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32340p | why time is different for moving things. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/32340p/eli5_why_time_is_different_for_moving_things/ | {
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"Space and time are interwoven in a fabric called spacetime. Everything in the universe moves through spacetime at the exact same speed. The fasteryou move through space, the slower you move through time. \n \nIt's like if you had an RPG-ish set up, and everything in the universe gets ten points to allocate between two attributes: SPA (space) and TIM (time). So if you have something moving extremely fast, it might look like: \n > SPA: 8 \nTIM: 2 \n\nWhile things like rocks or trees would be more like: \n > SPA: 1 \nTIM: 9 \n\nThis is all relative^*, so if something is speeding away from Earth super fast at a constant speed, Earthlings would see it moving more slowly through time, while the fast thing would see the Earth moving more slowly through time (cause in its reference frame, it's sitting still and Earth is speeding away from it). \n \n--------- \n \n\n^(*there's actually something called the twin paradox, wherein if a twin zoomed away from Earth at the speed of light and returned, he would be younger than the stationary twin; it wouldn't be relative. This has something to do with acceleration; I don't completely understand it.)"
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2qa0c0 | in the military, what's the difference between a confirmed kill and an uncomfirmed kill? | I was reading up on navy snipers, and it says they fill out logs after missions stating how many insurgents were killed. The military doesn't accept sniper kill counts as a valid numeration for kills, however, so how do they validate kills as confirmed? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2qa0c0/eli5_in_the_military_whats_the_difference_between/ | {
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"Battle Damage Assessment is a tricky thing. Modern war, you see, involves a great deal of firepower. To spare the unnecessarily icky details suffice it to say that a heavy machine gun will, for example, quickly render a human unrecognizable in the space of a few rounds. Ordinance can reduce a human to mere bits and pieces. In an engagement thus people responsible for assessing what sort of damage was done are thus asked to pick through wreckage and bits and pieces and use what they find hidden in the carnage to try and make a rough guess as to how many human lives and pieces of material were lost. These numbers can be, as you might expect, wildly inaccurate especially since the enemy has no particular reason to offer corrections to your own accounting. On top of the simple difficulty of figuring out how many bodies are present, you have to consider that, in many cases, some people were simply injured in the fighting and, statistically, some portion of the wounded will not recover.\n\nThus a confirmed kill is exactly that - a kill that the military can say with reasonable certainty actually happened. At the simplest, this can be confirmed by finding the body and, in the right circumstance, that may be all it takes. If a sniper says he shot a person and the sniper spotter says the sniper shot a person and the body is found having been shot by a rifle then it could be considered a confirmed kill. But if that same sniper shot someone and no one witnessed the feat nor was a body found nor was the claim otherwise verified it remains unconfirmed.\n\nTo give the simplest answer, the only difference between confirmed and unconfirmed kills is an arbitrary level of certainty."
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8andne | what was so revolutionary about james cameron's avatar? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8andne/eli5_what_was_so_revolutionary_about_james/ | {
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"It was one of the first movies made with the facial mocap technologies and updated mocap suits. It allowed for far better and more realistic CGI movements and faces. \n\nTo many it was also one of the few 3D movies with good 3D effects. ",
"It looked awesome. Pandora was beautifully rendered, the scenes with the flora reacting to touch were amazing. It was probably some of the best CGI around at the time. ",
"The movie wasn't great (I loved it, but I'm aware of what it too straight from other movies) but the 3D was amazing. I don't see many movies in 3D because it often feels like it's just tagged on to make a buck. It felt necessary to Avatar though, especially the parts where it was used to create depth.",
"It was one of the first 3D movies shot with 3D cameras. As what seems to be Cameron's fucking MO at this point, he worked with people to invent camera tech for this/told them to.\n\nI'm not sure of his involvement on the tech side."
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2re2ve | how did the playstation 1 play games after you removed the disc? | For those who remember playing the Playstation 1, with some games you could remove the disc mid-play and the game would carry on as if the disc was still in there. How did this happen? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2re2ve/eli5_how_did_the_playstation_1_play_games_after/ | {
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"There was a previous question about the PS2 that did something similar. Apparently you could remove the disc and it would play for an additional ~15 seconds. \n\nSomeone explained that this had to do with the Ram storing information faster than the disc read speed. \n\nBut the PS1 would just keep playing as if the disc was still there.",
"Reading the disc takes a lot of time so programmers generally try to design software in such a way that you minimize the amount of time you are forced to read information from a disc. There is always going to be some amount of information that has been read and stored in temporary memory of the system, and so as long as the computer knows what needs to happen there is no need to read the disc. The game will keep playing until it needs to read more information from the disc to know what to do and then discover it can't do that and stop working."
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pohrn | the microsoft antitrust lawsuit | Why was the suit brought, what did Microsoft do wrong, why was there a European lawsuit and a US one? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/pohrn/eli5_the_microsoft_antitrust_lawsuit/ | {
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"Microsoft started bundling Internet Explorer for free with Windows specifically in order to undercut Netscape Navigator (or \"cut off their air supply\" to quote one MS exec). This was explicitly illegal according to US antitrust laws. [more](_URL_0_)\n\nI'm not familiar enough with the European suit to comment on that one."
]
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5a1vrn | why do local news stations tell you where police are doing speed and seatbelt checks? | Isn't the point to catch offenders off guard? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5a1vrn/eli5_why_do_local_news_stations_tell_you_where/ | {
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"The goal generally isn't to bust you, it's to get you to wear a seatbelt. I've never heard of these strange seatbelt checks before, I'm going to assume they are not like DUI checkpoints. \n\n- the goal is to stop you from committing the crime to begin with \n\n- even after you are caught, the goal is still to stop the behavior\n\n- If can also be a \"fair warning\" so the judge can be really mean about it (although it's not needed) \n\n- community awareness. Remind people to click it or ticket",
"Because of [Michigan State Police vs Sitz, 1990](_URL_0_). To summarize DUI checkpoints are not violations of the 4th Amendment of the Constitution, if they are announced ahead of time as per the Supreme Court."
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2danks | what is actually happening when a thread says it have a few comments but when i opened the link there are none? | Example: _URL_0_
I've seen quite a few times on this and other subs but still don't know why. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2danks/eli5_what_is_actually_happening_when_a_thread/ | {
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"It means that people deleted their comments or someone with a shadowban commented."
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csh4n9 | why are wednesday/thursday film showings included in opening weekend box office numbers? | I would understand this more if it was the same for all films over all time, but this is fairly recent phenomenon and only really benefits huge blockbusters like Marvel Studios films. It seems like a poorly disguised way to inflate opening weekend numbers. And it works, too, given all the box office records that have been broken within the last couple of years alone. Opening weekend income is a significant portion of gross income over a movie's lifespan - so why is that not a huge caveat when discussing or comparing these numbers? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/csh4n9/eli5_why_are_wednesdaythursday_film_showings/ | {
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"Because for the movie industry, the \"opening weekend\" is the first weekend the movie is available. Usually that's from Friday through Sunday, but it can be expanded to include Thursday if that's when the movie came out."
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2ieqz1 | why are scientists always looking for planets that are around the size of earth? what's wrong with a larger or small planet other than the physical effects of gravity and pressure on humans? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2ieqz1/eli5_why_are_scientists_always_looking_for/ | {
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"We know that earth supports life. So the best chance of finding life on another planet is to find a planet similar to earth.",
"[This article](_URL_0_) that planets similar in size to earth are more likely to have similar makeups and atmospheres, which could support life.",
"It isn't that life isn't possible on smaller or larger planets, but the list of requirements to be habitable becomes much more difficult to satisfy as you get further away from the size of Earth. A planet too small would not have enough mass to retain an atmosphere and a planet too large would suffer from greenhouse gas effect or might not rotate fast enough.",
"There are a lot of planets out there, and we can't investigate all of them, so it's most efficient to focus resources on planets that are as close as possible to conditions where we're 100% certain life can occur: Earth."
]
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9qyrrn | how do stock prices change with purchase and selling? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9qyrrn/eli5_how_do_stock_prices_change_with_purchase_and/ | {
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"The cheapest stocks get bought first.\n\nLet’s say person A sells 100 stocks at $1.00. Person B sells 200 stocks at $1.10.\n\nYou tell your broker to buy 200 stocks. They first buy the $1.00 stocks, then 100 of the $1.10 stocks. Your average cost per stock is $1.05.\n\nIn this example, the price of the stock has “gone up” $0.10 just from you buying 200 stocks. In reality hundreds of people are trading simultaneously, who may value the stocks at different prices, and the current “market price” fluctuates as transactions are processed.\n\nIf you only want to buy stocks at $1.00, and never $1.10, you can tell your broker too. They will just buy 100 of the $1.00 stocks, and wait for a new $1.00 seller to appear.\n\nSellers who price their stock too high won’t ever find a buyer, and buyers who want a price too Low will never find a seller. There are many unfulfilled “buy” and “sell” orders floating in the market, waiting for a new buyer/seller at a higher/lower price.\n\nIf you look at the number of buy/sell orders, you can guesstimate if there is high demand/supply of a stock and change your pricing appropriately.",
"In order for someone to buy stock, that means that someone else is selling it. A LOT of someones. That's what the 'Ask' is when you're looking at stock prices: what the lowest asking price is for a seller of a given stock. If all of the stock being offered at a lower price is bought up, then it'll leave only sellers who were looking to get a higher price for the stock they're holding. \n\nSo, now you have a higher lowest 'Ask', since all of the cheapest stock was bought up. People will see this, and likely decide that the stock they're holding is potentially more valuable, since there is apparently a very interested buyer; so they're likely to place an even higher price on the shares they're holding. \n\nThis drives up the price of the stock even more.\n\nReverse everything for a stock price going down, as buyers are 'Bid'ing less and less for shares, because they're just not interested in paying what sellers are asking for, and holders finally cave in to the lower offers to offload a stock they don't have faith will hold its value.",
"The price of a stock is defined as the price of the latest transaction. And there's something like a sell(or buy) queue.\n\nAlice is selling a stock at $11, Bob is selling one at $12, and Charlie is selling one at $13.\n\nDave wants to buy a stock, naturally, Dave wants to buy the cheapest one, so Dave is buying Alice's. Thus the most recent transaction is Dave buying from Alice a stock at $11. Thus the price of the stock is $11.\n\nDave wants to buy another one. Now, the cheapest remaining available in the market is Bob at $12. So Dave bought Bob's stock as $12. Thus the price of the stock is now at $12.\n\n",
" It depends on how frequently it is being bought or sold. Millions of people hold position and trade in almost all the equities until market is open. So its not a big surprise that stock price keep changing every second. Some of them which are not being traded will have constant price or less frequent changes. "
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avhydn | why there is a "non contest" plea option in united states judicial system? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/avhydn/eli5_why_there_is_a_non_contest_plea_option_in/ | {
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"In effect, if such a plea bargain is offered, it has the effect of accepting a guilty plea bargain (and the punishments that come with it), but without requiring the accused to make an admission of guilt (which may grant immunity from subsequent civil disputes in some cases)",
"If you got a five dollar ticket for jaywalking, even though you weren't, would you take a day off work, to fight it in court? \nNo, you'd just pay it, even though it was unjust to be charged with that, and you didn't commit the crime, sometimes it's easier to just pay the fine and move on with life.\n\nThat is what nolo contendere means. \"I'm innocent, but I have neither the time or money or resources to fight this charge, so I'll accept a punishment even though I'm not admitting any guilt.\"",
"For future reference, questions like this are better in r/asklegal or r/askanamerican.",
"From Wikipedia\n\n > A nolo contendere plea has the same immediate effects as a plea of guilty, but may have different residual effects or consequences in future actions. For instance, a conviction arising from a nolo contendere plea is subject to any and all penalties, fines, and forfeitures of a conviction from a guilty plea in the same case, and **can be considered as an aggravating factor in future criminal actions**. However, unlike a guilty plea, a defendant in a nolo contendere plea may not be required to allocutethe charges. **This means that a nolo contendere conviction typically may not be used to establish either negligence per se, malice, or whether the acts were committed at all in later civil proceedings related to the same set of facts as the criminal prosecution**.[3]\n\nBasically, your conviction can't be used to hold you legally liable in future civil disputes, BUT it could also be an aggrevator for future convictions."
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4gbir5 | what is the extent to which an officer can use force if a person doesn't comply with what they're asking of them? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4gbir5/eli5_what_is_the_extent_to_which_an_officer_can/ | {
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"The usual rule for police is that if the person does not comply and the offense is an arrest-worthy offense they can use enough force to place the person within police custody. Naturally this wording seems vague but it means that the officer cannot do more than necessary to get the person in handcuffs and in the car, and the *sole* purpose of force is to handcuff them. They cannot, for example, gratuitously hit you once and then ask you to get into cuffs.\n\nIn the videos the officer does not use force because speeding is not usually an arrest-worthy offense. If the person gets too irritable the officer can tag them for 'confrontation with police' but the rules behind those are finicky so generally cops will just slap the speeding ticket, and maybe add extra for making their life harder. If you disobey the order to step out of the car, you are disobeying an officer but unless the cop places you under arrest, you are not 'resisting arrest'. For a cop to order someone out of a car, he must have probable cause to do so i.e. this car smells like drugs or the driver failed a breath test. ",
"The use of force is dictated by the individual situation and laws covering that jurisdiction. This is more for r/askleo or a legal question or the various legal subs. "
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ddbubx | why did the usa not use atomic bombs in europe during wwii? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/ddbubx/eli5_why_did_the_usa_not_use_atomic_bombs_in/ | {
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"We didn't really get them completed until after the European war was finished. The war in Europe ended on May 8th, 1945, but we didn't get an actual test of an atomic detonation until July 16th, 1945. While work on the atomic bomb had begun during the war, conventional weaponry and tactics ended it before the atomic bomb could be used there.",
"US did not have nukes during WWII action in Europe: \nUSA detonated first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945 \nGermany surrendered in early May of 1945, so US had no enemies in Europe after that. \nCold war with Soviet Union did not start until late 1940's, and by them Soviets had their own nukes, so bombing them would be a bad idea.\n\nWe can have a lovely (but purely hypothetical) debate about what would the US do if it developed a nuclear bomb earlier. On one side, Germans were less brutal than Japanese (at least on the western front), and culturally closer to Americans. On the other side, fire bombings of Hamburg and Dresden had an effect comparable to a nuclear explosion",
"The first atomic bomb test was July 16, 1945. Germany and Italy had already surrendered at that point so only Japan remained an enemy to the Allied Forces.",
"The European front was basically finished by the time we *had* those bombs. Japan hadn't given up yet though, and the only reason we even used those bombs was because we estimated that the total casualties for trying to end the war in the Pacific theater would have been greater without them.",
"because the bombs weren't ready when US was deployed in Europe. Little Boy was finished in July 1945. V day in Europe was in May 1945. the Europe war was over by the time the bomb was ready",
"Well the most important reason, the war in Europe was over (May 1945) before the first bomb was completed and tested (in July 1945).\n\nNow all that said--- the plan was always to use the bomb against Japan, not Germany. Always. The people making the bomb and planners and everyone involved were *only* planning on using it in the Pacific. There was never a plan made or any consideration given to using it in Europe, even in its early phase of development, it was only considered for use in Japan.\n\nWhy -- well, first of all everyone assumed the war would be over in Europe before the first bombs were ready, and thus did not plan to use it in Germany. They were right. Second, the bomb needed a lot of logistics and special equipment and planes to be used successfully, and that wasn't going to be available in Europe (for lots of reasons) and the German air defense were still pretty effective, so a single, new fancy plane flying into Germany would be shot down (German air defense went way out of their way to down any new type aircraft that the allies flew against them). There's more going on, out from a realistic and practical sense -- Japan was the target, it wasn't of value to use in Germany because they would already be defeated and getting the right stuff in place would be wasted resources.",
"There was no nuclear weapons ready before the war in Europe ended.\n\nThe first US nuclear weapon test was July 16, 1945 and the nuclar bomb dropped on Japan was on August 6 and August 9, 1945. Germany capitulated on 8 May 1945 that is 2 months before the first weapon was ready for a test.\n\nI remember reading that initial ideas was to use the first bomb on Berlin but as the war progressed it was clear that the German army was defeated after the allied landing and combat in Wester Europe in 1944 and it was a relative easy to win the war. Japan on the other hand hade large amount of troops in the home island and estimation for Operation Downfall the planed invasion of the Japanese home islands it is not unlikely that the bomb would still been used against Japan even if the bombs was ready before Germany capitulated in early 1945. If the bomb was ready before the Normandie landing in June 1944 the the likely target would have been Germany",
"The war was over by a few months in Europe by the time we had bombs ready for testing, and so well done before they were ready for active use."
