q_id
stringlengths 5
6
| title
stringlengths 3
296
| selftext
stringlengths 0
34k
| document
stringclasses 1
value | subreddit
stringclasses 1
value | url
stringlengths 4
110
| answers
dict | title_urls
list | selftext_urls
list | answers_urls
list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7v3dzd | why all living things (almost) try their best to produce offsprings? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7v3dzd/eli5_why_all_living_things_almost_try_their_best/ | {
"a_id": [
"dtp6b4s"
],
"score": [
11
],
"text": [
"I notice a lot of these natural selection questions are a lot easier to understand if you question the fate of the opposite, in this case the answer becomes clearer if you ask instead \"What happened to the living things that didn't try their best to produce offspring?\" Well they had fewer heirs and eventually died out from competition.\n\nThis applies to other questions too. \"How did these hatchling lizards from Planet Earth II know to flee from snakes?\" Well the ones who didn't were eaten long ago already, the hatchlings are all born from parents who had the instinct to flee from snakes."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
68yy09 | how theoretically big would a species need to be in order to be intelligent? | So often when comparing species intelligence we look at brain size relative to their body weight. However there must a size of a species that is a minimum because only so many neural connections could be made. What is that theoretical size?
| explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/68yy09/eli5_how_theoretically_big_would_a_species_need/ | {
"a_id": [
"dh2galc",
"dh2ibnw"
],
"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"What does \"intelligent\" mean? As intelligent as humans? Not quite as capable, but close? Parrots and a few other kinds of birds are quite intelligent and relatively small. Octopuses are generally very intelligent, and some can be very small. Cuttlefish fall into this category as well.\n\nI won't pretend I have an answer for you, but I think you need to be more clear if you want one. Minimum size for *how* intelligent? Where are you drawing the line?\n\n",
"I studied brain science in university.\n\nThe truth is that no one knows. The theoretical models of how intelligence works are not well-enough developed. We do know that intelligence requires a certain level of complexity, but we don't know how much complexity can be represented in a given number of neurons.\n\nMore neurons are in general better, but for example a parrot has substantial intelligence in a brain *far* smaller than a human brain."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
kq3ng | computer architectures and the differences
between them | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/kq3ng/eli5_computer_architectures_and_the_differences/ | {
"a_id": [
"c2ma2zt",
"c2mao6u",
"c2maoba",
"c2ma2zt",
"c2mao6u",
"c2maoba"
],
"score": [
2,
5,
3,
2,
5,
3
],
"text": [
"Edit: corrected and finished my explanation.\n\nThe brain of a computer is called the CPU.\n\nEssentially all CPUs only speak a primitive language consisting of just \"yes\" and \"no\" - or 1 and 0. This way, they're efficient to make.\n\nThese 1's and 0's are used to tell the CPU what to compute.\n\nThe *instruction* (or *opcode*) `100101010` might tell one CPU to add two numbers, it might tell another CPU to *subtract* two numbers, and it might even be an invalid instruction for another CPU.\n\nThe set of all the instructions that a CPU understands is called the *instruction set*.\n\nA *CPU architecture* defines the logical model (using logic gates - see Wikipedia) of how the CPU implements its instruction set. Two different architectures may very well implement the same instruction set.\n\nAn instruction set defines *what* that CPU will understand. The architecture defines *how* it understands it.",
"Hey OP... my reply had factual errors, and didn't explain what an architecture actually was. I've corrected and finished it. I'm making another reply so you get the orangered.",
"There are two commonly used different meanings of the term \"architecture\" here.\n\nOne is \"Instruction Set Architecture\" (ISA) and one is \"micro-architecture.\"\n\n* The different instruction set architectures would be things like x86, MIPS, SPARC, VAX, IBM-360, 8051, 680x0, Itanium, PowerPC, etc.\n\n* The different micro-architectures would explain why different chips all implementing the same (or similar) x86 Instruction Set Architecture, perform differently. (Pentium-II, Pentium4, Core2, etc.)\n\nThis is further complicated by the fact that there are different versions of each ISA, as it is extended over time. E.g., the x86 eventually had MMX extensions, then grew to x86_64, added SSE, SSE2, etc., etc.\n\nThe differences between microarchitectures are as follows:\n\n* Changes in cache size, branch prediction algorithms, pipelining, width of instruction issue, etc. **These things generally are not visible to software.** They just make some chips run code \"better\" than others.\n\nThe differences between Instruction Set Architectures are as follows:\n\n* **These are very visible to software.** The software model of each ISA is different from others. They may have different numbers of user visible registers, they may be of different widths in different ISAs, some may be special purpose registers, others general purpose. The Special Purpose registers are *completely* different between ISAs. The \"Kernel Model\" that Operatings Systems see will be completely different between them (I.e., all the magic registers that set up things like what features are enabled/disabled, the memory management model, etc.)\n\n* For a simple example, some ISAs may have an integer multiply instruction, others might instead have a \"multiply step\" instruction that you would have to run several times to multiply, yet others might not have any multiply instruction at all, and you'd have to do a bunch of \"adds and shifts\" to get the same result.\n\n",
"Edit: corrected and finished my explanation.\n\nThe brain of a computer is called the CPU.\n\nEssentially all CPUs only speak a primitive language consisting of just \"yes\" and \"no\" - or 1 and 0. This way, they're efficient to make.\n\nThese 1's and 0's are used to tell the CPU what to compute.\n\nThe *instruction* (or *opcode*) `100101010` might tell one CPU to add two numbers, it might tell another CPU to *subtract* two numbers, and it might even be an invalid instruction for another CPU.\n\nThe set of all the instructions that a CPU understands is called the *instruction set*.\n\nA *CPU architecture* defines the logical model (using logic gates - see Wikipedia) of how the CPU implements its instruction set. Two different architectures may very well implement the same instruction set.\n\nAn instruction set defines *what* that CPU will understand. The architecture defines *how* it understands it.",
"Hey OP... my reply had factual errors, and didn't explain what an architecture actually was. I've corrected and finished it. I'm making another reply so you get the orangered.",
"There are two commonly used different meanings of the term \"architecture\" here.\n\nOne is \"Instruction Set Architecture\" (ISA) and one is \"micro-architecture.\"\n\n* The different instruction set architectures would be things like x86, MIPS, SPARC, VAX, IBM-360, 8051, 680x0, Itanium, PowerPC, etc.\n\n* The different micro-architectures would explain why different chips all implementing the same (or similar) x86 Instruction Set Architecture, perform differently. (Pentium-II, Pentium4, Core2, etc.)\n\nThis is further complicated by the fact that there are different versions of each ISA, as it is extended over time. E.g., the x86 eventually had MMX extensions, then grew to x86_64, added SSE, SSE2, etc., etc.\n\nThe differences between microarchitectures are as follows:\n\n* Changes in cache size, branch prediction algorithms, pipelining, width of instruction issue, etc. **These things generally are not visible to software.** They just make some chips run code \"better\" than others.\n\nThe differences between Instruction Set Architectures are as follows:\n\n* **These are very visible to software.** The software model of each ISA is different from others. They may have different numbers of user visible registers, they may be of different widths in different ISAs, some may be special purpose registers, others general purpose. The Special Purpose registers are *completely* different between ISAs. The \"Kernel Model\" that Operatings Systems see will be completely different between them (I.e., all the magic registers that set up things like what features are enabled/disabled, the memory management model, etc.)\n\n* For a simple example, some ISAs may have an integer multiply instruction, others might instead have a \"multiply step\" instruction that you would have to run several times to multiply, yet others might not have any multiply instruction at all, and you'd have to do a bunch of \"adds and shifts\" to get the same result.\n\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
4t3ypa | if scotland declared independence now and became un recognised would there be grounds for uk military action? | Ok, say the Scottish Government decides it's had enough and officially declares its independence from the UK. It then manages to become a UN member state.
Is Scotland protected by the UN charter that gives nations right to self-determination, or does this not apply in this case? Surely if the Scottish government want independence so bad they can just declare it, and it cannot be opposed as the UN charter says that all nations have a right to independence? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4t3ypa/eli5_if_scotland_declared_independence_now_and/ | {
"a_id": [
"d5efes0"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"This situation can't really happen. The UK is a permanent member of the UN security council so it could veto Scotland's membership.\n\nThe UN's \"right to self determination\" is in the context of colonial possessions. It doesn't mean any and every breakaway state is legitimate in the eyes of the UN.\n\n "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2ue5yt | what would happen in the u.s. if absolutely not a single person voted, i.e. during a presidential election or otherwise? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2ue5yt/eli5_what_would_happen_in_the_us_if_absolutely/ | {
"a_id": [
"co7l8p8",
"co7mt63",
"co7nill",
"co7okiv"
],
"score": [
3,
62,
23,
15
],
"text": [
"The candidates can help themselves. They always vote. ",
"The election would be a tie. Different states have different rules on how to decide the winner in case of a tie, but AFAIK all states *do* have some method. \n\nFor the president, if no candidate has a majority of the electoral college then the House of Representatives votes to decide the winner (this happened in 1800 and 1824). \n\nFor state and local elections, there are tie-breaking rules that vary by state. The most common is flipping a coin (really). Others include things like drawing cards or pulling names from a hat (again, really). \n[The Washing Post explains](_URL_0_)",
"My fear is that if nobody voted, there would still be lots of ballots cast.",
"If 'nobody voted' for president, then I assume no senators/representatives voted, either.\n\nIf no candidate gets a majority, it gets thrown to the house of representatives. Since no representative votes, again they can't get a majority, so it goes to the senate, again, no majority, then in THAT case, the President Pro Tempore becomes acting president until SOMEONE votes."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/07/14/in-most-states-tied-elections-can-be-decided-by-a-coin-toss/"
],
[],
[]
] |
||
3y0hwo | how is it that heavy drug abuse is able to change facial characteristics so much, even face shape is altered. | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3y0hwo/eli5_how_is_it_that_heavy_drug_abuse_is_able_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"cy9ghwc",
"cy9h248"
],
"score": [
4,
6
],
"text": [
"Losing body fat leads to sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, etc. There's a lot of fat around the eyes which can be lost. Missing teeth will change the profile around the mouth. Skin blemishes, loss of skin tone/elacticity, will lead to more wrinkles, sores, bruising, etc. Meth is particularly bad for the mouth and malnutrition can do a number on the face of even a non drug user.",
"In most of these caues, it has less to do with the drugs themselves, and more to do with the malnutrition, diseases, injuries, and general harsh treatment drug addicts are likely to face.\n\nThe most noticeable changes will be loss of body face, change in muscle tone, and loss of skin elasticity. Injury can also alter the underlying bone structure.\n\n "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
1cxp1n | why does the electrical charge from a detonator seem to slowly travel towards the explosive? | Reading online, it seems electricity travels between 60-98% the speed of light in a cable. Why is there a seemingly 'slow' moving glow from a detonator to an explosive.
_URL_0_ | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1cxp1n/eli5_why_does_the_electrical_charge_from_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"c9kxtss",
"c9l3ri9"
],
"score": [
4,
2
],
"text": [
"Sometimes they use fuses to \"connect\" explosives, it's possible that you saw the light of the fuse burning (there are fuses that can burn pretty quickly) and not the glow from an electrical cable.",
"What you're seeing is shock tube. It's a high speed fuse made of a plastic tube with a thin layer of explosive on the inside. When it is sparked, the explosion carries down the tube but is not powerful enough to blow the side of the tube out. \n\nSource: Explosives Researcher\n\nedit: After seeing just how much that video was slowed down it appears that could be detonating cord too. This would seem to be a strange place to use det cord though. Shock tube is more likely."
]
} | [] | [
"https://vimeo.com/62042628"
] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
4axgyy | why do we swing our arms when we run -- isn't that a waste of energy? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4axgyy/eli5_why_do_we_swing_our_arms_when_we_run_isnt/ | {
"a_id": [
"d14bhj7",
"d14bwcg"
],
"score": [
11,
2
],
"text": [
"It is a balancing tool. Without doing that we would not be able to run as fast or change direction as nimbly. So it is not a waste of energy at all. ",
"As others have said it's balance. But it actually saves you energy. If you didn't do that then you'd have to correct yourself via the legs at a pivot and that's inefficient"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
60pfma | how do presidential vacations cost millions of dollars? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/60pfma/eli5_how_do_presidential_vacations_cost_millions/ | {
"a_id": [
"df87zdo",
"df880j9",
"df887kd"
],
"score": [
4,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"The president's security is understandably very important. Anytime the president decides to travel a lot of moving pieces are involved from teams going out, sometimes months before the actual travel to evaluate all the various locations the president may end up at, scout various routes, and create security plans in the event something goes wrong. All of this cost falls on the government. Then once the travel actually takes place, a LOT is going on. \n\nFirst, the president travels on Air Force One (for long trips) which is not exactly a cheap plane to fly. Potentially hundreds of members of the secret service and other white house staffers that allow the president to do his/her job from any location must also come along.\n\nThen there is the impact on the local infrastructure; when the president is moving, nothing else is. This costs local economies money as highways shut down or businesses in the vicinity have to turn customers away. \n\nIt all adds up and pretty quickly. \n",
"[This article](_URL_0_) is a good read.\n\nThere's a good part of it that starts with a quote from Nancy Reagan who said \"Presidents don’t get vacations — they just get a change of scenery.\" It goes on to explain:\n\n > In the nuclear age, presidents may have only minutes to make a decision that could affect the entire world. They don’t so much leave the White House as they take a miniature version of it with them wherever they go. Some 200 people accompany a president on vacation — including White House aides, Secret Service agents, military advisers, and experts in communications and transportation — to ensure that, while on vacation, the president can do nearly everything he could accomplish in Washington.\n\nAlso:\n\n > The biggest additional expense is the use of Air Force One and the support aircraft needed to haul all the equipment and ground transportation the president needs. The Congressional Research Service estimated that the cost of operating Air Force One is nearly $180,000 per hour. Ultimately, a presidential vacation can cost taxpayers an additional $1 million or considerably more than if the president had just stayed put in the White House. How significant this is within a $3.5 trillion federal budget is something voters can decide for themselves.",
"The president has to travel with extensive Secret Service and a whole slew of other security and communications staff/advisors to protect the president, provide briefings, etc. In addition, there are huge costs to operating Air Force 1, move vehicles and equipment that needs to be accessible at all times. These people all need lodging, food, etc. So think of it as taking 200+ people on a deluxe vacation every time the president goes to Florida for the weekend."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-presidential-vacations/2014/08/15/2aa969c6-2311-11e4-958c-268a320a60ce_story.html?utm_term=.a8e92d365d2c"
],
[]
] |
||
as89qf | why do some experaince chest pain due to anxiety but when you get a ecg // blood pressure its fine like there's no reason for the pain but anxiety? what is actually causing pain and why? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/as89qf/eli5_why_do_some_experaince_chest_pain_due_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"egsgk0u",
"egsgv62"
],
"score": [
3,
4
],
"text": [
"If your breathing really shallow you will feel some pains in your central chest about heart height and it’s from lack of oxygen to the heart there’s a name for it but I forget. \n\nIt’s happened to me from anxiety before. And also when I had some minor energy drink and drug related heart issue ",
"When you have anxiety, your sympathetic system goes up. Have you ever heard of fight or flight? You have palpitations because your heart starts to beat faster. This may be misinterpreted as chest discomfort. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
5zfg5n | how or why did 'white noise' get that name? as opposed to other colors like blue or black or green noise? | Something I always wondered, and I thoroughly enjoy this subreddit. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5zfg5n/eli5_how_or_why_did_white_noise_get_that_name_as/ | {
"a_id": [
"dexodi6"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Light comes in a variety of colors, and when you have all of these wavelengths together we see it as \"white\" light. The name \"white noise\" is a reference to \"white light\" where a bunch of different sounds all cancel out to the point where no single sound is divisible from the whole."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
afaxar | what causes people to see colors when listening to music? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/afaxar/eli5what_causes_people_to_see_colors_when/ | {
"a_id": [
"edx0n5q"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"**Please read this entire message**\n\n---\n\nYour submission has been removed for the following reason(s):\n\n[synesthesia](_URL_2_\n\n\n\n---\nIf you would like this removal reviewed, please read the [detailed rules](_URL_0_) first. If you still feel the removal should be reviewed, please [message the moderators.](_URL_1_?)"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules",
"http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fexplainlikeimfive&subject=Can%20you%20review%20my%20thread",
"https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/search?q=synesthesia&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all"
]
] |
||
491ewb | why is it that if i smoke while i have a bad cough i stop coughing for a good 5-10 minutes? | Folow up: why is it that i inly feel how painful my lungs are if i smoke cannabis and not tobacco? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/491ewb/eli5_why_is_it_that_if_i_smoke_while_i_have_a_bad/ | {
"a_id": [
"d0ob6dg"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"tobacco cigs have chemicals in them that numb your throat, cannabis cigs don't have the chemicals that numb your throat."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
1k34f2 | wrong physics in computer games | so whats so hard about having a character in a computer game grab something properly or stap on a step and not slide up the stairs and stuff like that.
