What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

[dlgoff]

Dang. When it rains, it pours. Earlier I received a phone call from the American Embassy in the Philippines where my brother was living, telling me that he was found dead on July 6th in his apartment. Don't know how it happened. I've been spending most of the evening making contact with his children; one son and two daughters. The embassy officer said he would be sending me some forms that I need to forward to the kids about funeral arraignments.

edit: spelling

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Dang. When it rains, it pours. Earlier I received a phone call from the American Embassy in the Philippines where my brother was living, telling me that he was found dead on July 6th in his apartment. Don't know how it happened. I've been spending most of the evening making contact with his children; one son and two daughters. The embassy officer said he would be sending me some forums that I need to forward to the kids about funeral arraignments.

I'm very sorry to hear that Don. I just lost my brother as well.

 

[dlgoff]

I'm very sorry to hear that Don. I just lost my brother as well.

I'm sorry for your loss as well Ivan.

 

[WWGD]

That's how Oracle, SAP, and all the others came into our world. There is a huge gap between 'from scratch' and e.g. SAP. You could start with the usual suspects (depending on how OO you want to be): clients, deliverers, credits and debits, bills, addresses, and so on. Those databases get bigger automatically, and painful if import and export are involved.

Are changes like adding a table too painful for small databases? Problem is the business has not started yet. I asked client for a "projected invoice" ; one the business will likely issue, but I get the likes of " Just set it up!". He is an acquaintance, so I stick around. I doubt anyone else would go along unless seriously desperate. Very desperate. Guy has found the Stalin within.

 

[fresh_42]

Adding tables isn't a big thing. The difficulties come with constraints, foreign keys, or an OO architecture. OO is basically excluded in your case, and as you do not know anything, all you can do is set up naked tables with a bunch of just-in-case fields without any references to related tables. Good thing is, you can later program and hopefully charge hundreds of plausibility checks because you couldn't insert them from scratch into the database.

 

[WWGD]

I just searched through a European site : No Vat. How about " No Vat, No Vere" (No Vat , nowhere)?

 

[fresh_42]

I just searched through a European site : No Vat. How about " No Vat, No Vere" (No what , nowhere)?

Yeah, taxes are funny. But as long as you stay in one country it's only VAT. Crossing borders is painful: documents in n versions, custom duties, different VAT values, possibly other taxes like luxury or alcohol, etc. And if you produce medical stuff, then you definitely need a professional product because of the required backtracking of the components.

 

[WWGD]

Yeah, taxes are funny. But as long as you stay in one country it's only VAT. Crossing borders is painful: documents in n versions, custom duties, different VAT values, possibly other taxes like luxury or alcohol, etc. And if you produce medical stuff, then you definitely need a professional product because of the required backtracking of the components.

I don't know Vat to say!

 

[WWGD]

Yeah, taxes are funny. But as long as you stay in one country it's only VAT. Crossing borders is painful: documents in n versions, custom duties, different VAT values, possibly other taxes like luxury or alcohol, etc. And if you produce medical stuff, then you definitely need a professional product because of the required backtracking of the components.

Do you have to declare in customs when crossing boundaries? I understand the 3 in benelux have a common customs agreement?

 

[fresh_42]

Do you have to declare in customs when crossing boundaries? I understand the 3 in benelux have a common customs agreement?

Every country involved has its own regulations. That's why the EU and its internal common market is so important, and that was what it was all about with the Brexit: "Give me the cherries, but do not bother me with laws and money." It was simply an act of British selfishness. AFAIK the EU has also a free-trade agreement with Canada, and with the US was in the making but then came who must not be named.

 

[WWGD]

Every country involved has its own regulations. That's why the EU and its internal common market is so important, and that was what it was all about with the Brexit: "Give me the cherries, but do not bother me with laws and money." It was simply an act of British selfishness. AFAIK the EU has also a free-trade agreement with Canada, and with the US was in the making but then came who must not be named.

It helps, but some argue still too much red tape. Tesla's factory has taken some 2 years and still not even permits are ready, as I understand it. Chinese factory took some 8 months, by contrast. True, arguably Chinese citizens don't get that much of a say.

 

[fresh_42]

It helps, but some argue still too much red tape. Tesla's factory has taken some 2 years and still not even permits are ready, as I understand it.

That is the same as anywhere else: objections from environmental organizations. It is the price we pay in order to live in a constitutional state. I wouldn't want to be governed by the executive orders of a single person.

 

[WWGD]

That is the same as anywhere else: objections from environmental organizations. It is the price we pay in order to live in a constitutional state. I wouldn't want to be governed by the executive orders of a single person.

I remember the basis given by , I thing it was Xi or the CPC, that the great firewall had as a goal that all citizens consume the same information. Otherwise chaos will ensue, as , given the thousand of choices, citizens will each be in their own bubble. To be fair, 1.4 billion bubbles would be hard to manage.

