The Official "Help me!" Thread

[Paper]

I'm not sure whether this thread was the appropriate way to ask questions, forgive me if I’m wrong, but if I wanted to start a poem thread were members can start posting poems, haiku, e.t.c which off-topic section will it be consider in the category?

[XanBcoo]

A quick search finds this old thread: http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?t=2243

It's been resurrected before, but apparently never stuck around. If you want to share some of your poetry with us, you could do it in there.

[Paper]

A quick search finds this old thread: http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?t=2243

It's been resurrected before, but apparently never stuck around. If you want to share some of your poetry with us, you could do it in there.

I didn't expect a reply so quick thanks Xan

[Xelbair]

I'm trying to make a disortion boost for guitar from this schematic:
http://experimentalistsanonymous.com/diy/Schematics/Distortion%20Boost%20and%20Overdrive/Distortion%20Boost.pdf
but i have no idea where those +9V goes. Anyone got any idea?

[Cal_kashi]

I'm trying to make a disortion boost for guitar from this schematic:
http://experimentalistsanonymous.com/diy/Schematics/Distortion%20Boost%20and%20Overdrive/Distortion%20Boost.pdf
but i have no idea where those +9V goes. Anyone got any idea?
How do you mean? The 9+v attaches to the + terminal of a 9 volt DC power source
(I'll bet a 9v battery) and the ground should attach to the negative terminal of the battery. Seems like a pretty simple circuit though it's non-linear because of the diodes so you can't directly apply Thevenin or Norton equations to it.

[Xelbair]

thanks - I'll try this combination. I'm much better at relativistic physics and newton's mechanics than at electric circuits.

[LaZie]

Nevermind.

[darkshadow]

I need help identifying a song, I was at a club friday/saturday and I really want to know what song it was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD17oIStLIE

[Uchiha Barles]

Ok, I need to find the tablature for the song "Great Ocean Road" by The Gathering. I can't find a song book for it, and the only thing I can find is the following:

http://www.911tabs.com/link/?947628

But the chords sound horribly wrong to me. Any help on this would be great appreciated.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm looking for a new phone, but I haven't really been keeping up with the market, so I thought it'd be easier to ask for recommendations and/or first hand experience.

One main problem I've been having with my current phone is that I can't hear it ring when I'm listening to my ipod. Vibrate isn't very effective at alerting me, and my phone has jack all music functions (eg playlist and organisaion), as well as all of 10MB of unexpandable memory. It has enough to store my custom ringtone and one more song.

So in my new phone, I'm looking for something that has a well-developed music playback system with things like playlist, artist, album, random shuffle capabilities etc. Probably something that has music as its selling point. Something that is more like an ipod + phone rather than phone that can read .mp3 files would be great.

I'd also like something with enough memory to hold my songs, whether it be expandable memory or fixed. I suppose 4GB would be a good minimum, but the bigger the better. Figuring out which songs to purge to make room is always a pain.

Other than that, I don't care much for other features. I can't care less about the camera or social networking function. I particularly hated my friend's phone that had facebook/skype/MSN/Y! all in its messed up menu.

I'd like it to cost no more than ~$400AUD ($370USD), so not something terribly expensive. I don't fancy leaving a $1000 iphone on the bus or falling into a pool with it. (None of that has actually happened, but I have all but defaced my phone when it slipped out of a shallow jeans pocket as I stopped abruptly after springing on concrete.)

If you have any first hand experience on a phone that fits the music and price requirements that you like, or know of one, I'd love to hear about it.

edit: It should have a 3.5mm headphone jack for my current headphones, or a model that comes with in-ear headphones (with or without mic is fine). Once you try sound isolation & deep base, you can't go back. :)

[darkshadow]

Since you are on a budget, I can only recommend something from the xpress music series from nokia, or the nokia n97 mini

My N97 failed to replaced my creative zen vision: m at first, but then I got this third party music player called PowerMp3, and my zen hasn't been in use for months :), I needed an add to playque function, which the standard player doesn't have.

[Xelbair]

I've used my friend's N97 for a while - it was a great experience, it was easy to write sms, talk and play some games. music playback was great too, but from what i heard from him(he is a nokia-maniac) N97 mini is not as comfortable as N97.

[masamuneehs]

I am looking to buy a new laptop before the New Year. I am not sure what kind is out there. Hell, it's been so long since I bought my old lappy I don't even remember what I'm supposed to be looking for in a computer...

I need it to be able to handle alot of programs at once. Firefox with butt loads of tabs open while playing music, with Photoshop open, and downloading torrents at the same time.

I need it to be able to handle live streams. I like to watch sports, and it sucks that I have to go to a bar to get HD, when I could be getting it on my computer.

I need it to be able to play mkvs (or whatever the fuck), maybe even Blu-Rays.

It would be good to have the ability to play a few games on it too. I'm not looking to play the latest games, just something like Age of Empires, a basic MMORPG. I don't need crystal clear graphics, I just want to be able to run the game smoothly.

Help???

[Buffalobiian]

I doubt I'm the best source of help regarding the matter, but there's some details that I'd (and perhaps other more useful helpers) would like to know:

- Your price range
- Hard disk size (will you store lots of vids etc)
- You mention HD video. Are you looking at a Full HD (1900x1080) screen? Budget and portability would factor into this.
-Blu-Ray vid would require a Blu-ray player.
-Other peripherals you might want: wireless n or b/g, card readers, mic/webcam, media keyboard, bluetooth.

-----

HD/mkv/BD ability would imply an above-average processor, not your 1.66GHz budget ones. Same with the screen. You'd be looking at something 17" or bigger I suppose.

I suppose your biggest issue is budget. We'll need a range to work with.

[masamuneehs]

true, Bill. I was very vague...

My price range is, all told 1.5K (including a good carry case and probably a virus protection).

I have an external HD that fits about 220GB on it, and I figure I can always burn DVDs too. But I really have no idea how large the files I'd be downloading would be.(I've seen single episodes almost 2 GBs big!) I would store videos of the anime I'm watching, of course... I figure it would be cheaper to buy another external further down the road.

I would like a Blu-Ray Drive, I think.

Basically, though, I just want to get an idea about what brands out there are good, which ones to avoid, stuff like that. If there are any specific features that have come out in the past 4-5 years that I should look at. Thanks for the help

[Buffalobiian]

true, Bill. I was very vague...

My price range is, all told 1.5K (including a good carry case and probably a virus protection).

You're looking at a mid-range laptop then, from my price-lookup. Midrange is subjective term though, I should add.



I have an external HD that fits about 220GB on it, and I figure I can always burn DVDs too. But I really have no idea how large the files I'd be downloading would be.(I've seen single episodes almost 2 GBs big!) I would store videos of the anime I'm watching, of course... I figure it would be cheaper to buy another external further down the road.

Most laptops in that price range have a decent sized disk at worst. I'd expect 128GB to be the minimum for that price tag. If you're given the option of lower HDD space for a better CPU or vice versa, I'd take the CPU. Space can be made (or bought later), processing power will haunt you for the life of the comp.


I would like a Blu-Ray Drive, I think.

At that price, I think a bluray drive would be really hard to find. It's considered a luxury item, generally reserved for full-on laptops with 19" screens or something, tons of processing power etc. (not that it necessitates those things to use bluray, but that's the trend.) Maybe you could customise it?



Basically, though, I just want to get an idea about what brands out there are good, which ones to avoid, stuff like that. If there are any specific features that have come out in the past 4-5 years that I should look at. Thanks for the help

I'm no good with brands. All I remember is some article (I think it was a Yahoo! tech one), and according their info, Asus and Toshiba laptops had the lowest hardware problems (disregarding warranty status at time of notification). All I can say is to read some reviews about this.

Features....well things like webcams and mic may be convenient, depending on how often you use them.

More useful would be wireless N if you've got a home setup with a w/less n router for higher speeds. If you've got one (wireless router with n or draft-n specs, I'm sure you already know about w/less n stuff.)

The only other thing worth mentioning that comes to mind is bluetooth connectivity. If you like using a wireless mouse with your laptops, then this may be something to consider. Advantage over traditional w/less USB mouse is that it frees up a USB port. In some cases, these ports may not be very numerous. Your external HDD would use up one already, for example.

Have you ever considered a mac?

[Kraco]

According to my observations something that costs 1500 dollars in the USA, costs 1500 euros over here (despite the big difference in the values of the currencies) and 1500 euros would buy a nice laptop over here already, considering most advertised laptops (excluding netbooks) range from 500 to 900 euros. It shouldn't be impossible at all to get at least 320GB HD (which is really starting to be the minimum Bill should have been referring to), a decent CPU, a decent video card, and a blu-ray drive.

Although I'm sure you'd need to get one of the cheaply produced bulk brands/models that could break pretty easily if you even once drop the carrying case. Or even if you didn't...

[Buffalobiian]

According to my observations something that costs 1500 dollars in the USA, costs 1500 euros over here (despite the big difference in the values of the currencies) and 1500 euros would buy a nice laptop over here already, considering most advertised laptops (excluding netbooks) range from 500 to 900 euros. It shouldn't be impossible at all to get at least 320GB HD (which is really starting to be the minimum Bill should have been referring to), a decent CPU, a decent video card, and a blu-ray drive.

I did a currency conversion, then looked at the Australian market. I guess, along with Kraco's observations, there seems to be a great international variance in what money can buy. (The Australian market can hardly be said to be the international leader in early technology introduction).

For anything less than 2500AUD, I have not seen a single BluRay drive.

[David75]

Considering the price range, I would opt for a dual HDD bay laptop
Why?
So that I can upgrade to a SSD for the system and a fat HDD for storage.
I'm talking big money here, since SSDs are awfully expensive... and it's not their only problem. This is a rather new market and buying the wrong one is a high risk.
But when you have the right one, you really wonder why they had to torture us for years with processor MHz when it was obvious the limiting factor was the harddrive.
OCZ vertex and clones is a first choice, Intel Postville too when they solve their firmware troubles.
There's hope with SandForce controller SSDs coming in the first semester, they should really start the reliable SSD era.

For all other options, there's not much to say, except you'll probably choose Windows 7, either the 32 or 64bit flavor... the latter being the right choice for ram hungry uses like you seek since you can go over the 3.2GB limitation of a 32bits system.

Regarding blu-ray, be sure there's a HDMI out, more convenient.
Regarding blu-ray software for blu-ray playback, it's not always bundled... so be careful, or even try it with a low price br (Home is very inexpensive I think)

[Kraco]

For anything less than 2500AUD, I have not seen a single BluRay drive.

It's true you don't usually see them. Even great many of the so called gaming laptops that cost ~2000 euros (/dollars) don't have them. However, you occasionally see a decently speced laptop with a blu-ray drive for a sensible price. Might take a little bit of browsing and ad hunting to get it, but they are there.

[enkoujin]

I am currently playing Final Fantasy 7 again because I never got to finish it due to certain circumstances.

Anyway, I'm on disk 1 and I was wondering if it's worth getting Aeris's final limit break because, well, she dies at the end.

[Psyke]

It takes too much effort to reach her final limit break and well, yeah she's not going to be around forever.

[Xelbair]

I've sen acer laptop over here with specs that you specified - but there it one problem - it is acer - they have tendency to break.

[The Heretic Azazel]

I have been playing FFIX on ePSXe lately, until I did a clean install and upgraded to Windows 7. Before that I had no problems with playing it, I was using Pete's OpenGL plugin and the graphics were dull, but the gameplay was seamless.

Ever since I upgraded, even at its lowest (fastest) settings, the plugin drastically improves the graphics to the point that my processor can't handle it. I have tried two different mounting programs, I have entered every possible combination of configuration options for the plugin, and the textures stay smooth, the colors stay bright and the gameplay plods along, impossible to ignore.

I have tried the other common plugins that come with the emulator, Pete's D3D driver and p.e.op.s with the same result. When I had Vista, no matter how I tweaked the configuration it did not render graphics this smoothly. My video card drivers are current and I am on disc 3 wondering if I'll even be able to finish the damn thing. I was hoping someone could help me out.

[Psyke]

Hi guys, I'm looking for a free DVD ripper, no need anything fancy just need to get my DVD movies onto my harddisk. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

[Marik]

I use DVD Shrink v3.2.0.15 (http://home.comcast.net/%7Esupergotenks/dvdshrink32setup.exe) to rip my DVDs in iso format.

@Below: I see.

[Buffalobiian]

In the past I've used AVI2DVD (http://www.trustfm.net/divx/SoftwareAvi2Dvd.php?b2=1) to turn everything into avi format, and it's worked rather well. You just set up the type of encoding you want, queue up the tasks, and away you go.

@Marik: I think he's looking to encode them into a file.

[Psyke]

Thanks guys! I'll give them a try! :)

[Buffalobiian]

(topic: Computer Networking)[SOLVED]

I want to know if there is a product on the market that will perform this task:

My house's network is as follows:


Router#1 (routing mode) -> Router#2 (wifi, repeating mode) -> PC3
Router#1 (routing mode) -> Router#3 (lan, repeating mode) -> PC1,PC2,PS3.

Currently, Router#3 and Router#1 are connected using a pair of Ethernet over Power modems.

