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1jw5mt | 3d movies | As the title states. I'm wondering how 3D movies work, and how they actually become 3D. Thanks (: | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1jw5mt/eli5_3d_movies/ | {
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"To keep it simple. You can produce 3D in your vision every day because you have two eyes.\n\n3D movies are filmed with two camera lenses, side by side, similar to your eyes. \n\nWhen shown on your TV/movie theatre, the special glasses you wear makes it so the picture captured from the left lens is only transmitted to your left eye. Same goes for the right. "
]
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|
3otc00 | how did america's economy overtake britain in the late 1800s? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3otc00/eli5_how_did_americas_economy_overtake_britain_in/ | {
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"America had a ton of natural resources, long period of peace to develop, rapid increase in production due to industrialization, and rapid increase in work force due to immigration. Factor this in with increasing education and the growth of cities, and you get a massive us manufacturing and agriculture sector that great Britain did not have neither the raw materials nor the manpower to compete with"
]
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||
1u40tg | why does the hair of humans get oily after a day or 2 without bathing, but a cat's hair always feels so soft after not being for 11 months or more? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1u40tg/eli5_why_does_the_hair_of_humans_get_oily_after_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"ceeamxa"
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"text": [
"Your body overproduces skin oil because you wash it away every day. If you go a month or so without using soap or shampoo, your body will eventually reach an equilibrium, and it'll be a lot less oily and gross than you think.\n\nCats also spend a lot of time grooming their fur."
]
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[]
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||
4jwmwz | why does red on a blue background or vice versa hurt our eyes? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4jwmwz/eli5_why_does_red_on_a_blue_background_or_vice/ | {
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"it hurts ours eyes? ",
"Certain high contrasting colors are difficult to focus on. It doesn't physically hurt our eyes, it's your eyes straining themselves to actually focus.\n\nOne that always gets me is the Walmart sign at night. I know what it says, but it's hard for me to focus and read it without staring at it. The big blue letters are hard for me to read at night. \n\nIf I do stare, it will begin to make my eyes hurt because I'm straining myself to make them focus. I also have astigmatism, which makes focusing on anything more difficult. ",
"Your eye's lens has a small amount of chromatic aberration, which is an optical term that means that different colored light is focused slightly in front of or behind the eye's retina. When looking at one of the two, your eye just slightly adjusts the focus forward or backward to focus the image, but in the case of red on blue, the discomfort is caused by the eye not being able to get both colors in focus no matter which adjustment is chosen. "
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31cc0e | why do autistic children frequently show extraordinary intellectual prowess? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/31cc0e/eli5_why_do_autistic_children_frequently_show/ | {
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"It's not all that frequent, it's just a persistent myth that autism is like \"Rain Man\". Probably because it makes us feel better about the situation.\n\nYou've got a relatively small number of people with low-level autistic children that a particularly bright or are autistic savants that are amazing at one thing.\n\nA much larger percentage are [more like this](_URL_0_).",
"They don't. Autism tends to interfere with people's ability to learn since most learning is social in nature. Most of the time when you see an autistic person with 'extraordinary intellectual prowess', what you're really just seeing is intellectual abilities everyone has focused on something most people don't care about - if you can name every person who has ever played Major League Baseball, it's impressive but not a sign of genius.\n\nYou also have to deal with the \"talking dog\" issue. When you see a dog that can talk, you're not impressed by its eloquence but by the fact that it can talk at all. Autistic people tend to make the same sort of impression that mentally handicapped people do due to their social difficulties. However, autistic people are not mentally handicapped - they have the same range of intelligence as everyone else. So when you see someone who can barely manage to hold a conversation but nonetheless can play a decent game of chess, you give them more credit than you would a non-autistic person who plays an equally decent game of chess."
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3zo1zk | why were flat roofs used so much in buildings in the past? did they not know the leaking problem it would eventually lead to? | I work in an old building that has a flat roof. It leaks every time we get a heavy rain. My boss has done almost everything and it eventually ends up leaking again. The school I went to had a flat roof and it leaked. Were they cheaper? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3zo1zk/eli5why_were_flat_roofs_used_so_much_in_buildings/ | {
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"Flat roofs are much cheaper to build than pitched roofs. They require less material and significantly less time. This is especially true when they are spanning a large open area like a gymnasium or warehouse.",
"We have flat roofs in Syria and they don't leak because all the water gets drained to the sides of the roof where you'll find pipes that take the water somewhere else. Flat roofs are amazing. I hate the roofs that are in 1st world countries.",
"Flat roofs aren't perfectly flat (level). They have a very slight pitch (angle) to them to shed water. Depending on design, this may be to one side, or it may be to multiple sides. Flat roofs are decked with a foam material, plywood, metal, fiberglass or some combination of these or other materials. The decking is then covered with a waterproof membrane such as EPDM, TPO or PVC. Think of stuff similar to a flexible koi pond liner, but the roofing membranes are usually two layers fused together with a skrim (think woven netting) in between the two layers for additional durability. Often, the membrane is then covered with a layer of loose gravel for additional UV and weather protection. The membranes are typically expected to have a lifespan of 15-30 years before requiring replacement, rated lifetime expectations primarily being dictated by the thickness of the membrane product used (typical measured in mils). These flat roofs are usually lighter, cheaper and faster to construct than truss style pitched roofs... Yet they offer about the same usable lifespan and function quite well when properly installed. Flat roofs also allow for much easier placement and maintenance of HVAC systems and venting systems on the roof. This becomes particularly important in high density commercial building areas where ground placement of HVAC systems may not be possible or financially practical due to limited ground being available (building occupies the entire lot), or when local zoning regulations have building height restrictions that necessitate them when someone wants to construct a multiple story building but remain under the height restriction. Pitched roofs create more unusable/non-occupied space/height.",
"Older building roofs had flatter roofs when the local weather threat was cold rather than rain. A flatter roof let snow piles up and insulate the home. "
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29ragi | why do grocery stores have paper bags for mushrooms and plastic bags for everything else? | Why do grocery stores have paper bags for mushrooms and plastic bags for everything else? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/29ragi/eli5_why_do_grocery_stores_have_paper_bags_for/ | {
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"text": [
"Moisture. Moisture ruins mushrooms. Plastic bags hold the moisture in, while paper bags will absorb the moisture and keep the mushrooms looking fresh. "
]
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|
rj8js | why doesn't reddit load image links in new tabs practically. | When i open a reddit link in a new tab, why does it open like this:
_URL_0_
instead of like this;
_URL_1_
possibly with some upvote and downvote buttons added in and a link to the original content in the toolbar that appears at the top. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/rj8js/why_doesnt_reddit_load_image_links_in_new_tabs/ | {
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"download reddit enhancement suite and you can set it to open images in a new tab",
"I believe most of reddit's users are not signed in. Opening a toolbar for every user would be impractical, because there is processing power involved each time that toolbar is rendered. Notice how it has points, comments, your username. \n\nIt is far cheaper to simply let the user go straight to the 'content' that has been linked to and provide users with the option to have a toolbar if and only if they sign up and log in. This ensures that a smaller percentage of the userbase is taxing the servers for this information on a regular basis which they can handle (mostly). ",
"If u use Chrome check 'hover zoom' :)"
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"http://i.imgur.com/b90ZE.jpg",
"http://www.reddit.com/tb/iwkkx/"
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3610xe | how does the "communication" of evolution happen? | This mosquito had been buzzing around my ear for a few minutes. I acquired my target and brought him down.
My next thought:
"hmmm that's gunna suck when mosquitoes learn how to evade our hands."
The thing is, the mosquito is dead. He can't communicate any more, however evolution still happens. While mosquitoes might not be able to actually evolve an adaptation that allows them to predict our movements, it still brings up the question.
How does this "communication" of evolution happen?
Quoting [this study](_URL_0_) i found during my search for information"
"We discovered by the use of nonlinear techniques that states of interactional synchrony correlate with the emergence of an interbrain synchronizing network in the alpha-mu band between the right centroparietal regions. These regions have been suggested to play a pivotal role in social interaction."
Which I take as some kind of inter-brain communication.
So the existence of some kind of connection between living creatures is not out of the question. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3610xe/eli5_how_does_the_communication_of_evolution/ | {
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"He dosent communicate. What happens is that you removed him from the gene pool, he can no longer reproduce. But all the mosquitos who didn't get hit can reproduce, so they can pass on whatever trait they have that allowed them to not get hit. So over time all the mosquitos that can get hit do and die, and all the mosquitos that have traits that allows them to not get hit pass on the ability to not get hit and it appears that mosquitos learned to evade getting hit.",
"Evolution did not necessarily happen.\n\nIn order for evolution to happen, a trait has to aid in survival in some way AND be passed down over generations and generations until it becomes common place because those without that trait didn't die.\n\nYou might have killed a mosquito with a really amazing genetic trait that was very beneficial... but it died. So perhaps you stopped a potentially beneficial trait from eventually propagating through the species.\n\nI am a little bit confused by what you mean by \"communication\". Mosquitos do not engage in meaningful social communication. The communication you refer to with the mosquito isn't so much about one mosquito letting another mosquito know somehow that, \"hey! If you juke left instead of right, you won't get hit by the hand!\" Rather, one mosquito is born with a genetic defect that makes it go left instead of right, which allows it to avoid hands better. It has avoided hands better so it lives and passes on its genes. The offspring get this same defect and they tend to live more than other mosquitos because of the defect and reproduce and have more offspring that also have the defect and also live, etc. etc.. Eventually in time it might make it so all mosquitos tend to be better at dodging hands.\n\nBut to give you an idea of how long \"in time\" might be... imagine having a specific trait... and then having a child that has that trait as well. Now imagine how long it would take for your family to eventually reproduce enough to replace all other families because in time your trait allows your family line to live and reproduce better than everybody else in the world. "
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6g5exu | what is the point of making medical students study all the subjects/all residential rotations? | If, for example, you know you want to be a psychiatrist, what's the point of having to go through the physical science rotations? Isn't that a waste of resources? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6g5exu/eli5_what_is_the_point_of_making_medical_students/ | {
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"Humans are one giant interconnected network of neural, chemical, and structural oddities. To understand the brain, you have to understand the body, and vice versa. It isn't a waste of time *at all*, and is quite necessary to have a holistic understanding of any one branch of medicine or psychology.",
"\nI like /u/police-ical answer a bit more than my own. \n\nYou need to have a basic understanding of how the body works and what can go wrong with it regardless of what field you go into. Without this knowledge, you can fuck up really badly. Let me give you a couplr examples regarding psychiatry.\n\nSay you have a patient coming into the hospital for a manic episode with psychosis and this patient is sent to the psych service for control. You may think he has bipolar disorder and typically you can give them haldol to control them but one of the things you need to do before giving haldol is the work up for hyperthyroidism. You need to be able to see the signs such as exopthalmos, tachycardia, pretibial myxedema, jitteriness and psychosis. If you miss this diagnosis you will be knocking out this patient over and over again without correction and could place the patient in danger of thyroid storm which could kill him.\n\nSay you have a patient with schizophrenia and you want to prescribe risperidone, an antipsychotic medication. You don't want to do this if the patient is complaining of vision problems or gynecomastia or galactorrhea because the patient may have a prolactinoma (a tumor) in his brain. \n\nIf you want to prescribe clozapine you need to be aware of the potentially deadly side effect of agranulocytosis which can disrupt a patients immune system. If a patient has certain immune problems then it may not be worth placing them on clozapine because you could cause fatal infections. But clozapine is also an amazing antipsychotic. This is a judgement call but you need familiarity with the various immune conditions a patient could have if you want to appropriately make this decision. \n\nI'm not even in the field of psychiatry but I know these things because if one of my patients were to come in on psychiatric meds or have psychiatric conditions, I'll need to take that into account with whatever I do. You could of course consult the hospital psychiatrist but you'll look like a fuckin retard (at least on these basic things). \n\nIt's true that a lot you learn in college and med school isn't applicable in practice but you also gotta realize that knowledge is foundational. You can't skip a layer of knowledge otherwise you'll have gaps and prob won't be able to critically think. And truthfully, there is a certain amount of studying strength you need to make it through med school and if you can't make it through the various science courses you most likely won't have the determination and skill to complete med school.\n\nAlso, from a practicality standpoint there are hundreds of fields you can go into through med school. It wouldn't be financially reasonable to split them all into different groups. You could of course go through different routes to enter certain fields: become a psychologist if you like psych, become a crna if you like anesthesia.\n",
"This touches on a lot of points I care about, and could merit an essay-length response, so to spare everyone I'll use bullet points:\n\n* It's not a rationally-designed system, so much as the one we have. Medical education in general is a little crappy and broken and outdated, and based more on tradition/convenience than preparing students to be modern doctors. Most people involved agree on this point, but no one's exactly sure what a better system would look like, and there are a lot of obstacles in the way of reform.\n* Everyone working in medicine benefits from some exposure to various parts, so they have an inkling of who to call when unfamiliar stuff shows up. You don't have to be able to handle every skin problem, but knowing a bit about rashes could make the difference between consulting dermatology, rheumatology, or infectious disease.\n* While many people go into medical school with some idea of what they want to do, many change their minds. It would be possible to tailor this somewhat, with the trade-off that people would have to commit to specialties a lot earlier, perhaps without getting as much exposure.\n* Psychiatrists certainly do need a good hunk of general medical training to be good at their jobs. Drugs do all kinds of weird things, psychiatric patients have other medical problems, and the line between \"psychiatric\" and \"non-psychiatric\" is quite tricky sometimes. Sadly, a lot of the medical training we do get isn't very relevant, which makes the stuff that IS relevant frequently get lost in the shuffle. It also tends to squeeze out valuable stuff like psychotherapy, which clinical psychologists get way more training in.\n\n**TL;DR: There's kind of a point. Not a great one.**"
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15yubz | how companies electronically surveil their employees | A few things I'm curious about, as I am not in this line of work at all. I have always wanted to know how it's done. Some of the main items I'm wondering about (Warning - severely amateur questions incoming):
1) Internet browsing. Can network administrators see every page that I go to? I assume so, but I doubt they are scanning pages in real time, so they go through logs? How does this work?
2) Third party programs. Is it a simple matter of manually scanning the folders manually or is there a program that automatically detects new installations?
3) 'Secure' pages or chats like Gmail's chat program. Is it possible to see what's going on as a network admin? HTTPS pages?
4) Work emails in Outlook. How do these get logged and scanned? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/15yubz/eli5_how_companies_electronically_surveil_their/ | {
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"1) Yes, some firewalls will show it in real time. Some will show logs. Whether or not they go through logs depends on how big of a company, and how much they suspect you of being naughty. Sometimes they just have alerts on specific domains that will signal them to check more thoroughly.\n\n2) Both\n\n3) You can see the ssl certificate information, but not the content. I can tell that you're on gmail/gchat, but I can't necessarily see the text.\n\n4) Outlook has very fine grained ACLs. They can allow other users full access to your mailbox, or they can send a copy of every email sent/received to another offline mailbox.\n",
"Companies can monitor every page you visit, every email you send and receive, every programme you install and everything else that happens on your work computer.\n\nAs you mentioned, this would be a huge amount of information and it would be impractical to watch everybody all the time. The most common way to do it is to install software which looks out for certain things. You can set different settings, so one company might look out for somebody typing the word 'boobs' whilst another might have 'facebook'. Whenever you try to access a forbidden thing on your work computer, it is usually blocked and a message is sent to somebody for review.\n\nThere are also things called 'keyloggers' which make a note of every button you press. This includes websites, usernames, passwords, emails to your loved ones. Again, reading through all of this would take an eternity, so it's usually down to a piece of software to keep an eye out for naughty words.\n\nA third way to monitor your usage is to tap into your computer and look at your screen. This can be done in real-time, or they can set up software which takes screen shots at certain intervals.\n\nWhen it was given to you, your work computer will have all these things installed, and your computer will have permission (or, in fact, instructions) to regularly feed information back to the mothership.\n\nSurveillance is also useful for getting rid of employees you don't like. If I was the boss of a company and one guy never made coffee for me, I could request his activity logs and go through them with a highlighter pen until I found something that broke company rules. Then I'd call him in for a meeting and discipline / fire him."
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77i9hl | security certificates (root, wildcard, etc) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/77i9hl/eli5_security_certificates_root_wildcard_etc/ | {
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"Certificates are cryptographically signed electronic documents that are generated and released by \"certificate authorities\". The certificate authority is an organization that says \"Okay, we're going to issue all of these certificates. We trust them to be who they say they are. Therefore if you trust us, you implicitly trust them.\"\n\nThe root certificate is the certificate that the authority basically issues to itself that all other certificates generated by the authority are keyed from. Once you trust the root certificate, you trust all certificates generated by the root certificate.\n\nMost certificates issued are issued to a limited number of hostnames, like a single certificate will have www._URL_0_ and _URL_0_ on it as acceptable hostname. A wildcard certificate has *._URL_0_, which means it can be used on all sites in the _URL_0_ domain. While this may seem simple to manage, it is open to security issues. You have to put the certificate and key on every server in the domain, so if one server gets hacked and the key/cert get stolen, you have to replace it on every server in the domain.\n\nEdit: Formatting and wording.\n"
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6pl072 | on a subatomic level, what stops two objects made of the same exact material from joining and forming a bigger object? what force is there that repels the two objects? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6pl072/eli5on_a_subatomic_level_what_stops_two_objects/ | {
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"Metals, that do not have an oxide layer on them (usually cut or made in a vacuum) *will* actually stick together and \"form a bigger object\". It's called cold welding.\n\nSome materials lend themselves to this more than others. Metals due to their crystalline structure are good for it, but metals on Earth almost always have a thin layer of oxide on them when the metals react with oxygen in the atmosphere.\n",
" > On a subatomic level, what stops two objects made of the same exact material from joining and forming a bigger object?\n\nSurface irregularities, oxidation, foreign material, etc. If you did have two extremely clean, flat metal surface without oxidation then they can actually fuse together as you suggest in a process called \"cold welding\". This is an issue in space where metal parts can rub against each other and wear without their surfaces being contaminated or chemically altered by an atmosphere, leading to metal joints being jammed. One way of preventing this is to ensure that metal parts which touch and move against each other are always of different metals.",
"A few things, notably that what *we* see as the \"same material\" often isn't actually the same material. Take metals: they oxidize. For iron, that means rusting. While a thick layer of rust takes a while, the iron atoms on the outside oxidize about as instantaneously as anything can happen. So when you try to stick to pieces of iron together, in reality there's a barrier of iron oxide between the two pieces, and that iron oxide doesn't really stick to anything.\n\nWhy not? Because the oxygen is sticking to the iron instead. The iron can't stick to the other iron atoms because the oxygen is in the way, and the oxygen won't stick to the oxygen because oxygen generally doesn't like sticking to itself. This happens with pretty much all metals: the instant you cut through the metal, it will oxidize and it won't stick back together.\n\nInterestingly enough, you *can* \"cold weld\" metal together in an environment where there is no oxygen, like space! The cut has to be extremely clean and precise, too. If you manage it, though, you can simply touch the cut pieces of metal together and they'll \"weld\" into a solid piece again.\n\nBut the cut has to be *very* precise. The other reason materials don't stick together is because of surface area and contact. Think about [cut wood](_URL_0_) and how rough the edge is after you cut it. Even if the wood wanted to stick together like unoxidized metal, it still wouldn't because it would touch enough. Each little splinter sticking out of the cut edge would attach, sure, but then it would get in the way and prevent shorter splintery edges from touching each other. There would be gaps with trapped air, and not enough pieces bonded together to make it strong. So your material has to be very smooth at the cut, or else it's like trying to get two puzzle pieces that don't match to stick together.\n\nSome materials just aren't sticky, or aren't sticky in the right way. For this, you can think of velcro: there's a grabby side and a soft side. The grabby side won't stick to another grabby side, eh? That's kind of what's happening with oxidized metal: oxygen is really grabby and it runs in and grabs the metal, and other grabby oxygen can't stick to that grabby oxygen. Really, it has to do with unpaired electrons in the outer shell. That is, electrons like being paired and atoms will \"borrow\" electrons from nearby atoms so that they can complete the pairs. Usually, the atoms end up sharing the electrons, which keeps them close together (which is a *covalent* bond in chemistry). Atoms can also just straight up steal an electron, but that makes them slightly negative and the other atom slightly positive, and like tiny magnets they stick together (which is an *ionic* bond). There's also *metallic* bonds, in which the electrons float among all the atoms in the metal, \"shared\" by all of the atoms simultaneously.\n\nWhen an atom has all its electrons paired up and the positive/negative charges balanced, it doesn't need to stick to anything else. Sometimes a substance is just like that. Take for instance carbon dioxide - the oxygen shares its electrons with the carbon and, just like the oxidized iron, has all its electrons paired and doesn't want or need to borrow or share with anything else. So CO2 doesn't really stick to itself at all. That's why it's a gas at room temperature. Water, on the other hand, sticks to itself pretty well because the molecules are polar, which is why water is *not* a gas at room temperature. Anything with atoms with completed electron pairs won't stick to much of anything, unless it's polar like water. That is, part of the water is very slightly positive and part is very slightly negative, so they stick together like magnets that are very slightly bigger than the tiny ionic bonding atoms. These kinds of polar molecule bonding is called *hygrogen* bonding.\n\nYou can still get a material to clump even if the atoms have full electron pairs, though. Stuff like plastics have long chains of polymers, which are repeating bits of molecules stuck together, and they're all tangled together instead of being chemically bonded. So they won't really stick to anything, including other plastic, unless you melt it down and give the polymers a chance to move around and get tangled up with each other. Think of plastic like a box of Christmas lights piled on top of each other and shaken up a lot, and then frozen in place. There's no way to get them apart. If you add another frozen pile of tangled Christmas lights on top, though, they won't tangle together until you unfreeze them and jumble them up together.\n\nTL;DR: That totally works that way under very limited circumstances, but mostly the forces repelling the two objects are the same forces repelling any two objects - that is to say, the electromagnetic force keeping electrons away from each other."
