Java String vs String Buffer
Comparing StringBuffer content with equals
A grim and tragic question perhaps, but I'm curious:  What happens when a person that co-signed on a loan dies? Is the co-signer's estate potentially liable until the loan is paid off, the same as if the co-signer had borrowed the money themselves?  Or, does the responsibility for the loan die with the co-signer?  Does the bank/lender take on that risk? Windows 7 + Deep Freeze - I'm stuck in an endless reboot loop I have the following setup:   Windows 7 Ultimate Deep Freeze   I "thawed" my machine last night and performed a Windows Update. The update is having issues (it gets stuck at 32%, fails, and restarts my machine). When it reboots it attempts it again, and again, and again, etc. (Endless loop).  I looked online and found some solutions, but none of them seem to be working:   When I run Safe Mode, Safe Mode w/ Network, or Safe Mode w/ Command Prompt it attempts to revert the Windows Update changes. However, the problem is with Deep Freeze on (and now in "Frozen" mode) the reverted changes don't stay, and I'm back into the loop of death. Oh, and side note: "Safe Mode w/ Command Prompt" does not actually take me to a command prompt window? Perhaps because it is attempting to complete the Windows Update changes first? I have tried to select the option to NOT restart when an windows error occurs, but it still does. I tried the remainder of all the other options in the F8 screen.     The only other option left is to find my Windows 7 Media Disc (I can't find it right now) and use it to repair windows (because for some reason the repair option does not show up in the F8 screen).  Is there a way to disable Deep Freeze from loading? When I selected "Safe Mode w/ Command Prompt" I noticed that it loads the DpFrz.sys file. I know that when I'm in the Windows Boot Manager if I press F10 instead of F8 (while highlighting Windows 7) it takes me to an "Edit Boot Options" screen:     Edit Windows boot options for: Windows 7      Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe      Partition: 2 Hard Disk: 8e90e329      [ /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN (I CAN EDIT THIS LINE)   ]     Update: I found my Windows 7 Media Disk and it did not help out. The laptop had the "System Restore" as a partition on the HDD. I later received (in the mail) a Windows 7 Upgrade Disc from Sony to upgrade my system from Windows Vista to Windows 7 Ultimate. I placed the disc into the DVD drive and it does not come up as a "bootable" disc. I'm going to try to find an alternative disc to see if I can get into Command Prompt.    Update 2: I got a Windows Repair disc and got into a command prompt window. I got into the registry and disabled Deep Freeze. Also:   I renamed the Pending.xml file to Pending.old I cleared out the Windows Temp directory   I still am stuck in the loop (though, it isn't an issue with DeepFreeze anymore because I can make changes to the hard drive and they persist). Not sure what to do at this point?    Update 3: I ran the repair option and it couldn't repair, but it did point me to something. It says the error was due to a driver that was failing. I have a feeling it is my UPEK Fingerprint scanner. How many ordered pairs $(A,B)$ they are if $A$ and $B$ are subsets of $\{ 1,2,3,4,5 \}$ such that $A \cap B = \{1\}$? How many ordered pairs $(A,B)$ they are if $A$ and $B$ are subsets of $\{ 1,2,3,4,5 \}$ such that $A \cap B = \{1\}$?  If 1 is in both sets :  Size of $A$ is $&gt;1$ and size of $B$ is $&gt;1$.  $\Rightarrow$ Size of $A \cup B =4$  $$5 \cdot (3 \cdot 3 \cdot 3 \cdot 3) = 405$$ is not correct.  What am I missing here? $T(av_1 + bv_2) = aT(v_1) + bT(v_2)$  Why is this called linear? $f(x) =ax + b$, the simplest linear equation does not satisfy $f(x_1 + x_2) = f(x_1) + f(x_2)$.  Thank you. Is the Nintendo Switch region locked? Many Nintendo devices often come with , which means if you purchase a device in one country, you won't be able to play games from another (generally).  Is the Nintendo Switch also region locked like many of its predecessors such as the Wii U and Wii? Why do objects move when you apply a force that's equal in magnitude to the friction? If the friction on an object is 200 N and you apply 200 N, it seems, the forces should immediately cancel each other out since the friction and your applied force go in opposite directions, leaving you with an object that is motionless. Yet, from what I've read, that's not the case. I feel like I'm misunderstanding something. Could it be I'm wrong about needing to apply 200 N initially? Might the amount of force I actually need be greater, but instantaneously decrease to 200 N? In Texas Hold'em poker, there are some cases where a particular card, often called kicker, acts as a tiebreaker between players to determine who wins the pot, or if the pot has to be shared.  