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3othyp | would tesla self driving car keep people from getting dui's? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3othyp/eli5_would_tesla_self_driving_car_keep_people/ | {
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"What Tesla has right now is essentially an advanced cruise control. The driver is still in charge of the vehicle, and therefore needs to be sober while operating it.",
"With how the current laws are set up, no. Even if a car drives itself, you still need a licensed capable driver behind the wheel to take over in the event that the auto-pilot fails. Maybe in the future, but even then I would assume not because it still poses dangers. Cars are basically multi-ton death machines on wheels.",
"Right now, no. \nYou have to periodically move the wheel, and you are still 100% responsible for everything that car does. \nThe thing is still in development, Tesla is hoping to get a good long record of the cars driving well to be able to get laws changed. \nThere is still no guarantee the cars won't run people over or go off cliffs, it's all new technology being released to the public for the first time. \nThe analogy for this is a plane autopilot. When it started out pilots still had to take off and land on their own, and fly manually though bad weather. Likewise for this car, you should probably drive yourself in tight urban environments and bad weather, but it should be fine for a long highway trip. Just be ready to yank control back on a moments notice.",
"As laws are currently written, you would still get a ticket or arrested. Even with a fully automated car where the driver had zero input, other than destination is still illegal. Not because we are against it or anything, but because when the law was written, self driving cars were not a thing. Some day I'm sure it will be legal because that makes the most sense, but a law will need to be written and passed."
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4n8cm8 | why is concrete always gray? | Couldn't a pigment be added to it when it's being made? My guesses are that it's possible but not practical because the pigment would fade or because it would be hard to match from section to section as a building is poured for example. Having said that, having green colored walls and bridges would blend in with the nature on many roads or buildings wouldn't need to be painted if the concrete was already the chosen color. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4n8cm8/eli5why_is_concrete_always_gray/ | {
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"There is plenty of 'decorative' concrete that has pigments added, or more commonly, is stained or etched with acids after the concrete has been poured. But to properly color concrete, you really need to control all the variables extremely well; add too much water to one load and it will be a different color than the next. So the colors often don't end up uniform, and to be uniform it's easier to paint them anyway. ",
"Concrete can be made in various colors and the color can be kept consistent from batch to batch with little issue. The reason why we pour grey is cost and performance. Adding a pigment to concrete may change its strength necessitating the pouring of thicker concrete which would increase cost and weight. The structure may also require additional maintenance or fail quicker from the pigments changing its durability. It's best to limit variables when engineering a structure, and added pigment is an unecessary variable.\n\nYou are more than welcome to pour a purple patio, but you are unlikely to see a yellow overpass."
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9tcc0d | how does an aromatic diffuser create steam so quickly? | My mom recently got into essential oils (ya, ya.. I know) and gave me a diffuser. I don't use any of the oils but it's nice as a humidifier for the dry months. I'm super fascinated that within 3 seconds it starts pumping out lots of steam.
Googling anything about aromatic diffusers returns nothing but essential oil websites. I found a wiki article that talks about cavitation (which I think I get the gist of) but what actually forms the steam? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9tcc0d/eli5_how_does_an_aromatic_diffuser_create_steam/ | {
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"It is likely that it isn't actually steam. Does it feel hot? If not then the diffuser probably is actually an ultrasonic atomizer.\n\n[Look at this video of paint on a speaker.](_URL_0_) The atomizer is basically the same idea except the speaker is made of a little metal flap and it vibrates incredibly quickly. The droplets it throws into the air are extremely tiny, small enough to make the fine mist you observe coming out of the diffuser. Starting to produce the mist then is just a matter of turning on the speaker and having the oil flow into it.\n\nAlternatively if it actually was steam then it is just consuming electricity to heat a very small amount of the fluid (which is likely to change the aroma, so I doubt that is it).",
"its not steam, its vapor. \n\nThey use an ultrasonic vibration to turn the water into a water vapor that is expelled. It is not evaporated yet, but the surface area created does have the effect of it being evaporated quite quickly.",
"It doesn't use heat to create vapors. It uses a piezoelectric plate that vibrates at about 20 kHz (20,000 Hz) which causes water to form very tiny particles, which is the vapor that comes out. Then a fan forces the vapor out of the chamber.",
"You can use the oils lol. They are not magic but they are what they say they are. Lavender oil smells amazing. Peppermint is nice. Drop some in and enjoy, just don’t expect any cancer to shrink. "
]
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1yyy9e | tax and healthcare | why can't the government raise sales tax from 7% to 8% and use that extra penny for every dollar spent in the US for free healthcare for everyone? I feel like everyone would win in this situation. (although I'm not sure how that would work in tax free states) | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1yyy9e/tax_and_healthcare/ | {
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"A) It wouldn't be \"free\" if it was paid for by taxes.\n\nB) The Republicans are staunchly opposed to socialized universal healthcare - just look at how much of a fight they're putting up against Obamacare.\n\nThe problem isn't that it couldn't be done - in the worst case, it might require a constitutional amendment to make it legal - the problem is that not enough people *don't* want it to happen to stop it.\n\nWhy? That's a big debate. Opposition ranges from \"It's unamerican\" to \"fuck you, I got mine\".",
"Sales tax is governed by state governments, not the federal government. There are a handful of exceptions, but sales tax goes to individual states."
]
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b8t4oa | what exactly does the flu virus itself do? | If a runny nose, sore throat, fever, sneezing, coughing, etc are ALL made by YOUR body to get the virus out, then what does the actual virus itself even do? What would the virus do if your body didnt go through so much to get rid of it? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b8t4oa/eli5_what_exactly_does_the_flu_virus_itself_do/ | {
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"As far as I can gather it attacks the respiratory system and can often lead to infection and inflammation that can spread to other important organs throughout the body. ",
"Sneezing and coughing aren’t natural reactions to get the virus out. They are intentional effects caused the virus and are their way of spreading.\n\nLike how flowers produce nectar to attract bees to spread their pollen. The viruses cause us to sneeze to spread their virus to other people."
]
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2koaty | hyperthyroidism = massive fast metabolism that causes weight loss and high heart rate hypothyroidism = massive slow metabolism that causes weight gain and low heart rates. so, why can't drug companies make drugs to cause weight gain or weight loss through the thyroid? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2koaty/eli5hyperthyroidism_massive_fast_metabolism_that/ | {
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"They probably could but at what cost. The thyroid isn't like your appendix, it has a job to do. If you started messing with a healthy system it would likely cause other symptoms in your body.",
"Because thyroid imbalances have other symptoms that are at best unpleasant and at worst life-threatening, depending on the severity. Losing your hair, constant pain, swelling of your extremities, breathing problems, heart arrhythmia, and psychosis would be a bit high of a price to pay to drop a few pounds.",
"Our metabolic rate is controlled by the thyroid hormones, but our bodies have whats called a negative feedback loop. So the more thyroid hormone in our blood (T4 and T3) that decreases the amount of hormone you create. So a drug that increases the concentration of T4 and T3 would cause the body to stop making those hormones so the effect is cancelled. \n\nIn the cases of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism some part of the negative feedback is impaired, leading to either too much or too little hormone. However both these are extremely unhealthy, with a lovely list of symptoms like protruding eyes, atrial fibrillation, cretinism, goitre and such. "
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1or3ti | everyone knows that feeling when you feel like something bad's going to happen or something's just not right but there's no reason behind it at all - and then, sure as shit, something bad happens; is there any explanation for this phenomenon? is it just confirmation bias? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1or3ti/eli5_everyone_knows_that_feeling_when_you_feel/ | {
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"Confimation bias. People get that same feeling when nothing bad happens, but tend not to remember those occasions.",
"Caffeine can cause this feeling.",
"I've noticed that questions like this always get the same types of answers. There are some people who believe in instinct, and some who do not. I do believe in instinct, or whatever you call it when someone \"knows\" something is going to happen. There have been lots of examples for me, but many of my family members also have this-- they used to call it \"fey\" when I was growing up. \n\nAs an example of what I am trying to explain: my family is from Europe, from a farming community where there were very few telephones, TVs, etc. No running water until recently, and only outhouses. Most people owned livestock, and almost everyone had cows and one or two bulls. When my uncle was a child, he woke up one morning and started putting on his nicest clothes (his \"Sunday\" suit). My grandmother asked him what he was doing, and he replied, \"I'm getting ready for the funeral, because Mr. _____ died today. As I said, there were no phones, so a few hours later, someone came to the house to announce that Mr._____ really did die that day, gored by one of his bulls. There's no way this child could have known otherwise. I believe that we are all connected, and I don't know how instinct works, but it's silly to think that you can explain everything away. ",
"perhaps you are just unconsciously weighing up all of the possible outcomes of any given situation.\nshould one possibility present danger or cause for concern it is flagged up as something to be aware of and to be approached with caution.\nbad thing happens: bias confirmed. no bad thing happens: disaster averted, nothing to see here - move along...\n_URL_1_\n_URL_0_\n*edit* the second video is the more relevant. the section on belief and 'patternicity' as he calls it, about two minutes in",
"I had a really bad premonition once that I was going to be involved in a car accident. 5 hours later I was in a car accident. The most insane thing is I knew 5 hours in advance and even changed my schedule up a bit to avoid it, which had I not made any changes, I wouldn't have been hit by the car. Even worse is that I looked into my rear view mirror and knew the car was going to hit me even when it was still a good 200-300 feet behind me.\n\nI am not religious, I have no belief system. I cannot scientifically explain what happened or the feeling that I had but I've never felt anything like it. The only way to describe the feeling I had when that popped into my head was like being sucked into a void, essentially what I think death will feel like. ",
"People are probably right that it's mostly confirmation bias, but I wouldn't blame you if you're not entirely satisfied with that response. So let me try and give a bit of an alternative.\n\n\"The Gift of Fear\" by Gavin Debecker, was a book I had to read during a self defense class I took a while back. The writer is a pretty knowledgeable psychologist as far as I can tell. He outlines his career and such in the book if you're interested in that, but aside from the general rules he gives in terms of recognizing violence, he also addresses fear and so on (hence the title).\n\nDebecker, as far as I can remember, attributes our general discomfort or \"sinking feelings\" around certain people or situations to unconscious recognition that something is out of place. Somewhere your brain is processing things and seeing that something doesn't line up, and because you're so busy consciously trying to act under our taught social norms, you don't recognize your head's warnings as anything more than butterflies in your stomach. \n\nHe also notes that this is why our pets often respond to some people viciously as compared to others. He claims that dogs can't sense good people from bad people, they don't know how people work, but they know how you work. Your dog can see when you’re unconsciously uncomfortable and responds even when you won't. \n\nI'm being pretty vague, and I read the book a few years back. If you interested then it's not too expensive and really a great read in general; I highly recommend it and hope this helped fuel the discussion at least a little bit… in a good way!\n",
"I'm a nurse, and when I get that bad gut feeling, 9/10 there is something about to go down with one of my patients. I've gone in to a patient's room and noticed that they just didn't look right, and I've called doctors before asking them to come down just because the patient's vitals were trending downwards, the patient was anxious or seemed different, or because I've had a bad feeling, and usually they always listen. I've prevented codes that way. I've caught a stroke that way. After a few years you just know what bad looks like I suppose. I've learned never to ignore my gut as a nurse. ",
"I had never experienced this in my life but one night I was lying in bed and suddenly just something didn't feel..right. I couldn't explain it but I messaged my boyfriend and told him I had this bad feeling. The next day I discovered my brother had locked himself in his room that night and hung himself. When looking back at the text message days later, I noticed the time I sent it was minutes off the estimated time of death.\nI've since always trusted my instincts. ",
"just try this: everytime you get this feeling, write it down or try to remember it, and at the end of the day count all those times you have had that feeling and see how many of them happened to turn into something bad. Alot of people only remember the times when it did happen and tend to forget about all the other ones that ended up being nothing"
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[],
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"http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shermer_the_pattern_behind_self_deception.html",
"http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shermer_on_believing_strange_things.html"
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6l8vte | what happens to someone's stocks after they die? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6l8vte/eli5_what_happens_to_someones_stocks_after_they/ | {
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"The same thing that happens to all of their other assets. They make up the deceased's estate, which is used to pay off all of their outstanding debts, with any remainder going to their heirs.",
"Unless there other contracts/agreements regarding the stocks they would be treated the same as any other asset.",
"A stock is just a thing that you own. It's no more or less special than a car, a TV or a bank account. Just something that a person owned and that person is now dead. We call these things assets. \n\nWhen you die, everything that you own is transferred to an estate. The estate now owns all the assets. Debt is also transferred to the estate. The estate is managed by a person called an executor.\n\nAmong the duties of the executor are to settle the debts and distribute the remaining assets according to a will (if there is a will). The key here is that the order is important. All debts must be repaid before any assets can be handed out. Often the debts exceed the assets, in that case no one inherits anything and the lenders who don't get paid are shit out of luck. Other times the debts are less than the assets, but some or all of the assets might need to be sold in order to cover those debts. In that case the executor sells the required assets to repay the debt, and distributes the remaining money. \n\nOther times, if the lender agrees, the debt attached to an asset can follow it to the inheritor. This is common with a mortgage. A child might inherit a home that has a small mortgage remaining. Rather than require the whole home be sold and the mortgage settled, the bank will sometimes allow the child to simply take over the debt. It's important to note, debt is not normally inherited, so this is a special kind of case. \n\nNow, the most common case is that a person dies and they own a bunch of stuff and they owe some (smaller) amount of money. The executor will repay that debt by first using any cash that's available. next they will sell assets that are most easily to turn into cash. This is where stocks and other investments fit in. Often they will be sold for cash in order to settle a debt. If they aerate required to be sold, the stocks can be inherit by a beneficiary according to the will. \n\nPeople who die without a will can also pass down things. There's a very strict rule set for who gets what when a person dies without a will and it varies by jurisdiction. In general 100% of the net assets (assets-debt) is given first to the spouse, if they are dead it goes to the oldest child and if they are dead the second oldest and so on. But these lists can get super wonky so that's not always the case. ",
"I have a tough situation. My dad passed away about 20 years ago and left some stock in a mining company. It was willed to my step-mother who passed away and left it to her kids. I had two brothers who also passed away and one other sibling still living. Most of my step siblings aren't speaking to each other.\n\nThere's over $20,000 in the account now. I need the death certificate of both my parents, my step-mother, both of my brother's, and some notorized letter from my step siblings signing over their portion or we can split it six ways, then each of us pay taxes from the inheritance. They don't care to do anything. Legally, my dad's stock goes to my step-siblings before me and my sister.\n\nSo the money just sits there in the account. "
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2u9v0u | why does skin oil (from your nose) break up beer foam? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2u9v0u/eli5_why_does_skin_oil_from_your_nose_break_up/ | {
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"Oil combines with the carbohydrates that make up the bubbles and reduce the surface tension. Think of it like you originally made a box out of cardboard, but now you've doused that cardboard in water, and the wet cardboard box is not what you're using. This makes the bubbles less strong and they tend to not be able to hold their shape anymore.\n\nany oil will do this. you could use olive oil if you'd like and weren't disgusted by the resulting taste.\n\nOn that same vein, you probably shouldn't put your nose oils in your drink - it's about as healthy as licking someones nose. actually removing the foam, by blowing it away or using a knife, is probably best, although a gentle, angles pour will reduce the head right from the start."