 

[Hornbein]

I remember the basis given by , I thing it was Xi or the CPC, that the great firewall had as a goal that all citizens consume the same information. Otherwise chaos will ensue, as , given the thousand of choices, citizens will each be in their own bubble. To be fair, 1.4 billion bubbles would be hard to manage.

My niece in China just used a VPN.

 

[fresh_42]

So many words from other languages made their way into English. I wonder why "Gebiet" didn't make it. It is so much more convenient than "non-empty, open, connected subset". Funnily, the letter "G" survived.

 

[WWGD]

So many words from other languages made their way into English. I wonder why "Gebiet" didn't make it. It is so much more convenient than "non-empty, open, connected subset". Funnily, the letter "G" survived.

No word for $$G_{\sigma\delta...}$$ , though.

 

[WWGD]

My niece in China just used a VPN.

I'm surprised they (VPNs) are allowed.

 

[WWGD]

I'm surprised to have run into a song by YES I find annoying. Usually excellent, non-intrusive background and otherwise music.

 

[hmmm27]

really ? which ?

 

[WWGD]

Have you ever noticed that in all of the science fiction movies and shows where time slows down or stops for everyone and everything except the main character, it is never dark?

What I notice is that pattern balding has not been solved into the future. Every visitor of the future makes me scream: "Eight ball in left pocket".

 

[WWGD]

really ? which ?

Starship Trooper:

 

[hmmm27]

Doesn't seem any more annoying than the rest of their stuff (I'm a Yes fan, but so-so on some of the tracks).

 

[WWGD]

Doesn't seem any more annoying than the rest of their stuff (I'm a Yes fan, but so-so on some of the tracks).

Could be. The tone seems too nasal for me. Maybe I just did not notice it in other tracks. I liked 90125 best ( tho I am not familiar with all their work).

 

[hmmm27]

Yeah, it does sound like he's battling nasal congestion : thanks for pointing that out

 

[WWGD]

Yeah, it does sound like he's battling nasal congestion : thanks for pointing that out

I think band members have graduate degrees in music, or degrees from some conservatory.

 

[Keith_McClary]

I thing it was Xi or the CPC, that the great firewall had as a goal that all citizens consume the same information

Here they drag the social media bosses in front of legislative committees and tell them to block whatever the politicians don't like.

 

[WWGD]

Here they drag the social media bosses in front of legislative committees and tell them to block whatever the politicians don't like.

Surely not ideal, but I know which one to choose if I am given the option.

 

[WWGD]

For faster charging of Android phone it is recommended to put phone in airplane mode . It is also recommended to turn it off. Wonder if it makes sense to use both simultaneously. Does airplane mode make a difference if phone is off? Maybe @Wrichik Basu can tell?

 

[Hornbein]

I think band members have graduate degrees in music, or degrees from some conservatory.

I very much doubt that. I've been around a lot of this sort of thing and musicians like this always seem to start gigging at a young age. They usually don't go to music school. Those who do quit before they graduate (Miles Davis, Steve Vai, Rick Wakeman) and turn pro. People with degrees almost never become working musicians. They teach instead.

So I looked up Yes. Sure enough, bassist Chris Squire dropped out of high school and started gigging at age 17. Guitarist Steve Howe started performing at age 14 and went full time at 18. I think neither ever took lessons. Bill Bruford, age 17, "a few lessons." Jon Anderson, dropped out of school at 15, started gigging at 18 to get out of manual labor.

The exception is keyboard players. The music for piano is so difficult that you need to take lessons starting young as three to six years old. So did Eddie van Halen (who introduced keyboard style "tapping" to the guitar).

The outlier is guitarist Pat Metheny, who earned a degree from Berkelee. But I was there at the time and everyone knew he was the star of the school from the beginning. He was the Chosen One and wasn't in any hurry. Hiromi Uehara got a degree too and made it big but East Asian people have a different way of doing things.

I went to music school for a year but it was a waste. I would advise young musicians to sit down with recordings and copy them exactly. Then gig as much as you can. That's how everyone I know who made it did it. That wasn't my style so I got out quick.

People like Yes are obsessed with music, work on it all the time, and maybe can't do anything else. Saxophonist Dave Liebman said, "I don't know anyone who didn't work his butt off. Except maybe Mozart. You are not Mozart."

 

[Wrichik Basu]

For faster charging of Android phone it is recommended to put phone in airplane mode . It is also recommended to turn it off. Wonder if it makes sense to use both simultaneously. Does airplane mode make a difference if phone is off? Maybe @Wrichik Basu can tell?

The reason why some people recommend putting Android phones in aeroplane mode or to shut them down completely is so that the battery can draw as much current as possible and charge itself fast.