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20j7ak | why are cpu's so expensive? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/20j7ak/eli5_why_are_cpus_so_expensive/ | {
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"They are very hard to make. They are sandwiches of various metals and semiconductors formed into billions of microscopic structures which are sensitive to the faintest electrical impulses and impossibly complexly arranged so as to perform billions of mathematical operations in the blink of an eye, all in the space of a postage stamp. The fact that they can be made at all is one of the greatest technological achievements of mankind, and the fact that you can afford one to make your pooping time more entertaining is an absolute marvel.\n\nSo yeah, they aren't cheap as dirt yet. Get over it. ",
"Well, expensive is one way to think about it.\n\nOn the other hand, a CPU represents the *single* most precisely mass-manufactured device in human history; a modern i5 processor, only 37.5mm x 37.5mm, has 1,400,000,000 transistors, this is absolutely *staggering*. It uses the 22 nanometer process, to be entirely honest, I don't know exactly what in that process is 22nm, but 22nm is so damn small, even a microscope can't see that small - the light we see has a wavelength 18 to 30 times *longer*.\n\nThat something so precisely manufactured can be afforded by the average person, and for it to be not usually more than a paycheck or two away, blows my mind. I don't think they're expensive at all.",
"It's because they're so complex that it's a throw-spaghetti-at-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks kind of thing. Some of them get thrown out, the rest are rated according to what components are functioning properly, and sold at a price commensurate with each processor-configuration's rarity. All those i7's are actually the same exact chip design with different parts disabled. The ones with the least parts disabled are of course sold at the highest prices.",
"Have you ever tried making a CPU?",
"They aren't that expensive. When you can get a fully working laptop at Best Buy for $300 pretty much every week, none of the components of a PC are that expensive.\n\nThe original IBM PC was around $1500 when it launched thirty years ago - about $4000 when adjusted for inflation. Imagine being able to buy a new car for a grand that was a hundred times better in pretty much every aspect than what was on the market in the 80s."
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5rsuz4 | are movie theaters dying due to changing culture or economic reasons? | I guess my last topic was too narrow, so I made it less narrow.
_URL_0_ | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5rsuz4/eli5are_movie_theaters_dying_due_to_changing/ | {
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"I think they are dying because the entire experience is unpleasant. \n\nPeople talking and looking at phones during the movie... Why bother going out and paying for that crap. ",
"Movie theaters here in Austin are booming. Particularly those that have models similar to Alamo Drafthouse where you get better seats, and have a full meal. ",
"It's so freaking expensive and you have around 15 minutes of adverts and 10 minutes of trailers before the film starts. Why am I paying £10 for that?",
"It's because it's $13.13 per ticket and $1 more for 3D and $2 more for RPX. And $5.50 for small coke and $6 for small popcorn. Or I can pay red box $2",
"In the Netherlands movie theaters are not dying, they are doing great. But there is a trend that small theaters in the centre of a city are replaced by one big theater just outside the centre of the city.\nFor example this on: [Cinemec](_URL_0_)",
"Movie theaters in Charlotte are doing great:\n\n- reserved seating\n\n- electric reclining fake leather chairs \n\n- alcohol\n\n- real food, not just movie theater concessions\n\n- $6 movies all day Tuesday (at my personal favorite theater)\n\n- ticket purchases online",
"It's because the value isn't there anymore.\n\nThe only reason I still go to cinemas is because they hold the movies I want hostage for a few months before I can view it from the comfort of my home. I will only go if it's a movie I want to see ASAP and am to impatient to wait.\n\nThat's the only thing that gives cinemas value in my eyes. The big screen and sound system are a poor trade off for all the negatives when my modest home theater is more than sufficient to deliver the movie quality I want.\n\nIf movies released straight to streaming and stores at the same time as theaters I think we would see the death of movie theaters in a very short amount of time. \n",
"I live in Canada and from what I can tell movie theaters are doing great. I live in a medium size city and we have two very large theaters that are busy every night. \n\nFor those saying people are using their phones and talking during movies, I've rarely seen that, and if people do do that others will ask them to stop.",
"WTF makes you think they're dying? Box office receipts keep setting records every year.",
"Between Economics and Culture, I would argue Economics, \n\nUsed to be, if you wanted to see a movie you had two options:\n\n1. Drive to Blockbuster, drop four bucks, and watch the movie on your 24-inch cathode-ray television.\n1. Drive to a movie theater, drop ten bucks, and watch in on a screen the size of a football field.\n\nNowadays, if you want to see a movie you have two options:\n\n1. Literally not get up off your couch, use Netflix at zero marginal cost (the subscription does not change), and see it on your 55-inch high-definition widescreen.\n1. Drive to a movie theater, drop ten bucks, and watch it on a screen the size of a football field.\n\nIn economic terms, watching a movie at home is a *substitute good* for going to a theater. Over time, technology has both increased the *value* (in-home theater systems) and decreased the *cost* (Netflix) of this substitute good. This impacts the demand curve for going to a movie theater, decreasing aggregate demand.",
"It's not that the theaters are dying, but they're in an \"Evolve or Fade Away\" phase, and this affects the current generation of theaters. To understand where we're at, let's go back a few decades.\n\nIn the 1960's and 1970's, the only way to see a movie was in the theater, or wait for it to show up on TV. Theaters were cheaper in comparison, and would play the same films for long stretches of time. The large theater with massive seating came to prominence. These were community gathering places, where everyone could see the same movies. The late 70's brought us the Blockbuster movie, where the lines for a movie would literally wrap around the block.\n\nIn the 1980's, theater design changed to the Multi-plex, with 8 or even 12 screens showing 20 movies throughout the day. This was designed to counter the lines of the blockbuster days. Instead of 1 screen showing Star Wars, they would have 4 screens showing Return of the Jedi on opening weekend, and could keep it in rotation longer. A definite win for everyone.\n\nSomething funny happened in the 1980's called the VCR. The Video Cassette allowed people to not only buy a copy of the movie to watch at home, but also gave them the chance to record shows and movies off of the television. This, combined with early cable and HBO, meant that the One and Done window of watching a movie was over. If someone didn't see it in the theater, they could wait a year and watch it on video, or wait two years for it to come on HBO.\n\nBecause of this, the crowds at the movie theaters started to thin out. Multi-plexes with 8 massive theaters that held 1,000 people each would sit mostly empty night after night, weekend after weekend. They took up a lot space, and were mostly empty. Movie selection was key at this time. If a theater picked the wrong movies, it could be a disaster. With only 8 screens, and 10 movies opening per week, the managers would have to make careful choices. Do you get 3 reels for Batman, or use 1 of them for UHF?\n\nThe early 90's brought several changes to theaters. First, technical demands from some of Hollywood's most influential filmmakers forced the theaters to upgrade their projectors, sound systems, and other equipment if they wanted to host the new blockbusters. Second, franchised theaters sprang up, where chains of theaters became more common, and more powerful. Third, the Multi-Plex gave way to the Mega-Plex, a large building with 20, 30, even 40 screens. Each of the screens was smaller, and hosted fewer people, but more screens meant more options. Or so it did at first.\n\n\nThe problem that the 2000's ran into was that movie theaters didn't get better, but home technology skyrocketed. Combined with shortening release windows and improved home movie quality, the impetus to go to the theater fell. This meant fewer people would go to the theater for mid-level movies. This led to theaters raising prices to keep up profits, which led to higher cost movies, which led to fewer movies being released, which led to fewer screenings, which led to shorter home video windows, which continued the cycle.\n\n\nThe late 2000's and early 2010's saw a resurgence in gimmick movies. Imax, 3D, these became standard. These movies meant more equipment, which means more costs passed on to the consumers. With increasing ticket prices, fewer people are going to the theaters more often. If they go, it's only for one or two shows a year, as opposed to once or twice a week back in the 1970's.\n\n\nWhere do we go from here? My prediction is an intimate movie experience, with all-inclusive options. Small theaters with individual showings, drinks, dinner. It's either that, or we get used to reality of nothing but blockbuster sequels of comic book movies for the rest of time."
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5vii3p | why countries with deficitary balance of payments try to devalue its currency to export more goods instead trying to strengthen the same currency to make imports cheaper? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5vii3p/eli5_why_countries_with_deficitary_balance_of/ | {
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"Because strengthening a currency isn't an option. It's super easy to weaken it though. Strenghtening on the other hand would require a country to improve their perceived image. Like, ... requiring some actual good work. Unlike printing more money ...",
"Strengthening the currency can be done effectively in the short term, but not the long term. This is because it is done by central banks purchasing the domestic currency with reserves of foreign currency. This increases demand for your currency and therefore increases it's value, but eventually those reserves of foreign currencies run out. Also, the goal of devaluing your own currency isn't to change the prices of imports/exports per se, it's to change the 'real' (adjusted for exchange rate) value of those exports. Appreciating your own currency will make imports cheaper, which will mean that people will demand more of them and fewer of your exports will be demanded by the rest of the world. This is the opposite of what you want if you want to shift the balance of payments into surplus. You want to be making your own exports cheap whilst making imports more expensive. Remember, we're concerned with REAL values of the goods traded. You can't just make up their relative value."
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bfvphf | why does the negative binary number system work the way it does | Like, for an 8-bit number storage, the bits, in order, represents -128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1. Why isn’t the first number just a negative identifier and the bits would look like, (-), 64, 32, 16,... | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bfvphf/eli5_why_does_the_negative_binary_number_system/ | {
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"There are a couple of different ways of representing negative numbers in binary. The easiest (for humans, anyways) one is called \"sign magnitude,\" and it's basically what you just described. One bit (the sign) denotes whether it's positive (0) or negative (1). The other bits make up the \"magnitude,\" or value of the number. So if you look at 4-bit numbers, 0111 would be 7 and 1111 would be -7. Another simple way is called \"one's complement,\" in which you just flip each bit of a number to get the negative version. For example, 0111 is 7, and 1000 is -7 in one's complement.\n\nBoth of those systems have some issues, though. You can't just add numbers the same way as you can with positive numbers, and they also have some weird stuff like having two ways to write the number zero (0000 and 1000 for sign magnitude and 0000 and 1111 for one's complement). Obviously we don't have zero and negative zero, so we'd rather not have that as a possible value.\n\nSo, instead, we use something called two's complement, which is done by inverting the number (flipping all of its bits) and adding one. So, to convert 7 to -7, we flip its bits from 0111 to 1000, then add one, giving us 1001. This works out to us having the system that you mentioned, where the most significant bit is negated - note that if we add everything together using that method, we have 1(-8) + 0 (4) + 0(2) + 1(1) = -7.\n\nThis gets rid of the issue of having a negative 0 (flipping 0000 to 1111 and adding 1 just gives us 0000 again, since we disregard overflow) and it turns out we can use addition without any extra issues this way. For example, -7 + 3 in binary using two's complement is 1001 + 0011 = 1100 = -4, just as we would expect.",
"Actually both ways exist and other do too.\n\nThe first one is more common though, because it allows you to do addition and subtraction the same way as if it was unsigned. It also doesn't waste any number or create confusion by having two different zeros.\n\nIf you had the first bit just the sign you would have both a -0 and a +0. This is bad because you end up being able to represent one less actual number -127 to +127 instead of -128 to +127 and you have two different values that should when you compare them work out to be the same.\n\nIt also helps that the logic you use when adding binary numbers or subtracting them from one another can be applied equally for unsigned and for signed numbers if you have the first bit as -128 instead of +128. the math works exactly the same no matter which it represents.\n\nif you use the first bit as just a sign that is no longer the case and you will have to use two different logics for adding signed and unsigned binary numbers."
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8mhf44 | - why do people pick at scabs, fits, pimples, etc? we know it's bad and it hurts, but we still do it. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8mhf44/eli5_why_do_people_pick_at_scabs_fits_pimples_etc/ | {
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"I don't have an answer for you but I can tell you that when I spent some time looking after some young baboons they also liked picking off my scabs when they were grooming.",
"Because sometimes it works out. \n\nSome pimples really do just go away or at least look less horrid when they pop, and some scabs are ready to come off, and humans like to believe the best possible outcome will happen when they try to do something. Even though this isn't skill-based, we don't want to believe we'll \"screw it up\" by picking at it.",
"From my understanding the natural healing process will itch the skin, I think everyone knows that. But the scab itself for some reason our brains recognize as a foreign body. Similar to if you have glue spread on your fingers, your brain recognizes it shouldn't be there and tells you to pick it off. Now we know scabs are a part of us, but you brain doesn't see it that way. It just sees something stuck to you. Which is why it's so satisfying to remove."
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3nnwx5 | why is it that a large number of american students choose the high cost of their university over studying abroad? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3nnwx5/eli5why_is_it_that_a_large_number_of_american/ | {
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"If they can't afford a college education without loans, how are they going to afford studying abroad?",
"It's usually more prestigious to come from an American school, which is why a lot of foreigners come to the U.S. for college. Also, it's much easier for American students just to stay in their own country.",
"Studying abroad is expensive. US Students pay a rate much higher than citizens of those countries because they are not tax payers of those countries. ",
"Countries that offer free or very cheap tuition normally only do so for citizens and residents of that country, or citizens of closely associated countries (e.g. EU). That's because college actually *isn't* notably cheaper there; it's just that more costs are borne by taxpayers, because the government is willing to spend tax money to benefit the citizens of the country and to have a more educated population.\n\nHowever, very few people outside the US are willing to pay more taxes so that the *United States* can have a more educated population. An American who goes abroad to study will normally then return to the US; if their tuition is mostly paid by tax dollars, those dollars are pretty much foreign aid to the US.\n\nSo, international students tend to not have a cheap education in any country. A US citizen studying in Canada pays about CAD 20K/yr, which is significantly more than average in-state tuition at a US public university (which, again, is partly taxpayer-supported and so residents have a discount). It's comparable to out-of-state public tuition and less than private tuition, but you have to pay it pretty much on your own. A US student studying here can qualify for all sorts of financial aid, scholarships, and loans; studying abroad, you get much less of that. ",
"Tertiary education is expensive worldwide. In some countries citizens are able to get significant discounts due to government subsidy, which international students don't qualify for.\n\nBeyond that, international students will usually have strict visa requirements, this may limit how much they can work while studying, and it may be very difficult to extend the visa (if you want to extend your course, go part-time or need to repeat a subject). Attending a domestic university is comparatively flexible with this regard."
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1tkg7j | how are single grooves on lp's able to create such a vast array of different sounds, and all at once? | I understand the basics of it, that the stylus going along the groove creates a vibration which creates a sound, but that's about as far as it goes. I simply cannot get my head round how one groove, which can only either go left or right, can recreate any sound on earth, but not only that, any sound on earth, all at once. It just makes no sense to me. I could maybe understand if it could make one sound, but how can it make two completely different sounds, mixed at totally different levels, playing two completely different tunes at once? Surely if you separated both those sounds into two tracks then each track would look entirely different, so how can you put them both together and still get the same sound from them as if they were played separately but at once? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1tkg7j/eli5_how_are_single_grooves_on_lps_able_to_create/ | {
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"Look at a speaker, if it's a buffer it will look more obvious. Play something at a relatively high volume if possible.\n\nSound is generated by the speaker moving back and forth and moving the air with it. On a buffer the movement is easier to see as it's a large speaker, also you can more easily feel the air moving in front of the speaker.\n\nOn an LP groove this movement is etched so the needle moves back and forth and this movement is then sent to the speaker so it follows these movements (not exactly though, some processing is done between the groves and the speaker unless you're playing an old crank gramophone).\n\nNow, how are different sounds made? Sound can be seen as a combination of sine waves \n\n_URL_0_\n\nThe faster it goes up and down the higher pitched we percieve the sound to be. So sound is just a bunch of those at different pitches. \n\nHow can we tell each other apart? Our ears have a bunch of small hairs tuned to a particular frequency, so some only vibrate with low pitched sounds and other with high pitch sounds. (Though there is some overlapping, that's the reason mp3s work: we can throw away some sounds as they are lost in the mix so we won't notice if they're missing) \n\nWe can usually tell the diferent instruments / voices apart on records as we try to play different notes on different instruments and even when we play the same note on differents instruments they have different combinations of sines (this combination is what help us know what instrument is playing). Also, some cheating is involved as the brain makes educated guesses from past experience (that's why visual / aural tricks work)\n\nNow, we can't always separate them. If you listen to a group of strings you can't tell apart which sound is coming from each individual violin as they all mix together. So if you played all diferent sounds all at once you would just end with an uncomprehensible mass of noise..\n\n"
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dvqy8q | brainfreezing when drinking something cold | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dvqy8q/eli5_brainfreezing_when_drinking_something_cold/ | {
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"The mouth is situated really close to the brain. Specifically, at the back of your throat, two arteries meet: the *internal carotid* and the *anterior cerebral,* and they both feed directly into the brain. Cold sensations there pass signals to the outer covering of your brain, which you then interpret as pain. This sensation is designed to get you to stop changing things quite so rapidly, because your brain doesn't like that.",
"It’s not your brain. It’s the blood that goes into it - the nerves around the arteries then scream at you to stop doing what you’re doing because you’re delivering cold blood to your brain which is dangerous.",
"Best way to stop the brain freeze is to flatten your tongue against the roof of your mouth and keep it there until the brain freeze stops.",
"Does this only happen to certain people? Because I'm 36 and this has never happened to me. And I've drank plenty of slurpees.",
"Back of mouth is close to brain.\nIn nature, we would've never eaten anything that can chill the back of our mouths so much. \nSo your brain assumes it is in hypothermia when it gets so cold so close to the brain and panics giving you that pain.\nBut then it warms up and you take another bite of your ice cream like an idiot",
"This actually has a name. Search online for “sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.” Most of the explanations in this thread are plausible, but an exact explanation seems to still be under some debate.",
"I had many brainfreezes before and they were never really an issue, however, lately when I get a brainfreeze it then starts hurting down my back along the spine and really hurts.\nWhy did this change? \nI was wondering if it has anything to do with having had an epidural when giving birth as it feels it hurts around the same place. Hmm?",
"I don't get brain freeze but I do feel it in my chest. Why is this?",
"My throat gets painfully cold, but I never feel that in my brain. Never gotten brain freeze. Always thought it was weird. Throat freeze is kinda what I get.",
"After reading these comments TIL a good portion of people have never experienced a brain freeze."