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2dp1jh | instead of removing the testicles and ovaries and uterus, why do so many veterinarians not perform vasectomies and tubal ligations? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2dp1jh/eli5_instead_of_removing_the_testicles_and/ | {
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"For spays and neuters there is an added benefit of preventing the possibility of the animal developing cancer (e.g. uterine, ovarian, testicular cancer).",
"Part of the purpose, as I understand, is to also lower the hormone levels to improve behavior. For example, a cat who's been neutered is less likely to spray, call, and fight. ",
"It's not only about preventing pregnancy, it's also about behavioral control, cleanliness, cancer prevention, and infection prevention. \n\nIf a female dog's ovaries and uterus were still intact, she would still have heat cycles--which means owners will be cleaning up blood. Then as she ages, her chances of eventually developing a potentially fatal condition called pyometra (infection of the uterus) increase. Removing the uterus prevents all that. The increased estrogen levels from having her ovaries would also keep the potential of her developing mammary (breast) cancer up. \n\nFor male dogs, a vasectomy will not eliminate the testosterone--making them more aggressive, more likely to \"hump\" or \"mount\" things/people, and also allows for testicular issues and prostate cancer. \n\nedit=typo\n\n"
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3vsb4d | how do the clear bulbs with the red tips on my christmas lights make the string blink? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3vsb4d/eli5_how_do_the_clear_bulbs_with_the_red_tips_on/ | {
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"There is a special bit of metal inside that bends with the heat of the bulb, causing it to disconnect. Then, the bulb cools down, allowing the light to make contact again. ",
"That bulb has a thermal switch in it. When it's lit the switch warms up and opens, turning off the light and allowing the switch to cool and close again. Of course, this only works on strings which are in series where one bulb going out turns out the whole string."
]
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2hj3j6 | why do food/retail companies store our credit card information? | A couple days ago about 200 Jimmy Johns locations had credit card information stolen from them. Countless retail giants have been the target of hackers to steal this information. Why on Earth are they storing credit card information to begin with? What does it give them? It's not like I can walk into a store and show an ID and they go "Don't worry about paying sir, we already have your payment information on file." Why isn't credit card data purged after a while? I can understand maybe holding it for the return period in retail stores, but it shouldn't be in their systems after 30 days. I can't imagine why a place like Jimmy Johns should be storing this information at all. Maybe I should just switch back to cash. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2hj3j6/eli5_why_do_foodretail_companies_store_our_credit/ | {
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"They don't usually store it as far as I know, or if they do it's not for very long. The hacks that have stolen credit information have involved people putting malware on the credit machines that steal the information when the card is swiped. \n\nSource for Jimmy John's: _URL_1_\n\nSource for Target: _URL_0_",
"When you go to a restaurant and swipe your card, the transaction is not fully processed until the card machine is batched out at the end of the night. The time between your check out and the batch out is a vulnerable period for your information. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-03-13/target-missed-alarms-in-epic-hack-of-credit-card-data",
"http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jimmy-johns-says-customers-credit-card-data-likely-stolen/"
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|
715xkx | why is linux commonly used by hackers/for hacking? | I've often heard that linux is very popular among hackers, why is that? Thanks. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/715xkx/eli5_why_is_linux_commonly_used_by_hackersfor/ | {
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"Linux and any other Unix based OS is what's commonly referred to as Open-Source, meaning that the user has direct access to the system's kernel, and can make modifications that they deem fit, unlike an OS that's proprietary, like OSX or Windows. In reality, you'll find that Linux is often used not just by hackers, but by IT workers, programmers, and lots of other professions that would deal with the other side of the tech we use every day.\n\nSource: Linux hell yeah",
"It's open source, meaning: \n\n* It's free\n* You can modify it as you wish\n* You have access to all functionalities\n\nBesides that the command line interface in UNIX allows you to quickly access low-level networking commands and use scripts to run them. All of these make it great for any network engineer or IT guy, not necessarily hackers. "
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1q16jo | phone network speeds (edge, 3g, 4g, etc) | What does the "g" even mean? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1q16jo/eli5_phone_network_speeds_edge_3g_4g_etc/ | {
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"You might think that these terms are engineering terms and that as such they have clear definitions with standards attached. While that is true with some of them it is not true of them all. The reality is that these are marketing terms.\n\nThe g stands for generation. With gen 1 being no mobile data connection, edge is gen 2 and is a very slow data connection. The original iPhone came with 3g, a third generation connection also called HSPA. HSPA (High speed packet access) is closer to broadband than any previous technology. It's still slower than what most people had in their home at the time, however.\n\n4g is not actually the 4th generation. It's more like a 3.5 generation technology and it's more formal name is HSPA+. But marketers needed a way to make it clear that HSPA+ is much better than HSPA and so they started calling it 4g. This upset a very mana mobile phone nerds but it's what we have so we work with it. HSPA+ is kind of a funny duck in that it's faster than HSPA but not always and the connection speed can vary depending on a few factors. It is better, but it's not a new generation of technology.\n\nThe real 4th generation is LTE. This is the current high end of mobile phone data connections and is as fast or faster than a home internet connection. \n\nIf you want to know actual transfer rates look at wikipedia. "
]
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7jexe6 | how do some mammals like polar bears not freeze to death after getting wet? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7jexe6/eli5_how_do_some_mammals_like_polar_bears_not/ | {
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"text": [
"Depends on the mammal, generally it's a combination of one or more of the features. \n\nFirst they might have a double coat of fur, the longer outer layer of fur is mostly there to protect the inner layer, like in polar bears, it's hollow to help bring sunlight and it's warmth down to the skin. The inner layer is soft like down, and often oily to keep it waterproof. \n\nThis inner layer traps a pocket of air, so the skin never gets wet. And the pocket of warmed air keeps them from getting too cold. They also might have a thick layer of fat under the skin which further acts as insulation.",
"Polar bears have two layers of fur. Like Snwezie said the second layer stays dry. They also have a layer of blubber. Polar bears have a clear coat that appears white and black skin that attracts the sun bringing them heat and warmth."
]
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523ty3 | what are "office politics"? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/523ty3/eli5_what_are_office_politics/ | {
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"People are social beings. Even if we would like them to have strictly work relationships based on their job descriptions, they tend to develop friendships or hates or other sorts of interpersonal relationships between each other as they work together and that makes interacting in the office a bit more tricky.\n\nImagine that you are person A and you are working with person B and you are trying to get the boss to hear your idea over your coworker's. Your idea is better, it has a lower cost, or it is faster, or some other quantifiable advantage. However, person B plays golf with the boss every week, and boss ends up going with B's idea. Office politics just got in the way of business.",
"It's the requirements that isn't talked about or written on the job description, which basically states that you have to make your higher ups look good. \n\nIt isn't about working harder than everyone else, but knowing who's backing who up. \n\nIf you make your supervisor look good, then he or she will keep you around and provide oppertunities for you as oppose to someone who buckles down and out performs the super and as a result making them look stupid.\n\nThe supervisor has to do the same with the manager, and so forth along the chain. ",
"It's when you've waited forever for your turn on the swing set. You know you're next because you've been waiting the longest and everyone around you knows it's your turn. But when Billy finally decides he's done. Instead of giving it to you, he gives it to his younger brother Jeffrey who only showed up like two seconds ago and doesn't know shit about swing sets in the first place, but Billy's Mom won't stop calling him and telling him all Jeffrey needs is a chance to be great. So he gives Jeffrey his shot. Jeffrey immediately falls off the swing, breaks his arm, and now there's no more swings at this playground. But that's the only thing you ever spent your time at recess getting good at so now you have to go find another playground that has an entry level swing open and doesn't require at least 3-5 years of swing experience. "
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1xbld2 | how come if i have a high quality phone (galaxy s4), when i watch videos on youtube they are still grainy and pixilated? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1xbld2/how_come_if_i_have_a_high_quality_phone_galaxy_s4/ | {
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"The two biggest reasons are that the source video is of poor quality, or your connection to the server is of poor quality. Youtube thinks you would rather see all of a grainy video than part or none of a higher quality video.",
"You're seeing the resolution of the video coming from YouTube, which will usually be way lower than the resolution of your phone. Your phone can't add detail to the video. ",
"1.) You don't have fast enough cell service or WiFi to stream at a higher quality.\n\n2.) The video was uploaded grainy and pixilated.\n\n3.) You have the bandwidth to play the high quality version, but your ISP is being a dick about peering with Youtube and is throttling your connection."
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36zzah | why is it that when we sleep, our cuts will heal in hours, while when we are awake they stay open? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/36zzah/eli5_why_is_it_that_when_we_sleep_our_cuts_will/ | {
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"text": [
"During sleep, your body can direct much less energy towards your brain and almost no energy to your muscles. Having a bunch of energy available allows you to direct that towards healing. This is one of the reasons that we sleep in the first place, as we simply do not produce enough energy to do all things necessary to survival at all times, and having a dedicated downtime lets us fix things that need fixing.",
"When you move around during the day, you're more likely to re-open or aggravate the cut. When you're asleep and moving much less, it has a chance to heal/close itself.",
"While you sleep, during rem sleep, your body drops a huge amount of human growth hormone into your bloodstream. HGH is actually better at helping the body heal than grow, you can't really use it to grow after puberty is over.\n\nIts really astonishing how fast the body heals and how HGH works. If you were to administer it while awake you would actually heal almost as fast while awake as while asleep. And your body uses your sleep time to heal you, and a big part of that is HGH."
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1ydiza | why does dopamine consumption/injection not drastically treat, or even cure, parkinson's disease? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ydiza/eli5_why_does_dopamine_consumptioninjection_not/ | {
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"The information that you need to be able to answer your question has sort of been given in parts by other commenters, I'll see if I can put it all together for you in non-medically language but I can't promise to explain all the intricacies of it while trying to do that.\n\nWhat you're asking - what, why and how can certain drugs or molecules cross the BBB - isn't entirely understood at the moment. The first thing you need to understand is that the BBB is made up of what are basically really tightly packed cells, in fact the things that join these cells are called \"tight junctions\" because they are very narrow and don't allow much to pass through them. \n\nBecause of these tight junctions, drugs or other molecules can't pass between two adjacent cells as they would pass through other, more permeable membranes. Basically, in other parts of the body the cells that make up the membranes which separate different compartments have bigger holes in them that allow stuff to pass between the cells - sort of like squeezing between semi closed elevator doors.\n\nIn order for through get through the blood brain barrier these molecules have to do one of two things: be taken up by the cells of the membrane or be able to be absorbed into the cells. These two sound like similar things, but they're not. \n\nI'll explain how these two things happen but first you need to understand the purpose of the BBB - it exists entirely to separate the normal blood circulating around the body from the fluid that your brain floats in and that fills your spinal cavity. Why do you need two separate compartments? Well, firstly the brain needs a LOT of energy and a lot of oxygen as well, both of which are typically transported in the blood stream. At the same time however, a number of things that are in the blood stream can cause a lot of damage if they're introduced to the brain, specifically things like immune cells and certain byproducts of normal bodily function. Thus, in order to create an environment that the brain can function safely and at it's maximal ability the blood brain barrier only selectively allows certain things to cross it. \n\nThis selectivity is brought about by the presence of what are basically gated channels which only allow specific molecules to pass. Think of it, as described by anther poster, as like a VIP club and the bouncer will only let certain people in to make it the best environment possible. These channels can work either by exchanging energy to transport the molecules across (almost like paying to get into the club) or by swapping other molecules already inside the BBB for ones outside the barrier (like when the club is too full and someone goes in as one comes out).\n\nThe other way molecules can cross the barrier is if they are able to be absorbed directly into the cells that make up the barrier itself and then pass out he other side. Now, these cells are primarily made of fats and so only fatty molecules, or molecules attracted to fats can do this. Think of this like when you put oil and water into the same container - the oil floats on top and is separated. At the same time however the molecules must be of relatively small size or else they can't be absorbed into the cell - think of dropping a chunk of butter into a glass of oil and water, the butter is still going to sit in the water and not the oil. (Unsure if that last point is clear)\n\nSo if we summarise all that, it basically comes down to these key points: the blood brain barrier exists to allow for a specific environment in which the brain can function; it manages this by selectively allowing he nutrients that it needs to pass through by utilizing channels and exchangers; there are other means by which molecules can pass through the BBB but they are limited in that it must be fatty (lipophilic is the actual term) and small in size. There are other requirements but explaining them makes this well beyond and ELI5.\n\nAnyway, onto the other questions you had from other posts - what is the point of dopamine if it can't cross the BBB? Dopamine is one of many different types of neurotransmitters that activating specific nerve pathways within the brain and has a number of effects outside of the brain. Importantly, the effects of these pathways are not the same in the brain as they are in the peripheral nervous system and thus dopamine used in the brain has to be kept separate from the peripheral dopamine and vice versa. However, the brain does not possess the specific machinery to produce dopamine from it's first level and instead it has a transporter that allows for Levadopa, the molecule that is transformed into dopamine, to cross the BBB. Levadopa does not have any actual neurotransmitter activity until it is transformed into dopamine and thus is safe to transport between the different compartments without causing widespread effects. \n\nNext question - how does Sarin work? As you mentioned, sarin works by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (this is not ELI5, but eh). This action is peripheral and not central, and works because the acetylcholinesterase is supposed to break down acetylcholine after it stimulates an impulse along a nerve. If it doesn't break down this neurotransmitter then the nerve cannot be reactivated - the important piece of knowledge here being that once an impulse is sent down the nerve to a muscle or other end point there MUST be a period where there is no activation (almost like a rest) before another impulse can be sent. By preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine it means the muscle is continually stimulated and thus normal control over it is lost which inevitably results in paralysis. In this case, respiratory paralysis causes death.\n\nI hope that answers done of your questions! If you want more detail or it explained differently just ask and I'll see what I can do. "
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2aybud | why in the era of hd quality video do phone conversations still sound like two cans connected by a string? | Does the technology exist for HD phone calls? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2aybud/eli5_why_in_the_era_of_hd_quality_video_do_phone/ | {
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"Technology is not the problem, it already [exists](_URL_0_). \n\nThe problem is there's little market demand for higher quality phone calls, the current standard is good enough for most people. Implementing higher quality voice cost phone carriers money in new equipment so they're not going to implement it without some way of earning that money back. But if you clicked the link earlier you can see that carriers around the world are slowly rolling out the technology.",