im explicitly not talking about water, dust, smoke and all that stuff, honestly i couldnt care less how that stuff looks, as long as they butcher the living hell out of organic material. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1k34f2/eli5_wrong_physics_in_computer_games/ | {
"a_id": [
"cbkvi9l",
"cbkw0gq",
"cbkyos7"
],
"score": [
17,
5,
2
],
"text": [
"I assume that you're talking about how sometimes your character will be holding something and their hands go \"through\" the item, stuff like that.\n\nThe issue is that the people who animate how the character moves are doing their best to make as few animations as possible. Animation is really expensive and difficult to do, so they try to minimize how much is done.\n\nSo, for example, they'll make one \"two-handed sword\" animation, one \"pistol\" animation, one \"bow\" animation, one \"stairs\" animation, and so on.\n\nThen, the art staff comes in, and says \"alright we designed 100 bows and they all look really cool and people are going to love them.\" The problem is that all the bows are different shapes and sizes, and some of them don't fit the generic \"bow animation.\"\n\nThey *could* fix it, but it's a ton of work, and it costs a ton of money. This should never be a problem in a game that has only a few weapons, but in a game like WoW where there's thousands, it's just not worth it to try to fix.\n\nStairs are really hard, too. What you do when you approach a staircase is that you slow down and adjust your step a little bit so that you can hit the first stair correctly. That's really hard to animate, because animations in games are generally pre-scripted, and adjusting your step like that is pretty on-the-fly.\n\nIn addition, once again, the art staff will make all sorts of staircases with different sized stairs, and the animation team just doesn't have the time to make a special animation for each staircase.",
"Well, it _is_ pretty hard to have things like that. In principle, we could do that, as long as you're fine with not having characters, just pure physics (that currently works well enough). As soon as you introduce human (or humanoid) characters, things become much more complicated, because now you have to simulate all the joints, with the right amount of strength, and that can bend the right way.\n\nWhat makes it hard (i.e. computationally intensive as well as hard to design and program) is that you have all these moving parts that need to work properly with collision detection, are easily controlled by the player on a high level (one press of a key might mean you have to move dozens of joints, oh and it has to work correctly with other commands the player has given and the physics system), and look realisticly human (this one is really hard to get right in the design stage if you want any hint of physical or graphical realism, even without the joint thing).",
"3D Key Frame Animation: \nA 3D model is made up of a collection of points (vertices), which combine together to make triangles, which are then form a face that is painted on with a texture. Storing locations for all these points in different phases of an animation would take too much memory so instead points are assigned to armatures. An armature is basically a bone, and a model usually contains a fare amount of them connected through joints. Each point assigned to multiple bones also has a value assigned to it so it knows how much to move w/ one bone or another. The animator will then move the bones around and create a key frame, which basically just saves the positions the bones are in. These key frames are then what are stored into data and are interpolated between to make an animation. At this stage of development, assets like stairs may not be available to create key frames for, or the game may be action packed which would make things like snapping a model to stairs they just jumped over (so their feet touch properly) too jarring and unrealistic to bother with. \n \nRigid Body (Rag-doll) Rig+ Key Frame Animation:\nTo reduce complex computations in game physics, collisions are usually composed of simple shapes as their bounding/hit boxes. Shapes like boxes, spheres and capsules are generally fairly common for moving objects, and more complex geometry is usually reserved for static or non-moving objects. So when we deal with physics, we typically use these simple shapes. Shapes that aren't allowed to cross into each other (think: solid objects), don't bend, and behave with physics are considered rigid bodies. In simple games with a low budget for memory, a whole character's body has been known to be nothing more then a box or capsule making collisions look odd, or lead to a force field like effect when things collide with you. However in games that are looking to be more realistic, different bones of the body can be masked off with rigid bodies to react to collision. The key frames are then interpolated once more with physics data from the rigid bodies, so you can actually have a character with one foot on the side walk and one on the street and have it look fairly natural. Or you could have someone punch a character and have that punch look more natural and weighty. You could even make for more natural step/stair movement by figuring out where your leg out of snapped to on a stair and interpolate that from your current animation to the step using the physics of the rigid body to make the transition look more natural. The downside of this process is that it takes up more memory then traditional key frame animations, and really only fits realistic settings. If for example you have super human or cartoony characters, it may up being too jarring of a transition still, or lead to real awkward results like having a foot fly up due to the guard rail. \n \nIn short, it can be done, but it doesn't always work for every game's design, and due to the nature of collisions using normally basic shapes, you can still end up with really weird results -- and these results are usually unknowns unless you have good quality assurance. Where as key frame animations are fully created by the animator and thus you know the outcome of the animation, but you can't really word with stairs unless you snap the position/direction of the character, or create key frames to deal with landing on stairs or approaching a set of stairs at different angles -- while still looking natural.\n\nOr you know, some developers are just lazy, or new to development, or need to allocate time to more important areas, or any number of other misc reasons."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
5xwepk | in a world where we have devices the size of a deck of cards with enough computing power to launch the space shuttle, why does it still take an hour to update software? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5xwepk/eli5_in_a_world_where_we_have_devices_the_size_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"deldl9r",
"deldmlk"
],
"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"The task of getting an update to your machine and applying it moves down a very long pipeline. First the data is stored somewhere on a physical hard drive inside a server someplace. The server has to know about your request for the data, access it, send it along the network to the ISP or internet backbone, then the data moves in packets along the internet to your ISP, sent to your area, then to your internet connection drop in your house, then to your modem, to your router, to your computer, stored in your cache, then written to the hard drive, executed by your operating system, your CPU tells the hard drive and RAM which parts to read and store, which files to modify, etc. \n\nThat's a lot of moving parts just to get v1.7 from YourApp and replace v1.6. And the whole process is as slow as the slowest part in the chain. If the server is slow, the whole process is. If your network is congested, if your CPU is slow or working on other tasks. If your RAM is full, if your hard drive has a slow read/write speed or is failing, and on and on. Each piece of the process has a certain speed it can handle data, whether reading it, writing it, executing it, sending it, or receiving it. Any of those points can bottleneck the entire process, and the rest of the data has to wait until that one slow piece finishes what it's doing before handling the next piece. ",
"While that computer is far more powerful, the software running on it is *also* far more complex. That shuttle computer had a few hardwired switches, LED displays and a single megabyte of RAM. Today's computers have 200MB *mouse drivers* and countless thousands of files to check and update when you do an upgrade."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
214rog | what happens if a couple gives birth to a baby during a flight or a voyage on a plane or a ship? which nationality does the baby assume? | In addition, does the baby eventually get to choose, if they have multiple nationalities to choose from? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/214rog/eli5_what_happens_if_a_couple_gives_birth_to_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"cg9ny77"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"While the common perception is that where you're born determines your citizenship... this is not exactly true.\n\nYou *can* obtain citizenship based on where you're born -- legally this is called *jus soli*, \"right of soil\" -- but you can, in many countries, also inherit the citizenship of your parents, no matter where you happened to actually be born (this is *jus sanguinis*, \"right of blood\").\n\nThe United States, for example, uses both of these: you are a \"natural born\" US citizen if you're born on US soil, but you can *also* be a \"natural born\" US citizen based on your parents having US citizenship.\n\nAnd sometimes this goes back further -- Ireland, for example, will let you claim Irish citizenship if you had a parent or a grandparent who was an Irish citizen.\n\nCitizenship can also be granted based on other ethnic or religious affiliations; Israel is the best-known example, with its \"right of return\" allowing essentially any Jewish person, born anywhere, to obtain Israeli citizenship.\n\nSo hypothetical \"what if a baby was born in (place that's hard to pin down to a specific country's territory)\" questions are misleading; very often, a baby's citizenship at birth is determined by the citizenship of the baby's parents, not where the baby was born."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
343rhv | what is the white house correspondents dinner? | I heard about it and saw clips from it on the news, but what is it about, and who gets to attend? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/343rhv/eli5_what_is_the_white_house_correspondents_dinner/ | {
"a_id": [
"cqqzu93"
],
"score": [
6
],
"text": [
"A bunch of journalists from all the different media outlets (CNN, The New York Times, NPR, etc.) are assigned to report on the US president. Together, they make up the White House Correspondents Association. Starting in 1920, they started hosting an annual dinner, and the president and vice-president usually went. The dinner is basically a way for reporters and politicians to hang out for a night. Recently, more high profile celebrities have started to attend, and the dinner has become more famous. The president often delivers a humorous speech, and a comedian usually delivers a roast at the expense of the politicians and journalists in the room. There has been some criticism of the dinners in that it shows how cushy reporters and politicians have become."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
5ft9t6 | is there a way for magnetic energy to be used to create some different kind of energy that could be harnessed as electricity? | My line of thinking is that when one puts two magnets they either attract or repulse. This attraction/repulsion causes kinetic energy, I understand. Could there be some kind of way to do this on a larger scale and manipulate multiply magnets to, say, turn a turbine and generate electricity? And if it can be done, wouldn't that create a seemingly unlimited source of power? I understand magnetic materials can lose some of of their magnetic force after time due to deterioration, but I don't imagine it would be too hasty.
| explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5ft9t6/eli5_is_there_a_way_for_magnetic_energy_to_be/ | {
"a_id": [
"damv5ze",
"damvbnp",
"damvdau",
"damvhqc"
],
"score": [
4,
2,
2,
2
],
"text": [
" > Could there be some kind of way to do this on a larger scale and manipulate multiply magnets to, say, turn a turbine and generate electricity?\n\nNope, sorry. Conservation of energy means you can't get any more out then you put in; the magnets act like springs and not magic energy-generating devices. What you propose can never work.",
"Magnets are how we generate electricity already. What you're describing is a principle we use every day to generate electricity called [Electromagnetic Induction](_URL_0_)\n\nA spinning turbine uses magnets to generate electrical fields which generates the current we use.\n\nUsing magnets to turn a turbine, alternatively, is how an **electric motor** works and requires a power input to operate. That power input is turned into kinetic energy and heat, so as you can imagine, energy is lost in this transaction and so it would have no benefit for further generation.",
"Is there a way of turning magnetic energy into electric? Of course, every generator uses that principle (inducing a current due to changing magnetic flux), from the turbines in power plants to hand cranked flashlights.\n\nAs to\n\n > Could there be some kind of way to do this on a larger scale and manipulate multiply magnets to, say, turn a turbine and generate electricity?\n\nNo. The kinetic energy doesn't appear from nowhere. Magnetic potential energy was transferred into kinetic. \n\n > wouldn't that create a seemingly unlimited source of power\n\nIf you ever create a scheme in which an unlimited source of power is produced, it doesn't work.",
"I think you just described an alternator. Though you are going to need to input energy and what you get out will be less. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_induction"
],
[],
[]
] |
|
b8qsuq | if the sky is blue because the blue light gets absorbed by the atmosphere, and we see by light refracting into our eyes.(i.e blue light hitting our eyes). then how can we see blue things? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b8qsuq/eli5_if_the_sky_is_blue_because_the_blue_light/ | {
"a_id": [
"ejzjod5",
"ejzk85f"
],
"score": [
6,
4
],
"text": [
"You don't see whatever color something is absorbing. You see whatever color it is reflecting back at you. ",
"The atmosphere doesn’t absorb the blue light, nor does it reflect it, the particulates in the atmosphere scatter the portion of the visible light spectrum with the longest wavelength (which appears blue to us). So while the rest of the spectrum is typically passing straight through the atmosphere and reflecting off of or being absorbed by other surfaces the blue light gets sent in all different directions. So the blue light is still able to pass through and reflect off of other things (making them appear blue) but because there is less being sent towards the earths surface it’s not a common colour in nature . "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
3kns1k | why do countries like saudi arabia destroy so much of their own cultural heritage? | It's frustrating to me and I don't understand the reason. I read that 95% of all historical buildings in Mecca have been demolished. It's not like ISIL is doing this: it's the governments themselves. And it's been happening since at least the 1970s. What's the reason?? For something like the tomb of Mohammed's father, I can understand (they don't want pilgrimage / worshipping to such a place), but otherwise I'm lost. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3kns1k/eli5_why_do_countries_like_saudi_arabia_destroy/ | {
"a_id": [
"cuyzoxt",
"cuz1kxy"
],
"score": [
2,
2
],
"text": [
"well, im gonna try and say \n\nits alot of power. Alot of people have power unchecked. There isn't alot of respect for historical buildings for what you have mentioned: they do not want worship of a person.\nThing about Islam is that it forbids idol worship of faces. The Saudi authorities love to strictly (i say veryvery strictly) to the word that there should be no sort ofimage of anyone to worship. Thats fine to keep everybody worshipping the one Allah.\nOh another hand, the power of influence stays with the royal family. Think about it. They have the power and get rid of any chance of what they think is doubt so they keep a strangle hold on it.\n\nThats the two majro things i have to say.",
"Saudis arent destroying *their* cultural hertiage, they are strengthening their perspective of Islam. Im assuming you are Christian; Islam has a much higher divide among sects then other religions. Like how catholics and protestants hated each other and fought wars against one another, thats pretty much where Islam is right now in the middle east for a large number of reasons. Saudi Arabia is a **very** conservative Sunni majority, plus being arguably the most powerful nation in the Middle East, and having a stable government for nearly 100 years. They have an almost perfect set up to influence the direction of their religion for many generations to come, so thats what they are doing. And they own the land to the holiest city to their people. Think of them like America right out of WWII, they are on top of their game and dont show signs of having it any other way. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
4crqpk | if i file a restraining order against someone, what prevents me from "abusing" the order aka "trolling" the person by following them where they go? | So, if I found out the "restrained" was going on vacation, what stops me from boarding the same plane and forcing him to disembark?
If he's leaving for work, couldn't I stand in the middle of the street and block his driveway?
What stops me from follow him around and abusing my restraining order? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4crqpk/eli5_if_i_file_a_restraining_order_against/ | {
"a_id": [
"d1l79aa",
"d1kvhyz",
"d1kvj89",
"d1kvksm",
"d1kw9gx",
"d1l2mbv"
],
"score": [
2,
7,
14,
5,
25,
2
],
"text": [
"Others have explained it more seriously but I'll just add that there's typically very serious and obvious reasons someone files a restraining order against someone. If someone makes you afraid for your life every time you're near them it's not a smart idea to intentionally seek them out and assume a piece of paper will make them afraid of you.",
"Probably getting arrested and going to jail for abusing your restraining order. Being on their property is pretty deliberate. And ticket sales and flight records would indicate you shared a flight on purpose.",
"In many states if you intentionally go near them you are violating the no contact order as it goes both ways. You would be subject to the criminal penalty for intentionally violating a NCO or restraining order. ",
"The subject of the restraining order would quite reasonably approach the court to complain. Obviously in the first few instances it would probably be dismissed, but it wouldn't take long before it became obvious you were abusing the system.\n\nWhat action the court would take, I couldn't say.",
"Cop here:\n\nThe restraining order will usually specifically say not to, or you risk invalidating it.\n\nAlternatively, the restraining order may essentially work both ways, so you'd be in violation.\n\nGenerally if the situation occurs where you show up to a public place they already are, they are not obligated to leave as long as they don't harass you.",
"In most jurisdictions, if you voluntarily break the restraining order yourself, it is nullified. The TRO/NCO goes both ways. They're not allowed to come within a certain number of feet of you, but you're also not allowed to go near them. Nor are you allowed to harass them or file false reports. You'd be the one subject to jail or fines if you did such a thing. Also, if the situation occurs where you're both in a public space unintentionally at the same time, there would only be an issue if they did something that could be construed as harassment. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
5vlacb | when teenagers' voices break, do they simply get deeper or are there other changes that take place? | Could I in theory use Audacity to shift the pitch in my voice and have it sound like it did before puberty? (ignoring changes to vocabulary and speech patterns of course). | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5vlacb/eli5_when_teenagers_voices_break_do_they_simply/ | {
"a_id": [
"de3koix"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"In addition to the vocal chords 'stretching' and thickening during puberty as a result of - but not completely limited to - an increase in testosterone, the tone and phonic patterns also change over time. \n\nThis is why even if you can't physically see someone, such as when you're on a phone call with a new person, you can generally estimate rather closely the age of that person just by the tonality and character of their voice - most of the time this association happens completely subconsciously. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
895qxt | explain the black scholes model, and where it comes from. | Curious about how the Black Scholes model was created, and a solid understanding of how it works to price options. Not a finance major. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/895qxt/eli5_explain_the_black_scholes_model_and_where_it/ | {
"a_id": [
"dwp425l"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"Is this about Paul Pogba?"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2rrysd | jumping from a building, is there a landing position that would get one to survive? | I couldn't sleep last night and when that happens my mind always think about random stuff and this came up. Say one jumps from a building - like World Trade Center for example - is there any landing position that would make them survive? I think landing belly-down or belly-up would seriously damage your head and spine so I think it's out of question. The only one I came up with was side landing, like landing on your arm with your hand under your head - like normal sleeping position - I think that would be the most effective but I'm not sure if it would save the person. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2rrysd/eli5_jumping_from_a_building_is_there_a_landing/ | {
"a_id": [
"cniox0c"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"I'm not sure about the math behind it. But I was told by a sky diving instructor that there is a way to position yourself that only your legs will take the impact. You'll be paralyzed for the rest of your life. But its better than nothing."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2pmm0c | why do most flying insects (flies, bees, etc) become so lethargic and slow when they're indoors for a while? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2pmm0c/eli5_why_do_most_flying_insects_flies_bees_etc/ | {
"a_id": [
"cmy5at2"
],
"score": [
9
],
"text": [
"They wear themselves out banging against the glass."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
3vchhp | what exactly are the "stricter" gun control laws people propose and how would they be enforced? | Seems relevant once again. I don't own a gun and don't have a strong opinion either way, but there are unfollowed laws against shooting people, so the pragmatist in me wonders what these gun laws would be and why people think they would be effective. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3vchhp/eli5_what_exactly_are_the_stricter_gun_control/ | {
"a_id": [
"cxmafn9",
"cxmat8b",
"cxmcxo0",
"cxmgvuk"
],
"score": [
5,
2,
2,
3
],
"text": [
"There are a few different levels the law could be:\n\n- Banning certain types of weapon (eg Automatic Rifles), under the theory that you don't need an M4 Carbine to protect yourself\n- Banning all guns (as is done in most of Europe) apart from a few people with special permits\n- Banning guns in public, eg you can have them at home but as soon as you take them out of your home then you're breaking the law (ie anyone taking a gun down the street is assumed to be using it for illegal activities)\n- Much tighter regulation, control, and registering of guns, with much stricter background checks: guns would still be legal, but it would be harder to get one and much better tracked.\n- Much tighter regulation in terms of keeping guns and the ability of the police to ask you to prove yours is legal. So, for example, if someone gets hold of your gun and uses it, **you** are responsible too, for not keeping it safe.\n\nAs to how they would be enforced... the police would enforce them, how else?\n\nWhy do people think they would be effective? Well let's compare two countries that are quite similar in many ways.\n\nCountry | Population (approx) | Gun control | Number of mass casualty shootings (4 or more casualties) in the last 1066 days \n---|---|----|----\nUSA | 300 million (5x larger) | Very little | 1052 (shootings, with 1,347 deaths and 5164 total dead/injured)\nUK | 60 million (1/5th of the size) | Very tightly controlled | 0 (Yes Zero, that's not a typo)\n\nIs everybody clear?\n\nI know the USA and UK aren't **the same**. And I know the USA is **5x larger**. But the UK has had **NO, ZERO, ABSOLUTELY NONE** mass shootings in the last **5 years**. While the USA has had **OVER ONE THOUSAND** in **less than 3 years**\n\nThat's not just a cultural difference, a statistical error, or a bit of a difference because America is bigger... that's an absolutely astonishing difference. That's over **4 thousand** people injured or wounded in America, when we should expect roughly **900** in the UK if the population was all that mattered, yet the UK has had **none**. And I've yet to hear even a half convincing argument that shows why there has been such an incredible difference.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nNow let's wait for the \"But we like guns\" downvote brigade...",
"The first ones discussed are things like stronger background check rules. Currently, they differ from state to state, and there are loop holes for things like gun shows, where people can buy guns without a background check... so close those loopholes and have a national database that checks against things like criminal records, mental health, no-fly lists. There can also be limitations on assault weapons. Limits on types of ammunition available. Other things like registering guns and licensing owners.",
"I dunno, I like [the current laws](_URL_0_).\n\nNo weapons shorter than 75cm. No semi autos with > 7 rounds without endorsement. Required licensing and registration. Required safe, literally in a safe storage. No open or concealed carry.\n\n",
"I don't understand the argument that people have which is usually along the lines of 'people are breaking the law by murdering people so how will more laws help'. The evidence is plain to see in all of the countries were guns are banned. Fewer guns mean less chance for gun violence. \n\nThe problem is is that gun culture is so ingrained within America that it would take a few generations for the laws to really kick in. This is all a mute point though, after all of the shootings and deaths, the US won't even allow more stringent background checks, never mind an outright ban. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/oct/02/mass-shootings-america-gun-violence"
],
[],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_New_Zealand#Current_firearm_law"
],
[]
] |
|
5cwhjd | why is nintendo always in short supply of the consoles | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5cwhjd/eli5_why_is_nintendo_always_in_short_supply_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"d9zvj36"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"A short supply can create a bigger demand and hype.\n\nThey are either doing it deliberately to cause a stir for publicity or they genuinely don't think they will sell that many in that time frame.\n\nAlternatively it could have nothing to do with either and the manufacturers could be at fault. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
1r8bnx | why do i always feel greasy after falling asleep on airplanes? | It seems like every time I fall asleep on an airplane I wake up feeling gross. Why does this happen? Why is it only if I fall asleep?
| explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1r8bnx/why_do_i_always_feel_greasy_after_falling_asleep/ | {
"a_id": [
"cdkl8eq",
"cdkog2n",
"cdkqm5o"
],
"score": [
4,
2,
3
],
"text": [
"I think it has to do with the recycled air in the cabin.",
"I get this way any time I sleep in clothes, regardless of the environment. I've also always wondered.",
"My husband works for an airline. He told me once that the new Boeing Dreamliner is made from a new material that allows up to ~12% humidity in the recirculated air, allowing for less dehydration of your skin and eyes on long haul journeys. I think maybe the greasy feeling has something to do with the lack of humidity in the air. The materials that planes are made from can have dramatic reactions to variable humidities and altitudes so a very low humidity is desirable. That's why the Dreamliner is a big deal to regular long haul travelers (or it will be once they are all up an running). Hope this gets you closer to an answer."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
7bdrah | where did the us's idea of becoming angels in the afterlife come from? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7bdrah/eli5where_did_the_uss_idea_of_becoming_angels_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"dph55ci"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"_URL_0_\n\nApparently some theologian called Emanuel Swedenborg started it, and it has been a popular idea ever since.\n\nAnd this:\n\n > The Bible uses \"angel\" and \"man\" almost interchangeably when speaking about angels. If angels were a separate race, the Bible would not refer to them as men, or people. That would be like calling a horse a sheep, or a pig a donkey."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/40032/what-is-the-biblical-basis-for-humans-becoming-angels-after-they-die"
]
] |
||
6rteyh | at what point in a presidency are changes in the economy attributable to the sitting president and not the former? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6rteyh/eli5_at_what_point_in_a_presidency_are_changes_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"dl7lcsp",
"dl7ll3d",
"dl7svh6"
],
"score": [
17,
8,
2
],
"text": [
"That will always be open to interpretation. We're still feeling the effects of economic events that happened decades ago. History doesn't really sort itself into convenient boxes like that.",
"Pretty much never. Presidents have very little influence over the economy. It's Congress that has the power to create laws and direct government spending. The president just has to say \"yes, that proposed legislation will be a law,\" or \"no, I won't let that be a law\". And in the second case, Congress can override the president if a 2/3 majority wants to pass the law.",
"There's really no way to quantify. Also, the President has very little power over economic matters, it's really Congress that makes the difference, and even then it's hard to measure. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
f7cqhj | how did geese not get hunted into extinction? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/f7cqhj/eli5_how_did_geese_not_get_hunted_into_extinction/ | {
"a_id": [
"fiaeyhd"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"If you start clubbing the geese they will become harder to get close to. Animals become acclimated to situations. If these geese were used to being hunted they would not be so relaxed around humans. Where I live you can not hunt deer near the airport. The deer there will basically walk right up to humans. Ten miles up the road where deer can be hunted they flee the instant they sense a human is near."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
3qwznl | how much 'ping' does information take from human eyes to beeing processed in the brain | I hope my question is formulated correctly since english isnt my motherlanguage (..and i'm 5) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3qwznl/eli5_how_much_ping_does_information_take_from/ | {
"a_id": [
"cwj1pay",
"cwj1qms"
],
"score": [
2,
6
],
"text": [
"\"ping\" is not a word I'm familiar with, at least not in this context. Do you mind explaining a little more?",
"\"It takes about 0.15 seconds from the moment light hits the retina to when the earliest recognition of basic object identity can occur.\"\n\nThis is a link to an in-depth explanation by Paul King, a computational neuroscientist:\n\n_URL_0_"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"https://www.quora.com/How-fast-does-the-brain-compute-visual-information-From-light-reach-the-eye-to-awareness-of-impression-And-how-does-the-information-travel"
]
] |
|
2s4265 | a basement sump pump | ELI5: A Basement Sump Pump | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2s4265/eli5_a_basement_sump_pump/ | {
"a_id": [
"cnm11zf"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Submersible pumps are used to push liquids from one location to another. The basement type gets water from somewhere you don't want it (your basement) to somewhere else (your yard or other location) "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
e3ckmh | what are djs listening for when they bring headphones to their ear? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/e3ckmh/eli5_what_are_djs_listening_for_when_they_bring/ | {
"a_id": [
"f929v82",
"f929w4o",
"f92a13j",
"f92dcft"
],
"score": [
21,
100,
6,
28
],
"text": [
"basically: the next track\n\nif it's synced, same tempo, if the drops line up and sometimes what it sounds like bc they cant remember 5000 tracks\n\nedit: especially when it's a dj with turntables the tempo part is very necessary\n\nelse the crossfade sounds like crap",
"They have two turntables/tracks each with different songs. One of the songs is being played live to the club while the other track is played on the headphone so the DJ can beat match them (same tempo/bpm) and make a smooth transition or mix before playing it to the crowd.\n\nHowever there are also a lot of fake djs that just play a preset playlist. They will often do the headphone thing just as an act to sell it to the crowd, kinda like a singer lip syncing.",
"Thank you! Maybe a silly follow up question but don’t most big DJs have a planned set of songs they wanna play? Wouldn’t they already know the line up and bpm and things?",
"They are \"beat-matching\". \nTake House music for example. Depending on subgenre, most House music is between 120 and 130 beats per minute. You'll have one track playing at, say, 125 bpm. You want to mix in the next track, which is, say, 128bpm. You need to match them. \nTo start you have the crossfader all the way to the left (platter 1), which means only the track on the left platter is playing through the speakers. You start the next track on the right platter (2) in time with 1, listening in your headphones to hear if it's playing too fast or too slow. \nYou adjust the Pitch (the speed of the record-- most turntables have a pitch fader for + or - %15 speed). So you bring the pitch down on platter 2, so the incoming track is also 125bpm. If you know your music well, you'll already know if it needs to be pitched up or down. \nNow you go back to the first beat on track 2, and 'drop' it in again. Keep in mind, House music progresses by 8-16-32 beats (the \"phrase\"). So you're looking for the 'right' beat, so that track 2, for example, has a building bassline, as track 1 is dropping out a bassline, drums, vocals, and so on. This is called \"phrase-matching\". \n Good DJs can do this on the fly, simply because they know their music from start to finish. You also have bass, mid, and treble controls to adjust the tracks. \nIf you do this correctly, you are stitching together 2 tracks in realtime, creating a blend of both tracks, one flowing into the other. \nThe best DJs have their own 'flow,' that keeps people dancing, building/releasing energy or teasing the next theme that you want to blend in. It's a pretty straightforward idea but it provides endless possibilities for creativity."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
cu3job | what exactly is epistemological solipsism? or just epistemology and solipsism for that matter? | I saw the term recently and tried to look it up, but every article/definition I found seemed to assume every person reading it has a degree in psychology or something. Please spare me the fancy technical terms and just explain it simply like I know absolutely nothing about philosophy, idealism, or psychology (because I don't). Similes or examples would also be very appreciated, if possible.
*\*Note: Not sure why, but there wasn't an option to list this post under a "Psychology" flair/tag even though there clearly seems to be one, as other posts are marked with it on this subreddit. That's why it's tagged "Other" instead.* | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cu3job/eli5_what_exactly_is_epistemological_solipsism_or/ | {
"a_id": [
"exr0xs3"
],
"score": [
21
],
"text": [
"Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of knowledge and similar concepts: what does it mean to know something? How can we know stuff?\n\nSolipsism is usually taken as the skeptic belief that the only thing existing in the world is you or your mind, or rather, being unsure that anything exists outside of it.\n\nEpistemological solipsism (damn that’s a mouthful) can be thought of like this: you know what’s going on in your mind. You have thought and feeling and all those neat stuff originate in your mind itself. But every thing you know about the world - how it looks or sounds, the existence of other people - all that comes from outside your mind and through your senses. The solipsist argues that you can know that these things exist as you perceive them or at all.\n\nDescartes asked this very question in a way that makes sense: you put your spoon in your cup of water and it looks like it’s snapped in half. You’re smart though, and you say “I know my eyes are tricking me, and the spoon is intact”. Well, if your eyes tricked you then, how do you know they don’t always trick you? How can you ever be sure of anything your senses perceive?\n\nMany philosophers tried to tackle this question, from Descartes, Locke, Kant and more. All of their solution rely on something you take for certain - the existence of outside objects, your sensory input, or even god."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
49dpmo | why do college professors curve test grades? wouldn't that just encourage laziness and be an example of the failure of the instructor's efforts to ensure students learn? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/49dpmo/eli5_why_do_college_professors_curve_test_grades/ | {
"a_id": [
"d0qy78p",
"d0qyoxk",
"d0qzojp",
"d0qzwz7",
"d0r22zu",
"d0r30vs",
"d0r4f9q",
"d0r4glq",
"d0r4juv",
"d0r4oa9",
"d0r53l9",
"d0r5avc",
"d0r5phl",
"d0r6ui3",
"d0r7cqf",
"d0r7rvc",
"d0ra0ao",
"d0rcbsy",
"d0rdt3z",
"d0rdvqu",
"d0rf7ls",
"d0rf8fb",
"d0rf9l2",
"d0rfhmv",
"d0rfwkc",
"d0rfy9w",
"d0rghx4",
"d0rgkj3",
"d0rgsie",
"d0rhie2",
"d0rhiv4",
"d0rhl6z",
"d0rie6v",
"d0rjg5v",
"d0rjkg3",
"d0rjvuy",
"d0rkhpo",
"d0rldgj"
],
"score": [
2249,
3,
32,
147,
8,
5,
2,
50,
4,
45,
3,
214,
8,
24,
2,
2,
3,
5,
2,
2,
11,
2,
3,
2,
2,
3,
2,
3,
3,
3,
2,
2,
3,
3,
3,
3,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"I had a professor say once, \"If you ace my test, I haven't tested you at all.\"\n\nThe goal of the test is to determine what the student have learned. By making the test difficult, you are able to determine both the upper end and lower end of the abilities in your class. This is a good thing, as you are able to understand what people know _and_ don't know.\n\nNow, that said, it wouldn't be fair to the students to make a test so hard that no one could pass your class - that wasn't the goal after all. So the grades are done on a curve so as to reward the students who have learned the most with the grades they deserve.",
"A traditional curve actually lowers the grades of the lower scoring students proportionally to how the top students are boosted. Done to create a bell curve and reward the top students while sifting out the lower scoring ones.",
"All college professors I had and know (I'm now an adjunct) don't curve a la a Bell Curve, but instead they scale the grades up. They find the class average, set that to a B or B-, and scale higher grades up to As and lower grades to Cs and Ds. \n\nSo if the class average is 65%, scale each grade up by 50% of the missing points. \n\n65% - > 82.5%\n\n50% - > 75%\n\n20% - > 60%\n\n95% - > 97.5%\n\nIt keeps your students from failing (unless they really deserve to).",
"It could encourage laziness, as long as every single student agreed to not try hard and let the curve carry them to a C. If 1 single student tries, then they will get a high grade and kill the curve.\n\nPutting real numbers to it. Let's say we have 10 students, and a 4 choice multiple choice test (A,B,C,D type). \n\nThe students get together, and agree to not study and just answer randomly and get a 25%. The professor says that the average of the class should be a 75%, so if the average of the class is lower he will curve it up to 75%.\n\nThe students take the test, all get 25% answering randomly. The test gets curved up to 75% and everyone is happy (C's get Degrees!).\n\nThen one day, a student realizes that they can study, get a better grade than a 25% and get higher than 75% when it curves. So let's stay 1 student does this and 9 answer randomly. That 1 student gets a 50% and the other 9 get 25%.\n\nNow the class average is a 27.5%. The professor curves the scores up by 75-27.5 or 47.5%. If you got a 25%, your new score is 72.5%, but if you were the 1 student who tried you now have a 97.5%. C's get Degrees, but A's make more money.\n\nNow the other 9 students are thinking, I just need to study a little so I don't get left behind, and the scheme breaks down as more students study and actually try.\n\nSo basically, if every student is in on it, a curve can make it so nobody tries and everyone gets a C. The moment any student tries to get above that, they inflate their own score and decrease the score of their peers, and the scheme to get free C's breaks down.\n\nSomeone will always try on the test, so while the curve can be nice if a test is too hard, it is difficult for all the students to band together and break the system.",
"Using a curve allows for test results that reflect the ability and effort of the students while compensating for the quality for the teaching and reading. If a teacher does not adequately explain a topic, something disrupts the learning of that topic, or the textbook contains an error students are not penalized for not answering that question correctly. If even the hardest working and brightest students miss a question, it might be an indicator that the students are not at fault.\n\nSimilarly, test writers don't need to design their tests such that average students receive average grades, and exceptional students receive exceptional grades. They can include questions that are excessively difficult without essentially lowering the maximum grade. \n\nDoes it encourage laziness? Possibly, but there are factors and methods that can decrease the risk.\n\nStudents could theoretically conspire to not make an effort on a test, so that the average score is very low but still raised to a decent score due to the curve. This only works if every student cooperates, if a few do well on the test they can \"throw off\" the curve, and doom their classmates. As enumerated by another commenter there is a strong incentive to betray the conspiracy, as those who do see greater gains for a small amount of effort compared to when everyone makes an effort. Graders can discourage this further by including averages from other classes or sessions when calculating the curve, or simply deciding on a maximum benefit of the curve.\n\nInstructors could theoretically slack off as with a curve most of their students will get average grades regardless of the quality of their instruction. In many cases different instructors teaching the same course will have a common final exam. Even if this exam is on a curve if one instructors classes consistently have a lower raw score this would indicate to administration a problem with this instructor. With a smaller pool (instructors instead of students) it does become easier for collusion to survive. Another instructor for an upper level class may also find that students coming from a prerequisite taught by a specific instructor are consistently unprepared, and thus expose their laziness. This is probably not very common, as no one wants to be a snitch or get a colleague fired. Word of mouth and _URL_0_ are probably the most effective deterrents, as a instructor who is consistently unable to fill their classes may risk their job. Then again easy teachers attract lazy students.",
"Because administration will pressure them not to fail students, who pay tuition, who pay professors' and administrators' salaries, etc....\n",
"English is not my first language, so: what does curving a test mean? Is that an American thing?",
"College prof here. First, I NEVER curve my tests. I have a set amount that I want my class to know and they either succeed or fail. After having taught for so many years, I think my spidey sense is pretty good for setting my expectations. \n\nHowever, I have well-respected colleagues that regularly curve tests and do it to force a natural distribution of grades (certain percentage are an A, certain percentage are a B etc). Their point is that students have a natural distribution of understanding and so the grades should reflect that. Giving them all an F would seem to indicate that all the students are idiots, which is improbable. A curve is just designed to acknowledge that distribution.",
"I am a college professor and I don't like curving grades. But on the same token there is a normal \"distribution\" meaning typically so many A's, B's, and C's and I don't want to hurt the grades of my students if the test was harder than expected. So if for some reason a test turned out to be much harder rather than \"curving\" what I like to do is give the students the opportunity to increase their exam score by writing a couple sentences for any question they got wrong explaining why the answer was what it was and I will give partial credit. That way the student's who really care actually learn something in the process (and then improve their exam score) while those that \"don't care\" and do not research and explain the question and correct answer do not. BTW, I teach college Economics.\n\nHowever, I have in the past \"slightly curved\" a final exam that turned out harder than expected but only because we will not see each other again to give the students the ability to explain any question and answer on THAT exam.",
"Because it is incredibly hard to calibrate exams to be of equal difficulty over the course of years. It's an easier assumption to assume that large classes of students are about of equal average ability from year to year, so grading on a curve makes sense. If the average test score for this year's 300 students is 65%, and last year's average was 72%, it is way more likely that the test was a little harder, not that the class is all 7 points dumber. \n\nUsing a curve is a smaller class (10-30 people) is more problematic from the assumptions point of view.",
"I haven't see something I experienced as a TA while in graduate school hasn't been mentioned so I'll add it, thought it doesn't apply 100% to the question at hand. In the physics department we normally had a professor lecture several times a week and then undergraduates spent an hour or two in class with their TA (most often a physics grad student) who often handed out homework assignments and graded them as well as any lab experiments and write-ups. Some TAs were great teachers and some were shitty teachers, your skills didn't matter too much since everybody pretty much had to take a turn teaching at some point during their time as a grad student. Curving the grade was one way to keep someone from being penalized for having the bad luck to have a shitty teacher. We were instructed (required) to have our final grades for our sections (we usually had 2 or 3 individual classes a semester) follow a standard Gaussian distribution. \n\nThis did a lot to equalize things for the students who were pretty average, the ones whose grades really varied based on the teaching ability of their instructors but for the most part those who really understood things had high enough scores on the mid-term and final exams the professors gave out that they could swing an A or a B+ based on their performance on those multiple choice tests. The real downside and what was horribly shitty for me as a teacher was I had to give some students who clearly would have been the brightest in some other sections (with bad teachers, for example) Bs instead of the A I thought they deserved because they weren't the cream of the crop in my group of 30-45 students. It was a shame and I would often take effort and the product of personal conversations into account but some people (I'm looking at the pre-med students here) were completely obnoxious about how they deserved an A and they wouldn't get into med school if I gave them a B.\n\nFor me personally, it meant very few people got As because I didn't think many of my students deserved Ds or Fs. There were always enough students who stopped coming to class or just did nothing at all so I could give them Fs and give the one or two really bright kids As but mostly people got grades in the low B (B, B-) range. \n\nTL;DR - sometimes grades are given on a curve to even out the effect of having good teachers and shitty teachers covering the same material.",
"I went to one of the best engineering schools in the country. If there weren't a curve, nobody would graduate. The tests aren't about validating what you know. It's about identifying what you don't know. If the majority of students fail a specific subject area on the test, professors know to focus on that in future lectures. In this fashion the quality of education actually improves and there's no need to ding students for an unnecessarily difficult question - especially when the test is on a subject like thermodynamics where acceptable methods can yield different answers based on how many factors you take into consideration. ",
"each test is unique and individual and therefore, statistically it is almost impossible to determine a level of ability by simply setting a test. Yes, I know this sounds counterintuitive.\n\nWhat tends *not* to vary so much is the *average* level of attainment of a large cohort of pupils who have received similar input (tuition). This will typically form a normal distribution curve.\n\nTherefore, when setting a threshold, you take one large cohort of students and give them all the same test. Overlay the scores against a normal distribution curve and this will tell you where the 'pass' mark should be. on one test this may be 40%, on another it could be 60%. Standard deviations are used to determine grades within the curve.\n\nThis system provides fairly accurate benchmarks. To get the most accurate and 'fair' results for an individual you need to repeat this exercise with the same cohort and different tests multiple times. We tend not to do this as it adds too much stress to the student and detracts from teaching time (nobody learns anything by sitting a test).\n\n\n*source: school principal\nEdit - typos",
"I took a class where the class average was 21/100. The top student got a 47. When a good percentage are comfortably making A's it indicates a lack of rigor in the class. It is also highly useful in professional training where you want to identify the superstars in order to give them better opportunities - these students might get lost in the crowd of high achievers if you weren't trying to winnow out the best.\n\nEdit: The purpose of the curve is to let the competent but not magnificent students through while still identifying the magnificent, useful especially in classes with hundreds of students.",
"The high school mind set \"their goal is to make me learn\" doesn't apply. Curving grades is NOT supposed to make you learn, it's supposed to give you a way of comparing yourself to others and thus elucidate what you should revise, assuming you WANT to do so. How it works was in depth explained by other redditors.",
"Realistically, it's not possible for average test takers to master EVERYTHING. This is why most standardized tests are raw scores (actual % of correct marks) that are converted by some process into a score grade, or...your score is converted into a percentile/quartile ranking which compares your score vs everyone else who also took the exam at the same time. ",
"College student here. I'd say its best we leave questions like these unanswered. I'm just happy to pass. A curve you say? No complaints from me. ",
"The theory I've heard on this is that if everyone does poorly on the test, the test was poorly made.",
"I'm not a teacher or anything but once my high school teacher told me that he gave a curve because it was a way of making sure he was doing his job. \nIf some kids failed, it was because the teacher failed to hold their attention, make the material interesting, reach out to the students, etc. So the curve was compensation. \nHe said the by the end of the year, if the curve average had gone down, that means he had made progress and the progress was evident in the students' curve, which he recorded. ",
"Having a curve in a class or on a test is way to truly test students on their knowledge. If a student gets 100% on a test you may not have challenge them enough or tested them fully on their knowledge of a subject.",
"I think it's a terrible practice, and one that I never followed when teaching university and graduate courses.\n\nMany of my colleagues would construct tests that were very difficult, and required a very high level of intelligence to be able to figure out the correct answer to the hardest problems during the limited time of the test. I felt this was very bad practice - after all, the most complex problems we face in real-life virtually never depend on getting the answer correct in a single hour. \n\nInstead, I defined upfront **very clearly** what the students were expected to know. I taught the material that enabled the students to understand what I expected them to know, and this is exactly what I tested. I would be fine with giving every single student an A - indicating that each student mastered exactly what was expected of them. Note: This never actually happened. \n\nWhen I wanted to test more creative thinking, I'd do so by assigning a project for the course and/or a take-home test that the students would complete over a period of several days/weeks. This, of course, would require independent research, argument formation, and, frequently, data gathering and interpretation. This is how the real world works in science and business.",
"You need to remember that the exams are written by instructors each semester, and instructors are human. They may think their students really grasped a particular concept but the exam is the only real test, and at most schools there are several instructors of the same class and they all teach differently. The average for my calc 3 exam 1 this semester was 55. They wrote too difficult an exam. \nNow, this could be intentional and that's fine, so students see what they were expected to know and what they should really review to move on to higher level courses. However, if the average is below passing on every exam, nobody passes! So of course they will need to curve the grades to account for the exams being too difficult, which when done right will produce a much more even spread . Those who really weren't prepared for an exam of any difficulty will still fail, and those who had a reasonable understanding of the material will get the grade they deserve for knowing an acceptable percentage of what they actually need to know to pass the course.",
"It actually makes students study harder. Not only do they have to do well, they have to do better than the other students",
"In addition to other comments here, curving the grade can help eliminate \"bad\" questions on tests. Let's face it, sometimes we word things weirdly. What we're trying to ask may not come across to a student. One way to combat this is to grade each test, marking down which questions were right and wrong on a tally to see how the class did overall on each question, and tossing questions that a majority of the class got wrong as either \"bad\" or \"untaught\". Curving, while it doesn't have quite the same effect, can help adjust for those low-performance questions quickly, without the extra paperwork involved.",
"If you make a test where 100% is achievable then it's possible that two or more people will score the same 100%, but who's better? If you make the tests super hard and then curve it's more likely to show separation. ",