For some combinations such as three or four of a kind, there is no doubt: the kicker is the 5th card of the chosen combination, and determines the winner.  Example     Alice has 7 and 10   Bob has 7 and K   On the board are 7, 7, 2, 3, 4   In that case, both have a three of a kind. But because Bob has a king and Alice only a 10, he wins.  Most of poker websites explaining the rules clearly mention the role of the kicker applying to three of a kind and double pairs. But much fewer say something about colors, straights and full houses, and I found many contradicting answers. I also asked the question to some used online poker players and they also gave me contradicting answers.  I have tried to search for official tournament rules, but most of them only explain what happens with bad behaviors, bad deals, incorrect or confusing betting, showing cards when you shouldn't, acting when it's not your turn, etc. without mentioning subtleties about combinations at all.  To simplify my question, I will take three examples; I think it's better to start with examples before getting to the general answer if one exists. So, what's happening in the following 3 examples? Could you give a more generalized answer?  Example 1 - Flushes     Alice has 2&clubs; and 3&clubs;   Bob has 4&clubs; and 5&clubs;   On the board are 6&clubs;, 8&clubs;, 10&clubs;, 2&hearts;, 5&diams;   Contradicting answer 1: it's a tie, because the highest card included in the flush is the 10, which everybody chooses to include in their 5 showdown cards. Contradicting answer 2: Bob wins, because he has the greatest private card that is part of the flush  Example 2 - Straight     Alice has 6 and K   Bob has 6 and J   On the board are 4, 5, 7, 8, 10   Contradicting answer 1: it's a tie, because the greatest card in the straight is the 8 for both Alice and Bob Contradicting answer 2: Alice wins, because she owns an extra king, compared to the jack of Bob  Example 3 - Full house     Alice has 3 and 7   Bob has 3 and 6   On the board are 3, 3, 2, 2, 5   Contradicting answer 1: it's a tie, because one is supposed to choose only five cards to make a combination, and a full house is already five cards. There couldn't be any kicker, and thus their showdowns are strictly equals. Contradicting answer 2: Alice wins because of her extra 7, compared to the 6 of Bob  Thank you very much for your answers.  Note: I'm unable to post next to you, so I edit my own post; strange not be able to answer to an answer.  Ok, So if I summarize what you are saying :   In the flush case, Bob wins because at some point, their hand differs. Technically, I can continue comparing the highest private card to decide who wins. I had it correct. In the straight case, if the highest card of the straight is public, then it's technically always a tie, no matter what the players had as second private card (asuming that only one of the two cards was part of the straight). In a full house if both players have the same triplet and the same pair, it's always a tie, no matter what the players had as second private card (assuming again that only one of the two was part of the full house).   Please confirm me that what I summarized is correct.  Thank you for your answer. Automating the appearance of email addresses as images Publishing pdf manuscripts on the web with emails embedded in the file results in spam.  More generally, I am looking for a way to automate the conversion of a string to an image.  It's quite easy to solve this old problem using  (more ). The trouble is that you need a distinct file and typesetting run, and you end up with unnecessary image files that you cannot delete carelessly lest you also delete non-generated images.  Can you think of a way to do this on the fly? It's understood that people will have to type the email addresses if they need to message you, but that's the point.  More briefly/concretely...  With what can one replace #1  \documentclass{article} \newcommand\showasimage[1]{#1} \begin{document} \showasimage{joe@foo.bar} \end{document}   such that #1 appears as an image?  Edit  It would be really nice if the pdf file remains vectorial. How do I copy a folder keeping owners and permissions intact? So I was going to back up my home folder by copying it to an external drive as follows:  sudo cp -r /home/my_home /media/backup/my_home   With the result that all folders on the external drives are now owned by root:root. How can I have cp keep the ownership and permissions from the original? I had read a story / article about artificial intelligence, I think it was last year (2012) but I'm not sure when it was published. It was on an online blog for an institute I believe. I am telling the story in quotes, just to demarcate where the story begins and ends.  