"There are two pieces.\n\nFor wireless calls, the cell companies are trying to cram as many phone calls in to the available bandwidth as they can. This means using lossy compression and lots of it. Bitrates of 8k to 13k are not unusual.\n\nFor wired calls, the standard was set a long time ago that the audio would be PCM (like a wav file) in 7 bits at 8000 samples per second. The standard was also set prior to that that anything below 300 Hz would be filtered out (helped to eliminate noise from power lines, etc). These standards just haven't died yet. \n\nThe good news is that these standards are finally starting to die off. Some calls placed between two phones on the same carrier will have a much better sound. I am aware of this being true for Sprint, Ooma and Vonage. When you call or get called from someon on another carrier, though, you go back to the wired standard as the best possible.\n",
"Also the HD videos taken by a 2014 cell phone still look worse than the HD videos taken by my 2008 Handycam. Not sure why...\n\n* 60fps? \n* Better lenses? \n* Better sensors?\n* Larger Aperture? \n* All of the above?",
"Remember a few years back when TV stopped being broadcast in analog, and if you wanted to keep receiving TV via antenna, you needed to get a digital conversion box to decode the digital radio signal from your antenna back into the analog signal your TV expected?\n\nWell, that's what's going on with phone service. Most of the world still connects to the telephone network with old analog phones, which expect analog signals which come in low frequencies. (300-3400hz, human voice frequency). Take a CDQ track (44.1khz) and convert it to 3400hz and see how good it sounds. The answer is not very, which is why the elevator music you hear while on hold always sounds like total garbage.\n\nMost of the world's telephone connections are actually still compatible with pulse dialing even though touch-tone has been around for decades.\n\nIn order to ensure that you can dial any number on the planet and by connected as long as they pick up the phone, you need to stick to old, analog-quality signals, generally called POTS (plain-old telephone service).\n\nVoice systems are slowly being introduced with better quality (VoIP, mainly). If you have an iPhone and you do a FaceTime call with another iPhone user, you'll notice that it's higher fidelity audio and sounds clearer. Or if you use any VoIP tech like Skype or Lync.\n\nBut when you make a call with a cell phone, the cell network is still going to route your call through a POTS system which will reduce the quality down to POTS levels. Until the POTS standard can be retired, we're stuck with the quality that it delivers, which is basically unchanged since it was regulated, which I think was in the 1930's but I'm not sure.\n\nTL;DR - it's a standards compatibility problem.\n\nPS - Believe me, the phone carriers desperately want to eliminate POTS as bad as consumers do, because with digital service they can compete on quality and innovate in that space. I believe AT & T has been lobbying for years to retire old phone standards and has been brickwalled in the interests of keeping global telephony a thing.",
"Try a FaceTime Audio call (if both parties have an iPhone). It's mind-blowingly clear. It's what I wish all phone calls sounded like. I'm amazed that Apple doesn't market this at all. Seriously, if you have an iPhone, try it. \n\nNote: not the audio of a FaceTime Video call; it doesn't sound anywhere near as clear. You have to make a FaceTime Audio call to experience the clarity. Tap the phone icon next to FaceTime for any contact, rather than tapping on the word FaceTime or the video icon. ",
"Carriers are cutting down drastically on voice call bandwidth because they can, and because bandwidth is their primary operational expense.\n\nLandlines were incredibly crisp and high-fidelity, or so I've been told. \n\nBut nowadays with my cellphone, I just can't understand anyone. Part of the problem is also that mike quality for smartphones is 'just good enough'; e.g. any worse and there would be a multitude of consumer complaints.\n\nThe good thing is that conditions are improving. In particular, using two phones on '4G' LTE with Verizon will upgrade the call quality and make both voices sound crisp. < EDIT > I was mistaken; Verizon has not let this happen on their network yet. < /EDIT > There are also now dual mikes on most phones, which cancels background noise and makes highs sound crisper and more distinguishable. \n\nThe mike situation is critical for me because I use my cellphones as musical recording devices for my band, ha. The first phone I had where the mike didn't make everything sound 8-bit (bitcrunched) was the Galaxy S4. Galaxy Nexus and iPhone 4 both had bad mikes. iPhone 4S is decent, but there's a lot of software compensation going on to fake better equipment.",
"I have T-Mobile and an iPhone 5s and when I talk to someone with the same setup (at least iPhone 5), calls are amazingly clear. I've never heard anything like it. Look into it!",
"Try Skype on your cell... It sounds so much better. Especially if it's a Skype to Skype call. Like literally night and day... ",
"T-mobile's HD calling is so clear it is actually unsettling to use.",
"Using facetime audio was like watching a 1080p movie for the first time, I had no idea how clear it could be.",
"It saves mobile bandwidth to keep the sample rate at 8000Hz, its enough to decipher speech, and after all, that's what phonecalls are for.",
"To iPhone users out there with lots or unlimited data. Face-time Audio sounds crystal clear.",
"Voip is a thing, the demand is not high enough according to the phone Companies",
"Many cell phones do possess HD Voice capability, any iPhone from the 5 on, as well as the new Blackberries and Androids (S4, S5, Xperia Z, Z1, Z2, LG Optimus G, G2, HTC One, One M8). \n\nCanadian carriers have HD Voice, generally including it for free (despite being universally assholes in every other respect). American carriers don't, as far as I know. ",
"My boss was talking with someone in his office and I could hear the conversation back and forth.\n\nThen he said \"I'll call you back in 10 minutes\" and then I realized it was really high quality VOIP. I thought there was literally someone else in the room talking to him..",
"Compared to land lines, cell phones are a huge leap forward in convenience but a massive leap backward in call quality.",
"When digital phone calls were a new thing, bandwidth was very limited. In order to allow squeeze as many phone calls as they could into a the limited bandwidth, they came up with an encoding scheme that would make the phone calls use as little bandwidth as possible.\n\nSo it's similar to how if you encode an MP3 at 256kbps, which is what most stores sell, it sounds pretty good. If you encode the same thing at 64kbps, it sounds like garbage. Cell phone calls are encoded at something like 8-10kbps, if I remember correctly.\n\nNow all things considered, they sound pretty good for 8kbps. The reason for this is that the encoding is designed specifically for human voices. You can filter out a lot of frequencies in human voices while still allowing language to be recognizable. The encoding scheme filters those frequences out before encoding the audio, which is the only way they could get the bitrate so low while still making it possible to understand what a person was saying.\n\nWhen you filter out those frequencies, the audio compresses very well, but on the down-side, the voices sound hollow, like \"two cans connected by a string\". This is actually not so much an artifact of the audio compression as it is about the filter that they use before it's compressed, in order to make it highly compressible.\n\nModern phones are now moving towards encoding schemes that filter fewer frequencies out and have larger bitrates, so the quality is improving.\n\nEDIT: Also, if you've ever noticed that music sounds terrible when you play it over the telephone, this explains why. Musical instruments use frequencies that human voices don't make, and the filter is optimized for the intelligibility of human voice. High and low pitches are all dropped from telephone calls, which can turn music into unintelligible noise.\n\nLike when you're on hold, and the on-hold music sounds terrible and you can barely tell what song is playing? That's because it hasn't been converted properly to play over a telephone, and so important frequencies are just being dropped. You can do things to make it sound better, but because it can't reproduce all the frequencies of the music, it can't sound good.",
"Mobile providers have much more of their spectrum dedicated to downlink rather than uplink. That is why you can watch HD video (downlink only) when calls (limited by the uplink of both you and the person you are talking to) sound terrible.\n",
"Sprint and att are rolling out HD voice now.",
"A little while ago I had a convo with an old veteran wireless engineer of Att and bell. He told me that in the time he's worked for them they've always used the same vocoder...the one they've been using for 100 years. He told me himself that it was complete shit. Att now does support hd voice, but to use the service both phones have to support it...any iPhone 5 or above supports it and if you've ever had an iPhone 5 - iPhone 5 convo there's a remarkable difference in call quality on Att. I would guess the reason it's not more widely adopted simply comes down to the fact that there's no real incentive for the company's to improve it. Phone to phone convos are increasingly becoming a smaller part of what wireless carriers do...to the point there would be no major financial incentive for them to have a major roll out.",
"This is not unlike film photography. It takes a pretty expensive and very well calibrated digital photography setup to achieve the same quality as 60s era film cameras. Even in the 1800s they were using large-format film with superior resolution.\n\nRight before cell phones came out, and not using an office pbx system, a conversation over copper wire between two POTS phones was crystal clear.",
"Wouldn't 2 cans connected by a string give you incredibly live quality voice?",
"In addition to cell phone service and bandwidth effecting the quality of the sound. There are also built in functions on phones that limit frequencies coming through on calls in order to optimize intelligibility. For instance, I know that the iphone uses certain processing that cuts off all frequencies below a certain point. Everything 200HZ and below is getting attenuated. They do this to optimize intelligibility when in loud environments and to cut down on plosives ect.\nHere are frequency response charts showing what i am talking about. \n _URL_0_ \nThe processing can be turned off to get a full signal of the microphone but it isnt recommended for the most part. I am a sound engineer and I turn off the IOS processing when I want use the iphone to record something in the field. \nHere you can listen to to samples of audio with IOS processing on vs off\n_URL_1_\n\nI think whether phones are capable of HD audio or not, we will still want to do things that degrade the quality in order to boost the intelligibility in all sound environments.\n",
"Let's remember that top-level comments are for explanations directly to OP, as well as related follow-up questions. No opinions, no low-effort explanations, no jokes.\n\nWe're having to remove an alarming number of truly awful posts here.",
"T-Mobile sounds great when calling other T-Mobile users. It sounds about the same as FaceTime audio. ",
"VoIP phone technician here.\n\nThe quality of a phone call depends on a lot of different factors. \n\nAre any legs of the call being placed over the Public Swtiched Telephone Network (PSTN) ... a.k.a. the old copper 'land line's? \n\nAre any legs of the call being placed over the Internet (VoIP calls)?\n\nAre any legs of the calls being delivered to a cellular phone (cell towers)?\n\nRunning to a meeting but I'll be glad to answer any follow up questions.",
"From a technical perspective, it's all very doable. Here's some background on why \"HD\" calls aren't done more often.\n\nWhen you connect a call, a lot of information is exchanged between your phone and the other person's phone. And there's a LOT of switching and \"handing-off\" of the audio data during the call between carriers. I'll explain why that's important in a moment.\n\nIn a perfect world, bandwidth wouldn't be a problem. But in the real world, it is. So one of the things that all of the phones and cell systems out there have to agree on when a call is established is something called a \"[codec](_URL_2_)\". What that means is, when you speak into the microphone, your audio is captured and compressed. If it wasn't, you'd need a huge amount of bandwidth to transmit and receive the audio signal. So the codec is \"how\" the audio is compressed, algorithmically. And both phones, as well as the cell towers and carrier systems in between, have to \"agree\" on how each call will be compressed. This happens in less than a second as the call is being established.\n\nToday, there are LOTS of audio codecs. Some produce higher quality, wide-band audio...but more bandwidth is required to send and receive the audio, and more processing power is required on the phone to do HD compression. But in the modern \"smart\"phone world, compression isn't much of an obstacle since HD compression is typically built into the chipset, and readily available. That said, since most consumers don't know any better, carriers tend to use lower-quality codecs, because - you guessed it - it saves bandwidth. Lower-quality codecs like [G.711](_URL_0_), for example, are also built into just about every cell system globally, so using those lower-quality codecs also helps with inter-carrier compatibility. \n\nAnd that is why most \"cell\" calls suck. (I'm oversimplifying a bit, but that's the gist of it.)\n\nOn the flipside, you DO have options. iPhone users, for example, can [and should] call each other using FaceTime Audio if you're on Wi-Fi or in an area with a decent data connection. FaceTime Audio calls use a very high quality codec called [AAC-ELD](_URL_1_), as well as multiple microphones for noise cancellation. The call quality is really stunning, try it and see. FYI, you can use Siri to do this by saying, “FaceTime Audio Chris.”\n\nFor Android folks, there are higher-quality options as well, but you'd have to use a third-party app which makes placing calls quite a chore.\n\nHope that helps.",
"For the first time, I had an interview on my cell phone. Terrible choice. I had to keep asking the interviewer to repeat herself. She was obviously annoyed. ",
"One word: bandwidth. \n\nAs an example, say you had a bucket that could hold ten voices every second. To maximize that bucket, you try and only hold half of every voice (say only the lower frequency of the voice), so now you can hold twenty voices, but at half their quality each.\n\nSome home phones still use a twisted pair. That's two thin copper wires twisted together.\n\nSome phones are wireless and connect using bluetooth. Even if the transmitter was full range, the receiver still can't receive the entire band.",
"Yes T-Mobile has it for certain phones and it is amazing. ",
"What about the actual speakers used in phones? I can't imagine they're of any great fidelity either. This is in addition to all the very valid reasons already mentioned. ",
"You should have heard it before cell phones or HD were around. \n\nI remember having an echo delay whenever I called my grandparents. ",
"There is a problem of backward compatibility among the different technologies. Many thousands of people in the US are still on rotary phones and many more on POTS lines (analog). There are many cheap digital to analog devices to handle cell (digital) to POTS (analog) conversion, but none (cheap enough) to do several qualities of digital to digital/analog. There are also regulatory limits to bandwidth usage which includes how much spectrum each call can use, which limits the quality of the call, but maximizes efficiency in the band (large # of calls). Even though new phones can do all the necessary conversion where needed, the common technology used cannot be determined before the call is made, so the lowest common technology has to be used at the carrier level. Hence, crap quality. \n\nNotice that in some systems, quality is better within that system. Cell to cell within a single carrier (eg sprint to sprint) is better than cell to POTS. This is because the lowest common tech is digital at least. Notice also that third party phone type apps also have a high lowest common technology and are not regulatorily limited, so quality on those can be very high. As someone has mentioned, office phones (VoIP) have a high internal to the system quality as well for the same reason. \n\nTL; DR: Because people still use analog (POTS) phones, we can't upgrade. ",
"The first time I tried FaceTime Audio calling was like that first time you witnessed HD video. The improvement in quality is a astounding. ",
"because someone else is listening",
"Iphone to Iphone calls seem to be really good quality",
"FACETIME AUDIO PEOPLE. ",
"I use Facetime Audio on my iPhone or MacBook every time I can. It sounds much better and it's free.",
"Sprint has had HD voice for a while. I've noticed it when calling my parents. ",
"It needs to be an HD voice phone on an HD voice tower calling an HD voice phone also on an HD voice tower.",
"FaceTime audio is pretty great. ",
"Pro tip (If you're calling to and from iPhone/iPad/iPod touch): Face Time can be used with audio only, basically a normal phone call, and it will have much better audio quality (and not use minutes if that matters to you).",
"For T-Mobile, it doesn't put much quality into its service. The \"4G\" is slower than AT & T Internet service. The phone calls sound like like crud even with a good signal.",
"Because you're not using voice-over-IP",
