, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

There is a backup addin that does exactly what you want: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=8B081F3A-B7D0-4B16-B8AF-5A6322F4FD01

computing,email attachments

Both my computers (Desktop Vista and Thunderbird, notebook XP and Outlook express) are connected to broadband through a common mdem/router and phone line. Both fail to send any email including an attachment of any size. Any info/doc. on the subject?Passwordedout (talk) 22:45, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

What type of attachments are you trying to send (programs, music, images)? Astronaut (talk) 00:19, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Although some email clients "helpfully" remove some attachments, the more likely scenario here is that the mail server you are connecting to doesn't allow attachments. Configuring your email client to authenticate to the server for outgoing email *may* help. You might also try contacting technical support for your email provider (likely your ISP). Also, an error message or description of the failure would help us provide meaningful assistance. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:13, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Do you have trouble downloading or uploading large files or webpages (like, bigger than 1.5K)? If so, your MTU may be set incorrectly. --131.179.33.138 (talk) 01:55, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

January 23

3rd Generation iPod Nano

I own a black 8 GB third-generation iPod Nano. It's about a year and a quarter old. It often freezes up. Occasionally, it will not turn on, or freeze at the screen saver, where it shows the time, and battery level(that's what is happening now). This has been happening for a while, and I am now sick of it. Thanks in advance, Genius101^Guestbook 00:28, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Okay. Do you have a question? Supposing that it's just "how do I fix this?", I suggest you try a reset. If that doesn't do the trick, I don't think you have many options besides contacting Apple's support -- unfortunately, iPods aren't very user-serviceable devices. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:17, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

This has been happening with every generation since the original, and there's really no way to fix it. You just wait for it to run out of battery (that means don't plug it in to charge it), then you just plug it into your comp, wait for it to charge, and it's fixed. Yay. flaminglawyer^c 02:23, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Okay, thanks, I tried the reset, and..tada! My question was "how the heck do I fix this?" Thanks, Genius101^Guestbook 16:54, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Is the battery really the problem??

I've got a several-year-old (meaning, out-of-support) Dell 8300 (WinXP SP2), which apparently has a battery of some type in it. Over the holiday break, I powered my system down at the surge protector, and it stayed off for about 15 days. During startup, I got a "system battery is low" message, but bootup completed successfully -- except that the system no longer knew what time it was :-).

Since then (and after manually resetting the clock), I now get a one-line message at bootup: Press F1 to continue, or F2 to enter Setup. Continuing seems to work fine; entering setup, doing nothing, and exiting also seems to work fine. I assume that the battery eventually recharged, as there are no more messages about it.

What else happened, and how do I make that message go away?

P.S. Googling for "System Battery is low" gives a plethora of horror stories. I am certainly hoping that I don't *really* have a battery problem!

--DaHorsesMouth (talk) 04:44, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Your experience is consistent with a CMOS battery failure. The only way to resolve the problem is to replace the small 'coin' battery on the motherboard. This is generally a relatively simple procedure, but I wouldn't recommend attempting it if you don't feel comfortable doing so. Nearly any computer repair business should be able to replace it for a reasonable charge (less than an hour of work). Alternatively, you can simply press F1 to continue each boot. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 05:06, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

It is a simple procedure and will take 1 minute, tops. (Assuming the CMOS battery is the problem and your computer uses a standard battery.) 121.72.195.132 (talk) 10:38, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

As far as I know, CMOS batteries are alkaline and do not "recharge". As long as the AC power is plugged in, it can use a small amount of power from that to preserve the CMOS settings (like the time), even if the battery doesn't work, so that's why you haven't seen the time get reset again since. But if you unplug the AC power again, the settings will be lost again. --131.179.33.138 (talk) 05:23, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Linking via an image

On my Wiki, I want to place an image called Image:Gofaffiliateimage.png and insert the relevant code so that, when someone clicks on the image, it links them to an external website. Is there a way to do that? --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 05:17, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Something close can be accomplished using layers. Essentially, you place a "link" layer on top of an "image" layer, with the result that clicking on the image actually triggers the link instead. Here's an example:

    

<div class="plainlinks" style="position: relative; width: 128px; height: 128px; overflow: hidden">
<div style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; font-size: 128px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 128px; z-index: 3">
[http://en.wikipedia.org/ <span title="Visit Wikipedia!">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>]</div>
<div style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; z-index: 2">[[Image:Wikipedia-logo.png|128px|Visit Wikipedia!]]</div>
</div>

The code I butchered for this example originally came from Malcolm's userspace. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 11:31, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

• Here's an example using the ImageMap extension:

<imagemap> File:Bad Title Example.png|150px|Alt text here default [[Main Page|Title text here]] </imagemap>	Alt text here
<imagemap> File:Bad Title Example.png|150px|Alt text here default [[Main Page|Title text here]] desc none </imagemap>	Alt text here

—AlanBarrett (talk) 17:51, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks AlanBarrett and 74.137.108.115! I've decided to use 74's since Alan's only seems to work with internal links. One last question, how do you make the image either 1) stay on the same line as the text, or 2) move to the center of the line it's on? 70.179.52.204 (talk) 00:12, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

You've got several options:

    

• Option 1: add "float:right" or "float:left" to the outer div (it'll appear on the same lines as the text)

• Option 2: add "margin:auto" to the outer div (it'll appear centered in its container; IE may not honor this)

    

Option 3: wrap the whole

thing in a wiki table

(it'll appear wherever you put it in the table)

I'm sure there are other ways to position it as well, but hopefully one of these will work for you. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:02, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Windows Live OneCare back up issues

I ran the regularly scheduled Windows Live OneCare tune-up on my computer (I use Windows XP SP3), and when I tried to back up my files on DVD with a disc I had already used from previous back ups, it got rejected with a message telling me the data was corrupted and to enter a blank disc, which I did. That disc also got rejected for being "corrupted", so I inserted another blank disc. Same deal. The error message told me I should try another brand of DVDs for back ups, but the brand I've been using (Memorex) has been working fine for every back-up I've ever had until now. I've had previous discs rejected for being corrupt, but inserting a brand new disc usually solved the problem, only not this time. What's the deal? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 06:25, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I'd say it's your DVD drive. It probably always was borderline at being able to write to DVDs, such that sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. It sounds like it just got a bit worse, and now they don't work at all, at least not that brand. It is possible that another brand will work. If not, you may need to replace your DVD drive. StuRat (talk) 16:20, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

laptop and notebook

To concerned

Please provide me details regarding difference of laptop and notebook both technically and commercial viewpoints with application basis.

Im interested in buying one and have limited domestic personal use only.Please guide. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Raje786 (talk • contribs) 10:22, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Really the words "laptop" and "notebook" mean the same thing. Mimetic Polyalloy (talk) 10:31, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I suggest you compare Laptop and Netbook. manya (talk) 10:42, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Internet Explorer version 8

Hello Dears!I have currently downloaded Internet Explorer version 8.but i cant install it ,all the steps go just untouch.Yes i have Net connection active .It saya could not install and restart your computer and see a troubleshooting shortcut on desktop.Any help please! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 119.154.30.31 (talk) 10:47, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

What operating system do you have ? Windows XP ? StuRat (talk) 16:14, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I don't mean to sound snotty, but did you restart your computer and see the troubleshooting shortcut on the desktop? Livewireo (talk) 20:01, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Keyboard mapping.

Hello.

the 'r' and '1' keys on my laptop are broken. Is there and option in Windows, and/or a program I can download, that I can use to assign o1her keys (like '[' and ']')for these keys, so I can press 1hem instead of 1he broken ones?

thanks a lot in advance!220.237.140.75 (talk) 11:00, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I've had success remapping keys with KeyTweak. Still, if you do much typing you might want to consider replacing your keyboard--they generally aren't *that* expensive. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 11:54, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I agree with replacing the keyboard, they only cost around $20 for a basic one. However, you might want to try cleaning yours first. Turn it upside down over a trash can and shake it vigorously to dislodge any crumbs. If that doesn't work, pry the bad keys off, clean off anything stuck underneath, then replace them. If the keys still don't work, replace it. StuRat (talk) 16:12, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

A replacement laptop keyboard will probably cost more than $20 and require some disassembly of the laptop for install. If you generally don't move your laptop then an external keyboard (for $20) would be an option. I would not recommend prying keys off a laptop keyboard--they tend to be attached differently than stand-alone keyboards, and there is the potential for damage to the screen if the keys are seriously messed up. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 16:40, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Damage to the screen from prying on keys ? StuRat (talk) 17:29, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

There's generally not a lot of space between the keyboard and screen when the screen is closed; a botched attempt to remove the broken keys could leave something sticking up which would impact the screen. It doesn't take too much force concentrated in a small area to crack an LCD panel. (I admit it isn't all that likely, but I've seen the results of closing a laptop screen on a pen before.) -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 17:51, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I did miss that it was a laptop, but would agree with the idea of an external keyboard, in that case. StuRat (talk) 17:26, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I have actually found that laptop keyboards are actually cheaper than many desktop keyboards. Dell, for example, charges around $11-$16 for laptop keyboard replacements. Changing the keyboard is a little more complicated, of course... gnfnrf (talk) 05:38, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Your "T" key shouldn't buy any green bananas, either! --Sean 12:58, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Incidentally, by "broken keys", I had assumed the keys were intact, but just didn't work. If you meant the keys are cracked or missing, you might want to remove some less-often-used keys and replace the one that are broken. If you have any duplicate keys of the same size, like an <ALT> on either side of the keyboard, that might be a good choice. StuRat (talk) 15:09, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I've had a lot of luck fixing jammed up keys using electronic 'switch cleaner' (which you can get from any decent electronics store). However, keyboards are amazingly cheap and the switch cleaner may very well not work and probably costs more than half what a new keyboard would cost. I have switch cleaner around for other purposes - and the keyboards I love aren't made anymore...so I have to fix them. SteveBaker (talk) 03:25, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Buckling spring? Seriously though, I would be hesitant to recommend applying chemicals to a laptop keyboard without removing it from the laptop first. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 04:03, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Switch cleaner is OK though - it's specifically designed for unsticking switches close to fancy electronics. It evaporates without messing up your electronics. I've used it (with mixed success) on several laptops - while it doesn't always fix the keyboard - I've never known it to mess up the electronics. Also, you have a really fine 'straw' that you poke right into the switch to spray through (you have to remove the keycap first) - so the stuff only goes exactly where you squirt it. SteveBaker (talk) 07:13, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

There's something snake-oil-ish about a product that claims to "chemically dissolve and quickly clean away oil, grease, dust and atmospheric contaminants, then evaporate to leave a thin protective lubricant." [6] Unless science has been recently rewritten, all of that gunk has to go somewhere, and anything strong enough to vaporize contaminants probably wouldn't be very safe on anything else. In actuality, I suspect that the gunk ends up redeposited wherever the cleaner evaporates, but as long as it's ouside the switch the "cleaning" would be a technical success. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 19:46, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Dial Tone but no Internet

If I have a phone dial tone, but my router shows 0 up and downstream speed, what does this signify about my connection? I'm in the UK. 82.111.24.28 (talk) 12:00, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

The dial tone is unrelated to ADSL (which I'll randomly assume you have). The ADSL modem's signal is a high pitched screech at a low volume; the dial tone can drown it out. Keep the receiver off the hook for a couple of minutes; the phone center might stop giving the dial tone after a while and you'll hear the modem. Or dial one digit on the phone and (at least where I live) the dial tone shuts up.

