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April 3

Whether good for screen printing

Is this transparent [1] paper good for drawing stencils for screen printing ?124.253.1.22 (talk) 08:31, 3 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

It's not paper, it's polyester. It doesn't specify what the surface is, but OHP film is usually clear and shiny, not matte like tracing paper. You can do a lot with this stuff, including screen printing onto it - but success will depend on the types of ink you're using. Water-based inks are unlikely to work well.

Ask the ink makers what they're usable on, including smooth polyester (aka Mylar). Andy Dingley (talk) 09:50, 3 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe I'm misreading, but it seems more likely that they mean to use the material only as the stencil. The ink would actually adhere to the t-shirt or whatever they're printing onto. Having the ink not adhere to the stencil material would actually be a bit of a benefit as it would allow for easier re-use. Matt Deres (talk) 16:44, 4 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Well you can certainly cut this sort of Mylar as a stencil (I laser cut it quite often), but not a stencil for screen printing. Andy Dingley (talk) 23:11, 5 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

April 4

digital textual analysis

You want to search the other similar instances or slightly modified versions of a given piece of text from digital text available online from various sources. Like a statute on proportional representation, where hundreds of statutes written all over the English speaking world has clauses which are very similar or exactly alike. The purpose could be that you want to remove some corruption some clause has acquired over years or through various statutes. Or it could be to see if some thing has been plagiarised from some source. It is not exactly non-linear reading. It is more than that. What do you call this process? --Skillguru (talk) 12:25, 4 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Some of the links in the article-section Plagiarism_detection#Approaches, might bring you close to what you're looking for. Hope this helps. ApLundell (talk) 17:20, 4 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Also look at Semantic similarity and links thereof. --Hofhof (talk) 17:26, 4 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed the link. I wish the Wiki software would automatically figure these out. ApLundell (talk) 20:01, 4 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Pivot tables in Excel

When you create a pivot table, there is an option you can check that will "Add this data to the Data Model" (it's unchecked by default). Among other things, if you check that box, the resulting pivot table can then perform "count unique" functions, at least as of 2013 and later versions. I have a situation I'm trying to resolve and I can think of two possible ways to address it, but neither seems to be working for me. I've got a functioning pivot table (made with that option un-checked) that I then grab data from using GETPIVOTDATA. I need to do the exact same thing, but to a pivot that includes a "count unique" column.

a) Is there a way to "update" an existing pivot table so that it acts as if the box was checked at creation? I can't seem to find a way and it's difficult to search on because it doesn't have a specific term for it.

b) If I forget about trying to update my pivot table and just make a new one with the box checked, the GETPIVOTDATA formulas I use no longer work; I just get #REF! error messages. I can re-target the formulas however I like, I can delete the old pivot tab first, I can rename stuff; it just doesn't seem to matter - I can't avoid that error message.

Any thoughts? I can't help feeling like there's something really obvious I'm doing wrong (I don't often use GETPIVOTDATA), but I'm stymied. Matt Deres (talk) 19:07, 4 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

What's included in phone data download charges?

I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 and my wife has an S5. The provider is Verizon. I'm unsure what is counted as part of the metered "data download." Does it make a difference whether I have WiFi on?

In other words, am I charged for everything that comes through the phone? What about phone calls themselves, and text? text with pictures? Does it cost more if no WiFi is available? Thanks for clarifying. --Halcatalyst (talk) 23:51, 4 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

You are not charged for data that comes over wifi, only data that comes over your cellular service.

(Phone calls and texts are metered separately.)

So ... in general ... if you have Wifi enabled, and you're actually connected to wifi, then you're not using up your data plan.

However, there is one exception. Some phones have an option to use both services at once if you're downloading a large file, or if the phone detects that the wifi is too slow. On the S5 this option is called "Download Booster" and is found in the "More Networks" menu. It's off by default, and if you're concerned about data plan usage I would recommend keeping it off. ApLundell (talk) 00:01, 5 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

(E/C) Providers are typically concerned with cellular data - the amount of material sent via their cellular network. Stuff you get via WiFi would not be counted against that because it comes via your home internet provider. Phone calls also would not count, but they are also usually metered in some way. For example, your plan might allow for 100 local minutes per month. However, Verizon pays folks to answer your questions and I would encourage you to contact them; there may be specific restrictions in your particular contract and the only one who would know that is them (well, and you). In particular, some providers attempt to bill customers for SMS messaging, while others do not. Matt Deres (talk) 00:02, 5 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

In some cases, some data plan services like Facebook are specifically free or metered separately too. But that was probably a brightly advertised feature when you signed up, so you would probably know about it already. Hayttom (talk) 18:09, 5 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

April 5

what things use adobe flash?