I want to replace these modems with a "Wireless Ethernet port" so to speak. It would be something that plugs into the ethernet port of Router#3 and relay all signals there across the air to the WiFi router. Router#2 would then pick it up and relay it to Router#1, which is my internet gateway.

Anyone heard of anything like this?

(Rephrased a bit, I'm looking for a wireless router that not only has the option of disabling its routing ability and just forward packets unmodified, but also with the ability to connect to other wireless routers as a "wireless client" rather than an Access Point, serving as a shared-wireless adapter for anybody connected to its ethernet ports)

edit: Managed to find a couple that "may" fit my needs. Let's up the difficulty - a product that supports this in WPA encryption?

edit2: Alright, for anyone interested or oblivious like me, this is called a Wireless Distribution System(WDS). Both the Master router and the Repeating router has to support the system to work, and operability across different manufacturers is not guaranteed.

Someone (http://forum1.netgear.com/showthread.php?t=33563) has reported the Netgear DG834G v3 works in WPA encryption, so I'll be looking our for some cheap, used ones.

[KitKat]

Ok, time for another computer question. I know, I should be able to research this myself, but I just don't have a lot of time right now. I'm trying to pick an ISP for my new house that I am moving to this Friday. I will be sharing this house with 4 other girls. I don't think any of them are big downloaders or use that much bandwidth. For myself, I'd like to be able to play Guild Wars without experiencing much (or any) lag, and to be able to keep up with a few anime series.

We might already have a modem and a router. We estimate that we'll be staying there one year. Maybe longer, but that's not certain. So, contracts are out of the question.

The house does not have cable, and we don't plan on getting it since we don't watch much TV. However, Netflix just came to Canada so we're thinking of maybe getting that for watching select movies and TV shows.

I don't really have a good intuition of what kinds of speeds and bandwidths I'd need. We don't want to pay too much for it. The main contenders out here that we're looking at are Telus (http://telus.com/), Shaw (http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/Internet/) and Teksavvy (http://teksavvy.com/en/res-internet.asp). I'm just a bit lost as to what company and service plan would suit our needs the best, so any advice would be appreciated.

[Zati]

Personally, I use Shaw. They're very reliable, and I have no complaints.

Currently, I'm using Shaw High-Speed Extreme. It's a good price with a solid bandwidth, considering how much I download. Many of my relatives and friends are also using Shaw, they're just a very good cable/internet provider.

I'd recommend either High-Speed or High-Speed Extreme, but since it doesn't look like you'll be downloading too much, and just need it for a bit of gaming, High-Speed will probably be a nice choice for you. You can always upgrade to Extreme, if you ever need more bandwidth. :)

[enkoujin]

Shaw - regular high speed comes down to around $50 per month after the first six or seven months (during those times, $25 per month). If you don't download too much (13 GB), then Lite at $35 works just as well (again, first six-seven months being about $20 per month).

Better customer service because of *happier* workers, relatively fast (variable) network and no contracts to boot (I believe they bill you for a fee for two months ahead).

However, if Telus is offering a promotional item like a free desktop computer or notebook, and like that instead, you might as well go with Telus.

[poopdeville]

Shaw - regular high speed comes down to around $50 per month after the first six or seven months (during those times, $25 per month). If you don't download too much (13 GB), then Lite at $35 works just as well (again, first six-seven months being about $20 per month).

Keep in mind that streaming movies (through Netflix, for example), eats up bandwidth really fast. Lite might not work if 4 people want to use Netflix as a cable tv replacement.

[Buffalobiian]

I have CCCP installed on this computer, and every encoding software I've tried (MediaCoder of late, Ripbot, SUPER, AVI2DVD etc) have been crashing on me.

I know codec packs can cause problems like this, and I remember tweaking some setting in FFDShow years ago that made things work out.

Does anyone know of the common settings that result in these crashes?

[LOC98]

I am currently looking for subs. files(any kind of subs files), so I was wondering is there's any place were you can get them??
(I would prefer AonE since they're the best but any fansub would do)

Hope somebody can help :)

[Buffalobiian]

I am currently looking for subs. files(any kind of subs files), so I was wondering is there's any place were you can get them??
(I would prefer AonE since they're the best but any fansub would do)

Hope somebody can help :)

Can you be more specific? What show are you looking for?

[LOC98]

Ups! Sorry :)
I'm looking for Naruto part 1, I love AonE's subs but there are little things I would like to change (Only for my pleassure)
so if either I could get it from AonE or second choice any other kind of fansub but there are no website that I could find were you can download them. So this is way I'm asking for help here.

[Buffalobiian]

Aone never released their srt or ass files, and were hardsubbed so ripping's impossible.

Generic srt files can be downloaded here:

http://subscene.com/subtitles/n/3/english.aspx

[LOC98]

But is it possible to ask AonE for the subs, if they still have them of course??

[Buffalobiian]

But is it possible to ask AonE for the subs, if they still have them of course??

Sure you can ask. Catch them on IRC if you can.

irc://irc.rizon.net/animeone

[LOC98]

But I'm not qiute sure who I should ask...

[Buffalobiian]

But I'm not qiute sure who I should ask...

Me neither. To be honest, I think your chances of finding those scripts are zero, but you're welcome to try. The only name that really rings a bell is Cazoo (if he is still around).

[LOC98]

I have sent a pm to an admin called AonE so let's se if he respond

[Buffalobiian]

I need something that's between 3-5mm (maybe up to 8mm) and soft so I can use it as cushioning material. (It needs to replace a vinyl tube that's been bent into a circle with a 28cm circumference. The vinyl tubing's too hard though, so I'll need something softer such as foam or some form of squishy plastic.

I don't know the name of such a thing though, if any exists. Does anyone have a clue?

[Kraco]

I'm in the process of building new armrests for my chair (a rather expensive office chair, so I don't replace the whole thing). For the cushioning part I went to a "rubber store", or rather an industrial hardware store, like they fancily advertise themselves, and bought what is called over here cellular plastic. It's different from the foamed plastic like polystyrene foam. I guess it's also called expanded plastic.

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/742/cellularfoam.jpg

They sold this material either 10mm or 15mm thick. I got a piece of the 15mm variety. The roll width was 1.5m, though, so that was one minimum dimension, but they cut any length of it. So, my piece was 100mm x 1500mm x 15mm. This is kind of squishy material that's somewhat soft but when the pressure is remove, it will assume the original shape.

I don't know if you are looking for this sort material or the kind of gel stuff that's inside mouse pad wristrests? Or perhaps the memory foam inside fancier pillows?

Edit: (I noticed I named the image file cellularfoam.jpg, but "foam" is not a part of the material name. It's cellular plastic. My mistake.)

[Buffalobiian]

Hmm, and was this "industrial hardware" store one of those warehouses that sold things from timber to paints to gardening hoses and all that stuff? If so, then I've got a place like that nearby that I can have a look at. I went there for the tubing, and had a quick chat with a staff member about alternatives, but the best she could come up with was window seals.

I'm actually using as a "spacer" as per this mod:

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/505053/audio-technica-ath-ad700-fit-and-comfort-mod

I've used 5mm diameter vinyl tubing instead of the coax cable, and was thinking to see if I could use a softer material to increase comfort. Even if it's sitting inside the pad, the vinyl tube's still pretty hard. I've adjusted the headhand so it's not clamping tight as a workaround, but ideally I'd like a closer-fitting, softer fit.

The other thing was that acoustically, the vinyl tube seems to make the inside of the headphones too airy. Not terribly much, but noticable. I liked the warmer, brighter sound it had before, so was going to experiment with other materials to see if it would change that for the better.

[Kraco]

Right. Now I understand. The material used in that mod behind your link is foam plastic (or foamed plastic). It's the same material used in the simplest of mattresses and various other fillings, such as the original earpads of the headphones. It's more widely available than the cellural plastic for that simple reason as well: It's used everywhere. Who knows, you might have some old mattress around that you could slice a bit with a knife... As a material it's not terrible pressure resistant, that is, it's quite soft indeed.

The industrial hardware store is not like the usual big hardware stores you find everywhere that sell all kinds of stuff for DIY folks and homeowners. It's probably called industrial because most of their customers seem not to be individual civilians but various other companies, contractors, and professionals that need lots of specialized stuff normal dudes and dudettes don't in their everyday life. According to my experience this cellural plastic was one such thing because the myriad hardware shops, no matter how big they were, offered nothing before I found this particular store.

But yeah, you might survive with the ordinary foamy stuff you can't help but find in endless forms.

[Buffalobiian]

Just to clear up any misunderstandings, I'm thinking of using something instead of the vinyl tubing (eg a full foam cushion), rather than padding the vinyl tube with softer material.

Other alternative materials that came to my mind include doughnut-shaped felt (sewing many layers?) from a textile shop, or nylon rope (if it seems soft enough) from a camping store.

------------------------------







edit: Man, now that Kraco mentions DIY, it's amazing what you can come up with.

Since I wanted to use my headphones tonight, I ended up testing (and very much liking), this:

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9256/pockettissue.jpg

Cut one tissue in half down its height (to achieve to desired rolled diameter). Roll it up. Seal it with duct tape tabs sparingly. Repeat using other half of tissue. Slot rolls into earcup.

I even had a mini-pack so I could achieve just-short-of-perfect fit using 2x large and 1x mini tissue halves to line the inner circumference of the cups.

The tissue's not only softer, but acoustically more desirable. The vinyl tube must have been reflecting sound off its surface because it just sounded off and roomy. On the other hand, tissues (though compacted, since it's not covering the entire driver) are much more acoustically transparent.

So, who wants 10m of tubing? :P

[Death BOO Z]

I need help. for a university project.

We're conducting an experiment on music, and I need two songs by the same artist, one song that has 'social' lyrics, or something that promotes help, codependency, and general niceness. the other song should be the opposite in it's content, anger, hate and violence- 'anti-social'.

any ideas? it doesn't matter who the artist is

[Animeniax]

The subwoofer on my Logitech X-560 4.1 set makes rumbling noises even when no audio is fed to them. I set the bass knob all the way to high and that stopped it temporarily, but then the rumbling came back. Any idea how to get it to stop? It makes it sound like it's going to thunder and rain outside, which is a tease since we're in a severe drought.

http://i.testfreaks.com/images/products/340x170/110/logitech-z-560.3433582.jpg

[Buffalobiian]

I have no idea what is going on, but some other things to clarify would be:

1) You say it hums when there's no audio feed. Do you mean it hums when there's no audio cable attached, or that it hums when the volume from the source (PC?) is set to zero?

2) Does the hum increase/decrease/go away depending on the speaker's volume?

The only hum I know of is to do with grounding, and a quick search reveals this possible fix that may or may not apply to you.

http://www.youritronics.com/logitech-z-2300-subwoofer-hum-solved/

It's no longer under warranty, I'm guessing?

edit: just realised you said rumbling, not humming. :S. How loud is this rumbling?

[Animeniax]

It's a low rumble that can be heard over ambient noise including my computer fans and the TV. It sounds like rumbling thunder outside from a storm that's still a few miles away. Thanks for the link, I'll take the sub apart and see if I can isolate the problem. Usually I'm willing to take things apart and see what I can find, but in this case I was ready to get a new set of speakers, since this Z-560 system is about 10 years old. The rumbling problem started out of nowhere, so I wasn't sure where to start troubleshooting beyond checking all external cable connections.

[enkoujin]

I always considered other people to be selfish if they ran in marathons or participated in fundraisers for cancer (or any other common life-threatening diseases) if they've been affected by it, had family members who are suffering or who have family members who have already died from it. The selfless people, I believed, in these organizations would be the people who had sincere hearts and volunteered themselves for events like these without anything in return (including networking, information, references, letter references).

1. Is this opinion self-justified? What is the common perception by the general public on this issue?

Now recently, I'm in a situation where a family member/relative of mine has last stage terminal cancer.

2. After my family member/relative's death, how will others perceive me if I reversed by above opinion (i.e. be a hypocrite for what I've believed in for the last seven years of my life) and started participating in the above marathons and fundraisers so that other families would avoid as much suffering and distress as my family had (i.e. do something in honour of my family member/relative's legacy)?

Again, thanks in advance. I greatly appreciate it.

[Animeniax]

I always considered other people to be selfish if they ran in marathons or participated in fundraisers for cancer (or any other common life-threatening diseases) if they've been affected by it, had family members who are suffering or who have family members who have already died from it. The selfless people, I believed, in these organizations would be the people who had sincere hearts and volunteered themselves for events like these without anything in return (including networking, information, references, letter references).

1. Is this opinion self-justified? What is the common perception by the general public on this issue?

Now recently, I'm in a situation where a family member/relative of mine has last stage terminal cancer.

2. After my family member/relative's death, how will others perceive me if I reversed by above opinion (i.e. be a hypocrite for what I've believed in for the last seven years of my life) and started participating in the above marathons and fundraisers so that other families would avoid as much suffering and distress as my family had (i.e. do something in honour of my family member/relative's legacy)?

Again, thanks in advance. I greatly appreciate it.

I used to give my friend shit for working at a soup kitchen and helping homeless people because she didn't do it out of genuine empathy and concern for their well-being. She did it to feel good about herself and to seem like a caring person. But another friend convinced me that no matter her reasons for doing it, be they selfish or selfless, in the end the bums were getting their soup, and that's what mattered most.