"Long Answer: \n\nIt's because the variance of knowledge is much higher for certain fields, and it's frequently difficult to assess skills properly because of that. Tests shouldn't be if you can get all of the answers right (some people are bad test takers, might have mis-read a question). It's about gauging total understanding in a field, and being evaluated on that basis. It also permits for evaluating a group of students if knowledge is skewed. If you have half the class getting 100% and several failing, then it's arguable that your test was too easy, since some of the kids fail no matter what. If you had a mean around a 60% with a few kids getting in the 90s, then you'd be better able to clarify how much the students learned, and then still give A's to however many you'd want. But even in a class of bright students, I'd rather have a mean of a 50 on an exam and give half my students A's then have half my students get 100% and then get A's. Unless you're amazingly smart you won't learn all the material, you will get a few questions wrong. That's the idea. You're meant to be challenged. But even with super difficult tests, it can still be challenging since sometimes you can have a situation where half of the class would get in the 90s or 100 no matter how difficult, and then it becomes a problem with bimodal distributions. \n\nShort Answer:\n\nAsians.",
"To me there are two folds to this. Is the goal of the test to differentiate students or to validate whether or not the students are competent in what they were taught. \n\nThe prior requires a good degree of separation, in the shape of a bell curve, appropriately challenging students will draw out this bell curve, differentiating the best from the average from the worst. This risk of this is that the exam is too challenging, and students are penalized by receiving an undeservingly low grade. Curving the exam allows instructors to challenge the students without the risk of jeopardizing their grades. Best example of a differentiation test: SATS, Weed out courses in college, HKCEE, HKAL, where there is a quota for acceptance at the next level, differentiation must be applied, ability to curve the test scores allows the instructor to challenge students, and differentiate.\n\nHowever, absolute scoring is a better system when the goal of the test is to validate the competence of the students in achieving the educational goal set out by the instructor. An example would be an intro history course for non history majors. There is no need for differentiation between students, as long as all the students meet the bar set out by the instructor, they all deserve an A. \n\nIn short, the test is to show what each student deserves. The ranking in the class (if appropriate or needed) and the grade the student deserves. Ability to curve the test allows both to be achieved if needed. ",
"Or have my teacher that just gives insanely hard tests and doesn't curve. Class average is a 52%?\n\n\"You all did great!\" \n\n75% of the class fails.",
"I don't think a lot of students really know the true definition or the mathematics involved in a normally distribution of grades, aka curve. A lot students say 'curve', but are really inquiring whether they will receive a horizontal shift, aka free points. \n",
"In my fluid mechanics class once we all bombed the exam except for one guy who sat in the front row. He got a 100% so the professor said he would not grade on a curve. He wouldn't treat it as an outlier.\n\nYears later that perfect student shot his wife in the head.\n\nTrue story bro. ",
"Our professor (Biochemistry) curved our test because it was the first time he had administered this exam. None of the class was able to finish the exam, and it enabled him to gauge how we have learned and how he should plan future exams.",
"I had a Physics class one time where the professor spoke so low no one could hear or understand her. Rumor was she had a stroke a few year back. Anyhow, the exams were so old they vaguely matched what she was teaching. I was getting like 60's and 70's, but got an A in the class.",
"My father was a math professor. I asked him once if he curved tests, and he said, \"No.\"\n\n\nI asked, \"But what if everyone fails a test?\n\n\n\"Then I write 25 F's down in my grade book. The math isn't any harder now than when I learned it.\"\n\nHe went on to say that if he did curve, he would take the square root of each grade and multiply it by 10, though.",
"Can I ask you a different question than everyone else? Why do you think 90-100% means \"A\"? I had a high school class where 80-90% was A, and the teacher saw himself as a failure if anyone got over 90, because that was the system at his British system. If 50% of kids get 95%+, then the teacher doesn't learn what kids do and do not learn. Our grading system is already arbitrary, but the curve makes it FAR LESS arbitrary.",
"As a former engineer student, my biggest problem with curving is that it discourage working together among students. Since if you help someone getting higher score than you in assignment/test, you could be shooting yourself since the curve will put you in a lower grade.\n\nThat is of course an absolutely fucking terrible attitude for any engineer student to have. Unfortunately I know this sentiment start to come in for a lot of students.",
"My understanding is that it's to assess whether or not the professor's teaching is effective or not. For example, if the majority of the students were to get around a 70% on a test, that reflects on the teacher meaning they were ineffective in teaching the material. This way, the students get a fair and appropriate grade that is reflective on the efficiency of the professor's teaching.",
"I teach architectural design at the graduate level. A big part of the reason I grade on a curve is, like many people here have said, it ensures that the problem assigned or the way I am teaching don't negatively affect all the students in my course. The other reason is that what we are doing is very difficult by design. I don't expect anyone to ace the course, if they aren't struggling I dial it up. The point being to teach you the things you need to survive out in the real world where there are no do overs or extra credit and where your work is probably going to outlive you and will impact the daily lives of thousands of people for better or worse. After you land your first job the only thing I've done for you that matters is teach you to always improve, rise to a challenge, not run, and have pride in the substance of your work. Grades are frankly meaningless, that's why professors grade on a curve. ",
"As someone who has written tests for a college-level course, it is *very* hard to write a test at the perfect difficulty so that there is a good distribution of those in the 90-100 range, 80-90, 70-80, etc. So I write a test that leans a bit on the hard side, and curve it. If everyone does well, or if everyone falls within a narrow margin, I'm not going to force students into the C range though just to satisfy a curve. But it usually comes out to a good curvable distribution."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"ratemyprofessor.com"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
3iyowg | why is it so much cheaper to have apparel goods manufactured overseas vs domestic shops? | I mean things such as t-shirts, jackets, hats. The price from a typical sweatshirt here vs a manufacturing shop overseas. Why is that? When lots of apparel companies use the same type of shops then sell us the parties marked up 1000 percent. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3iyowg/eli5why_is_it_so_much_cheaper_to_have_apparel/ | {
"a_id": [
"cukt8gi",
"cuktatl"
],
"score": [
7,
4
],
"text": [
"Because what factories pay a worker in a third-world country is far less than a unionized textile worker will make in the United States.",
"Firstly, the manufacturing process is much cheaper overseas for a number of reason. Mainly it all is based on labor. Salaries are lower, so farming the plants and animals used to make the cloth is cheaper, converting the plant and animal materials into leather or cloth is cheaper, converting that cheaper cloth and leather into clothing becomes cheaper. All of these savings add up to a considerably cheaper production cost.\n\nOverall, it is cheaper to make it in the third world and ship it via cargo container on a freight ship to where they're selling it, than to make it domestically. Companies are fundamentally amoral (neither good nor evil), so they seek out every advantage they can. \n\nAll of these companies mark their prices up so much because they can. Demand is high enough that they can charge you the amount they do and you are still willing to pay that price for that product. If they charge less, they'll sell out too fast; charge too much and they won't sell enough."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
8e0bfy | how formalin conserves, preserves and fixes organic tissues | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8e0bfy/eli5_how_formalin_conserves_preserves_and_fixes/ | {
"a_id": [
"dxrgafp",
"dxrgiiw"
],
"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"The technical name is formaldehyde.\n\nFormaldehyde is toxic because it forms \"cross links\" aka \"adducts\" with both proteins and DNA. That is, forming chemical bridges between nearby protein chains , DNA helices, or both. This deactivates these important molecules. So formaldehyde acts to sterilize items.\n\nThis includes proteins and DNA in microorganisms that might otherwise cause decomposition. \n\nBecause formaldehyde is a small, light molecule, it can easily pass through cell membranes in tissues in the body.\n\nIn the context of it's use as a preservative, the cross links also stabilizes sensitive tissues like brain or liver samples. The cross links change the consistency of the tissue to be preserved, making it firmer.\n\nIn small amounts, these cross links can be reversed by specialized enzymes in the body. Indeed, small amounts of formaldehyde are produced by a number of chemical processes in the body. For example, the breakdown of alcohol.",
"It does a few things. As far as fixing goes, the main function is that it crosslinks amino groups on proteins to other nitrogen containing groups by forming -CH2- linkages. This \"links\" all of the DNA (N containing bases), proteins, etc in the cell to form an extremely stable molecular structure. Really gross fact but that's why dead bodies embalmed in formaldehyde have unusually tough skin. It also inhibits enzymes in the tissue that break down proteins and autolyse cells. Finally, formaldehyde is toxic to bacteria. Fixing in formaldehyde will kill any microorganisms present and prevent bacteria from contaminating your sample. Also, like I said it crosslinks nitrogen containing groups, so it can damage/destroy viruses as well (this really applies to vaccines since any virus in fixed sample can't replicate as the cells aren't replicating anymore anyway). Hope this helps!"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
6u6mey | how does pain dissipate so quickly after the initial shock? | For example, i got a scratch today which stung badly for about 20 seconds before it stopped hurting completely. the scratch was still there and starting to bleed, so obviously the damage hasn't be healed, but what actually happens to the nerves that cause the pain to stop being felt? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6u6mey/eli5_how_does_pain_dissipate_so_quickly_after_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"dlqe3p8",
"dlrr0x7"
],
"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"The pain was in response to the act of getting scratched. After that, the damage is already done, so the nerves will only register pain if you touch the wound or get another injury.",
"The body also releases endorphins, a sort of natural opioid, to combat the pain.\n\n_URL_0_"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://altered-states.net/barry/newsletter260/"
]
] |
|
6mmxen | why does water expand when it becomes solid even though particles in solids are closer together? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6mmxen/eli5_why_does_water_expand_when_it_becomes_solid/ | {
"a_id": [
"dk2q6f3",
"dk2q7mx",
"dk3r36u"
],
"score": [
15,
3,
2
],
"text": [
"It's the shape of the molecules that Ice is made of that cause this. Water molecules are a little 'free-flowy' but ice molecules make a ridge shape with lots of open space, so they expand.",
"Water forms a lattice structure as it freezes into ice, leaving a relatively large amount of space between the molecules and causing it to expand.",
"Water actually has about a dozen different crystal phases (technically: \" Allotropes\") most are only stable at high pressures and low temperatures. That is, ways that water molecules can arrange themselves to form a solid lattice structure.\n\nThis is the same thing as how pure carbon can take on several forms, graphite sheets, diamond, hollow soccer ball shapes, and long thin \"nano-tubes.\"\n\nMost of water's allotropes are actually denser than liquid water.\n\nIt's really just an odd quirk that the crystal arrangement that is most stable at high temps and low pressure, has large gap between the molecules. This makes it less dense."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
nto4u | why is cutting spending to balance a budget during recession a bad thing? | I've read several posts referring to the GOP approach to cutting spending during the current US Recession as a bad thing when attempting to balance the budget.... why is this? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/nto4u/eli5_why_is_cutting_spending_to_balance_a_budget/ | {
"a_id": [
"c3buhuw",
"c3bvix1",
"c3bvpc5",
"c3bvuou",
"c3buhuw",
"c3bvix1",
"c3bvpc5",
"c3bvuou"
],
"score": [
7,
2,
5,
4,
7,
2,
5,
4
],
"text": [
"Cutting spending can mean more indirect methods of balancing the budget - in addition to eliminating direct government expenditures, tax breaks, various subsidies, and incentive programs have been targeted.\n\nWhat this ultimately does is reduce aggregate demand levels and stalls economic growth. The government, like it or not, pours enormous amounts of money into the economy, and it would be disastrous to reduce this in a recession, where demand levels are already below optimal levels.",
"Gross domestic product (GDP) is a common economic indicator, or something that the news like to talk about.\n\n > GDP = Consumption+ Government Spending + Investment + Net Export.\n\nSo in our current situation where Consumption (C) and Investment (I) is pretty low, if we cut government spending our GDP will take a further hit. Also, there's a ripple effect after the cuts where it further lower C and I.",
"Soup lines getting long? Better start cutting back on the soup!\n\nIt should be more along the lines of:\n\nSoup lines getting long? Better start finding a way to help people that doesn't ensure more people will be homeless.",
"The big Keynesian fear is a deflation spiral. Try [wikipedia's](_URL_0_) entry on the subject.",
"Cutting spending can mean more indirect methods of balancing the budget - in addition to eliminating direct government expenditures, tax breaks, various subsidies, and incentive programs have been targeted.\n\nWhat this ultimately does is reduce aggregate demand levels and stalls economic growth. The government, like it or not, pours enormous amounts of money into the economy, and it would be disastrous to reduce this in a recession, where demand levels are already below optimal levels.",
"Gross domestic product (GDP) is a common economic indicator, or something that the news like to talk about.\n\n > GDP = Consumption+ Government Spending + Investment + Net Export.\n\nSo in our current situation where Consumption (C) and Investment (I) is pretty low, if we cut government spending our GDP will take a further hit. Also, there's a ripple effect after the cuts where it further lower C and I.",
"Soup lines getting long? Better start cutting back on the soup!\n\nIt should be more along the lines of:\n\nSoup lines getting long? Better start finding a way to help people that doesn't ensure more people will be homeless.",
"The big Keynesian fear is a deflation spiral. Try [wikipedia's](_URL_0_) entry on the subject."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflation#Deflationary_spiral"
],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflation#Deflationary_spiral"
]
] |
|
ebx0ic | why can icicles form on power lines, even though the current running through them should be strong enough to melt them? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/ebx0ic/eli5_why_can_icicles_form_on_power_lines_even/ | {
"a_id": [
"fb7ot9i",
"fb7ow0q",
"fb7p7k3",
"fb7p8w9",
"fb7pfma"
],
"score": [
5,
2,
2,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Electricity 9nly creates heat if there is a lot of electric resistance. If there was a lot of electric resistance in power lines not only would they heat up the surroundings a lot people wouldn't get any power. So the labels have very little electric resistance. Try touching your average power cable after for example using your PC the whole day the kable will be just as warm as it's surroundings.",
"Power lines are made with thick wires and use high voltage to limit the energy lost as heat on the way to homes and businesses.",
"It depends on the current though the lines, the size of the lines and the insulation on them. It can for example be possible for burglers to identify unocupied houses by looking at the amount of ice on the power lines. If a house is not occupied it will use less power and the lines will be cooler and can therefore collect more ice. It is also common to see new high voltage power lines have more snow and ice on them as the power company have invested in heavier guage wires and more insulation then the old ones. They will also fly around the lines with heat cameras to identify spots in the wire where there is a bad connection or were strands in the wire have broken as these spots will be hotter then the rest, it can also be possible to see these as areas without snow and ice even though the wires around the area is covered in ice.",
"Actually, power lines don't have very large currents running through them. Instead, they use very high voltage to transmit the large amount of power. Since watts=volts x amps you can transmit 1 million watts at 500,000 volts and just two amps, instead of 120 volts and 8300 amps. There is a good reason to use high voltage and low amps: it cuts down on losses due to heating, which would not just melt ice but cost money in lost power. Power line losses can be figured as I^2 R or the square of the amps times the resistance in the wire, so clearly you want the least current possible thus high voltage.",
"The electricity isn't really doing anything in those wires except passing through, that's why birds can sit on them and not get electrocuted. \n\nWhen hot wire A and neutral wire B get to the destination and start doing some work, THAT is when things heat up. And even then, if the wires are large enough, they won't really heat up. Only undersized (i.e. overworked) wires tend to heat up."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
3rq3a9 | why is america constantly freaking out about healthy lifestyles and the obesity epidemic, but then crucifying people for fat shaming and not having fat models, actors, actresses, etc.? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3rq3a9/eli5_why_is_america_constantly_freaking_out_about/ | {
"a_id": [
"cwqby22",
"cwqc1fl"
],
"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"America is a massive country with lots of people. Unlike some groups *cough* reddit *cough*, these people do not agree on everything and have varied opinions.",
"Probably the same person criticizing fat shaming isn't the same one designing ads and casting models/films? There is more than one person in US, you did know that, no?"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
g36kl7 | why do children and teens grow in spurts or bursts, rather than continuously? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/g36kl7/eli5_why_do_children_and_teens_grow_in_spurts_or/ | {
"a_id": [
"fnpjs9n",
"fnpmb0s",
"fnprqw8",
"fnq47qv",
"fnqhofh",
"fnqixnf",
"fnr898r",
"fnrwhhz",
"fns2f7q",
"fns7drc",
"fnsfeiu"
],
"score": [
55,
5370,
483,
4,
7,
24,
2,
2,
2,
3,
4
],
"text": [
"I think you are confused.\n\nChildren do indeed grow continuously, with growth spurts being a \"sometimes\" indecent. Toddlers can have growth spurts, and even people who are older can get them. My brother hit a major one about a year and a half ago, now he almost as tall as me. He was 22 at the time.\n\nGrowth spurts happen when your body (doesn't always know if its the right time, mind you. This is why we get aches and pains during them) pumps excess hormones and energy to your system to help you go through the natural process of puberty, which alone makes you grow. With both things working side by side, you get these very noticeable spots of growth, getting called growth spurts, even though they are normal and don't happen *often* (often in terms of your entire development into an adult. Happens much more often in terms of your early development i.e Teens and children.)\n\nNow, for the why. We really don't know the exact reason why out bodies do this. But most tend to believe it has to do with how your body needs to adapt to your environment, and trying to get you as physically fit to defend ones self, since humans are born defenseless/helpless unlike a lot of other animals.",
"Hormones. \n\n\nGrowth Hormone is released in cycles, you get bursts of it during sleep, so kids growing up overnight is actually kind of true. \n\n\nGrowth hormone secretion is also increased by a number of other factors, most notably from testosterone and estrogen, which are increased during puberty. Other causes of increased growth hormone would be eating (insulin and glucagon both increase growth hormone), and exercise.\n\n\nBut like someone else already said: these things are occurring pretty consistently (that growth hormone increase is occurring every night), so the 'bursts' we see are probably just our own perception when we see that someone's grown an inch and we hadn't realized it.",
"Few of these answers address the \"why\" component, so I'll give this a shot. Biological anthropologists have debated this for quite a long time and it's an interesting concept because very few other animals have similar periods of slow growth followed by \"growth spurts\".\n\nYou're right that growth is punctuated in humans. Humans undergo rapid growth until around the age of 4, then much slower growth until around the age of 12 when humans undergo a period of rapid growth for a few years before growth gradually slows to a stop (usually around age 20). The best explanation for this has to do with brain development. Kids have big heads, and your brain is basically done growing (about 90% done) by the time overall growth slows around age 5. Brain growth isn't everything, though. It's just a lump of meat until you train it. The period of slow growth is hypothesized to give you a long window to learn things without needing the same amount of resources as an adult. In groups where this occurs, you'd have smaller, immature kids running around who are easier to feed until they're smart enough to be sort of useful at which point they grow into full-sized adults.\n\nThe ELI5 version is, kids are stupid and it's easier to teach them stuff when they're small. Keeping them small a little longer is advantageous in the long run.\n\nEdited to add: the ages I've cited are approximate. They vary by sex, nutritional status, stochastic variation, and a bunch of other factors. Your mileage may vary, but the overall pattern of an adolescent growth spurt is a human universal which occurs in all populations. It seems to be hardwired in.",
"One possibility is that the hormones associated with growth inhibit other necessary processes, such as the immune system. \n\nFor example the hormones associated with wakefulness/alertness, such as cortisol and adrenaline, can and do suppress the immune system, but the immune system is allowed to activate during sleep and clear infections. Anabolic hormones like testosterone also suppress the immune system, so the body drops its testosterone levels when there’s an infection. It could be that the body would end up neglecting other really vital processes if it was growing all the time. \n\nI saw the Netflix documentary featuring the scientist who found that babies measured weekly grow at a steady rate but measuring daily reveals a surge in growth one day of the week and little growth on the other days. I’m thinking that might be what this question is about. \n\nNow imagine that these growth hormones deflect energy from the immune system during the time it’s supposed to be most active: at night. Would it be better to weaken the immune system a little bit every day, or allow it to be highly active for 6 days a week and take a little bit of a break on the 7th day when there’s a surge of bone growth? \n\nIf an undetected infection started building on one day, the immune system could play catch-up the next day. The infection wouldn’t have a chance to get very far. And of course a baby’s body could easily just skip its little growth spurt for the week if it’s actively sick. \n\nThis could work with other processes too: digestion, mental activity, physical activity, etc. If a baby loses its ability to absorb nutrients as well on the day it’s growing—and it needs those nutrients to grow—then it’s pretty obvious why it would have to shut that process off to stock up on protein and calories until the next spurt.\n\nI don’t know the exact answer for you or even if the exact answer is known to science at all, but this sort of balancing priorities is the reason why living organisms in general have a lot of cyclical processes.",
"Insulin-like growth factors I and II are regulated by Growth Hormone. Their action on a wide variety of body tissues and cell types control coordinated growth throughout life. They also explain the difference in size between tea cup and standard poodles (and other animals of course such as fish). It is the combined effects of pulsatile GH release and IGF action that controls growth spurts. Source: my Ph.D thesis.",
"It's not well understood. In short, it's likely that you evolved in such a way as to accumulate resources (fat/minerals/vitamins) during slow-growth periods that are then consumed to fuel fast-growth periods. If you grew too fast all the time, you wouldn't naturally have enough food to sustain the growth and you might waste energy resources producing growth hormones at a time when your body simply doesn't have the resources to do anything about it. Sustained food availability is something the human species didn't have until maybe 100 years ago.",
"As the puberty hits growth hormones are released thes hormones will cause sudden increase in length of bones(specially long bones ie. Arms and legs).therefore many teens just after puberty body shape looks somewhat disproportionate",
"This is to be a very broad scope explanation. Biologically, it would be energy inefficient to undergo both a continuous and explosive growth period. That means a constant source of high energy food, and water to hydrolyze all those reactions. Instead you see spurts of activity above the mean. The current pattern is what worked for our species. Other modus operandi were weeded out through natural selection.",
"The number of people straight up arguing about this like it's a semi-friendly debate with just a smidgen of veiled hostility is equal parts humorous and exasperating with just a dash of nauseating thrown in.",
"There are two different things that are both called \"growth spurts\".\n\n1) children have months where they grow significantly faster than others.\n\n2) if you zoom in and measure height each day, you find that the growth is [really only happening on a subset of days](_URL_0_).\n\nThe former may be explained by bursts of hormones, and the latter is not well understood.",
"I see you phrased your question as a why, not a how. Very well done, though it's much trickier to answer. \n\nGrowing in spurts is not unique to humans. It's actually how almost all organisms grow during development, so this question is much broader than human biology. Why should any organism grow in spurts vs continuously? The answer is related to 1 food uncertainty, and 2 the benefits of regulation.\n\n1. If food comes in discontinuous spurts, it is best to concentrate growth (resource intensive) during the times food is most abundant/secure. This is why plants with seasonal access to light only grow in that season, and why tropical plants grow nearly continuously (though still a difference between night and day growth rate).\n\n2. Regulation of growth is good in general because it is one of the most complex things an organism can do. Growth has the highest potential for things to go wrong, grow out of control, or grow incompletely. Any one of your 35 trillion cells could start growing uncontrollably if just the right failure in regulation occurs. It then follows that you would want to limit growth only to the places and times it must occur to prevent cancers or other failures that become more likely when every cell in the body is allowed to grow continuously."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/10/30/growing-up-overnight/744a0019-b235-438b-b572-790ce2e4784e/"