Hi, I was getting bsod's every 5 minutes, and not sure what was causing it, but I thought the simplest first guess was Adobe Flash Player. Not to cast aspersions, I just thought it would be the easiest to fix (crashes were happening trying to watch a youtube vid, and occurring repeatedly, although with different error messages each time). I've uninstalled Flash, but now Youtube still works fine, so it's dawned on me, I don't know if I was ever using Flash. So which websites/things would be likely to use it? Note that I've asked before about my bsod's here; this one is related, but specific to Flash. If you have advice on why I might get a huge range of different bsods every 5 minutes from watching a Youtube vid, please also share it. Much appreciate the advice, thanks in advance, IBE (talk) 19:24, 5 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I do not think that we can add much more than what was already said in the discussion that you linked to. Ruslik_Zero 19:33, 5 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, but others might - not expecting it, but just a heads up about the reason for the question. My question here is first and foremost to check whether my browser (or anything on my computer) was even using Adobe Flash in the first place. If not, then that cannot have been the problem. If so, perhaps it was - the crashing was happening when watching Youtube, and now has stopped at least for the time being. It was every 5-10 minutes for a harrowing hour or so, and now I've uninstalled, I can watch Youtube in peace, or at least I did a moment ago. No bsod's since this morning, computer idle for about 8 hours switched on, active for a few hours now. The question is primarily about Flash; the other is an extra, on the off-chance only. IBE (talk) 19:39, 5 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Update, another bsod recently, so not solved, but not nearly as bad as it was before. IBE (talk) 22:15, 5 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

You were probably using flash very little. Some browsers don't even support it anymore, so not many sites still use it. Some sites that specialize in browser games like Newgrounds still have some flash games. (example)

As for your BSODs, here are some random ideas :

1) Are you overclocking your computer? If so, stop. Obvious, I know, but you'd be surprised how many overclockers insist that's not what's causing their problem.

2) The fact that it mostly happens when watching YouTube makes me suspect either video drivers, or a dodgy video decoding codex. Either could cause serious issues.

3) A virus is always a possibility. Whichever virus scanner you're using. Try a different one.

4) Use the windows log viewer (Press Windows key, then type "View Event Logs") to try to debug the problem. Under "Windows Logs/System", there should be a whole bunch of events. Look for "Error" events that happen right before the system crashes. There will probably be an "Unexpected shutdown" event, so look at whatever event comes immediately before that one.

Hope some part of this rambling post helps. ApLundell (talk) 01:32, 6 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Hey, thanks, that's what i was beginning to suspect about flash. As for the other things, thanks, actually very clear. I don't overclock, but it doesn't seem to be the cpu, because I can hear when it goes to 100%. It makes a huge racket, the fan going crazy, and I've checked the actual speed using task manager, and the two go together (100% cpu and loud noise as the fan goes crazy). I'm looking into issues like the others: video drivers (even video hardware), viruses/malware, and logs viewer. None of these seem terribly transparent, but Malwarebytes and Macafee haven't found anything. I'll try all of those more before getting back to the ref desk. If it was pure hardware, eg. faulty RAM, does anyone know some good diagnostics? IBE (talk) 21:22, 6 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The windows logs are the first thing you should analyse. But if it "makes a huge racket, the fan going crazy" it is probably overheating, also the processor should not go 100% very often, and the fan is possibly worn out / full of dust and should be replaced. Did you remark any temporal relation between "going 100%" and "bsod"? (a real bsod by the way? with blue screen and all? I thought they don't exist any more after XP. A bsod was more often than not a problem with 1) overheating or 2) a defective memory chip) 194.174.76.21 (talk) 14:43, 10 April 2018 (UTC) Marco Pagliero Berlin[reply]

April 6

An app file

I'm unable to download "Google translator"'s Spanish language via the android phone. Could you please give me the downloading file link that I could retrieve from PC.

Also, a guide to where I should drop the file in android phone; I already possess the "Google Translate" app.

37.111.233.230 (talk) 09:21, 6 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

There's not going to be an easy way of making that work.

