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December 5

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how to use NPN transistor

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How do I use one 1250metersdeep (talk) 18:04, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Do you know the use of a BJT transistor but want to know when one would specifically use the NPN type instead of the PNP type? Perhaps the table of modes in the section Bipolar junction transistor § Regions of operation will give you the information you need.  --Lambiam 08:05, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks 1250metersdeep (talk) 13:50, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

December 6

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Do any dashcams exist that livestream drives onto Twitch, YouTube and other livestream video apps?

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As a Dasher for Doordash, I'd like to have strangers watch me drive deliveries live in real-time. I wonder about whether there's a Dashcam around that allows livestreaming onto any site / apps that allow users to watch anyone's livestreams. I would also like to make some of the obscure music that I play through my car's Bluetooth speakers known to the wider world.

If there isn't such a thing as a livestreaming dashcam, how come and what would it take to innovate a fully-working livestreaming dashcam in the first place? --2600:8803:1D13:7100:B55B:B71:F6ED:7780 (talk) 12:40, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

If you have a phone or something you could probably try to figure something out by taping it with the camera looking out and then starting a livestream. I’m not too sure about any actual dash cams so I would wait for another user to respond 1250metersdeep (talk) 13:53, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
You can use one of many streaming cams. You would have to use your phone (or similar device) as a mobile hotspot, tethering the cam to the phone for internet access. This assumes you have unlimited data on your phone. The headache will be that the cam will likely lose internet connection every time you leave the car to make a delivery. If it is a good cam, it will re-attach itself automatically and begin streaming again. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 17:14, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
If you're not already aware, the sort of thing you're looking to do is often referred to as IRL (in real life) streaming and those who do IRL streams often use a collection of gear consolidated in the form of a backpack for easy wearability and transport. In looking for how to accomplish your specific goals I'd look into researching the backpack setups people have posted in various places. Amstrad00 (talk) 17:44, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I suggest also that you consider the copyright and licencing implications of re-broadcasting other people's music, and how any intentions to monetise your streaming (or not) might interact with them {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.1.211.243 (talk) 18:06, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

December 7

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Mac window behavior

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Recently in MacOS, when I drag a window laterally by its title bar, sometimes it blows up to nearly fill the screen. Why? —Tamfang (talk) 23:23, 7 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably the window has a maximized state and you're switching to that state. Perhaps your mouse movement is being misunderstood as a touchscreen swiping gesture, if such a maximize gesture exists on the OS, and perhaps you can switch gestures off in the settings. Another possibility is that your mouse has a fault (low battery or a broken button) and is sending double-click messages sometimes, making the window maximize in response to a double-click on its title bar, if those are understood by the OS as maximize. Do you find the title bar slips from your grasp sometimes, as well? That would imply a mouse hardware fault.  Card Zero  (talk) 00:13, 8 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The double-click hypothesis is at least worth testing next time it happens. —Tamfang (talk) 22:04, 8 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Nope, double-clicking merely expanded the window further. —Tamfang (talk) 04:47, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Are you using a trackpad? Touching it with several fingers can alter the meaning of a gesture.  --Lambiam 18:52, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for trying, but no. —Tamfang (talk) 04:48, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps I'm not giving enough weight to the possibility that MacOS is intentionally being annoying without any special provocation. Could it be this, automatic window sizing caused by Tiling, a feature that enables quick snapping and resizing of windows? But by the sound of it this should cause windows, when dragged near screen edges, to go fully fullscreen, not just (if I understand your report correctly) kind of sorta bigger. Still, it's a recent and evidently annoying change to window behavior when windows are dragged, so the circumstantial evidence is strong. Try turning off Tiling?  Card Zero  (talk) 07:27, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Plausible. I have now done so. —Tamfang (talk) 23:45, 14 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

December 8

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What was the first computer game with normal audio, audio that is not chiptune/tracker/midi/fm synthesis?

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What was the first computer game with normal audio, audio that is not chiptune/tracker/midi/fm synthesis? 2804:1B3:9700:1E44:2188:5975:E245:4C47 (talk) 17:08, 8 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

So are you excluding all the digital to analog conversion methods? Some early computer systems allowed analog cassette tapes to play audio under computer control. I assume these included music. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 20:00, 8 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I scanned two books on the history of video games and both note that the first "real" sound in video games was Rally-X. They use the clarification that it was the first to use digital-to-analog to turn digitially recorded sounds into analog sound. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 17:25, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Tell us what those books are! The fact should be in the article, it would sit nicely after "one of the first games with bonus stages and continuously-playing background music". What are you citing, please?  Card Zero  (talk) 14:11, 10 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Please define "normal audio." In general terms, all sounds for arcade games or computer games since around 1976 were produced through some sort of digital audio using sound chips, which includes the terms the OP used such as MIDI, FM synthesis, etc. This includes digitally sampled analogue sounds reproduced with digital technology. Are you asking whether a computer game was developed using analogue hardware using vacuum tubes? Alternate histories suggest themselves, as if bored techies working the night-time shift on the LEO Mk. III had been able to interface with the RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer via a Fuzzball router and been able to play a beta version of Rogue with full menacing throbbing audio: "The Xeroc strikes!" Wob-wob-wob. All your base are belong to us. MinorProphet (talk) 19:08, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