],
[]
] |
||
6zkxgb | why do some people have the inability to float in water? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6zkxgb/eli5_why_do_some_people_have_the_inability_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"dmw2jx7",
"dmw2olm",
"dmw2yte",
"dmw3xhj"
],
"score": [
3,
2,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"You may have hard that humans are made up of mostly water. About two thirds is the ballpark. That neither helps you sink or float since there's no difference to the surrounding water, so it's up to the remaining one third to determine if you can float. \n\nIf you've ever made soup you know that soup bones sink, meat/muscle sinks, and fat rises to the top, air and bubbles also rise to the top, which explains why having a lungful of air helps you float. If the floaty bits outweigh the sinky bits, you'll tend to float. Someone who's all muscle, or all skin (leather, by itself doesn't float) and bones will tend to sink.\n",
"(Physics lover here)\n\nEssentially, the reason we can float at all is that when we spread our weight out, the buoyant force from the water is greater than the weight of our body on the water. However, if there's not enough surface area to allow the pressure to push up on your body, you will sink. I think that some people simply cannot stretch out enough to float while simultaneously keeping their head above the water. While the average human density is 985 kg/m^3 compared with water's 1000 kg/m^3, some people are above that average, pushing them over that 1000 kg/m^3 limit. As a result, it doesn't matter what they do - they will not float. \n\nHope this answers your question!",
"It's a matter of bone density (can be heavier or lighter than water), muscle mass (heavier than water), and fat content (lighter than water). People that exercise a lot tend to have denser bones, more muscle, and less fat - so they are denser than water and will sink.\n\nSince there's a number of factors there, you can't automatically blame someone being good at floating on their fat content (though in some cases it's painfully obvious).",
"why are some people different?"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
uvtk3 | every night the same question! why do most electric fans start on high? | Every fan I have ever owned goes from off, high, medium, low. Why? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/uvtk3/every_night_the_same_question_why_do_most/ | {
"a_id": [
"c4z04xo"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"_URL_0_\n\nLinking the thread so credit goes where it is due"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/oh89i/eli5_why_every_fan_ive_ever_seen_has_the_speed/"
]
] |
|
32e25w | is there a possible way to speed up the process of ridding a location of radiation? for example, after a nuclear accident such as in japan or at chernobyl. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/32e25w/eli5_is_there_a_possible_way_to_speed_up_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"cqacbry",
"cqacc88",
"cqaevtj",
"cqafw16"
],
"score": [
3,
7,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"It's important to understand the difference between radiation (energetic rays and particles) and contamination (finely divided bits of material that emit radiation). Radiation is going to occur as long as contamination is present, until said contamination decays. Can contamination be removed? Yes. It's just very expensive.",
"We do not have any process to cause radioactive materials to decay faster. \n\nThat means the best we can do is try to either seal it up, or move it somewhere else then seal it up. One way is to use certain types of plants which like to absorb radioactive materials. It makes the plants radioactive, but it sucks the radioactive material out of the soil. Then you move the plants to a facility somewhere else. \n\nIf we had the ability to make radioactive materials break down faster, we would be using it to get rid of the spent fuel. ",
"I'm pretty sure they've made some advances using mushrooms to clean up some of it. here's an article _URL_0_",
"You can remove the loose radioactive materials that are emitting radiation and move them elsewhere, as [the hazmat crews in Japan did with a special gel](_URL_0_).\n\nAside from that there's no way to make the radioactive materials non-radioactive except to let it decay naturally."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"http://discovermagazine.com/2013/julyaug/13-mushrooms-clean-up-oil-spills-nuclear-meltdowns-and-human-health"
],
[
"http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-05/cleaning-japans-radioactive-mess-novel-new-blue-goo"
]
] |
||
1uccjr | why do you have to tell yourself to chew(or anything else), but you don't have to tell yourself to breathe? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1uccjr/eli5why_do_you_have_to_tell_yourself_to_chewor/ | {
"a_id": [
"cegm5sm",
"cegpb8b"
],
"score": [
7,
3
],
"text": [
"You need to breathe literally **all the time**. You only need to chew for a maximum of an hour a day, generally much less. If you had to consciously breathe or beat your heart, then that would add extra strain to your cognitive power and reduce the amount of things you could do at once.",
"Thanks for making me go into \"Manual Breathing mode\" ... cunt "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
690p8f | why kid's remedies taste good, while adult's remedies taste so bad? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/690p8f/eli5_why_kids_remedies_taste_good_while_adults/ | {
"a_id": [
"dh2qyxj"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"They add sugar and flavorings so you can get the fussy brats to take them for their own good.\n\nAdults understand why it is important to take medicine and are mature enough to put up with a little bad taste."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
5ia18k | why is kayne west such a controversial figure ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5ia18k/eli5why_is_kayne_west_such_a_controversial_figure/ | {
"a_id": [
"db6jdj1",
"db6kjom"
],
"score": [
8,
4
],
"text": [
"Guy who occasionally makes amazing music regards himself as a much bigger figure than he actually is because he says that's the type of mindset an artist needs to have.",
"Kanye West is controversial because enough people view him as erratic enough to ask why he's so controversial. Besides people's unwavering interest in celebrities, he's just a narcissistic drama queen, whom I suspect has extreme delusions of grandeur, and he just happens to have a lot of people's attention.\n\nHumans are weird with or without people watching them"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
1gklys | why does a circuit need to be connected to ground in order to work? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1gklys/eli5_why_does_a_circuit_need_to_be_connected_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"cal4lww"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"First of all: electrical engineers will use the term *ground* for electrical connections to the soil ([example](_URL_0_)), but also for a return path of electricity that is *not* connected to the earth in any way (e.g. in your mobile phone).\n\nThe first one is not required for a circuit, but improves the safety of electrical appliances at home. The second one (return path) however is necessary because electrical energy or current is just a movement of electrons. Electrons are not \"used up\" in a circuit, but move from a place where there are many of them (e.g. minus electrode of a battery) to a place where only a few electrons are.\n\nSo in a simple circuit electrons would enter e.g. a lightbulb through one wire, doing their thing in the filament (i.e. making it glow brightly) and then leave through the second wire."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/HomeEarthRodAustralia1.jpg"
]
] |
||
3e69vw | how is a cpu heatsink more effective than just having a fan blow straight over the surface of the chip? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3e69vw/eli5_how_is_a_cpu_heatsink_more_effective_than/ | {
"a_id": [
"ctbvzsv",
"ctbw1ha",
"ctbxxxf"
],
"score": [
5,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Air is not a very good heat conductor. The heat sink \"fixes\" that by transferring the heat from the CPU to a bigger surface (which is why it has ribs). \n\nAlso [search, damn it!](_URL_0_)",
"In short, the purpose of a heat sink is create a larger surface area that is in contact with the cooling mechanism, i.e. air, water etc. This translates into more efficient cooling than just the chip itself, which has a much smaller surface area.",
"A little bit of an ELI10 answer\n\nImagine the heat generated by the CPU to be represented by a stream of cars.\n\nAir conducts very badly and can be seen as a narrow one lane dirt road where all the cars have to drive on. Putting a fan on the CPU might upgrade the road to asphalt and make the cars drive away faster but its still a narrow one lane road.\n\nNow imagine a heatsink being an efficient highway system where there are many off ramps to the same one way road (air) however when the cars leave the CPU they first get to drive on this fast high efficient highway before taking one of the many off ramps. This way the cars can leave the CPU quickly and then spread themselves thin throughout the various off ramps. This way more cars can leave the CPU quicker, this less of a traffic jam (heat build up) at the CPU, this a lower temperature CPU.\n\nIt should also be noted that because a heatsink is much larger than the CPU head the heat is also dissipated onto more roads. (Since a larger volume of air comes I'm contact with the heatsink) \n\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/search?q=heatsink&restrict_sr=on"
],
[],
[]
] |
||
2dkr7k | when concerts sell out in 10 minutes why doesn't the artist just book a bigger venue so more people can come? | Concerts will sell out within minutes for big artists performing at a small venue. Why don't they just play at a bigger one so more people can come. They'd be selling more tickets so it seems like a win win. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2dkr7k/eli5_when_concerts_sell_out_in_10_minutes_why/ | {
"a_id": [
"cjqew29",
"cjqf05q",
"cjqfuwo"
],
"score": [
4,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Most of the time they are playing at the largest venue in the area. ",
"Ignoring the issue of the costs involved of breaking the contract with the venue, transferring tickets from one venue to another, and informing tens of thousands of people of a venue change, there are other issues. Venues are booked FAR before tickets are available to the public. Often times, the venue they get is the biggest and/or best one available to those acts. Changing would many times be impossible to do due to other events occurring on the same day. Even if there isn't another event that day, those other venues may be setting up for a future event, and hosting a concert may not give them enough time to set up for that event.",
"*Usually* musicians need to play to shows of [18,000 people or more](_URL_0_) to actually turn a profit, otherwise they're likely to just break even when all the costs (such as travel and lodging) are factored in, or possibly even lose money if they don't sell enough tickets (regardless of the venue size). When popular musicians play at a small venue, even though they would most likely be able to sell enough tickets to fill up a larger venue, it's because the venue is actually paying them a flat-rate to perform there, rather than a figure based on ticket sales. This is pretty unusual however because most small venues can't afford to pay a popular musician enough to compete with the potential revenue they'd generate from ticket sales at a larger venue. Of course, changing venues would also mean breaking contracts, which could incur additional costs as well."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/04/07/134851302/the-concert-ticket-food-chain-where-your-money-goes"
]
] |
|
3n9iyw | why is everyone stepping down from their positions in government? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3n9iyw/eli5_why_is_everyone_stepping_down_from_their/ | {
"a_id": [
"cvm1n75"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Could you be more specific? From what I can see \"everyone\" isn't."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
3ljq1q | how do developed countries deal with government corruption very well? how do these governments' differ with third-world countries who struggle with it? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ljq1q/eli5_how_do_developed_countries_deal_with/ | {
"a_id": [
"cv6v3dp",
"cv6vnaf",
"cv6xkwh",
"cv70zo8",
"cv7ov7y",
"cv7sasq"
],
"score": [
10,
3,
40,
10,
3,
2
],
"text": [
"They can pay their officials better, and they have the wealth to afford large numbers of police, lawyers and investigators. ",
"They don't. There are very corrupt developed nations. It's cultural. If everyone buys into the system it keeps happening",
"The developed countries used to suffer from huge corruption, and many of the changes in their political evolution over the last few hundred years have been made with the aim of preventing and controlling it. Before it came to be seen as a good thing in itself, democracy was a way to prevent high officials corruptly misusing their positions. Many of the day-to-day features of the developed countries and their governments are there wholly or partly to prevent corruption. This isn't just law enforcement, it's things like the rules by which civil servants are appointed (on the basis of ability not connections); external audits of government spending; appeal courts; transparency about government decisions etc. \n\nThere are also some features that tend to make countries more or less corrupt: inequality breeds corruption - its' no coincidence that the Nordic countries have the lowest levels of both corruption and inequality. Welfare systems and social safety nets also help prevent corruption, because government officals aren't expected to look after their extended family. And secrecy and complexity both encourage corruption: it's easier to get away with it if people can't see or understand what you're doing. One of the big drivers of corruption is where the government gets its revenue. If the government takes it from the population in taxes, then people hold them to account about how it's spent. But if the government takes it from oil or mining companies in as a fee for extracting natural resources, then there's no accountability for what they do with the cash. \n\n Lots of developing countries have never developed the government systems that prevent corruption. They're poor, with high levels of inequality and no social safety nets, no transparency and no auditors, so governments can get away with huge corruption. In many countries it's become a deeply embedded part of the culture, and it's reflected in how poorly the public sector is paid: you might be expected to \"buy\" a job by paying off your boss, and then make the money back by extracting bribes from everyone who uses the service that you're supposed to provide for free. ",
"In the United States our solution was to make corruption legal and call it lobbying. It's working out really great so far.............",
"So it's important to understand what causes corruption. A huge portion of the world inherits it's legal system from Spain, France, Britain, Portugal or some combination thereof. So it's not that those legal systems are inherently corrupting, since not all of them are corrupt. \n\nCorruption comes about when something is worth substantially more than it costs. If I offered you 5 dollars for whatever device you typed your question on, you'd say no- obviously it's worth more than 5 dollars so that's nonsense. If I offered you 5 million many people would try and interject and offer me theirs, they'd trip over themselves to get a piece of that 5 million dollars. Because you'd be a fool not to take the 5 million, and then spend 500 or whatever of it to replace the thing I gave you. \n\nNow lets extend this to more complex systems. Lets say your country produces 1 million barrels of oil or a million tonnes of iron or something. Those are traded on the world market, and they have a value people will pay to get it. But the average worker say gets 5 dollars a day or 2 dollars or something, the average politician 20 000 (for example). So your company and mine both want in on this oil/iron/etc. We know we can produce it for a tiny fraction of the market value, and since labour is cheap there's no point in paying more. But what we need is to be *allowed* to do so. So... you offer a local politician 100k, I offer him 200k. He takes the 200k, and now lets my company in to extract millions of dollars in stuff. But the politician I bribed, well he has a boss, the boss sees him getting something, and wants a cut - now the guy I paid off has 100k, and his boss 100k. Now they want to go buy TV's. But TV's are regulated, and you need to wait 6 months to buy a license. No problem, they'll just slip the regulator at the booth an extra 1000 dollars to let them jump to the front of the line. Then that guys boss wants a cut etc.\n\nSo why do countries have corruption? Because there's no easy way to combat it once it becomes pervasive. No one can be the guy who doesn't take bribes because that's the only way you have enough money to pay all the bribes you need to pay to do anything. \n\nIf you look at the US and europe, corruption is mostly limited to the top. Big companies pay off officials (directly or indirectly) for favourable laws or deals. Congressmen make many times more money working in the private sector than government, so they write laws or behave in a way that sets themselves up for a big payout when they're done. But once you get away from the very top levels of decision making people are mostly paid pretty close to what they are worth (and sometimes too much). \n\nThe problem is that the political optics of paying politicians what they are worth is really hard. If, rather than paying the guy mining the oil/iron/etc. 2 dollars a day you paid him 20, or 200, there wouldn't be any money left to pay bribes with, and his taxes would fund a better government service that would pay people more money etc. But he has no negotiating power to demand that money, because there is an oversupply of labour willing to do his job.\n\nOther things factor into corruption too. Secrecy and illiteracy are tremendously powerful tools. It allows a literate elite to work basically in a separate country within a country, where the vast illiterate (or uninformed) peasant masses have no idea what's really happening, and any gains in the value of their labour can be siphoned off for the informed rich. That's sounds more conspiracy theorist than it really is - most chinese or indian farmers have no idea how the leaders of those countries live, if they don't have TV and can't read they're nearly completely uninformed. But times are changing (in both places), a literate populace, and informed media and you start to see pushback. \n\nThe way you combat corruption is paying people what they are actually worth, transparency (so people know where the money is going and how it's being spent), and giving workers the ability to demand what they are worth. But those only go so far, because in the end, if everyone is corrupt it's just a giant tax evasion scheme, and you need people to want to be honest and to pay taxes, because if they don't want to, they'll work really hard to avoid it. ",
"Another point: Developed countries have high literacy rates so common people are more aware of their rights and less likely to be easily exploited. In developing countries it is not so. \n\nFor example: it will be very difficult for someone to hire people below minimum wage in Europe in Bangladesh not so much."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
2pa5w9 | how my flight from melbourne to dubai took 16 hours but my flight from doha to melbourne takes 13? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2pa5w9/eli5_how_my_flight_from_melbourne_to_dubai_took/ | {
"a_id": [
"cmuqdg0",
"cmuqfd1"
],
"score": [
5,
2
],
"text": [
"I belive it actually has to do with the jet-stream, which is a layer of air that is moving at several hundred miles per hour relative to the surface, but in a more objective sense, this air is not moving (much) with the earth's rotation.\n\nThis makes west-to-east air travel more efficient and faster than east-to-west air travel because of the difference in air resistance from the jet stream.",
"Depending on the high altitude jet streams a plane can fly significantly faster if it follows them. \n\nHappened to me when i took a 6hour flight one way but only 4,5hours back. (It was north- south soo earth rotation was not responsible) \n\nSource: asked a flight attendant"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
6y2kvk | why does our eye colour gets darker when we're tired? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6y2kvk/eli5_why_does_our_eye_colour_gets_darker_when/ | {
"a_id": [
"dmk78qd"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"It doesn't. It's possible for your pupils to dilate (get larger) when you're tired, and that can make your eyes appear darker because your pupils are black and taking up proportionately more space. In general, your pupils dilate more when the light is dimmer (when you're especially sleepy, you might not be opening your eyes all the way, which will make the light effectively dimmer). They can also dilate when you're experiencing strong emotions, like disgust, sexual attraction, or general interest."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
8habd5 | why were spartans especially the warriors considered laconic? and in what ways did this effect their speech/social etiquette? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8habd5/eli5_why_were_spartans_especially_the_warriors/ | {
"a_id": [
"dyi86x4"
],
"score": [
22
],
"text": [
"Just a quick point of order - The Spartans would have called themselves Lacedaemonians. The word Laconic is from that word. So Spartans talked laconically because speaking laconically meant speaking like someone from Lacedaemonia aka Sparta.\n\nIt was a cultural expectation that Spartan men spoke with as few words as possible, and it lent them a certain blunt and witty reputation. Basically they were really good at one-liners."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
404mul | how do images get "picked" to be on the front page of a search? | Recently noticed how the Nazi flag comes up when searching Comcast.... how does something like this happen? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/404mul/eli5_how_do_images_get_picked_to_be_on_the_front/ | {
"a_id": [
"cyrg1yk"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"The exact algorithms that each company uses are closely guarded trade secrets.\n\nTypically they have a program that sifts through the web and tries to find associations between words and images. They also have a way of recognizing images that are very similar to one another (both Google and Microsoft have had winning entries in the annual large-scale image recognition competition in the past two years, so you know that they have a lot of effort that goes into that). The entire field of study is machine learning, and typically the algorithms aren't coded as manually as most computer algorithms—humans set up the basic structure of the algorithm but then the algorithm learns the difficult parts by being exposed to massive amounts of data.\n\nIf an image constantly shows up with a certain word then it's likely that that is the image is related to that word. The one instance of a nazi flag showing up for Comcast that I can see is [this](_URL_0_) Reddit post from /r/circlejerk. Looking at the comments it's pretty obvious how a learning algorithm would think that the image is actually COMCAST. Reddit is a pretty popular site so it winds up ranked pretty highly in the results, especially if the person searching is a redditor (as both you and I are). "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/circlejerk/comments/2wqfxf/til_that_comcast_was_a_company_created_by_hitler/"
]
] |
|
8wph0c | the little ball you hear banging around inside a spray can. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8wph0c/eli5_the_little_ball_you_hear_banging_around/ | {
"a_id": [
"e1xe2ny",
"e1xee1n"
],
"score": [
4,
3
],
"text": [
"It bounces around and agitates the contents of the can more than just the stuff inside would. It isn't always necessary but some more difficult materials such as paint benefit from the extra agitation.",
"It is a marble or ball bearing that is used to agitate and mix the content of the can. This is important for things like spray paint which can separate over time. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
2vy4uz | between the usa and the uk, what's the difference between how much freedom each other has? | Freedom of speech, press etc..What are Americans allowed to say that British people can't? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2vy4uz/eli5_between_the_usa_and_the_uk_whats_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"colwxhc",
"colx0dy"
],
"score": [
4,
3
],
"text": [
"According to Reporters without Borders, in terms of Freedom of the press, the USA ranks below the UK. Source : _URL_0_\n\nThough in practice the difference is surely not noticeable in everyday life and from an average person's point of view.\n\nI'm don't live in the US or the UK btw, I'm French and American though (dual citizen, living in France). I imagine as well that in other freedoms, the difference is pretty negligible for everyday life. I mean there are certainly more restrictions for say, gun ownership for example, in the UK than in most US states. There are surely freedoms denied in the US that are allowed in the UK. I'm thinking the UK can sell some raw milk cheeses (forgot the term in English), whereas that's banned in the US (I know that as a Frenchman. In the US you can't get the really good Camembert cheese :p - it has to be Pasteurized or something). \n\nBut in everyday life, the level of freedom in the US and in EU countries and other Western European countries is pretty much the same.\n\n",
"For starters, if you post a racist rant on Facebook, you will face legal penalties in the UK but not in the US. So that is one example of a difference in freedom.\n\nYou can own guns without a license in the United States, so that's another freedom you might have. But some would argue that you have a greater freedom in the UK to not get shot than you do in the US, since there are a lot fewer guns around in the UK. \n\nThose are a few differences I can think of off the top of my head."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://index.rsf.org/#!/"
],
[]
] |
|
3sbs4w | why don't they make quaaludes any more? | They seem to be well liked. I'm assuming with all the designer drugs being produced today by relative amateurs that it's possible. They can't be any more dangerous than bath salts or alligator or whatever other insane drugs that are around. Why are they not made/widely available. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3sbs4w/eli5_why_dont_they_make_quaaludes_any_more/ | {
"a_id": [
"cwvspxp",
"cwvv03n"
],
"score": [
4,
2
],
"text": [
"They do. \n\n > Methaqualone (sold under the brand name Quaalude) is one of the most commonly used recreational drugs in South Africa.[13][14] It is also popular elsewhere in Africa and in India.[14] Commonly known as Mandrax, M-pills, buttons, or smarties, a mixture of crushed mandrax and cannabis is smoked, usually through a smoking pipe made from the neck of a broken bottle.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nIn the US it was a \"big pharma\" product that got outlawed. So the main source was a legal one, and it shut down. It was made in underground factory in Mexico for a while but as it became unpopular the mass manufacture became not economically viable. So those factories shut down as well. ",
"Pharmaceuticals don't stay on the market because people enjoy them, they're on the market because they effectively treat medical conditions.\n\nBenzodiazepines are less addictive, less likely to be abused & more versatile - ranging from fast acting sedatives like Xanax to mild, slow acting ones like Klonopin. They've pushed out most other drugs in the category for widespread use.\n\nQuaaludes were popular because they were easy to get & cheap. Once you start relying on underground chemists to make them, you have to ask yourself \"what else could I be buying that would be more fun?\""
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methaqualone#Recreational"
],
[]
] |
|
8n0nbb | why songs do clips ? | Sorry if this is already answered, I could not find it.