You really need to figure out why you can't download it in the traditional way. ApLundell (talk) 04:11, 7 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

April 7

iPhone

My iPhone flashes the light when an email arrives, how do I stop that please?194.126.80.63 (talk) 06:47, 7 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Go to Settings >>> General >>> Accessibility preferences. Scroll down and you'll see LED Flash for Alerts. Disable it. It's not really the flash BTW, it just uses the same light (but not same intensity). --Hofhof (talk) 13:40, 7 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Many thanks for this, but where di I find 'settings'? They are not in any "Preferences" pane that I can find.194.126.80.63 (talk) 10:32, 8 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

http://support.melbourneit.com.au/servlet/rtaImage?eid=ka2900000004f69&feoid=00N9000000Bwrpn&refid=0EM90000000ZvVO

Fine, thanks for that, but I have looked at Preferences and still cannot find the answer to my problem. HELP!!!194.126.80.63 (talk) 06:26, 9 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

On your iPhone, the settings are the grey cog icon. Google "iphone settings icon" to see what it looks like. If you can't find it, swipe down on the right of your phone's screen to bring up spotlight search, and type in "settings". Once you have found and opened up Settings, follow Hofhof's instructions above. Settings, scroll down to and select General, then select Accessibility, and scroll down to the "Hearing" section, where you can press the toggle next to "LED Flash for Alerts" and set it to "Off". Fish+Karate 11:41, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

April 9

Adjusting the Screen Brightness

How do I bring up the control or option or whatever to adjust the screen brightness in Windows 10? I have gone to Settings - System - Display. Microsoft's Virtual Agent says to go to Settings - System - Display and to set the Color and Brightness, but I only see the option for Color. Is there a way to adjust the screen brightness from Windows 10? Robert McClenon (talk) 02:35, 9 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The brightness slider is at the top of Settings - System - Display. Ruslik_Zero 20:31, 9 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Need references about tip of the day features

I need to find web pages about tip of the day features, not pages that are tip of the day features.

By "tip of the day feature", I mean either/both:

A tip published daily (like in a newspaper, or on a website)
A feature of a software program, or a stand-alone program, that automatically provides a new tip each day

Things I would like to know about tip of the day features in general, through reliable sources that can be cited, are:

A definition
Their history
How many of them are there in the world?
Which ones are the most popular/famous?
Which ones are the most widely distributed?
References of tutorials or development advice articles on how to program such a feature into a software program
References of any articles about them, or about any of them. Are there any famous ones that any publication talks about?

The problem I'm having is that search results are choked with tip of the day features (like a daily tip on technology), making it exceedingly difficult to find out anything about tip of the day features, like a news article about the daily tip on technology feature. Any segment of a programming book that covers the development or inclusion of tip of the day features would be fantastic, if they exist online. Unfortunately, these are obscured in search results by primary sources, such as user manuals, programs' features lists, or even source code.

I'm lost in a sea of tips of the day, thousands of such features, and I can't prove that they actually exist! — The Transhumanist 06:12, 9 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

P.S.: please {{ping}} me in your response. Thank you. -TT

Chrome saved tabs

I save 10 tabs in Chrome each time I exit the browser. But when I start it again, no only these 10 but several additional ones pop up. A few are the same and others are ones I haven't used for some time. I tried reinstalling Chrome; but nothing changed. What can I do to make this annoyance stop? Thanks. --Halcatalyst (talk) 13:57, 9 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Have you checked out Settings > (scroll down to) On Start Up? There are various options there. Personally, I never close my browser.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:49, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

"Continue where you left off" works fine. Thank you. --Halcatalyst (talk) 16:23, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

April 10

Are all laptop keyboards "chiclet" style or "island" keyboards?

Are non-chiclet" style/"island" keyboards for laptop dead nowadays? Is some mainstream manufacturer still producing alternatives? I find them annoying specially, the separation between the keys... --Doroletho (talk) 02:10, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Some manufacturers are making laptops with mechanical keyboards. Ian.thomson (talk) 02:17, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

These seem to be gaming laptops. This is not what I need.

An alternative question is: what laptops have good keyboards for people who type a lot (like a typist)?

Alternative 2: could I replace the keyboard from a brand laptop with a third-party keyboard? --Doroletho (talk) 12:46, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Can't you just attach an external keyboard with a wired or wireless USB connection ? There are a wide variety of external keyboards available at Amazon, for example. Gandalf61 (talk) 12:59, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Free OCR software

Hello, Is there any free OCR software that can convert multipage pdf document into editable text? --Remadevil (talk) 11:21, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

tesseract 209.149.113.5 (talk) 12:05, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. That appears promising but too complicated for a n00b. --Remadevil (talk) 14:22, 10 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]