December 9

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Windows Diagnostic Memory tool

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How long would you expect it to take to do 96GB RAM? I heard an hour per 8GB—sound reasonable? SerialNumber54129 18:33, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

That guy was a fucking idiot. Took less than two hours. SerialNumber54129 11:09, 10 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
This conversation makes no sense. Care to elaborate, @Serial Number 54129? TheTechie@enwiki (she/they | talk) 04:43, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@TheTechie: Serial Number 54129 asked how long it would take to run Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool on a pc with 96GB RAM. They heard it took an hour per 8GB, so that would be 12 hours for 96GB. Then they say that they tried it and that it took less than 2 hours. Polygnotus (talk) 15:39, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks Polygnotus . I admit I was somewhat brusque about my informant  :) SerialNumber54129A New Face in Hell 16:49, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

December 10

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Youtube videos switching in the middle to Chinese people doing ordinary things

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I see that others are encountering the same problem.[1] Has anybody come up with a fix yet? Clarityfiend (talk) 05:26, 10 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

To avoid videos with crocheting Chinese ladies and such – if that's not your thing – make sure the video is from the original channel and not some pirated and hacked video. The name of the channel (such as Eyewitness News ABC7NY, Jimmy Kimmel Live, ESPN MBL, ...) is given below the title of the video. Pirated videos come from an unfamiliar channel; other than that, everything looks the same as the legit video.  --Lambiam 07:35, 10 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Aaah, thanks. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:54, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

December 11

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Quote marks will not appear until I type a second one

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Hello all. I have a seemingly one-off, weird and annoying issue. I am using an HP laptop computer:

OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Home
System Model HP Spectre x360 Convertible
Version 10.0.19045
Build 19045

Every time I type a quote mark on this computer (or an apostrophe using the same keyboard key without shifting) nothing happens. It is only when I invoke the character key a second time (in a row, without moving the cursor) that anything happens, which is that, only then, TWO quote marks appear. I then I have to delete one of them. Same thing for apostrophes, though I use quotes far more frequently. This happens anywhere I attempt to type the character, including when I placed this one " right now. Please note that the key is not gummed up or anything, it always works to place the two after I type the character the second time. Any ideas? --68.129.153.226 (talk) 17:23, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

When did this start happening? Has it always been like this? If not, what changed? Be honest. MinorProphet (talk) 20:29, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
My 13-year old Mac Mini has stopped working. (I have already purchased a new computer, arriving in about two weeks.) I thus borrowed this HP from my sister a week ago, whereupon I discovered this issue. I thus have no idea of the timeline of the problem.--68.129.153.226 (talk) 21:07, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
What happens if you type a single ' or ", followed by some other character, like a letter?
It sounds like you're in some strange mode which is attempting to interpret various multi-keystroke sequences. Those can be perfectly ordinary — for example, as you may know, on a Mac you can type Option-U to get a bare umlaut, which when you then type a letter like A or U combines with it to form Ä or Ü. But obviously these " and ' sequences you're encountering are bizarre and unwanted! (I've never heard of combining sequences starting with " or ', either.)
My guess is that these sequences are defined for the convenience of typists in some language other than English. I would go to the relevant control panel — perhaps "Keyboard", although under Windows I'm not sure — and make sure you've got English specified as your language, with no funny extra options specified. —scs (talk) 22:10, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Per the below, it sounds like you might well see different behavior depending on whether you type the " or ' followed by a vowel like A or U, versus a consonant like B or S. —scs (talk) 22:16, 12 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Yes you're right. When you're on the international keyboard (or other non-English one) if you type a quote and then a vowel you get an umlaut. With this keyboard layout the first time you press a quote key it will not type it, and you have to press it twice to type a quote.
On Windows 10, on the bottom right, to the left of the date and time, there is an area where you can click to change the keyboard layout. For the international keyboard it is "ENG INTL". If you click it you can change to the normal keyboard, "ENG" or "ENG US" or whatever you prefer. ―Panamitsu (talk) 22:23, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
See dead key. I suppose your system is configured to see ' and " as dead keys, producing no direct output, but combining with the next character you type to create a letter with acute accent or two dots. I haven't used Windows since XP days, but I suppose that if the following character doesn't accept those diacritics, the ' or " is inserted after all. Try switching to a different keyboard layout. PiusImpavidus (talk) 10:37, 12 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Have you tried a "+space sequence? I've seen such behavior of a keyboard in Windows when working in a language with diacritic letters. It simulates old typewriter - hit a diacritic symbol first, which gets printed with no carriage move, then hit a letter, which gets printed at the same place and then a carriage advances to a next position. Following this mode you hit a diacritic + space sequence to get a diacritic symbol alone. --CiaPan (talk) 15:38, 12 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Well, 68.129.153.226, we're all agog to know whether any of our suggestions have worked. Be honest. MinorProphet (talk) 17:35, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I am on Windows 10 on Dell laptop. I have experienced this behavior and I suspect it started after some OS update.
But note that, when you wish to include anything in double/single quote, you must continue to type as usual. The double/single quote becomes visible only after you type any following character (not just single/double quote).
You may be already aware of it, but I thought if you don't know, it will be less frustrating experience once you know how it works. manya (talk) 06:04, 16 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