I doubt we can diagnose the problem over the Internet. Unplug and re-plug all the wires (sounds trivial advice, but a loose connector is so often the problem.) Then call your Internet service provider's tech support. 88.114.222.252 (talk) 13:22, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I wouldn't say they're totally unrelated. If you have no dial tone, you probably have no Internet either. That's a relationship. StuRat (talk) 16:07, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Some things you can try: Reboot your modem/router; move the modem's connection to another phone socket; try a different ADSL filter; check the rest of the wiring (eg. make sure the ethernet cable is still pluggesd in, check for damaged cables, etc.); phone your ISP to find out their current service status; phone BT and ask if there's a problem with your line; have you paid your bill? Astronaut (talk) 13:51, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Also reboot your computer, both before and after you try the steps above. If something like moving to another socket doesn't work, then move back to the original, as you could otherwise end up with two simultaneous probs, which is far more difficult to diagnose. StuRat (talk) 17:20, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

All links

I need a website or program that can list all the links contained within a website, including all the images urls, download files etc. I don't want to download the links i simply want them listed in a very simple way to i can copy them into a notepad file for later. thank you for your help. jemaru —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 12:45, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

By the look of it, http://www.webmaster-toolkit.com/link-extractor.shtml can do that (separately for links to other webpages, and src links suchs as images) Rawling4851 13:02, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 15:58, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I use the GNU 'wget' program - it has all sorts of options to let you tweak how much recursion you want - retries for flakey servers - the ability to 'pretend' to be InternetExplorer, etc...use the '--spider' option to stop it from actually doing the downloads. SteveBaker (talk) 03:15, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Browser addon visual update checker

Does anybody know of a browser tool (or any tool actually) that can check for updates visually? For example, it would alert you when a video changed, or when something changed in a flash applet. Obviously the window has to be open, but I'm talking about firefox tabs here, so it would probably be in the background (hence the need for an alert). It's not so much that it has to respond to visual changes, just that the contents of this flash applet are updated off site, and the flash applet itself doesn't change, so I can't think of any other way to verify when it changes. Thanks in advance! 210.254.117.186 (talk) 13:06, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Update Scanner will check the page contents. It won't check the actual videos, and doing that would be rather a lot of effort as it would have to download each video you wished to check, them run some sort of comparison of them. Doing that many times would not be worth just checking manually. But when the videos are updated wouldn't there be a little text message update on whatever website, saying there is a new video or whatever? It could check for that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 21:23, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

If you only want to ensure that you have the most recent version, Opera supports automatic page reloading based on a configurable delay, which likely means there is a Firefox plugin for the same functionality somewhere. (Automatic reloading can be quite handy when a webmail provider decides to implement a 5 minute inactivity timeout.) -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:38, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Yeah the point here is that the images are streamed through flash, so there is probably no actual change in the page contents, at least not that I can find. Tabplus in Firefox has a simple page reload function (like opera), but that doesn't help. The tabs are left open so it shouldn't have to download the applet or anything, I just can't think of any other way this would be possible if not visually. 210.254.117.186 (talk) 02:49, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

The kind of notification your asking about *could* be added to the source code of the flash applet. But there isn't anything you can do on the browser side to detect updates without performing a request. How does the flash applet know which images to show? Either a) they are coded into the applet, b) they are coded into the page and passed to the applet, or c) information is available at a specific location where the applet knows to look. In the first two instances the applet and the page must be reloaded respectively (which in practice means a page reload). In the third case, you could theoretically find the address where the image information is posted and open *that* in a seperate browser tab to monitor for changes. But, there is no way to know if a file on the internet has been changed without sending a request in one form or another--the visual update feature you're describing would have to send requests for content and filter those against the prior page, making it essentially an auto-reload with change tracking. Which is actually an interesting idea... it seems like there are certainly situations where such a feature would be helpful (tracking price updates, comments on Wikipedia, or modifications to a candidate's platform). Anyway, reloading the page should be a low-cost operation if the contents have not changed (thanks to caching); why is that unacceptable? -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 03:48, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Well the flash applet shows an image when there is no activity, and it shows a (streamed video) once in a while. In the flash code it (presumably) checks for a video feed, and if it doesn't find one, shows an image. Reloading the page won't show any difference in code, I don't think. 210.254.117.186 (talk) 10:38, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

better crash course

I'm planning to create a niche startup company in bioinformatics. However, I have little knowledge in programming and web design. I found inexpensive crash courses that might help me but I have no idea which would be better. The criteria for choosing which is the better course are:

1. Money spent on applications (legally downloadable programs are preferred, I don't like to pay royalties :))
2. Target flagship program (I'm still researching the demands of the bioinfo world) for my startup would probably be online with the user typing variables (genetic code, amino acid sequence) while the program produces a text based output.
3. Skills earned should be on the demand on various computer jobs just in case my future start-up folds.

The courses are:

• $200 (50 hours) Database programming: visual basic, C++, C#

• $170 (40 hours) Webpage development: HTML w/ CSS, JAva Script plus ASP.NET or PHP

--Lenticel ^(talk) 15:49, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I would expect you'd want to set up a web site before setting up a database, so I'd think you'd take that class first. StuRat (talk) 16:02, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

HTML/CSS and JavaScript won't need anything more than a simple webbrowser. However, the second portion either requires you to get a copy of IIS for ASP.NET (which costs money past the evaluation period), or Apache for the PHP. For Database programming, it looks like you'll need a copy of Microsoft Visual Studio, but the IDE limits interaction to SQL Server Express and Microsoft Access. Overall, you won't have to pay for additional software for Database programming, but you'll need to get the IIS Evaluation just as soon as you start the ASP.NET section. --Sigma 7 (talk) 17:27, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for your advice.--Lenticel ^(talk) 04:51, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

huawei c5330 virgin mobile

how to connect net to pc from huawei c5330 virgin mobile —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.200.0.51 (talk) 15:54, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

adblockplus

how can i disable adblock plus on only one website? i want it to work everywhere else except for on never at all on one website. thanks you, sorry if i asked more questions than is allowed. jemaru —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 15:59, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I haven't tried this yet but it might work. Go to the website that you want to disable Adblockplus. Click on the drop-down list next to the ABP icon. You should find options that tells "disable on (site name)" and "Disable on this page only". Click "disable on (site name)". See if it works.--Lenticel ^(talk) 16:16, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Yep, that's definitely the right thing to be doing - the icon should go green. Just remember to refresh to see the effects (i.e. the "ads"). - Jarry1250 ^{(t, c)} 18:03, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

However, this method will only work for addresses below the main domain you select as an exemption. For example, disabling Adblockplus on wikipedia.org will not disable it on en.wikipedia.org or fr.wikipedia.org etc etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 20:05, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

It merely requires a little tweaking to ensure complete (e.g. Wikipedia) exemption. If you exempt en.wikipedia.org and want fr, de and so on also to be exempted, click on the arrow again and select "Preferences". On the dialogue that comes up , you should see a line beginning @@| then a web address (eg. @@|http://en.wikipedia.org/ ). To make the exemption more flexible, change any areas where difference might occur to an asterisk. Mine ends up as @@|http*://*.wikipedia.org/ - thus working on all versions and security levels of Wikipedia. Hope that helps! - Jarry1250 ^{(t, c)} 20:39, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Hey awesome! Thanks Jarry1250 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 21:52, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Java Pics

In java, is there a way to import a bitmap as an array of numbers, and save an array as a bitmap? Black Carrot (talk) 16:41, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

It's possible. java.awt.image.BufferedImage has two methods, getRGB and setRGB that allow using an array for input or output. They also work for individual pixels if you prefer (but importing and exporting is faster using the array version.) --Sigma 7 (talk) 17:18, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I looked up some tutorials on BufferedImages and ImageIO yesterday, but I can't get it to work. Could you post or point me to some functioning code? Black Carrot (talk) 18:15, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Why not post some simple code (perhaps only the contents of a lone main() without imports or declarations for the class and method) and explain what you expected it to do and what it did instead? --Tardis (talk) 16:32, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

BufferedImage pic = ImageIO.read(new File("inputfile.bmp"));
int width = pic.getWidth();
int height = pic.getHeight();
image = new int[height][width];
for(int r=0; r<height; r++)
	for(int c=0; c<width; c++)
		image[r][c] = pic.getRGB(c,r)+16777216;

//area for editing image

for(int r=0; r<height; r++)
	for(int c=0; c<width; c++)
		pic.setRGB(c,r,image[r][c]-16777216);
ImageIO.write(pic, "bmp", new File("outputfile.bmp"));

It gives a null pointer exception early on, and careful checking shows that it reads in an entirely empty file (0 bytes). It seems to be working fine with jpg and png, so I'm using those right now, but it would be nice to be able to use bitmap. Black Carrot (talk) 17:21, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

[I reformatted your code.] Code much like that works for me; what do you mean by "reads in an entirely empty file"? If you're getting a NullPointerException, that implies that the read() call can't find a filter that recognizes your input. That happens to me if I give it an empty bitmap file, as you might be doing. Also, you really don't want to add/subtract 16777216; what you're really doing is masking off the alpha field and then supplying an alpha value of "opaque", so you want pic.getRGB(c,r)&0xFFFFFF and image[r][c]|0xFF000000. --Tardis (talk) 19:33, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

The error occurs at the "pic.getWidth()" line. When I remove everything except the ImageIO.read and ImageIO.write lines, it complains during the ImageIO.write line that "im = null", and similar experiments have caused it to save the destination file as an empty file with zero bites. How can I get a filter that will recognize it? For instance, I just tried it on the image here [7], and got the same result. What do the ampersand and vertical bar represent in your last sentence? Black Carrot (talk) 01:50, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

What is im? We're not (yet) interested in the destination file, because your code doesn't even read anything in correctly. The only way I can get a NullPointerException is by giving it an input file of 0 bytes; perhaps you accidentally truncated your input file by specifying it as the output file at some point? The JavaDoc for javax.imageio specifically promises that BMP is supported out of the box, so surely that's not the issue. My code (which follows) has no trouble with the image you linked.

final BufferedImage pic = ImageIO.read(new File(args[0]));
final int width = pic.getWidth(),height = pic.getHeight();
for(int r=0;r<height;++r)
  for(int c=0;c<width;++c)
    pic.setRGB(c,r,pic.getRGB(c,r)^0xFFFFFF);
ImageIO.write(pic, "bmp", new File(args[1]));

(It toggles every RGB bit in the image, just to do something interesting.) Finally, the & and | represent bitwise AND and OR respectively; they're used to operate on the alpha channel. (The channel is trivial, since bitmaps do not support transparency.) --Tardis (talk) 18:27, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

When I paste in your code and run it, it gives me an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException on the first line. When I replace args[0] and args[1] with an input and output file, it gives me a NullPointerException on the second line. Black Carrot (talk) 15:23, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

(The ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException is because you ran it with no arguments; my code expects to be run as java ClassName input.bmp output.bmp.) It sounds like you have a broken (or perhaps old) Java installation, or maybe an incomplete one (I don't know if GNU Classpath happens to support BMP, for instance). What do you have, and can you upgrade it? --Tardis (talk) 18:48, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

I got this version of Java from my CS teacher in high school about four or five years ago. I'm using JCreator 2.5 LE (version 2.5 build 8) according to its info screen. I don't know if there's anything missing, it's whatever she handed us. Is there a way to fix it for free? Black Carrot (talk) 21:40, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

JCreator is an IDE, not a version of Java. I say that not to be pedantic, but because you need to know what to upgrade: according to its FAQ, it makes use of an installation of the standard Sun JDK. There are other implementations of Java (some mentioned in that article), but that one is the most standard and almost surely what you want. It may be the case that you have to upgrade JCreator as well; the "LE" versions appear to be freeware. There are in fact many free source code editors, some of which are not merely freeware but free software. --Tardis (talk) 16:05, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

why is fanboi spelled with an i

why is fanboi spelled with an i if it is fanboy —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.120.227.136 (talk) 19:03, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

See Meme. Also, this is more suitable for the Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language. --Sigma 7 (talk) 19:06, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

The spelling with the "i" is typically used when implying the fanboy is annoying or immature. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 20:02, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

There are non-annoying, mature fanboys? Where? SteveBaker (talk) 03:04, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

See also Sk8er Boi. Where's the Avril troll when you need him? -- Coneslayer (talk) 17:48, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Gradients on Inkscape (or GIMP)

How is it possible to make a gradient on a photograph on Inkscape or GIMP? I can do it with 'drawn' objects, but I have not been able to do it with photographs. I found some websites with tutorials, but the best information I got told me to 'select' the object, which I am unable to do. I am using Inkscape Ver.0.46 and GIMP Ver.2.6.3. Can anyone help? If possible, a step-by-step walk-through would be very much appreciated.--KageTora (talk) 21:01, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

In inkscape: first add the photo, then draw another rectangle. Set a gradient in the rectangle, then set the alpha of the rectangle to (e.g.) 50%.Resize the rectangle to be the same as the photo, and drag it over the rectangle. Mimetic Polyalloy (talk) 22:07, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, so far so good, until 'setting the alpha'. Now, how do I do that? Sorry to be a pain.--KageTora (talk) 22:18, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

In its "fill and stroke" sheet, use the "opacity" slider. 87.113.74.22 (talk) 23:05, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Ah! Now it becomes clear! Thanks, both of you!--KageTora (talk) 23:13, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

There are a million ways to do it in GIMP - but I'd do this:

1. Make sure the image is not an 'indexed' image (go to Image/Mode and make sure that 'RGB' is checked) Unless you are dealing with '.GIF' images - it'll probably be in RGB anyway - so you can skip this step.
2. Right-click on the image and in the popup menu, select the "Select/All" option (this selects the entire image).
3. Click on the gradient tool - double-click to get the options dialog if you need it.
4. Now, in the image: Click where you want the gradient to start - hold the mouse button down and drag to indicate the direction and end of the gradient. Release the mouse button.
5. Voila!