[Buffalobiian]

no matter her reasons for doing it, be they selfish or selfless, in the end the bums were getting their soup, and that's what mattered most.

^ This.

My mum is still going on to me about the importance of volunteering/donating out of goodwill and not any ulterior motive (not that it applied to my actions personally), and I've always settled with the idea that as long as the intended recipient is still benefiting from it, who gives a shit.

En, I don't think others will feel that badly about you unless you've been shitting all over everyone else for it (rather than just keeping it as a personal belief). But even then it still won't matter. People think differently after going through different things. It's growth/experience, and you've simply experienced it.

It's like driving safely after having some life-threatening accident, whereas you used to be all about "speeding to save time" on the road. You've simply experienced/learned something and changed your outlook. If you still drive like a lunatic afterwards simply because of what you said 10 years ago, that's just stupid pride/face.

It's just refusing to admit you were wrong in life once. (but replace "wrong" with "different")

[enkoujin]

It's a personal belief. I think I will find resilience and strength by doing just that after the death once I can accept being a hypocrite for the first time in my life.

Thanks a lot, you two. It really means a lot to me.

[David75]

Doing a truly helpful charity action out of selfishness? Who cares about you? It only matters you do that helpful job.
Then if you get benefits in return, who cares? it only matters you do that helpful job.
If in those returns you can help society again? good, nice. If it doesn't, who cares?

The bottom line is not how you feel about it, but what you can really do.

What is painful, is when hypocrites are said to come and help, do nothing or even create problems, and then still get benefits. Now I or other people care!

[Kraco]

I've shared Bill's sentiments for as long as I can remember: This world doesn't really care at all for what's going on inside your head (fortunately). Only your actions talk. Your own motivation is a different thing, but if your changed life situation gave something a new meaning, then that's your motivation.

If you indeed did criticize actively other people of it in the past, then you just have to be a man and apologize if needed.

[Buffalobiian]

It's a personal belief. I think I will find resilience and strength by doing just that after the death once I can accept being a hypocrite for the first time in my life.

Thanks a lot, you two. It really means a lot to me.

You talk about being a hypocrite. Why is that?

The only two reasons would be:

1) You still think your previous opinion was right, and even though you now think you're volunteering out of concern for others, you're really just trying to make yourself better, or

2) You think people around you share your previous opinion, and even though you know you're volunteering out of concern for others, you think they'll see you as a selfish person believing themselves to be selfless.

Which is it?

[enkoujin]

You talk about being a hypocrite. Why is that?

The only two reasons would be:

1) You still think your previous opinion was right, and even though you now think you're volunteering out of concern for others, you're really just trying to make yourself better, or

2) You think people around you share your previous opinion, and even though you know you're volunteering out of concern for others, you think they'll see you as a selfish person believing themselves to be selfless.

Which is it?

Just skip to the bolded and tl;dr parts for the main parts of my post. Thank you.

This sense of belief was something deeply rooted in my values that I developed by myself (maybe with some help) a long time ago. I always thought these values were self-justified and were values I would carry to the grave with me because they were rational, logical and often true (my apologies if I sound arrogant).

This is a difference between being simply "wrong" and then being "wrong" or "hypocritical" which undoes a major proportion of your life. It would make an average person go into denial and simply reject all ideas because of their refusal to change. For example, consider telling a zealous practioner of a certain religion that religion is a gigantic lie. Depending on the person's ability to accept new ideas, they will at least go into denial about the idea you've brought to them.

I never shared or discussed this belief with anyone else because it was something my peers, colleagues, friends, etc. at the time and probably even now, would not be able to accept.

As I go through this life-changing experience, some roots of my values are being vigorously shaken. Fortunately, though, I am keeping a balanced state of mind of the events surrounding me and I am chronicling the changes at face-value. That's why I posed such a question - otherwise, I would not worry enough about how I'll become a hypocrite.

I'm probably a little neurotic about it because I've never encountered such an idea. Now, I want to do something for my family member/relative - not as as a fulfillment of the legacy that they will leave behind or a "death list" they want me to complete after their deaths, but something I want to do out of my own free will in honour of them.

Unfortunately, that will go against the logical and rational beliefs I've developed for a very long time. In this case, while people who have had family members already deceased from the disease that the family members are now socially fighting against are not as selfish as those who are or have been already diagnosed with the disease-in-context, it's still selfish.

I mean, before this incident, I wouldn't have considered running in marathons as a fundraiser for cancer at all. I might have had other selfless tasks I'd be considering as charitable actions like developing my neighbourhood's newsletter, but not specifically cancer. Therefore, in the eyes of others who still think like me would label me as a selfish idiot. I'd like to refer to maddox's article on Christopher Reeve's death on the matter:


http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=creeve

I am no celebrity, but the first couple of lines basically sums up how I felt about it before:


...he's selfish. Reeve didn't give a shit about paralysis before his accident, but now that he's paralyzed, suddenly he opens up a paralysis foundation and cares about the plight of cripples? Where was his foundation in '95 when he played the role of a man with spinal cord injury?

One could argue that if cancer never existed in the first place, then there would be no need for these fundraising battles for it, which is true. I mean, otherwise, you could be advocating in this day and age about a disease that will make mutate your hands into cacti. It sounds absurd because it's never going to happen and no one sane enough would join your cause. So really, if one thought about it, even people who never knew anyone who had cancer and joined in social fights without anything in return (social status, bragging rights, opportunity to network, resume-building, reference letters, etc.) like these are still selfish to a certain degree.

Anyway, what I'm afraid of most right now is becoming a hypocrite.

To reiterate, I have never discussed this specific belief with anyone before.

I'm afraid I will snowball into someone with ideas I've always disliked. If one hypocrisy can change an individual, what is stopping the individual from accepting other new conflicting views and becoming a hypocritical person that that individual has always hated their entires lives prior to the life-changing situation?

For example, I guess it's like thievery. If a regular person lost their innocence by stealing something (whether it be material, psychological, etc.) from another person, what is stopping the thief from stealing more? Eventually, the thief will hit rock-bottom and end up in prison. What will become of a person full of hypocrisies?

In essence, I may just be a naive teenager (19 concurrently) who has never dealt with a life-changing situation before and I may be simply "growing up". I may just be scared of change, but I guess everyone has to deal with it at some point in their lives.

Like I said, I just may be I'm overthinking it too much due to a neurotic nature. I am seeking professional help about it in the meanwhile with a psychologist, family physcian and potentially, a psychiatrist in the future regarding my thoughts, behaviour and my life hereafter this event.

Thank you, again, to Animeniax, Buffalobiian, David75 and Kraco for your input and feedback. This communtiy is a really great place for life-changing situations one would not expect of that usually centers around Japanese literature and media.

[KitKat]

En, you are not a hypocrite. Maybe you feel like you've previously had the world organized into tidy little boxes and now this event has tipped your boxes over like dominoes, and you don't know how to rearrange them anymore because you can't put them back to how they were previously. You are someone who thinks about things on a very deep level, and being unable to understand things that you thought you had figured out is really frustrating. But, the thing about living is that none of us ever really have it figured out.

Here's my take on hypocrisy. It is not simply being wrong about something or changing your mind. A hypocrite espouses certain standards or opinions and forces them onto others, while not conforming to them with their actions. It's living by a double standard. Hypocrisy often arises from issues of insecurity, and is all about preserving a certain artificial image or status. One of the reasons it's so prevalent in churches is because people think that those around them are living at a certain standard, and they are afraid of being judged so instead they judge others and try to cover up their own shortcomings. It's a culture of deceit that flourishes extremely well in a religious context unfortunately. Hypocrisy is extremely damaging and hurtful.

The way to combat hypocrisy is by being real. Just be real about who you are, and what you think. You don't have to be anything else. Just the fact that you're here having this conversation En, demonstrates that you are extremely honest to yourself and straightforward to others. It's ok to change your mind. Galileo grew up believing that the sun revolved around the earth. When he found evidence that it was in fact the other way around, he didn't becoming a hypocrite. He brought his ideas into alignment with the truth. If he had continued to teach that the sun revolved around the earth after learning the truth, now THAT would have made him a hypocrite. I know your situation isn't as cut-and-dry as a scientific experiment, but trust yourself to figure it out.

What you're going through is unfortunate and tragic, but you're being given an insider view on something you'd only ever analyzed as an outsider before. It's new information to help shape your paradigm of life. Wanting to honour your family member, that is such a beautiful motivation. It's not selfish - it's a tangible manifestation of the relationship you have with this relative. That is real, and that is true. Don't burden yourself with worrying about how others perceive you or your actions. You will get through this, and even if your ideas come out a little different on the other side, keep searching for truth and constantly align your ideas with that, in the measure that you know. Every new experience is an opportunity to learn more, even if it's a crappy situation to be in.

Regardless of opinions on this or that anime or your crazy posts in the Flame Pit, you are a valuable part of this community. I don't usually respond to your 'essays', but I want you to know that I do read them. And even if it sounds corny, I believe in you. I am 100% in support of you. This isn't just me saying it for the sake of saying it. I'm being real with you. You're not just some kid, you are irreplaceable here. One of your New Year's resolutions was to see the world in a different way, wasn't it? Don't listen to fear, because it will only hold you back. Hold on to the things that matter. Things may get worse before they get better, but that's why you have community to support you as you go through it. We can't really support you in real material ways like your physical community can at home, so all I have to give you are my words and my prayers. Hopefully you find them helpful.

[Uchiha Barles]

The next time you talk to him, there is no ultimatum, only a get the fuck out. I'm not sure what the law says about putting someone out who's been staying with you without paying rent, but give him a reasonable amount of time to make his arrangements to leave.

Sapphi: "Alright, we've made no headway on this so it's clear to me you've made your choice. Call whoever you must to arrange for a new place to stay, I need you out of here by Wednesday/Thursday/etc. I'm sorry things had to go this way, but that's life sometimes."

If he's STILL there by the deadline, you're going to need help getting him out. Prepare for this eventuality by finding out what is legal in this case.

I'm sorry you have to go through this bullshit just because you extended a helping hand.

edit: Oh, and since he seems to be a completely out of it when it comes to how to behave in a socially acceptable manner, I'd also pay close attention to him for any warning signs that he might become violent if pressed further.

[Kraco]

Since there's no contract for him to stay there, I'd expect the law to work so that the moment Sapphi says get out, he becomes a trespasser, within a reasonable margin for him to reach the door.

The guy needs a psychiatrist. Nobody sane can be that opposed to washing himself.

[Uchiha Barles]

Well from a few things I've read, when there is no lease, his status defaults to "month-to-month" tenancy, and this entitles him to a few benefits, including a 30 day eviction notice. But if he's only been staying there a few days, he might not have that right. I'm running into some difficulties finding this information online.

There may be an easier way though. Sapphire, do you live in an NYU residential hall? If so, what you're doing is probably against the rules. In which case, just head over to the RHA (or whoever is authorized by the school to dole out disciplinary action for dorm policy infractions) and let them know you have an uncooperative, unrepentant sack of hair grease who refuses to leave your room after you tried to let him stay there. They'll then show up with whomever they need to to let the guy know he needs to leave, QUICKLY.

Again, hopefully his parents haven't totally failed him, and he moves out once told to, but you should still prepare for the possibility that he doesn't.

[enkoujin]

^ I wonder why Uchiha Barles is trying so hard to help you, Sapphire.

Just convince him to wash his hair through the following steps:


Ask him nicely.
Use scientific facts to back up your argument.
Nag him some more if you have to do so.
Febreeze his hair.
If none of the above works, kick him out (be polite about it).

[Buffalobiian]

I'm all for the 'You've got 10 days to move out. if by June 17th 9pm your stuff is still in my room, it's going out the door. The locks will be changed by then."

Might run into some legal issues touching his stuff, but he can't understand the basic concepts of cooking (needs heat?) or washing (needs detergent?). I doubt he understands the law.

[Sapphire]

I went to a comedy show with my friend. I came back to a note on my keyboard saying, "I'll be back tomorrow (Tues) night". :O I guess he was clueless when I told him to go stay with his friend in Queens...?

[Buffalobiian]

What it means is that he's not going to leave if you just tell him. He's going to leave when you force him.

[Kraco]

Well from a few things I've read, when there is no lease, his status defaults to "month-to-month" tenancy, and this entitles him to a few benefits, including a 30 day eviction notice. But if he's only been staying there a few days, he might not have that right. I'm running into some difficulties finding this information online.

I'm not a lawyer, especially a lawyer of a foreign country, but I don't think a guest (because that's what he is) would have any such rights. However, if he has officially changed his address to Sapphi's place, then it might become a problem like that, although even in that case Sapphi could probably deny knowing of it. And like you said, the NYU likely would or could not even allow it officially, rendering the whole nonexistent contract null.

It would indeed have been better if the fool had decided to either wash or leave peacefully. Anything beyond is unnecessary drama that someone who allowed him to crash for a while does not deserve. This equals to biting the hand that feeds you.

[Uchiha Barles]

What it means is that he's not going to leave if you just tell him. He's going to leave when you force him.

