Lost to find a topic for my reseach! I am really LOST. anyone can help me sharing his/her experience would be great.  I am currently a PhD student and I changed my advisor and minor 'research field' after one year of my program. This is a new research field to mine but I have the ability and confident to conduct research and go through but the big problem I've never been exposed to this field before and couldn't find a solid topic/idea to consider for my research. my advisor asks me to find a topic in my own. any tips guys!!
How to find relevant and new open research topics? How can one find relevant and new open research topics?  When working on my PhD thesis, I find it hard to find open questions in my very specific research area. Which approach do you take to find new and relevant topics?
Apt sources.list problem , packages not found? I am trying to install WICD but getting following errors on my ubuntu 10.04 box  sudo apt-get install wicd   Err http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/ lucid/universe python-wicd 1.7.0+ds1-2   Could not connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:80 (103.29.60.18). - connect (111: Connection refused) Err http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/ lucid/main python-iniparse 0.3.1-1   Unable to connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:http: Err http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/ lucid/universe wicd-daemon 1.7.0+ds1-2   Unable to connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:http: Err http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/ lucid/universe wicd-gtk 1.7.0+ds1-2   Unable to connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:http: Err http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/ lucid/universe wicd 1.7.0+ds1-2   Unable to connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:http: Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/pool/universe/w/wicd/python-wicd_1.7.0+ds1-2_all.deb  Could not connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:80 (103.29.60.18). - connect (111: Connection refused) Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/pool/main/p/python-iniparse/python-iniparse_0.3.1-1_all.deb  Unable to connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:http: Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/pool/universe/w/wicd/wicd-daemon_1.7.0+ds1-2_all.deb  Unable to connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:http: Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/pool/universe/w/wicd/wicd-gtk_1.7.0+ds1-2_all.deb  Unable to connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:http: Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk/ubuntu/pool/universe/w/wicd/wicd_1.7.0+ds1-2_all.deb  Unable to connect to archive.ubuntu.schoolnet.lk:http: E: Unable to fetch some archives, maybe run apt-get update or try with --fix-missing? When will my device get the Android 4.1 update (Jelly Bean)? Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) was announced at Google I|O 2012 on June 27, 2012.  (You can review  at the official Android Developer's site.)  Of course, not all devices will get this update right away and others won't get it at all. Each manufacturer and carrier often choose to add their custom modifications which tend to delay the official release.  When will each device get Android 4.1, either officially or unofficially, if ever?  See also: Is this a valid partial fraction decomposition? Write $\dfrac{4x+1}{x^2 - x - 2}$ using partial fractions. $$ \frac{4x+1}{x^2 - x - 2} = \frac{4x+1}{(x+1)(x+2)} = \frac{A}{x+1} + \frac{B}{x-2} = \frac{A(x-2)+B(x+1)}{(x+1)(x-2)}$$ $$4x+1 = A(x-2)+B(x+1)$$ $$x=2 \Rightarrow 4 \cdot2 + 1 = A(0) + B(3) \Rightarrow B = 3$$ $$x = -1 \Rightarrow 4(-1) +1 = A(-3)+ B(0) \Rightarrow A = 1$$ Thus, $$\frac{4x+1}{x^2-x-2} = \frac{1}{x+1} + \frac{3}{x-2}\textrm{.}$$  The substitution of $x$ ($x = 2, -1$) is a common method to find out the coefficient of the partial fractions. However, the equation on the third line is obtained by multiplying $(x+1)(x-2)$, which is assumed to be nonzero. Here we have a contradiction. Furthermore, the original function is not defined at $x=-1,2$. How can we substitute these value for $x$? So is this method valid and rigorous? How to modify it so that it is rigorous? Probability of a player winning before another Given a 7 sided dice, 2 players roll it independantly simultaneously and when a player rolls a '6' he gets a prize.  What is the probability of the first player getting a prize before the second?  So my solution is to sum over all the turns j in which player 1 could win, and make the second player lose all these turns:  $$P(A) = \sum_{i=1}^{\infty}(6/7)^{j-1}*(1/7)*(6/7)^j = 0.461$$ My question is if my solution is correct, and if so, why is the probability so low? It seems to me that either player 1 wins before the 2nd or the other way around, and the probability of them playing forever is 0, so it should be 0.5? Modular exponentiation by repeated squaring Derivation of survival copula $$ \begin{align}F(x,y) &amp;= P(X\leq x, Y\leq y) \\  &amp;= C(F(x), F(y)) \end{align}$$ The copula of a bivariate distribution is equal to its CDF, $C(u,v) = F(x,y)$. The density of the data's CDF therefore can be expressed as $$f(x,y) = c(u,v) \times f_X(x) f_Y(y)$$ where $c(u,v)$ is the copula density and $f_X(x)$ is a marginal. If $\hat{C}(u,v)$ is the survival copula for determining $$ \begin{align}\bar{F}(x,y) &amp;= P(X&gt; x, Y &gt; y) \\  &amp;= \hat{C}(1-F(x), 1-F(y)) \end{align}$$ how is the first equation of the ordinary copula, $C(u,v)$, linked to the survival copula as $$\hat{C}(u,v) = u + v - 1 + C(1-u,1-v)$$ are $u$ and $v$ merely vectors containing the (ranked) observations of the uniform marginals? A derivation in integrals and probabilities (rather than $F$s) would be good. I designed a poster in CorelDraw X5 for printing purposes. I was told by the Printshop guy to use colors only in CMYK. For the most part I did, I don't know why I missed it but I used one color in RGB. I liked this color so much that I've used it at many places. So, current situation is that some colors are in RGB and some are in CMYK. So, I want to convert all RGB to CMYK and thought the problem would be solved. But now I'm actually facing a lot of trouble. The colors are not at all same. I hate the colors that it is showing me.  