SteveBaker (talk) 03:03, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, Steve, but that doesn't work. It just covers the picture with a half-colour-half-white piece of paper.--KageTora (talk) 06:25, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Could you be MUCH more specific about what you want? From your question, it seemed that you got exactly what you asked for. If you pick (for example) the "FG to transparent" gradient and set the Foreground color too (say) Red - then you'll end up with an image that fades from solid red to the colors in your photograph. Is that not what you want? SteveBaker (talk) 07:07, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

You need to edit the gradient. One stop should be white and alpha should be 100% the other stop should be white and alpha at 0% . Alternatively you could do it in GIMP by adding a a layer mask to the image and then putting a black to to white gradient on the layer mask. The image will be opaque when the mask is white and transparent when the mask is black.(If you need detailed step by step instructions on how to do this let me know) Theresa Knott | token threats 06:38, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

How to Disable the Hard Drive Temperature Sensor

Does anyone know how to disable the hard drive temperature sensor on the compaq presario v2000 notebook? Or if that is not possible how to override the overheating fail-safe? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.171.16.131 (talk) 21:47, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

The temperature sensor was probably included for a reason; overriding it wouldn't seem to be in your (or your hardware's) best interest. Anyway, this is most likely a BIOS feature, so you might be able to modify/disable it in your BIOS setup. Alternatively, if the sensor is implemented as seperate hardware, you may be able to disconnect it, move it away from the hard drive, or replace it with a circuit that behaves predictably. If it's implemented internally to the hard drive then replacing the hard drive with a model that doesn't support temperature sensing would probably disable it. Again, I don't think any attempt to circumvent the computer's built-in hardware protection is advisable. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:20, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

So can you please be more specific on what I have to do? My laptop does not allow me to finish installing windows xp because it keeps shutting down at a random times during the installation. I think this might is most likely a temperature sensor error. When I took out the hard drive after trying 10 installations it was much cooler than my normal hard drive and the laptop case was not that hot as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.171.16.131 (talk) 11:42, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Are you sure it has anything to do with the hard drive? A good start to diagnose/resolve overheating is to make sure the laptop is on a hard surface with proper ventilation, and away from any other heat sources. Next, check that all the ventilation fans are functional and free of dust and debris. A spray of compressed air can help remove accumulated particles. You might also try removing the battery (charging it produces heat) or the power cord (running on battery power usually reduces power consumption). If the computer is still overheating at this point, more invasive procedures may be necessary. This page mentions the lack of thermal paste can lead to CPU overtemp conditions. Finally, there is the possibility that the system shutdowns could be caused by some factor other than overheating (bad power supply, loose screw inside the case, etc.). -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 13:45, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

My laptop can start and does not shut down with my current windows xp / hard drive. But when I try to install windows xp on a different hard drive the laptop shuts down at various stages of the installation. So the problem is with the most likely with the hard drive temperature being interpreted incorrectly by the bios. The new hard drive is much cooler than my current hard drive when its taken out of the laptop. Also I am able to install applications and do computationally intensive tasks on my laptop with the old hard drive for long periods without it shutting down. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.171.16.131 (talk) 15:29, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

That certainly makes it sound like the new hard drive is at fault. SMART is a drive feature that supplies information on expected failures--including in some cases temperature data. If your BIOS supports disabling SMART you might try that. Otherwise, I would recommend you contact the drive's manufacturer for support. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 18:55, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

location of Mac OSX *.keylayout file

New keyboards can be added to Mac OSX by dragging an XML based file to the "Keyboard Layouts" folder. They end in the extension ".keylayout". Is it possible to find where it keeps the equivalent files for the default installed ones? My name is anetta (talk) 22:25, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Well, if you have dragged it to the 'Keyboard Layouts' folder, I would assume it was there. This would be found in one of the two libraries that you will have. One will be in your Home folder, and the other in your Macintosh HD folder. It should be in one of those.--KageTora (talk) 22:52, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Failing that, use Finder to search for them, by typing in '*.keylayout' (without quotes) as the search term.--KageTora (talk) 22:54, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Neither of those seem to work out. Both of my "Keyboard Layouts" folders are empty; the search turns up nothing. I don't see them anywhere, which is odd... --98.217.14.211 (talk) 00:48, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

They appear to be in a different format, in /System/Library/Keyboard Layouts/AppleKeyboardLayouts.bundle. It's a "bundle" (aka "package"), which means it's actually a directory but the Finder displays it as a single file. If you want to look inside, right-click on it (or control-click) and select "Show Package Contents". The layouts themselves seem to be in a pair of files named AppleKeyboardLayouts-B.dat and AppleKeyboardLayouts-L.dat.

Just in case you're interested, there are actually 4 different Library folders on Mac OS X:

• The System Library (/System/Library), containing resources that're supplied by the core OS
• The Network Library (/Network/Library), containing resources that're shared by all computers on a network (actually, a Netinfo or LDAP domain) (this is intended to be mounted from a network server) (it's almost never used anymore)
• The Local Library (/Library), containing resources and settings that are installed/configured on a per-computer basis
• The User Library (~/Library), containing resources and settings specific to one particular user

-- Speaker to Lampposts (talk) 06:54, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Thankyou, it's the Local library. Spotlight doesn't seem to search this folder, and as Speaker to Lampposts rightly says, the pre-installed layouts aren't kept in the folder I asked about. It seems to be exclusively for user added ones. How do I open the *.dat file, even in Windows or Linux? I have seen this [8]. Hopefully, it will be stored in a similar fashion. I tried TextEdit, which makes gibberish.My name is anetta (talk) 12:04, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Download speed limiter

Hi!

Where can i find an utility to allow me to download (microtorrent) at full speed when i'm the only one to use my network, but to decrease this speed when somebody else on my network is trying to connect to the internet, to allow him to have a decent speed?

Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.5.187.241 (talk) 23:21, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Adjusting your maximum upload and download speeds should really be a built-in feature of your BitTorrent client, it's such a basic thing. μTorrent, for example, has that functionality, and it's a cinch that it's not the old one. Old one? Only one, I meant to say. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 00:26, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Or -- and this just occurred to me -- do you mean that it should do that automatically? -- Captain Disdain (talk) 00:27, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I would also like to be able to make μTorrent do this automatically. At the moment I have to make sure μTorrent is either turned off or manually restricted to slow downloading whenever any of my housemates is using the internet. Algebraist 00:30, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I think that would be pretty difficult to do. μTorrent really has no easy way of knowing whether someone else is using the same internet connection at the same time. In order to be effective, it wouldn't be enough to be aware of another computer's presence in the network, it would actually have to know whether that computer is actually transferring data at the time and vary its own transfer rate accordingly. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:06, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

It should be possible to do that (since I have admin access to the wireless router), but it's well beyond my puny programming skills. Thanks. Algebraist 01:13, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

You're right; you'll want to look for "QoS" (Quality of service) settings which allow you to prioritize non-torrent traffic. If your router doesn't support such settings (and many basic ones do not) you might try DD-WRT; it supports many advanced routing features (including QoS). -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:28, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

It's certainly not impossible, but it'd be very difficult to do it with a program you install on the computer that runs the BitTorrent software. If it's something a router does, that's another story -- or, alternatively, it could be a piece of software that runs on every computer in the network and makes sure that they're all in sync, for example. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:51, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

January 24

PPPoE Password

For an unknown reason, my DSL modem (2Wire 2071) stopped working this morning. The error message stated that PPP authentication had failed, and that the username and password were incorrect. It was quite strange, considering I've never had to enter any username or password before, but here it was, all of a sudden this morning. Now the problem is, I have no idea what the username or password might be. I've accessed the modem via browser and found the username, but the password shown was simply "XXXXXXXX", which did not work when I entered the login credentials. I've contacted my ISP to inquire about this problem and if I could reset or retrieve the PPP password, but no luck. So I'm stuck to using dial-up for the time being until I can get this resolved. Any suggestions on how to find out the correct username and/or password? Running Windows Vista if that matters. I appreciate it. Vic93 (t/c) 02:52, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Your particular modem is also a router. Let me get this straight: You can still log into the modem, but you can't change the PPP password? Or are you locked out of the modem entirely? What did your ISP say, by the way? They should have your PPP password. The password for the router/modem is another story.--K;;m5m k;;m5m (talk) 03:11, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Usually when I start up my modem, I wait a while until I get a solid green DSL light and a green Internet light and from there, everything's a go. No Internet light or a red light indicates a problem. Open up a browser when there's a red light, there's usually an error message. This time it was that PPP Authentication had failed, as in I couldn't connect to the internet because of the wrong credentials (at least, that's what I think is happening). I can access the modem via web browser, by going to 192.168.0.254. I had tried to change the PPP password, but it seems it still doesn't accept it (still returns the failed PPP authentication error). My ISP pretty much told me to go through the textbook routines (i.e. restart modem, reset modem, check DSL filters) and just ignored the problem. I asked them if I could retrieve the password, but they said that was a separate issue altogether, and they're elevating the case. Sounds like they didn't know what I was talking about. =\ Vic93 (t/c) 17:50, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Your ISP's tech support is the best place to call (again) for help, but here are some ideas. The PPPoE username and password are possibly the same as the username and password for your ISP e-mail account. (Did you or someone with access to your account recently change or reset the e-mail password?) Since you can access the internet another way, you might try looking on your ISP's website for a way to reset the e-mail password yourself. --Bavi H (talk) 23:05, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

It also, can depend on your ISP, some DSL providers have switch to a Bridge1384 network, and other to a Ethernet network. It is possible, that your ISP has either switched their configuration in there Redback Redback_Networks. Or the config in the modem is set wrong. Nick910 (talk) 00:29, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Don't know why, don't know how, but it started working again today. Weird. It was probably a problem on their side, I'm guessing. Thanks to everyone who helped though! Vic93 (t/c) 21:00, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Second natural language of open source

English is clearly the main language used by the FSF, OSI, Linux distro vendors and developers, etc..., but what is the movement's second language? German and Spanish are clearly the primary secondary languages, but Japanese and Italian also seem to be prevelant. --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 03:42, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I'd say German, due mainly to the Knoppix distros. StuRat (talk) 06:26, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

You'd think that the Finns should deserve it, but yeah, I agree, it's probably German. Belisarius (talk) 14:51, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Outlook Web Access security

Hiya. I'm thinking about running OWA, just a couple of quick questions:

1. It always says that when logging out, you should close all open browser windows. Would not doing that (or forcing users to do that) compromise security?
2. Is it possible to monitor access (accounts, times, IP addresses etc.)?
3. Does it have access to the "Outlook" options-menu, for altering signatures etc., or must that be done from the actual computer?

Thanks! ╟─TreasuryTag►contribs─╢ 08:42, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Regarding 1, I think this is mostly (justified) paranoia about cross-site scripting and cookie-theft.

Regarding 2, this info is available in the server logs, but I don't know of any way for regular users to see that

Regarding 3, OWA has its own settings (which means you need to set the sig again in OWA).

Note, incidentally, that there are virtually two different OWA clients. If you're using IE you get a very full featured (really very nice) client that's a lot like the Outlook client. If you're using another browser like Firefox you get a pretty basic webmail (entirely inferior to Gmail). They're so different that one might as well consider them unrealted programs. Mimetic Polyalloy (talk) 10:15, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I'd assume 1 actually refers to session cookies, which may hold sensitive data, or even keep you logged in. Whilst logging out should have dealt with these, it seems a reasonable idea to close all windows and hence manually wipe them all. - Jarry1250 ^{(t, c)} 10:45, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

It could also be an attempt to prevent anyone with access to the computer from using the back button to view private communications. Even when properly logged out of the site (cookies and all), back button functionality may display secure content without performing a request to the server (which would be denied due to the logged-out status). Closing all the windows theoretically removes temporary information stored on previous pages (but not cached). -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 14:02, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Diode Differences

First off I'm no electrician! I would like to make a very simple box that takes seven 3.5mm stereo connectors and outputs the whole lot to one 3.5mm stereo socket. I tried a quick mock up just using headphone splitters but sound 'leaks' from one device into another causing a drop in volume. I'm assuming that if i use a diode on each of the input terminals I can stop this from happening. A quick look at diodes and there are rectifier, signal, zener, schottky and bidirectional transient voltage ones. Can anyone advise, or even inform if this crackpot scheme will work? thanks Kirk UK —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.82.79.175 (talk) 09:15, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

First, straight-wire combining multiple outputs can lead to multiple sources attempting to drive the line, and might damage sources that can't handle the conflict. A simple mixer circuit can combine multiple inputs using resistors. A Google search for "audio mixer" will provide any number of projects and products, ranging from the simple resistive combination above to professional audio equipment, allowing you to select according to your application and budget. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 14:37, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

The previous advice is good if you really want to combine the 7 signals into one. However, if you just want any one of the 7 signals to pass through at a time, then a switch box would be better, so you can select which of the 7 signals are passed through at any time. StuRat (talk) 15:06, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm more of a digital guy - analog stuff is a bit of a black art for me...but I don't think diodes help because you have A/C signals. Personally - I'd stick a 741 op-amp on each input and use a simple resistive mixer to mix the outputs of the amplifiers together. The amplifier chips should stop the signal from one input being pushed back into the other - and the amps can be adjusted to give you volume controls for each input. You can pick up a quad 741 chip in Radio Shack for a couple of bucks...circuit diagrams for hooking them up are everywhere on the web. SteveBaker (talk) 02:30, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

You need a virtual earth mixer using an op amp. This will add all your signals together and give you one out put. Of course for stereo, you need one summer (mixer) for each channel. I'm pretty sure there's a circuit for this under Opamp applications. YES there is! Look at the summing amplifier paragraph.--GreenSpigot (talk) 03:56, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Also see here [9]--GreenSpigot (talk) 04:08, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