Pretty much this. Still, take the step of telling him he needs to move out, without stating/implying another option, and give him a time frame in which to begone. During that time frame, make your preparations to have him removed. I wouldn't actually recommend touching his stuff though. He may be an idiot, but people who give him advice might not be and it could come back to bite you in the ass. And as I said before, pay close attention to him for signs that he might get violent.

[David75]

Read all the above.
What is clear is that you really need to make a decision and act accordingly all the way till you get the result you want.

At this point, you tried negociation and even acting like a mother showing him the basics of personal higiene he should have learnt in his preteens years.
In the process, I feel like the door was wide open for him to chose not to do anything, and that's what he did, always chosing the easy way out: "The less I do, the better it is".

My feeling is that you are facing someone that might have energy/willpower problems and is not treated for that. Might even be mild depression. But that's not our point here.
You need your place to be as confortable as it should be per your standards, not his.

The rule is basic and simple and is a core one to any social group.

He can't follow that rule, for whatever reason, you don't care, he has to leave the place.

But as I said in intro, you just need a strong resolve and have a clear mind on what you really want so that he can't escape easily as he did till now.

[Animeniax]

Can you see if other people have been looking at your facebook page, if they aren't friended or associated with you in any way?

[BananaFob]

As far as I know, probably not.

Even if there was a way through a third-party application, the creators of the application would have full access to your personal information.

It wouldn't matter that much to you if you limited the amount of personal information you show in privacy settings to friends only and/or posted misleading information.

[enkoujin]

I'm going to see a psychologist soon about depression and my mental disorders soon.

Is it a good idea to tell him/her and other medical professionals every single detail if they probe into my mind and life? Should I tell them about my latent murderous intent that wants my grandmother (and other prople), for various reasons, dead?

I mean, getting treated for these kind of problems sound like I might have to be locked up in a mental institution or that I'll be required, by law, to tell everyone in my life - including my managers and co-workers. This might degrade the quality of life I already enjoy right now (which isn't too bad without the stress and becoming insane).

As always, thanks in advance.

[Buffalobiian]

From a meducal professional perspective, the more you tell them, the more they'll know about the whole picture and what should be done. Their job isn't law enforcement, and unless you disclose that you have indeed killed someone, they won't even be challenged into weighing up professional ethics against morals.

If you are still worried about them seeing you as mentally troubled and needing to be locked away, try talking to a social worker about this. Some of them even specialise in different areas and may act as a filter to see what may be helpful to your treatment if disclosed, and what can be kept between just you and him/her.

[The Heretic Azazel]

So I think I love a girl I work with. It has been a while since my last relationship dissolved very bitterly, and I had pretty well sworn off any new attempts. It's hard for me to get along with most people, women especially. I don't know if it's the company I keep but I cannot stand how they never have anything to talk about and just want to whore around. I don't think I've ever met a woman who was able to hold my attention about anything. For me, it is either dealing with these vapid, shallow females, or loneliness, which does not appeal to my baser urges. The girl in question, however, does not act like it is a chore to talk to me. She engages me, and seems to generally enjoy my presence. Unlike anyone else I actually like being around her.

I want to tell her how I feel but she has a boyfriend of a year and a half. Sharing my feelings has always been extremely hard (and I'm deathly afraid of rejection) but I feel like if we could have met when she wasn't in a relationship, I would have the courage to ask her out. At least that's what I fool myself into thinking, anyway. I don't know if it can be called love, as I thought I convinced myself I didn't believe in, or really know what that was. But it's something, and I can't seem to get her off my mind.

Why would I confess to her when she already has a boyfriend, to get it off my chest, because I think I would have a chance, or just because it would be better to start living more openly and honestly? I really don't want to screw up my friendship with her, that's what happened with my last girlfriend. I can't have her hate me, I need her moral support at work to keep me positive. Why do I feel like anything I decide to do is just going to blow up in my face? I haven't felt this way about someone in a long time and it's like I can't even do anything about it.

[enkoujin]

I'm pretty sure you already have the answer to your own question.

You want to confess to her that you love her because you really do want to get it off your chest. You're holding a huge burden in your head - you love this woman, but she's taken. Because she's taken, you just can't confess to her. I've said before that primitively, all humans want to be acknowledged in every way by other people and this includes feelings as well.

As a person who enjoys consistency in his relationships, romance is an entirely different issue in my opinion. If I were you and I felt that she fully qualified as a perfect soulmate, I would wait it out until the relationship with her current boyfriend ends and a couple of months after that to tell her how you feel about her - unless you secretly enjoy having relationship drama in your life.

Should you confess to her right now, it's going to be pretty damn awkward at work and one of you will eventually have to transfer or leave work at this time and the economic period right now isn't really optimistic right now.

So until then, maintain your relationship with her as you are as a friend and whether she decides to stick with her boyfriend or lose him, think about it positively. You're going to be happy to know that she has found her happiness in her life and if she didn't, then you're going to be the man who will treasure and weds her.

Just my two cents on this issue.

[Sapphire]

Don't confess. I'd say just enjoy her fine company, that you are still becoming accustomed to.

(Holy shit, enkoujin of all people gave stellar relationship advice? Someone call the press!!!)

[Uchiha Barles]

Other than some romantic comedy or another, I've never seen a person confessing his/her love to another person going well. The handful of times I've heard my friends talk about it, they said it seemed kind of pathetic, or that the guy was all "sooooooo adorable xD, but...naw..." Adorable...that's about the best you can hope to come across as, unless she's batshit madly in love with you too.

Normally, I don't care whether a girl has a boyfriend or not. If I'm interested, I do the usual probes to see if she's interested, and ask her out or not based on that. If you can come across as playful and flirty, yet unassuming, then you minimize the risk of prolonged awkwardness between the two of you should you be met with rejection. There's still a risk of course, because whether or not you appear as I described, depends both on your performance and on her perception, the latter of which you don't have much control over. Since this is your job, AND you're madly in love with her, I'd seriously consider NOT trying this. If you do, you really, REALLY, need to be skilled at this. If you're not...she's not the one to practice on.

[darkshadow]

Don't confess, just sabotage the relationship and take her for yourself ;D. You say she likes being around you? Ask her out to a movie/drinks/play some pool/whatever. She will then prolly bring up the boyfriend thing, just be bold and be confident in flirting a bit; kinda what Uchiha Barles said.
Once you get her to hang out with you, just you two, work from there ;].

[The Heretic Azazel]

Other than some romantic comedy or another, I've never seen a person confessing his/her love to another person going well. The handful of times I've heard my friends talk about it, they said it seemed kind of pathetic, or that the guy was all "sooooooo adorable xD, but...naw..." Adorable...that's about the best you can hope to come across as, unless she's batshit madly in love with you too.

Normally, I don't care whether a girl has a boyfriend or not. If I'm interested, I do the usual probes to see if she's interested, and ask her out or not based on that. If you can come across as playful and flirty, yet unassuming, then you minimize the risk of prolonged awkwardness between the two of you should you be met with rejection. There's still a risk of course, because whether or not you appear as I described, depends both on your performance and on her perception, the latter of which you don't have much control over. Since this is your job, AND you're madly in love with her, I'd seriously consider NOT trying this. If you do, you really, REALLY, need to be skilled at this. If you're not...she's not the one to practice on.

I wouldn't say "in love"... that comes off too strong. I don't know her well enough to say that and I have my own reservations about love without jumping into it again. She is just the first person I have met in a long time I have even had the urge to ask out, and I feel if she rejects me it will be a long time after that before I'm drawn to someone else. Most everything about people turns me off and makes it hard for me to even keep friends (though I most assuredly always pick the wrong ones), much less maintain a relationship with someone. That's why I don't want to "confess" per se... it's unnecessary and over the top, and exposes all my vulnerabilities. I would just like to take her out and see how things go, but if I try she's just going to say "I have a boyfriend, remember? Don't you listen?" Presumptions always keep me from taking action.

So I'm going to do what is most likely the best advice from you guys and wait, see how things develop. It is too much to pile on all at once before I see where things are going. A screw up now could ruin it for me down the line if she is available.

[Animeniax]

Does anyone know firsthand if you can install Lion from a USB key that came with the Mac Air onto a Mac Book Pro? I think Lion installs on any Mac running Snow Leopard or higher.

Today when I used a Lion USB key that was specifically labelled "for Mac Book Air" trying to install Lion on a Mac Book Pro running Snow Leopard, it returned an error that the computer couldn't be upgraded to Lion. Is it more likely that the Pro wasn't updated to 10.6.6, or that the USB key with Lion only for Mac Airs?

[Uchiha Barles]

I'm looking for software which will allow me to upload a map to it, say form google maps, plot points on it via coordinates I'd input into the software, and then allow me to do statistical analysis on the plots. Do computer algebra systems allow for that type of analysis? If so, is there something else out there that would do this particular task better?

edit: Found a piece of software, Microsoft Mappoint. Though I would appreciate any alternatives you guys know of.

[Buffalobiian]

I need some feedback from other people regarding this matter. It concerns those using a discrete sound card (though onboard may work) using Windows 7 or Vista.

In your sound card control software, if you change your sampling rate (44.1KHz, 48KHz etc), does the Windows setting change with it? (can be found under Control Panel > Sound > click device (speakers usually) > Speaker Properties > Advanced )

And in a similar fashion, does a change in bit depth (24 bit, 16 bit) reflect itself in Windows (for those who have this feature in their sound card control software)?

Or does your Windows setting stay on some default setting when you toggle the sample rate in your sound card control software? Responses from various makes will be appreciated (Asus Xonar, Creative X-Fi, On-board realteks?)

edit: oh, and before you make the changes, does the default settings in software vs windows match in the first place?

[Killa-Eyez]

I need some feedback from other people regarding this matter. It concerns those using a discrete sound card (though onboard may work) using Windows 7 or Vista.

In your sound card control software, if you change your sampling rate (44.1KHz, 48KHz etc), does the Windows setting change with it? (can be found under Control Panel > Sound > click device (speakers usually) > Speaker Properties > Advanced )

I have a onboard Realtek HD Audio card and yes, it changes with it.


And in a similar fashion, does a change in bit depth (24 bit, 16 bit) reflect itself in Windows (for those who have this feature in their sound card control software)?

Yes.


edit: oh, and before you make the changes, does the default settings in software vs windows match in the first place?

It does.

Why? What's up?

[Buffalobiian]

My sound card's software's setting didn't match up with the windows setting, that's all. And any changes to either one will not affect the other.

[Killa-Eyez]

Hwierd. Did you do the usual troubleshooting?

[Buffalobiian]

Hwierd. Did you do the usual troubleshooting?

Before I asked the question, I had read enough accounts about the Xonar cards to be confident that their software doesn't sync with Windows. I was curious to see if other brands operated in the same way. Since people tend not to report something if it's not broken/a possible issue, information on that was a bit hard to find.

Then I tried reading up about how the redesigned Windows Vista/7 audio stack architecture worked, and the parthways that the data takes. It was all to determine that if resampling was to take place, would it be done by the sound card/Xonar software, or Windows (which doesn't actually resample, but delegates that task back to the original program such as Winamp. It does resample a few legacy things since it wasn't an issue until Vista/7).

I've concluded that in Shared Mode the signal runs into the global Windows buffer first, which requests only sound in a particular sample rate. At the very end of the pathway, the card will then resample the signal as per your Xonar panel before sending it off to the DAC.

In Exclusive Mode (ASIO etc), the global windows buffer is not used, and windows-requested resampling doesn't take place. The signal gets sent straight to the sound card in a bit-transparent, low latency manner, but the audio chip will still change the sample rate before converting it to analogue if your Xonar control specifies it to do so.

Thanks for confirming. :)

[Killa-Eyez]

Never heard of Xonar soundcards, been out of the loop for quite some time.

The issue sounds easily fixable with an updated, Win7/Vista compatible, signed driver/software. Though if you acquired the card before those OS' release, I don't see them going through the trouble.

[Buffalobiian]

The driver was released a couple of months ago. It's very much Vista/7 Compatible. It's a series-wide quirk for all Xonar cards.

[Animeniax]

What color shoes go with tan colored jeans? How about grey jeans? Typically with a black or white or navy blue t-shirt.

[Buffalobiian]

I'd say dark brown for the tan jeans, but it kinda depends on how tan they are too. Grey goes well with most stuff. Darker grey with black shoes, or lighter grey with white. Other colours will prolly depend on what you've got on top as well.

[Archangel]

Help required (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php/20334-Powerpoint-presentations?p=504479#post504479)

[Uchiha Barles]

Noob photoshop question for you guys: I have a bunch of selections saved as alpha channels that are associated with an image in Photoshop CS5. What I'm trying to do is pick one of the selections, load it, and then fill the selection with color. The problem is, when I do it, any color I pick is converted to gray scale. How do I fix this?

[Kraco]

Do you have the alpha channel selected/active when you colour the insides of the selection? Because alpha channels are 8-bit gray scale. Make sure you have selected the rpg layer, not the alpha (or mask or anything else like that). Of course the image itself can't be 8-bit gray scale for colours to show.

[Uchiha Barles]

You sir, are a god among men. I had the RGB channel selected, but then I scrolled down to find the selection channel was also selected. Thanks for the help man xD.