When the charger is plugged in, the Android system sends a broadcast (a system-wide message that any app can listen to) with the action android.intent.action.ACTION_POWER_CONNECTED. Several apps will listen for this broadcast, and as soon as it is received, they will activate their routines and start some battery-intensive work. For background work, we use Android WorkManager, which has an option to start a work when the charger is connected. Therefore, in most phones with a number of heavy apps, when you plug in the charger, a part of the charger current will be used behind the system rather than charging, and charging becomes slow.

Most of the apps that activate when the charger is connected are doing work over the internet. Engaging aeroplane mode disconnects internet, and those apps are paused due to lack of connectivity. I haven't tried, but probably just turning off mobile data and WiFi will probably have the same effect as aeroplane mode. And aeroplane mode with WiFi connected will probably defeat the purpose.

If you shut down your device, you are making sure that all the current delivered by the charger can be utilized to charge the battery.

But aeroplane mode does not make a difference if your phone is switched off. Switching off means it's completely off. So, all cell services are suspended automatically.

Shutting down is probably more effective than aeroplane mode alone because aeroplane mode still allows apps to run, and that will consume some battery. But the number of apps that do not require internet access at all is steadily decreasing, so maybe after some time, aeroplane mode will suffice. It also depends on how well the app is written. Honestly, without data, it is difficult to judge which is more effective.

Personally, I never turn off my devices/engage aeroplane mode while charging. I just don't like it, as I am not sure how effective those methods actually are due to lack of proper statistical data. If your device supports fast charging, then there is no need to do any of these.

 

[WWGD]

The reason why some people recommend putting Android phones in aeroplane mode or to shut them down completely is so that the battery can draw as much current as possible and charge itself fast.

When the charger is plugged in, the Android system sends a broadcast (a system-wide message that any app can listen to) with the action android.intent.action.ACTION_POWER_CONNECTED. Several apps will listen for this broadcast, and as soon as it is received, they will activate their routines and start some battery-intensive work. For background work, we use Android WorkManager, which has an option to start a work when the charger is connected. Therefore, in most phones with a number of heavy apps, when you plug in the charger, a part of the charger current will be used behind the system rather than charging, and charging becomes slow.

Most of the apps that activate when the charger is connected are doing work over the internet. Engaging aeroplane mode disconnects internet, and those apps are paused due to lack of connectivity. I haven't tried, but probably just turning off mobile data and WiFi will probably have the same effect as aeroplane mode. And aeroplane mode with WiFi connected will probably defeat the purpose.

If you shut down your device, you are making sure that all the current delivered by the charger can be utilized to charge the battery.

But aeroplane mode does not make a difference if your phone is switched off. Switching off means it's completely off. So, all cell services are suspended automatically.

Shutting down is probably more effective than aeroplane mode alone because aeroplane mode still allows apps to run, and that will consume some battery. But the number of apps that do not require internet access at all is steadily decreasing, so maybe after some time, aeroplane mode will suffice. It also depends on how well the app is written. Honestly, without data, it is difficult to judge which is more effective.

Personally, I never turn off my devices/engage aeroplane mode while charging. I just don't like it, as I am not sure how effective those methods actually are due to lack of proper statistical data. If your device supports fast charging, then there is no need to do any of these.

Thank you. I have only one data point: airplane mode decreased time significantly; airplane mode and turning it of simultaneously did not. Will keep experimenting and will let you know if you're interested. I mean I can't really control for other factors but data may still be worth something.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

airplane mode decreased time significantly

Nowadays, the number of apps which can work without internet connection is significantly less, and the majority of apps which start background jobs specifically when the charger is connected are doing something over the net (and that is why they are supposed to consume more battery and turn on when charging only). When you turn on aeroplane mode, those apps are prevented from working, and less CPU and power are consumed, which, in turn, charges the battery faster.

turning it of simultaneously did not

As I said, aeroplane mode has no role if the phone is switched off, but switching off should still allow the device to be charged faster as the system and apps are not consuming any power.

 

[WWGD]

I very much doubt that. I've been around a lot of this sort of thing and musicians like this always seem to start gigging at a young age. They usually don't go to music school. Those who do quit before they graduate (Miles Davis, Steve Vai, Rick Wakeman) and turn pro. People with degrees almost never become working musicians. They teach instead.

So I looked up Yes. Sure enough, bassist Chris Squire dropped out of high school and started gigging at age 17. Guitarist Steve Howe started performing at age 14 and went full time at 18. I think neither ever took lessons. Bill Bruford, age 17, "a few lessons." Jon Anderson, dropped out of school at 15, started gigging at 18 to get out of manual labor.

The exception is keyboard players. The music for piano is so difficult that you need to take lessons starting young as three to six years old. So did Eddie van Halen (who introduced keyboard style "tapping" to the guitar).