OK - but how do those prevent the input from one source being fed back into one of the other sources? SteveBaker (talk) 07:03, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

The passive mixer in the lk doesnt. but the opamp mixer does prevent coupling because all the current from the inputs go to a virtual earth at the opamp inverting input. —Preceding unsigned comment added by GreenSpigot (talk • contribs) 13:07, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Ummm... No. Consider the situation where input one supplies 10v and input two supplies -10v. Since the R's are equal, the voltage of the "virtual earth" will already be 0v, so the op amp (with an output of 0v) will not draw the current. The current will travel from input 1 to input 2. Any excess voltage at the input junction will be drawn by the opamp (a 10v and 0v input, for example, would not feed a significant current back the 0v input), but if two inputs differ in sign then there will be a feedback current (depending on your definition; see below). The key, in this circuit and the resistive join above, is that the resistances are chosen such that any feedback currents will be acceptable to the inputs. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 19:42, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Upon further thought, if you consider the -10v input as defined to accept an incoming current (similar to how a 10v input is defined to provide an outgoing current) then your definition of "feedback current" might exclude the example given above. (In that case, a "feedback current" for a -5v input would be to source current to a -10v input.) But, regardless of your definition of "feedback current", the key is still to choose resistances such that no input is driven outside of its current limitations. If the resistances are too small, this circuit can damage inputs just like a straight-wire join. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 21:06, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Drawing trees with OpenOffice Draw (or some alternative)

Here you see a syntax tree. I want to create something rather similar, although with unlabeled nodes. Donald Derrick's "TreeForm Syntax Tree Drawing Software" (explanatory video here) doesn't seem designed for this. Consider this diagram and imagine that "AgrP", "VP" and the rest were removed to form an unbroken line from the top to the bottom right with lines branching off it to the left: that's the kind of thing I want to do. Having all the lines at a default to form an equilateral triangle would be a welcome bonus.

Surely this kind of thing ought to be possible with OpenOffice Draw but (maybe because it's a program I'd never tried till today) I found that if I had two points that were (pretty much) horizontal I couldn't even get Draw to draw two lines from them to form an equilateral triangle. (After much trial and error I could get two lines that met at a point and stopped there. But there was no obvious way to move the point to make the result equilateral.)

Does OpenOffice suck, or am I approaching it in the wrong way? (I even have Haugland's OpenOffice.org 2 Guidebook at hand and that doesn't help -- it's full of laborious explanations of how to produce visual gimmickry.)

If there are suggestions for other software, I can use a Linux, Mac OS X or Windows computer. Thank you. Morenoodles (talk) 10:49, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I would use Dia for this. It is called Dia because it is specifically designed for drawing diagrams. I'm sure other programs could do it, but I prefer programs that are designed to do it. -- kainaw™ 15:09, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm no linguist, but I've read enough Language log to know that a great tool for diagramming sentences is phpSyntaxTree. It'll diagram the heck out of your sentences! Go to the site and enter

[TP [Spec] [T' [T] [AgrP [Spec] [Agr' [Agr] [VP [Spec] [V' [V] [...]]]]]]]

It's not exactly what you want (the vertical line isn't completely vertical), but it's pretty darn good, IMHO. If you want to have much more control over how it looks, I'd recommend Inkscape, not having any in-depth knowledge of software specifically made to do diagrams. But I know that you could easily do it in inkscape. Belisarius (talk) 14:48, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Many thanks to both of you. Dia seems to do the job, but I've made a note of phpSyntaxTree and Inkscape and will investigate both soon. Morenoodles (talk) 05:36, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Error Message on Startup

I use Windows XP SP2, and for a few days now, I've been getting this error message everytime I switch on my PC.

Can't run 16-bit Windows Program.

Insufficient memory to run this application. Quit one or more Windows applications and then try again.

Please help me get rid of it. Thanks in advance! La Alquimista 16:11, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm assuming that the memory in your computer hasn't changed recently, and that POST displays the correct amount of RAM. Either the amount of available RAM has changed (perhaps due to a near-full hard drive providing limited virtual memory), or additional programs are being run at startup. This page provides instructions on how to check startup programs and conserve memory. Finally, you might want to consider purchasing more memory (it's relatively cheap and one of the best computer upgrades available if not already maxed out). -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 19:16, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

You may want to check your "msconfig" and see if something has been added there. If so, just uncheck it - and it won't try to run at startup. Ched (talk) 19:41, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I did check msconfig, and found an executable file by the name of remind.exe, which is probably something to do with my Turbo C++ version 2.4. I deleted the file from its directory, but now the message has changed to:

Cannot load or run C:/TCWIN45/PIPELINE/remind.exe. Make sure you've typed the name correctly.

La Alquimista 05:14, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

It's not the file you want to delete, but the setting that's telling Windows to load that file. In msconfig, you can untick the box next to that entry, and next time it boots it will do a "selective startup" without that item.

If that solves the problem, then you can remove it from the startup list permanently using regedit [insert Microsoft-style disclaimer about the dangers of using regedit here!]: Next to the item in msconfig, it will tell you the path to the value in the registry which is loading that program ("HKLM" is short for "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE", "HKCU" is "HKEY_CURRENT_USER"). Run regedit, find and delete that entry, and Windows will no longer try to run it on startup. - IMSoP (talk) 19:30, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

how to get a long-living cellphone

I'm looking for a long cellphone with a long life expectancy. But all models I've looked at are described in reviews as having a fair chance of breaking within one or two years, which I find unacceptable (for environmental reasons). So how would you go about looking for something more long-living? Particular brands, models, etc. that you would recommend/avoid... and why? Or which forums/websites/... would you look at?

(If you're thinking of particular models: I'm looking for nothing gimicky, just plain calling and text-messaging to be used with a SIM card. Reliable (minimum of lost calls, etc.)!!! Reasonable volume and decent battery life. Vibrate if possible. Sturdy (given that I want a long-living phone). And I need tri-band or quad-band (with the European frequency bands and at least one--probably 1900--US band).)

Thanks for answering - Thanks for answering (talk) 16:26, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

All the phones I've had (mostly Sony Ericsson, but also a Nokia or two) have served me 2 or 3 years before I have passed them on in good working condition to various younger relatives. They have then gone on to serve my relative for a further 2 years or so. I suppose it depends on how well you look after your stuff. Of course, if you throw it around, mix it with your loose change and keys, and send it through the washing machine, it's lifetime will be seriously reduced. Astronaut (talk) 20:23, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I recently bought a cell phone, and bought a couple of extra lithium ion batteries for it. This is because, in the past, I've had the battery stop working, only to be told that they don't sell that battery any more, so I can't get a replacement. The kicker, though, is being told that any minutes left on the phone will be lost. I've also noticed that it seems harder to get phones with separate buttons any more, instead they want to sell those phones with the pressure sensitive spots behind a solid sheet of plastic. That type is probably better at avoiding spilled liquids getting inside, but I've had bad luck with those type of "non-buttons" before, notably on a 1983 Pontiac Trans Am, which had them for the door locks, which took to locking and unlocking spontaneously. So, to me, that technology is just total junk, and I avoid it. Give me separate buttons every time. StuRat (talk) 21:04, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Avoid the iPhone unless you're going to buy a case that covers the screen (it breaks easily). RAZRs are pretty good for longevity, as long as you don't drop them in anything at all (coffee, swimming pools, you name it: the RAZR dies instantly when tainted by liquid). The RAZR can handle anything; dropping, throwing, you name it, it'll survive it. Mine has even gotten run over by a truck... twice. And I still use it. Slider phones tend to be able to survive some intense dropping. Some people say that flippy phones can break if you flip them too much, but don't believe them, it's a myth. flaminglawyer 21:26, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Hmmm... that's interesting; my last "flippy" phone did in fact break from excessive flippage. I then ordered three "parts" phones online, and all three had at least partially broken hinges. That being said, my old phone served a good while before becoming unhinged, and my new phone is another "flippy" model. The hinge *is* a point of failure, but it'll last a good long while if you aren't too rough with it. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:03, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Sorry, let me rephrase that - Flippy phones rarely break from over-flippage, but that's just about the only thing they break from. So any broken flippy phones you find will be from over-flippage. flaminglawyer 03:57, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

I have a Sony Ericsson that's about five years old and works fine. That's for one nation. For another, I have a Casio that looks as if it might withstand drops and so on. I dropped it about 50 cm once onto a not-terribly-hard surface and its mike stopped working, or got disconnected. That was irritating, but the phone company fixed it without charging me anything. -- Hoary (talk) 15:34, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Twinkle gone in Safari

I've asked at the help desk but so far, nobody has been able to help me. So, I'm wondering if someone here might have a better idea of what's going on.

Lately, the "Rollback (AGF)" and "Vandalism" links that appear in green and red in a comparison of article versions don't show up. The "Restore this version" link is still present but neither of the others. Does anyone have a clue as to why? I'm running the latest Safari and OS X versions. All software is up to date according to the system's software updater. I've tried resetting Safari but that didn't work. Dismas|^(talk) 19:08, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Have you tried asking here BigDunc^Talk 23:08, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I hadn't. I forgot about that page. Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 01:10, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

January 25

Literati java window help

I used to play a game called literati at Yahoo games. I hadn't been there in ages and I went back a few months ago to play and here's the problem I encountered. When the apple javlet window for the game opens, the bottom part of the screen is cut off. That part of the screen has your score, and the typing screen as well as the place where you see messages. There's no way to access it. I tried going to half screen and grabbing the corner and moving it down and up. It doesn't work. The screen moves up but it doesn't resize the game any way; the applet size is hardcoded. Moving it up just obscures more of the screen. I got rid of my task bar and have the upper part of my browser hidden but it's still obscured. I thought maybe it would work with a different browser (I was using Firefox), so I tried with Internet Explorer and with Safari. Same thing happened. So then I thought, well maybe the program is broken and everyone is having this problem. But I've gone back in succeding months and it's the same. People are playing without problem on the site. By the way, I have a normal size monitor, 19 inches. Anyone have any advice?--70.19.64.133 (talk) 00:48, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Monitor size is unimportant; the key is display resolution. You can likely change your display's resolution. In Windows xp, right-click on the desktop and select "properties". Click the "settings" tab, then use the "screen resolution" slider to change you display resolution. If the slider is grayed-out you probably need to upadate your video drivers. Another option is to try Opera; it has a "zoom" feature that works correctly with images, flash, etc., which might allow you to "shrink" the java applet (I don't recall ever testing it with java, though). -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:21, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Amazing! Worked like a charm. I would kiss you but ip addresses taste metallic:-p--70.19.64.133 (talk) 02:18, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Firefox auto-restore feature

So Firefox has this nice feature where if it or the computer it's running on crashes precipitously, the next time you restart it, it notices, and offers to restore your previous session, i.e. which pages you had open in which tabs and windows. A very nice feature, especially if you tend to keep 37 different tabs open as reminders of what you're working on.

But I've noticed that it doesn't always work, because it seems to collide with this other feature. If you've upgraded Firefox or any of its plug-ins, the next time you restart Firefox, it auto-opens one or more pages crowing about the upgrades. And that auto-opening step seems to take precedence over the restoring-your-last-session step, nuking the list of what you had open last time.

Question 1: Is this a bug? Has anyone else noticed it?

Question 2: Anyone know where Firefox keeps its list of what it had open last time? I'd like to try to find the 37 tabs I had open before my computer crashed a little while ago, and before the upgrade I forgot I'd performed three weeks ago was finally able to consummate itself with its little splash screen. —Steve Summit (talk) 03:35, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

For Q1 - that's not a bug. Firefox recognizes that it wasn't an involuntary close, so it deletes the list of tabs (which are backed up at regular intervals on your HDD). Either that or Firefox has decided that knowing what browser version you have takes priority over your old tabs. For Q2 - Firefox probably keeps them in some kind of file with a weird file type that would be hard to find/open. You should consider just bookmarking your "reminders of what you're working on" instead of keeping them open; keeping this open is killing your performance. flaminglawyer 04:04, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Oh, it certainly *was* an involuntary close: as I said, the computer crashed. (And I *know* Firefox keeps the information somewhere, and that the information probably won't be trivial to use, which is why I'm asking if anyone knows anything about it, so I won't have to spend time rediscovering it.) —Steve Summit (talk) 04:10, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

For Q2, this page has details on where the restore file can be found and how to force a restore prompt on the next execution. As for Q1, it sounds very buggish to me. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 04:27, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Perfect! Thanks much. (Unfortunately, the referenced sessionstore.js file, now that I know what it's called, contains details only of the now-open splash screen concerning the upgrade, not of the 37 previous tabs. Wish I'd known to stash a copy of sessionstore.js *before* the restart. :-\ ) —Steve Summit (talk) 04:42, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Hallelujah! There's also a sessionstore.bak file sitting in the same directory, containing what appears to be the previous state! All is right with the world again! Thanks again, 74! —Steve Summit (talk) 04:46, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

You can start ignoring my advice now... flaminglawyer 05:18, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

web designing

html tutorials —Preceding unsigned comment added by Yerragudivishnu (talk • contribs) 06:52, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Type "HTML tutorial" into Google - you'll get hundreds and hundreds of great links to tutorials. Every one of the results on the first page you get back is great stuff. SteveBaker (talk) 06:56, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

For HTML/CSS (and even PHP), I strongly recommend w3. flaminglawyer 21:52, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Windows Vista Sidebar RSS Gadget

I use Windows Vista's RSS Gadget to view the newsfeeds from http://svt.se. The gadget shows four items at once, and cycles through all pages (1..4, 5..8, ..., 37..40). But every time it changes page from the last page (37..40) to the first page (1..4), it consumes 100 % of my CPU's both cores, for approximately a second. It is no "big deal", but I really do not understand how such a simple application (gadget) can be so CPU intensive... Any ideas? --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 12:11, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Well, the reason is probably that the gadget is updating. When it's listed all the items in the rss-feed, it downloads and parses the feed for the next cycle through. It's incredibly weird that that would take up 100% of your CPU for no good reason though, it's a rather trivial task. Maybe it does it in a thread with super-high priority or something. Probably it's just a badly programmed gadget. Belisarius (talk) 14:21, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

McAfee SystemGuard keeps getting disabled.