[Uchiha Barles]

I have another photoshop question. Is there a way to make a line segment selection? I suppose you can use the line tools to and then subtract from the selection it makes until you get your desired segment selection, but that only works for horizontal or vertical segments, and it's kind of a clunky method. Is there another way that would allow for selecting vertical segments of varying slopes?

edit: I guess what I'm asking is, is there a way to create an "open" selection, without closing it into a polygon or some other closed shape?

[Pandadice]

I need help identifying a video game I have only vague memories of. There's this PC game I played when I was really young that I would love to find the name of.

I don't remember much about it, but I'll do my best to provide as much details as I can.

'90s PC game. It was 1st person view.

I remember the first level took place on this futuristic looking building -- white walls, computerized doors etc. (I liken it to some of the sets in The Fifth Element. Or perhaps I'm just thinking of The Fifth Element and using it to fill in the blank in my memory).

It was about time travel or something. I just know that at some point (after beating the first level or something) you got in this room and it was a time machine and you could go back to prehistoric times with dinosaurs and junk. And that is about as far as I ever made it (I seriously played this when I was like 7). And I don't remember what exactly, but when you got to the prehistoric times there was like a T-Rex or meteor or something that always killed me.

I don't remember if you have a gun or shoot things or if there are enemies in the futurist building, but I do remember I found it difficult. So maybe there were enemies...

edit: I've been informed that I am probably thinking of Myst

[Uchiha Barles]

I took a look at this list of games containing time travel and went through some of the games that dated back to the 90s. There are youtube playthroughs and intros for most of them. Not that I've personally played any of these, but if it turns out that Myst is not the game you're thinking of, it might be either a game from "The Journeyman Project" series (probably the first one), or the "Time Commando" which while it didn't look like a first person game, the intro fit the description.

If it's not any of those games, that list is a good place to start looking:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_containing_time_travel

[Buffalobiian]

I have an mkv file with subtitles in it (vobsub?). I want to exact them, stick them into google-translate then remux them back into the original file.

I want to keep the timing and everything the same.

How should I go about it?

[Kraco]

Mkvs typically use text based softsubs, so you should be able to extract the subtitle file and then just copy-paste to the google translator.

I'd download mkvtoolnix to do the job. Use mkvinfo to check which track is the subtitles, then mkvextract to get it out of the container. Do the translation, pray the format remains as it is (I wouldn't count on that), fix the formatting, mux back in, taking also out the old subtitles. You might want to use the mkvmerge gui for muxing, which is so simple it's idiot proof (I know because I can use it).

Mkvinfo and mkvextract are command line executables. So, you gotta bring back the good 'ol memories from times before guis (assuming you have those, being so young). They give you help with the switch -?. If you install the packet somewhere (like under program files (x86), you need to path it for easier access when you switch to the working folder containing the actual video file. (It's just path "C:\Program Files (x86)\MKVtoolnix" or wherever you installed it (the quotation marks are needed because there are spaces). This is so that the cmd finds the exes without needing to write the whole fricking path in front of them every time.

Still, I'm nothing but an amateur. Somebody wiser might have a more straightforward solution.

[Buffalobiian]

I thought it would be pretty straight-forward too Kraco when I tried that idea this morning, but I got stuck at the extraction part when I tried to extract the subs.

mkvextract extracts the subs as .idx and .sub files. I'll have to look around to see what opens those (notepad opens, but displays a mess of unintelligible stuff - possibly because of the language), so I was hoping there was some other way to extract it into .txt or something copy/paste friendly.

I think Aegisub would open the .sub file to let me edit.. but it'll involve copy/translate/pasting every single line of the file, wouldn't it?

[Archangel]

How about:

- Extracting it,

- opening with notepad,

- slapping it on google translate

- replacing the text in the notepad with it and save changes

???

- possibly profit!

Google translate is shit for long text though so it will probably still be unwatchable.

[Buffalobiian]

Ark, I just said that opening it up in notepad is unintelligible.

Google-translate should be alright since I'm translating from Simplified Chinese (as mentioned above, might be the reason it was unintelligible) to Traditional Chinese, so it just needs to change less than half of the characters without changing syntax at all.

[Archangel]

Open with aegis and then export the subs to plain-text

[Assertn]

edit: I've been informed that I am probably thinking of Myst
I've played Myst and this doesn't sound remotely similar to it. Not only do you not time travel in Myst, but you also don't die in the game either.

[enkoujin]

Just recently, I found out one of my friends is homosexual.

I've only known him for the last three months and it was a bit of a shocker to me (I'm a bit dense with extrapolating hints because I never like to judge or mind others' business). I know we all live in a modern society that preaches that it's a must to accept homosexual people in our productive society. I haven't been living under a rock, though, as I've perfectly fine with other LBGT individuals on campus (talked, interacted, worked together).

In fact, a few months ago, I found out that one of my friends from high school was actually a lesbian and I was perfectly fine with that, but I don't understand why I feel so fixated on the fact that my male-friend is homosexual. I can't seem to reinforce the idea into my brain that he has always been the same person I've met and known before I discovered his sexual orientation. Is there something wrong with me? How can I fix this ordeal?

[Animeniax]

This friend is you, isn't it? Don't worry, you are not your sexual orientation. Look in the mirror and know you are still you, just that you like dudes. If it was a sin like the religious folks say, then God would not have created homosexuality.

[Buffalobiian]

In fact, a few months ago, I found out that one of my friends from high school was actually a lesbian and I was perfectly fine with that, but I don't understand why I feel so fixated on the fact that my male-friend is homosexual. I can't seem to reinforce the idea into my brain that he has always been the same person I've met and known before I discovered his sexual orientation. Is there something wrong with me? How can I fix this ordeal?

I find guys accept lesbians more readily than gays because lesbians don't really have anything to do with them (unless they wanted to hit on her, but they wouldn't have gotten very far anyway). Do you think you might be trying to pick up cues that your friend's approaching you or other males?

If I had to rationalise it, I'd say it's because you're realising now that sexual tension may be present on his part, whereas you expected none between you and him and vice versa before.

I just had a lecture on disability and consent. One lady who talked was a social worker, and she revealed to us that she couldn't quite hack it at first when she had a baby with Down Syndrome (even though she would often say that the world can do with diversity and such before), and cried a bit that she feels shameful to admit that at one point she wasn't sure whether she wanted the baby dead or alive.

[Archangel]

>2012
>Taking anything that enkoukin says seriously

Really?

[Buffalobiian]

He's using the help thread.

I give him the benefit of doubt.

[Archangel]

He's using the help thread.

I give him the benefit of doubt.
Good luck with that.

By the way did you solve your own problem? The one with the sub text.

[Buffalobiian]

I haven't tried yet. I'm sort of getting by with the subs at the moment, but holidays just started so I might give it a go later.

It was labelled Simplified Chinese and some words looked funny, but overall it contained more Traditional text than anything..

[Animeniax]

I'm trying to get info on a Fox special TV show where celebrity impersonators acted out to troll unsuspecting fans and onlookers. I remember seeing it on Fox around 1998-2005. The only celebrity impersonator I remember is Tiger Woods, where they had a lookalike giving free golf lessons, but he was very rude and disinterested with people he was supposed to help who have never played golf before. It was a comedy show, and a one time deal. Does anyone remember seeing this and have any leads on finding information about it?

TIA.

[Marik]

Outrageous Celebrity Look-Alike Behavior: Caught on Tape (http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/537669/Outrageous-Celebrity-Look-Alike-Behavior-Caught-on-Tape)

[Animeniax]

Outrageous Celebrity Look-Alike Behavior: Caught on Tape (http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/537669/Outrageous-Celebrity-Look-Alike-Behavior-Caught-on-Tape)

Awesome, thanks for the information. I was starting to think the show was just a figment of my imagination or I dreamed it. Sadly I can't find a video of it. If anyone gets the chance to see it, it's pretty damn funny.

[Y]

Just recently, I found out one of my friends is homosexual.

I've only known him for the last three months and it was a bit of a shocker to me (I'm a bit dense with extrapolating hints because I never like to judge or mind others' business). I know we all live in a modern society that preaches that it's a must to accept homosexual people in our productive society. I haven't been living under a rock, though, as I've perfectly fine with other LBGT individuals on campus (talked, interacted, worked together).

In fact, a few months ago, I found out that one of my friends from high school was actually a lesbian and I was perfectly fine with that, but I don't understand why I feel so fixated on the fact that my male-friend is homosexual. I can't seem to reinforce the idea into my brain that he has always been the same person I've met and known before I discovered his sexual orientation. Is there something wrong with me? How can I fix this ordeal?

What, specifically, is bothering you about him now that you know he's gay? Are you avoiding him, now finding yourself too weirded out by his orientation to interact with him? I'm going to guess it has something to do, as you implied, with the fact that he is a male homosexual. Rest assured he does not secretly have a crush on you and isn't going to molest you after a night of drinks. Talk with him about the subject and remind yourself that while it's been a struggle for you to come to grips with his identity (and there's nothing wrong with that) it's way worse on him.

[dragonrage]

There is nothing wrong with you, he's a guy and a friend that you have know from quite sometime I am guessing. In someways you shared a lot of common ground, but now you're beginning to question that since he is gay and you're not. I'm inferring a lot of things here, but the best thing is to talk it out with him like Y said. Depends on where you live and your family as well it can be extremely hard for him to come out, if you're his friend and want to continue being his friend, talk it out.

Also gay men are frisky just like any other guy out there when drunk, Y is just trying to get you to drop your guard, don't be fooled.......kidding/ maybe.

[enkoujin]

What, specifically, is bothering you about him now that you know he's gay? Are you avoiding him, now finding yourself too weirded out by his orientation to interact with him? I'm going to guess it has something to do, as you implied, with the fact that he is a male homosexual. Rest assured he does not secretly have a crush on you and isn't going to molest you after a night of drinks. Talk with him about the subject and remind yourself that while it's been a struggle for you to come to grips with his identity (and there's nothing wrong with that) it's way worse on him.


There is nothing wrong with you, he's a guy and a friend that you have know from quite sometime I am guessing. In someways you shared a lot of common ground, but now you're beginning to question that since he is gay and you're not. I'm inferring a lot of things here, but the best thing is to talk it out with him like Y said. Depends on where you live and your family as well it can be extremely hard for him to come out, if you're his friend and want to continue being his friend, talk it out.

Thanks a lot, guys.

I found that the hardest thing about accepting someone coming out is that the image you had ingrained into your mind of them got shaken. An example of this effect (but not as extreme) would be similar to your long-time friend telling you one day that he's a necrophiliac. I've seen many works and been to workshops about accepting LGBT individuals, but I've never really dealt with a friend coming out before.

I think it has a lot to do with first impressions. When I meet someone, I'll learn their names and create an character class of them. If I interact with them quite a lot, I can easily adjust to any changes as I go along when I learn anything new about them. It's just the revelation that had a lot of impact.

I can see myself in an alternative situation where if an individual I recently met told me that he was homosexual, I'd just add to his data that he's homosexual. It wouldn't have had any impact at all and I wouldn't speak anything of it.

Sexual tension came to my mind at first, as Bill said, but I'm just adjusting to a more social setting in college. There wasn't a need to talk to him because I slowly learned to accept him for who he is.

[enkoujin]

Does anyone have any good websites to teach you how to argue effectively?

I've noticed that there's been a huge decline in my arguing and writing skills (maybe it's due to a changing personality or the fact that I'm getting dumber, I don't know), but when I was in my mid-teens, I was able to take down most adults in arguments and thought I was top shit when I aced my Social Studies written diploma in high school.

However, at this day and age, I find myself making lackluster arguments, hypocritical statements, poor examples and making general theses (i.e., correlation does not imply causation). My first rebuttal/riposte are often stellar quality, but as arguments drag on, I lose steam and I focus on nitpicking their words or examples due to a single technicality before I stop posting anything back. I should probably see my local campus writing resource centre for improving my writing, but I need to start with my basics first.

tl;dr: I suck dicks at arguing and writing now; does anyone have any websites for improving those skills?

[Buffalobiian]

Searching for debating techniques seems to come up with a fair bit of stuff. Might have to sift through it to find the useful ones however.

In general, I find factual styles work better in writing - stating things matter-of-factly and evaluating them in a logical manner.

Rhetorical questions and other "flairy" things work well in moderation in speech because you can control your tone and how the message comes across.

That might just be my stance on things though, because when I read something, I usually have a question. I don't need another one.

[Uchiha Barles]

Anyone here familiar with the text editor vim and a plugin called dbext that allows vim to serve kind of as an SQL client for a number of databases? In particular I need to connect to a postgresql database locally installed on my computer. I keep getting an error message that reads:

dbext:PostgreSQL requires a '$HOME/.pgpass' file i order to authenticate. This file is missing. The binary 'psql' does not accept commandline passwords.

I've tried irc channels for both vim and postgres but can't get any help on this. Thought I'd take a shot here before registering on some other forums and asking there.

[Y]

Does anyone have any good websites to teach you how to argue effectively?

I've noticed that there's been a huge decline in my arguing and writing skills (maybe it's due to a changing personality or the fact that I'm getting dumber, I don't know), but when I was in my mid-teens, I was able to take down most adults in arguments and thought I was top shit when I aced my Social Studies written diploma in high school.

