H2O Member | Tue Jul 21, 2020 | 02:18 PM | Likes: 3 

Why PS/2 Port is still Included in Modern Motherboard?

Categories: Tech | Pubby Cash Received:  0

I've used PS/2 ports to connect the keyboard and mouse to a computer in the late 1990s. Thirty years have passed. Now I'm looking to buy a modern motherboard, but astonished to find that in the most advanced MSI MEG Z490 motherboard to accommodate the newly released the 10th generation Intel I9 processor, there is still a PS/2 port. At first thought, I would consider this to be outdated. After doing some homework learning the reasons behind it, I've changed my mind. Here are the special reasons why PS/2 is important for a top-notch computer: (1) Drivers. In contrast to USB ports, PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse will work with devices without having to download the latest drivers. Although all devices require drivers to work, there is a catch when it comes to USB keyboards and mouse. The USB port itself requires a driver. USB ports not functioning properly due to a driver issue may occur from time to time during a Windows Feature Update or a update provided by the OEM is nothing new. Sometimes the driver issue happens by itself. In addition, for systems where "optimized defaults" loads OS before USB keyboard is active, you must have a keyboard on PS/2 to operate the machine. Examples like a firmware/BIOS update or CMOS reset will render USB keyboard unusable to enter SETUP/BIOS or early boot menus (until a complete reboot), whereas the PS/2 will be very handy. Thus, the PS/2 port acts as a backup in this circumstances. (2) Limits on n-key rollover. The USB protocol limits the n-key rollover to a maximum of 6, meaning if you play a game that uses tons of buttons after 6 keys you start missing keys no matter how good your board is. PS/2 ports, on the other hand, allow full n-key rollover. (3) IT security. USB ports might be disabled to end users to avoid security risks (data theft, virus and malware injection etc) on business desktops and workstations in an IT corporate infrastructure. PS/2 ports are for keyboard and mouse only, and thus are considered secure for all non IT Admin users. (4) PS/2 connector gives slightly better keyboard performance than USB and is more reliable. You may throw a PS/2 keyboard to a dishwasher to clean and it is still going strong, while the modern mechanical USB keyboard stop working for 24 hours if a drop of water falls inside a key. These indeed surprised me after I learned PS/2 ports have so many advantages. Since there is only 1 PS/2 port on the top-notch MSI motherboard, I think I will let this most important port taken by a PS/2 keyboard. Actually, the PS/2 mouse can be very difficult to find these days, and I will just use a USB mouse. ...  Read more

Evan Tang Elder Moderator | Fri Jul 17, 2020 | 10:54 AM | Likes: 2 

How to Make Letters Horizontal, Vertical, Backwards, and Intersect when Coding a Word Search Game in Python

Categories: Tech | Pubby Cash Received:  0

Do you want to learn how to make letters horizontal, vertical, backwards, and intersect when coding a word search game in Python? If you said yes, than you should read this article, because it will teach you how. First, how to make words horizontal and how to make those horizontal words backwards. To do this, you first need to make a function. You then need to put things inside the function. Here is an example. def add_word(word,arr):# make a function     col=random.choice(lst)#chooses a random location in the columns for the word to be placed     lst.remove(col)# removes that place so another word does not get placed there     row=random.randint(0,15-len(word))# chooses a random row for the word to be placed, however the length of the word must fit into the row and cannot go over the limit     rand_num = random.randint(0,1)# 0 means that the word is backwards, 1 means that is forward     if rand_num == 0: # if the random number is 0, then you make the word backwards         word1 = word[::-1]# [::-1] makes words reversed     else: # if it is not 0, then keep it the same         word1 = word     for i in range(0,len(word1)): # printing the i         arr[col,row+i]=lett2num[word1[i]] Next I will tell you how to add the vertical words, make it backwards, and make them cross with the horizontal words. Adding a vertical word is almost the same as adding a horizontal one. The difference is that vertical ones are basically the opposite of horizontal ones. Here is an example. def add_word1(word,arr): # make a function     row=random.choice(lst)#chooses a random location in the rows for the word to be placed     lst.remove(row)# removes that place so another word does not get placed there     col=random.randint(0,15-len(word))# chooses a random column for the word to be placed, however the length of the word must fit into the row and cannot go over the limit     addvword = True # make a new variable for adding vertical word. This is so vertical words and horizontal ones can cross     count = 0 # set count to 0     rand_num = random.randint(0,1)# 0 means that the word is backwards, 1 means that is forward     if rand_num == 0: if the random number is 0, then you make the word backwards         word1 = word[::-1]# [::-1] makes words reversed     else:# if it is not 0, then keep it the same         word1 = word     for i in range(0,len(word1)):# printing the i         arr[col+i,row]=lett2num[word1[i]]     for i in range(0,len(word1)):         if arr[col+i,row]!=0:# if the adding vertical word space is taken...             addvword = False #you cannot add that vertical word there             if arr[col+i,row] == lett2num[word1[i]]:# if the array is equal to the word1 letter...                 count +=1 # add one to the count             else: # if that is not true...                 count = 0# keep count at 0     if count != 0: # if the count is not zero...         for i in range(0,len(word1)):             arr[col+i,row]=lett2num[word1[i]] # the array is equal to the word1 letter     elif addvword: # if that is not true, addvword is equal to true         for i in range(0,len(word1)):             arr[col+i,row]=lett2num[word1[i]]# you can cross the word with another word if the crossing letter is the same By now, you should have a better understanding of how to make letters horizontal, vertical, backwards, and intersect when...  Read more