It would seem that most people listen a music for the music, and the clip is almost useless, but lots of musics have a LOT of money thrown at them. Why is that ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8n0nbb/eli5_why_songs_do_clips/ | {
"a_id": [
"dzrtv07",
"dzrutwr"
],
"score": [
2,
6
],
"text": [
"Do you mean music videos?",
"Many reasons:\n\nThis is America, from Childish Gambino, for example; the music video compliments the message of the song a whole lot. Without it, IMO, the song would lose a lot of its meaning and wouldn't be close to as impactful as it is. So, it's an useful tool to SHOW a message rather than just tell\n\nMusic \\(and artists\\) are products. Showing a video helps sell it. It increases the entertainment value, adds to the visual image of an artist, makes him more recognizable. Kind of like a commercial for a product or a strong logo\n\nGives the listener something to do \\(or rather, to wach\\) besides just \"standing\" there listening to the music. Also makes it more adequate to, say, TV \\(has a video rather than just get a blank screen or the artist's photograph while the song plays\\)\n\nTL,DR: Can help to show a message, adds value to an artist, makes it easier for the public to know the artist, increases entertainment, SELLS MORE"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
mdsmo | okay, maybe i'm a little slow in comprehending all of this at once but ... can someone further explain this protect ip act deal? is the passing of this bill even a legitimate possibility? | I've read about it and watched the video in [this link](_URL_0_) and [this link](_URL_3_). I've even skimmed through [this reddit topic](_URL_2_) about it and, well... some of the information and discussions were a bit overwhelming and the concept itself just seems unreal... and a little concerning, might I add.
From my simple-minded understanding of all this, the PROTECT IP Act basically states that the government has the right to access and remove *any* website that are used for pirating, like youtube, soundcloud, tumblr, etc, or essentially any website that could be misconstrued as a pirating center...
So, my next question is... would that not be considered similar to censorship?
~~And why are the numbers of signatures [as seen here](_URL_1_) is still so low if it's as outrageous as it seems? (At this time which is 8:17pm UTC-5, it looks like it's about to hit 20k signatures. It needs 100k.)~~ (edit: number in signatures have boosted up quite a bit)
Edit: Thanks for the replies! That's some crazy stuff. It also looks like this issue's popped up everywhere since today is "American Censorship Day" and, well, haha, I think I get the picture now. Thanks for keeping me better well informed, reddit! | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/mdsmo/eli5_okay_maybe_im_a_little_slow_in_comprehending/ | {
"a_id": [
"c304czw",
"c308421",
"c304czw",
"c308421"
],
"score": [
7,
5,
7,
5
],
"text": [
"It is censorship. It is really The Great Firewall of USA. ",
"The scary part of the bill is that the copyright companies would be in charge of the internet. They would have the power to shutdown any site they wanted, and it would be the responsibility of the **site** to prove that they were justly obeying the \"rules of the internet\" not the copyright company's responsibility to prove they were violating them. Most start up companies could not afford to go through such a judicial scandal as many new companies don't turn profits for 3-7 years after starting (citation needed). This would give the copyright company to stop competing start up companies without judicial consent. \n\nTL;DR: It gives copyright companies a monopoly over the internet.",
"It is censorship. It is really The Great Firewall of USA. ",
"The scary part of the bill is that the copyright companies would be in charge of the internet. They would have the power to shutdown any site they wanted, and it would be the responsibility of the **site** to prove that they were justly obeying the \"rules of the internet\" not the copyright company's responsibility to prove they were violating them. Most start up companies could not afford to go through such a judicial scandal as many new companies don't turn profits for 3-7 years after starting (citation needed). This would give the copyright company to stop competing start up companies without judicial consent. \n\nTL;DR: It gives copyright companies a monopoly over the internet."
]
} | [] | [
"http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa/",
"http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-internet-control-bill-now",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/lx27b/reddit_this_is_important_and_deserves_your/",
"http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-internet-control-bill-now"
] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
3t8hiq | why does local news look so much shittier than national news? | Sometimes I see national news interviews with local correspondents on (what I assume) are local affiliate's studios, and the resolution looks much cleaner & overall more professional.
If the main difference is cameras, graphics, & sets, aren't these all "one time expenses" that these stations can afford?
Edit: words | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3t8hiq/eli5_why_does_local_news_look_so_much_shittier/ | {
"a_id": [
"cx40afr"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
" National news shows are watched by millions of people, so their budget is simply much much higher. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2ws8bf | how can tattoo artists make designs based on copy righted characters such as simpsons, video games, etc? | I mean I've seen some impressive cool ones, but I know a lot of them are still covered by copyright laws. Even for modern games like Portal and the like.
| explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2ws8bf/eli5how_can_tattoo_artists_make_designs_based_on/ | {
"a_id": [
"cotmiyg",
"cotmx3g"
],
"score": [
11,
5
],
"text": [
"They aren't supposed to (at least not without paying for a license from the rights owner), but it's not a realistic goal for the copyright owners to stop them.",
"The thing is...\n\n1. Would you pay all that money suing every tattoo artist who ever *drew* a picture of something you own? Because there are things like fair use and artistic interpretation clauses that would make a lawsuit...possible to loose. Then you become \"the douche bag who....\" and no one wants that publicity.\n\n2. And it's a free (for you anyways) way to have your image put out there. Tattoos are cool and eye catching and some well drawn image of your whatever is likely to bring in some form of positive publicity, which no one is gonna object to. \n\n3. Most tattoos are \"I want things drawn on my arm\" not \"I really like this thing... can you draw their logo on my chest?\" So it's entirely possible that the artists doesn't actually know what the image belongs to, just that is pretty and they're going to be paid. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
30ftog | the houthi rebellion in yemen | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/30ftog/eli5_the_houthi_rebellion_in_yemen/ | {
"a_id": [
"cps264j"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Yemen was a divided nation for many decades and was only recently unified. Saudi Arabia was strongly against its unification - it is the only meaningful nation-state on the Arabian peninsula besides Saudi Arabia and it's on the Red Sea side of the peninsula not that far from Mecca and Medina.\n\nThe Houthi are shi'a Islamists. They represent tribes predominantly from the northern part of Yemen.\n\nThe national government of Yemen was lead after unification by a classic middle eastern strongman. In the Arab Spring of 2011-2012, popular uprisings forced him from power. An international agreement with various parties allowed him to remain in Yemen even after leaving office. He retains ties to tribal forces and some portions of the military.\n\nThe Houthis moved north out of their traditional strongholds, defeated the forces of the national army, took the capital of San'a, and are now moving further south towards the coast and the rich city of Aden. They claim that they are acting because of the threat of al-Qaida in Yemen, and the US military presence that has been in Yemen fighting the al-Qaida forces.\n\nThe portions of Yemen that they are now moving into are Sunni Islamist. The Saudis, who are also Sunni, believe (with some cause) that the Houthis are a proxy force for the Shi'a regime in Iran. The Saudis believe it is a vital matter of their national security that Iranian proxies don't become entrenched in Yemen and so the Saudis have begun military attacks on Houthi strongpoints to degrade their military abilities. The Saudis claim that the displaced leader of Yemen has requested their help but since fleeing Aden recently he has not appeared in public.\n\nThe old, deposed leader of Yemen waits in the wings to see if the opportunity could open to see his return to power. The Houthis are trying to become the legitimate government of Yemen. The displaced current leader is begging for help from 3rd parties. The Saudis and Iranians are locked in a proxy war."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
6lvk2b | how long do nerves damaged from a minor injury take to heal/regrow? | I accidentally stabbed myself in the palm while attempting to remove the pit from an avocado 6 days ago. The wound is deep but not wide. It is healing fairly well so far although I still have some pain. The tips of two fingers are still numb.
The doctor said the nerves take as long as toenails to regrow but I'm not sure exactly what that means. Does the nerve need to regrow from where it was potentially cut to the tips of my fingers?
What else can I do to help the process along? Foods to eat? Vitamins to take? Exercises to do? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6lvk2b/eli5_how_long_do_nerves_damaged_from_a_minor/ | {
"a_id": [
"djx5pza"
],
"score": [
6
],
"text": [
"Since this is ELI5 and we are not doctors, you need to let this forum be the beginning of your research not the end of it. Nerve regeneration is serious business, and if your doctor does not explain it well enough to you then you need to find a doctor that will. Take what you read here with a grain of salt:\n\nThe regeneration of nerves is possible, but it is nothing like the regeneration of normal body tissue. Some nerves can grow back slowly while others never fully repair themselves. Nutritionally speaking your body needs all of the nutrients it can get, but particularly Vitamin E, B6, B12, and Omega-3 fatty acids for nerve regrowth. Vitamins are not magic. Your body needs to be well nourished all-around any time there is major healing to do.\n\nBest wishes for a full recovery and please keep seeing a doctor.\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
4fcqjy | how exactly do air pockets work underwater? | Like when you pull an empty bucket and pull it underwater but water doesnt go in | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4fcqjy/eli5how_exactly_do_air_pockets_work_underwater/ | {
"a_id": [
"d27ou32",
"d27tptz"
],
"score": [
2,
21
],
"text": [
"Air is lighter than water, so if you have a pocket or space that the only opening is at the bottom, and is full of air, the air stays inside because it can't displace the heavier water beneath it.",
"It works the same way (but the opposite direction) as a bucket of water does in air. \n\nWith a bucket of water in air, the water wants to go down, but can't get past the sides of the bucket without going up or tipping the bucket. Air can't fill the bucket because the water is in the way.\n\nWith a bucket of air in water, the air wants to go up but it can't get around the sides of the bucket without going down. Water can't fill the bucket because it's full of air.\n\nSide note:\n\nOne difference is that you can easily squeeze air and make it smaller (like you can with a sponge). So the water will squeeze the air and get in the bucket a little bit. Water is very difficult to squeeze, so the water level won't move with air pushing to get in."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
cu9iri | how does penis implants work? | Can somebody explain to me how Penis Implants work? I saw this on Dr Miami doing a video of this. So how exactly does this work? What does the implant do? How does it change from when a penis is erect and when its not? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cu9iri/eli5how_does_penis_implants_work/ | {
"a_id": [
"exsldgw"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Most of these penis things don't actually \"work\" and just gives you marginal if any changes"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
cma8rr | why does putting moisturiser on sunburn sting so much? isn't it good for the skin? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cma8rr/eli5_why_does_putting_moisturiser_on_sunburn/ | {
"a_id": [
"ew0w3cf",
"ew0x8y2",
"ew0xfl5",
"ew1crzo"
],
"score": [
2,
6,
2,
3
],
"text": [
"A sunburn is severely damaged skin and a moisturiser is designed to sit on the top of healthy skin not to enter damaged or dying skin.",
"Massage is good for muscles, too; but doing to them when they're sprained is going to hurt. Sunburn is a type of injury, and sometimes, even beneficial therapies are going to be painful.",
"when your skin gets burnt, think of it as a well done piece of meat, you’re not going to throw seasonings/spices/marinades on it when it’s all dried up. it won’t absorb it as well. we marinade meats before they get cooked boiii",
"Sunburn has been damaged by ionizing radiation from the sun (UV), the DNA and other cell structures are damaged. You cannot un-damage it. Eventually, your body tells the damaged cells to kill themselves so they don't become cancerous and then the dead layer peals off.\n\nIf applying lotion doesn't feel good to you, don't do it. All the vitamin E/Aloe stuff is just to sooth the pain or make the peeling, dead skin less flakey."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
6f989j | why is depression so prevalent in the west, europe, russia, and other prevalent 1st world countries, but virtually non-existent in underdeveloped nations? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6f989j/eli5_why_is_depression_so_prevalent_in_the_west/ | {
"a_id": [
"digeeg3"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"The premise is unjustified. Underdeveloped nations usually don't have the medical resources to treat or even diagnose psychological problems, and their cultures typically are not aware of them or else strongly discourage people from acknowledging them because they're considered \"weakness\" rather than illness.\n\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
b6ulzy | what is the middle class that important to an economy? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b6ulzy/eli5_what_is_the_middle_class_that_important_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"ejn6sbz",
"ejn7bp9",
"ejn9scb",
"ejnda3a",
"ejniouc"
],
"score": [
12,
2,
10,
6,
3
],
"text": [
"They are the people that spend the majority of the money. When the middle class suffers it results in them spending less, which results in businesses hiring less people due to the downturn in revenue, which results in the middle class having less money. Before you know it the economy collapses. ",
"The dirty poor need something to aspire to. The filthy rich need someone to get their hands dirty making the things the rich want and need.\n\nThe middle class is important politically since the elite can pit the poor and middle against each other so the rioters dont go after the rich.",
"Lets say you are middle class.\n\nYou make X dollars, you spend Y on general things like food, toilet paper, books and video games so you can enjoy your time off, mebbe a car, you go to the bar with your buddies every so often.\n\nNow your uber rich boss who owns amazon makes X times 10,000,000 dollars.\n\nHe doesn't spend Y times 10 million dollars on food and TP though. He'll buy nicer stuff than you sure, but not 10 million nicer. \n\nThis is important because money is only good for an economy when its doing something. If you shove cash under your mattress it just sits there, but if you go out and spend that money on a book, you paid at least in part for;\n\nThe cashier who sold it to you, the staff who clean the store, the rent on the store, but truck driver who delivered the book, the publisher who printed it, and the author who wrote it.\n\nAnd all those people ALSO spend their X dollars on Y stuff, and it all goes around and around and around.\n\nBut if wages shrink, and I can barely afford to feed myself, I stop buying books, and the money I stop spending on that also effects everybody else in the chain.\n\nThat's what inflation is for. Money gets worth less over time, so simply holding onto your money is always a bad idea. You might as well invest it in something, because doing nothing with it just makes it slowly go away.",
"The poor don't have money to spend, and the rich don't spend all their money. The middle class circulates more money around from person to person than anyone else. ",
"Ideally the middle class would control the majority of capital within the country. This is wealth, property, land, everything, not just cash. Because the middle class control this, they have the incentive to protect it. \n\nGrowth of the middle class is very important, as by controlling the wealth they generate profit. Even a poorer middle class person is a net producer and they are economically self-sufficient; they manage their own finances, control their own labour, and they are a producer of capital. If they are injured, in medical care, or temporarily out of employment they still overwhelmingly produce more capital and thus resources than they used during their period of dependancy. \n\nPresently the middle class is shrinking in High Income Countries and growing in Low Income Countries. This is because we (HICs) have many economic problems that we haven't found seamless solutions to yet - namely controlling inflation without becoming a regulated economy - whereas LICs are growing because they are developing countries—it's a hell of a lot easier and cheaper and by far more profitable to build ten factories in Cambodia and make shoes for Nike than it is to do the exact same thing in the US. \n\nA large middle class is a balance on society by keeping the majority of capital within the country within the control of the largest group of people. A small middle class is very bad because you'd have the majority of capital controlled by a very small group of people. Again note that capital and wealth are different concepts; the super rich do indeed control the majority of wealth, but they do not control the majority of capital. When you have a very small group of people controlling the majority of property, land, industry, and people within the country then very bad things tend to happen.\n\nEdit: generally when people and politicians talk about expanding the middle class they mean reducing the barriers that are preventing people from being economically self-sufficient. Hot issues are payday loans in the UK, healthcare in the US, and taxes pretty much everywhere—it's just a basic rule that taxation is necessary for a functioning state but a bad tax policy causes a lot more harm than good and the tax rate and what is being taxed has to be constantly adjusted to match necessity. In return the middle class is the cheapest demographic on the taxpayer (because they are financially independent they are not on social security, food stamps, provisional healthcare, etc.) and they also pay the most tax because they are the producers of capital and there is also simply more middle class people than all other social classes combined. Therefore expanding the middle class means getting people independent of state services and thus expenses, making it cheaper to run the country and invest money in other things like infrastructure. \n\nTL;DR: the middle class is not dependant on the state or state services, they are financially independent and are the movers and shakers within the country. They are the cheapest demographic for the state to maintain and they make the state a lot of money, and they can almost always do their own thing—even big nanny states don't have any need to intervene or regulate the middle class because these people are educated enough to know what they are doing and controls on their labour and liberties tend to cause a lot more problems than they solve. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
8sjdj9 | why is disney allowed to merge with all of these other big companies, most recently 21st century, and not suffer from monopoly laws? | Just off the top of my head, they own Marvel, Lucasfilm, 21 Century, ESPN, ABC. How is this not considered monopolization in the eyes of the law? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8sjdj9/eli5_why_is_disney_allowed_to_merge_with_all_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"e0ztggb",
"e0ztk84",
"e0zwwyx",
"e0zxonk",
"e0zyqk4",
"e10b34u",
"e10waoc"
],
"score": [
6,
48,
2,
21,
7,
5,
4
],
"text": [
"A monopoly is when a single business has no meaningful competition in their market, allowing them to essentially dictate the entire market. As big as Disney is, there are still other studios that compete with it.",
"Monopolization is, generally speaking, when you control all (or a substantial portion) of a _market_ or _industry_. Standard Oil was a monopoly because they controlled almost all of the oil industry; Microsoft was thought to be a monopoly because they controled 90% of the PC OS market.\n\nDisney, even as big as they may be, controls only a tiny fraction of the entertainment industry. There are many, many other companies producing entertainment, so they are not where near the level of market share you'd need to think of them as a monopoly.",
"It is not considered a monopolization in the eyes of the law because they still do not hold a significant majority of the industry and still have significant competition. ",
"Your mom owns all the grapefruit in the house, your dad all the oranges, you have the bananas, and your siblings each have control of the lemons and limes. You, as the holder of bananas can chose to merge with anybody you want, up to two people. So you merge with your dad and a sibling. Now you three control oranges, bananas, and lemons. However, each of those four groups can only merge with one more group, unless you are the third. Why? Even though you now have 3/5s ownership of ALL THE FRUIT IN YOUR HOUSE, you DO NOT have 3/5s ownership on the CITRUS. ",
"Just owning a lot of properties doesn't make a monopoly, especially if they're in different categories.\n\nSure, they own ESPN and ABC, but there are still Comcast SportsNet, NBC, CBS, etc. to compete with them on buying broadcast rights to sports and airing sports. If they owned enough of the market that they could set the prices for TV rights to sports single-handedly and also use that power to coerce even higher rates form advertisers, cable subscribers, etc. then it might be viewed as a monopoly. But a company making comic book movies, children's cartoons and airing basketball doesn't make it a monopoly.\n\nAlso, laws look differently at the importance of a category and of the broader category. They view a company like Disney as entertainment, competing with music, live theater, movies, TV, video games, books, etc. So even if they have a large stake in the film industry, the overall stake in entertainment isn't gigantic. And they look harder at something that is of critical importance like oil or food than at discretionary things like entertainment.",