However, at this day and age, I find myself making lackluster arguments, hypocritical statements, poor examples and making general theses (i.e., correlation does not imply causation). My first rebuttal/riposte are often stellar quality, but as arguments drag on, I lose steam and I focus on nitpicking their words or examples due to a single technicality before I stop posting anything back. I should probably see my local campus writing resource centre for improving my writing, but I need to start with my basics first.

tl;dr: I suck dicks at arguing and writing now; does anyone have any websites for improving those skills?

Look more attractive and talk more smoothly than the other guy. If you're putting it in writing, sound more attractive and smooth than the other guy. If the last 100 years of presidential debates have taught us one thing, it's that having the facts on your side is not helpful, and is often a detriment in the face of rhetoric that cares nothing for the facts.

[Xelbair]

Anyone here familiar with the text editor vim and a plugin called dbext that allows vim to serve kind of as an SQL client for a number of databases? In particular I need to connect to a postgresql database locally installed on my computer. I keep getting an error message that reads:

dbext:PostgreSQL requires a '$HOME/.pgpass' file i order to authenticate. This file is missing. The binary 'psql' does not accept commandline passwords.

I've tried irc channels for both vim and postgres but can't get any help on this. Thought I'd take a shot here before registering on some other forums and asking there.

it looks like you need to create a file that contains password for your database - i've been only using GUI SIS(Spatial Information System) to connect to postgres(with postgis extension).

[Uchiha Barles]

it looks like you need to create a file that contains password for your database - i've been only using GUI SIS(Spatial Information System) to connect to postgres(with postgis extension).

Yeah, someone finally went through it with me. That file existed, but it was empty so I had to fill it with the right server/db/pass/user. Not only that, but I then had to override the default location that VIM points to. Apparently, that extension is configured like poop and they forgot that people actually develop in windows (not that that's what I was doing).

[UChessmaster]

I need help with my english presentation, we`re supossed to do a 3-5 minutes oral presentation about "curiosities of the english language" so far i`m planning on explaining that the sentence Bufallo Bufallo Bufallo Bufallo Bufallo Bufallo Bufallo is correct and that the word hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is the fear of long words, does anyone knows any other curious fact i can use?

[Abdula]

Sounds like a really nice topic. I've always loved palindromes and semordnilap so you can check those out.

[enkoujin]

Some worth checking out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constrained_writing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_linguistic_example_sentences
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_while_John_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_h ad_had_had_a_better_effect_on_the_teacher
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_that_is_is_that_that_is_not_is_not_is_that_it _it_is

[UChessmaster]

Thanks guys the presentation went great, i used some of those links.

Now i need some math help, i made a deal with my mom, i was supossed to help her with math and do her homework, but i just realilzed her math skills are ATROCIOUS and i need to spend a lot more time teaching, can anyone help me with the homework while i try to figure a way of teaching her some classes and have the information stay INSIDE her brain?

Factorize the following polinomes (sp?)


1. x3 + x2 =
2. 2x4 + 4x2 =
3. x2 – 4 =
4. x4 – 16 =
5. 9 + 6x + x2 =
7. x4 − 10x2 + 9 =
8. x4 − 2x2 − 3 =
9. 2x4 + x3 − 8x2 − x + 6 =
10. 2x3 − 7x2 + 8x – 3 =
11. x3 − x2 – 4 =
12. x3 + 3x2 − 4 x – 12 =
13. 6x3 + 7x2 − 9x + 2 =
14. 9x4 − 4x2 =
15. x5 + 20x3 + 100x =
16. 3x5 − 18x3 + 27x =
17. 2x3 − 50x =
18. 2x5 − 32x =
19. 2x2 + x − 28 =
20. xy − 2x − 3y + 6 =
21. 25x2 − 1=
22. 36x6 − 49 =
23. x2 − 2x + 1 =
24. x2 − 6x + 9 =
25. x2 − 20x + 100 =
26. x2 + 10x +25 =
27. x2 + 14x + 49 =
28. x3 − 4x2 + 4x =
29. 3x7 − 27x =
30. x2 − 11x + 30
31. 3x2 + 10x + 3
32. 2x2 − x − 1

[Buffalobiian]

.....


You're joking, right?

I got up to #4

1. x2(x+1)
2. 2x2(x2+2)
3. (x+2)(x-2)
4. (x2+4)(x+2)(x-2)

[UChessmaster]

I wish, i have to teach this to my mother and she can BARELY handle x + 2 = 7 (find x), after ONE day of teaching, but hey, 4 down! :P

[shinta|hikari]

I tried to teach my mom how to use a computer, and it took me 3 hours to teach her the difference between a left click and a right click.

I am not joking.

[enkoujin]

Assuming those numbers beside the "x" are exponentials...


Factorize the following polynomials


1. x3 + x2 = x^2(x+1)
2. 2x4 + 4x2 = (2x^2)(x^2+2)
3. x2 – 4 = (x+2)(x-2)
4. x4 – 16 = (x+4)(x-4)
5. 9 + 6x + x2 = (x+3)^2

Where's #6?

The following majority are done by synthetic division...


7. x4 − 10x2 + 9 = (x^2+10)(x^2-1)
8. x4 − 2x2 − 3 = (x^2+1)(x^2-3)
9. 2x4 + x3 − 8x2 − x + 6 = (x+1)(x-1)(x+2)(2x-3)
10. 2x3 − 7x2 + 8x – 3 = (x-1)^2(2x-3)
11. x3 − x2 – 4 = (x-2)(x^2+x+2)
12. x3 + 3x2 − 4 x – 12 = (x+2)(x-2)(x+3)

Now for some of the funny ones...


13. 6x3 + 7x2 − 9x + 2 = 2(x-0.5)(3x-1)(x+2)
14. 9x4 − 4x2 = (x^2)(9x^2-4)


I then realized you could just use Wolfram Alpha (http://www.wolframalpha.com) for the rest and gave up because the numbers get more brutal and I hate synthetic division.

[Buffalobiian]

Enkoujin, I'd like to challenge your answer to #4. I believe mine's correct :p [though (x2-4)(x2+4) would suffice as well]

PS: "You're joking right" refers to the fact that your "help" was getting us to do your homework Uchess. xD

[enkoujin]

You're right; I thought that that was (x^2-16).

My bad. God, I need more sleep.

[UChessmaster]

There`s no number 6 apparently, thanks for the help guys!

[enkoujin]

I'm updating my resume right now and I've noticed that my interests section is looking a little bit plain at the moment.

Do you any of you think it would be professional if I added in watching anime and reading manga in there?

[Buffalobiian]

Hah, I've always wondered about that too, so I can't help you out there. :(

I've always ended up putting down some more "mainstream" interests of mine.

[Animeniax]

It's a fairly ubiquitous pasttime so it won't garner you any special brownie points with prospective employers (off chance someone in hiring sees it and says "oh, he likes anime and manga too, let's hire him!"). Maybe reword it so it applies more to the job you are applying for, or leave it out altogether and add a hobby that does relate better to the job.

[enkoujin]

As I thought, Animeniax.

Thanks a lot, you two!

[Uchiha Barles]

Hopefully this is a simple question for anyone who works with databases. In SQL (postgres in particular) I want to retrieve all the columns from one table, along with some (but not all) columns from another table. Is there a way to do this without listing every single column from the table I need every column from? I'm new at this crap.

[catarina90]

Hi guys,

I need your help, do you know where I can find this Naruto Manga Poster 1336

It's for a gift

Thanks :)

[Animeniax]

Has anyone tried MotioninJoy's driver to use a PS3 controller on a Windows 7 PC? It seems pretty straightforward, but I'm not sure about trusting a Chinese provided driver that requires you be online to use it (though there is a hacked method to let it work offline).

[UChessmaster]

In a test, the minimun grade you can get is 200, the max is 800, to pass you need 600, how much do you need to pass percentage wise?

[Marik]

600 out of 800 would be 75%.

[UChessmaster]

B-but... that`s not possible :/, remember, the minimun is 200, not 0.

[Marik]

I'm thinking it's 66.67%.

800 (max) - 200 (min) = 600. 600 (min to pass) - 200 (min) = 400. So you need 400/600 to pass. 4/6 = 2/3 = 66.67%

[UChessmaster]

YES! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

[Animeniax]

Logical thinking questions like that get me sometimes too. The "train 1 left point A traveling 50kph and train 2 left point B traveling 75kph" questions also always messed with my head.

[UChessmaster]

Likewise, a range is not the same as an average correct?

[Buffalobiian]

Likewise, a range is not the same as an average correct?

Yes. The range lists the highest and lowest values of a bunch of scores.

The average is a number resulting from a formula that tries to even all the scores out.

[Buffalobiian]

What are people's experiences with buying sunglasses online (eg ebay, amazon) if any? Some sellers seem to have pretty good reviews, but that's assuming people can tell the difference (also assuming GW is more sophisticated and anal than your average population).

[Inazuma]

Do you need special correcting factor on the glass on those sunglasses you'll buy ?

[Buffalobiian]

Do you need special correcting factor on the glass on those sunglasses you'll buy ?

I haven't gotten sunglasses with prescription before, so I would likely be able to do without since it hasn't caused me any problems.

I'm considering a pair of prescription-spectacles too, but I'm not really looking at ebay for that.

[Ryllharu]

One thing you do have to watch with on prescription sunglasses is distortion. If you want them to give you some side protection, with most prescription sunglasses you are going to end up with strong distortion at the edges and a much narrower viewing area.

Instead, I have a pair of prescription sunglasses/goggles made by Leader (better known for making swim or sports goggles and ski goggles). The lenses protrude a bit further, but there is minimal distortion.

I mostly use them for driving.

Another bonus, who would steal prescription sunglasses? They first moment they try them on they get all weirded out and put them back down.

[UChessmaster]

I`m trying to make a grades sheet on Excel but reached a dead end. I need a formula that gives me a letter based on grades, so far i got =IF(E3<=59, "F"), so the result i get is that if e3 is less than 60, then it should give me an F, but i want to put other values as well, (60-69 for D), (70-79 for C), (80-89 for B) and (90-100 for A). Any ideas?

[Ryllharu]

You could use Conditional Formatting in adjacent column. It should allow you to fill in a value and use a color coding.

You don't say which excel you're using, so these should cover it:

Grading sheet with conditional formatting (http://www.learnwithnitin.com/2010/07/microsoft-excel-conditional-formatting.html)

Conditional Formatting (http://www.excelfunctions.net/ExcelConditionalFormatting.html)

[UChessmaster]

Thanks, that worked perfectly, now i need a formula that subtract whatever points i have lost so far, for example, let`s say i got 0.8/1 on a quiz then the result should be 99.2.

[UChessmaster]

Is plugging a laptop to an HDTV as simple as buying a cable or is it a "depends on wich laptop/tv you have" thing?

[Buffalobiian]

Is plugging a laptop to an HDTV as simple as buying a cable or is it a "depends on wich laptop/tv you have" thing?

Depends on the plug on your laptop. As long as the cable fits, into some socket in your TV as well as your laptop it should work.

The catch is that you can't make it work via passive digital/analogue adapters.

Is there a single cable that will do the trick?

[Archangel]

Is plugging a laptop to an HDTV as simple as buying a cable or is it a "depends on wich laptop/tv you have" thing?
Does your laptop and TV support hdmi? If so get one of those cables and you're done.

I swear Bill and the other techno geeks love to make this shit sound harder than it actually is.

[Ryllharu]

I swear Bill and the other techno geeks love to make this shit sound harder than it actually is.
Indeed.

Even if you don't have HDMI, there's a good chance your TV will have a VGA plug and a corresponding 1/8" (3.5mm) speaker connector. VGA to VGA and headphone port to 1/8" (3.5mm) jack using a male-to-male cable and you're done.

[Buffalobiian]

I swear Bill and the other techno geeks love to make this shit sound harder than it actually is.

See, it all depends on the plug in the laptop and the TV. >_>

If the laptop is old enough, it could well be sporting an S-Video output.

Maybe the TV doesn't have a VGA input but only HDMI, in which case a you'll need some active A/D converter. Or he's out of digital connections on his TV and wants to use component video.

You're free to take the "there's a good chance" approach, or take the "worst case scenario, things you have to consider" approach.. so I'll disagree about making it "harder than it actually is". It's more like highlighting how hard it CAN be.

Anyway, if unsure, pictures of laptop ports and available HDTV ports (or just their model numbers) would solve this.

[Archangel]

Words

If it has HDMI you'll need one cable, if doesn't you'll need 2 cables. There, done.

[Animeniax]

An HDMI cable should be all you need, if your laptop has an HDMI port. Otherwise most HDTVs have 15 pin VGA inputs (standard monitor cable with blue heads) plus an audio cable (some TVs don't have an 1/8-in audio-in jack, in which case you have to listen to audio via speakers on the laptop or connected to it).

[Buffalobiian]

(some TVs don't have an 1/8-in audio-in jack, in which case you have to listen to audio via speakers on the laptop or connected to it).

There are 3.5mm-to-RCA cables available for that, but whether both the video and audio input will work simultaneously isn't certain.

[Ryllharu]

Only if you're plugging the audio into the wrong source.