I'm using McAfee Security Center on a Dell PC running Windows XP. I've got no major problem except my McAfee keeps informing me that 'I'm not fully protected' and I have to open up the Security Center and click 'Fix' every half hour or so because the 'SystemGuard has been disabled'. I assume this is some sort of spyware trying to get in?? I've a scan with the McAfee to detect any problems and they've not shown anything up. I've also updated my Windows Defender and done a full scan with no results. Any ideas on how to stop this happening? Thanks.91.109.235.99 (talk) 14:18, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm guessing that "SystemGuard" is a program that runs all the time and checks for viruses in every file you download. This may sound good, but this level of protection can make your computer unreasonably slow. Perhaps it was set to not run when installed, either by you or by it doing an analysis of your computer and determining that SystemGuard would put too much of a load on it. So, when this is turned off, it instead waits until some event happens, perhaps a certain number of files are downloaded, and then suggests that a scan be run (this might be the "Fix"). If you are downloading more than they anticipated, this might cause the warning (that you need to do a virus scan) to pop up annoyingly frequently.

Also, it might be trying to run with SystemGuard on, but be unable to do so. An amazingly large percentage of software, when it gets any type of error, just tries the same thing again and again, ad infinitum. If so, consider yourself lucky that it at least waits half an hour before trying again. One possibly cause for this type of error is running two anti-virus programs at once. They can view each other as a virus and thus fight each other. You might want to try running either Windows Defender or McAfee, but not both at the same time. StuRat (talk) 15:31, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

bloody XP

So i was going to install the Windows 7 beta onto my comp. and before that downloaded AVG anti virus and installed it and it went smoothly.But the moment i ran it its executable ran but no window came up.So i checked the task manager and saw its process running there.Then i tried to run some other software but it said "You do not have permission to access this file or whatver" .Then i saw that whatever i clicked on my desktop the same message came .I couldn't even open My Computer,nor could i open control panel to try and uninstall AVG.Then i restarted my computer and quickly went to control panel and uninstalled it before it could run and then everything became alright.Then i downloaded avast antivirus and AGAIN THE SAME THING HAPPENED.Only this time Avast's User interface came up and it actually started scanning but even then i couldn't access any other file or folder or run anything . Finally i managed to somehow remove it .Does anyone know why this is happening on my comp.?And this seems to be happening ONLY when i install some antivirus! And Don't say its some virus cause i haven't come across a virus which can block all the processes and do this by DETECTING EXACTLY when an antivirus is being installed!Vineeth h (talk) 14:31, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

I suspect that the anti-virus programs, being more worried about security (specifically some virus attacking them), intentionally create files which only they have access to. There is probably a way for you to access them, by using a different logon, for example, but you don't normally have this access. StuRat (talk) 15:19, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Yeah StuRat thats a possibility but i really need to know how to overcome this problem!If anyone else whose reading this has had the same problem amd solved it do reply ASAP.Vineeth h (talk) 15:48, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

I think that you do infact have a virus, depending on how advanced the virus is and whether it has a rootkit or not it could do what you are talking about. This virus could infact simply prevent you from installing an anti-virus for the sol purpose of leaving your computer open to attacks. I would recommend you not enter any sensitive data in to your computer until this problem is fixed. (sensitive data being credit card numbers, SSN and so on. If you have the ability i would recommend that you download a Linux live CD, burn that to a CD and boot in to Linux, after doing so you could run an anti virus on your main hard drive. If you have no idea what i am talking about then i would not recommend it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by E smith2000 (talk • contribs) 16:40, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

• This is a problem with AVG. Apparently (according to this website) a recent definition for AVG 8 for some languages can destroy a working copy of windows. 63.80.111.2 (talk) 02:55, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Plug in Problem.

I want to download web videos but I am not finding desired plugins all the time. If I reinstall the Operating System, then I need to install the Plugins once again. Is there any browser which can automatically store videos without any plugin? 217.151.231.10 (talk) 15:00, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Yes, you can obviously try one browser, that is Safari, it can download any video without any plug-in. Although it is for Apple, it can also be used on XP. To download any video, go to Window->Activity and expand the symbol of the page. You'll find a number of processes and out of those, one will be very large sized, say more that 3 MB. Double click on that process and you'll start downloading the video. Anirban16chatterjee (talk) 15:07, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

My first thought was that this sounded ridiculous, but I now realise you're just taking the question more literally than me, and showing how to save the video file that the page is trying to load. But I'm not sure this really answers the question, because even if this works, the poster would still need something to actually play the video.

Surely the real answer is that there is no one standard for videos on the web. Some sites will just present them as files, which can be downloaded by any browser, but which will need software that can play them (e.g. VLC); others will embed them in the page itself, using a plugin such as Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight; still others may use some proprietary P2P plugin.

Browsers can make finding and installing these plugins easier, but there is no way they could handle all video formats without any plug-ins at all. - IMSoP (talk) 19:14, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Most of the Web videos are .flv or .mpeg or .wmv. For playing .mpeg and .wmv, Windows Media Player id sufficient, and for .flv (such as in youtube), You can try Applian Flv Player, which is free! You may also try Sothink Video Player, as per your choice. Thus the video can be played easily. Thank you friend

IMSoP, for further extending the answer. Anirban16chatterjee (talk) 08:02, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Thank you Anirban16chatterjee, it solves the problem! Safari Browser is awesome! It can download almost anything from any page. Its display quality is better too and added a new dimension to Wikipedia browsing! May I keep contact with you via your talk-page? 217.151.231.10 (talk) 08:05, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

eee pc

Can I buy a eee pc? what are the advantages and disadvantages of it? how easy is web browsing in 1) 7 inch eee pc, 2) 9 inch eee pc, 3) 10 inch eee pc? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.92.113.42 (talk) 17:58, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Hello - I'm using an eee pc (Eee 900 series). It's the 9 inch screen model. I'm pleased because it does all I want it to do - mostly browsing the web and listening to music. And it's very small and light, which is good. I'd say the 7 inch screen is too small; some programs/websites only just fit in my 9 inch (they could probably fit better if I reduced the font size, but then I'd just be squinting at it all the time). But overall it's not a problem, but sometimes a website with flash video like BBC iPlayer only fits if I change FireFox to full screen. YouTube fits normally, but only just. The keyboard is also smaller than I'm used to (but that's just because the whole thing is so small). If you can, go to a shop and try the screen/keyboard and see if it works for you.

I'm a bit unusual because I got the Linux version and installed Ubuntu on it (rather than the default Xandros), so I can't speak for the XP version. --h2g2bob (talk) 20:24, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

I found the keyboard on the eeePC too small and so I went for an Acer Aspire One which has much better keys, but a lower battery life, (which I personally don't mind). Theresa Knott | token threats 20:37, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Yacc (bison) %union

main.c

#include <config.h>
#include "parser.h"

int yyparse(void);

int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
    return yyparse();
}

parser.y (this is the one that fails)

%{
#include <config.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <gmp.h>

int yylex(void);
void yyerorr(char *s);
%}

/* gcc goes error on mpq_t: "error: expected specifier-qualifier-list before 'mpq_t'"

%union {
    mpq_t q;
}

%token T_STMT_END
%token T_LPAREN
%token T_RPAREN
%token <q> T_NUM

%type <q> exp

%left T_ADD T_SUB 
%left T_MUL T_DIV
%right T_NEG

%%

input:      /* empty */
        |   input exp T_STMT_END
        ;
exp:        T_NUM
        |   T_LPAREN exp T_RPAREN
        |   exp T_ADD exp
        |   exp T_SUB exp
        |   exp T_MUL exp
        |   exp T_DIV exp
        |   T_SUB exp %prec T_NEG
        ;

lexer.l (not so relevant I think)

%{
#include <config.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <gmp.h>
#include "parser.h"
%}

STMT_END         ;
LPAREN          \(
RPAREN          \)
NUM             0|0[1-7][0-7]*|0[Xx][a-fA-F0-9]+|[0-9]+
ADD             \+
SUB             \-
MUL             \*
DIV             \/

%%

{STMT_END}      {return T_STMT_END;}
{LPAREN}        {return T_LPAREN;}
{RPAREN}        {return T_RPAREN;}
{NUM}           {return T_NUM;}
{ADD}           {return T_ADD;}
{SUB}           {return T_SUB;}
{MUL}           {return T_MUL;}
{DIV}           {return T_DIV;}

When trying to compile the above, I get a very verbose error from parser.y: "parser.y:11: error: expected specifier-qualifier-list before ‘mpq_t’". If I replace mpq_t with int everything works fine. I'm not too good with these things so it could be something obvious but it would help a lot if somebody told me what's wrong. I'm on Ubuntu 8.10. --194.197.235.61 (talk) 21:13, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

January 26

Kubuntu: Compile options for a package

In Kubuntu, what's the simplest way to download a package from source (ideally using apt-get), compile it with specific options, and ensure that it continues to be automatically updated with the same options applied each time? Would this be easier on another distro that uses KDE? NeonMerlin 00:06, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Analog Electronics

Query:

This is a take home test I am having trouble with and need it for work.

First question, The instrument used to measure resistance is A) DVM digital volt meter B)Ohmeter C) Megger D) VOM Volt Ohm Meter

There is no option for all of the above, I think Megger, but could be VOM. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

-- 216.142.142.105 (talk) 00:08, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

We don't answer homework questions, but instead I suggest you do some transcendental meditation, and I'm sure the answer will come to you. And if, for some strange reason, that approach fails you, try looking those words up here or in a dictionary. One hint, they likely means "which device is used to measure resistance OMLY". :-) StuRat (talk) 02:10, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

But we can suggest that you look though our Electrical resistance article. You may find your answer there. -- Tcncv (talk) 02:22, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Gaming Rigs: Be All, End All?

When I go into a store and buy computer, the store sales person will ask me what I will be using the computer for: email, word processing, games, etc... If I buy a gaming computer, say an Alienware or a Dell XPS, will it be able to do everything else (within reason)? Like word processing, graphic design, etc...? The Ayatollah (talk) 05:53, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Pretty much, yes. Gaming comps need a good graphic card, big RAM, a good processor, and a reasonable sound card. A graphic design/video editing comp will need a high-end graphics card and some big RAM, which you have from your gaming comp. A music editing/recording comp will need a high-end sound card, which might come with a gaming comp, but it might not. A gaming comp will do everything a regular comp will do (i.e. word processing, email, web browsing, etc.), but it'll do it better. So, I say again: Pretty much, yes. flaminglawyer 06:21, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Gaming has traditionally driven many of the computer improvements of the last decade. There are, however, a few specialized tasks that a gaming rig might be less than perfectly equipped to handle. Specifically, extensive video editing would benefit from RAID striping (increased disk throughput) and increased disk space, while servers would benefit from RAID redundancy and more CPU cores. Meanwhile, graphic designers like high-end (not low-refresh) monitors and tablet input devices, and developers prefer multiple monitors. But, to be fair, you'll likely not find a computer for any of these niches at a major retailer, and a "gaming rig" would likely prove satisfactory even if these examples aren't excluded by your "within reason" clause. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 08:29, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Even for high definition video editing a high spec standard PC will be fine nowadays. The only thing you might find lacking is RAM. Many gaming machines will only come with 2GB of ram, whereas with graphic design on high resolution images 4GB or more is useful, but if you do this you will need to install a 64 bit Operating System such as Vista x64, as a 32bit OSes (as XP and the majority of shop bought machines version of Vista are) can only address 4GB maximum, including graphics card memory. Oh as above if you wish to record or edit music (or if you have a decent set of your own speakers) you might wish to get a dedicated sound card as most shopbought machines rely on onboard sound.