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1z8yn2 | if a space elevator was built, would it get bent or flung out into space because of earth's rotation? | And what if a satellite or asteroid crashed into it? Would the whole thing come crashing down to the Earth? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1z8yn2/eli5_if_a_space_elevator_was_built_would_it_get/ | {
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"The idea is for the rotation of the Earth to try to fling it out into space. That would keep it standing since it would be anchored on Earth.",
"It can't be done with current materials. There isn't anything strong enough, that is light enough to use. As for the way it works, it would need a \"counter weight\" in a geosynchronous orbit. Meaning that it would be orbiting the earth in the same direction as the earth is spinning and at the same speed. This is something that is done with satellites all the time. \n\nThe Red Mars books covered this idea pretty thoroughly and scientifically. In the books, they actually captured an asteroid and brought it in to orbit as the counter weight. The construction was actually done on the asteroid and the structure was built \"down\" toward the surface of the planet. As the mass of the structure grew, as materials were added, the \"altitude\" of the orbit was increased to carry the weight. \n\nI know there are other ideas about the design of a space elevator. I like the idea, but I still don't really understand how the designers would account for things like hurricanes or earth quakes. "
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1pf5eh | why don't inter-species friendships (e.g. cats and ferrets) occur in the wild? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1pf5eh/eli5_why_dont_interspecies_friendships_eg_cats/ | {
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"They do it's just much more uncommon"
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yphd0 | what the treble does on sound devices, and how it relates to the bass | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/yphd0/eli5_what_the_treble_does_on_sound_devices_and/ | {
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"treble is the opposite of bass. It's the higher frequencies in music, whereas bass is the low.\n\nELI5 - Bass is the low rumbling sounds in the music and treble is the higher pitched guitars and vocals (though most vocals are mid to high range).",
"The treble is like that SKREE SKREE SKREE and the bass is all WUB WUB WUB"
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9ux1b8 | can someone explain the american mid-term elections? (i'm european) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9ux1b8/eli5_can_someone_explain_the_american_midterm/ | {
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"Most of our national (Senate and House of Representatives) and local (governors, Judges, school board members) elections are held in two year intervals. Every four years, those elections coincide with the presidential election. \n\nIt's the same election every other year, but because so much more attention is given to the presidential election, the regular elections between (literally in the middle of a presidential term) are thought of as less important. \n\n\nThe result is far less voter turnout, especially for the party that controls the presidency, which makes midterms a chance for the opposing party to win more seats in the legislative branch in order to more effectively counter the power of the president. \n\nIn 2010, an extreme right-wing reactionary faction of the Republican party called the \"Tea Party\" motivated by fear of President Obama's promises of universal healthcare (and immigrants) won both the House and Senate, which subsequently redrew electoral districts across the country to maximize Republican voting power in subsequent elections. Even though the Democrats made some gains in the 2012 elections, it wasn't enough, and the now entrenched Republican power effectively crippled the Obama presidency. \n\nThis midterm, Democrats have shown unprecedented voter turnout (Young people, who make up much of the Democratic base are notoriously unreliable voters) however the result did not turn out to be as effective as the 2010 midterm was for the Republicans. The Dems have won a slim majority in the House, while Republicans actually gained seats in the more powerful Senate. This will limit the power of the Trump presidency, and will cause a lot of legislative gridlock, but the Republicans still have effective control of all three branches of government. "
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3e9tf5 | what turns a "skin crease" into a "wrinkle" that stays there even when the reason for the crease (smiling, sitting a certain way, etc.) is gone? | I woke up today and noticed a wrinkle that was not there yesterday. What is the mechanism behind it becoming permanent seemingly overnight? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3e9tf5/eli5_what_turns_a_skin_crease_into_a_wrinkle_that/ | {
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"Think of it like an elastic waistband. That thing can go a long time retaining its elasticity -- in my experience, ten, fifteen years. But eventually it hits that point where it's stretched too much. You pull to stretch, and it -- stays stretched. Basically it's run out of elasticity to return back to its previous shape.\n\nSkin has elasticity in the same way, but as we grow older, that elasticity decreases. Eventually it stops tightening back."
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2r88xq | the technical difference between the rock-ish music genres: rock, metal, heavy metal, alternitive, grunge, etc. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2r88xq/eli5the_technical_difference_between_the_rockish/ | {
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"_URL_0_\n\nKnock yourself out."
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"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rock_genres"
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||
23zft0 | how are large computer files compressed into 1/4 of their size? | I purchased a physical copy of the game Titanfall, and when I installed it, the first DVD (7.95Gb) decompressed into 69% of the games installation, which amounted to 34.52Gb. I just don't understand how files could be compressed to being approximately 1/4 of their size. How are such large files compressed? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/23zft0/eli5_how_are_large_computer_files_compressed_into/ | {
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"Compression stores instructions on how to recreate the file rather than the file itself. So for an image for example, whereas an uncompressed bitmap might save red pixel red pixel red pixel, the compressed version would be 3 red pixels. And so on. ",
"Say I wanted to compress the quote:\n\n > First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.\n\nYou will notice that there is some repetition in the quote.\n\nLets say that \n1= \"then they\" \n2= \"you\" \n3= \"they\"\n\nWe get\n\n > First 3 ignore 2, 1 laugh at 2, 1 fight 2, 3 2 win.\n\nWe've gone down from 81 characters with spaces, to 51. Now this doesn't include the definitions of 1, 2, or 3 which need to be included. With such a short sentence, it you don't gain much by compressing it this way. However if you had a book, you can imagine the results to be much greater.",
"Absolutely no expert or knowledge on this subject, but I'd imagine you could do something like:\n\n > 1100110011000\n\nWe could turn this into:\n\n > 21 20 21 20 21 30\n\nIn other words, there are two 1s followed by two 0s. Instead of writing all of the separate 1s and 0s out, you could just say how many there are, and it would be incredibly easy to decompress. In this example, you might even be able to go one step further:\n\n > 2(21 20) 21 30\n\nIt boils down to finding a good algorithm.",
"Imagine an image of a red square inside a blue square. In a raw format, all the pixels' data would be stored, e.g.\n\nred red red red red red blue blue blue red red red red\n\nA simple image compression algorithm would instead store the data as:\n\n6 red, 3 blue, 4 red\n\nNo data has been lost by doing this, but the data takes up less space",
"Some computer data can be fairly redundant and compression algorithms exploit that. This is oversimplified for a 5 year old, but is basically the way it works:\n\nCOMPRESSION\n\nStep 1: Locate some segment of information that appears more than once within some amount of data.\n\nStep 2: Assign that segment of information a code, like ~A~.\n\nStep 3: Copy an example of the information to a code table and assign it the ~A~ code. You will need both of these later.\n\nStep 4: Replace every occurrence of the information with the ~A~ code using a simple search and replace.\n\nAssuming the segment of information was repeated enough times and had sufficient length, the result would be less space occupied by the entirely of the data at hand.\n\nRECONSTITUTION\n\nStep 1: Check your code table and see that there is a code named ~A~ that has a segment of information assigned to it.\n\nStep 2: Perform a search and replace on the data to find any occurrences of the ~A~ code and replace it with the segment of information from the code table.\n\nYou should now have a replica of the data before compression."
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41fkwe | why is tonight's democratic debate scheduled at the same time as a football game? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/41fkwe/eli5_why_is_tonights_democratic_debate_scheduled/ | {
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"Because the head of the DNC, Debbie Schultz, is strongly backing Hillary Clinton (she used to work for Hillary's previous campaigns) and she is of the opinion (and is probably correct about this) that the more people watching the debates, the more likely people are to vote for Bernie Sanders in the primaries. If you look at the dates of the other debates, most of them were scheduled on days people were unlikely to watch. This is why there have been so few debates compared to previous election years as well.",
"FYI, the debate is after the game this night. The game is on currently and won't still be going at 9:00 eastern unless there are a bunch of over times ",
"Let's see what's more important.\nEducating yourself on the next possible commander in chief, who will lead our country for the next 4 years, or watching oversized meatheads bash each other with pads over synthetic pig skin?\nI recommend you think about your priorities.\nOr just record one of the two and watch it later XD",
"They can't avoid everything that's going on on TV. I saw a Facebook post from my cousin the other day complaining that the debate was at the same time as a TV show she likes. \n\nSimply put if they had to avoid conflicts with all other events on TV, they'd never schedule it. ",
"The debate was scheduled 4.5 hours after the start of the football game. The game was over for a good hour before the debate started, so the rest of these replies are just flat out wrong. I think this did happen a few debates ago, but was simply not the case this time around."
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3w2rp5 | how does a psychologist know what kind of thoughts are okay for their patients to have and what kind are not? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3w2rp5/eli5_how_does_a_psychologist_know_what_kind_of/ | {
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"They have a degree in studying the human psyche. Most of what a psychologist does is not to judge you based on an individual thought, but attempt to understand your thought process. \n\nFor instance, if someone said \"man life sucks you know\" it may just be causal talk between friends, but if you can determine that the patient may be serious then thats a much bigger deal.",
"The real answer is that no thoughts other than those of explicit harm to self or others aren't okay to have. The job of a psychologist isn't really to change how someone thinks as it is to explain why they are thinking it, and a large part of that is determining what the patient views as okay or acceptable thoughts to have. \n\nFor example, a psych wouldnt really have the grounds to tell... I dunno, a neo nazi? That racist thoughts are 'wrong' unless the patient themselves felt there was something wrong or odd about the way they themselves are thinking. Those who don't adhere to this enter the dangerous realm of \"conversion\" therapy, like the faux therapudic christian camps that try and convince members that thoughts of homosexuality, etc. are wrong, when in most people's views these things are moral judgements, not black and white issues like suicide or murder.",
"I don't quite understand this question. \n\nWhen a person goes to a psychologist it's because something about their life is distressing to them: they're having trouble getting a job or a relationship, have low self-esteem, are depressed or anxious, etc. They already know that something is not right about what they're thinking and/or feeling. It's the psychologist's job to help them change what they're thinking and/or feeling in order to reach their (general) goal of being a happier, more productive person."
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1z1cn7 | diesel engines. | I just purchased a 2003 VW Jetta TDi (NA model). I have a general understanding of normal petrol engines and have done basic wiring and maintenance to all of my previous vehicles: '94 Chevy 1500, 2004 Trailblazer, and 2007 Chevy 1500. Looking under the hood of my Jetta, I have no idea what is going on. I hear terms like "glow plugs" and "chain driven" but when I itry to google them, but everyone talks about them like they are giving a lecture to experts. Basically my question is, "What do I need to do to get the most out of my car for as long as possible?" | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1z1cn7/eli5_diesel_engines/ | {
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"Some of this [information](_URL_0_) may be helpful. Sorry, I trade working on computers for other people working on my cars :)",
"The main difference is that diesel fuel doesn't ignite from a spark like gasoline engines do.\nWhat DOES cause diesel to ignite is high pressure. The fuel is sprayed into the cylinder and as the piston compresses, the pressure rises and the temperature increases, which causes the diesel to ignite.\nThe glow plug is needed to raise the temperature in the cylinder so that the pressure required is lower and it also allows the enginie to start at lower temperatures.\n\nThe biggest thing you can do to keep your diesel running reliably for many years and even decades, is to do regular oil changes, ideally every 100 hours of operation or so...Diesel combustion creates a lot of abrasive byproducts which end up suspended in the lubrication system.\n\nAlso, keeping the fuel injectors clean helps a lot.\nEdit: Replace the fuel filters often as well...Clogged fuel injectors are a bitch.\n\nSource: I'm a guy who has read A LOT about diesel engines.",
"Just keep the fuel lines clean. Diesel has a bad tendency to get gunky when it's cold.\n\nThis is actually what the glow plugs are for. In a diesel, ignition is actually caused by crushing the bejeezus out of the fuel until it autoignites. If the fuel is cold, it sticks together when injected and won't vaporize, and so you need the glow plugs to heat up the mix and help it turn over.\n\nAlso, DON'T EVER RUN THE TANK DRY. In a spark-ignition engine, this does relatively minor damage, but in a diesel it can be a bitch to fix.\n\nUltimately, don't worry too much about the engine. Do all of the standard maintenance, and it should last a hell of a long time.\n\nAnd listen to the turbo. If it starts sounding funny, take it easy and get it into the shop ASAP. Blown turbos are rare, but they are indeed a treat to experience."
]
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"http://www.google.com/#q=how+to+care+for+a+diesel+engine"
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15g4s8 | if my phone is off, how does it know i pressed the button to turn it on? | Seriously. Its magic. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/15g4s8/if_my_phone_is_off_how_does_it_know_i_pressed_the/ | {
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"Much like many other devices requiring electronic signal, making a simple connection can actuate a signal to begin a startup process. \n \nThink of a light bulb and corresponding switch, or a car and it's keyed ignition. \n \nA standby Connection of sorts is most likely present allowing the device to be turned on via a remote or to run very simple background tasks like keeping the time. ",
"Yes, it is \"really off.\" The button physically completes a circuit, allowing electricity to flow to the computer in the phone. The same way a light switch 'knows' you turned it on.",
"If it's a momentary switch, then parts of the device are never truly off. Some parts of it have to have power so it can detect the **temporarily** completed circuit.\n\nThis is the type of switch used on desktop and laptop computers, and in your keyboard and mouse."
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9dpeb1 | how does the brain heal and get back past memories after a severe concussion? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9dpeb1/eli5_how_does_the_brain_heal_and_get_back_past/ | {
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"text": [
"Just wrote a long post about living with severe amnesia,.. you don't really get them back, and when you remember them it's like it's happening to someone else or you saw it on TV."
]
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[]
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2kgeoy | how is donation write-offs beneficial to people? | How does that process work? Is it done to get in a lower tax bracket? Inform me!
Edit: are* | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2kgeoy/eli5_how_is_donation_writeoffs_beneficial_to/ | {
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"I assume we are talking about claiming charitable donations on your taxes? It helps by incentivizing people to give their money to charity. \n\nSo lets say I pay 20% of my income in taxes but I can claim 100% of my charitable donations. If I give $100 to a charity I will get $20 back at the end of the year, I'm really only losing $80 and am more likely to give to that charity.\n\nIt benefits the charity because more people are likely to give them money since it costs them less. \n \n\n**Side note:** It generally doesn't help with \"lowering your tax bracket\" because that's not how tax brackets work. Let's imagine your lower bracket is up to $30,000, your middle bracket is up to $60,000 and your high bracket is anything above that. \n \nYou make $31,000 /year so you're in the middle bracket. \n \nThis means $30,000 of your money is charged the lower bracket rate and $1000 is charged the middle bracket rate. If you give away $1000 to charity then sure, now you're \"in\" a lower bracket but you've given away all of the money in the higher bracket so saving the taxes on it is still a net loss compared to if you kept the money and paid the higher bracket tax rate the $1000."
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advig8 | how do we make things cold? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/advig8/eli5_how_do_we_make_things_cold/ | {
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"Temperature, pressure and volume is related. If we force a gas into a smaller volume its pressure increases, and as its pressure increases its temperature increases. If we allowed the gas to expand again it would be back to normal. However if we first cooled down the gas so it was at ambient temperature and then expand it to its original volume and pressure it would become cooler then ambient temperature. We then have cold gas we can use to cool things down. Once we heat up the gas again we can reuse it. If you look at the back of a fridge or a freezer there will be a compressor and a radiator. Both the compressor and radiator will be hot when it is running. This energy comes from inside the fridge.",
"You have the right idea. We make things cold by removing heat. Technically there is no such things as \"cold\", just the absence of heat.\n\nThe easiest way to remove energy is to condense all of the energy in something into a small area which will cause it to heat up. If it heats up to hotter than the surrounding area, it will start losing energy to the environment. Then, when we allow the thing to expand back to it's normal volume, it is colder than it started.\n\nLet's take a refrigerator for example. When you first turn on a fridge the whole thing is the same temperature as the room it's in. But, then the compressor kicks on and condenses the freon (or freon substitute) in the cooling loop. When the freon is condensed it heats up and the cooling coils on the back of the fridge dissipate this heat into the air. At the end of the loop there is an expansion valve that allows the freon to expand back to its normal state. \n\nSince the freon lost so much energy during the compressed part of the loop it is now much colder than it started at. This cold freon is pumped inside of the fridge where it absorbs heat from the interior cabinet. This makes the inside of the fridge cold.\n\nNow that the freon has picked up the heat from the inside of the fridge, when it goes through the loop again it dumps this heat into the air around the fridge again.",
"We squeeze it to heat it up inside the radiator. \n\nThen the high pressure fluid (can be either a gas or liquid at this point depending on what you're using) gives off the heat we just put in it through the radiator. \n\nThen we pump it inside the fridge and stop squeezing. Allowing the pressure of a gas to drop from 2 atmospheres to an ambient 1 atmosphere pressure will cool it down from a 293K room to an absolutely frigid 146.5K (that's -126°c or -196°f!), or it would if it wasn't being constantly heated by the inside of the fridge. \n\nAllowing a liquid to boil requires even more heat to be taken from the inside of the fridge. ",
"Heat always flows from hotter body to a colder body. Nitrogen or freon are compressed, when compressed they heat up. This heat is transferred to an externar radiator on the back of the fridge and then slowly dissipates into air in the room. Then nitrogen or freon are rapidly decompressed, this decompression lowers their temperature. Heat from things inside the refridgerator then flows from them to an internal radiator, containing cold nitrogen or freon, which are then compressed again, and so on.\n\nTL;DR - to cool something inside a fridge you have to heat something outside the fridge. "
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1y834p | why gwyneth paltrow is one of the most hated celebrities | Besides being married to a Thom Yorke wannabe, what's wrong with Gwyneth? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1y834p/eli5_why_gwyneth_paltrow_is_one_of_the_most_hated/ | {
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"She's hated? First I've heard of it.\n\nSource?",
"Many people believe that she's rich, snobbish, elitist, and out of touch with average people. She came from money, enjoyed success in Hollywood, and married someone rich and famous. Many of her quotes and behavior typify the things that people hate in rich and famous people.\n\nShe has two children: Apple and Moses. \n\nShe's quoted as saying things like \"I'm really fucking good at my job\" and \"I'd rather die than let my kid eat cup-a-soup\".\n\nShe came out with a cookbook that only the very richest could afford. It's like the polar opposite of Rachel Ray's cookbooks. Super expensive, hard to find items. \n\nHer attitudes on health seem rather condescending to some people, as if their problems could be solved if they were just rich like her: eat foods that cost more than what the average person makes in a day and exercise with all that free time you have with your own personal trainer.\n\nShe runs a website, GOOP (to \"nourish the inner aspect\"), which is basically a super wealthy person giving other super wealthy people advice on how to live. Meanwhile, for the other 99% of people out there, it's bad advice. \n\nShe badmouthed America while praising England - they're interesting; we're not.\n\nShe criticized mothers for not finding time to exercise.\n\nHer Christmas gift guide included SUPER expensive toys - again, more than many Americans make in a single day. Clothes for mom that cost more than what most people spend on food every month.\n\nShe doesn't allow her kids to watch television spoken in English. This makes them more cultured and educated.\n\nShe avoids many foods she deems personally unhealthy, like alcohol, coffee, meat, and some kinds of fish. Meanwhile, her personal recipes for healthy food would cost a few hundred PER DAY.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"
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69bl3z | gel electrophoresis, i have a bio test tomorrow. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/69bl3z/elif_gel_electrophoresis_i_have_a_bio_test/ | {
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"Depending on the pH, most biomolecules have a charge. When placed in an electric field, those molecules will try to migrate towards the electrode with the opposite charge of the biomolecule.\n\nNow, if you place indentations into a gel (like agarose, for example) you can load the molecules into the indentation (well). Then apply an electrical current and have the molecules start to migrate. The gel will get in the way and cause the molecules to slow down based on some physical property like size or shape.\n\nNow, things like DNA have a negative charge that is pretty constant over the whole length, so they end up migrating by size. Proteins can be coated in negatively-charged detergent or positively-charged detergent to have them migrate based on size, too.\n\nOnce separated by size, you stain the biomolecule with something you can see and you have bands of biomolecules separated by size.\n\nYou can separate by size, charge, shape or pH properties (pKa) depending on how you do it."