My television (less than a year old) has a 3.5 mm jack right below the VGA input. Most I have seen do the same. A lot of TVs for sale today don't have the VGA at all, because most laptops (and even a lot of tablets) have HDMI.

A shame, because VGA doesn't have bullshit DRM layer garbage that HDMI does. HDCP desyncs audio from time to time on my xbox360 when playing a DVD. Never did when I was using the VGA input on my monitor. I would use the VGA, but the damn TV mount blocks it because the xbox cable connectors are huge. Pause it, swap sources, swap back, and it restores it.

[Buffalobiian]

Only if you're plugging the audio into the wrong source.

Indeed, that was what I was meaning.

My precaution was to warn against anybody:

1) seeing a 3.5mm output on their laptop
2) seeing no 3.5mm-input on their TV
3) seeing RCA inputs somewhere on their TV
4) learning that 3.5mm-to-RCA cables exist
5) purchasing the cables
6) find out after spending money, that the cables won't give him sound while playing.

I can not guaruntee that if a TV does not have a 3.5mm input, that it would automatically have substitute RCAs that would sync with the video input.


My television (less than a year old) has a 3.5 mm jack right below the VGA input. Most I have seen do the same. A lot of TVs for sale today don't have the VGA at all, because most laptops (and even a lot of tablets) have HDMI.

A shame, because VGA doesn't have bullshit DRM layer garbage that HDMI does. HDCP desyncs audio from time to time on my xbox360 when playing a DVD. Never did when I was using the VGA input on my monitor. I would use the VGA, but the damn TV mount blocks it because the xbox cable connectors are huge. Pause it, swap sources, swap back, and it restores it.

How easily could you substitute HDMI with component video in those cases?

[UChessmaster]

Wow, this escalated quickly. My laptop has a VGA thing, my tv has hdmi AND VGA.

[Archangel]

Then buy a vga thing and a sound thing, ask the dude in the store he'll know what i'm talking about.

[Kraco]

People often have one or two VGA cables lying around from ancient times. They can cost surprisingly lot so check first your closets and boxes to avoid getting a new one unnecessarily. You might need to buy the audio cable, though, but that's pocket money compared to the VGA.

[Buffalobiian]

Then buy a vga thing and a sound thing, ask the dude in the store he'll know what i'm talking about.

The "things" are:

1) Male-to-male VGA cable
2) Male-to-male 3.5mm cable (also known as Male-to-male 1/8 inch cable)

Only guy the 3.5mm cable after confirming that you have such a sound input on your TV though.

[Animeniax]

I think it'd be better to buy a small PC sound system that you connect to your laptop. Audio through the TV is usually weak unless you have a nice HT system.

[Buffalobiian]

I've noticed this random behaviour lately when I play video games. BF3 in particular goes into a windowed mode, but the main thing is that there appears to be chinese input in the top left of the screen. It'll activate randomly somehow (I'm guessing some combination of space/alt or something like that), but I've already disabled (or I should have) the keybind that enables switching of alternative language input in the control panel.

The frame rate goes down, generally when this happens. Also, in some games it actually stops me from moving hecause WASD is being used for the text input as above. I've only managed to revert the behaviour once - I assume I pressed the same keys again that were responsible for activation/inactivation of this weird behaviour).

Leaving a game will definitely work, but sometimes that's not ideal since a party rejoin isn't possible afterwards.

Anyone else experienced this sort of thing before?

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/9027/errorrq.png
http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/9027/errorrq.png

[enkoujin]

So you've changed the keyboard shortcuts (alt+shift) in the Language Bar for the language input and the problem still persists?

Other than doing the above and temporarily uninstalling your keyboards while gaming, I'm not too sure what you can do.

[Buffalobiian]

So you've changed the keyboard shortcuts (alt+shift) in the Language Bar for the language input and the problem still persists?

Other than doing the above and temporarily uninstalling your keyboards while gaming, I'm not too sure what you can do.

I checked after I made that post, and the language input was indeed cleared.

I checked again before posting this just to be sure, and I scrolled down to see that the last entry for Traditional chinese entry is Ctrl+Space. That setting seems persistent, and even though I click "disable hotkey" or something similar, it always turns back on immediately after an "Apply".

I don't need chinese input, only East Asian fonts for reading/displaying purposes (Japanese song file names etc), so I might think about uninstalling that sometime. Good to know that my troubles can be fixed with a quick Ctrl+Space in the meanwhile though.

Thanks guys!

[UChessmaster]

I want to make a website for my college group, I want it to have a section to download and this section should have sub sections for every subject so I can upload doc and ppt files, A "news" section and if possible a mini chat, does anyone knows an easy way to make this?

[Xelbair]

either forum with shoutbox + google drive/dropbox for files(quick and dirty method)... or you need to find it/write it yourself(rather write - because finding it would be a bit tiresome).

[darkshadow]

Seems like you need a CMS, a friend of mine made one for me a while back and it seems like it's just what you need, but mine only works with uploading images.

[Death BOO Z]

my university uses moodle for that, (we switched over from highlearn). It's open source, so maybe you can find a version that fits your needs.

[Archangel]

my university uses moodle for that, (we switched over from highlearn). It's open source, so maybe you can find a version that fits your needs.
Lol, mine did too.

[Animeniax]

They ban all forms of external email on my work network because people are too dumb to not infect the network by opening virus attachments and spyware. This ban covers web and email client access to external email. This is fairly inconvenient not being able to access my personal email from work. Does anyone know of a website I can use to access gmail without actually visiting the gmail site?

[Ryllharu]

Try the https version? That worked for a while where I work.

If that doesn't work, they're directly blacklisting it (and are wise to do so), and you're out of luck. If it is that important that you have access to gmail at work, get a smartphone with a good data plan.

[enkoujin]

Never had your problem, but try this: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gmail-offline/ejidjjhkpiempkbhmpbfngldlkglhimk

[Animeniax]

Try the https version? That worked for a while where I work.

If that doesn't work, they're directly blacklisting it (and are wise to do so), and you're out of luck. If it is that important that you have access to gmail at work, get a smartphone with a good data plan.

Yeah they're blocking it by url, so any url with "mail" in it is blocked including the https version. To be fair, it's a good move because 99% of the people in the office would waste too much time or infect the network if they had access to their personal email (or facebook). I have less than a week at this job so it's no big deal, just an inconvenience. I was hoping there is an aggregate site that let's you check various email accounts without accessing them by url, kind of like how meebo worked with multiple chat sites.


Never had your problem, but try this: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gmail-offline/ejidjjhkpiempkbhmpbfngldlkglhimk
Same deal, blocked (the dl site, not sure about the app).

[Buffalobiian]

Remote-access your home computer?

[Animeniax]

I'll see if that's possible, but it's doubtful. We're in a secure environment, and I think that would be frowned upon.

[Animeniax]

Need help! I've been banned from this forum I used to frequent (for trolling of all reasons, what a load of crap). I registered with a new username, new email address, and my ISP changed since I was last banned from the site, so my IP should be different. Yet they still managed to detect and refuse my new account registration (and were dicks about it). How are they able to do this?

[enkoujin]

Try clearing your cookies and registering with new info like a different e-mail address.

[Death BOO Z]

try using a public computer for the registration process

[Archangel]

Need help! I've been banned from this forum I used to frequent (for trolling of all reasons, what a load of crap). I registered with a new username, new email address, and my ISP changed since I was last banned from the site, so my IP should be different. Yet they still managed to detect and refuse my new account registration (and were dicks about it). How are they able to do this?

No wai! .

[Sapphire]

Need help! I've been banned from this forum I used to frequent (for trolling of all reasons, what a load of crap). I registered with a new username, new email address, and my ISP changed since I was last banned from the site, so my IP should be different. Yet they still managed to detect and refuse my new account registration (and were dicks about it). How are they able to do this?

LOL seriously? That's so funny LOLOLOLOL sucks to be you!

[Animeniax]

Try clearing your cookies and registering with new info like a different e-mail address.

Tried those, no dice.


try using a public computer for the registration process Considered this, probably what I'll end up doing. Though if I use the account on my home network, won't they be able to detect it's the same person? Hopefully they only check during the registration process.

Weird thing is, I traveled for the holidays and tried to register from my parents' and relatives' ISPs, but the site had blocked all registrations from their ISPs (AT&T Uverse). They also have my work ISP blocked, but it's a large college so that kinda makes sense.


No wai!
I know right, what a load of crap.


LOL seriously? That's so funny LOLOLOLOL sucks to be you! Nah, it's probably better if I don't get back on that site. I wasted so much time there, usually being an a-hole and talking shit to people. Not my proudest moments, but lots of fun.

[Sapphire]

Nah, it's probably better if I don't get back on that site. I wasted so much time there, usually being an a-hole and talking shit to people. Not my proudest moments, but lots of fun.

How is that any different from what you do here?!

[Animeniax]

How is that any different from what you do here?!

Come on now, you know 95% of what I post here is serious and the real deal. I'm only snarky towards the snarky individuals here. On this other forum I was an outright a-hole, mostly in response to other a-holes, but also as my go-to site for stress-relief and cutting loose.

[Ryllharu]

Come on now, you know 95% of what I post here is serious and the real deal.
Agree completely.






You really are a racist and a homophobe, and serious about it every time.

[Animeniax]

I started eating dark chocolate every day because I learned some of the benefits it supposedly has. Today I didn't have any, and got a big headache. Then I remembered not eating any dc today, so I had a piece... now the headache is gone. Is it the caffeine? Is it something in dark chocolate that is addictive?

I'm already addicted to coffee and have a cup every morning or suffer with a bad headache all day. I hope this isn't another addiction I'll have to support.

[Kraco]

No, it's either a coincidence or psychosomatic. Dark chocolate definitely won't have such an effect physiologically. Unless it's from some dubious source and contains something extra chocolate shouldn't ever contain.

Just to be sure, though, you do know the positive effects already are granted by a very limited amount? If you eat too much of it, you'll just get extra calories and their associated problems like from any high-energy food.

[Animeniax]

Well I didn't get the headache from knowing I hadn't eaten any chocolate; it was the opposite, I had the headache and then remembered and ate some chocolate, and the headache went away (though I suppose that part could be psychosomatic).

I only eat the recommended amount of dark chocolate most days, a block about 10cm x 3cm x 1cm. I don't really like the taste, though some flavored dark chocolates make it tasty. I definitely get an energy boost from eating it, so is that from caffeine or sugar?

[Buffalobiian]

so is that from caffeine or sugar?

Well did you have your coffee for the day as well? I'd put money on the caffeine.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/3374/s8kd.jpg

[Animeniax]

Yeah definitely had the coffee. I'd feel a throbbing headache by noon if I didn't have my morning cup. Today's headache was around 230p-3p, around the time I normally have the chocolate. Like I said, I felt almost immediately better after eating the chocolate. So if it's caffeine or sugar, it has to be from the chocolate?

[Buffalobiian]

Not sure. You can try this for the next two days:

Day 1) Have coffee, no chocolate. Wait till headache arises. Have coffee. Record results.
Day 2) Have coffee, no chocolate. Wait till headache arises. Have sugar. Record results.

[Ryllharu]

Drink more water, change your socks, here's an ibuprofen.

If that doesn't work, drink some more water, maybe walk around a little. Maybe take another ibuprofen if that still doesn't fix it.

After that, you might want to try another pair of socks and a little more water.

[Animeniax]

Weird, why did you bring up socks? Because I've been wearing sandals to work lately and my boss told us we have to wear closed-toe shoes. Your ass-hattery is timely is all I'm saying.

[Ryllharu]

It's the Marine Corp standard medical regimen.

(I work with a lot of veterans from each of the branches.)

[Animeniax]

Ahh gotcha. It was pretty much my experience when I worked with the military. Our "medics'" remedy for whatever ails you was to drink more water. Surprisingly, it actually did help to drink more water, but that was because we were in a desert. Never heard the socks thing, though it was mentioned in the Forrest Gump movie how important it is to wear clean socks and protect your feet.

[UChessmaster]

Is there any place i can buy a nintedo wii u game code? Gamestop, the eshop and anything paypal relatee are out of the question.

[Archangel]

...why are those out of the question? You sound shady as fuck

[UChessmaster]

Because those places dont accept my dominican credit card

[UChessmaster]

I`m looking for some computer games too play, I want some VERY low-end game, I prefer old school indie RPG, action and/or adventure game, strategy games also welcome.

[Archangel]

The original Portal, the Binding of Isaac, FTL, the Trine franchise, the original Fallouts. A little outside you asked for but i'd also personally recommend Papers Please, Limbo, Braid, Bastion and Mark of the Ninja.

These are all toaster tier, you should have no problems running them.

[Edort4]

This is a completely selfish help request. The other day I was listening to this song and around the minute 2 that style of a male singing out off pitch "eeeiiiii" struck me as being very similar to some anime op/ed and since then it has been stuck in my mind and I have browsed through lots of ops/eds to no avail. Does this ring a bell to someone at all? Am I going delusional?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3FHEFJwhEs

[Buffalobiian]

How exact are we talking about? Just the not-quite-falsetto high notes?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkVF_M7yhpM&feature=player_detailpage#t=75

[Edort4]

In my mind it was pretty similar to those seconds of falsetto high notes, it struck like a flash or deja vu. Anyways gotta say that with the passing of days that feeling is fading. Maybe it was a trick of my mind. The most similar I found was gunslinger op but it wasnt exactly what I "recalled" (maybe just imagined).