In the story, a scientist is trying to build a perfect AI system which can respond to human interaction perfectly. Apparently the only way this is possible is to make the computer believe that it is human. He creates what he believes is the solution, and asks a friend to volunteer for a test, and the friend agrees. For the test the friend is supposed to step into a tank full of a liquid. As soon as he enters the tank, he is told, he will lose all his sensations - no vision, no hearing etc. After entering the tank, he talks to the computer and responds, and isn't able to recognise that he is in fact talking to a computer. After some time (days? Don't remember) has passed, he begins to worry - why is he still trapped in the tank? At this point the scientist tells him that he is in fact the computer he has made, the memory that he has of the human life till the time he enters the tank has been implanted in the machine, so he thinks he is human. He is not in a tank, he is a computer, and that is why he can't see or feel anything. The story ends here.  It is told from the perspective of the computer itself, but since it is an article in a science blog / forum for a technical college, it feels like you're reading an actual experiment when you start reading. It was a rather nice surprise ending to the story in my opinion. I just can not seem to be able to locate the article / story anywhere. Can somebody who might have read this help me? Even just pointing me in the direction of the site it is hosted on would be great. Supremum of a Continuous Function is Continuous Is it possible to tell a Valyrian steel sword from a very well crafted steel sword, by sight alone I'm sure in Westeros there are some incredibly well crafted steel swords, but could someone instantly spot a Valyrian steel sword over one of these?  Does Valyrian steel have any visual indications that it is Valyrian steel and not just a very well crafted steel sword?  I'm wondering, in canon, has anyone seen a sword and instantly recognised it as Valyrian steel.  For the purpose of this question, no one is allowed pick up or use the sword, so they cant feel it's weight, balance, sharpness, etc... Proof of Convergence: Babylonian Method $x_{n+1}=\frac{1}{2}(x_n + \frac{a}{x_n})$ a) Let $a&gt;0$ and the sequence $x_n$ fulfills $x_1&gt;0$ and $x_{n+1}=\frac{1}{2}(x_n + \frac{a}{x_n})$ for $n \in \mathbb N$. Show that $x_n \rightarrow \sqrt a$ when $n\rightarrow \infty$. I have done it in two ways, but I guess I'm not allowed to use the first one and the second one is incomplete. Can someone please help me?  We already know $x_n \rightarrow \sqrt a$, so we do another step of the iteration and see that $x_{n+1} = \sqrt a$.  Using limit, $x_n \rightarrow x, x_{n+1} \rightarrow x$ (this is the part I think it's incomplete, don't I have to show $x_{n+1} \rightarrow x$, how?), we have that   $$x = \frac x 2 (1 + \frac a {x^2}) \Rightarrow 1 = a/x^2 \Rightarrow x = \sqrt a$$ b) Let the sequence $x_n$ be defined as $x_{n+1}= 1 + \frac 1 {x_n} (n \in \mathbb N), x_1=1$. Show that it converges and calculate its limit. &quot;Tip: Show that sequences $x_{2n}$ and $x_{2n+1}$ monotone convergent to the limit.&quot; I didn't understand the tip, how can this help me? Does it make a difference if the number is odd or even? Thanks in advance! Dell Vostro 5490 no WIFI in Ubuntu 18.04 How to force a table into page width? “All you have to do is read” vs. “All you have to do is to read” Adapt V-brakes bicycle to disk brakes I've been thinking in changing my v-brakes to disc brakes. Now that my rear v-brake can't brake anymore I think that it is time change it. I've already seen . My frame is prepared for disc and, as I don't want to change my brake lever, I'll go with mechanical brakes (does  look ok?);  The only problem is the rear wheel hub that has not the six holes for the disk. Is it ok if I just change the rear wheel hub and keep the front one? have lived vs have been living jQuery/JavaScript: accessing contents of an iframe Refer to Sheet with value in Cell? The usual way to reference a sheet is  but how do you reference a sheet when the sheet's name is a value in a cell?  For example,   A1 = "Sheet number two" B1 = A1&amp;"!B4"   Here I want B1 to display the value in 'Sheet number two'!B4 but it's not working for me.  Any ideas?