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8osu0b | weather anomaly in arctic canada: why has it been colder than normal while the rest of the country will be warmer above normal? again. | We will have another colder than usual summer while the rest of the country will be above normal. Why the anomaly?
_URL_0_
| explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8osu0b/eli5_weather_anomaly_in_arctic_canada_why_has_it/ | {
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"Temp also has a lot to do with air currents. A wind pushes hot air from south america into the US during winter and we get a record high temp in february. A wind current that would normally blow south could have decided to stop and blow back towards the arctic. "
]
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"https://weather.gc.ca/saisons/image_e.html?img=s123pfe1t_cal_comb"
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[]
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|
a3s36t | how come roadways aren't filled with tire dust if over time, tires become worn out? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/a3s36t/eli5_how_come_roadways_arent_filled_with_tire/ | {
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"Tire dust is very light. It blows easily in the wind and it is actually a significant portion of air pollution in cities. It can also be partially melted (such as skid marks from rabid breaking) and will stain the road black in places. ",
"It is one of the significant causes of ocean plastic pollution. We hear about the straws and bags purely because you can see then. Tyre rubber is one of the microplastics which we can't see but causes immense pollution."
]
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22xg2y | how does a store like game make profit on selling a 20 dollar steam card for 20 dollars? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/22xg2y/eli5_how_does_a_store_like_game_make_profit_on/ | {
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"text": [
"They buy them for less than $20",
"This is essentially referral marketing. The store attracts a mass of consumers, Steam gives the store a portion of the profits for directing the consumers to them. In this case you don't really pay any more than you typically would (though I'd be surprised if Stream doesn't occasionally run sales that are a better value if you purchase directly from them).\n\nKeep this on mind when making any large purchases. If you go to group A who then refers you to group B, chances are that group B pays group A to do so. Typically that cost is then marked up and passed on to you. Angies list, Groupon, emergency home service hot lines, box stores with shop at home vendors, etc all do this. You will almost always get a better deal by going directly to Group B."
]
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2j2fl9 | the relationship between radiation particles and the electromagnetic spectrum | I'm generally aware of the electromagnetic spectrum, how it goes from infrared to visible light, to ultraviolet and then x-rays, etc. Also I'm generally aware of "radioactive particles" such as alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma particles.
However I was thinking about it, and I realized I don't know what these radioactive particles "are". I know about quarks, the Higgs-boson, etc. But where are these radioactive particles coming from and how do they relate to other particles? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2j2fl9/eli5_the_relationship_between_radiation_particles/ | {
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"text": [
"Alpha particles are 2 protons and 2 neutrons, basically the nucleus of a helium-4 atom. Beta particles are electrons. Gamma particles (or gamma rays) are photons at an energy level above x-rays.",
"The particles emitted by radioactive materials are normal, everyday particles: alpha particles are 2 protons and 2 neutrons bound together, beta particles are electrons (or sometimes their antimatter version, the positron), and gamma rays are photons. What makes them different is that they're very, VERY high energy, and can impart that energy to the things they hit."
]
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2t49ha | what would happen if china decided to stop producing consumer goods? | I'm always seeing "Made in China"
What would happen if they suddenly stopped, with no notice to anyone? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2t49ha/eli5_what_would_happen_if_china_decided_to_stop/ | {
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"cnvk08x"
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"text": [
"China's entire economy would collapse, t shirts would triple in price.\n\n"
]
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5z2vw4 | how is it possible for the internet archive's wayback machine to store copies of so many websites? | I know they have several datacenters, but as of 2014 they had stored copies of over 400 billion web pages. How can one organization store such a mind-boggling amount of data? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5z2vw4/eli5_how_is_it_possible_for_the_internet_archives/ | {
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"text": [
"The files that make up most websites are tiny. I used to build sites and the actual programming just takes no real storage space to speak of. Pictures are another story but with compression their also pretty small.",
"The simple answer is, they don't store everything;\n\nWhen you go to a website a lot of things are happening and there is a lot of information and what not moving around behind the scenes, but what you see is frankly a relatively small amount of data. \n\nArchives work by taking basically pure text with some minor important formatting (HTML which is also not much text). \n\nThis is the reason that you can't use these Archives to go back and download powerpoints, PDFs, etc.. because those files with their various format are very expensive when it comes to space on a disk.\n\nAs an example I downloaded the source of this page (which includes ALOT of information an archive will strip out) and it came out to 72k...rounding for posterity's sake... a 1 Terabyte HD (what my computer has) could store this page 14M times...\n\nshrink data a bit, grow storage a bit and it becomes pretty possible.\n\nThen there is the ability to capture a \"diff\" between two pages which allows them to not have to duplicate all of the information on a page every time it changes. Instead they are able to just capture the changed text (a diff) and a timestamp that the change occurred. ",
"One thing to remember is that for years the internet used to consist of mostly text-based websites with some low res graphics, so these were easier to archive. With broadband, the size of crap on the internet grew."
]
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34bupt | what causes the "8 bit" style sound that old video games had. | Why do old video games have a distinct type of sound to them, and what made it go away? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/34bupt/eli5_what_causes_the_8_bit_style_sound_that_old/ | {
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"Each system had its own dedicated sound processor, and they weren't terribly powerful. The sound processors each had distinctive sounds that we look back on with nostalgia. Nowadays, CPUs are powerful enough to handle the sound without so much as a hiccup and no one really uses sound cards anymore.",
"Digital music is stored in samples, these are an array of numbers which roughly correspond to the position of the moving part of the speaker. The computer will loop through these numbers and send information to the speaker on how to move, and thus which sounds to generate.\nMost modern digital music has 32bit samples for their audio. This means that it can have a lot of different values (2^32 ), however storing thousands of these for every second of audio takes up a lot of space. \nYour old NES stores them as 1 bit values. This means that the speaker can have only 2 positions: On and off. This essentialy means that it outputs a block wave instead of the smooth signal you would expect. This sounds really weird to the human ear. \nIt is gone because modern systems don't have to worry about memory usage as much anymore and can afford to spend it on good sound.\nHear the difference yourself here: _URL_0_",
"Modern computers can play any music you could ever record with no problem. Older systems didn't have the memory, CPU power or hardware to do that.\r\rInstead, they had limited synthesizer chips, often with only 3 voices and a very limited selection of waveforms.\r\rHaving only three voices would force you to make decisions about what you could hear. If you wanted a baseline and a lead part, you'd be forced you use just one voice for drums and each drum would cut the previous one off. If you wanted to play a chord, you didn't have enough voices to do that and make other sounds so you'd use one voice and have it rapidly play different notes. There are a bunch of other things but they all come back to choosing what sound to play and which ones to cut out at any given time.\r\rAdd the limited number I if vices to the limited types of sound you could make with each and you end up with a distinctive style developing to make the most of what is available.\r\r",
"In old systems, most sounds were stored in a format that resembled sheet music for a 'band' that was hard-coded into each system.\n\n[This video shows what the NES's 'band' was made up of](_URL_1_). And anything made up of those sounds will sound like a NES.\n\nThe limitations of this format also lead to particular habits that became indicative of chiptune 'style'. For instance, since these chips tended to have instruments that could only play one note at a time... but could play ridiculously fast... it was common to use [arpeggios](_URL_0_) where any 'normal' composer would have used chords. \n\nMany '8 bit' consoles had a 'sample' channel, which could play anything... sort of. These samples were *heavily* compressed, though -- and they still took up a ton of storage space. If you tried to just record a song live, and put it onto the NES through the sample channel, it'd sound terrible, and there'd be no room left for a game. So... the use of the sample channels was mostly limited to short percussion elements and sound effects.\n\nNowadays, the approach of recording a song, then playing it back as a 'sample', is used in 99% of games, because we have the hard-drive space, and processing capability to do so. This frees us to make a game sound pretty much however we can imagine."
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4y6zh4 | why, if we are searching for something, can we not seem to see it even if we are looking right at it? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4y6zh4/eli5_why_if_we_are_searching_for_something_can_we/ | {
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"These are all excellent answers, but i think it's mostly attention fatigue and familiarity. You know how in Jurassic Park the T-Rex couldn't see anyone unless they moved? Kind of the same thing - your brain is built to see unusual things first, but when you're looking for something that's right in front of you you can't see it because your brain has already decided it's part of the background, and safe to ignore.\n\nOr brain tumors, sometimes. It could be tumor.",
"Definitely familiarity. When we're looking for something, we're often not actually LOOKING at anything. We're generalizing the area in sort of an overscan sort of way. Here's a tip: try asking children (young children) to help you find misplaced items like keys or a phone. Children are only familiar with a few things, so it's much easier for them to block out all the unimportant junk in the room. This is why a child will point out the moon or an airplane long before you see it, and have you scratching your head asking \"how in the hell did you see that?\"",
"I read somewhere that your mind is used to scanning a room in a particular direction (clockwise or counterclockwise). So if you seem to be looking everywhere and can't find something, try looking in a different manner. I personally scan clockwise, but see more detail when I scan counterclockwise",
"**Default mode network**, the system in the brain that causes daydreaming is incredibly powerful. We daydream almost 50% of our waking life. A strong default mode network causes us to be less aware of our surroundings. So when you are thinking intensely about your keys, you aren't processing your environment as strong as you could be. It really is a lapse in attention.",
"I once read that the problem is that our brains are really good at pattern recognition and matching so we quicken the process by looking for what we're thinking of instead of looking at things and seeing if they're what we're looking for.\n\nFor example, if you're looking for a black hardback book, you imagine the book closed, sitting somewhere and scan for that image.\n\nBut if you left the book sitting open with the pages faced up you're overlooking it because it doesn't fit the description of what you're looking for.\n\nSo you can look at the damned thing repeatedly and still not \"see it\".",
"I started looking for misplaced items the way TV detectives do, with a flashlight. Even in broad daylight. It helps me focus and see everything individually.",
"you as much more likely to see it if you keep repeating the name of the object as you look. When I heard this (I think on QI) I thought it was a load of bull. Then I tried it."
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akd27n | does popcorn pop for a reason? did it develop that ability to procreate itself, or are there any other reasons? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/akd27n/eli5_does_popcorn_pop_for_a_reason_did_it_develop/ | {
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"It's just what happens when it's cooked. It's not for the benefit of the plant. It pops because the water held inside of the corn kernel vaporizer and explodes. Other grains puff up when cooked. Think about rice crispys. It's puffed rice. "
]
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zl2tc | how does scientology "hook" a superstar like cruise? what does he get out of it? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zl2tc/eli5_how_does_scientology_hook_a_superstar_like/ | {
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"Do those guys actually believe the whole xenu thing?",
"Not a complete answer to the question, but there was a theory floating around a while ago that the reason Scientology was so appealing to celebrities in particular was because it is legally classified as a religion. \n\nThe theory was that since it was a religion, donations to it were tax write offs for the donator and un-taxable money for the church. If you believe that the higher ups in the church don't buy their own religion and are profit oriented, then it would makes sense for a celebrity to donate or pay large amounts of money to the church. The celebrity gets the money back as a tax write off and the church gets to keep free money, basically, maybe even agreeing to kick a little back to the celebrities. \n\nThis was just one theory I heard on why it \"hooks\" so many celebs. "
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9byu67 | is more heat generated by air conditioning than cold air except that the cold air just goes where we want it? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9byu67/eli5_is_more_heat_generated_by_air_conditioning/ | {
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"That's correct. Air conditioners don't generate cold at all. They are *heat pumps* that move the heat out of your room and into the outdoor air. And the actually create some more heat in the process.",
"Yes. Moreover, you are strictly increasing the total amount of heat in the world, since the air conditioner cannot run at the theoretical maximum efficiency according to thermodynamics."
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9ec5wl | why are three letter acronyms so common in english? |
Is it related to English sentence / noun structure. Do you find three letter acronyms in other languages? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9ec5wl/eli5_why_are_three_letter_acronyms_so_common_in/ | {
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"Let me fix that for you.\n\nWhy are TLAs so common in English?",
"Because they are used a lot and happen to sound pretty good as well. So instead of typing i'm laughing out loud, you use lol instead, which not only is it concise but it sounds and looks cool, too. \n\n\n\n\n\nWhy are they always three lettered, you may ask? Well, they're not. There a lot of four lettered (or more) acronyms out there, but they aren't used much because: \n\n-They're more difficult to make and harder to keep track of. \n\n-wagltgmc. \n\n-The chances of them sounding cool are small. \n\n-They're actually out there, you just haven't met a teenager and/or used Facebook in a while. ",
"I have no answer as to why they’re so common in English, but I have seen some in Spanish (my other native tongue).\n\nTqm = te quiero mucho = I love you\n\nAlv = a la verga = (This is hard to translate, but it can mean something like) holy shit. (It’s often an exclamation of surprise, but it can also just be an intensifier.)\n\nDtb = Dios te bendiga = God bless you\n\nHdp = hijo de puta = son a bitch\n\nThere are others, but they’re not coming to mind rn. They’re definitely not nearly as common as in English, but they exist and are used often on the interwebz.\n\n(Also, I know that was a strange combo of acronyms, but... it is what it is.)"
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5003d2 | why in a firefight does the side that has the upper ground have the advantage? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5003d2/eli5why_in_a_firefight_does_the_side_that_has_the/ | {
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"Because they are less exposed than the enemy. It is hard to fortify yourself, when someone is looking down out you. It also allows you to have a larger vantage point of the surrounding area, and was a major advantage for artillery units in the past.",
"If you are up on a ridge you are able to shoot down by only poking your head over the ridge. However if you were on the lower ground your entire body would be exposed. Since the people on the lower ground are exposing more of their body they are more likely to get shot. Similarly if someone on a ridge wanted to get cover to reload their gun, hide their movements or any other reason they could just take a step back and they would be completely hidden. People on the low ground have no such luxury. Even if they are able to find cover they are not likely to be able to move out of the cover so all the people on the high ground have to do is to aim at your cover and shoot at the first thing that moves. The people on the high ground will be moving around so it is much harder for the people on the low ground to prepare for where you get out of cover.",
"The soldiers at higher elevation have a much wider range of which they can shoot. The lower elevation soldiers have a much harder time finding cover because of the increased field of vision their enemy has."
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8jqy5x | in a ponzi scheme, how is it not obvious that you are not receiving any money from your investments? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8jqy5x/eli5_in_a_ponzi_scheme_how_is_it_not_obvious_that/ | {
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"The “fund managers” are responsible for the investments, so they can tell you that your investment went into company A and company B, producing X returns. In actual fact they did nothing with the money and make up details to make their fund look very attractive.",
"You do receive money from your investments... until you don't.\n\nFirst, you get some money from some \"investors\". Then, you get more money from more \"investors\", and use that money to pay back the investment of the first \"investors\". Basically, you're always paying back investments with investments from other people. So everyone is making money, and that's why they keep investing money with you. Until you have a *big* chunk of money from lots of people. Then you disappear.",
"Someone who invests in the scheme does appear to get return on their investments, but that \"return\" is actually sourced from the investment money from new investors. So if you invest $1000 and the scam artist claims you made a 10% return you get back $1100, with the extra $100 coming from the $1000 from some guy who invested after you.\n\nThe idea is that they keep getting new investors and enough people keep their money \"invested\" that the difference isn't detected for quite some time. If 100 people invest $1000 each and 20 people decide to pull out their fake 10% returns then the fund only needs to pay out $22,000 from the total $100,000 invested. The scam artists *claims* the entire fund contains $110,000 from the fake 10% increase, but actually there is only $78,000 in the fund. With all the paperwork faked how would the investors know unless everyone tried to withdraw at once?\n\nBy that time the scammer has left town."
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aigs1m | why do ethics outweigh the benefits when it comes to genetic engineering of humans? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/aigs1m/eli5_why_do_ethics_outweigh_the_benefits_when_it/ | {
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"As far as I know, the issue people has is that the technology hasn't been tested enough that medical professionals are satisfied it's safe, so him doing that is seen as endangering the twins life through negligence. Plus there is the fact that as far as I know, a lot of countries have laws that explicitly outlaw genetic engineering in humans, except with specific permission for research purposes, though I may be wrong",
"The reason there are ethical concerns is that there isn’t enough evidence that the benefits outway problems. ",
"At the basis of your question is the assumption that 'ethics don't count'. 'It is wuss stuff.' \n\n\nEthics is a way of looking at the human implications and at what happens to society. \n\n\nEthics are very important. It is a framework that says 'we are all in it together', it says \"long term outcomes matter a lot', it says 'you can not build a happy world by making a lot of people unhappy'. \n\n\nEthics in this case means: Let's think about the long-term implications of genetic enhancement. Let's look at the worst case scenario, bc. the way humans are THIS is what is going to happen. ",
"We don't know if the benefits will outweigh the risks, it's complex, hard to do and requires human embryos which brings even more ethical questions.\n\nFurthermore, as we've seen with other mammals, its really complex and there are huge problems making it work time and time again without causing other problems. ",
"Because of money. The greedy will exploit people's insecurities, and possibly even modify your family genes forever. That greed will rush techniques to the market before we even know the long term effects.\n\nIt may seem silly, but think about the message Jurassic Park was trying to convey. \"You got so caught up in whether or not you could, you didn't stop to ask if you should.\" When the book first came out, the author was trying to make a strong statement about modern genetics. Dinosaurs were just used as an example.",
"I think a lot of the time the reason people get so concerned about things of this matter is because the possibility that the line between ethical science and unethical science might be moved to a place they’re not comfortable with. For example, some scientists want to use genetic engineering in humans to get rid of Down Syndrome in babies. Yet, many people with Down Syndrome consider this insulting because they don’t see it as a problem. \n\nThis isn’t exactly relevant to the case of the Chinese doctor but in general, this is a big reason people are opposed to genetic engineering. Not because they don’t think the benefits will outweigh the negatives, but because they have different views on what those negatives are. ",
"If science starts generically engineering babies, it will go in two main ways - \n\n- extremely rich people will make extremely perfect humans - smarter, prettier, better than everyone else which will further create class divides worldwide\n\n- military superpowers and wanna-be military superpowers will make super soldiers - maybe not clone wars bad or marvel bad, but as close as they can get - as fast, as strong, as immoral and as obedient as possible.\n\n\nBasically the world has decided that we can’t be trusted with this technology, which... seems about right, at least historically.",
"Think of it this way: We make mistakes. Sometimes because we're not careful. Sometimes because we don't have all the information we need.\n\nWhen doing experiments it is deemed unethical to test them out on humans. We did this before, and we found that it causes more ethical problems than worth it.\n\nDNA modifications could have unintended consequences. What if at age 40 their heart just fails. And that is due to the DNA alternation. We won't know, but we just made the lives of 2 people affected, worse, their kids, their spouse, families, etc. So many people affected because you didn't foresee a mistake during the DNA modification. What if they have lethal consequences to the children instead? Are these 2 supposed to now voluntarily be sterile? Lives ruined all because of an unforeseen consequence.\n\nPoint is, this is a very very tough ethical problem."
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2hkypx | how does a hsa (health savings account) work and compare to traditional insurance? | The other answers weren't great and are possibly outdated. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2hkypx/eli5_how_does_a_hsa_health_savings_account_work/ | {
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"HSA is a bank account. You put your own money in it pre-tax and it can be used for medical expenses. Your employer can also put money in it. \n\nIt's not insurance by itself, but usually a part of a coverage plan.",
"essentially when you contribute money into a HSA and use it for medical, you're getting a 25-30% discount on prices, depending on how much tax rate you pay. ",
"HSAs are savings accounts. They usually are partnered with a high-deductible health plan, and your employer may contribute to the account as well. Your pre-tax deductions go into the account, and you can use the funds for your copays, coinsurance, glasses or contacts, some over-the-counter medicines, and such that your insurance doesn't cover and you'd usually pay for out of pocket. Since most of the money is yours anyway, the big benefit comes from its pre-tax status: the deduction is made from your gross pay before you are taxed on the remainder. So you're saving off the top, and getting your employer's contribution, as well.\n\nIt's a step up from the old Health Reimbursement Account, because those funds HAD to be used by the end of the year or you'd simply lose them. The \"newfangled\" HSAs are different because you can keep those funds and roll them over from year to year, as a savings plan in case you have big medical expenses at some point in the future. You may be expected to provide documentation to the IRS as to your expenditures from that account, though, so save your receipts! I only use the debit card at pharmacies or medical providers, so that all the debits are clearly identifiable as medical-related expenses. The HSAs are also accounts that you may be able to open wherever you like, so you need to choose wisely. Some banks, like Chase, can charge a monthly fee for these accounts. I use a credit union for mine, so not only do I get a little bit of interest on my balance, I also don't get charged a fee for the account.\n\nI hope that helps!"