Thx for trying.

edit: oh shit! talking about it and listening to it again it struck as possibly being an anime with airships. Cant get the name but its a matter of time now, not many animes like that, unless im just definitely out of my mind. Just talking about it helped.

[shinta|hikari]

Last Exile?

[Buffalobiian]

Last Exile?

Just had a listen, doesn't seem like it.

I thought it was Ergo Proxy at one stage, but the ED's more discordant than the above song.

[Edort4]

Ok I think that the song I had in mind was Last Exile's op. But I also think that I had it twisted in my memories cause its way more "techno/dance" than I thought and the voices dont go so much into that high pitch but at least it has 2 male voices doing those "falsetto" so im not completely mad, I hope.

Total fail on my side. They dont sound similar at all. Sorry.

[UChessmaster]

Is 29 per hour a decent starting wage in the usa?

[Animeniax]

Is 29 per hour a decent starting wage in the usa?

More than decent. That's $60k/yr assuming it's full time 40 hrs/wk. I know a few guys who made that straight out of college. Mostly engineers.

Did you get a job offer for that much?

[UChessmaster]

Yep, 40 hours a week, it also increases on dollar on months 12, 24 and 30, then 3 dollars on month 36. Guess I`m signing the contract then :P

[Animeniax]

Yep, 40 hours a week, it also increases on dollar on months 12, 24 and 30, then 3 dollars on month 36. Guess I`m signing the contract then :P

Wow that's awesome. Glad things are looking up for you.

[UChessmaster]

Wow that's awesome. Glad things are looking up for you.

Yep, it will still take a while, since its a long process, but I should be permanently in the states next year.

[enkoujin]

Yep, it will still take a while, since its a long process, but I should be permanently in the states next year.

I know this is pretty late, but good for you, brother!

This is also a pretty stupid question, but should I get two more Wii controllers to have a complete system? For some reason, I feel so empty inside only having two Wiimotes despite only two people in the household playing it regularly.

[UChessmaster]

How many people total would play it? are the remotes for the wii or the wii u? which games spark your group`s interest?

[Buffalobiian]

What UChess said. I'd ask myself "How often have I regretted not having more controllers?"

[Kraco]

If it afterwards feels like you have too many controllers, you could try being like Ani for a moment and break a controller or two.

[Animeniax]

If it afterwards feels like you have too many controllers, you could try being like Ani for a moment and break a controller or two.

A big part of that was frustration about my skill at FPS on console (I'm much better on the PC). I knew I didn't suck, so why was I sucking so bad, routinely scoring ~.35 KDR with 6 kills/15 deaths scores? Turns out, I don't suck, just my internet connection at home sucks. I played on my college network and routinely had better than 1.0 KDR, with my best games being 24-12 and 24-6. There are caveats to that, but still a huge difference based solely on network speed.

[UChessmaster]

If you guys had to choose one of these, which would it be and why? Keep in mind the only thing I know about cars is that I drive one.

[Retail] 2014 Ford Focus (P3F) 4dr Sdn SE (36)

[Retail] 2014 Nissan Rogue Select (29014) AWD 4dr S

[Retail] 2014 Nissan Rogue Select (29114) FWD 4dr S

[Retail] 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan (1622J3) 4dr Auto S (30)

[Retail] 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan (5N2AV1) 2WD 4dr Auto S (19)

[Retail] 2015 Dodge Journey (JCDH49) FWD 4dr SE (5)

[Retail] 2015 Ford Escape (U0G) FWD 4dr SE

[Retail] 2015 Ford Fiesta (P4B) 4dr Sdn SE (3)

[Retail] 2015 Jeep Cherokee (KLTL74) FWD 4dr Sport (2)

[Retail] 2015 Jeep Compass (MKTE49) FWD 4dr Sport (2)

[Retail] 2015 Volkswagen Golf (AU12Q3) 4dr HB Auto TSI S

[Ryllharu]

Can you get a hatchback version of the Focus, Fiesta, or Golf? The sedans versions are pretty crappy variants of otherwise great small cars. Fiesta will have best mileage, Focus will have the best mix of mileage and cargo space, with the Golf being a solid vehicle overall, but more pricey.

...but only the hatchback versions of each.

Otherwise go for the Ford Escape. You're sacrificing gas mileage for utility, but overall it's the best of the bunch in terms of usefulness and reliability. Jeeps are expensive to repair, VWs are expensive overall for what they are, and the Nissan Rogues are just bleh.

[Animeniax]

I agree with most of what Ryllharu recommends, VWs are expensive to maintain, plus stay away from the Dodge. I don't care for the Nissan Rogue but if looks don't matter it's a decent vehicle. The Escape is good if you need the utility but its bigger than most of the cars listed and Ford doesn't have the reputation for reliability. I'd say expand the list and see what else is out there. I personally haven't looked for a vehicle in the past 10 years and if I did it wouldn't be an econo-car. But for your first there are better options than what you have listed.

[Ryllharu]

FORD - Found on the Road Dead, doesn't really apply anymore. Ford is one of the more reliable manufacturers out there these days. Their smaller cars are better than the rest of their fleet, sure, but they beat the pants off of Chrysler overall. Most of Ford's problem are from the Infotainment system (Sync or MyTouch), which doesn't really count, since the car still works fine and gets you from point A to B. It's not like the turbo blew (Mazdas/Subaru), the head gasket went (Chevy), or the timing belt broke and fucked up the valves (Honda).

Don't trust outfits like Consumer Reports, they and their readers have been biased toward Japanese cars for the past two decades. Specifically Toyota (despite their numerous problems recently). The "least reliable" vehicles are also least surprisingly the best sellers...because they are cheap, popular, or both.

More out there, more problems.

[Animeniax]

Hahah I hadn't heard of that one before. I always knew of "Fix Or Repair Daily." I guess reliability is somewhat subjective and relative these days, with even Toyota having a few recalls and that Prius acceleration scandal (which I recall might have been a hoax). But Ford definitely still has it's share of problems with a couple recalls this year alone for airbag defects (affected several makers) and a fuel tank leak issue.

I think Consumer Reports is fine for a lot of things, but I always question reviews based on use from most anyone. People just don't take care of their shit. *Knock on wood*, but products that people complain about or call garbage almost always work great for me. We've had Toyotas in the family and they've been amazing. My Dad still drives his 12 year old 4Runner with no issues the entire life of ownership. I'm also partial to Nissans and I've had a Subaru for 10 years completely problem free (that I didn't cause). Sure anything with a turbo or supercharger will be more likely to fail, but they do make the car more fun to drive.

[Ryllharu]

Don't misrepresent the airbag recall (http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/Vehicle-owners-with-defective-airbags-urged-to-take-immediate-action) as a Ford problem. Japanese autos are hit the hardest because, surprise, Takata Corporation is Japanese. Ford's umbrella of Makes was hit the lightest. Honda and Toyota the hardest. An order of magnitude in difference.

Honda: 5,051,364 total number of potentially affected vehicles (all of their best sellers)
Toyota: 877,000 total number of potentially affected vehicles (most of their best sellers)
Ford: 58,669 total number of potentially affected vehicles (just three models which are average sellers)


And the Toyota pedal issue is half design flaw, half hoax. The pedals were getting caught on the floor mats, and the first issue in the rental Lexus was the real deal.

The problem is that nearly all of the Runaway Prius issues were either people seeking attention (straight up hoax) or pressing the wrong pedal. A lot of drivers that are in the prius demographic are elderly, and they've been having that problem forever. Those people claiming the engines can overcome the brakes were full of shit as well. Most people never depress the brakes all the way to the point where ABS kicks in (and when ABS does activate they sometimes get scared and ease off). Hybrid drivers especially get accustomed to only using the regenerative brakes.

But the problem was ultimately pinned down to Toyota's terrible Electronic Throttle Control System software (http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321734) in subsequent court cases years later that were quietly swept under the rug via settlements. Car software is a huge mess, and Toyota was found to have allowed for a couple of failure modes where the car will just accelerate. NASA ran out of time and wasn't able to finish a few years earlier, but for the court cases another consultant group was brought in and given access and time to assess the entire source code.

[Animeniax]

Wasn't trying to make it seem like a Ford specific issue, as I stated it affected several makers. Not to diminish problems with the airbag (which typically only come into play in a frontal accident), but that's a lot less worrying than the recalls for issues with the gas tank (gas-tank-defect-forces-ford-to-recall-11-million-pickup-trucks/ (http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/08/02/gas-tank-defect-forces-ford-to-recall-11-million-pickup-trucks/), ford-recalls-205000-suvs-fuel-tank-leaks-26541556 (http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/ford-recalls-205000-suvs-fuel-tank-leaks-26541556)).


Here are some of the various recalls Ford has issued recently:
http://www.edmunds.com/recalls/ford.html

Remember, this isn't a discussion of which maker has more problems, as all makers have their share of problems, even the previous reliability stalwarts Toyota and Honda. Also remember that a lot of these "foreign" manufactured cars are actually designed and produced in the US. Ford still has its share of problems that make it a less desirable purchase in my eyes.

[UChessmaster]

Can someone PLEASE explain to me what`s so good about Game of Thrones? I saw all of season one and have nothing but hate for most of the characters and dialog.

[Buffalobiian]

words

So what car did you buy?

[UChessmaster]

Haven`t picked one yet, still a long way before I move to the USA

[Animeniax]

Can someone PLEASE explain to me what`s so good about Game of Thrones? I saw all of season one and have nothing but hate for most of the characters and dialog.

I can understand this. Reading the books, the characters are more fleshed out so you have more empathy and connection to them so you take sides and are shocked when they die. In the show, it's hard to feel loyalty to any of the factions, particularly when they all seem either horrible or dumb and die off so suddenly. But I guess that's the attraction; the characters are very human and given to doing dumb stuff that gets them killed. Unlike in other shows, people actually die when they do dumb stuff.

[Sapphire]

Anyone know how I can get a cheap apartment and/or room in Brooklyn or Manhattan?

The CL roommate Russian roulette discussion in the bitching thread was enough to scare me off CL.

[UChessmaster]

So I realized the previous cars are a bit over my projected budget, so I ask for a cheaper one and got offered this.

2015 Nissan OMSC Versa S+ Sedan 1.6L CVT.

Thoughts?

[Animeniax]

So I realized the previous cars are a bit over my projected budget, so I ask for a cheaper one and got offered this.

2015 Nissan OMSC Versa S+ Sedan 1.6L CVT.

Thoughts?

Maybe look at some used cars. If you don't mind saying, what is your budget? Based on the Versa, is it around $14k? Do you plan to buy outright or pay monthly?

[UChessmaster]

Well, I`ll be earning 5.4k minus taxes, I`ll be living in Montana, for that car I`ll pay 329 a month, the others were closer to 500. I want to spend as little as possible since I have a few tiny debts here and I want to deal with that ASAP. I`m not sure on an used car, since I`ll probably be traveling quite a bit and don`t really want to deal with changing parts and whatnot.

[Animeniax]

$5.4k per month I assume? Montana is a cheap place to live. If you increase the down payment you can get the monthly payment down. But yeah, used cars are an option but not great if you don't know how to fix little things yourself.

[UChessmaster]

Ya, per month.

[Animeniax]

I don't know your finances, but you can definitely afford a better car on that salary living in Montana.

[UChessmaster]

I`d have to send about 1k home per month for a while, then I can reduce it to 700 or so once I clear all the debts.

[Ryllharu]

Get snow tires and you'll be fine.

You might need chains too.

[Edort4]

You have all the time in the world for "upgrading" to a better car. Paying out debts and having some savings (for the times things go bad) are priorities in my book. If you get the Nissan and do what Ryllharu said you will be okay. Actually the "only" threats would be the ppl that buy those fucking monster cars and ride them as if they were rally pilots, when they are not.

[Animeniax]

Why not buy a good car that will last you 10+ years instead of an econocar that you'll tire of in a few years if it makes it that long? One of the few good things the Nissan has going for it is that it's front wheel drive which is preferable in ice and snowy weather. Add in the snow tires and chains and you should be fine, but that 109HP won't help you get out of snow banks or muddy roads. If he'll be traveling a bit for work as he says, it makes even more sense to invest in a vehicle that he can rely on and be comfortable in. Montana winters in a rolling box of sheet metal will be a pain. Also keep in mind that he'll be in Montana, where he'll be surrounded by a lot of those big trucks.

[Ryllharu]

Because you can overpay on an econobox. That saves you a lot of money when you pay off the loans early. If money gets tight, you go back to paying the minimum.

As for getting out of snowbanks or mud, that's what the snow tires and chains are for.

Horsepower doesn't do jack shit in the snow. The more torque you have, the more easily you spin the wheels. If you're towing someone else out of a snowbank or up a hill? Sure, horsepower helps. Otherwise under your own power and on your own, you go slow and feather the throttle in an automatic. In a manual, you go up a gear. You want to reduce the torque and go gentle. Gradual acceleration, gradual turns, gradual braking.