H2O Member | Wed Jul 15, 2020 | 05:08 PM | Likes: 2 

Remote Learning or Face-to-Face Learning for Fall 2020?

Categories: Education | Pubby Cash Received:  0

As progressive phases of reopening are underway in many places, returning to school becomes imminent for faculty and students. I'm applauding for the decision that the Cumberland Valley School District (CVSD) offers a virtual academy option that allows caring parents not sending their kids back to school in the whole 2020-2021 school year or during a specific phase of the school year. Without knowing what is going to happen after winter, I signed up for the virtual academy only for the first phase for now. Depending on whether the vaccine for COVID-19 is ready at that time, the next phase of decision to continue virtual academy or not will be made. In contrast to the wise decision made by the CVSD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) did not make favorable decisions in the views of most faculty, as the University insists on reopening with a so-called "hybrid" teaching mode with no opt-out option for faculty so that the health of faculty will be at risk. According to a survey to 3,178 faculty of the 14 universities in the State System, more than 60% are very concerned about contacting COVID-19 or potentially exposing their family to it. More than 90% believed students will not appropriately social distance in residence halls or in other social settings. More than 70% do not feel safe teaching or interacting with students face-to-face in the fall. And only 12.5% want to return to in-person teaching. Of course, my preference goes with the majority of people. If that decision does not change, I would be not returning home but staying in a rental apartment at IUP to self-quarantine for an entire semester!...  Read more

Evan Tang Elder Moderator | Sat Jul 11, 2020 | 02:44 PM | Likes: 2 

How to Use the Random Method in Python

Categories: Tech | Pubby Cash Received:  0

The random method in Python is a very useful tool in Python because it has the power to select a random value. In this article, I will try my best to explain how to use the random method. The first thing that you need to know is that you have to import random first to access it. import random I will now provide an example of how to use the random method. Lets say that we want our program to generate a random number from one through five. This is how we can use the random method to do it. import random numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] print(random.choice(numbers)) This code is saying that numbers is equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. We are then printing a random number that is in the numbers variable. The output of this program could be 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. This is because we are choosing a random number. After reading this article, you should have a better understanding about how to use the random method....  Read more

H2O Member | Fri Jul 10, 2020 | 09:04 PM | Likes: 3 

Zotero - A Reference Management Software to Recommend

Categories: Tech | Pubby Cash Received:  10

Endnote and Mendeley are the previous reference management softwares I have used in the past. It was until last month when Zotero was recommended to me. Now I have totally accepted this software. It is recommended to me because it is the only reference management software that supports direct citations when writing in Google Doc. However, its advantages are more than that. The aspects that intrigue me most also include: (1) Incorporated perfectly in Word 2007 on my local machines. The Zotero ribbon appears on the menu bar and is very easy to use. (2) Automatically grabs meta data of articles from web pages and even PDFs. Just need to install a Zotero connector in Google Chrome and right click any web page you would like to save to your reference library. (3) Automatically tries to download the pdf files. If an article is an open-access one, it will succeed. (4) Easy migrate to different computers. What you need to do is the copy the root folder named "Zotero" to the target computer and replace the older folder in the same location. (5) Easy sorting of references. My preferences are: sorting by date added, article publication timeline, first_author's last name, collections on different projects, and tags. It can also sort out duplicate items if that bothers you. (6) Multiple Libraries support. In each library, you can make different collections for different projects. The upper level hierarchy manages your references nicer and cleaner. Last but not least, Zotero is an open-source software. Advanced customization can be done if you know what you are doing. You can read their documentation and forum for more information. ...  Read more

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