"While a lot of people are pointing out that they Disney is not anywhere near a literal \"monopoly\", where they would control the vast majority of *all* media, it's also worth noting that we are at the end of decades of relaxation on the rules about how big a company can *be*.\n\nWhen there is a law in the way of a big company getting bigger, they will start talking to people who are in office, or running for office. If they find someone who's willing to work on removing that law in exchange for massive contributions to their campaigns, then they'll strike a deal. Usually the corporation doesn't care about any of the other positions the person they're working with is for, as long as they're willing to push for the corporation's interests in the places they've agreed to in exchange for lots and lots of money for their election campaigns. You want to legislate killing everyone with the letter J in their name? Sure, go right ahead with that, just as long as you take down these pesky laws that say we can't get bigger and make more money.\n\nThere used to be laws about the maximum amount anyone could contribute to a candidate, and strong restrictions on how much money corporations could contribute, but lots of these laws have been removed or neutered over the years, as have many other laws that stand in the way of corporations turning anything and everything into profit for their shareholders, regardless of the cost to the world around them.\n\nTL;DR: big companies with a ton of money have been pouring that money into the election campaigns of politicians who will change the rules in their favor for a very long time.",
"I’m so sick of this. Disney isn’t even a monopoly when it comes to theme parks, let alone the entertainment industry. \n\nThis is a typical Disney film slate for a given year...\n\n2x Pixar\n3x Marvel\n1x Star Wars\n1x Disney Animation\n1x Disney Live Action\n2x Prestige Pictures\nGive or take a few.\n\nDisney hasn’t released 18 or more films in a calendar year since 2009. That’s, on average, less than 1.5 films per month for a decade... and they’re dominating! \n\nThey make fewer films than most other studios. It just so happens that the films they make are typically pretty damn good and beloved. That’s why they make all the money. \n\nDisney and Apple are VERY similar. Make a few things really well, and let the cash come rolling in. And neither of them control enough market share to be considered a monopoly. SUCCESS IN THE FORM OF REVENUE IS NOT THE SAME AS MARKET SHARE. \n\nSony/Universal/WB are more like all the other tech companies that don’t have strong identities/reputations. The ones that try everything just to see what works. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
3snm83 | why do fifa games' name have next year instead of the current year? fifa 2016 in 2015 | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3snm83/eli5why_do_fifa_games_name_have_next_year_instead/ | {
"a_id": [
"cwyti7g",
"cwyu9q8",
"cwyx5vp"
],
"score": [
10,
3,
2
],
"text": [
"Because it coincides with the ending of the year. It would make non sense to call it FIFA 2015 when the year is nearly over. Guinness Book of Records does this too and WWE. Also, It's to cash in on Christmas. They could release them in January but they'ed be missing out on potential profits so it makes business sense to release them during the run up to Christmas. ",
"They come out towards the end of 2015, calling it 2015 and getting it for christmas (one week before 2016) for example, just sounds bad. There is no greater reason behind it, except that when they want to sell it in 2016, \"FIFA 2015\" doesn't sell as well.",
"Football seasons run through the year, often starting in August/September and ending around May the following year. To ensure that there is a viable way to differenciate between seasons they are numbered with the start year and end year.\n\nThe current season (ending in 2016) is the 2015/16 season while last year would be 2014/15. Fifa use the year END as the marker so Fifa 16 represents the 15/16 season as it's the only way to make sense of it as the \"football year\" does not run from January to December as previously mentioned\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
4gors0 | if the andromeda galaxy is roughly 220,000 light years in diameter, how can we know what it actually looks like at any given moment? (since the light from the far end is 220,000 years behind the light at the closer end) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4gors0/eli5_if_the_andromeda_galaxy_is_roughly_220000/ | {
"a_id": [
"d2jct7m",
"d2jegqr",
"d2jjym7",
"d2jo8j1",
"d2k2tkz"
],
"score": [
119,
22,
45,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Because 220,000 years is not very long in terms of the time it takes stars to move much relative to the whole galaxy. It is something like 0.1% of the rotation time of the galaxy arms. So the light from one end and the other are not off by much.\n\nSo, the farthest point is about 0.1% off of the closest point in terms of what they actually are compared to what they look like.",
"How do you know what a car truly looks like, if the light from the hood is arriving 3 nanoseconds before light from the trunk? \nAll reality comes at you this way, slightly delayed by how far it is. The good news is, light is so fast that it mostly doesn't affect perceptions because the scale of the delay matches the scale of the thing. ",
"Scale. The movement of the star is too minor on the scale of the size of the galaxy. Let's assume the following: \n\n* Andromeda is 220,000 light years across\n\n* Stars can move up to 500 km per second\n\n* Light moves at 300,000 km per second\n\n* Thus, stars can move upwards of 0.17% of light speed.\n\nGiven that, in the time it take light from a star to cross Andromeda (220,000 ly), the star itself may have moved up to 360 ly.\n\nLook at [this image](_URL_0_). See that little tiny almost invisible speck I'm pointing to on the right? That's the entire movement of a star in the time it takes light to cross from the far side of Andromeda to the closer side. That's how much our picture is off.\n\nIt's not zero, but it's not significant to the overall shape of the galaxy.",
"You wouldn't happen to be a shrimp shack shooter would you?",
"What other people are saying about the 200K years delay being too small to make much difference is beside the point (though perhaps good to know). After all, the same delay would make a \"significant difference\" for any phenomenon that's sufficiently temporary or sufficiently fast moving relative the others. I think a better answer is that your question is implicitly ambiguous -- what does \"actually look like\" mean? The delay from one end to the other is actual, and the intuitive instantaneousness of everyday objections simply doesn't apply to cosmologically large objects. Every understanding we can have of cosmologically large objects must be skewed in time. You can imagine \"turning back the clock\" on the nearer portions, or turning forward the clock on the farther portions, but why is this more \"actual\" than how it looks from Earth? In either case, there is no \"now\" to imagine how it \"should\" look.\n\nAnother point is that, as someone brought up, this temporal skewing happens for all objects, even small ones, and while it doesn't practically matter that your understanding of the far end of a building is a few nanoseconds skewed from the near end, it does matter on small enough scales, say if you wanted to understand how light from one end might cohere or interfere with light from the other, or if you wanted to conduct a LIGO type experiment. There is no \"actual\" that's different from these \"distorted\" perceptions; the \"distortion\" *is* how (the two ends of) objects exist relative to each other."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"https://i.imgur.com/JTgLtah.png"
],
[],
[]
] |
||
4gxaeb | gyroscopic procession | Hi Y'all.
I've been watching the Smarter Every Day videos about how helicopters work. I understand that to pitch a helicopter forward, you have to pitch the blade and increase lift when the blade is on the side, 90 degrees before the blade is where it will be when you want the pitch to take effect. I understand this is because the blades act like a gyroscope, and any force applied to them will take effect 90 degrees out of phase, but why is this? What is it about a gyroscope that causes everything to get bent 90 degrees? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4gxaeb/eli5_gyroscopic_procession/ | {
"a_id": [
"d2ljwhx"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Gyroscopes have angular momentum. To change angular momentum, one must apply a torque, because the rate of change of angular momentum (it's time derivative to be specific) is equal to the torque acting on the system. Gyroscopic precession occurs when the force acting on the gyroscope is not in line with its rotational axis (like when it is tilted because gravity points down). The torque is then the force times the radius the force is applied at times the sin of the angle between the force and the radius. As you said, the \"force\" (actually the torque) acting on the system is perpendicular to both the force and the angular momentum. So the precession goes in the direction of this torque. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2p7dr6 | how does acupunture work | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2p7dr6/eli5_how_does_acupunture_work/ | {
"a_id": [
"cmu0mp2"
],
"score": [
9
],
"text": [
"Broadly speaking, there's actually no scientific reason to think that it works at all. In particular, the idea of 'energy meridians' has been thoroughly debunked over the years.\n\nThe best thing we can say about acupuncture right now is that there is a *possibility* that needle insertion *might* have *some* degree of efficacy for a *very* small range of pain and nausea-related ailments. But even this is all highly uncertain."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
3ftwdo | what happens to my brain when my "mind goes blank"? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ftwdo/eli5_what_happens_to_my_brain_when_my_mind_goes/ | {
"a_id": [
"cts2d84"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"I'm assuming you mean during a test or when responding to a question you know the answer of, but all of the sudden can't remember. \n\nFrom what I've been told, your brain is attempting to be efficient in finding the answer. To maintain efficiency, it ignores things it thinks are unimportant. Occasionally, that unimportant thing is what you're looking for. Because your brain marks it as useless, you don't see it. \n\nSource: My science teacher"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
3o7i9p | why is it that the swiss can have an assault rifle in every home and in every shop but lacks the gun violence endemic to america? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3o7i9p/eli5_why_is_it_that_the_swiss_can_have_an_assault/ | {
"a_id": [
"cvuoq6a",
"cvuoqdq",
"cvuosnz",
"cvup5mn",
"cvuq55e",
"cvurw2s",
"cvusa0t",
"cvuus87",
"cvuwv4t"
],
"score": [
41,
58,
41,
10,
3,
3,
3,
5,
7
],
"text": [
"Very hard to obtain ammunition, low unemployment rate, high overall wealth, highly educated population.",
"The US is a totally different situation. Switzerland is a small, wealthy country. We have more complex demographics and social problems here.\n\nIf you took all the wealthy or middle class Americans and moved them all into a single area, it would be similar to there. \n\nYou can't really compare the two in that sense but it is obvious that most gun crime is a result of poverty and lack of education. That doesn't necessarily apply to mass shootings though. That's a combination of many factors like access to mental health care as well as a social stigma surrounding mental healthcare and our media glorifying mass shooters.",
"It really has nothing to do with the guns that we have in Switzerland. It's actually based on the type of society and culture.\n\nThe USA has huge urban areas with ghettos, poverty, unemployment and inequality. Here in Switzerland we don't have those problems since we are tiny country where plenty of social programs exist to help people in need.\n\nWe have low unemployment, equality and health care that is provided to everyone. These things alone will prevent crime from happening, since nobody has to resort to violence in order to be able to survive over here, since pretty much anyone can find a job if they want to.\n\n",
"1. More than 90% of US gun crime is handgun crime. Swiss does not have high numbers of handguns.\n2. The assault rifles are issued to military reservists and keep in secure locations, not simply \"to hand, loaded beside the bed\"\n3. The swiss are military reservists, not random yahoos who have cash. They understand weapons in a sane manner and don't fuck around with them.\n\nIn short, what the US needs to do: Get handguns out of circulation. Have guns only provided to sane, sensible people who have formal training and the ability to keep the weapons secure.\n\nOf course, the utter irony is that:\n\n*A well regulated, on call and up to date register of military reservists, being required to defend the mountain fortress of Switzerland will be allowed to keep military arms inside secure locations in their homes in case of being activated*",
"In addition to the socioeconomic reasons others have mentioned, there is also the issue of sheer size:\n\nOur population is 319 million compared to Switzerland's 8 million: Even with all things being equal you would still expect our incidence of mass-shootings to be 40 times greater.",
"In addition to what everybody said, long guns typically play a relatively minor role in crime. So \"assault rifle in every home\" sounds scarier than \"pistol in every home\" but isn't really.",
"With the increased consumption of cheese and chocolate by Swiss people, the proteins and enzymes in those foods give the body a higher brain functionality in the hippocampus (related to decision making and usually has abnormal capabilities in people with psychotic characteristics). Also, the effects of sleep deprivation and extreme boredom that I currently have caused me to make all this up.",
"thanks in part to every Swiss citizen being required to enlist in the military for a while. they learn to respect the gun, and know when not to use it.",
"Michael Moore's controversial movie \"Bowling for Columbine\" actually addresses this issue. \n\nPeople think that it's an anti-gun movie. I didn't get that from it.\n\nI believe Moore's point was that the United States media has fostered a \"culture of fear\" that trains us to look at other nationalities, religions, and ethnicities as inherently \"scary\". Because of that, we are more willing to use a weapon in a situation that would not, to an outsider, necessarily warrant that degree of response.\n\nI don't know if that's the whole picture. Certainly a large percentage of gun deaths are related to drug crime, and are disproportionately concentrated in low-income neighborhoods with high \"non-white\" populations. In addition, the highest incidents of gun-related-deaths are suicides, primarily amongst white teens. \n\nMass shootings are a whole other animal. I have a theory on those that basically blames the media again (admittedly, a default position and therefor weakness of mine). But imagine you're a sad, lonely kid. Mom told you that you were the most important person on the planet, but now at school no one knows your name. Girls wont talk to you. You're having trouble finding friends. You're angry, and it can't be you that's the problem - mom made sure you knew you were perfect. So it must be everyone else who's wrong. And then some kid somewhere does something crazy and goes shooting up his school. All of a sudden his face and name are on every newscast in every home in America for two weeks. \n\nThat sort of recognition starts to look really attractive to a sad mind.\n\nAnyway, just a few theories.\n\nEDIT: Tried to give James Bond credit for an extra movie"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
||
2c3xeb | why do i go cross-eyed and get blurry vision when i'm fighting falling asleep (such as during class or in traffic)? | This is particularly annoying to me as a diagnosed narcoleptic. My eyes involuntarily cross and uncross, my vision blurs and becomes hard to control, and then it will go back to normal for a moment before starting over. Is it related to the kind of mental fog that rolls in when we're fighting falling asleep? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2c3xeb/eli5_why_do_i_go_crosseyed_and_get_blurry_vision/ | {
"a_id": [
"cjbp4wg"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"You go cross eyed and get blurry vision when you're fighting falling asleep because your brain is literally trying to shut down and you're not letting it. Eventually, your brain wins. \n\nListen. I have fallen asleep at the wheel once. I woke up literally flying through the air, having veered off and ramped up a drive way, heading directly for a solid cement electrical pole at ~40 mph. Thankfully I landed just before I hit the pole, swerved to the side, and proceeded to immediately pull over and hyperventilate for the next ten minutes. Imagine if I had been on the highway, where I usually go 75? \n\nI got lucky and only got a scare, but driving while sleepy **will** kill you. It has been repeatedly proven to be as dangerous as driving drunk. Meanwhile, a five minute cat-nap *vastly* improves alertness, mental acuity, and reflex speed, and a 20 minute power nap is even better. Are you really in so much of a hurry that 5 minutes is worth risking your life? There's only been a couple of times in my life I could honestly say yes to that question, and I bet it's the same for you."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2eeflg | are all muslims either shia or sunni? | Please forgive my ignorance. In the news we hear about Sunni and Shia Muslims fighting. When people choose to convert, do they choose a teaching to follow or is there a generic teaching that is neither? Outside of the Middle East does it matter? Thank you for helping me understand. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2eeflg/eli5are_all_muslims_either_shia_or_sunni/ | {
"a_id": [
"cjynz4n",
"cjyo1q5",
"cjyo680"
],
"score": [
4,
2,
17
],
"text": [
"[No, there are plenty of sects](_URL_0_). Sunni and Shia are the two largest. And they each have plenty of subsects.",
"The vast majority of Muslims are Sunni, and virtually all of them outside of Iran and Iraq are. There are some others as well but Sunni is the dominant one.\n\nA new convert probably wouldn't \"choose\" one or the other, they would just go with whichever group appealed to them in the first place - just like someone doesn't decide to convert to Christianity and then choose between Catholic, Baptist, Mormon, etc.",
"There are Muslims who are neither Sunni nor Shia. You have the Ibadi and Khariji sects, which are dominant in the Sultanate of Oman but fairly rare elsewhere. There are also a number of subdivisions of the Sunni and Shia groupings.\n\nHere is a family tree of the various subdivisions of Islam: _URL_0_"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branches_of_Islam"
],
[],
[
"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Islam_branches_and_schools.svg"
]
] |
|
3evqd2 | how come my sister got bitten five times by mosquitos on the way up the waterfall and i not once? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3evqd2/eli5_how_come_my_sister_got_bitten_five_times_by/ | {
"a_id": [
"ctitvd5",
"ctitxw2",
"ctiv4ur"
],
"score": [
9,
6,
5
],
"text": [
"EL5 answer:- because she smells ~~better~~ tastier\n\n_URL_0_",
"it could be many things. are you a smoker? mosquito are repelled by smokers. is she blond or wear perfume? Mosquitoes are attracted to blonde hair, perfume, and dark colors. studies have proved that blondes will get bit more often than brunettes. was one you drinking? blood alcohol lures mosquitoes. what is your blood type? mosquitoes prefer people with a Type O blood type. it could be tons of factors ",
"Mosquito bite bumps and itchiness are caused by an allergic reaction. It could be possible that you got bitten just as much but don't have as severe a reaction so you just didn't notice."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-do-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-than-others-10255934/?no-ist"
],
[],
[]
] |
||
3ikjsh | how does playing audio with a movie on actual film work? | How does the audio/soundtrack play when you have a film reel that contains the film, not a digital version? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ikjsh/eli5_how_does_playing_audio_with_a_movie_on/ | {
"a_id": [
"cuh8cmq",
"cuh95yp"
],
"score": [
5,
6
],
"text": [
"There is a section next to the \"picture part\" that contains audio just the same as an ordinary kasette (audio) tape would have. But it is slightly delayed from the pictures, because audio is taken at a different point in the machine. It can't be right where the pictures are projected, because they stop and go 26 times per second.",
"Here is a video that shows how it works in detail [link](_URL_0_) basically it's recorded next term frames. *edit : changed the link to original creator. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"https://youtu.be/En__V0oEJsU"
]
] |
|
cgsq67 | why doesn’t water go up your butt if you jump in a pool? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cgsq67/eli5_why_doesnt_water_go_up_your_butt_if_you_jump/ | {
"a_id": [
"eukjl69"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Something tells me you just might not be a real doctor!\n\nIt’s all to do with your anal sphincter"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
6txune | why do emulators emulate, not simulate? | Emulation brings a host of issues with it, and we know every last detail of most old consoles and computers as far as I'm aware. Surely a modern processor could simulate almost anything made before the year 2000. So why not do it?
Note that when I say simulation I mean literal simulation: a software representation of every last chip and wire such that no matter the input, the output would be completely indistinguishable from the real thing. Emulators essentially are simply programs that take an input and manipulate it to mimic the hardware's output, but rarely in the exact same manner. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6txune/eli5_why_do_emulators_emulate_not_simulate/ | {
"a_id": [
"dlod352",
"dlogm9e",
"dlotzjy"
],
"score": [
3,
7,
2
],
"text": [
"Modern processors are good, but they're not good enough to do a full processor simulation of pretty much anything (maybe you could get away with the original Game Boy). They'd have dozens of clock cycles to simulate thousands of transistors which just isn't possible to do. ",
"emulation is much simpler. You maybe have 100 instructions to emulate, with their associated effects. Imagine trying to get the interconnects right for 50,000 transistors in code. One mistake and your \"chip\" doesnt work. ",
"Because it's insanely hard. Even if it were doable in a hardware standpoint (and assuming you could find the hardware specs), the people working on it are free volunteers.\n\nI don't have a better answer, but you might want to look into the history of higan, an emulator which gets very close to this. That might shed some light on specific difficulties.\n\nHere's one nice article(see the ars technica for nitty gritty):\n > _URL_0_\n\nEven that requires (relatively) insane processing.\n\n > we know every last detail of most old consoles and computers as far as I'm aware.\n\nAFAIK, we have the programmer manuals (manuals the hardware vendors sent out) , but the exact specs for many systems were never published. Of course they've been taken apart, but I'm not sure we have every detail, especially for \"newer\" consoles."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"http://www.tested.com/tech/gaming/2712-why-perfect-hardware-snes-emulation-requires-a-3ghz-cpu/"
]
] |
|
2nkl3m | why are rice based food products superior to comparable corn/wheat based products? | From the dog's food to my baby's, the package labeling touts that there is no corn or wheat in product. The majority of these "superior" products seem to use rice as the grain or starch.