"I posted on this subject [a while ago](_URL_0_) but here's the tl;dr version:\n\n* T-Mobile **has** HD Voice/wideband audio (AMR-WB) on their 3G and not-LTE-4G network (3G, UMTS, HSPA, and HSPA+). They're also rolling out VoLTE **right now** in certain markets and plan to make it nationwide soon.\n\n* Sprint **has** HD Voice/wideband audio (EVRC-NV) on their 3G network. They haven't announced what their plan is for VoLTE, but we can hope that their super-duper-mega-awesome Spark tri-band network (everyone who's ever dealt with Sprint you can roll your eyes *now*) will have more than enough bandwidth to allow for VoLTE and HD Voice.\n\n* Verizon doesn't have any plan for HD Voice on their 3G network. Verizon's also been saying that they're upgrading their LTE network for VoLTE... For a while now. Nothing's really come of it, but they're promising that they'll be rolling it out this year.\n\n* AT & T has no plans for HD Voice on their 3G and not-LTE-4G network. They have started rolling out VoLTE with HD Voice but in very few markets and with one (or very few) phones. [(source)](_URL_1_)\n\nRight now, none of the implemented HD Voice networks (Sprint and T-Mobile) are HD across networks. Biggest reason being ::because:: (aka, typical carrier stubbornness) but on a more technical note because Sprint and T-Mobile use different protocols for wideband audio (think FLAC vs WMA, both can give you \"lossless\" audio, but they're incompatible formats). For calls to be HD right now, you need to meet the following requirements:\n\n1. You and the other party need to be on the same carrier.\n\n2. The carrier needs to have upgraded their network in your area, and the network connecting your areas, to be HD-compatible (T-Mobile claims they've done this nationwide).\n\n3. You both need to be on a compatible network (3G for Sprint, and UMTS, HSPA, or HSPA+ for T-Mobile) with decent signal strength.\n\n4. You both need to have compatible phones (not necessarily the *same* phone, but ones that are both HD Voice-capable. Most flagship phones on T-Mobile are. Check the carrier's website if you're not sure).\n\nIf all of those conditions are met, and the carrier's not having issues, then your call will be in HD with a [very notable increase in call quality](_URL_2_).\n\n**There is light at the end of the tunnel, though**: Once T-Mobile, Verizon, AT & T (and maybe Sprint) finish their VoLTE rollout, they'll all be using AMR-WB for their calls on VoLTE. This means that there's no major technical reason why they can't support HD Voice calls *across carriers* besides the infrastructure upgrades needed at the links between their networks. So we could be seeing HD Voice calls all over the place within the next two years. Very good news.\n\nAs for old-fashioned landline phones... I wouldn't expect much to happen there. The industry is very tightly regulated, and telcos aren't too interested in upgrading their infrastructure. But as more and more switch to VoIP instead of the old circuit-switched network for phone service (everyone who uses their cable company or a fiber provider for phone service uses VoIP) there's less and less reason for them to *not* upgrade.",
"Because that infrastructure is ooooooooold. Not just cables mind you... but all the devices in between. And they're upgrading all the time, of course.... but it's difficult to swallow taking a device that can handle 10,000 calls @ 16kbps (which sounds terrible) and not only juicing that up to 20,000 calls, but also increasing the per-call bandwidth cost. ",
"Cellular phones are still using their older networks, calls are not carried over3/4G or LTE. There could be much higher quality calls but there is no need",
"Many years ago, Call quality was an important trait. Sprint even ran commercials for 'pin-drop audio'. At the time is was normal for a land line to have lots of capacity for this quality. This high quality audio took up about 56kbs of data on the line and was handled by a new technology called ISDN. Your house would have an analog line and it would connect with a green box at the end of your street where it was converted to ISDN before going out into the world.\n\nIn the 80s and really the 90s Cell phones took off. Cell phones didn't have a land line, they didn't have ISDN or 'pin-drop audio'. The cellular network couldn't support every call at 56kbs continuous audio. So new audio compression methods were invented to work with available bandwidth. Gone are the old school G.711 audio, in comes the new school G.722 and AAC audio compression methods. They sound like shit but people could understand the other speaker and they take a scant 24kbs or even 16kbs. Cell phone providers can now support 3-6 calls for the same bandwidth as Land line providers were giving to 1 call.\n\nPeople accept the new lower quality Cell phone call. Cell phone providers and land line providers are the same company now a days. They realize that providing 'pin-drop audio' is no longer necessary to win customers and migrate every user to newer compression algorithms. Sure, these older algorithms are still around and anyone can use them, but if the market accepts Cell phone quality, why provide more than they want?\n\nTL;DR The rise of cell phones lowered everyone's call quality expectations.",
"HD call on Tmobile to Tmobile or any other provider that supports HD call. It sounds like as if someone is talking right on your ear. Too realistic, scary at the same time.",
"Phone conversations? Try using a handheld radio good fucking lord.",
"good microphones are expensive in general. Source: I'm an audio engineer",
"Can we also get a better soundcard to? I don't need to be able to shoot high quality photographs, but drowning out the chatter in an open office is the difference between life and death.",
"Did you know the creator of the cell phone is actually disappointed in what cell phones have become? That's because instead of doing one thing great, it does everything mediocre.",
"Will cell phones, there is no voice, only data. \n\nthe voice codecs we use right now compress voice down into like 8kb/s or less. Thats not a lot of data. \n\nIf you wanted better quality audio, more data would have to be transmitted. maybe 16kb/s or 32kb/s. All of a sudden, you've got significant amounts of data traveling around. \n\nNow. Cell phone companies want to charge you through the nose for every single kilobyte, **but they have to charge voice data by the minute.**\n\nWhy would they waste bandwidth on voice data they can't charge more for? that bandwidth could be used by someones data plan at a price of 3 dollars a megabyte.\n\nBetter yet, by not spending more bandwidth on voice data, they can avoid upgrading their infrastructure for longer periods of time, thus benefiting their bottom line while you never get advertised speeds. ",
"Not an answer to your question, but, Canadian here, and if your cell provider is Bell, and your phone allows for it, you can get HD calling. Sounds like the person is right next to you, speaking in your ear. I'm not sure how many other networks offer it though. ",
"Communications engineer here.\nI usually Skype, which has a transit rate of 80mb/s through phone fibre. Can get a bit expensive, but I think it'd be worth investing in.",
"because phones are connected by invisible strings",
"Finally a thread I can contribute something to :)! I am an engineer on AT & T's HD Voice project; known as IMS. Chances are you are not actually experiencing HD voice, and thus your comparison to tin cans is probably inaccurate. There are only a few thousand subscribers on each major US carrier that currently have this capability. It is limited to certain geographic regions and handsets. If you signed up for AT & T after May 23rd and purchased either an S4 mini or HTC H8, and you're in Chicago or Cincinnati you may be one of the fortunate few. I have not looked into the specifics of the other carriers.. but Verizon and T-Mobile launched a few months ago as well and have similar 'soft launches' with very limited customers on IMS.\n\n\nBut I digress, let's talk about the technology a little bit since that's what your question is. HD voice is a 'consequence' of a large infrastructure change. That is, the shift to send calls as VoIP over LTE; or simply VoLTE. Instead of having your voice conversations 'trunked' over traditional copper pairs and circuits between towers and call centers, you now have the voice being carried as data packets. Naturally, this allows for endpoints to negotiate high-quality codecs for audio handling where capable. Again, the major limitation right now is headsets that support VoLTE; the networks now support this 'natively' in its VoIP infrastructure.\n\n\nInstructions for routing calls use SIP messages where the audio portion uses RTP using UDP packets. Voice is encoded using AMR Wideband, which allows you to hear an additional 6 octaves more than traditionally trunked voice! Now, there are a few scenarios where you can be what we call \"IMS Registered\"/VoLTE-enabled but not receive HD voice. The first is you have a VoLTE-capable device but your device does not support a the appropriate codec. As far as I'm aware, this isn't possible on AT & T. The second would be if the person you are calling does have a VoLTE-Capable handset or their handset does not support the appropriate codecs. For example, you might call a UVerse customer. While this UVerse customer may be on the IMS network, it likely doesn't support the required codecs in the negotiation to utilize HD voice. Last, you may not be in a 4G LTE coverage area; in that case your handset and the network will work together in a process called SRVCC; Single Radio Voice Call Continuity. This takes place when a phone steps outside of an area that supports VoLTE. The handset detects that it's 4G signal is weakening and that another signal is available and sends a message to the network instigating the handoff process. If a call is in-progress at the time, an application server that has a 3rd party registration (is clued in on the current phone call basically) will step up to facilitate the transition and then seamlessly tear down the 4G leg. This switchover is quick enough not to notice and may drop audio for a split second or so.\n\n\nOne other cool thing to note is that HD voice works between carriers as their networks 'inter-op' with each other with special border gateways inside of the IMS core.\n\n\n*Disclaimer: I do not represent AT & T in any official capacity, everything posted here has already been publicly released and is no longer covered by NDA. I can answer any questions about IMS/VoLTE technology itself but cannot go into further details about specific carrier's practices or implementations.",
"I don't ever call people, because I can never carry a conversation because sound quality sucks...",
"Speakers are a big issue. To get real good quality sound you have to use your head phones or big speakers to get the effect. Try it on different devices. Some sound a bit more robotic than others but generally the sound is bad on crappy phone speakers.",
"Is this HD Voice what is used currently for phone calls on iPhone's with Facetime Audio?"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wideband_audio"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://blog.faberacoustical.com/2010/ios/iphone/iphone-4-audio-and-frequency-response-limitations/",
"http://bossjockstudio.com/unlock-your-iphones-broadcast-quality-microphone-with-bossjock-studio-1-5-2/"
],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.711",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Audio_Coding",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"https://pay.reddit.com/r/tmobile/comments/28co3h/hd_voice/ci9nowd",
"http://www.cnet.com/news/at-t-kicks-off-hd-voice-rollout-on-may-23/",
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhGiz-bMsKI"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
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|
57acxd | why are tins cylindrical? wouldn't cuboid be more efficient for storage? | In terms of soda cans, I get that there would be pressure inside, and cylindrical cans would spread the pressure more evenly. But food and paint tins don't have this issue. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/57acxd/eli5_why_are_tins_cylindrical_wouldnt_cuboid_be/ | {
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"text": [
"I found this great video on reddit before that someone linked which is amazing and explains the shape and how cans are actually really ingenious! \n\n_URL_0_",
"It's a trade off between material efficiency and storage efficiency. A cube would be most efficient for storage, a sphere most efficient in use of material (circles and spheres require the least amount of material to enclose a given area/volume).\n\nSpheres have obvious issues with storage, but on terms of the amount of space that is wasted but also the fact that they tend to roll. The compromise is you end up with a cylinder. It uses less material than a cube/rectangular prism, but has a flat bottom for storage.\n\nAlso, square containers would have seams and corners that would be prone to denting or seepage."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUhisi2FBuw"
],
[]
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|
3y59bc | could someone explain srs and the state of reddit? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3y59bc/eli5_could_someone_explain_srs_and_the_state_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"cyan139"
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"text": [
"Reddit's structure leads to a lot of echo chambers where anonymous idiots on the internet post horrible shit and then get upvoted to the moon by their fellow misogynists/racists/pedophiles. SRS reposts that stuff to name and shame."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
c3f5cy | why doesn’t the penis get stretch marks? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/c3f5cy/eli5_why_doesnt_the_penis_get_stretch_marks/ | {
"a_id": [
"erqkg7e"
],
"score": [
12
],
"text": [
"There’s enough skin to accommodate the penis at its fully erect state. That’s why flaccid penises look all wrinkly and smooshed."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
6eyw9k | how does your body know to divert the majority of fluids to your bladder so that it doesn't all end up in your intestines? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6eyw9k/eli5_how_does_your_body_know_to_divert_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"die50yz",
"die54w8"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"First, I am not a doctor. But my doctor told me this (about the large intestine) just last week.\n\nFood eaten goes from the stomach to the small intestine. As it works its way through that, nutrients are absorbed as well (probably) as some liquid. Then it goes to the large intestine, which absorbs enough of the liquid to make a more-or-less solid waste product. The bladder receives liquid from the blood, not the intestine (large or small).",
"The bladder is not part of the digestive system, it is part of the renal system, along with the Kidneys. \n\nWhen you drink water or eat soup or chow down on watermelon or steak, the liquid is absorbed just like the nutrients in the food. Water is also produced by some bodily processes (like dehydration synthesis, which is how your body builds fat cells.) \n\nAs your body operates, the kidneys filter out various substances and make sure you don't end up with an excess of water or salt in your bloodstream. It is this material that ends up in the bladder. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
1vyj45 | why do people criticize the un so heavily? | In relation with issues such as Rwanda, Darfur, and Syria. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1vyj45/eli5_why_do_people_criticize_the_un_so_heavily/ | {
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"text": [
"The problem with the UN is that there are permanent members (China, France, Russia, UK and US) who have the power to veto. If the UN would like to adopt something and everyone agrees, while one permanent member uses it's veto to cancel the whole progress, the UN would look like it had no power.\nFor example: UN doesn't approve one of Americas actions and tries to forbid it. The united states would use their veto and the UN can't do anything about it. This would be a disaster for the UN.\nThus they have to decide if they really want to intervene, since they don't want to show any weakness.\n\nNow, to come back to your question: UN doesn't intervene - > media hates the UN.",
"Because the UN doesn't really work. The UN exists to solve problems between nations but it doesn't really have a lot of power to enact solutions. It's sort of like a police officer who's hands are tied behind their back.\n\nSome people think the UN should be allowed to become more powerful. Other people think we should just get rid of the UN. But nobody is happy with it currently.",
"- It's a powerless entity. Individual countries still have their sovereignty; it's not an international government to rule the world. \n\n- If you don't want to follow UN resolutions, in most cases the UN won't stop you because that would violate your state sovereignty. After all, North Korea is in the UN.\n\n- When they have intervened, it's often been too little, too late, or not enough force\n\n- It definitely doesn't stop people from having wars",
"The UN has no teeth because of it's lack of binding military force. The UN can't act if any one of the permanent security council nations (US/UK/France/Russia/China) vetos an action. People are frustrated with it's lack of action due to one of the member nations vetoing, and they almost always veto. It's extremely rare for there to be a situation where all 5 of those powers agree on anything. In many instances, the US will do something unpopular (Iraq) and not give a shit, China and Russia equally do this in their civil rights abuses/local land disputes with regional powers. Furthermore, even when most of the \"western\" world agrees on something, China or Russia will throw a veto in there to gum up the process to make the western nations seem incapable of action. Also, just look to Syria today, there are thousands of civilians dying in a civil war, yet nothing has been done because Russia would veto any major action since it is invested in Assad remaining in power. Likewise, any diplomatic solution to solving China's assertion of ownership of the entire South China Sea would be vetoed by China. The US does this quite often as well, so we are not without blame either. \n\nTL;DR Nothing gets done because the 5 permanent security council nations will veto whatever they want and they almost never agree"
]
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[],
[],
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|
4n9uh3 | how do award shows such as the oscars, grammys, etc work? | I was just wondering, and hopefully someone can answer how award ceremonies such as the oscars, the grammys, golden globes etc work? Who comes up with the nominations for that year? Are there minimum requirements to be "eligible" for an award? Who decides wins the awards? I don't think I've ever seen a voting poll for them.
Sorry if this question has already been asked and answered, I've looked but couldn't seem to find anything and google didn't really help with my curiosity. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4n9uh3/eli5_how_do_award_shows_such_as_the_oscars/ | {
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"text": [
"This is how the Oscars works.\n\nThe Oscars are the award given annually by the Academy, hence why they are called the Academy Awards.\n\nWhat Academy? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.\n\nTo even be considered, a film must meet certain requirements. Things like \"Must be a minimum of 70 minutes in length, must have played in an LA County theatre for paid admission for 7 or more consecutive days, etc\"\n\nTo be a first round nominee, your work must be submitted to the Academy by a member of the Academy to be judged and list all available credits.\n\nMost categories require a member in that category to submit the nominee. Ie, directors submit for \"Best Director\" and composers submit for \"Best Score\".\n\nSpecial groups are made for things like \"Best Foreign Film\" and \"Best Documentary\" where there is no specific group in the Academy to cover such categories. Foreign Countries submit foreign films, but Academy members vote for it.\n\nIn the First Round, the members of each category submit their top 5 for that category. \n\nOnce those are in, those top picks for each category are voted on by all members at which point the winners are decided.",
"Voting is not public and is done by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. To become a member you need to be someone working in the film industry who has either a) previously been nominated for an award or b) been sponsored by at least two Academy members."