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djsr6r | how do we stay asleep despite switching positions at night or even in extreme cases with people sleep walking? | Just curious as I checked my cameras and noticed I switch positions about ten times a night and still wake up feeling refreshed with no knowledge that I was even moving around. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/djsr6r/eli5_how_do_we_stay_asleep_despite_switching/ | {
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"When you're in that state, it's similar to being blackout drunk. You're not in the best shape to create new memories. People who have sleep apnea wake up dozens of times per hour because they stop breathing, but they won't remember it.",
"Our bodies switch positions unconsciously. We'd actually wake up if we weren't able to switch positions since lying in one position for a prolonged time hurts. That's why coma patients need to be turned around by the nurses, otherwise they get bruises on the side they're sleeping on."
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5zu97q | why is censoring tv & radio not a violation of the first amendment? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5zu97q/eli5_why_is_censoring_tv_radio_not_a_violation_of/ | {
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"My understanding is that the freedoms of speech and press are meant so the government cannot punish you for saying something against them. You are allowed to say anything you want in regards to the government in speech and press (media). These freedoms have nothing to do with saying anything and everything you want at all times through any mode of communication.",
"Access to the airwaves is not uncontrolled, because there is limited spectrum. Thus, you must have a license from the FCC. When you agree to a license, you agree to the FCC's rules on language.\n\nIf you don't like this, you can use cable TV. HBO had a whole show mocking the TV restrictions about showing female nipples (Dream On) in the early days of Pay TV. You can also use the literal \"freedom of the press\" to buy a printing press and print any darn thing you want - not unlike Larry Flint did.",
"The first amendment's purpose is to prevent the government from stifling people's opinions. A ban on vulgar content on public airwaves does not stifle people's opinions. Anyone can turn on a TV and access it so they don't want porn on. \n\nCable TV is not subject to these things since they are an optional purpose. Many networks have their own rules that align somewhat with the FCC, but some networks break those rules all the time (Spike) and some networks have totally different rules (HBO). \n\n"
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36l3ex | why are there fake/bad ads on sites like "putlocker" and other various sketchier websites. | First time poster here. Where do these crappy ads come from, who is posting them, how, and why? I'm talking about "find local singles in your area" type ads or obviously false clickbait ads that clearly lead to some sort of virus. Do people actually click on them? Is this what is funding websites like "putlocker"? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/36l3ex/eli5_why_are_there_fakebad_ads_on_sites_like/ | {
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"Imagine that out of the people who visit websites with those ads, 50% of them see the ads. Now imagine out of those who see them, 1% click on them by accident and 0.5% click on them on purpose (e.g. they are computer illiterate, don't realize what they're doing, think they're legitimate, etc.). In reality those numbers are actually a bit higher, but even pretending they aren't, we've just said that 0.75% of the people who visit that website click on those ads. If, say, 1/3 of all computers are unsecured (or the user bypasses the security warnings without realizing what they're doing), we have 0.25% of the people who visit those websites actually becoming infected with whatever virus it is.\n\nNow let's say that the websites this ad is on have an average of 2,000 visitors each day and that the ad is on 20 websites: that's 40,000 viewers per day. 40,000 * 0.25% = 100 people per day who get infected by that virus. Again, in reality, a lot of those numbers are MUCH higher (the virus uses multiple fake ads, more websites, more viewers, etc.)\n\nNow how do they make money off of this? Well, a lot of those viruses show ads of their own. Some of them try to get you to pay money for them to remove the ad. Some of them are paid by other virus creators to install their viruses. Some of them sell your cpu time to botnets. Some of them steal your passwords and then sell your accounts/steal your money/etc. Whatever it is, they find some way to monetize these users.\n\nIn the end, it's just a numbers game: while most people may not click on the ads, and a lot of the people who do may not actually install the virus, there are a *lot* of people that see the ad every day. If even a few of those people install the virus every day, the ad-maker is golden. And once that's happened it's not too hard to monetize."
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9y5em4 | how can the voyager and other craft go to such extreme distance? how does it have enough fuel? why can't we send humans like that instead? | I'm curious about these pictures that I see all the time. Voyager or some other spacecraft sends pictures of distant planets, being some light years away. Even pictures of Earth looking like a speck of dust. How did it travel so far? How is this possible?
For humans, I understand it would take tons of more specialized equipment but surely we can send them a great distance than the Moon.
Most of what I say might sound very uninformed and downright wrong. So anything and everything related to this will be very much appreciated.
Thank you for your replies! | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9y5em4/eli5_how_can_the_voyager_and_other_craft_go_to/ | {
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"Voyager and other unmanned spacecraft which are designed for long distances have the ability to shutdown. \n\nSo awesome thing of space is there is no friction or well anything.. so when you launch one of those craft, once it separated from it's boosters, it will keep going in that direction at that speed until it hits something (planet, astroid, etc). Due to that, Voyager can. Shutdown it's systems and conserve energy. (Think of turning off a phone, going on a trip, then turning it back on, it will have the same amount of battery as when you left)\n\nIn addition we use solar technology and other ways to recharge the batteries., With humans, it's a different story. Food, air circulation, gravity, all things we have to continually power and keep working. Making sending humans vs robots different.\n\nTldr: Voyager shuts down during journey and only powers on when it HAS to, also it uses super battery saver mode.\n\nHumans have no such capability (yet)",
"The great thing about space travel is that there isn't anything to slow you down. This means that we can leave voyager doing its own thing and it will just keep going until it hits something. Voyager is one a one way ticket away from earth and one day it will stop sending us data, but it will still be out there. As for why we can't do it with people is simple. Humans generally want to come back home or would at least like to know where they are going. ",
"If you're talking about rocket fuel, it doesn't need any. Once it reaches a certain velocity, it will coast more or less forever, it doesn't need to be continuously thrusted. There is little dust outside the solar system to slow it down. The escape velocity is where the Sun's gravity weakens with distance too quickly to ever pull it back. That was achieved by a combination of the original rocket thrust plus some planetary slingshot manoeuvres.\n\nAs other answers, electrical usage for operating the equipment is minimised to prolong it's operational life.",
"Just to offer one correction, Voyager does not use solar power. Had it been dependant on this it would long ago have shut down due to its distance from the Sun. \n\nVoyager uses a unique nuclear power supply where the heat from slowly decaying radioactive material is converted to electricity. \n\nIn the 20+ years the Voyager probes have been in space the power generated has dropped by about a third. ",
"For starters, humans need to eat...the Voyager probes have been out there for 40 years, so if you add up all the food that a 40 year old has ever eaten, storage space becomes an issue.",
"Nobody mentioned this, but the Voyager missions were created to take advantage of an unusual planetary alignment. They gravity whipped around several planets as they went outward, both saving on fuel, and getting great close-ups of them. \n\nNormally a mission like that would only fly by one, maybe two, and never have enough fuel to break solar orbit. ",
"You’re asking why we don’t just send humans on a one-way trip? This isn’t Kerbal Space Program",
"I’ll be honest I initially thought this was about the U.S.S. Voyager from Star Trek until I got to the last line. The answer there being the Bussard collectors allow underway replenishment of the ship. \n\nFor the IRL probe the answer is simple, Newton’s First law: any object in motion will continue to move in a straight line until acted upon by an external force. There is no air or other sources of friction in space. ",
"Well, once a rocket flies into space it can keep flying without losing speed or using any fuel bc there is no gravity or air to cause it to slow down.\n\nThey have been in space for 40+ years so if humans were to use this mode of transportation it would need to be a one-way trip supplied with enough resources to last several generations.",
"At what distance or time will Voyager no longer be able transmit back data?",
"We can in theory send humans on a deep space journey with today's technology but they won't survive long due to inadequate life support technology. To get an idea of how space travel works try playing Kerbal space program. It looks a bit silly but surprisingly good at explaining simple concepts of science used for space travel.",
"In addition, at least in the general case, humans expect to return. That by itself doubles the need for energy for propulsion.",
"I don't know how to eli5 a gravity assit but I'll try.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nfirst thing you need to know is there's something called conservation of energy, it means if you don't exert any force on an object it'll have the same amount of energy. in this case we'll look at kinetic and potential energy, kinetic energy increases when the body's velocity (you can call it speed) increases and potential energy increases when that same body get's away from the body it's pulling it (in your daily life it's earth, in voyager's case it's the sun). So what does it mean? it means, when voyager get's closer to sun it speeds up and when it get's further it get's slower because it's potential energy is also decreasing and increasing at the same time. \n\n & #x200B;\n\nnow, let's throw voyager in an orbit with varying speed-height, like it get's close to sun and get's further. and if you can calculate it really good, to make when you're close to sun you're also passing behind one of the planets you'll be stealing some potential and kinetic energy from that planet (it's really complicated to explain the actual thing happening so just accept it like that). now you just earned more speed only because you passed behind a planet without burning any fuel. Let's do the same thing with other planets on the way. and there are some massive ones on the way like jupiter and saturn, they're so massive (or heavy if it fits you better) the amount of kinetic and potential energy you'll take from them is HUGE, so huge it's enough to leave the solar system. \n\n & #x200B;\n\nbut making all these maneuvers takes too long, getting to mercury, venus, then to saturn and jupiter and finally leaving the solar system, sending a human on this journey would be very boring for that human and it'd take too much food to stay alive. so we just send the probe without a human.",
"It doesn't take fuel to follow an orbit. \nIt takes fuel to reach one. \n\nThink of an orbit as a type of trajectory. A trajectory is a line you can draw which will show the entirety of the movement of a thing from the moment it starts moving to the moment it stops. If the start point and end point meet, you have got yourself a never ending travel, an orbit. \n\nThe ISS doesn't burn fuel to go round and round the earth (ok it does sometimes but that's because the atmosphere is still present and it degrades the spacecrafts orbit slowly) \n\nIf you start burning fuel, you can start calculating the entire trajectory. The more fuel you burn towards a proper direction, the longer the trajectory becomes. If it becomes long enough that you never fall back to earth, you can then stop burning fuel and you will be eternally* be tracing that trajectory. If you spend enough fuel at specific points, you can draw a trajectory that can even reach out of the solar system, and you will be stuck at tracing that trajectory eternally*\n\n* unless you hit something or you enter an area that has some kind of matter, that can slow you down due to friction and will alter your trajectory. ",
"Also just to be clear, neither Voyager is \"some light years\" away. It's about 14 billion miles away, but it'll take another 20,000 years at its current rate to get 1 light year away from us. Space is huge.\n",
"Voyager has nuclear power for electricity. It is incredibly ineffective from an energy standpoint to send humans a long distance, and also physically and mentally devastating. Things they need to solve for the Mars trips.",
"There's been mention of nuclear generators, how space has no friction, turning off and on power to save energy, and humans needing stuff (food, gravity, oxygen, ect.). One thing I haven't seen mentioned is radiation. Cosmic radiation is very bad for humans (and sometimes even for computers, but less so). It's such a problem that even going to Mars posses a significant risk of cancer. Going beyond that with as little shielding as probes have would only increase the risk.",
"It’s not under constant acceleration. The idea was to bring a small amount of fuel with you to aim it in the right direction, and slingshot it around a couple planets. Once you build up enough speed you keep it, since you’re in a vacuum. \n\nThen you sling your way right towards the deep space beyond our solar system (which, conveniently, is in almost any direction). ",
"Think about it, will be the only thing left of the human race. Space is so vast and empty that its calculated not to hit anything for billions of years.",
"The thing about space is that it takes way more fuel to get there than to navigate it. The further out you are from a gravity well (and the closer to the bottom of your orbit), the more distance you can cover with the same amounts of fuel. And theres nothing to slow you down, pretty much, so you can coast on inertia for vast distances.\n\nYou can also get mileage out of a thing called a gravity slingshot - instead of using fuel to turn, you do a flyby of a planet and let its gravity pull you into the trajectory you want without spending fuel or losing momentum. Deep space probe missions are timed for planetary alignments that let them use those extensively.",
"Think of Voyager like an arrow. Once fired it doesn't need fuel to keep moving. We aimed it in a way that made it pass by large planets the craft would \"fall\" towards and using a little fuel can sling shot out from. The Earth appeared the size of 1 pixel while Voyager was 3.7 billion miles /6 billion km and was taken in 1990. Voyager is now 11.7 billion miles/18.8 billion km away moving at 38,000mph/61,000kph.\n\nA light year is 5,879,000,000,000 miles/9.461x10^12 km so Voyager is only 0.2% of a light year away.\n\nThe amazing part is that we are able to pick up the signal it is sending. The transmitter uses less power than the light bulb in your microwave. By the time the signal reaches Earth it is only one-tenth of a billion-trillionth of a watt.\n\n\nHuman's can't leave Earth like that for a few major reasons. \n \n1 safety. There is no way to shield astronauts from radiation or avoid the side effects of weightlessness. \n\n2 weight. Humans and everything we need to stay alive weigh a lot. \n\n3 space is huge. The Moon is a 3 day trip, Mars when closest is months. From there you're talking years of travel. And when you get to these places you have to survive them, and they are as extreme as you can imagine.\n\nE: a digit",
"When we send a probe across the solar system and farther, we use the gravity of closer planets to sling shot the probe. The physics and math are a bit complicated so just think of it as transferring the potential energy gained by entering a gravitational field of a planet into kinetic energy to propel the probe through space. \n\nAnother thing to consider is that there is no air resistance or frictional force to impede movement. \"A body in motion stays in motion unless acted on by an outside force...\" so fuel does not need to be used once the probe is far enough away from any planet; it will more or less retain its speed and direction without using any fuel.\n\nNow, let us look into why we can't send people:\n\n1. Even with the \"gravity slingshot\" method, space travel may take decades when considering anything farther than Mars. That means you need to have enough food, fuel, water, and etc. to sustain a person's life for that long, which means a much bigger vessel, especially if it's more than one person. That complicates the trajectory and speed of the craft. \n\n2. It is very dangerous. If anything goes wrong, those people are toast. And then considering how long the journey would take, the probability of one thing going wrong throughout the entire trip skyrockets. \n\n3. As of right now, most probes are not designed to return. They send images to us until they run out of energy and die. The probe remains floating in space or stranded on what ever planet we sent it to. It goes without saying you can't do that to a person.\n\n\n\n",
"Hi, I think the easiest explanation is that the Voyager does not use (or need) rockets to propel it anymore. In space there is nothing to slow it down once its out of the gravity of the planets, so its coasting on the initial boost it got. It is in no hurry to go anywhere, so there is no need for it to burn fuel. The battery it uses is based on radioactive decay.\n\nIf you put humans on a vessel, you have to start thinking about having enough food, enough air, filtration and reprosessing of air, lots of power consuming equipment. Suddenly you are in a hurry to get to where you are going. \n\nPutting things into space takes a lot of effort, and the more weight the more effort it takes, and its not linear. Every gram counts.\n\n(There's a lot more to it, gravity of other planets being used to sling it and so fort, but thats not ELI5)",
"Funny, I was watching the documentary about this on Netflix just yesterday. \n\nThey launched two of these guys. Oddly enough, Voyager 2 launched before Voyager 1 (the press was annoyed about this). But it was because Voyager 1 traveled faster than Voyager 2 and would catch up, then passed it. \n\nBoth are launched and use other planet's gravity to \"sling shot\" them and pick up speed. \n\nThey got some crazy cool pictures of a few planets and their moons. And after it passed the last planet Carl Sagan asked for them to turn it around and have it take picture of the solar system from the outside looking in. The various scientists thought this was dumb b/c there was essentially no scientific reason to do it. But Sagan though of it as commentary on the Earth. The Earth was a tiny dot, not even one pixel on the picture that was taken. Every human that exists, that had ever existed was on what appeared to be this tiny spec in the solar system and that we should take care of this planet.",
"The caretaker used a powerful energy wave to strand voyager and its crew in the delta quandrant",
"\nTo answer your main question\nVoyager missions were sent in 1970s so they had a lot of time. Along with a special alignment of planets whose gravity is used to boost (Sling shot effect) the speed of the spacecraft without needing much fuel. \n\nIt's much harder to send humans like that because such a craft would be much more heavier (humans need life support) and therefore needs a lot more fuel.\n\n > Voyager or some other spacecraft sends pictures of distant planets, being some light years away. \n\nTo be fair those pictures of planets light-years away are not real. We don't have telescopes that good. We can however detect them indirectly.\n\n",
"\nTraveling through space takes a lot of time. \n\nYou absolutely could send a human out there the same way. A dead human. Because there is not yet any other human condition result expected from 60 years spent in space. ",
"I don't see a huge upvoted post at the top answering all this, so i guess I'll take a crack at answering you.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nWe could totally send humans out into space, but we don't have a destination to send them. It would take more fuel than we could store (and still liftoff from earth carrying) to turn around and change direction to come back. The alternative, to just shoot people out into space to take pictures of Saturn and never come back is unthinkably cruel. So naturally, these Voyager crafts we sent out were on a one-way mission by necessity.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nIt all boils down to Newtons laws of physics. In space, there is no air or earth or water to cause friction and slow down a ship. Therefore, once you get out of Earth's atmosphere, you don't need any more fuel to keep flying. That ship will just keep going in the exact direction it's already going, forever. Or until it hits something. (Newton's Law #1 Object in motion stays in motion unless an outside force acts on it.) This is very unlike the ideas of travel on earth, where your car or plane or boat runs out of fuel and stops. The earth will always fly through space, orbiting the sun because nothing is slowing it down, and this applies to any spacecraft humans build as well.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nThe biggest barriers to sending people out in a ship like that is that space is REALLY. REALLY. BIG. It would take thousands of years to reach another solar system, and sending people on that is a WHOLE different ballgame. You need life support. You need room for families for colonization. You need renewable water, food, energy. You need to re-create an ecosystem for humans to thrive in, in a confined metal tube that flies through an empty void for thousands of years.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nI guess in summary, the voyager crafts have gone such extreme distances because there's no way to ever get them back. They'll just fly through space forever and always get further away. Fuel isn't necessary for travel, just for acceleration or changing direction, which they don't need to do. Sending humans is totally possible and we send astronauts into orbit all the time, but in order to justify sending someone into space, they need a valid destination and enough food, water, and companions to... y'know... not die on the way there.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nSource: My high-school passion for science and physics. Please correct me if I am mistaken in any of this.",
"A bit of an oversimplification on most of this, but it's a few things. First I'll answer your questions about Voyager.\n\nFirst is the fuel. Voyager uses hydrazine, a fuel that can burn for MUCH longer, but produces less thrust per second. We don't use it for human travel because it takes a very long time to pick up any notable speed (when compared to the vastness of space).\n\nThe second is trajectory. Voyager was launched at just the right time so it could be \"slingshot\" by multiple planets. This is called a Gravity Assist. Imagine a spaceship flying towards a planet very very quickly, but it's aimed *just* next to the planet. Once you enter that planet's gravity, you will start to sort of orbit a bit. But, because you're going so fast, you'll never complete a full orbit around it. Instead, you leave the orbit with extra speed and in a different direction. Of course, you still need to use fuel to make sure the spaceship is going at exactly the right speed and will get launched in the right direction. What made Voyager so great is that it did this on Jupiter and Saturn, while Voyager II went around Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, AND Neptune. It was perfect timing.\n\nAnother thing is... the lack of people. People are heavy, and the things we need are heavy. Voyager was about 1800 pounds at launch, and is now under 1650 pounds, which is really really light for a spacecraft. Add on a 170 pound man, plus his food, water, clothes, spacesuit, exercise equipment, hygiene products, and all the technology that comes with manned spacecraft, and you added at *least* 300 pounds to that vessel. That's just one person as well!\n\nNow, why can't we send humans that far? Well, with our current technology, we can't fit all the necessary things on one ship to go that far. Humans are heavy, as mentioned before, which means we need more fuel to launch. We also don't want them on that ship for 50+ years because they would start to suffer from symptoms of old age, and they would almost assuredly go insane.\n\nMars is a doable target though. It would be very difficult to launch from Earth to Mars, but it is possible. It would take a long time, but again, it's still possible. However, the next promising project would make space travel MUCH easier. Our eyes are set on going to the Moon to set up a Moon base. Literally. This Moon base would be built up so that it could provide for itself (with some help from Earth of course). There is a debate over whether or not we should mine on the Moon, but if we did, we may discover materials we could use to build more spacecrafts *on the Moon*.\n\n If we can launch a spacecraft the size of Apollo 11 from the Moon, we could reach many more distant planets. This is because the Moon as significant lower Gravity, which means getting off the Moon would be incredibly easy compared to Earth. On Earth, we use different fuels and engines to launch vs when we're in space. The fuels and engines used to launch are *very* inefficient, but provide ALOT of thrust. The exact opposite of a nuclear engine. In space we use *more* efficient fuels that still provide meaningful thrust. We do this because we have to overcome Earth's Gravity. So, on the moon, we can use more efficient fuels and engines all the way through, which gives us more distance to travel. The other part is air resistance. The moon has no air like Earth does, so a lot of the aerodynamic parts we put in Earth made spaceships would be unnecessary, which makes the ship lighter, and again, makes it easier to take off.\n\nTL;DR: Voyager was a masterpiece, and we could absolutely travel further if we launched from the Moon, which is our next big project.",
"For some reason no one has clarified that Voyager has not sent back any images of planets light years away.\n\nThose distances are so fast that Voyager is hardly closer to any such planets than the Moon.",
"To clarify, no man-made object has traveled even a single light year away from Earth. That is an astronomical distance that will take anything man-made centuries or thousands of years to travel. \n\nVoyager 1 and 2 are the first man-made objects to leave our solar system and travel into open space. They have been able to travel these distances due to a number of factors. Once it is shot into space, there is nothing to slow it down so in theory it will travel forever in the same direction. The main reason they have traveled so far is the folks at NASA that controlled the probes are insanely smart and were able to \"steer\" it in such a way that it uses the gravitational energy from the planets that it passed by to slingshot it away at a faster rate than it began. "
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5beq0k | why does sound need a medium to travel through and exist upon? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5beq0k/eli5_why_does_sound_need_a_medium_to_travel/ | {
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"Sound is just vibrations traveling through a medium, like air or water. If there's no medium, there's nothing that can vibrate, and thus no sound.",
"Sound is movement of particles. If there is no particle there is no movement and therefore there is no sound. \n\nWhen we hear things what we are hearing is the movement in the air. That hits the eardrum is converted into an electrochemical signal in the brain and then we hear it. I.e., sound is a way for us to sense movement. ",
"The highest upvoted answer here isn't correct.\n\nBoth sound and light are waves that move through a medium. You can in fact detect both, or else you wouldn't be able to hear or see anything.\n\nTo generalize, to experience any external stimulus, it needs to get to you somehow. There's no such thing as magic, so the stimuli need to travel through something to get to you (e.g. From the speaker to your ear). In sound's case, it travels through air. In light's case, it's the electromagnetic spectrum.\n\nIf there was no medium in between you and the origin, there would be no way for the sound to get to you. Nothing, NOTHING, can just magically hop through space.\n\nThis is actually a pretty neat and basic topic in theoretical physics. many famous scientists (including Einstein) started by asking questions like you did. For example, \"if sound needs a medium, why doesn't light?\" Answer: it does, and so does everything else we know."