The outlier is guitarist Pat Metheny, who earned a degree from Berkelee. But I was there at the time and everyone knew he was the star of the school from the beginning. He was the Chosen One and wasn't in any hurry. Hiromi Uehara got a degree too and made it big but East Asian people have a different way of doing things.

I went to music school for a year but it was a waste. I would advise young musicians to sit down with recordings and copy them exactly. Then gig as much as you can. That's how everyone I know who made it did it. That wasn't my style so I got out quick.

People like Yes are obsessed with music, work on it all the time, and maybe can't do anything else. Saxophonist Dave Liebman said, "I don't know anyone who didn't work his butt off. Except maybe Mozart. You are not Mozart."

Thanks for the research and for being direct and not, er...roundabout ;).

 

[WWGD]

I somehow have a driver for some hardware that , AFAIK, has never existed in my PC.

 

[hmmm27]

Thanks for the research and for being direct and not, er...roundabout ;).

"Common knowledge" is often not terribly knowledgeic : yours is no disgrace ;)

 

[Borg]

So yesterday it rained pretty hard. One of the windows on our house has always had some issues with water leakage and it leaked again yesterday. So today I took a look to see what was going on with it. I noticed some cracking in the caulk and since it was covered in mold, I decided to remove it and completely replace it. That's when I discovered this.

As you can see there are significant gaps between the window and the brick. The window trim should be sitting on top of the brick and NOT behind it.

The best I can figure is that the moron who installed it put the trim on before installing the window and when it wouldn't fit correctly, they chipped away the brick until it did - they even managed to fracture the brick on the right side, providing even more opportunities for water to get in the house.

Then, they layered caulk in the gaps (some as much as 1/2 inch) until it was filled in. Not only that, they also had the window installed so low that the weep hole on the left side was covered. No problem! They just drilled a new hole in the trim above the brick line.

This was a third floor window. I checked the one on the second floor and it had the same dumb installation. I haven't checked all 20+ windows on our house but I haven't seen it elsewhere - yet.

Some people should never be allowed near a construction site.

 

[WWGD]

No automatic reservations at the First Czech Inn.

 

[Borg]

Another inspection of my windows this morning showed that all of the windows above the first floor were installed like my previous post. The two that you could walk past and easily check, were installed correctly. I even found one above my garage that was never even caulked and had a gap the size of a half dollar. So, for over 25 years, water has been pouring between the plywood and brick every time it rains.

 

[Bystander]

Caveat emptor. You know it's deliberate, intentional fraud, but well outside even the RICO statute of limitations.

 

[ergospherical]

 

[berkeman]

@ergospherical I thought that was Photoshopped, but Google Images shows it's a real brand with lots of products. Sheesh!

 

[WWGD]

@ergospherical I thought that was Photoshopped, but Google Images shows it's a real brand with lots of products. Sheesh!

Though Borg's problems are with the related caulk...

 

[Borg]

The Russian word for 'how' sounds like that. Plus, it's often the first word in the sentence. It's pretty funny listening to them sometimes when they're asking questions.

 

[Keith_McClary]

@ergospherical I thought that was Photoshopped, but Google Images shows it's a real brand with lots of products. Sheesh!

But the fine folks at Grace Kitchens have probably put their kids through school off the shoppers who simply want to serve their friends cock soup.
The Grace Kitchens Cock Flavoured Soup's ingredient list is a bit surprising. It explains that it contains no chicken, rooster, or any type of poultry.
...
Who should eat this? Backpackers with a sense of humor. Jamaicans who like the possibility of fish and not rooster in their cock soup. Or anyone with an admitted juvenile sense of humor.

 

[ergospherical]

Or anyone with an admitted juvenile sense of humor.

 

[berkeman]

The Grace Kitchens Cock Flavoured Soup's ingredient list is a bit surprising. It explains that it contains no chicken, rooster, or any type of poultry.

That's nutty. (Oh, and the link didn't work for me)

 

[WWGD]

Is it possible for someone to find your phone # from a pic you post somewhere or by just making a post from your phone? I got a WhatsApp message from a UK number ( country code 44) claiming we had met in Singapore ( never been there) where we exchanged numbers.
I am a bit paranoid over two recent scam attempts so I wonder if that's what this was.

 

[Ibix]

Most probable is some girl gave a creepy dude a fake number which happened to be yours, surely?

 

[WWGD]

Most probable is some girl gave a creepy dude a fake number which happened to be yours, surely?

Well, but it is supposedly a woman that contacted me; how did ' Lisa' end up with my number? At least she has not asked me for any questionable info. As long as she does not, I guess I can just go along. But it's still troublesome because modern scams are much more sophisticated than the old " I am an African prince and my money is being held.." kind. Edit: And the phone number may have been spoofed, so not sure she's in or from the UK.

 

[Ibix]

Why go along with anything? Just ignore. You don't owe anyone an answer. If you want to be nice you could just text back "you've got a wrong number, I've never been to Singapore".