]
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[],
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|
9qrtxh | why are some grapes seedless and other seeded? how did they get the seeds out? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9qrtxh/eli5_why_are_some_grapes_seedless_and_other/ | {
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"text": [
"You can breed grapes and many other fruits to have no, or only vestigial, seeds. You have to propagate them by cuttings. It doesn't need GM.\n\nBananas are a major example. The variety that most of the world eats have had seed production bred out of them. As such, all plants are clones and if a virus struck, it's going to be very difficult to produce another strain that the virus doesn't affect.",
"This question gets asked every few days\n\n_URL_0_"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/search?q=Seedless&restrict_sr=on"
]
] |
||
6kxfh2 | why are airlines willing to allow you to check three bags that are 50 pounds a piece but not one bag that is 60 pounds without adding an extra fee? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6kxfh2/eli5_why_are_airlines_willing_to_allow_you_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"djpj484"
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"text": [
"my speculation would be that a bag that is 50lbs can be handled by a single employee safely and in accordance with safety regulations. Same with 3 bags of the same weight.\n\nA bag of 60lbs likely exceeds the weight safety limit and requires 2 individuals to handle it. (likely a union rule or some other safety standard). Thus creating added hassle to deal with that 1 bag."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
2d21qt | how has the "6-4-1-5" chord progression all a sudden dominated all genres of music? | I've been making electronic music since I was probably 8 years old and I've used this chord progression in almost every song I've made at some point. It just carries so much emotion. This progression was used rarely up until around 10 years ago and since then it is in every single song you hear. Even orchestral and symphonic pieces use this chord progression along with pretty much every movie score. It just amazes me how such a simple yet profound ordering of notes had completely changed the face of music. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2d21qt/eli5_how_has_the_6415_chord_progression_all_a/ | {
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"text": [
"If you study music in college you'll learn that that chord progression has been an epidemic for centuries. \n\nSeriously though, they teach rules for music theory but what it really boils down to is guidelines for what sounds good. Humans are just wired to enjoy certain sounds. Cultural influences also play a large part. \n\nCertain chord progressions or sound effects like arpeggiated chords just seem to make humans feel warm and fuzzy. Bach figured this out and explored the concept quite a bit: _URL_1_\n\nETA: Fun fact. Handel also experimented with chord progressions and arpeggiation. He composed Zadok the Priest for King George II's coronation. If you listen to the first 2 minutes of the song you'll hear the same chord progressions you hear in pop songs. Only Handel charges into a full choir effect. Which is awesome: _URL_0_\n\nThe British loved the effect so much that the piece has been used at every coronation ever since.\n\nA couple hundred years later Coldplay rehashes similar techniques: _URL_2_"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiXgOQ9_-RI",
"http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PXMVkQ70I88",
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d020hcWA_Wg"
]
] |
|
14yr4d | what makes applications operating system-specific? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/14yr4d/eli5_what_makes_applications_operating/ | {
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"The operating system exposes a set of functionality called APIs. Applications are written to use a specific API. If an app is written to use one API on one OS, then it cannot work against the different API that another OS exposes.\n\nIt's sort of like how if you write a book in English, then only English speakers can read it. It won't work for a Chinese speaker.",
"[Here](_URL_0_) is a good stackoverflow question on the subject, specifically on the topic of windows vs linux.\n\nThe answer comes down mostly to the operating system ABI and APIs. An application isn't entirely self contained, it'll generally have a lot of interaction with stuff in the operating system that it assumes exists, whereas a different OS may have completely different access interfaces. It's possible to overcome this by intercepting all this and translating/routing it appropriately, but this can be very complicated as...well, it just isn't simple. The wine project on linux aims to do this and has done astonishingly well, especially since the windows interfaces are poorly documented and particularly hard to replicate, but even then only works for some windows binaries and is rarely perfect.\n\nAs a crude analogy, you could think of the application as a set of instructions for (say) driving a car. In this case, moving to a different OS means the manual is in the wrong language *and* the car is different so the instructions refer to things that don't exist or which work differently in the new one. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://superuser.com/questions/209703/why-wont-windows-exes-work-on-linux"
]
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||
1vt0ww | why do so many european countries oppose the eu? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1vt0ww/eli5_why_do_so_many_european_countries_oppose_the/ | {
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"text": [
"Supranationalism can whittle away a country's identity. Countries, especially the benelux countries, have started to identify more with their organization rather than their country, and some people don't like this."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
5euxfd | why do creators keep their upcoming projects/products secret until release? | Youtubers, filmmakers, businesspeople etc.
I guess the explanation lies with types of promotion, but I would love a response from an expert. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5euxfd/eli5why_do_creators_keep_their_upcoming/ | {
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"One of the aspects that you may not have considered is that a huge number of projects that people work on *never get released*. They turn out not to be as interesting as the creator hoped, or there's no enough of a budget, or there are creative differences with other people involved, etc. And it's not good practice to announce something that you're working on if it might never actually happen, so a lot of creators will wait until it's almost finished and the release is a sure thing.",
"I would also mention that from a marketing perspective, keeping things secret let's you control the story when you do release it. You don't gain much by announcing something just for the sake of announcing it. If it will be newsworthy when you admit what you're up to, you want to somehow leverage that news to get something out of it before it becomes old news. E.g. If I'm an artist working in a new album, I want to maybe release one song while announcing that the album is coming out so that the news of the new album might drive interest in the song too. ",
"The other answers so far seem good. There are lots of other reasons too. For example, if your project is revolutionary in some way, just mentioning the project could give competitors the information they need to build the thing before you can launch, which is highly relevant for business opportunities that have a first mover advantage. "
]
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[],
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3cx4iu | why don't modern 3d movies make more use of 3d, like i remember imax movies did 15 years ago? | I was having this discussion with some friends, who also used to go to the only IMAX theater in town when they were younger, and we all remembered being so much more impressed with the 3D effects, like things flying towards you with the audience trying to dodge/touch them etc.
Do directors nowadays cut down on those effects to keep the audience immersed in the movie, or was it a different technology back then, or both?
Thanks! | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3cx4iu/eli5_why_dont_modern_3d_movies_make_more_use_of/ | {
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"text": [
"The novelty of 3D has worn off. When you do too much of it, it looks cheap, as if they're saying \"We couldn't think of anything original to make this worthwhile, so we'll fall back on cliches.\"\n\nOne of the first 3D movies I saw that used polarized glasses was [Muppet Vision 3D](_URL_0_) at Disney World. Even then, back in 1991, they were joking about \"cheap 3D effects\".",
"When 3D was first introduced, it was used as a gimmick, and there were lots of parts of the movie that were specifically made to be all, \"Look! Look everyone! It's 3D! Look how 3D it is! Threeeeeeee, Deeeeeeee!\"\n\nAnd that's fine . . . for a gimmick. But as 3D becomes more and more standard, the usage of it becomes more and more subtle. It starts to be used just as another artistic choice, like the selection of color palette, or sound effects (both things that were once new, and once \"overdone\" to emphasize them)."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muppet*Vision_3D"
],
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|
46y49v | why the single male:female is wider than birth rate ratio? | According to Pew research, the ratio of single men:women in America is 115:100
_URL_1_
But nationwide, roughly 1050 males for 1000 women are born.
_URL_0_
Why is there such a wide gap?
Thanks!
| explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/46y49v/eli5_why_the_single_malefemale_is_wider_than/ | {
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"This could easily be differences in polls, if this was the same company, than that wouldn't apply. \n \nWhat this means is that 5% more males are born, yet there are 15% more single men. The only way I can think of this is if there are a lot more lesbian marriages than male-to-male, though that likely isn't the case, especially not to this scale. Also, this could also mean a lot more women die than males, but that also isn't likely to this scale. \n \n**EDIT:** Never mind, after looking at the article it's more clear: \n > The overall male-to-female ratio is 115:100 among single adults ages **25 to 34** \n \nThis means that more women are marrying men [18,25) ∪ (34,∞) than men marrying women [18,25) ∪ (34,∞). As we know, ~20% of couples have the man 2-3 years older than the female, while the reverse is only true in 6.5% of cases.",
"The first poll is for men and women ages 25 to 34. Due to social and biological pressures, many women try to marry earlier than men (The average age of marriage for women is about two years younger [than men](_URL_0_)).\n\nI'd guess that if you measured the ratio of single men:women at 25 and compared it to the ration of newborn boys:newborn girls, they'd be quite similar. As the years go on, more women get married and the gap widens.",
"Look at the table of death rates by age a gender. Males are somewhat more likely to die young of diseases, probably due to the absence of a backup x chromosome. And adolescent males are far more likely to do stupid shit that makes them dead, probably due to testosterone.\n\nBut counteracting that, women tend to marry men older than themselves. So a marriage of a 33 year old woman to a 36 year old man has removed one woman from the shingles under 35 bracket, but not removed any men from it."
]
} | [] | [
"http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005083.html",
"http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/10/02/the-best-and-worst-cities-for-women-looking-to-marry/"
] | [
[],
[
"https://www.census.gov/hhes/families/files/graphics/MS-2.pdf"
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k5hu9 | accents | How they are formed. Why is it that countries like America and Australia, both originally colonies of Britain, have such different accents from the motherland. How come England has strong, varied accents in such a small country whereas Australia doesn't seem to vary *that much* state by state. Etc.
Just accents in general, I guess. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/k5hu9/elif_accents/ | {
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" Think of it this way: you know how when you spend lots of times with your friends, and you have all of these inside jokes and funny sayings and made-up words? Well, it's sort of like that: when you spend all your time with the same people, you tend to use these inside jokes and made-up words all the time, and that's sort of like accents.\n\nBut, if you hang out with lots of different people all the time, you pick up some of their jokes and funny made-up words, then you end up mixing up your inside jokes with theirs, and then you all end up sounding similar.\n\nIn England and older countries like that, since there were no trains or means to get around, people couldn't meet other groups of people very easily, so they ended up sticking with their own funny made-up words, or in other words, their accents. But in places like America and Australia, which have had modern transportation like trains for almost all of their existence, they got to move around and experience lots of different groups of people, and so there wasn't really a chance to form really solid accents. ",
"Say you and all your friends have grown up with the internet. Every one of you understands memes, and after a few years, use memes often in your ordinary conversations. Your cousin from out of town who has not grown up with memes comes to visit you. He cannot understand memes, and as a result talks differently to you. Your languages have changed.\n\nThis works for both actual words (such as the Geordie \"Canny\" or the northumbrian \"Ben\" (Means child)) or the actual way you say standard words. If your friend starts pronouncing a word differently and people around them start to say this word like them, eventually, the entire area will include that pronounciation in part of their accent. \n\nThis is very similar to how evolution works if that helps you to visualise it.\n\n",
"PART I:\n\nFirst, imagine it is a long time ago, and we don't have cars, or telephones. If we don't, it's not easy to talk to people outside of your town, and it's not easy for them to, either.\n\nMaybe you've noticed that people in your family talk a bit differently than people in another. Maybe they use particularly phrases, or say some words just a bit differently. Your family is around each other a lot, so you learn to talk like them. You were taught to speak from your parents, so it only makes sense you are going to speak a lot like them. \n\nIf you learn a new word, from a different family (let's say the Jeffersons), you might bring it back to your family. If they don't know the word either, they'll probably learn from *you* how to say it! So now you have one word that you use that sounds the same as how the Jeffersons say it, but all your other words sound like your family's.\n\nEvery time you learn a new word (or even a new sound!), the way your family speaks changes a bit. You can teach your friends how to speak like you (and the Jeffersons), and you'll someday teach your own kiddos how to speak like you. More and more people will learn to talk this way, until all the people your family, and the other families, know how to speak this way. \n\nNow your town has its own way of speaking--its own accent. If the next town over comes to visit, the same happened to them, and they have their own accent too. \n\nNow, these people from the next town (call them Bricktown)--what if they speak a whole *different* language? Well, then they'll have lots of words you don't know! Sometimes they'll have words for things that you don't, so you'll have to learn to speak like them to be able to describe a new thing, or to be able to communicate--or even make up a way to say those new words. So now they've added new ways to speak to your words. \n\nThe closer one town is, the easier it is for them to sound alike, since they see each other more.",
"Can someone explain OP's username like I'm 5?",
"Just to expand on houghty's comment, there's also psychological studies that have been done on people to figure out why they can't learn to say words in another language/accent perfectly. The example used in one of the videos I watched on it was how Americans hear people from Asian countries say their \"L\"s like \"R\"s. Because they were raised in a household that only spoke their Asian-oriented language, their brains adapted to what their language sounds like and basically set itself to it. They can't physically hear any difference between the L and R sounds in our language, thus have no idea they're pronouncing it wrong. Not unlike the video posted here recently about people of certain cultures not seeing colors the same way we do.",
" Think of it this way: you know how when you spend lots of times with your friends, and you have all of these inside jokes and funny sayings and made-up words? Well, it's sort of like that: when you spend all your time with the same people, you tend to use these inside jokes and made-up words all the time, and that's sort of like accents.\n\nBut, if you hang out with lots of different people all the time, you pick up some of their jokes and funny made-up words, then you end up mixing up your inside jokes with theirs, and then you all end up sounding similar.\n\nIn England and older countries like that, since there were no trains or means to get around, people couldn't meet other groups of people very easily, so they ended up sticking with their own funny made-up words, or in other words, their accents. But in places like America and Australia, which have had modern transportation like trains for almost all of their existence, they got to move around and experience lots of different groups of people, and so there wasn't really a chance to form really solid accents. ",
"Say you and all your friends have grown up with the internet. Every one of you understands memes, and after a few years, use memes often in your ordinary conversations. Your cousin from out of town who has not grown up with memes comes to visit you. He cannot understand memes, and as a result talks differently to you. Your languages have changed.\n\nThis works for both actual words (such as the Geordie \"Canny\" or the northumbrian \"Ben\" (Means child)) or the actual way you say standard words. If your friend starts pronouncing a word differently and people around them start to say this word like them, eventually, the entire area will include that pronounciation in part of their accent. \n\nThis is very similar to how evolution works if that helps you to visualise it.\n\n",
"PART I:\n\nFirst, imagine it is a long time ago, and we don't have cars, or telephones. If we don't, it's not easy to talk to people outside of your town, and it's not easy for them to, either.\n\nMaybe you've noticed that people in your family talk a bit differently than people in another. Maybe they use particularly phrases, or say some words just a bit differently. Your family is around each other a lot, so you learn to talk like them. You were taught to speak from your parents, so it only makes sense you are going to speak a lot like them. \n\nIf you learn a new word, from a different family (let's say the Jeffersons), you might bring it back to your family. If they don't know the word either, they'll probably learn from *you* how to say it! So now you have one word that you use that sounds the same as how the Jeffersons say it, but all your other words sound like your family's.\n\nEvery time you learn a new word (or even a new sound!), the way your family speaks changes a bit. You can teach your friends how to speak like you (and the Jeffersons), and you'll someday teach your own kiddos how to speak like you. More and more people will learn to talk this way, until all the people your family, and the other families, know how to speak this way. \n\nNow your town has its own way of speaking--its own accent. If the next town over comes to visit, the same happened to them, and they have their own accent too. \n\nNow, these people from the next town (call them Bricktown)--what if they speak a whole *different* language? Well, then they'll have lots of words you don't know! Sometimes they'll have words for things that you don't, so you'll have to learn to speak like them to be able to describe a new thing, or to be able to communicate--or even make up a way to say those new words. So now they've added new ways to speak to your words. \n\nThe closer one town is, the easier it is for them to sound alike, since they see each other more.",
"Can someone explain OP's username like I'm 5?",
"Just to expand on houghty's comment, there's also psychological studies that have been done on people to figure out why they can't learn to say words in another language/accent perfectly. The example used in one of the videos I watched on it was how Americans hear people from Asian countries say their \"L\"s like \"R\"s. Because they were raised in a household that only spoke their Asian-oriented language, their brains adapted to what their language sounds like and basically set itself to it. They can't physically hear any difference between the L and R sounds in our language, thus have no idea they're pronouncing it wrong. Not unlike the video posted here recently about people of certain cultures not seeing colors the same way we do."