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6leh49 | how are nuts so high in calories, yet so healthy and good for weight loss? | I'm on a diet and bought a 2 3/4 oz bag of mixed nuts and it's 470 calories (380 from fat). This kinda goes against everything I've learned about calories and weight loss. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6leh49/eli5_how_are_nuts_so_high_in_calories_yet_so/ | {
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"I do not know what you have learned about calories and weight loss, but what matters with them is total input in a day being less that output for you to lose weight. The specific value of a single food item does not matter so long as you are burning more calories than you are consuming. ",
"In regards to fats, unsaturated fats are very good for you and are essential for things such as the formation of your cell membrane, among other things. Saturated fats are terrible for you.\n\nHaving said that, nuts generally have a plethora of mono and polyunsaturated fats/fatty acids that are key for different metabolic functions in your body. It's good fat, not chubby fat. Those fats are also good for providing a lot of energy in a compact amount of space compared to other sources of food and as has been stated, they also have many minerals and vitamins in them as well.\n\nIf anything with nuts, you should be more concerned about the salt that is usually on them.",
"Calories are not bad. Fats are not bad. Calories is much more about total intake & total output, and yes, nuts *are* higher in calories than many other items of the same size. So it's important to include the high amount of calories in your overall view of your calories for the day. \n\nOne serving of nuts is only like, a small handful. Not the whole bag.\n\nSince it's not calories from sugar they will not cause a sharp rise & fall in blood glucose, and they're high in fiber and slow to digest so they offer long term slow energy. Nuts generally have good fats compared to say, a bag of crisps. This makes nuts very useful for a healthy snack, and for a workout or an in-between meal snack -because it's slow to digest and will give you energy over a few hours.\n\nNuts also contain lots of vitamins & minerals. LOTS of protein, magnesium, iron, lots of other good stuff. \n\nNuts are both calorie-dense **and nutrient-dense**.",
"They're healthy but not \"eat all you can\" healthy. They are nutrient rich, and the fat in them will help curb your appetite making it easier to make it to your next meal time without snacking. The energy you get from eating them will last a good long while with no crash. That being said you must still limit the amount you eat, and supplement your diet with other food groups.",
"Pretty much every effective diet on the planet is a low carb diet, and nuts (particularly almonds) are extremely low carb."
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3v6wva | why isn't australia cold and snowy like north america and europe? | Its closer to the south pole than the equator | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3v6wva/eli5_why_isnt_australia_cold_and_snowy_like_north/ | {
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"Victoria (south-eastern Australia) is [only about as far south of the equator as Spain or Virginia are north of it](_URL_0_)",
"No, it's not closer to the South Pole to the Equator. Whoever told you that never bothered to look at a map.",
"[Have a look at this map](_URL_0_).\n\nWhat it shows is the antipodes for every bit of land on earth. It shows you quite neatly that Australia is about as far south as the northern parts of Africa, Spain, Mexico, the southern US are north.\n\nIn other words... a polar region it ain't."
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ch5tzd | how do those heart rate monitors on phones that don't have built in sensors work by using only flash and the camera? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/ch5tzd/eli5how_do_those_heart_rate_monitors_on_phones/ | {
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"The flash lights up your finger, the camera detects any changes to how brightly lit your finger is. During a beat there’s a little more blood in the vessels of the finger, so it blocks a little more light. The camera can see these small variations in brightness. \n\nWristwatches with pulse meters do the same thing, just with more specialised LEDs and light sensors.",
"you have blood vessels in the finger that pulse ever so slightly, you put the camera over the finger and the app measures any small change in the light as the pulse will slightly elevate the finger from the camera and thus more light will be visible to the sensor."
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2uwq0i | where does all the internet comes from and why the speed isn't the same everywhere? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2uwq0i/eli5_where_does_all_the_internet_comes_from_and/ | {
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"The Internet is just a bunch of servers and networks that are connected to each other, think of old school telephone operators, you pick up the phone, tell them who you want to talk to, and they connect you to them. This is basically what happens when you are connecting to a website. \n \nThe speeds aren't the same for everyone because of money. The people that give you Internet access charge you based on how fast you want to connect."
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1j0gep | darren aronofsky's "the fountain" | I knew I was watching something very well done, but as for figuring out what actually happened in the movie... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1j0gep/eli5_darren_aronofskys_the_fountain/ | {
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"There are three plot lines going on throughout the movie:\n\n1. In 1500, Queen **Isabella** of Spain wants to find the Fountain of Youth / Tree of Life in the Yucatan, and is threatened by the head of the Spanish Inquisition because of this. She sends her lover, the conquistador **Tomas** in search of it. With the help of a priest who had found a dagger that's actually a map to a lost Mayan temple, Tomas travels to the Yucatan. At first the expedition doesn't got entirely well, and some of Tomas' men mutiny. After they're defeated, Tomas, the Priest, and the few loyal men left go discover the lost temple. All but Tomas are killed by the Mayans guarding it. After fighting his way to the top of the temple, Tomas faces off with the Mayan high priest and is nearly defeated. His life is spared when a luminous, seemingly supernatural being appears in his place and the high priest sacrifices himself, saying something like \"First Father, I did no recognize you.\" Tomas then discovers a massive tree and reflecting pool at the top of the temple. The sap of this tree heals his wounds and he assumes it to be the Tree of Life. Son after he drinks the sap, though, his body is consumed by a surge of new plant growth.\n\n2. In 2000, **Izzi** is writing a book and dying of brain tumor. The story seen in Plot #1 is revealed to be the book she's writing, *The Fountain*. her husband **Tommy** is a neuroscientist, desperately trying to find a cure to save Izzi. Dabbling in Mayan philosophy (at least as presented in the film), Izzi comes to accept the inevitability of her death. She tells Tommy the story of First Father, who sacrificed himself so that the Tree of Life could grow from his body. \"Death is the road to awe,\" she says, repeating a Mayan tour guide she met once. Tommy takes different stance: \"Death is a disease.\" On more than one occasion, Tommy refuses to spend time with Izzi because he'd rather keep trying to save her. He continues his search for a cure, and after some set backs, eventually develops one based on a mysterious tree found in a remote area of Latin America. The cure comes to late. Izzi dies, and at her funeral, a tree is planted on her grave. In accordance with her final wish, Tommy finishes her book.\n\n3. In 2500, **Tom** travels among the stars in a Space Terrarium (Spaceship just doesn't capture the image well). His destination is a dying star, one that Izzi had pointed out to Tommy in Plot #2. It is Xibalba, the Underworld Star of the Mayans. Tom is traveling with **an ancient dying tree**, and haunted by visions of Isabella and Izzi. By eating bark from the tree, he sustains himself through the long voyage to Xibalba. He hopes to arrive before the tree dies so that it can be reborn in the fiery supernova that will result in the star's final moments. Unfortunately, the tree dies shortly before he arrives. He departs the Space Terrarium and is caught in the supernova alone. Dying in such a spectacular fashion, he becomes a transcendent being, and travels back in time to appear as First Father in order to save Tomas' life and far more subtly alters history so that Tommy doesn't squander his final days with Izzi. The assumption here is that Tom is Future!Tommy, having discovered a cure for death and allowing himself to be immortal. The tree is the one planted on Izzi's grave (and based on things said in Plot #2, Izzi has metaphorically become the tree and it fills the Isabella/Izzi role in this section of the movie), and seems to be same sort of tree as the one used to make the cure.\n\n4. My personal interpretation of the entire movie is that all three plots are the finished version of *The Fountain* after Tommy makes his additions after Izzi's death. Most of Plot #1 is what Izzi wrote, Plot #2 is a psuedo-biographical section based on Tommy and Izzi's \"real\" life, Plot #3 is what Tommy wrote himself. The ending, where all three plots crash together, would also have been written by Tommy, helping him achieve some measure of catharsis over his regret from not being with Izzi more during her final days.\n\nEDIT: Since you got me thinking about this movie, I had to take some time to listen to the soundtrack again via Youtube, which caused me to find [this video](_URL_0_) which also explains the movie, and picks up on some things that I skipped over here and offers several possible interpretations."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkVS5A5gfGs"
]
] |
|
3hk1d8 | why do some of my beard hairs grow in insanely thick while the rest are pretty normal? | I have a pretty good beard, but something odd happens. I have a few sporadic hairs that grow super quick and incredibly thick. When I say thick, I mean like 3-4x the thickness of my normal beard hairs. They are also much darker hairs. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3hk1d8/eli5_why_do_some_of_my_beard_hairs_grow_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"cu83ogj"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"I, too, would like to know why this happens. Mine seem to be sort of brittle as well, and I generally can't stop myself from fiddling with them until they just sort of break off at the root, only to grow back in in a day or two."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
cm88nj | why is china lowering the yuan to a decade year low a big deal? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cm88nj/eli5_why_is_china_lowering_the_yuan_to_a_decade/ | {
"a_id": [
"ew0kv83",
"ew0kxzg"
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"score": [
5,
3
],
"text": [
"Does your country trade with China? If yes, the exchange rate is important.\n\nIf the Chinese Yuan (CNY) devalues, it means you can buy Chinese-made stuff cheaper. You are discouraged from buying local-made stuff since the price is higher.\n\nEven if you personally don’t buy Chinese goods, manufacturers will still buy Chinese electronics, steel, agricultural products, plastics, etc and sell the finished food to you. This benefits Chinese companies more than local ones.\n\nObviously, as a consumer you wish for the CNY to devalue even more so you can buy stuff for even cheaper. As a business, it depends if your products are easily substituted with Chinese goods (eg steel vs steel, or computer chips vs computer chips). If you have something unique, you have no risk of losing out and can enjoy lowered costs from cheaper raw materials. If you have very similar products, you will be destroyed by cheap Chinese imports.",
"Probably the main issue is signalling. China's central bank, by not supporting the yuan, allows it to depreciate. This sends a message that China is willing to go further in the trade war against the US. Lowering the value of a currency lowers the cost of your exports but increases the cost of imports. This means local residents might face inflation (price increases). But domestic producer in China who export benefit because their product is now cheaper in the global market - stimulating sales. \n\nThe lowered export cost offsets the impact of the US imposed import tariffs for Chinese exports to the US."
]
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[],
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||
efkm33 | what exactly is blood pressure | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/efkm33/eli5_what_exactly_is_blood_pressure/ | {
"a_id": [
"fc0ydtf",
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Blood runs in tubes around your body. These tubes are called blood vessels, and to drive the blood around the heart pumps all the time throughout our lives (the heart is pretty much a glorified muscle).\n\nWhere does pressure come into it? If a tube (or a balloon, or anything else, really) is chock full of fluid, it might burst, right? That's because the fluid exerts a *pressure* on the container it's being kept in. It pushes outwards on the container.\n\nThe size matters as well. If you have the same amount of fluid in a bigger tube, it would be accomodated better and it wouldn't push as hard on the walls of the tube. Take a narrower tube, and the fluid starts being more constrained and the smaller tube is even more liable to burst.\n\nBlood does the same thing to the blood vessels. The pressure the blood exerts on the wall of the blood vessel is what we call *blood pressure*. The blood vessels change how narrow or wide they are all the time to make sure our blood pressure stays within reason, and when our vessels get trouble doing this it can lead to disease or illness.",
"Blood moves through your body via a series of tubes called blood vessels. Blood pressure is how hard the blood is pushing against the walls of these tubes. If someone's blood pressure goes up, that means that the blood is pushing harder against the tubes.\n\nOne of the main factors affecting blood flow is the pumping of one's heart. When the heart beats, pressure goes up, and between beats, pressure goes down. Consequently, when someone measures blood pressure, they'll find two numbers, with the higher number being blood pressure during a heartbeat and the lower number being blood pressure between heartbeats.",
"Does having more, new blood vessels lower your pressure? For example, weight lifters that have “vascularity”?"