If you know the specifications of the machine feel free to post them! 212.219.8.231 (talk) 09:01, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Liquid Helium Cooled Computers

I read somewhere that computer speed is limited by CPU heat. If the CPU is too fast, the computer will be too hot and burn. If I was somehow able to use liquid helium to cool my computer as to render the heat-issue non-existent, would I be able to clock a Core 2 to, say, 8 ghz? The Ayatollah (talk) 05:54, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Many people have tried this, but with liquid nitrogen (example). It considerably lessens the heat-issue, but it'll always be there. I honestly have no idea of actual speed improvements with liquid nitrogen/helium cooling, but I will say that it's a huge difference. So it might be possible to clock one up to 8Ghz. flaminglawyer 06:14, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Temperature isn't the only limit on CPU speed. As you increase the speed of the processor, propagation delays (the time it takes for a signal to move through the chip) can exceed the clock speed. This necessitates some type of hardware modification, from chip layout (reduced signal lengths) to buffering signals (the transfer takes multiple clocks), to just shrinking thr die size (everything gets smaller). With reasonable tolerances on the chip and appropriate cooling, a (semi-stable) overclock of 2x is reasonable. That said, computer parts were not designed for exposure to liquid nitrogen/helium, and extreme temperature fluctuations can cause fractures in circuits that will take your computer out of commission. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 08:14, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

To continue with the previous comments, yes, cooling with liquid nitrogen could make for a faster computer, provided the computer was designed to be cooled in that way. You can't just pour liquid nitrogen, much less cooler and more expensive liquid helium, into a computer designed to be air-cooled and expect it to survive. A liquid nitrogen cooled home computer seems possible, although it would be quite expensive, for home use. I would imagine a design where a cooling unit produces the liquid nitrogen, then delivers it to the computer, automatically, so no handling is required.

Then there is also another stage, using either liquid helium or liquid hydrogen, where you get superconductivity; meaning no resistance, and therefore no heat, is generated. Supercomputers could possibly use this method. It seems quite unsuitable for home computing, as dealing with temps close to absolute zero is very dangerous, and hydrogen also becomes flammable when it heats up, becomes a gas, and mixes with air. StuRat (talk) 17:31, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Also see computer cooling. StuRat (talk) 17:44, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

XP probs

Hello dears! i have a problem in windows XP sp3.when i try to open drive C it returns an error saying that(windows cant find resycled/boot.com Make sure you type the name correctly)i dont know what is this and what it means.how i repair this error.and the drive is renamed to Yama Ramin.Any help please —Preceding unsigned comment added by 119.154.16.107 (talk) 06:06, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

(Added section title) flaminglawyer 06:10, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Very virus-like. Take a look around. This, that and the other _[talk] 06:50, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Yep. A virus that copies itself to the RECYCLED folder so that people without "show system files/folders" on can't see it. Try deleting it from Run... - "del C:\RECYCLED\boot.com" or whatever the DOS command is --wj32 ^t/c 08:04, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

macintosh OS X: navigating forms with the keyboard compared to Windows XP

Macintosh is asserts that it favors accessibility, but it seems a lot less flexible when I try to navigate user input forms using only the keyboard and no mouse. For example, when I logged into wikipedia, there is the username and password dialog box. On windows I can navigate to both of these input boxes using only the tabkey. I can also navigate to the checkbox for "remember me" with the tab key, and toggle it on and off using the space key.

In comparison, on the Mac OS X, I cannot seem to get the tab key to bring focus to the checkbox.

Also, in comparison, if I am on a web page using firefox on winxp, I can navigate to all the links on a webpage by repeatedly pressing the tab key.

Yet on the Mac, pressing tab only seems to navigate over the chrome and doesn't go into the links.

I checked the article on Table_of_keyboard_shortcuts "Widget navigation" and there does not seem to be a way to do this simple thing on a Mac. Does anyone know how to navigate all the widgets on an input form using only the keyboard? NoClutter (talk) 06:23, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm not in front of my Mac right now but I think what you're looking for is the "full keyboard access" or something similar setting in the Keyboard Control Panel. Also try, I think it's... option-tab to move between links on a page. I personally hate the way XP tabs from one link to the next when I just want to go to text fields. Dismas|^(talk) 09:10, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

It's in System Preferences -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Keyboard Shortcuts tab. However, if you're using Safari, that overrides the general system setting -- look in Safari's Preferences -> Advanced tab for "Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage". Or as Dismas mentioned, you can use option-tab to toggle its behavior. -- Speaker to Lampposts (talk) 06:38, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Where did all the info on AgesaCode go???

Hi!

I remember bumping into the term AgesaCode previously, and searching Wikipedia (English) for it. The search gave some results, I read the general stuff and was happy with the info I got. After all, I just wanted to know what the term meant. Now it occurred to me that maybe the same articles would answer to some additional questions I had. Now it seems that the whole term has disappeared from Wikipedia. No search results whatsoever. And I'm positive it was here before. What happened? AgesaCode, by the way, is a method of keeping the AMD (64) based computers' bioses up-to-date with a minimum effort. The job of adding new CPU's is done just once resulting a new version of AgesaCode and the motherboard manufacturers are able to use the versions of the common AgesaCode to implement support for the new CPU's.88.114.54.245 (talk) 11:03, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

You must be mistaken; there is no history (including deletion history) for any article titled "AgesaCode". But since you didn't say what additional questions you have, and it seems that you have a slight misunderstanding of what it is, I have created the article AGESA. Enjoy. -- Fullstop (talk) 12:48, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

How to select an exit node in Tor

Resolved

Hey, could someone familiar with the Tor network help me out here. I'm trying to access a uk based website that only allows users from the United Kingdom to view. I'm using the Tor network but most of the exit nodes it connects to are from Germany or the US, and I have no way of selecting uk exit nodes from the vadalia control panel. So is there a way to specify which exit node I want my traffic to be sent from? It's for a text website, not bbci player or other high bandwidth sites so Tor would be perfect for this. Thanks. 65.49.2.26 (talk) 13:12, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Don't know about Tor, but when I googled for "UK proxies" I found a website with a list of proxy servers in the UK. 4th or 5th one in the list. –Capricorn42 (talk) 13:16, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks but I really need this for Tor as proxy websites are blocked where I am. 65.49.2.26 (talk) 15:37, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I think you can by editing the TOR configuration file: http://www.nntpnews.net/f1009/manually-selecting-tor-exit-node-714968/ .--K;;m5m k;;m5m (talk) 16:49, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks everyone. I eventually found an unblocked proxy site

Internet over Power lines

hi

i was wondering if there was any way to send broadband signals over the power lines in my home because i do not feel like running Cat6 cable all over my house. i would use wireless, but the only routers i saw had huge ranges, and i don't want my neighbors stealing my internets. i saw something for internet over the power lines (i think it was called homepny or something) a few years ago. is this tech still available, or alternately, is there a better version?  Buffered Input Output 14:05, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Have a read here. BigDunc^Talk 14:07, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Your neighbors aren't very likely to get their filthy hands on your internets if you just have a wireless router with a decent degree of wireless security on it -- that is to say, WPA rather than WEP. As for huge ranges, how huge are we talking about here? I think your average wireless router today tends to have a range of about 40 to 50 meters, or around 130 to 165 feet, if you prefer, although heavier walls, certain electronics and the like will cut down on that. Is that huge enough to reach your neighbors' houses? I believe some models have an option to reduce the signal's power, which will cut down on the range, but honestly, a good password will probably be your best bet. Or, if you like, you could just use MAC addresses, which would mean that only specific computers would be allowed to connect to the network, regardless of passwords. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 15:13, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I would recommend that you try using a Wifi router and set it's encryption. That way since only you know the password only you can access the internet. E smith2000 (talk) 17:14, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Well I'm using my neighbors internet right now and they have it secured. Simply a matter of collecting enough packets to get the pass. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 21:44, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

How would i use the MAC addresses? that sounds like a good option (when combined with WPA or something else)  Buffered Input Output 17:17, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

That depends on the router, the settings are different depending on the company/deviceE smith2000 (talk) 17:47, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

No no no no no no no! Don't use MAC address filtering, it's crap! It's trivial to break, it takes literally 5 minutes. And it's way complicated!

Using WPA is much simpler and much more secure. All you do is set a password at the router (preferably long and hard to crack), and then you just enter the password at every computer that you wish to be on the network. It's super-easy, and if you have a good password, incredibly hard to break. Don't bother with MAC address filtering, it's just a big hassle and does no one any good. Belisarius (talk) 18:57, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I would tend to agree with FlavusBelisarius MAC address filtering can be a bit of a pain also it is not infalable as some wireless clients allow their MAC address to be impersonated or spoofed and a hacker could break into your WLAN by configuring their client to spoof one of your MAC addresses. But saying that everything can be hacked if someone is determined enough. BigDunc^Talk 19:10, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

returning to the original question... Powerline adapters are an excellent alternative to running cat5. The advantages/disadvantages of powerline are the same as wire; i.e. good resistance to interference and cannot be snooped on, but not extensible without more hardware. There are also Powerline/WLAN combos (e.g. the Netgear WGX102/XE102), so you can start with powerline, and still have the option to get on the WLAN bandwagon later. -- Fullstop (talk) 19:36, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

OpenDNS

Hello, Something called OpenDNS has installed intself on my computer and is now ruining the wordrous experience of using Firefox. Anyone know how it got there and how to get rid of it? (Ideally, i'd like to keep my cookies..)81.142.143.17 (talk) 14:58, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

OpenDNS isn't software; someone changed your DNS settings. Go to the Internet settings on your computer. In Windows, Control Panel -> Network Connections -> right click the connection you use -> Properties -> select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) -> hit the Properties button -> select Obtain DNS server address automatically. The DNS server address boxes should have the OpenDNS addresses of 208.67.220.220 and 208.67.222.222 - remove those for good measure. If it is already set to obtain automatically and the boxes are blank, talk to your ISP (unless you have a home network, in which case talk to the person who has access to the router settings). Xenon54 (talk) 16:36, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Hyperlinks in AS 3

Hello WIkipedia, I'm trying to build a website in Flash and have been trying to create basic hyperlinks. (i.e. you click on a button saying 'services' and go the 'services' page). I've done some google searches and cyberspace seems to be confused.... ANy thought? P.s. i'm no expert so please assume no knowledge!81.142.143.17 (talk) 16:19, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I have not played around much with AS 3 but i do know that in AS 2 you can place the following code on a button to open an internet site in a new window:

on (release) (GetURL("http://www.google.com")
);

In AS2 you could do (to correct yours slightly:

on (release) {
getURL("http://www.google.com")
}

If I want to shamelessly self-plug, I would direct you straight to my site which explains AS3's way of doing things. Instead, I'll helpfully extract the code to here:

myButton.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,goThere);
function goThere(e:MouseEvent){
var request:URLRequest = new URLRequest("http://www.foundation-flash.com/");
navigateToURL(request);
}

Or you could view the link below, it looks fine also. - Jarry1250 ^{(t, c)} 17:23, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Here, read this: http://scriptplayground.com/tutorials/as/getURL-in-Actionscript-3/ --98.217.14.211 (talk) 17:17, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Jarry1250, your website is great! (a little pointer, the volume is very quiet...) but thanks for shameless plug!86.6.101.208 (talk) 21:43, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Usb to PCI adaptor

I was just wondering of there existed a device that would allow me to plug in my PCI devices and then plug said device in to a laptop, enabling me to use a desktop's PCI cards on a laptop. Thank you E smith2000 (talk) 16:26, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

A quick google brought up this site http://www.arstech.com/ --TrogWoolley (talk) 17:27, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

As you'll see from List of device bandwidths, the fastest USB currently sold has only half the bandwidth of the slowest PCI. So while someone may sell you a box that translates one to the other, there's not enough bandwidth for many uses. You could probably run a PCI modem card or PCI sound card in such an unfortunate arrangement, but a video card or RAID adapter will be too much for it. Mimetic Polyalloy (talk) 22:31, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Problems with flash video in Firefox

When I run firefox (v.3.0.5), I can't watch flash videos at veoh.com, perezhilton.com (yes, I'm classy like that), or theonion.com. In IE, these work fine. I have the latest flash installed for both firefox and IE (which I just reinstalled after manually uninstalling with the adobe-provided uninstaller). Other websites with flash videos (like youtube) work fine. Does anyone know what could be causing this? Obviously I can just switch over to IE when necessary, but it's kind of a pain. Calliopejen1 (talk) 17:06, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Check your firewall. i know this may seem silly but i just ran in to this problem the otherday and it turned out that my firewall was blocking the loading of scripts and flash videos in my default browser(which is FireFox). try disabling your firewall and then try and load a video. (remember to re-enable your firewall)E smith2000 (talk) 17:11, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Just figured out the problem! Stupid adblock acting up. Now off to figure out the rule that is causing this problem... Calliopejen1 (talk) 19:51, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

what is the largest IDE hard drive that was made?