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uxz58 | what is an nfl contract holdout. how do they work and why do players holdout? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/uxz58/eli5_what_is_an_nfl_contract_holdout_how_do_they/ | {
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"Players have a contract with the team they work for, just like any other employee has a contract with the business they work for. NFL contracts are usually of the form \"$X/year for Y years\", like \"10 million dollars a year for 5 years\" or \"$500k a year for two years\". There are some other clauses but those are the important ones.\n\nTeams want to figure out who is playing for them early, so they know who they can plan for, how much money they need to give in salaries, if there are any weak spots, etc. Sometimes, a player that wants more money or a longer contract will say \"hmm, I don't know... some other teams are looking pretty nice\", hoping that the team will offer him more money or a longer contract. Sometimes the teams will agree to a better contract for the player just to resolve uncertainty. Sometimes the teams will wait out the player and eventually use the original contract. Sometimes the player will wait too long and the team will not be interested anymore.\n\nIt's a bargaining technique players use to get more money.",
"Bob is an NFL player, and last year he signed a 5 year contract with the Ottawa Narwhals that pays him $1 million a year. That means he is *legally required* to work for them for the next five years, so long as they pay him.\n\nBut Bob had a *really* good year. He was their best player, even though his backup, Chuck, made $10 million a year. He is not happy with his salary, but the Narwhals tell him tough luck, he signed a contract, and they expect him to live up to it.\n\nSo Bob decides to hold out. He tells the team he is not going to play for them until he gets a better contract. He is *violating* the contract he signed, so the team can stop paying him, and fine him until he comes back to work. But Bob is betting that without him, the team will do poorly, and will be forced to give him a better deal.\n\nSometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Emmitt Smith held out, got a big deal, won the Super Bowl that year, and had a Hall of Fame career. \n\nOther players wind up derailing their careers and being labelled egotistical malcontents. "
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8a94ab | how a helicopter tilts forward/backwards | So when a helicopter wants to gain speed, it tilts forward to angle the rotors and achieve forward momentum. But how does it tilt?
When it rotates it can adjust the speed of the tail rotor. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8a94ab/eli5_how_a_helicopter_tilts_forwardbackwards/ | {
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"Visualize a helicopter with two rotor blades, just to make it easier. And let's just ignore the tail rotor and the engine for now. \n\nFocusing only on the rotor and how it controls the movement of the helicopter, there are two controls the pilot uses. One is called the collective, and one is called the cyclic. \n\nThe rotor blades on a helicopter are wings. Another term for helicopter is \"rotary wing aircraft\", as opposed to \"fixed wing aircraft\". The blades spin through the air, and their *angle of attack* can be adjusted as they spin. You can think of \"angle of attack\" as simply tilting the blade. If you increase the angle of attack, or tilt the blades down, they push more air down, generating lift. \n\nBack to \"collective\" and \"cyclic\". \"Collective\" means increasing the angle of attack of both blades simultaneously, and throughout the entire rotation. This can be thought of as simply pushing air down to make the helicopter go up. \n\n\"Cyclic\" refers to making an adjustment to the angle of attack at a certain point in the blade's cycle. That is, the pilot is able to change the angle of the blade at a certain point, such as the front of the aircraft, or to either side. If you increase the angle of attack of the blade while it is on the right side of the helicopter, the right side will get more lift and the helicopter will tilt toward the left and move that direction. \n\nIn reality, all the mechanics and forces involved are quite a bit more complicated, but that's a very basic breakdown of how the rotors themselves operate. The blades can be adjusted collectively, which is how helicopters go up and down, and they can also be adjusted individually at any point in the cycle, which is how helicopters move forward/backward and left/right. \n\nIf you want more information, the FAA's helicopter manual is available for free online and goes very in-depth in terms of how helicopters fly. \n\n_URL_0_",
"One method is to change the angle of attack of the individual rotor blades at different points during a single rotation. It's called cyclic pitch. Increasing the lift during the rear half of the rotation causes a nose-down tilt of the whole helicopter so the lift direction is pointed forwards, causing motion as well mas lift.\n\nDifferent cyclic pitch adjustments can cause the aircraft to move sideways or backwards.",
"If you are really interested in getting deep into the physics of how helicopters work in a fun an easily-understandable way, I would highly recommend a video series from SmarterEveryDay. Here's a link to the first video of the series. _URL_1_\n\nAlso, shoutout to /u/mrpennywhistle himself for creating this awesome series. \n\nTo answer your question, helicopter rotors have something called a [swashplate](_URL_0_) that adjusts the pitch of each blade as it rotates about it's axis to control vertical position. It can also adjust the pitch of the entire rotor assembly to control horizontal movement in all 4 directions. The tail rotor's job is to counteract torque spin to keep the helicopter flying straight but also to allow it to spin about its axis when needed. "
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5p0kxt | why do some stores close one entrance off at night | Mainly Walmart and Schnucks is where I've seen it but even 24 hour stores I've never known why. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5p0kxt/eli5_why_do_some_stores_close_one_entrance_off_at/ | {
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"So thieves can't sneak in on the night staff, one way in one way out, makes life easier for security",
"I'll give this a shot. Since there are less customers to serve at night the store would schedule fewer employees. By closing an entrance it cuts down on employees needing to watch/stand/patrol the entrance & allows the store to control foot traffic. ",
"Worked at a store with said layout. It was to reduce thefts. Usually when quiet like on Sundays. They would case the joint see the staff all at one end then pop in pop out the other. ",
"The 24 hour grocery store I worked at 20 years ago closed off the entrance nearest the alcohol section to make it harder to dash out of the store with booze."
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2o0h55 | why don't cars have a face/defogger setting for the ac & heater? | Face only, face/feet, feet only, feet/defogger, defogger only all exist. And occasionally I want to keep my hands warm while simultaneously being able to see where I'm going. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2o0h55/eli5_why_dont_cars_have_a_facedefogger_setting/ | {
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"Most cars with digital climate control allow you to set any combination you desire, including all vents. My Audi has this. I can do face and defog. Most luxury cars will let you, lower end or base models do not. So they can have less moving parts in the HVAC system. Allowing the cost to be lower. "
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3tzjxm | why do pianos lack a black key for e# and b#? | Edit: I am aware that F is E#, but why are the keys arranged that way? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3tzjxm/eli5_why_do_pianos_lack_a_black_key_for_e_and_b/ | {
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"A sharp note is just a note a half-step above the root note. F is a half step above E, therefore it's E#, but it's known as F, so we just call it F.",
"From a design standpoint: If every half step was a black key, then it would be a whole lot harder to situate yourself within each octave. All the octaves would look the same.\n\nAlso, if every half-step interval was a white key/black key pair, wouldn't that mean that a black key in one octave would be a different note than the same black key in another? (I'm trying to work this out in my head but it's like doing quantum math.)\n\nSource: Have seen a keyboard",
"Our music system puts 12 semitones into an octave. That way, every scale must have 5 whole steps and 2 half-steps.\n\nThe fact that they're between 3-4 and 7-8 for major scales is just what sounds nice to us.",
"Alternate systems have been proposed, but have never gained acceptance.\n\n[Jankó keyboard](_URL_0_)"
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2kdlaz | how can something presented in court be disregarded? | If something is presented in court such as evidence, testimony, personal belief, etc., how can a judge say it should be disregarded by a jury?
If I hear or see something it can't become unknown. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2kdlaz/eli5_how_can_something_presented_in_court_be/ | {
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"Of course they can't make you forget what you heard but you aren't supposed to factor it in to making your decision on the case. ",
"If it is minor, the court asks the jury no to take it into consideration.\n\nIf it is major, it is ground for a mistrial.",
"It means that the Jury shouldn't use it to make their choice because even though it sounds convincing, it's can't be properly supported.\n\nDepending on the type of evidence, there are various reasons it might be disregarded.\n\nReal Evidence - These are things like the murder weapon, a bloody shirt, etc. They can be thrown out of court if the continuity of evidence is broken. Continuity of evidence being a verified list and tracking of where the evidence has been since it was collected.\n\nWitness Testimony - This would be, well, a witness. It can be disregarded if it comes out the person was under the influence at the time and wasn't sure of what they saw, or have a deep personal bias against the accused.\n\nCharacter Evidence - This would be a situation where they are trying to prove that the person had the mental (in)capability to commit a crime, by trying to prove that they are known to act a certain way. This might be disregarded if the person doesn't actually know them that well, or only ever saw them in a certain situation.\n\nOpinion/Expert Evidence - An expert in a field explaining why the person could(n't) commit the crime due to something pertaining to their field. This might be disregarded because the expert isn't actually an expert, or some other complication.\n\nTrace Evidence - Fingerprints, blood, hair, etc. Anything that needs to be scanned in order to tell what it actually is. This might be disregarded if it turns out that that the practice of identifying it was incorrect, or it was collected without consent and can't be classified as conscripted evidence.\n\nConscripted Evidence is evidence that is taken against someone's will, or without their knowledge. It can be thrown out unless there is a need for fundamental justice.\n\nThere is generally a voir dire, a trial within the trial, in order to determine whether evidence should be admitted or not."
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2h1vyf | why can 2 songs of the same length require different amounts of data when encoded? | Don't they take up the same amount of bits and just alternate between 1's and 0's? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2h1vyf/eli5_why_can_2_songs_of_the_same_length_require/ | {
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"I am going to assume some mathematical knowledge here. If you don't understand what I'm talking about let me know and I will try to keep it simpler:\n\nIt depends on the format, but most of the compression techniques used in modern TI are based on decompositions, rather than to describe the sound, video or image instant by instant or pixel by pixel.\n\nFor instance, the Fourier representation of a function whose domain is [0, 2pi] is f(x) = a0 + a1*sin(x) + a2*sin(2x) + a3*sin(3x)... ad infinitum. The coeficients ai are a infinite sequence of numbers that converge to zero, so if you truncate the sum and take, for instance, the first one thousand elements (or two thousand, or one million, depending on the quality of approximation that you want), the approximation may be good enough, or even impossible to tell from the real one by human senses.\n\nNow, imagine that the function that you want to represent is f(x) = sin(x). If you know what the Fourier representation is, I only need to tell you that a1=1, while you assume that all the other coefficients are 0 unless I tell you. Then, use that information I provided to recover the function. In the interval [0,2pi] there are infinite points, but through this method I have given you the value of the function for each x in [0,2pi] only by telling you one number.\n\nNow, imagine that the function is far more complex, and you need at least 1000 coefficients a0,a1,a2,...a999 to be able to have a decent approximatino of the function. In that case, in order to have the values of the function in the same interval, you will need one thousand more information.\n\nNote that this is possible providing that when I give you the coefficients a0, a1, a2,... you know how to use them to put the function together. That \"translator\" that you would use to interpret this coefficients if what we usually call a codec.\n\nLet's put it on a simpler way: let us have two 100x100 pixels images: one is all white, and one contains a piece of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. If you want to describe to another person the content of both images, for the first you can just say \"all white\" and the other person will understand, while for the other image that person will require a bigger amount of information. In both cases you are describing 10.000 pixels, by for one of the cases you need a smaller amount of information. It is exactly the same with music: two segments of sound of the same lenght may require a different amount of information to be described properly.",
"They do take up the exact same amount of space when they're uncompressed.\n\nHowever when they're compressed or stored in a lossy format (such as mp3) the encoding process is smart enough to not waste time with long stretches of silence or storing multiple copies of the same pattern. Just like when you read song lyrics and the chorus is not written out each time it's sung, but just once and then referred to whenever it repeats."
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48jaa6 | why are modern buses box-shaped, not round-shaped? | Why are modern buses square? Why are old, 1930's, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's buses round?
Wouldn't round buses be more aerodynamic and cheaper to build? Why do modern buses have big windows and no sunroofs? Who and when decided that all buses should be box-shaped? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/48jaa6/eli5_why_are_modern_buses_boxshaped_not/ | {
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"I don't know how important aerodynamics are at the speeds a bus is going, weight is probably a bigger factor. Also, it would be hard to make efficient use of space in a round bus, compared to an oblong one. Its also possible it gives a more stable centre of mass, to reduce the likelihood of it rolling, or has other engineering advantages",
"They designed streamlined buses to go faster with engines of the same power as older buses that were not streamlined. As highway speeds became higher air resistance became a factor. A streamlined 1940 bus might be able to cruise at a speed of 60MPH where a 1930 bus might only go 45 with the same engine.\n\nBesides, streamlining was the fashion. Not only in buses, trains, and automobiles but in things like toasters and refrigerators where it had no practical use at all.\n\nToday's more powerful and efficient engines can push a boxy bus thru the air at 70 -80 with no trouble. So, the designers gave up some streamlining for more interior room."
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5cxovc | how/ why do undocumented immigrants have payroll taxes? | Assuming they are paid under the table, how do undocumented immigrants have payroll taxes deducted? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5cxovc/eli5how_why_do_undocumented_immigrants_have/ | {
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"Not all of them are paid under the table. In the US, illegal immigrants can get an tax ID number (ITIN) from the IRS, which allows employers to withhold taxes. In addition to paying income taxes, they also pay in to the social security system, with no means of ever being able to withdraw it when they reach retirement age. "
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6q4zc5 | why do neurons connect as synapses instead of physically connecting to each other? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6q4zc5/eli5_why_do_neurons_connect_as_synapses_instead/ | {
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"The synapses you're thinking of - as do most people - are called chemical synapses. As you know, between communicating neurons there is a small gap called a synaptic cleft. Neurotransmitters are small chemicals that leave one neuron (the PREsynaptic neuron) and move across the synaptic cleft to alter the state of the next neuron (the POSTsynaptic neuron). The cells do not touch for a few reasons.\n\nAll animal cells, including neurons, have a barrier surrounding them called a plasma membrane. Neurotransmitters in the presynaptic neuron leave in a complex process where balls with neurotransmitters inside (called vesicles) fuse with this plasma membrane and release the chemicals. These then move across the synapse and interact with the outside of the postsynaptic cell at specific reception points. If the postsynaptic cell was touching the presynaptic cell, neurotransmitters would not often be in the right place to interact with these receptors. \n\nYou may imagine that there would not be a membrane between the two neurons, but this would not allow differentiation of the kinds of signals neurons send. Some neurons have neurotransmitters that excite the postsynaptic neuron, while some stop it from activating or have a different effect. If two neurons were a continuous cell, when one cell activated, the electric charge would travel to the next. This maybe could work in some neurons, but not in neurons that stop the next neuron from activating.\n\ntl;dr if neurons touched they wouldn't be able to send signals to other neurons."
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12hmwj | why no business delivers hamburgers | What's so special about Chinese food and Pizza? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/12hmwj/eli5_why_no_business_delivers_hamburgers/ | {
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"many places around here (upstate NY) deliver hamburgers and subs... what is hard to get is hotdogs and mexican food (except some very simple stuf)",
"Because unlike pizza, hamburgers are pretty easy to make at home.",
"BK and mcdonalds deliver in some larger cities. "
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4os02w | - what is to prevent the offspring of a sperm donor from engaging in accidental incest? | Say someone has donated multiple times. And his samples were given to multiple couples. What prevents the offspring from those separate couples from sleeping with their genetic half-brother/sister? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4os02w/eli5_what_is_to_prevent_the_offspring_of_a_sperm/ | {
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"I supposed nothing directly... except that the probability of it is pretty damn low. \n\nThere are 320 Million people in the USA alone... balanced roughly 50/50... in that case, you're basically talking about finding the one person in 160,000,000 people who is related to you. That's pretty unlikely.",
"Unfortunately it isn´t as unlikely for two \"donor siblings\" to meet as has been suggeste, as sperm donations are very often kept locally and not spread \"optimally\" throughout one country.\n\nAdditionally the restrictions and limits on sperm donations (how much you can donate) are controlled rather laxly and thus some high profile cases of donors with an extreme amount of descendants have been revealed.\n\nStill overall the main mechanism to prevent \"accidental\" incest is via controlling the number of possible related siblings and the overall unlikeliness of them to meet.\n\nThis is not optimal however as some psychological studies have actually shown an increased attraction between relatives who have been seperated at (or near) birth after a reunion (knowingly or unknowingly).\n\nSome experts have recommended stricter control measures and limits for sperm donation and an increased movement to educate and inform descendants of sperm donations (basically imploring parents to tell their kids).\n\nTl:Dr It´s unlikely you meet your sperm sibling but it´s not as unlikely as people suggest and currently not a lot is done to prevent \"accidental\" incest."