]
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[],
[],
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||
1u5x5w | what is the difference between a web designer, a web developer, and a web programmer? | And what is the normal workflow when building a web site between the different specialties, to include database design on the server? And am I leaving anything out? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1u5x5w/eli5_what_is_the_difference_between_a_web/ | {
"a_id": [
"ceet406",
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"score": [
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"text": [
"From my limited experience as a network admin\nI'd say...\n\nWeb Designer: This guy has an art background\nand knows CSS and HTML.\n\nWeb Dev: This guy manages a little more than\nprograms. Although he is fluent in just about \neverything, just not great at it.\n\nWeb Programmer: This is your javascript guru.\n\nThe web guys usually stay away from the server.\n",
"As far as workflow, it really depends on where your company's experience is. You outsource the parts you don't have, but here's the basic skeleton:\n\n1. Web Project Manager gets the spec for the job and irons out anything ambiguous. (These people are usually the only ones socially savvy enough to talk to clients, along with the next group.) \n\n2a. UX (User Experience) gets the spec and figures out how to translate function into form. These people used to be called Web Designers, but that term has been misinterpreted as \"I only do Photoshop\", so it's not as often seen these days. \n\n2b. Web Architects get the spec and figure out what technology stack is most appropriate. Few people use the WA title, Senior Web Dev seems to be common these days, but that's what they're doing. They might hand off jobs to the DBA (Database Admin) or to Network Operations (NetOps), but most will do those parts themselves.\n\n3a. Graphic Designers will take the UX wireframes and prototypes and build the assets: images, mostly. These days many/most can also do enough minimal Flash work if it's required. \n\n3b. Web Developers get the spec, now broken down into features (tickets, stories, etc), and do the grunt work coding. They integrate the assets as they get them, but most won't wait to start. Depending on your size, this might be broken down into Front End and Back End teams. \n\n4. As each feature is complete it is passed to Quality Assurance for thorough testing, as well as back to the UX people for review. \n\n5. The PM schedules releases and meetings with the stakeholders and/or clients to show off the work, as well as deployment of the product. ",
"I look at it like this: \n\nDesigner = Interior Decorator \nDeveloper = Carpenter \nProgrammer = Architect \n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
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|
a46sul | what exactly causes our skin to "crawl" when we see something disturbing or unexpected? | Probably asked before, but exactly as the title says. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/a46sul/eli5_what_exactly_causes_our_skin_to_crawl_when/ | {
"a_id": [
"ebc1gxa"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"That's your hair standing on end. Its caused by a hormone released in response to certain stresses. Its the same thing that makes a cats fur puff out when scared, and done for the same reason. Of course in cats and animals this makes them look bigger, to scare away threats. \n\nBut we don't have nearly as much hair, having lost it over the course of several ancestor species that would eventually result in humans, so we're left with just the crawling sensation or goosebumps. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
7imgg2 | why did 20th century bombs dropped from aircraft usually made high-pitched, loud whistle-like sounds while falling? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7imgg2/eli5_why_did_20th_century_bombs_dropped_from/ | {
"a_id": [
"dqzsrez",
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29
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"text": [
"The whistles were purposefully attached to the bombs. Their purpose was to weaken enemy morale and to enhance the intimidation of dive-bombing. Look at the Stuka dive-bomber, a similar case. What other purpose did it's sirens have? As far as warning the target, it's too late to get to safety once you hear the whistle if you're not there already (bombs fall fast). Not all bombs were equipped with whistles, but they still all made noise as they fell due to air displacement (just not the famous whistling sound). This ( _URL_0_ ) page gives one example of bombs that were purposefully fitted with whistles.",
"Because it's terrifying - imagine being on the ground and hearing the whistle. You know that a bomb is coming, but there is no way you can see it, and even if you could working out which direction its moving would be impossible.\n\nThe modern sniper rifles deployed in Iraq got a similar fearsome reputation because of their extreme range - you'd be minding your own business and a wall behind you explodes before you even hear the gunshot. Where did it come from? No idea. What can I use for protection? Nothing, the fucker goes through walls and sandbags."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_87#Ju_87B"
],
[]
] |
||
9yymle | why does romaine seem to be recalled so frequently, but other lettuces not so often? is there something about romaine that doesn't occur with green leaf, spinach, etc..? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9yymle/eli5_why_does_romaine_seem_to_be_recalled_so/ | {
"a_id": [
"ea540l2"
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"score": [
14
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"text": [
"I'm not sure if the premise is necessarily true: that Romaine is recalled more often. There is an outbreak E. Coli outbreak going on with Romaine this year, so it may seem that way. However, I certainly remember bagged lettuce being massively recalled a few years ago. Green leaf lettuce recalls have happened as well: (example: _URL_1_).\n\nThe current recalls are so extensive because so much of the product comes from the same geographical area, and produce from one farm may be sold under multiple brands: \n\n\"While investigators haven’t yet determined the exact source of the E. coli contamination, they have linked the contaminated lettuce to the area of Yuma, Arizona. That doesn’t mean the problem is contained, though: the Yuma area produces about 90 percent of all the leafy vegetables — including all the romaine — grown and consumed in the United States between November and March.\n\nThat’s also made it difficult for investigators, retailers, and shoppers to determine which specific brands of lettuce have been affected. Lettuce grown on one Yuma farm might ultimately be packaged by any number of brands, as whole heads, chopped, or tossed with other lettuce in a salad mix. And many product labels don’t include information about the growing region, so it’s tough to be sure. Cases associated with this outbreak have been linked to both lettuce bought in grocery stores and lettuce eaten in restaurants.\" \n (Source: _URL_0_)\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.thecut.com/2018/04/what-to-know-about-the-romaine-lettuce-recall-and-e-coli.html",
"https://www.wallacesfarmer.com/story-salinas-valley-company-recalls-lettuce-8-8960"
]
] |
||
44w1hj | what is the difference between a home and a pro version of windows? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/44w1hj/eli5what_is_the_difference_between_a_home_and_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"cztb9as"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"You won't probably feel the differences at home.\n\nThe main difference is the Pro editions can be joined to an Active Directory domain. The second is the built-in encryption system (BitLocker).\n\n\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
5rwyml | do governments have plans set in the event of a contact with extra-terrestrial beings? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5rwyml/eli5do_governments_have_plans_set_in_the_event_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"ddatw6g",
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"score": [
2,
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"text": [
"Yes. But we can't tell you or we'll have to kill you. \n\nThere's alot of classified what-if plans. Some far-fetched like aliens land, some not like regional or national disaster. ",
"They probably do.\n\nMajor parts of the plans would deal with how to control the reaction of the population to the news. I don't think populations will react the way the media seems to think (everyone panicking / rioting / looting / etc.), but population control plans have to be in place nonetheless.\n\nOtherwise, how to deal with the extra-terrestrials themselves, it depends on what they want. Most of the stuff won't be pleasant to think about or plan for, because the level of technology that allows ET's to reach Earth would put them beyond any type of control that we could exert, and humans in general don't like being powerless like that and are likely to over-react.\n\nThe answer to your question is VERY similar, in my opinion, to the answer to this question: Do governments have plans set in the event of a sudden invasion (or population movement) from a foreign nation?\n\nTo go off on a tangent a bit, one of the things I didn't like in the movie Independence Day was this: replace the alien ships with futuristic planes or helicopters identifiable as from a foreign nation suddenly hovering over the major cites, and none of the waiting and decisions in that movie make sense anymore.",
"Yes, it is called a post-detection policy (PDP)\n\n United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) have them. [Here](_URL_0_)\n\nPrivate companies like the IAU, have their [official protocol] (_URL_1_) for an ET signal.(You tell IAU. IAU contacts the world leaders(UN Secretary General). At that point they have a meeting to decide what to do next.)\n\nThe UN controls this, that's why no PDPs have been formally and openly adopted by any governmental entity.\n\nChristopher Mellon (Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence) said once that the government had \"little if any idea\" of what we'd be up against and \"whatever it is would be so far beyond us it would look and appear magical or spiritual, totally beyond our ability to cope with or resist if hostile. If such an event occurred we'd simply have to muddle through as best we could.\" \n\n\n\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"http://i.imgur.com/VNMm5dH.png",
"http://www.seti.org/post-detection.html"
]
] |
||
8ov3f3 | what is meritorious consideration in contract law? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8ov3f3/eli5_what_is_meritorious_consideration_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"e06f2qk"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"In order for a contract to be valid, both parties have to get some sort of benefit from it. I give you $20, you mow my lawn, we are both getting something out of it. The legal term for this is a *consideration*, and a valid consideration is regarded as being meritorious.\n\nLet's say I trick you into signing a contract to selling your car to me for $100, instead of the $10,000 I led you to believe. You could contest the contract on the grounds of my deception, but that might be hard to prove. You could also make the claim that $100 does not qualify as a meritorious consideration, as no reasonable person would sell that kind of a car for that price, and have the contract voided on those grounds."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
1na127 | if nazi war criminals were given (somewhat) fair trials at nuremberg then why wasn't osama bin laden given one? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1na127/eli5_if_nazi_war_criminals_were_given_somewhat/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Pretty much impossible to take him alive. The nazis surrendered and went to court. OBL spent a decade on the run, hiding with armed guards.",
"Because he shot at the people trying to capture him, and was killed in the firefight. There's no reason to believe he wouldn't have been given a trial had this not happened.",
"He and those around him were fighting back, and so it was more important to capture him dead than to risk soldiers dying trying to subdue him alive. "
]
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[],
[],
[]
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||
3lyjij | how do asians differentiate amongst people based on their countries? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3lyjij/eli5_how_do_asians_differentiate_amongst_people/ | {
"a_id": [
"cvadsb7",
"cvadx5e"
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"score": [
6,
2
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"text": [
"The same way everyone else does. You have difficulty telling Asian nationalities apart because it's not something you do on a regular basis. There are visible ways to tell, and people who are exposed to a wider diversity of Asians know. But then they might have difficulty picking up the differences between say a Englishman and a Frenchman.",
"As someone who grew up in Hawai'i, I can easily tell Asian ethnicity in a majority of cases. The more time you spend with all the ethnicities, the easier it is to tell them apart. \n \nHave you ever known any twins? Well, when you first met them, you probably got them confused for a good while, until you were able to pick out the subtle differences."
]
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[],
[]
] |
||
4bx31k | why is it that sometimes japanese spellings of (video game, tv show, movie, etc) titles are just the sound of the english title written out, even though it comes from japan? | According to Wikipedia, the pronunciation of the JAPANESE title of [Dragon Ball](_URL_1_) and [Dragon Ball Z](_URL_0_) are Doragon Bōru and Doragon Bōru Zetto respectively. That doesn't seem to make sense to me, but it's not the first time I've come across situations like this. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4bx31k/eli5_why_is_it_that_sometimes_japanese_spellings/ | {
"a_id": [
"d1d56mm",
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"text": [
"Because they thought it sounded cooler that way. Also \"Zetto\" is probably coming from the Greek \"Zeta\" rather than English.\n\nFor example, rather than just translating \"Gojira\" to \"Gorilla Whale\", the American version was called Godzilla, altering the Japanese name to be more pronounceable for Americans. ",
"The titles are supposed to be English, or at least, very English-like. Doragon Booru is how they write Dragon Ball in Japanese since they're forced to work with a more limited sound set. As for why they do that it could be almost anything depending on the genre and author, but most likely they just thought English sounds cool or think that their audience thinks English sounds cool and rolled with it.",
"They are using English words, the same way English speaking media is using foreign words some times.\n\nThe difference is that the native Japanese way of writing (and with it pronouncing things) is rather different from most European languages.\n\nThey primarily use a syllabary that has very limited number of syllables.\n\nWhen a Japanese person writes the english words Dragon Ball, they would either just write \"Dragon Ball\" using the same Latin characters you use in english or write ドラゴンボール using one of their native scripts. Transliterating that back into Latin characters results in: \"Doragon Bōru\".\n\nWhy \"D**o**ragon\" instead of \"Dragon\"?\n\nBecause the Japanese characters represent syllables rather than vowels and consonants like the Latin characters we use (\"N\" is an exception.). They have charcters for Da, Di, Do, De and Du but not for \"D\" by itself. So this is the closest they can get to representing the English word in that script.\n\nOther things are for example the lack of distinct characters for L and R. They have just one type type of character that covers both.\n\nSo if you see an English word written in Japanese characters you will often find extra vowels everywhere and Rs where you expect Ls and often since the transliteration to Latin characters is not always based on how \"Americans\" would pronounce letters a but a mix of various European pronunciations it doesn't always fir what you would expect.\n\nYou get similar artifacts by transliterating back and forth between other languages using different scripts.\n"
]
} | [] | [
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball_Z",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball"
] | [
[],
[],
[]
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|
3f927q | what happens to prisoners serving a 100+ year sentence when they start to get senile and old? do you die in prison the same way you normally would of old age? | i read an article about a man who served a 144 year sentence, do they just let you die in prison like you would normally of old age? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3f927q/eli5_what_happens_to_prisoners_serving_a_100_year/ | {
"a_id": [
"ctmg0lg",
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"score": [
4,
2
],
"text": [
"Pretty much, yeah. If you have medical conditions that can't be properly attended to in prison you might be moved to a secure hospital, but they don't let you out. You will die in prison or some prison-like facility.",
"This article sums it up. Sad business, very sad.\n\n_URL_0_\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/05/02/the-painful-price-of-aging-in-prison/"
]
] |
|
bbzdpk | how did congress set their salaries? | Who was in charge of setting everyone in Congress's salaries, benefits, what Insurance provider do they go through? Do they all use the same Insurance provider? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bbzdpk/eli5_how_did_congress_set_their_salaries/ | {
"a_id": [
"ekmk6uf"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Congress is in charge of the government's money, so they set their own salaries by passing the appropriate bill. The president still has veto power, of course, and any salary changes won't take place until after the next Congressional election. In terms of benefits and such, they're just like any other Federal Employee and their benefits are determined by the Office of Personnel Management."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
277anz | what happened to aol, man? | They used to be such a huge company, they dominated the internet scene, and then like that...gone? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/277anz/eli5_what_happened_to_aol_man/ | {
"a_id": [
"chy1o9e",
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8,
6,
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"text": [
"They're still around, mostly as a branding/media company. They own the Huffington Post, for example. (They own a lot of other properties and have an extensive online advertising arm, but HuffPo is the most notable.)\n\nAs far as their online services went...they had specialized in the \"walled garden\" approach, which worked in the early days of the internet but soon became obsolete. Then they merged with Time Warner and just kind of got lost, later to be spun off again when the merger proved to be a disaster.",
"Their business model was designed around giving people an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand portal to the Internet. The inexperienced computer user needed to know nothing about ISPs, browsers, email, et cetera, because everything was done for them.\n\nAs Internet usage became more ubiquitous, users started to want to craft their own experiences, not have AOL choose for them, but the company was slow to respond to this. People preferred to pay only for access, not have their entire online life crafted for them.\n\nThey're not gone, though. There are lots of people who need or want the extra help in navigating the Internet and are willing to pay for that help. As of 2012, AOL is still worth over $2 billion, which isn't pocket change.",
"They bill themselves as a content provider. Their dial up business is just not something done anymore thought they still draw in large amounts of money from it.",
"Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and a dozen other things happened. What happened to AOL is, it failed to keep up with the advances in technology. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
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] |
|
amov34 | why does eating a pound of food (or any amount) not cause you to weigh + that amount immediately after when stepping on a scale? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/amov34/eli5_why_does_eating_a_pound_of_food_or_any/ | {
"a_id": [
"efniapz"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"It does, but typical hooman scales are horribly innacurate. Just ask any pugilist how much an average poo weighs before weigh-in."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
3uqpb3 | why do all uk plugs have three prongs/ always have an 'earth' whilst most other counties only have two prongs? (or no earth?) | All my plugs have three prongs, presumably one is always earth, but literally every other country I've ever been to ( mostly in Asia) only have two, does this mean there is no earth? Is this more dangerous?
Thanks in advance!! 😊 | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3uqpb3/eli5_why_do_all_uk_plugs_have_three_prongs_always/ | {
"a_id": [
"cxgyovg",
"cxgzbqv",
"cxh062d"
],
"score": [
3,
14,
2
],
"text": [
"It's due to the way the outlets are destined, in the UK, the earth/ground prong is longer than the other two, as it is inserted into the outlet, the other two holes are opened (they are closed when not in use). Appliances that don't need an earth/ground just have a plastic earth/ground prong. \n \nIn the US, our outlets don't have this safety feature, so appliances that don't need an earth/ground can save money by not needing a plastic earth/ground prong, and also not needing to add shutters to outlets saves money for the outlet manufacturers. The downside is that our outlets are always open and babies/idiots can stick metal in them.",
"In short, because UK Plugs are by far the most safe, most reliable, best designed plugs in the entire world and the rest of the world would be smart if they were to all adopt our standards.\n\n/Brit.\n\n;)\n",
"Is it anything to do with the U.K. Being on 240V? \n\nI always find it totally bizarre that American bathrooms have power outlets in them. In the UK they are kept outside of the bathroom. "
]
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[],
[],
[]
] |
|
84pp63 | how can 2 switches wired to the same light be able to turn it on and off no matter the state of the other switch? | There is this light along my stairs which can be affected by both switches without intervention. (AKA no "OR" gates) How is this possible? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/84pp63/eli5_how_can_2_switches_wired_to_the_same_light/ | {
"a_id": [
"dvrcu5i"
],
"score": [
35
],
"text": [
"In household electric wiring, a three-way switch setup (common term) often involves wiring two double-pole switches a line, with the power source connected to one and the lamp connected to each other. In this case, each switch has two positions, and the circuit can be completed [or broken] by moving by moving either switch to a position that completes the circuit (or breaks it), as the current can flow from either position of the first switch.\n\n[This picture is worth a lot of words ](_URL_0_)"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/3-way_switches_position_2.svg/300px-3-way_switches_position_2.svg.png"
]
] |
|
5q9w5w | why does youtube's copyright law about songs not affect lyric videos? | While they're useful, the videos are pretty much a reupload of the song with subtitles, and from what I've heard youtubers can get a copyright strike from as little humming a song. I understand covers since they probably fall under the "transformative" category, but I doubt lyric videos do. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5q9w5w/eli5_why_does_youtubes_copyright_law_about_songs/ | {
"a_id": [
"dcxiwm2"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"If you make content or a music mix, you are to put the titles of songs used in your video description. Else they will will remove your video.\n\nMaking a lyric video counts as user made content (I guess). So as long you put credits in your description it should be fine."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
1lwzca | what does it mean for austrailia now that abbot is the pm? | Sweeping changes? Will day to day life be affected? If so many people were against Abbot, how did he win? Is he really that bad for Austrailia? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1lwzca/eli5_what_does_it_mean_for_austrailia_now_that/ | {
"a_id": [
"cc3kqkm",
"cc3tee3"
],
"score": [
7,
3
],
"text": [
"Tying to be as non-bias as possible. Your day to day life will not be affect aside from the fact that you might pay slightly higher taxes / you might receive slightly less services. A lot of people were against abbott on the internet because people who are technologically advanced are often Labor supporters; they probably support because of the broadband policies. Most of the technology illiterate do not care for the broadband policies and likely voted for the liberal coalition.\n\nIt is by all means not going to be the end of the world. It isn't that bad for Australia. The hard working spirit and the sheer toughness of Australia is what got us where we are and no political party will ever be able to tear that down.",
"Brief overview is that Tony Abbott:*\n\nHates the gays wanting to get married\n\nHates people that come to seek asylum by boat\n\nDoesn't give a shit about technological advancements (internet, science, medicine)\n\nWont outline any policies about bettering education\n\n\nHe is bad but the alternative isn't that much better so it is like picking between Romney and Obama for you Americans"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
2a5vqx | what is the physics explanation behind 3d technology? | I recently completed a rigorous physics course that involved a few chapters on optics and light, and ever since I've been trying to figure out on my own how the 3D effect is produced. Anyone know? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2a5vqx/eli5_what_is_the_physics_explanation_behind_3d/ | {
"a_id": [
"cirsamw"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"One of the most compelling ways to convince the brain that you are seeing something that is 3D when it is actually an image on a flat surface is to feed a different image into each eye. This is how the old red/blue 3D glasses work—they project both images on the same surface but they are tinted different colors so you only see one of the images with each eye.\n\nMany other 3D technologies largely works the same way. Most 3D cinema experiences are done using polarized lenses. It's a bit rough to fully describe what polarized light is, but essentially light can be either clockwise or counterclockwise, if you will. Most light is a mixture of both, but you can make a filter that only allows one or the other through. They project the image for one eye using one polarity and for the other eye using the other polarity; the glasses you wear have filters that block one or the other. Next time you're in the theater look at someone else who's wearing the glasses and close one eye. You'll be able to see through one side of their glasses just fine but not the other.\n\nA lot of computer gaming 3D effect and the 3D effect on home theater systems is often done with \"shutter glasses.\" They have the ability to quickly alternate between clear and opaque. The TV or Monitor can flash an image for about 1/120 of a second while one eye is allowed to see out, then they flash the corresponding image meant for the other eye while that eye is allowed to see. Once again this is based on feeding a different image to each eye.\n\nThere are other effects that some systems use. For example, if the system can track the movement of the viewer relative to the screen then it can redraw the scene as if it were being observed by someone who has moved over. This can give you the effect of looking \"around\" an object in an image and can support the illusion of 3D.\n\nThere's really not a lot of actual optics that is involved in creating the 3D illusion. Your brain judges distance partially by using the focus of your eyes, but it's not really practical to use that when trying to make something look 3D. I've only ever seen this approach at an optometrist. In fact, the mismatch of focus with apparent distance is one of the stronger things that makes the 3D illusion fail and can contribute to the motion sickness and headaches that some people get when experiencing 3D media. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2hlnz2 | how do testicles not get wrapped around each other inside the scrotum? | I need to know, I'm kind've terrified by the notion of them getting twisted together. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2hlnz2/eli5_how_do_testicles_not_get_wrapped_around_each/ | {
"a_id": [
"cktsyqu",
"ckttg0e",
"cktvoic"
],
"score": [
6,
12,
2
],
"text": [
"They can. It's called testicular torsion.",
"Your balls are seperated by a thin wall so they cant tangle each other. However one testicle can twist around itself causing testicular torsion.",
"Ok, most envision testicles like a ball on a string, your vein being the string and the ball being.. *well, you know.* this isn't anatomically correct. Imagine... *Bassett hound ears*: flat, elongated and droopy, *THAT* is what the tissues surrounding a testicle reminds me of. Although one could physically twist testicles, they typically rotate and adjust back to their original position. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
73j5i7 | why can’t video games make walking/running look realistic? | Video games have seen major innovations in recent years, with incredible graphics, new forms of interaction like VR, and more complicated algorithms.
But while playing FIFA 18, I noticed that players running around still have the illusion that their feet are sliding around. It seems that their feet are never actually planted, and the game just coordinates their movements and positions rather than have the player realistically run within out the feet sliding around when they change direction.
tl;dr: Why can’t video games like FIFA, 2K, Madden make running look realistic? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/73j5i7/eli5_why_cant_video_games_make_walkingrunning/ | {
"a_id": [
"dnqplba",
"dnqpp3y",
"dnqzg48"
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"score": [
3,
10,
2
],
"text": [
"there are generally 2 ways to do this:\n\n- Physics simulation: use the momentum of the character to calculate where the legs/feet should go in order to provide the proper change in direction. In real time.\n\n- Create a seperate animation for every single possible leg position, body position and movement change that the physical body is capable of doing, as well as create a system that determines the correct animation to play. (Pretty much all games use a severely cut down version of this, as animations take a long time to make)\n\nA lot of work for something most people wont care about.",
"A lot of movement animation is captured live with peoples' actual body movements ([Example](_URL_0_)) and then these are applied to the character's animation when moving in-game.\n\nThe problem comes because many states/actions can make the player run faster/slower (such as sprinting vs. walking, as well as changing directions in many different angles) and the studio can only capture so many animations to account for that. After that it comes down to using mathematics to calculate where body parts should be, or trying to find the \"most appropriate\" animation for whatever action a player is doing and a lot of the time this isn't perfect, and thus things like running animations are not perfect with the speed that the feet move in, etc.",
"You can see some work towards making it look more realistic here: _URL_0_. (That's commentary on the work. For a video made by the actual researchers, see here: _URL_1_.)"