Certainly a portion of this must be attributed to marketing and dietary trends (gluten-free, high-fructose corn syrup free, etc.), but what other factors exist that make rice a more favored option? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2nkl3m/eli5_why_are_rice_based_food_products_superior_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"cmen3ys"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"-Rice is easy to digest and hardly anyone is allergic to rice so great for baby's first solid food. Some dogs have allergies.\n\n-If a box is labeled with something it is either required to do so or the company thinks it would make the product sell. It does not mean in any way that the item is actually better than other products. \"This food has doesn't have any X!\" just naturally makes it sound like X is bad. Extra points if X is currently less liked in the culture. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
zl3b3 | how are scratch cards made? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zl3b3/eli5_how_are_scratch_cards_made/ | {
"a_id": [
"c65iwgp"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"Do you mean like lottery scratch-off cards?\n\nThe technique is pretty simple. The card is printed and covered with a wax coating. Then a thin layer of latex rubber paint is applied over the scratchable areas. The latex sticks to the wax, but comes off with a fingernail. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
1quaf5 | why are most if not all mottos in latin? | E.g semper fi, e plubris unum, etc... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1quaf5/eli5_why_are_most_if_not_all_mottos_in_latin/ | {
"a_id": [
"cdgk5yl",
"cdglr09"
],
"score": [
10,
9
],
"text": [
"Because our social roots go back to them, our language roots go back to them, and our military strategies and system roots go back to them ",
"I think it is about adding gravitas to the motto. Latin was the language of scholarship, of law and of nobility for thousands of years. It is still the language of the church. It is used in various fields to this day. I think it is chosen to add weight to the words."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
eos9l2 | if the size of your breast is indicative of how much fatty tissue you have, not how much milk you're producing, why do they grow the further you get in pregnancy | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/eos9l2/eli5_if_the_size_of_your_breast_is_indicative_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"feerxzx",
"feewtwe",
"feey3ld"
],
"score": [
10,
3,
2
],
"text": [
"Because pregnacy causes womens bodies to store more fat as a contingency in case food is scarce.\n\nSo she has more energy reserves to produce milk with.\n\nIt is genetic.",
"Also the glads in the breast tissue that are responsible for producing milk enlarge because of hormones. They will also engorge as milk comes in. When a woman is ready to feed her breast may increase several cup sizes and then shrink back down after the milk has been expressed.",
"Breast milk is actually converted from fats. During pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone production in the woman’s body is increased, which also leads to an increase of fat retention. Fats are an very effective form of energy storage, and after birth, other hormones in the body helps the woman convert the fats into milk for the baby. \n\nMore info: _URL_0_"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"https://kellymom.com/hot-topics/milkproduction/"
]
] |
||
1guzk0 | where do black market arms in war zones come from? | I know in war-torn areas (eg Syria, Afghanistan for awhile), there is always talk of the illegal arms trade and market. I know there are arms dealers and warlords, but where do these weapons originate? Are they making their RPGs and missiles and selling them? Or are they stealing (or being supplied) by other armies?
(also hello NSA) | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1guzk0/where_do_black_market_arms_in_war_zones_come_from/ | {
"a_id": [
"cao2wne",
"cao9y8x"
],
"score": [
2,
4
],
"text": [
"In short leftovers form others wars. As we all know when the US comes to fight we come with overwhelming force; its not publicized but when the conflict is over it is cheaper/ cost affective to sell the weapons that were not used to the local militia/warlords then to ship it back with our soldiers. The weapons the US use are typically more desirable then the local stockpile so the they are resold to the highest bidder thus creating a dirty bidding war. Also they steal them, modern day pirates. ",
"Watch Lord of War. It'll help you understand."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
372yir | why aren't we doing anything about the colossal amount of trash in the pacific ocean? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/372yir/eli5why_arent_we_doing_anything_about_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"crj90zd",
"crj9103",
"crj9hw0",
"crj9lwl",
"crjeh68",
"crjexmd",
"crjgd59",
"crjk4y7",
"crjkxq9",
"crjoru7"
],
"score": [
30,
22,
249,
40,
2,
2,
8,
12,
2,
6
],
"text": [
"I cant find it now but there was a documentary about a team who went out in search of this massive amount of trash that was collecting in the pacific.\n\n They were fully expecting a huge group of trash but maybe found 2 peice the entire time. The Pacific Ocean is huge and it is a relatively small amount of trash for people to start caring about yet.",
"There are organisations who do this, but it is seen as a topic of low importance, similar to action against climate change. The wider public isn't yet aware of the huge problem because it is far away and industries see environmental problems purely as profit inhibitors. Governments see no respoonsibility since the trash accumulates mostly far away from their territorial waters. \n\nThe EU has started to take action against the trashing of the oceans and where I live, this is implemented by some supermarket chains that have stopped selling plastic bags. This, however, is only a drop in the ocean (no pun intended).",
"Because it isn't what people think.\n\nThe Pacific gyre is filled with plastic, it's a huge problem, but the plastic is millions of tiny pieces suspended in the water. \n\nTo 'do something' you'd have to filter billions of gallons of water without killing every living thing in it and then find some way to remove the plastic accumulation from the local biomass without again killing everything.",
"It's kind of like the asteroid belt. It's dense compared to other parts of the ocean, but you would still never notice you were in it. ",
"It's way too costly and it won't have much of an impact on considering the other sources of oceanic pollution that societies create. Like /u/recycled_ideas said, it's in millions of particles suspended in water AND it's accumulated in the fauna of the water, meaning it would be even more difficult and costly to remove and still there won't be much of an impact.",
"There are projects going on but they are long and extremely costly. \n\nHere's one. \n_URL_0_",
"Because nobody is going to make money by doing it, and this world is (unfortunately) ran by money. Give somebody fiscal incentives and I can assure you it would be done in a heartbeat!",
"I know that the rules say no links... but [this](_URL_0_) is relevant.\n\nFor those that hate clicking links, **TL;DR** A 19 year old came up with a way to filter out the small plastics without killing all the lil fishies and microorganisms. ",
"Things are being done to limit the amount of trash going down storm drains, which adds to all the plastic bits on the Pacific Ocean. This is why there are plastic bag bans at grocery stores.",
"because there's no way for a business to make money doing so.\n\nif you figure out how to do this, while being profitable in the process (perhaps using the collections to make plastic cheaper than current methods), you can become a millionaire."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_Reef"
],
[],
[
"http://inhabitat.com/19-year-old-student-develops-ocean-cleanup-array-that-could-remove-7250000-tons-of-plastic-from-the-worlds-oceans/"
],
[],
[]
] |
||
374yrp | why havent the balkans joined the european union yet? if greece were to be kicked out, would they take greece's place? what would the economic pros and cons be? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/374yrp/eli5_why_havent_the_balkans_joined_the_european/ | {
"a_id": [
"crjq5bs",
"crjqddf"
],
"score": [
2,
3
],
"text": [
"They have chosen to not join the EU, or do not meet the requirements set by the EU to join it. \n\nAlso there are not \"slot\" for nations to replace in the EU. ",
"Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia are candidate Member States of the EU. This means an official negotiation process is underway, since the implementation of the so-called acquis communautaire (EU law) is a complex operation. Full compliance with EU law is a requirement to join. For each new EU state, a 'framework' is being negotiated, which they should comply to.\n\nImportant points in this framework for Balkan countries are for instance cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Some of these countries haven't shown full commitment due to various reasons. The negotiations have been resumed in 2013 with Serbia for instance.\n\nThese countries also have a relatively high level of corruption, which should be tackled.\n\nTrade from the Balkan countries to the rest of Europe would become much easier, and--presumably more important--it would become easier for these countries to import goods and services from other EU countries.\n\nJust to note, the Balkans will not take over the Greek seat in Brussels. The negotiation process is not related to the Greek crisis at all."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
4wwbvk | how does a country get out of a economic crysis? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4wwbvk/eli5_how_does_a_country_get_out_of_a_economic/ | {
"a_id": [
"d6adfx9",
"d6af3xo"
],
"score": [
2,
3
],
"text": [
"It depends on what the crisis in question is. Some big problems are actually caused, or can be solved by, relatively small tweaks in policy. Others are longer term and structural.\n\nThis is like asking \"how do you cure a disease?\"",
"By crisis, I'll assume you mean a recession, which is two consecutive quarters of negative growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), ie. An economy is shrinking. \n\nWithout going into too much economic theory (this is ELI5 after all), GDP consists of government spending, consumer spending, investment and net exports. A government wants to keep the summation of these factors positive and growing. \n\nIf one factor declines eg. Consumer spending due to job losses, a government could increase its spending by building infrastructure (which need workers). If net exports were failing, a government could subsidise exports (making them cheaper), encourage the development of new export products (industrial restructuring), and even devalue the currency by printing more money / selling currency reserves. \n\nThese are only temporary fixes however, as a government gets its money from tax revenue, which may be declining if people are not working or, businesses are not making profits. If a government spends more than they receive (the 'deficit') they need to borrow money from a central bank or another country (in 'debt') and pay it back like you would a car loan. If a country can't pay back its debt repayments, it may default on these loans, and find it very difficult to borrow any further money, or face very high repayment terms. This can be a downward cycle (Eg. Greece). A government that runs out of money usually collapses - think all services shut off, riots, Revolution, the US Furlough on roids. \n\nGetting a defaulted country on its feet again usually requires a big low interest cash injection from another country, this is usually tied with economic restructuring that may be unpopular (eg. reducing government spending by cutting welfare and increasing taxes). "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
1qcx0u | why do we perceive the water temperature in a shower as comfortable only within a small range? | Inspired by [My shower temperature controls were designed by a madman](_URL_0_)
It seems to me there are two possible explanations: Either the dial does a poor job of modulating temperature, or our sensitivity to temperature changes varies along the temperature scale. Is it mostly one or the other, or do they both contribute? Or is it something else entirely? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1qcx0u/eli5_why_do_we_perceive_the_water_temperature_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"cdblew5",
"cdby44x",
"cdbyoe4"
],
"score": [
2,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Your body is constantly working towards homeostasis, so why would you want to work towards a lower, or hotter body temperature .\n\nAlso if you take a shower at 150° the pain receptors in your skin are going to freak out right ? If its too cold, your body doesn't want to get close to hypothermia. ",
"There are two kind of devices that can keep the shower temperature constant.\n\nThermostat measures the temperature of the water and controls the hot and cold water accordingly. However, thermostat is pretty slow device, it does not work properly if there are rapid changes in water flow (or pressure), for instance, if someone flushes a toilet, the cold water pressure drops rapidly and shower can get too hot for a while.\n\nAnother device, pressure switch (pressostat) will react to the rapid pressure changes and keep the ratio of the cold and hot water constant. However, if the temperature of the hot water changes, the pressure switch does not compensate for it. This happens you have a puny boiler and two or more showers going on the same time.\n\nThere are showers that have both temperature and pressure switches, but that can also cause problems. The water contains calcium and magnesium ions that can deposit inside the shower mechanism. The deposits can slow down the mechanisms controlling the valves. More moving parts, bigger chance of deposits clogging them.\n\nTL;DR; poor piping, low pressure, puny boilers, hard water make shower bad.",
"Well, above 41 degC vital proteins start to denaturate - like egg white turning from goo to solid white. If that temperature is suddenly exceeded your body rings an alarm - which is pain. You can get used to it though, and your body turns on cooling mechanisms like sweating or pumping more blood into the skin (turning you into lobster man).\n\nBelow 37 degC your body is losing energy quickly especially in water. Usually our body hair holds a thin layer of warm air close to our skin. When there's colder water rushing down your body, that layer is gone, plus water has like 20 or so times more heat conductivity, means it draws the energy much faster than colder air would. Again, your body doesn't like this, and reacts with the usual alarm signal, and starts shivering to produce more heat (turn chemical energy into heat, to be precise)."
]
} | [] | [
"http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/1qc3gc/my_shower_temperature_controls_were_designed_by_a/"
] | [
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
8mwskb | why does a can of brisk iced tea taste sweeter than a can of dr pepper, even though the iced tea has 27g of sugar, and the dr pepper has 50g? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8mwskb/eli5_why_does_a_can_of_brisk_iced_tea_taste/ | {
"a_id": [
"dzr10jq"
],
"score": [
6
],
"text": [
"The answer here is carbonation. When carbon dioxide is dissolved in water it gives it a very sharp, bitter taste (if you've had plain carbonated water you'd know). To counteract that in soda a *ton* of sugar is used to balance it out. Since iced tea isn't carbonated, less sugar is needed to make it taste sweeter"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
7ev84a | is fracking federally regulated? | I'm having a hard time understanding the laws around this extraction method. I understand that regulation falls onto to the state and local governments but is it technically regulated federally as well? If so, in what ways? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7ev84a/eli5is_fracking_federally_regulated/ | {
"a_id": [
"dq7tbp4",
"dq7vgb1"
],
"score": [
2,
2
],
"text": [
"I don't think you'll find what you're looking for exactly. The regs will fall under different subparts of the clean air and clean water acts. Subpart W of the clean air act for example, focuses on greenhouse gas emissions. I'll keep this short, because it's very complex, but oil and gas operators have to record fuel usage for drilling and completions, well venting, compressor blowdowns, pipeline pigging, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Subparts OOOO (quad O) and OOOOa are the current hot topics in the oil and gas air regulation world. \n\nI've been trying to wrap my head around this stuff for a few years, so good luck learning anything from me. ",
"Yes and no. \n\nI can only speak from my experience , but keep it in your mind that a lot of local people work on the locations you're talking about. Those people live, farm, work, hunt, fish, and raise their families around this stuff. They care about their work and about their communities. There is nothing around that resembles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Two, The Secret of the Ooze.\n\nAnyway...\n\nI've seen more attempted harassment from the state agencies than I have from companies or associations. \n\nKnee jerk regulations are usually garbage. By now you can tell what side of this I'm on; but I'm reasonable, and I expect folks on your side to be as well. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
zh7ux | paradigms | in terms of political science. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zh7ux/eli5_paradigms/ | {
"a_id": [
"c64k2qr",
"c64l6uf",
"c64m40e",
"c64qc8k"
],
"score": [
5,
3,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Basically the distinct ideas held by each party",
"In politics, the word paradigm is like someone's political \"theme.\" It's a broad political philosophy. As an example, bank regulation is a specific issue. You could say that conservatives are against bank regulation (this is a very broad statement but just stick with it for the example). The conservative paradigm is one of small government and a free market economy. It's because of that paradigm that they are against (some) regulations. Likewise, gay marriage is a specific issue. The over-arching paradigm of those against gay marriage is usually one of \"family values\" that may cover other acts that they see as immoral.\n\n**TL;DR** Ask someone to describe their political beliefs in six words or less. That's a good example of their political paradigm.",
"A way of thinking",
"I always thought a Paradigm was an idea or way of doing things that is the way it is because that is how it has traditionally been."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
3dgxvs | how is it possible that the net world debt is nonzero? | I understand that the borrowing structure and elimination of gold backed currency has caused money to literally appear out of thin air in the form of debt. Looking at this wikipedia page:
_URL_0_
It seems to indicate that only 3 or 4 countries are not in debt, all being very small countries. Is all of this debt just imaginary money backed by nothing? Something about this system seems fundamentally flawed, like the entire world runs on half borrowed currency that doesn't exist.
It's a strange concept. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3dgxvs/eli5_how_is_it_possible_that_the_net_world_debt/ | {
"a_id": [
"ct511vu",
"ct51g8f",
"ct51oas",
"ct51uhb",
"ct55ysk",
"ct57ja4"
],
"score": [
23,
2,
7,
3,
2,
3
],
"text": [
" > Is all of this debt just imaginary money backed by nothing?\n\nRight. Money isn't backed by anything.",
"I have had this same question, with a different twist: if basically all countries are in debt then why not shuffle the numbers so, as much as possible, the debts are paid?\n\nI think there is an advantage in charging interest on imaginary money but honestly I don't understand it all either. I am used to being told, \"it's not that simple\"!",
" > elimination of gold backed currency has caused money to literally appear out of thin air in the form of debt.\n\nThis is pretty much just wrong.\n\nFrom your own link, \n\n > Note that while a country may have a relatively large external debt (either in absolute or per capita terms), it could be a \"net international creditor\" if its external debt is less than the total of the external debt of other countries held by it. For example, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy and others are net international creditors.\n\nIt lists only the debts, and not even *net* debts. See [NIIP](_URL_1_) for more details,\n\n > A positive NIIP value indicates a nation is a creditor nation, while a negative value indicates it is a debtor nation.\n\nGermany, for example, is a net creditor of $1.6 trillion. Japan is the largest creditor at around $3.1 trillion. Neither of these are *very small countries*.\n\nGovernment debt is very different than household debt, you have to look at it from a different perspective.\n\ne: This /r/asksociascience post, [Why is comparing sovereign debt to household debt wrong?](_URL_0_), has a pretty extensive answer for a tangential topic.\n\n",
"Most of the debt is not to countries, but to individuals.\n\nA lot of rich people own government bonds that pay them every year. They are the ones that We The People owe money to.",
"This list is not net debt, it is total claims held by foreigners on domestic assets. It does not subtract claims held by domestics on foreign assets. Note that you should not think of this debt as a collection of loans. Most will come with ownership of an asset, and almost all of these claims are not held by sovereigns.\n\nThese claims are not caused by a lack of a gold standard or any other such nonsense. They are a logically necessary consequence of international trade.",
"I have £10, and it is all the money in the world that will ever exist. I lend £7 to Steve, and he lends £5 of that £7 to Joe. The total debt in the world is now £7+£5=£12. So there is £12 of debt, but still only £10 of money."
]
} | [] | [
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_external_debt"
] | [
[],
[],
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSocialScience/comments/1or3xl/econwhy_is_comparing_sovereign_debt_to_household/ccuudua?context=3",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_international_investment_position"
],
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
31nb1r | why do people say "if you're getting something for free, you're the product." do they really believe that that a company like facebook wouldn't sell their data if it was a paid service? | I'm not trying to justify the use of bulk data collection, or the sale of data to third parties for marketing or advertising purposes, but does this phrase actually hold water? I find it impossible to believe that if I paid a yearly fee to use Gmail, or a monthly fee to use Facebook, that those companies would suddenly just not have a financial reason to sell my usage data / profile to ad companies anymore.
Is there a deeper meaning to this saying that I'm just totally missing or what? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/31nb1r/eli5_why_do_people_say_if_youre_getting_something/ | {
"a_id": [
"cq34at6",
"cq34c3b",
"cq34mmc",
"cq356m1"
],
"score": [
5,
11,
3,
2
],
"text": [
"Fundamental logical fallacy on your part.\n\nYou can't infer ~A = > ~B from A = > B.\n\nThe original statement is also false as ~B = > ~A isn't true either. Counter example: open source software.",
"The quote doesn't say that paying for something means that your data *won't* get sold to third parties. Sometimes it will, and sometimes it won't. \n\nThe quote says that if you're getting something for free, your data **is** being sold to third parties 100% of the time (as opposed to X% of the time, where X < 100, for paid products).",
"Given a choice between two products consumers choose either the better product or the cheaper product.\n\nGmail/Facebook is free, so you can't beat it on price. They are both also very well engineered and offer good features. So you probably cannot beat them by being \"better\" in a features sense.\n\nThe only feature you can beat them on is going to be privacy. So if someone charges for email, then they probably make it part of their business model to not sell the consumer data.\n\nIn other words, in the internet economy there are two business models. One where the consumer is the product and the service is free, and another business model where the consumer pays for the service and privacy is the product.\n\nGoogle/Facebook won't change their business model because their current models works. If they did change their business model... that would probably be indicative of a change in how the internet economy works, and that would put in doubt the original statement itself.\n\nSo as long as major products like Gmail/Facebook are free, the statement is true. The moment they start to charge for them, the statement is in doubt.",
"They usually mean they are selling access to you. \n\nLet's take broadcast TV. Its free and over the air. The studios make money from commercials. So the studios are selling access to their audience to advertisers. The larger the audience, the more valuable it is. If a show gets an audience with a lot of children, then that show time is valuable to toy makers. So the studios sell commercial time to toy makers.\n\nIts the same with Facebook and Google, and many other websites. The fact that they are popular make them valuable for advertisers. So Google is selling access to you. You're eyes are the product for advertisers."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.