December 13

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Where can I find a thesis of recently released Gemini 2.0?

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For Gemini 1.5, I find its thesis.

What about recently released Gemini 2.0? HarryOrange (talk) 21:53, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Here?  --Lambiam 21:55, 14 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
OK That's Gemini 2.0 release information. HarryOrange (talk) 16:52, 15 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]


December 15

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Questions About New Laptop Computer

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My old laptop computer developed problems with the power, so that it wouldn't start when connected to regular line current. It would start when connected to high-amperage current in an electronics store, but that wasn't useful, and it was time to replace it after five years. I now have some questions about problems with a new laptop computer. The new laptop computer is an HP running Windows 11. Robert McClenon (talk) 04:43, 15 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Cursor Jumping Randomly

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Sometimes when I am typing in a Word document or editing Wikipedia in a source window, I discover that the cursor isn't where I think it should be. The cursor has jumped to somewhere else on the screen, apparently randomly. I have to do a Ctrl-Z to undo what I typed in the wrong place, and then move the cursor back to where I want it. If this is caused by line noise, how do I minimize the impact? How likely is that a new mouse would resolve the problem? Are there any settings that I should diddle with? Robert McClenon (talk) 04:43, 15 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

First thing I would do is give the mouse and mousepad a good clean and disconnect and reconnect it. Shantavira|feed me 09:14, 15 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Possibly due to your hand brushing the trackpad while typing. If you have a mouse, you could experiment with disabling the trackpad: how to disable touchpad on hp laptop. Or even just try turning it off while typing. This erratic caret jumping used to happen to me a lot, too, when my laptop was new, until I found the key to disable the trackpad.
The term caret or insertion point is useful to exclude the mouse cursor (the pointer) from searches.  Card Zero  (talk) 12:54, 15 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you, User:Card Zero. I disabled the touchpad. For users who always use a mouse, the touchpad is a complication. Robert McClenon (talk) 19:06, 15 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I now have a possibly useless question. The documentation referred to an option that disables the touchpad when there is a mouse, but the only option that I found in the settings is the option that always disables the touchpad. I would like to specify that the touchpad is disabled when there is a mouse, and enable it if there is no mouse. This makes very little difference because I will always use a mouse. Is it possible that that option isn't available on my computer? This isn't important. Robert McClenon (talk) 02:38, 17 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Network File Sharing

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With the old laptop, I had set up network file sharing, so that the laptop computer could view and edit files in shared folders on my desktop computer, a Dell, also running Windows 11, if they were both within range of my wireless router (and the desktop computer always is). The desktop computer could also access files in shared folders on the laptop, if the laptop was I have tried to set up network file sharing with the new laptop computer. I tried calling the technical support offered by the electronics chain that I bought the computers from, and I made seven calls to them, none of which worked, and I have concluded that their technical support people don't know what they are doing, and, worse, don't know the limits of their knowledge. Does anyone have advice on a book that will tell me how to set up network file sharing with Windows 11, that has neither too little nor too much information for a retired database engineer? Robert McClenon (talk) 04:43, 15 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Robert McClenon Did you try this? TheTechie@enwiki (she/they | talk) 20:21, 16 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
User:TheTechie - Thank you. That describes the basics, and describes what I had done successfully with the previous laptop computer. I need either a much greater level of detail, or a troubleshooting guide, or something like that. That was helpful in that it doesn't point out anything that I am doing wrong. Robert McClenon (talk) 02:31, 17 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

December 17

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Hello there. I'm have a question: How to scan all available online streams from a specified server and port given? For example, I've found a Wowza Streaming Engine server at 115.79.46.164 and port 1935. I want to know which website or software can help me to find all active streams on this server. Thanks for reading. Ccv2020 (talk) 14:22, 16 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

nmap -- Finlay McWalter··–·Talk 17:02, 16 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]