]
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[],
[
"https://youtu.be/Rpr1SIvL4Gg"
],
[
"https://youtu.be/wlndIQHtiFw",
"https://youtu.be/Ul0Gilv5wvY"
]
] |
|
9tphc1 | usage factor on electricity bill | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9tphc1/eli5_usage_factor_on_electricity_bill/ | {
"a_id": [
"e8y53se"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Some electrical companies charge you based on \"demand\" or \"peak\" or \"load\", rather than a flat rate. \n\nSo, basically, when you consume your kwh at night, the power plant is not busy and can easily supply it, but if you consume it during the day, they also have to supply a lot of businesses, so that means more effort on their part to keep the businesses powered up, AND you at the same time. Or at least that's their justification.\n\nSo, we don't know, but you have a couple possibilities:\n\n* Daytime kwh's cost you more than night-time kwh's, and the new meters they have nowadays can keep track of WHEN you consume your electricity.\n\n* Or, getting close to your \"limit\" costs you A LOT more. Like, 0 - 50% of what you're allowed, costs you $1 per kwh. 50% to 75% costs you $2, 75% to 90% costs you $5, and 90% - 100% costs you $10 per kwh.\n\nYour best bet is to call the utility company and have them explain the bill to you. It sounds like they're charging you based on the \"usage factor\" - 0.617 is about 3x 0.225, so your bill is about 3x bigger. They aren't charging you based on the raw kwh.\n\nSo have them explain to you what this \"usage factor\" actually is."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2utepi | why when a drop of water lands on a piece of paper and it dries the paper is left wrinkled at that spot. | Smooth paper is left wrinkled when exposed to water. It seems to happen to every kind of paper. What is happening to cause the wrinkles? Why doesn't it flatten out again when it dries? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2utepi/eli5why_when_a_drop_of_water_lands_on_a_piece_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"cobl233"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"I have no evidence but my thought is that the fibers of the paper likely swell and rearrange themselves as they push outward in their swelling. Try getting a piece of paper wet and leaving something quite heavy on top of it to see if that changes the result"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
eu6n77 | how/why does it benefit the us dollar when saudi arabia uses it exclusively when selling oil? also, why do a lot of places outside of the us accept/favour the us dollar? | Why does the US want Saudi Arabia to sell oil exclusively using the US dollar? Also, why do a lot of places outside of the US accept/favour the US dollar? Is there something particularly special about it? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/eu6n77/eli5_howwhy_does_it_benefit_the_us_dollar_when/ | {
"a_id": [
"fflyde2",
"ffme74h"
],
"score": [
4,
4
],
"text": [
"If the dollar weakens, a barrel of oil will still cost the same amount for American customers.\n\nThe price paid will only be based on the oil market at the time, rather than how many pounds, euros, etc the dollar is worth.",
"At any given time, there is a limited supply of dollars in the world. Not just a limited amount of bills and coins, but a limited amount of currency that includes money that just exists as numbers in computers. This number is controlled by the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States.\n\nIf a lot of people want to use US dollars to buy things, then I can sell you my US dollars at a higher price. Because, if you don't want it, I can probably find another buyer for them. Whereas you may not as easily find another seller, if US dollars are in high demand. On the other hand, if few people are interested in USD, then I'll have a hard time finding a buyer for my dollars, and will probably have to lower my price to get someone willing to take them off my hands.\n\nThe more people use the USD, the higher demand for it will be. Oil is a popular good that many people want to buy. If everybody who wants to buy oil needs USD to do it, then that demand will drive up the price of the USD. It's also beneficial to America because it means that the price Americans pay for oil isn't (directly) influenced by fluctuations in the currency markets.\n\nOther places like the dollar because it is historically stable, and likely to stay that way for a while because it is backed by the most powerful country in the world, with the largest economy and the most fearsome army. If you bought German Deutschmarks in 1920, then a few years later your coin would have been worthless due to hyperinflation. Same goes for Italian Lira at several points in history, and many other currencies. To this day, there are countries around the world whose currencies are unreliable, so people don't like to keep their savings in those currencies because they might lose their value. For instance, the Cambodian Riel underwent a lot of inflation a few decades ago, and so the people there lost confidence in their currency, which is why nowadays the USD is the de facto currency for many transactions in Cambodia. It's a bit like putting your savings in gold, or some other good whose value you have confidence in, only more practical because dollars are already currency."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
2jl5wy | will wearing glasses daily deform your skull? | I've been wearing glasses for 10+ years and I've noticed indents where they sit on the side of my head. Is that an indent in the skull or just the tissue? Would they go away with the absence of glasses? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2jl5wy/eli5_will_wearing_glasses_daily_deform_your_skull/ | {
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3,
2
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"text": [
"Anecdotal evidence only: My wife, who is 46, has been wearing glasses since she was 4 or 5. There are indentations in the bone on the side of her head where the temples press.",
"How old are you? If your skull is still growing during your years of glasses use, your skull shape could easily have been influenced by your glasses. ",
"I don't have glasses but have an indent. Does this mean I will need glasses? ",
"It depends. If you were wearing glasses when you were younger (ages 0-10), there there might be some *slight* indents, but it's like foot-binding - unless there's a forceful binding for an extended period of time, you're not likely to see any deformation of your bone structure. \n\nIt works the same way that growing trees do. If you put something in the way of the natural growth that the organism can't overpower, it will grow around it.\n\nBones are strong, and humans move around a *lot*. \n\nThat being said, if you were wearing glasses for the past ten years, you've likely developed small callouses from where the arms of your glasses might have been rubbing behind your ears. I've been wearing glasses for over ten years, as well, and I have them. The more often you wear your glasses, the harder they will feel, and the deeper your callouses will run. \n\nIf you're especially concerned about them, see your doctor.",
"Can confirm, i don't use glasses and my skull is the same."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
dthuhm | how do contactless payments through a phone work without service or wifi? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dthuhm/eli5_how_do_contactless_payments_through_a_phone/ | {
"a_id": [
"f6wnsgi",
"f6wq6xv"
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"score": [
11,
2
],
"text": [
"Your phone creates a \"virtual card\" of sorts. Your normal card is just a collection of data like serial numbers, account number etc that tells the card reader how to withdraw money. Your phone simply creates similar card, that effectively functions same way. Your card doesn't need internet access to work, and so neither does your phone (for this purpose).\n\nThe card reader does, however, require network connection - to actually contact the bank etc. Regardless of whether phone or card is used.",
"There are two main systems for phone payments. One is NFC (near-field communication). It uses a special chip in the phone that \"talks\" to the chip in the payment terminal. A virtual card is genereated, as others have said. NFC hardware must be in the phone, and it must be turned on in the OS and supported by an app - Apple Pay or Google Pay.\n\nThe other system is Samsung Pay, which \"fools\" a magnetic stripe card reader into \"thinking\" a card has been swiped through it. All the special hardware and software for this method is in the phone."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
4y83k9 | how do home routers work and what do the various bands do? | I pay for decent internet service (90Mbps) but speed test maxes out at about 2MBps download speed. While I am not a wireless technician I know this is off and have heard talk of various bands that I can switch to or change. I have absolutely no idea how home networks in general function and how I might improve them so a basic overall explanation of that subject would be greatly appreciated | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4y83k9/eli5_how_do_home_routers_work_and_what_do_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"d6lpo6e",
"d6ltywn"
],
"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"Quite likely you are just being defrauded by your ISP provider, Just because you are paying for it does not mean you are getting it.\n\nYour download speed will be determined by your weakest link. Get a friend to come by with a laptop and check the download and do a ping test.\n\nIf you can hook up with a CAT 5 cable do that and check. That will eliminate any weakness due to your wireless router.\n\nBeyond that it is time to check with the ISP's technicians with your data.\n",
"Connect your computer via Ethernet and do a speed test. \n \n**Bands:** \n2.4GHz: Best penetrating power, maxes out at ~35Mbps. \n5GHz: Worse penetrating power, maxes out at 1.3Gbps I believe. \n \n**Generation:** \n802.11a: Dead slow, not sure anything uses this. \n802.11b: Slightly less dead slow, only Panera Bread uses this. \n802.11g: Decent speed, older devices use this. \n802.11n: Good speeds (max of 450Mbps I believe), uses both bands, but requires 5GHz for faster speeds, most all popular modern devices from the past 5-8 years support this. \n802.11ac: Best speeds currently (max of 1.3Gbps I believe), only uses 5GHz, most all popular devices from the past ~2 years support this. \n \n**Channels:** \nYour consumer American router for 2.4GHz can use channels 1-11, only use channels 1, 6, or 11, or you're an asshole. For 5GHz, set it to automatically select a channel. **If all your neighbors are using the same channel as you, that causes very slow speeds for everyone.** To find out what your neighbors use, you need a Wi-Fi scanner app, all Apple Macintosh computer's have them built-in, and Apple has it as an App Store app for iOS, Windows/Android will need 3^rd party apps. \n \nAlso, you said you were getting 2MBps download, which is 16Mbps, so I'm not sure if you meant that or 2Mbps."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
3phfq5 | why do animals not seem to need the vitamins that humans do? | I get that their bodies are different and all but isn't our biological make up the same? My dog never eats oranges and doesn't have scurvy. Why can't I just eat meat and be good to go? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3phfq5/eli5_why_do_animals_not_seem_to_need_the_vitamins/ | {
"a_id": [
"cw6apgr"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"First, you don't NEED a lot of vitamins. You benefit from their presence, but you can survive without them. \n\nBut for some of the ones you do need that animals don't seem to, it's because our bodies have evolved somewhat counterproductively to lose the ability to synthesize them ourselves. Back in the caveman days before there was such a thing as really long sea voyages, diet generally included teas and herbs and greens that had lots of vitamin C, so there was no scurvy.\n\nDogs eat meat and don't generally eat plants, so they didn't get much vitamin C and so kept the ability to synthesize their own."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
|
2c64xj | why is aids poked fun at by comedians and shows like south park while diseases like cancer aren't? | Why is AIDS made fun of by crude comedians and tv shows while cancer isn't? Is cancer somehow more taboo than AIDS? Where did the laughability of AIDS come from? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2c64xj/eli5_why_is_aids_poked_fun_at_by_comedians_and/ | {
"a_id": [
"cjcapcm",
"cjcat3j",
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"score": [
2,
3,
3,
2
],
"text": [
"According to the South Park episode, AIDS is declared officially funny. And dude comedians make fun of almost every disease. Except birth defects. That's just a comedy killer. ",
"If you tell a cancer joke to an audience, you better make it the funniest joke you've ever told, because it's likely that 75% of people in the audience have some personal relationship to a cancer victim, and a notable percentage have/had cancer themselves.\n\nThat makes it a pretty tough sell. You'd be better off telling a joke about airplane food.\n\nAIDS is a far more abstract and mysterious disease to most people. It's less commonly discussed, and therefore people have different sensibilities towards it.\n\nNow, that being said, AIDS is fairly off-limits as well, save for extremely off-the-wall comedy like South Park. I don't think you'll see many stand up comedians doing an AIDS set, knocking 'em dead with the AIDS puns (no pun intended).",
"You didn't see the episode about terrance and Phillip when they got cancer in their ass?",
"People make fun of AIDS because unlike Cancer you just cant \"happen to be unlucky and get it\", with AIDS, it is 99.9% of the time something YOU did to contract it via lifestyle choices.\n\nPeople make fun of others for doing dumb shit that puts them at a now disadvantage where as it is not commonly accepted to make fun of someone with Cancer because they did not have a choice in the matter.\n\n(excluding cigarette lung/mouth types that came from that).\n\nBut ladies with ovarian or males with prostate cancer just kinda get the short end of the stick. Making fun of that is generally frowned upon."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
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|
6nvhh4 | if most money is just numbers in a database, how come we don't hear of hackers who break in and just increase their account balance? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6nvhh4/eli5_if_most_money_is_just_numbers_in_a_database/ | {
"a_id": [
"dkcieje"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Accounting and balance sheets. Every debit has to have a credit, and every credit a debit...or it will show up as out of balance. If there were to be a balancing entry in the respective offset account, then maybe it would go undetected...but nonetheless it would still show up as an entry that someone is eventually responsible for reconciling. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
1apq4a | why news reports always use the word "allegedly" even if there is proof of something? | Basically, anytime you see a news story, they always state "The alleged thief was caught on camera and sentenced", or "The victim was allegedly stabbed to death". Why do they ALWAYS use this word? As far as I know, allegedly (alleged) can have many different meanings, however the very first meaning is *to assert without proof*, and yet another definition is *To declare with positiveness*. This seems contradictory. Anyone? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1apq4a/eli5why_news_reports_always_use_the_word/ | {
"a_id": [
"c8zlkes",
"c8zm0g6"
],
"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"Legally people are innocent until proven guilty. While they have arrested someone and charged them with say thievery, until the trial convicts them they are simply a \"suspect\" and not a thief. News agencies therefore cannot rightly declare them thieves just because they were charged with the offense and could rightly be sued for defamation, libel, slander, etc. They simply report that it is \"alleged\" that they were thieves which is accurate.",
"They can get sued for libel if it turns out they falsely accused someone, even if the evidence seemed impossibly good at the time. One time in a million, that proof that seemed so damning will turn out to be not so good after all. It costs the news agency nothing to pepper a broadcast with \"allegedly\", but it can save them tons if it prevents them from getting sued."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
37spm8 | how do gift cards for multiple restaurants/stores work? | I understand they are all owned by the same corporation, but how does the money get spread out?
An example is Cara Operations in Canada, they own several restaurant chains such as Harvey;s, Swiss Chalet, Kelsey's, Milestones, and Montana's. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/37spm8/eli5_how_do_gift_cards_for_multiple/ | {
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"It gets split up when you purchase an item.\n\nWhen you purchase a gift card at Swiss Chalet, you're really purchasing fake-money only usable at Cara Operations' stores. I'm sure in Cara's accounting books they have a big bucket for all the giftcard money. Once it is used at Swiss Chalet goes out of the Cara account and into Swiss Chalet's account.\n\nBasically, you pay the umbrella company, and it sits there. When the gift card is actually used, the umbrella company pays the specific company (or division, whatever) you purchased items from.\n\nWhat happens to unspent gift cards? Probably depends on the company or laws, but most reduce their balance by $0.01 per day after like 3 years of non-use (assumed lost or thrown away). How is that split up? Could be evenly among the companies, could all go back to the company where the gift card was originally purchased."
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5jgmyf | why do black americans seem to be affected by slavery more so than people of other ethnicities are affected by the generational atrocities committed against their people? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5jgmyf/eli5_why_do_black_americans_seem_to_be_affected/ | {
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"They aren't. Plenty of people around the world have it worse than African Americans. There are even places in the world that still practice slavery today.\n\nAfrican Americans, however, are American. Because of that, they are near to the world's centers of culture and entertainment. They are also the most numerous minority in America. So while oppressed people everywhere struggle to overcome adversity, you are substantially more likely to hear about efforts from African Americans.\n\nA good number of liberal movements exist to try to raise awareness of other, less famous groups who also need change to achieve equality. I'd encourage you to become more involved with any that you feel you can.",
"First, I'll admit, I'm not sure how to answer your question because it's hard to quantify and compare. \n\nOne distinction that there is between the experience of blacks in America and many other ethnic struggles is that the African American population was effectively created out of whole cloth from slavery, and the legacy of slavery in terms of ethnic strife and government empowered racial division lasted well into the 20th century (and some would argue still lingers, to some degree). \n\nThere were Jews before the Holocaust, Irishmen before the famine, Han Chinese before the century of humiliation, but African Americans are even more synthetic a population than Americans writ large. Maybe the native peoples of the Americas are comparable, but they are still pretty effected by colonization too. ",
"Black people are more impacted because it lasted longer. Slavery lasted a long time in America, and even once that was over, sharecropping and prison labor took its place. I don't want to get too much into racial politics, but at the time black Americans were still trying to get on their feet, whiteness was readdressed to include the Irish and Italian immigrants, who essentially were united with white people by harming/hating black people. That, combined with housing discrimination, job discrimination, and other prevalent institutional racism means that black people have had a harder time trying to bridge the income gap. ",
"Slavery as well as racist oppression didnt end until very recently. slavery \"officially\" ended 150 years ago, with segregation remaining legal for the next 100 years. Legally a black man could not marry a white woman (or vise versa) until the late 60s. Tl;DR this isnt a old wound.\n\nAlso there are a lot of ethnicity that are bitter about their history. Jewish people still have emotional responsive to WW2 stories, and i am sure the same goes for the Armenian people. just to name a couple.",
"IMO, one of the main factors is that there haven't been any real reparations paid for their suffering. Their ancestors played a significant role in literally building this nation and they have no generational wealth to show for it. African Americans have only started to see equal *opportunities* in the last half-century or so. Yet, they still hold a disproportionately small percentage of the total wealth because they never had that family home, business, or inheritance that could be passed down from generation to generation. Essentially, they started with a handicap (slavery, inability to vote or own property, etc.) and it was never remedied. Thus, they are still affected by it. \n\nFor instance, Jews were paid reparations by the Germans for the Holocaust and I would imagine claims are still being made to this day. In America, there have been billions of dollars in reparations paid to Japanese Americans as a result of the internment camps of WWII. Yet, the descendants of slaves have yet to see a nickel. Of course, it's a complicated issue and reparations are only a small part of it, but I think it would help ease the tension.",
"The real answer is that wasn't just slavery. There was overt institutional oppression of blacks until very recently. When you're talking about, for example, Jim Crow laws that were in place until the mid 60s, they affected people who are now as young as in their 50s. That means people in their 20s might have parents that were in segregated schools for part of their schooling, or a grandparent that had to use a Green Book when driving long distances to know where they could eat or sleep.\n\nThere are also lots of other ways black Americans were purposely disenfranchised in the last 50 years, but I'm a fairly uninformed Canadian. If you're truly interested in some of the reasons why black people still care about slavery, and you're not just making a thinly veiled racist shitpost, you should do some research into the last 100 years of African American history."
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6kaxzf | why is the death rate for alzheimer's so incredibly low in japan? | In Canada, the death rate per 100,000 for Azlheimer's is 35.50. In France, it's 25.62. In the US, it's 45.58. In Japan, on the other hand, the death rate is staggeringly low at 4.23.
Logically, one would expect Japan to have an even higher death rate from Alzheimer's than most countries given that Alzheimer's affects old people and Japan has the second highest life expectancy in the world. Why is it then that deaths from Alzheimer's are so few and far between in Japan?
Source: _URL_0_ | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6kaxzf/eli5_why_is_the_death_rate_for_alzheimers_so/ | {
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"I could imagine diet and life style play a part. From what I understand people in Japan eat a very healthy diet with very little processed foods. This general means they reach old age with a less diseased and ailments compared to America and Canada. ",
"Alzheimer's is a tricky thing. Although it comprises a hefty chunk of modern day research, our attempts at narrowing its underlying causes is progressing but is in no way resolute at this time. However, it seems there are some clear genetic predispositions. Japan may ultimately comprise of a population of human beings lucky enough not to carry a high number of mutations that potentially lead to the development of Alzheimer's. Another reasoning could be diet and health. ",
"This is all supposition on my part, but here it goes...\n\n- Society. Asian cultures are far more likely to have younger generations care for their elders. As such, they spend a lot less time isolated and maintain active participation in everyday life. Maintaining this level of brain activity and socialization can only be a good thing.\n\n- Genetics. Japan is isolated and the genetic precursors for the disease seem to be much more common in people of Caucasian origin.\n\n- Diet. The Japanese eat an absolute shitton of fish and other foods high in omega-3's and other brain friendly organic compounds. If there were any way to stave of the disease with diet, it would be to eat like a Japanese person.\n\n- Culture. The Japanese do shit until they literally can't do it anymore. They are far more likely to maintain active lifestyles well into old age than just about all Western populations. There is a link between sedentary behavior and dementia and the Japanese (in general) do a pretty good job of staying active throughout their life. ",
"The fact that red meat and dairy consumption are drastically lower in Japan perhaps has something to do with it.",
"It just means Japanese physicians mark other things on the death certificate more often. Like \"death from sepsis secondary to aspiration pneumonia\" (caused by late stage Alzheimer's). This is a reporting issue. It's not as though their Alzheimer's is 10% as bad as Finland's, or 200x as many people in the US die from Alzheimers dementia compared to Uzbekistan. This is simply differences in reporting. "
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"http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/alzheimers-dementia/by-country/"
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