This is the color I used in RGB:    When I changed the "Model" to CMYK, the color it shows is really different. As you can see in the picture below, it's too dull:    The RGB values of both colors are not the same. What can I do to get the same color in CMYK? I did a little bit of reading here and there. They say, that you can't get same. In that case, what is the closest color that I can get? If a superconductor has zero resistance, does it have infinite amperage? What are the best JVM settings you have found for running Eclipse? Mean or sum of gradients for weight updates in SGD I am using single observation to compute losses using neural network implementation in PyTorch. I am confused in a small detail of SGD. If I compute loss and do loss.backward(), I am accumulating gradients.  If I do this on 100 observations and then run optimizer.step(), should I average out the gradients?  This is what I am doing as of now:  def compute_loss(training_data):   for data in training_data:     loss = F.mse_loss(data[0], data[1])     loss.backward()  def optimize(sample):   optimizer.zero_grad()   compute_loss(sample)   optimizer.step()   Should it be rather:  def compute_loss(training_data):   for data in training_data:     loss = F.mse_loss(data[0], data[1])     loss.backward(torch.Tensor([1.0/len(training_data)])) How can I produce a 'ring (or wheel) chart' like that on page 88 of the PGF manual? I really like the 'ring chart' or 'wheel chart' given as an example on page 88 of the PGF manual. It is like a pie chart, but with a label in the centre. Unfortunately, the manual doesn't give the source for that chart. Does anyone have an example? Thanks. Insert image from Google Drive into Google Sheets How do I insert/link to images existing in a folder in Google Drive into a Google Sheets spreadsheet?  There is the image() function, I imagine using it something like this:  image("googledrive://somefodleringoogledrivewithmypics/pic_1.png")   How?  Update: Some people noted that by uploading pictures to Picasa, we can then get the URL of each picture and use that. It works. The downside of this is that we have to copy each and every URL of all images. I put that in a separate sheet, then use VLOOKUP to get each image URL per index. It works but the URL copying part is a hell of a job if you have lots of images of course. A better solution is needed. Apt-get update with an @ in password error I'm trying to make a logo that will be on the header of a website. What I'd like to achieve, and the reason I'm using Blender, is the projected shadows on the background looking perfectly real (as opposed to doing a drop-shadow in Photoshop).  The only thing is, the background has to be transparent because the website might use different background colors / gradients that make it impossible to match with the exported 3D background.  I made this dummy file (not the real logo... duh!):    If I use the file as is, the grey borders of the image will be impossible to match with the website's background color.  Here what I want:    So obviously, I tried masking the plane, which made the shadows disappear. I tried having a plane set to glass, which didn't work either.  And I looked around for a similar question, but didn't find one.   I am not trying to render , or a . I've seen  which has a very difficult solution to this problem, and  that is very similar but in Blender Internal.  is similar too but has never been solved. I'm only a beginner at Compositor, and I'm trying to learn more any chance I get, so any solution in Compositor is welcome if detailed enough. Although if there's a simpler or faster way, it's welcome too!  .blend file: What is the correct way to write 1.5 hours? I'm a bit confused in describing 1.5hrs in words.   Is writing one and a half an hour correct or should it be one and half hour?  E.g:     I'll see you there in one and a half an hour.     OR       I'll see you there in one and half hour.   Or is there any other correct way of writing this? Can a regular salaried (w2) employee opt to pay quarterly taxes? As a consultant, I got used to paying quarterly taxes. Now that I'm a regular w2 salaried employee, I'm subject to normal withholding on each pay statement. I would like to keep making exact quarterly payments instead of having a (generally incorrect) amount held back each paycheck.   I haven't been able to find any information on the 1040-es that would make me think I'm ineligible to do so, but I suspect that it may be the case. I'd have to stop paycheck withholdings by updating my w4 to either have a high number of exemptions or mark myself as exempt from taxes, which I assume is where the rub lies.   So, as a regular salaryman, is it possible for me to pay taxes exclusively through quarterly payments in lieu of traditional withholdings? "Install alongside" option missing. How do I install Ubuntu beside Windows using "Something Else"? Whenever I startup from the LinuxLive USB, and try to install Ubuntu 12.04, it only gives me two options instead of the usual 3 or 4. My options are "Replace Windows 7 with Ubuntu" and "Something Else". Whenever I go into "Something else", it looks extremely confusing. How do I install it side-by-side while using the "Something else" section? These are my partitions.   /dev/sda /dev/sda1 ntfs (104Mb, System Required Partition) /dev/sda2 ntfs (1000097Mb, Windows 7 Partition)   Or should I try reinstalling my installer on a CD rather than USB and maybe then it will have the "Install alongside" function? Anyone ever seen a "wok adapter" for induction cooktops? In theory a cheap pressed steel wok would work on an , but the "contact patch" for a traditional round bottomed wok would be so small it would be ineffective.  Has anyone seen a steel or cast-iron "wok adapter" with a flat bottom and a concave "bowl" on top to sit the wok in, serving dual purposes of supporting the wok on the stovetop and transferring the induction heat to the wok?  Could anyone speculate if this would this even work? Or wouldn't you be able to get the wok hot enough? I need to enter the command line alone with no GUI to install the official NVIDIA drivers. I'm trying to get my computer to work over HDMI and someone on Youtube shows how but you have to be in the Nvidia settings program. Is one time pad cipher reuse and random key secure?