what is the IDE hard drive that was manufactuered (before they switched to SATA)? Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.120.111.130 (talk) 17:20, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I think it is 1TB made by Total Micro —Preceding unsigned comment added by E smith2000 (talk • contribs) 17:25, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Fry's sells a IDE to Sata converter, if you are looking for a large hard drive but lack sata ports. E smith2000 (talk) 17:30, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

PSP Capabilities

Other than playing games, what can the PSP do? Looking on the PSP page here, it says that you can remotely play your PS3 stuff, but websites I check say that it can't watch movies or play PS3 games. I've also noticed sites stating that you can't watch YouTube, you can't check email (except some capabilities with AOL mail and GMail in classic mode). So, I'm left wondering is the PSP is useful if you have no intention of playing games on it? My current opinion is that a PDA is better for non-gaming. -- kainaw™ 20:08, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

A PSP can not view youtube videos. A PSP can view emails regardless. A PSP can play movies and videos. I suggest converting them though using a program called SUPER. Rgoodermote  22:11, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I'd say that if you wanted to play games the PSP is a fantastic choice, but from your post i think that you dont want to play games. A Smart phone or a PDA would be a better choice (a smart phone with a data package means that you can get your email anywhere that you can make calls)

E smith2000 (talk) 22:51, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

If I play games, it will be on my PS3. If I could play my PS3 games remotely on the PSP, it would be useful. From what I've seen, that is not possible. If I could watch blu-ray movies remotely on the PSP, that would be useful. From what I've seen, that is not possible. So, I would only be interested in using the PSP for checking my email using a client (not web-based email). I don't see any hint of Thunderbird for PSP coming soon. So, I think a PDA is best for me. -- kainaw™ 23:37, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

PHP

If I have a large array (stored in a file) that is essential to a web application written in PHP, how would I cache the array in memory and not have to read it every time a page is requested? I don't see why this should even be called caching - programs should store everything in memory anyway! Why was PHP designed like this? ASP.NET has global variables that persist across page loads, for example. --wj32 ^t/c 23:02, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Look into sessions. Once a session is started, data can be stored in memory across page loads. Or - are you looking to store stuff in memory across page loads from completely different users? -- kainaw™ 23:34, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Each time you load a PHP page it basically starts fresh in terms of the system state. I don't know why ASP.NET does it another way, but anyway, that's how PHP works, it is part of the overarching programming paradigm of it and that's just how it is. As noted above you can use sessions and other means to share variables between pageloads but if you're talking about a lot of data you probably don't want to do it that way.

If you look in the PHP manual, there is a section on "shared memory". That's probably the only way to deal with it. I suspect it would be easier on the machine, though, to just dump the array into a file that PHP can read quickly (e.g. dump it as a PHP array into a new PHP file and then just "include" that each time it runs—obviously you have to be careful here to keep it safe to run). I have a function that can do that if that would be useful for you. It's probably a lot easier than messing with the shared memory stuff. As to how ASP.NET does things, again, I don't know, but somehow I doubt it really uses shared memory.

But again, if you're really butting your head against this a lot, you might really want to re-think your program design, as you are apparently trying to do something that is very, very non-standard for PHP and there is probably a better, PHP-like way to do it that will be a lot easier for you to work out and maintain. But again, I don't really know what specifically it is you are trying to do here. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 00:00, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

PHP is a Hypertext Preprocessor, not a stateful server environment. Which essentially means it behaves exactly how you think it shouldn't. Perhaps the simplest way to accomplish what you asked is to create a RAM disk and copy the file in question to it. Then every open/read will be a memory transaction, but your still paying for PHP to process the entire thing, especially wasteful if you only want a specific part. Another option is to store this array in a database (which, conveniently, *is* a stateful server environment which is easily optimized for cached access). With a database you also get the ability to retrieve arbitrary portions of the array instead of loading the entire thing. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 03:32, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

No, I'm just wondering why PHP was designed like that. Thanks for the replies. --wj32 ^t/c 06:41, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

If it was designed as a stateful server environment, there would be people asking, "Why isn't PHP stateless so I can start each page request from scratch?" In 30+ years of programming, I've found that any time you give a program to the general public, half the people will say, "Your program sucks because it doesn't do exactly what I want it to do." PHP is no exception. There are Ruby people who hate that it isn't like Ruby. There are ASP people who hate that it isn't like ASP. There are Perl people who hate the entire world because they have to use Perl all the time. All in all, PHP was designed to meet the needs of the programmers in the way that the programmers wanted. Nothing special. -- kainaw™ 13:46, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

How to make your desktop background a slideshow (while you work)?

I am pretty sure I could do this once but I forgot. I work on a Windows XP. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! --PST 23:20, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm sure it is possible with the "active desktop" thing. I haven't used Windows XP for any length of time, but I remember seeing an option for active desktop being a slideshow of photos from a specified directory. -- kainaw™ 23:35, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

I know for certain this is possible but I just can't remember how. There is also Winwall which apparently does something similar. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 23:39, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Creating a simple active desktop is a trivial affair. You right-click on the desktop, choose "Properties," then "Desktop," then "Customize desktop," then "Web" then "New." Then, you pick a web page to use. Now comes the hard part: making the slide show. It's probably going to be either JavaScript/CSS embedded in the .html file or a Flash movie embedded in the HTML. If you don't know either Javascript, CSS, or Flash, then you might want to pick up a slideshow template or hire a coder...--K;;m5m k;;m5m (talk) 00:18, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

One thing I miss about Linux (I went back to Apple) is that I could have xearth as my background. —Tamfang (talk) 06:00, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Slideshow? You could try John's Background Switcher... [10] --wj32 ^t/c 09:37, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Sorting dates in PHP

Here's something that I'm sure will sound like homework but is really just something I've been struggling with in PHP.

Let's say I have a list of dates in an array in any arbitrary string format (say, "MM/DD/YYYY"). For the sake of simplicity, let's say that I have them already sorted in order by date.

I want a function that, with that array as its input, return the date soonest from now in the future, with the cutoff point being the day after the date in question.

So, practically speaking, let's say the array had three dates in it: 01/25/2009, 01/26/2009, 01/29/2009. If today is 01/26/2009, I would want it to return "01/26/2009" as the next future date. If today was 01/27/2009, I would want it to return "01/29/2009". And, while we're at it, if today was "02/03/2009", I would want it to return the last date in the list, "01/29/2009".

Does that make sense? I've had a hell of a time getting the PHP date functions to get this to work for me, so if anyone had any suggestions, that would be great. Here's the function I currently use, if that is of any help, and it doesn't quite work correctly:

function get_soonest() { global $schedule; foreach($schedule as $key=>$val) { $event_date = date("Ymd",strtotime($val["date"])); if(date("Ymd",time())<=$event_date) { return $key; } } return count($schedule)-1; }

As you can see, I have the date fields kept in a bigger array ("schedule"), but otherwise it should be pretty easy to read. This is a pretty primitive approach as you can well appreciate. Any suggestions as to how to make this work better? --98.217.14.211 (talk) 23:27, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

When working with dates after Jan 1, 1970, it is usually easiest to use a timestamp. Instead of using 1/27/2009 as your index, use strtotime("1/27/2009") as your index. It is a big number (the number of seconds since Jan 1 1970). It is very easy to sort and work with numbers. Then, when you want to print the date back out, use date("m/d/Y", $index) where $index is the index you were using. -- kainaw™ 23:32, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Well, yes, I know that, in theory, but my troubles come from wanting to get it to know when to change the time. I actually have a lot of trouble dealing with the timestamps because, as you note, they are in seconds, which is far too precise a level of detail for these purposes (where everything is a matter of days)...--98.217.14.211 (talk) 00:13, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

OK, nevermind. I rethought what it is what I was trying to do and it was simpler than I had thought. I really just want to know what is the next date in the future, so:

function get_soonest() { global $schedule; $now = time(); foreach($schedule as $key=>$val) { $event_date = strtotime($val["date"]) + (1*24*60*60); //day after event date if($event_date > $now) { //is in the future return $key; } } return count($schedule); //nothing in the future so return the last one }

Should work fine.... --98.217.14.211 (talk) 00:23, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Big numbers in C++

How can I deal with big numbers which are too large even for a "long long unsigned int" in C++ --RMFan1 (talk) 00:11, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

I guess you getting paid in Zimbabwean dollars. See Arbitrary-precision arithmetic Dmcq (talk) 00:35, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

the not-ipod

My best friend's brother just got this new handheld iPod-like thingy. It's South Korean, has (approx) a 4-inch screen, can play 720p video and music, movies, pictures, etc. Everything that an iPod can do (plus 720p vids), but on a bigger screen. I'm in the market for a new portable media player device thingy that's not and iPod and this thing looks like it fits the bill. Only thing is, I have no idea what it is, what it's called, or where to look for it. Does anyone know of such a device, or where I could buy one? flaminglawyer 00:12, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Does it look like an iPod? A quick Google search for "iPod copies" threw up this as the top result. Cycle~ (talk) 00:18, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Sorry for not clearing that up: No. It looks nothing like an iPod. Imagine a rectangle, about 4x5 inches, with like a 4x4 inch screen and the other inch for buttons. And you've got it. flaminglawyer 00:25, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

It has a 1280x720 screen at 4x4 inches? Are you, uh, positive? An older news article (2005) suggests the most popular companies for media players in Korea, at that time at least, were iRiver, Cowon, and Samsung. You can get these just about anywhere, might as well look at their sites and see if you can spot the one you're looking for. None of them have 4x4" 720p screens though. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 01:27, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

I assume he meant it takes 720p as input, then down-converts to something more like 480p for display purposes. Otherwise, those are some freakin' tiny pixels. StuRat (talk) 01:29, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Have a browse around DealExtreme, you might find it there. It's a Hong Kong based company that sells almost anything you could think of (and probably many that you could not!) with free worldwide shipping. If you do find it, you might then want to read the forum comments as well as do a Google search to find out how haclable it may be, if that's your thing. Zunaid 08:29, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia layer in Google Earth

Does anyone know how often the Wikipedia layer in Google Earth is updated? It presumably uses the {{coord}} template. I've noticed that the placemark for Westchester County, New York is in the city centre of Birmingham (UK) and has been for at least a year. The coordinates were removed from the article on 19 January 2008, but the placemark remains. Similarly, articles I've created (with coordinates) haven't been included. Cheers! Cycle~ (talk) 00:15, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

all the tech conferences

It appears that there are a bunch of different conferences for people announcing new tech stuff. There's G3, Mac World (cancelled), and all the other ones that I don't know of... which is why I'm here. Is there a list of all the tech conferences that regularly happen? Also, how does anyone ever find out about the ones that are announced short-notice? Like the one to announce the Palm Pre? flaminglawyer 00:22, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Check out Trade fair for a list of a lot of technical conferences. Livewireo (talk) 04:14, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Niche calculations

What's the best way to automate calculation of the random Fibonacci sequence? Let's say I have 10,000,000 bits of "random" data that I want to seed my random Fibonacci algorithm with. For each and every bit, I want to either add f(n-1) and f(n-2) or subtract them, depending on whether the current "random" bit is a 0 or 1. This would be easy enough to do with a spreadsheet like Excel, except that Excel has a very small limit to the maximum number of cells, and it's very time-consuming to import bit-wise data into Excel (am I right?). So I guess I'm looking for a super-spreadsheet to do this. Suggestions? Accuracy of the result is not too important, as long as the exponent is close to the actual one. An arbitrary precision/speed tradeoff would be nice, of course. 4.242.108.158 (talk) 01:00, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Excel would be a horrible choice, for the reasons you've mentioned as well as the fact that a huge amount of processing power goes to its (quite poor) GUI, and all you want to do is crunch numbers. You'd be better off with just a scripting program (in your language of choice) that would input your numbers from a text file and output to another one. I'm sure someone on here could write you such a program in Python or Perl quite quickly.... --98.217.14.211 (talk) 03:31, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Volume configuration file on Ubuntu?

Does anyone knows the configuration file that stores the value for the volume control in Ubuntu ("master" and "speaker")? I've searched a lot, but with no success... :(

PS:I know there are GUI and CLI tool to change that, but I really need the file that sores that info...

PS-2: I know it is a global value (for all users, so it is probably not stored at the home)

Thanks. SF007 (talk) 02:05, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Single-user PostgreSQL

Is there a version of PostgreSQL that's simpler to install and use for a single-user, non-network database, but that has all the same features for the database itself (e.g. triggers, polymorphism and inheritance)? NeonMerlin 03:36, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm on Linux. The complete install process is: "yum install postgresql-server". In Windows, I believe you download the installer and double-click on it, then click ok-ok-ok-ok-ok. I don't know about Mac. So, my problem with answering your question is how to make it simpler. -- kainaw™ 13:50, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

IP address

Question moved from the Miscellaneous desk. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 04:27, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Just wondering, is it legal (or even possible) to modify one's computer or Internet device so that the location and IP address it gives off can be controlled? ^Tezkag₇₂ 03:44, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

See Proxy server, Tor. –Capricorn42 (talk) 04:36, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

(ec) We cannot give legal advice, but I don't think setting an arbitrary IP address would be illegal (pretending to be a different person, however, could be). In fact, it is quite possible to set any IP address you'd like on your computer. The problem, though, is that many other computers will not talk to your computer if it isn't at an expected IP address. Realistically, the closest thing you can do is route your traffic through a proxy which will make your IP address appear to be the proxy address. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 04:41, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

It depends on the method you use to spoof your IP address. Using a proxy (as mentioned above) is usually legal. But cloning someone's MAC address or using someone's firewall as an unauthorized proxy would be illegal.--K;;m5m k;;m5m (talk) 04:56, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

How is setting your MAC address to some arbitrary value illegal? Now, connecting to another computer with intent to defraud is another matter, but it's the fraud that's illegal, not the MAC. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 05:14, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Uh..Mac Addresses can't be changed....Rgoodermote  15:22, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Our article MAC spoofing disagrees with you. Algebraist 15:25, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Windows Address Bar question

Is there a way to adjust the address bar in Windows so that it doesnt show all the sites that I've been to? What I mean is when Im about to write an address into it,as soon as a write the first letter it gives me the list of all the sites that I've been to starting with that letter. Can that be adjusted and how?

Thanks a lot(and please do answer if you know how to do it,cause I would really hate my girlfriend to know all which sites I visited).

87.116.154.181 (talk) 07:47, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

That would depend on the browser. Some browsers have an option of not memorizing addresses. (Safari, for example, calls this "Private browsing".) And I think every browser allows you to delete its memory of addresses (as well as cookies, etc). -- Hoary (talk) 08:09, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

If you use Internet Explorer (IE7 here, but it was similar in IE6), you can turn Auto-Complete on or off. Click Tools at the top of the screen, then Internet Options. Click the Content tab, then where it says Settings beside Auto-Complete. There are a number of boxes there which you can check or uncheck, depending on what you want Auto-Complete to store. Tools/Internet Options also enables you to delete your browser history. In IE7, the Favorites Center has a History feature which, when clicked, displays everything you've looked at in detail unless you delete the browser history. Pavel (talk) 09:19, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

720p vs 1366x768

Hi. Our article on 720p states that it is 1280x720 and mentions absolutely nothing about 1366x768. However, every single 720p TV I've seen advertised in South Africa has a resolution of 1366. Actually to be more accurate, they are always advertised as "HD Ready" rather than 720p. Similarly, 1080p TV's are advertised as "Full HD". Now at the moment we still don't have digital broadcasting although it WILL come in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Not sure if it wll be 720 or 1080.

I'm looking to get an "HD Ready" LCD for gaming (Xbox360) and watching TV series via PC. So in light of all this, is there anything to be concerned about? If any of these sources are coming from a 720p signal, stretching it to 1366 would probably look terrible given how close the ratios are. On another note, I've noticed that most graphics cards (including the onboard graphics on my PC) only support 1360x768 as a standard resolution. What would happen to the extra 6 pixels? Will the display from the PC look absolutely horrible (trying to stretch itself horizontally)?

Nth question (how many is that now?): How did 1366x768 for TV's come about in the first place if the standard was 1280x720 for broadcasting and 1360x768 for graphics cards? Why choose a ratio that is not a standard? If anyone can untangle this whole mess I'd be grateful. Thanks. Zunaid 08:58, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Pywikipedia code

Hello, where can I find (or how can I make) some code which I can use to have my bot copy automatically templates from other Wikipedias every X days? There are some templates which have to be updated often from the corresponding templates on other Wikipedias every now and then, and it would be great to be able to do that with a bot. I'm bad at pywikipedia programming so I hope someone can please lend me a hand. Thanks a lot. Leptictidium (mt) 09:24, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Perl, Regex, translation, ARRRRRGGHHHHHHHH!

Microsoft Excel can understand January 1, 1911, Feb 2, 1922 but not Mar. 3, 1933. If the name of the month has a period in it, it fails to parse the date. So I am writing a simple Perl program to fix my text documents.

open (IN, "<dates_in.txt");

@test = <IN>;

$i = 0;

foreach (@test) {

    chomp($test[$i]);

    print $test[$i] . " - ";

    $test[$i] =~ tr/(Jan\.|Feb\.)/(January|February)/;

    print $test[$i] . "\n";

    $i++

}

For simplicity's sake, only two months are translated here. The output is beyond my wildest imagination:

Jan. 1, 1911 - Janu 1, 1911

Feb 2, 1922 - ry| 2, 1922

Mar. 3, 1933 - Maru 3, 1933

Apr. 4, 1944 - Apru 4, 1944

May 5, 1955 - May 5, 1955

Jun. 6, 1966 - Junu 6, 1966

Jul. 7, 1977 - Julu 7, 1977

Aug. 8, 1988 - Augu 8, 1988

Sep. 9, 1999 - Sypu 9, 1999

Oct. 10, 2000 - Octu 10, 2000

Nov. 11, 2001 - Novu 11, 2001

Dec. 12, 2002 - Dycu 12, 2002

What went wrong? -- Toytoy (talk) 10:40, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

You invoked transliteration (or translation) instead of substitution. s/tr/s/ -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 11:15, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

But can I do many-to-many replacement? I tried:

$test[$i] =~ s/Jan\.|Feb\./January|February/;

It doesn't work at all. The "Replace With" part does not allow multiple one-on-one mapped alternatives (like "case" of flow control).

Surely I can do 11 replacements for each month except for May. But if the text files are huge, 11 replacements may take a long time to execute. What else can I do? -- Toytoy (talk) 12:01, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Perhaps s/(Jan|Feb|Mar)\./$1/ is more to your liking? It doesn't expand the months, but it does remove the dots. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 12:39, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

If the text files only contain the dates, why not do a global search and replace, replacing "." with ""? - any text editor should be able to do that. Astronaut (talk) 13:00, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

I can solve my current problem by using the UltraEdit. However, I want to see if there's a way to do "case"-like replacement. For example, I can expand each country's shortened name to its full name (e.g. U.S. -> U.S.A. -> the United States of America) in a very large text file. Or I can use a complicated replacement program to simplify a HTML page downloaded from a web site. -- Toytoy (talk) 13:43, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

A slightly more complicated alternative is to add the 'e' option at the end of the regex, which causes Perl to eval the substitution string. So you could, for instance, create a hash mapping Jan=>January etc., then use s/(Jan|Feb|Mar)\./$hash{$1}/e to expand the months. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 13:11, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

This is a much more advanced solution. I guess that you can't use the 'o' option (compile once for all replacements), if the replacement is executed within a loop. But this is a much better solution. This may be used for other purposes, such as mapping an animal's English names against its scientific name (if one-to-one). Thank you! -- Toytoy (talk) 13:33, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

---

It looks like that Perl has a major bug.

%month = ("Jan" => "January", "Feb" => "February", "Mar" => "March", "Apr" => "April", "Jun" => "June", "Jul" => "July", "Aug" => "August", "Sep" => "September", "Sept" => "September", "Oct" => "October", "Nov" => "November", "Dec" => "December");

open (IN, "<dates_in.txt");

@test = <IN>;

$i = 0;

foreach (@test) {

    chomp($test[$i]);

    print     $test[$i] . " - ";

    $test[$i] =~ s/\b(Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Sept|Oct|Nov|Dec)\.?\b/$month{$1}/ge;

    print     $1 . " > " . $test[$i] . "\n";

    $i++

}

Perl fails to clear $1 (group 1) when there's no match, see May:

Apr. 4, 1944 - Apr > April 4, 1944

May 5, 1955 - Apr > May 5, 1955 <-- See the bug!

Jun. 6, 1966 - Jun > June 6, 1966

This is a potential source of unpredictable output. Larry Wall I want my money back.-- Toytoy (talk) 14:29, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

The s/// operator returns the number of replacements made (or a false value if that's 0). If you want to use $1 iff it's current, you need to say something like

if($test[$i]=~s/.../.../) {print $1,...;}

Hope that helps. --Tardis (talk) 15:54, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

If Perl was created by Microsoft, this bug is certainly a valuable "feature." But why did Perl have such a "feature"? Is there a reason to justify its existence? Can anyone name a good use of it? -- Toytoy (talk) 16:22, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Internet

My internet connection is not working, I have been told by my provider that the problem is either with my cable from my modem to my computer or with my modem itself. I have however tested my conection with a different computer, and this workied, I have also tested all of these with other cables, and modems, I am now confident that the problem is with the provider in one way or another. The enat light on my modem, is off, and I hae been told this indicates a problem with my conection on my side. Now what I think the problemis is that there is one conection coming from outside the house, and then split into two in the hall way thus allowing myself and another person in the house access to the internet via two seperate Accounts. Could this be the problem or can any one who is more computer savvy than myself help me to fix the problem as I am tired of having to use other peoples computers to access my email, and my beloved wikipedia. Plese help. Thank you very much guys and girls. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.74.58.129 (talk) 13:10, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

It could be your computer's settings. However, the shared connection thing is worrying. Here in the UK, we are only allowed one ISP per physical connection to the phone exchange, and ADSL modems only allow one account to be set up in the modem. So, maybe your connection is not working because the other person is monopolising the modem and account. I suggest you talk with this other person and find out if they're having the same problem or if they changed anything. Astronaut (talk) 16:36, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Epson Stylus Photo R2880 and Quality Photo Papers

A keen photographer, I am about to set up a mini studio where I can print my own work for exhibition, and have chosen the above printer as my first step. My only concern is that I am very inexperienced in choosing good quality paper to use in such printers to get the best quality. I am particularly keen on matte prints and plan to print largely in A4 and A3 sizes. Can anyone give me some good suggestions and some useful suppliers online?

Many thanks. Lukerees1983 (talk) 13:55, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

You could have a peek at http://epsonality.com/. Also kind of cool site. Lanfear's Bane | t 15:05, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

I'd suggest sticking with Epson's own line of papers to start with, as the printer driver should be optimized for their media. In my experience (in the US), the prices on their website are competitive and they often offer discounts and/or free shipping. --LarryMac | Talk 15:19, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Fixing Extremely Long Startup Times On IBM Laptop

I have a friend who has a problem with her IBM Laptop. I haven't seen the laptop yet, so I don't knwo what type it is, but she says it is only two or three years old. She has also informed me that she uses a P2P software to download music, so I believe that it must be an adware/spyware/malware problem. I have told her I will try to fix it tomorrow, but in order to do so, I may need to get software that I can put on a USB to run on her system, without the huge start-up time (in excess of 20 minutes). What I want to do is get the computer to run as fast as possible so I can install the anti-spyware and anti-adware, as well as software to deal with the malware that may be present. I am doing this for free, so I don't want to have to burn a disk (which I would have to go and buy), so USB is the only option. Does anyone have any ideas here?--KageTora (talk) 15:46, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

I'd suggest booting into one of Windows's "safe modes" where a lot of extraneous crap isn't running. That'll probably be sufficient to install your anti-malware and clean things up. And seriously, how much do blank CDs cost over there? -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 16:19, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

(ec) Try to find out which version or Windows your friend uses and whether or not they have the original install disk to hand (not a "recovery disk" which will wipe all your friend's data). You should be able to get the laptop to boot from that CD and repair the operating system. If the install disk is not available, you can put together a few tools on a USB drive (when downloading this software make sure it come from the official site rather then the first link you come across - some fakes exist made by malware makers):

• Download Process Explorer and Autoruns.
• Download a free Anti Virus program (I've used both AVG and Avira with no problems).
• Download some malware detection software (I've used Ad-aware and I've heard good things about Spybot - Search & Destroy).
• Download some rootkit detection software (I've used Icesword and Rootkit Revealer with no problems, though neither work with Windows Vista).
• HijackThis might also prove to be useful in case you have to turn to forums for help.
• A Linux Live USB might still be useful if there is room on the USB drive.

The next step is to boot your friend's laptop into safe mode (press F8 before Windows starts). Make sure it's disconnected from the internet. Use Process Exploer to look for unusual programs running. Use Autoruns to look at all the stuff that runs at boot time (again you're looking for unusual stuff - it is helpful if you are familiar with what is supposed to be there). Sweep the machine for viruses and malware. If it is still acting up, look for rootkits and go through the whole process again.

Astronaut (talk) 16:22, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Weather Radio Alarm

On my weather radio (I don't remember the model or anything), there is a setting which transmits a loud somewhat high-pitched beeping noise. That is the only thing it does. Do you have any idea what that is? There is a seperate setting for Weather Radio and normal radio, but I want to know what the alarm does. It is not a clock alarm beause my weather radio does not have a clock. Nick (talk) 16:35, 27 January 2009 (UTC)nicholassayshi

I've got a radio like that. On mine the documentation indicates that you're supposed to use the alarm as a sort of siren so that rescue workers can locate you.

I figure it would work because anyone who hears it would drop whatever they were doing to locate the radio so that they could turn it off. I'm not certain that they'd be inclined to rescue me, though.APL (talk) 16:54, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Thats odd, because mine is periodic at random times. It is never on all the time. Any ideas?Nick (talk) 17:01, 27 January 2009 (UTC)nicholassayshi