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880ru3 | why do new release novels come out first in hardback then months later in paperback? | Are margins higher in hardback so it maximizes profits? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/880ru3/eli5_why_do_new_release_novels_come_out_first_in/ | {
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"You got it in one in your original post. The cost of producing a hardback book is maybe a dollar. The cost of producing a paperback is maybe $0.50. But the hardback sells for $20 or $30 and the paperback sells for $10.",
"I work in publishing. Yes the reasons are mostly financial. Unless your book is a sleeper hit whose sales will grow with word of mouth, most sales will happen when it's on the New Releases stand. Except in some rare cases, if sales for your book don't pick up in the first couple weeks, they never will. That means people need to notice your book. It's easier to have a book noticed when it's a big fat hardback with ample space for an eye-catching cover, than a small, cheap looking paperback. Hardbacks are (generally) much more durable and won't fall apart after a couple reads, so people who like to collect books will prefer them. Also, first editions (unless you're a very famous author) are usually very small runs, so you need to maximize profit to make them viable. You need to be able to pay the writer, the cover designer, the editor etc. This wouldn't be possible if the first edition was a paperback with a small profit margin. By the time the book is released in paperback, everyone should have been payed and the margin will just be profit for the publisher and royalties for the author.\n\nSo tl;dr, putting out a book isn't cheap and maximising profits at early release is the only way to make sure everyone gets paid and gets to make more books.\n\nEdit: one could also note that a lot of books don't ever make it to paperback because the hardback didn't sell enough...so if they'd been released as a cheap paperback in the first place, they would've made even less and possibly put the publisher or author out of business."
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g2m3xk | why does it it feel extremely good when we change our sitting/lying down position after having been sitting/lying down in the same position for quite some time | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/g2m3xk/eli5_why_does_it_it_feel_extremely_good_when_we/ | {
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"I’d say pressure on joints muscles and bones being relieved... ooh and that cold under side of the pillow is always better then the top.!",
"Largely because a static posture will restrict blood flow to _some area_, and changing position lets the blood flow freely to that position. Lack of bloodflow leads to aches and discomfort (and ultimately tissue damage, joint troubles etc. - this is often the causes of many repetitive strain injuries (that static posture, or the fact that a repeated motion results in a blood flow problem to an area)."
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j3goj | could someone explain the dalai lama? wouldn't a guy that claims to be a "chosen one" have a huge ego? i'm not being sarcastic. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/j3goj/eli5_could_someone_explain_the_dalai_lama_wouldnt/ | {
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"I'm not an expert by any means, but I think it is more a case of the High Lamas who proclaim who is the next incarnation (usually a pre-teen boy). He is then removed from his family forever and taken to the Palace to be informed of his future role. As far as his family is concerned, the child is now gone forever.\n\nHe has no say in this in any way. His role has been chosen for him, and he has to fulfil it admirably, like it or not.\n\n*Edited for spelling.*",
"The Dalai Lama is an important religious figure for a particular sect (Gelug) within Buddhism. The DL doesn't run around claiming they're the \"chosen one\" after the previous one died. A group of other religious leaders (who worked under the previous one) search for about 2-4 years to find the next one, using whatever religious tests they have to see if the kid has memories of their previous life. In their religion, it's like being found again by the people they left behind. \n\nAs for whether or not he'd have an ego, the DL's religion pretty much erodes any chance of that. A person with an ego is self-centered and focused on power. The branch of Buddhism that the DL is in charge of is focused on 3 particular things to achieve enlightenment: compassion, insight into wisdom (particularly, insight into emptiness), and a desire to be free. A key belief in this branch is that emptiness is peaceful, and that to attain it, you have to meditate and learn to separate out pettinesd, desire, and all other emotions that make you want things in the physical world. They meditate (philosophize in a more western term) on how to achieve emptiness, what it means, and practice methods of emptying their mind for the moment and eventually longer. A religion that puts no value in power and self-centeredness in any way tends to produce people without huge egos. "
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du5hat | are schools aloud to jam cell signals so you are forced to use there wifi | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/du5hat/eli5_are_schools_aloud_to_jam_cell_signals_so_you/ | {
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"Considering some of the incidents in schools over the last few years you would have an extremely uphill battle to tackle a policy that can be clearly presented as promoting safety in the school.",
"No, not in the US.\n\nCellular jamming is an offense that carries a stiff fine. Regardless of what your teachers may say, they aren't doing that.",
"I find that its more to do with how the schools are built. The thick cement/cinderblock walls aren’t kind to cell signal.",
"No, absolutely not. Jamming of signals within the U.S. is a felony. Not even government agencies are allowed to jam cellphone signals. This subject has been discussed at length due to the pervasiveness of cellphones in prisons. Many municipalities have requested changes to the law that allow jamming in public prisons. So far no changes have been by the FCC that controls communications."
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5hi0r0 | why do galaxies appear elliptical? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5hi0r0/eli5_why_do_galaxies_appear_elliptical/ | {
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"Some of the older, disorganized ones [actually are](_URL_0_), but more often the spiral galaxies are elliptical in pictures because you're seeing them at an angle.\n\nThey're more or less flat, so unless you're looking at them from directly above they won't make a circle in the sky."
]
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[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptical_galaxy"
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2c3xv8 | doctors handling ebola victims generally wear full body suits, gloves, and goggles. how can they take that equipment off without touching the exterior of it and exposing themselves to infection? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2c3xv8/eli5_doctors_handling_ebola_victims_generally/ | {
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"They disinfect first. Often having showers or containment rooms where the suits are sprayed down, and then they remove them, and are sprayed down themselves.",
"Usually they would have some type of sterile shower set up so that they can sterilize the suits before removal. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to remove them or have them removed by someone else."
]
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3p4apw | what's going on with mcdonald's? | So, I've heard they're struggling with management and that their recent marketing and innovation ideas didn't help the company, but McDonald's is a huge brand. How can they question their future in such way? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3p4apw/eli5_whats_going_on_with_mcdonalds/ | {
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"Because people are beginning to realize that there is no reason to go to Mcdonalds at all. The food is absolutely disgusting, and the entire idea of McDonalds is now associated more than ever with unhealthiness. The second reason is the price, the food is god awful, but they still charge 3.49 for an egg and sausage biscuit, that will ultimately be really bad for you, and make you feel it later. You can go to a local cafe, and get the same thing for nearly the same price, but with fresh genuine ingredients. The reasons to go are just non-existant anymore. You look at their lunch money, a good combo is about 6 bucks, you can get an ever bigger combo at wendys for a dollar more, and on top of that better ingredients, never frozen burgers and so on.\n\nTLDR; no reason to go, too expensive for the god awful food you get, other choices are always better.",
"mcdonald's ought to realize its target market. people who love shitty, addictive food. they keep trying to push healthy items and act like they're being more ethical. there is a massive market out there of people who do not care about animal rights and/or being healthy. that's who they have served for decades and they ought to get back to that if they want to see profits.",
"Slow adaptating to market competition is the long and short of it all. Because if we were talking about society rejecting fast food on health or taste reason, we would be seeing a collapse of the entire fast food market. we, clearly, are not. \n\nwhen you look across market segments and categories, years ago Mcdonalds was top dog. Other business started attacking market segments and Mcdonald's was slow to innovate and respond. \n\nBreakfast is the biggest thing right now to point to. Fast Food breakfast is about a $35 billion industry and Mcdonalds was top dog for years, and even last year they own a full 1/3rd of the market. But Taco bell has strongly attacked the market, dunkin donuts, starbucks and several other companies have strong breakfast pushes. This is why we suddenly see the \"all day breakfast\" at Mcdonalds, they were forced to innovate because of how fast they started losing business to other places. \n\nMcdonalds has become stagnant. Compare taco bell and their ever changing line up of food offerings, they are giving you a reason to go try something new. Mcdonald's has been much slower and their new offerings have been \"same ol' same ol\" type things. \n\nThe second important reason is pressure from the newly and fastest growing fast food market \"Fast Casual\". These are restaurants like Chipotle, Panera, Qboda, Baja Fresh, etc... These restaurants DO objectively provide a better quality food experience, but also charge significantly more. Customers, particularly millennials are responding well to these. \n\nFast casual creates the illusion of health. Make no mistake, \"fast casual\" is not more healthy dining. One Chipotle burrito is as much (or more) calories, fat, carbs etc. as a full quarter pounder with cheese meal... BUT what is important is it creates the illusion of more healthy dining. ",
"Markets change, \n\nAnd as a company you have to adapt your product to the market. \n\nLook at microsoft, it had a total dominance over household PC and server OS´s, they failed to adapt to the market and now Server farms have moved to VMware over linux and customers are moving to mobile devices which are mostly Android and IOS based with Microsoft which is still in a dominant position but losing ground every day to companies like google and apple. their mobile plataform has around 3-5% penetration in the mobile phone and tablet market. and Hyper-V pales in comparison to VMware use. \n\nMcDonalds is seeing 3 major factors.\n\n- Health factor :\n\nPeople have a unhealthy image of McDonalds, and that brings a negative impact on sales, all the attempts made by McD to bring healthier alternatives were either seen with cinicism or were unsuccesful.\n\n- Image issue :\n\nMcDonalds is seen as \"the man\" the big evil corporate chain, while smaller chains like 5 guys, in & out, whataburger are seen as the small guys providing a better product, its just as unhealthy but they have a much better public image and to be honest, their products are somewhat better, \n\n- Increased competition : \n\nSince the products seem to be so generic and this is related to their public image as their food is considered low quality, people tend to think that its so generic and low quality that it dosnt matter if you get it from KFC, Jack in the box, McDonalds or whatever, its the same gray meat thats been overcooked and pumped with salt. \n\nSo theres not much motivation for brand distiction. ",
"What's going on with McD's? In Indiana, nothing. Lunch lines as long as ever. We love killing ourselves.",
"I would attribute a lot of there problems to increased fast casual competition like Panera and Chipotle. Before the popularization of those restaurants, mcdonalds enjoyed a nice monopoly on fast food while the rest of food orgs outside of fast food were sit down restaurants. Fast casual restaurants are dangerous because they operate at fast food level price points, mimic the environment of sit down restaurants, and offer better alternatives per dollar in terms of healthy eating."
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25v4io | the carbon and nitrogen cycles | I have a biology final tomorrow and the internet resources I have been using have not made much sense to me on this topic.
This refers to the carbon (fossils fuels and whatnot) and nitrogen (decomposing stuff and turning it into nitrogen) cycles. Thanks! | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/25v4io/eli5_the_carbon_and_nitrogen_cycles/ | {
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"The Nitrogen Cycle:\n\nDead organic matter gets consumed by fungi or bacteria and the waste product as a result of that is ammonia. Another type of bacteria will then consume that ammonia and create nitrite as waste. Then, another type of bacteria will turn that nitrite into nitrate. Nitrate is three Oxygen molecules and one Nitrogen molecule. The last step happens in anaerobic (which means lacking in oxygen) settings - such as deep underground. Certain species of bacteria will take the oxygen molecules out from the nitrate and release the nitrogen molecules as nitrogen gas."
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22981t | why do i randomly get angry/sad for no "good" reason, no matter how awesome my current environment is? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/22981t/eli5_why_do_i_randomly_get_angrysad_for_no_good/ | {
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"text": [
"Realizing the futility of life and meaningless of existence?",
"Welcome to my life. But seriously, talk to someone. I lived my life thinking that I could just \"wait out\" these feelings but then realized I wasn't living my life. Currently I'm on Citalopram and a generic Xanax to help me through those times. While I still sometimes feel down I notice it even more when I forget to take the meds. They do help. \n\nBut seriously, just make an appointment and see what they say. :)\n\nedited for spelling",
"If it's 'random' as you say and not a chronic thing and you still enjoy things most of the time, I'd say not depression. \nThat's just the ups and downs of life. A huge spectrum of things can affect how you feel; male or female hormones, how hungry you are, if you're low on certain vitamins, the state of your immune system.\n\nFeeling unhappy for no good reason is just a part of the human condition. Of course, if you find that it's interfering with your daily life and it's 'most of the time' that you feel this way, discuss with your doctor. \n",
"There was talk about this quite some time ago. I don't remember why but your body is dehydrated and it doesn't know how to tell you that. Now every time that I get that feeling, I will drink a pint of water and it goes away pretty quickly.",
"Sounds like depression, I would talk to your GP and go from there. \n\nEDIT: I suffer from depression and I see this kind of question asked occasionally in questionnaires used by various medical professionals to gauge how my mood has been recently. For example: _URL_0_"
]
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"http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/mood-self-assessment.aspx"
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y4ahy | what it means to be ethnically jewish, where ethnically jewish people originated, and why they are so widely dispersed today. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/y4ahy/eli5_what_it_means_to_be_ethnically_jewish_where/ | {
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"Most ethnic Jews you will meet in America originally came from eastern Europe, an area sometimes called the Pale of Settlement. This consisted mainly of parts of Poland and Russia, plus some other countries.\n\nThe Jews of this region were excluded from the larger society. They developed their own culture which took parts of their surrounding cultures but was uniquely their own.\n\nMany of the Jews in this region emigrated elsewhere in the late 19th and early 20th century to escape antisemitism.",
"Jewish can mean either a religion or an ethnic group. You could have Jewish ancestry but not believe in the Jewish religion. Or you could practice Judaism the religion but not have ethnic Jewish ancestry. It's kind of like Islam (a religion) and Arabs (an ethnic group) - most Arabs are Muslims, but you could be an Arab Christian or Arab atheist, or you could be Muslim and not ethnically Arab.\n\nEthnically Jewish people are believed to have originated in what is now Israel. After Jewish uprisings against the Roman Empire, the Romans defeated the Jews and forced them to leave what is now Israel, and they scattered around Southern Europe and the Middle East. In the Middle Ages, many eventually moved to Germany and Eastern Europe, both of which had large Jewish communities until the Holocaust. There was also a large Jewish population in Spain during the Middle Ages, and they were either forced to convert to Christianity or leave, and many of them moved to Muslim countries like Morocco and Turkey. Later on, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Jews fleeing poverty and anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe moved to the US, Canada, and Latin America. And Jews fleeing the Nazis went wherever they could - including places like Bolivia and China.",
"Ethnically Jewish means descended the Hebrew people, as opposed to a being Jewish by virtue of converting to Judaism.\n\nThey originated in the Palestine region. They were exiled twice, by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, but returned both time. In the first century AD, they lived there under Roman rule, but revolted so often the Romans kicked them out. They lived in various enclaves in various locations, often getting kicked out of those, until the mid 1900s, when some started resettling in Palestine."
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3kerho | why is there a cash gas price and a credit gas price? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3kerho/eli5_why_is_there_a_cash_gas_price_and_a_credit/ | {
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"The service station pays a percentage of the sale proceeds to the credit card company. They pass some of the savings on to those who pay in cash."
]
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9h1kmm | why do radio stations edit songs to be shorter, by taking out an instrumental solo for example? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9h1kmm/eli5_why_do_radio_stations_edit_songs_to_be/ | {
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"Precisely that reason. Radio makes money mainly by airing ads between the music and other programming. By trimming out parts of songs they increase the number of ads they can run. That's also the reason most songs that run for longer than 4 minutes or so get interrupted after a chorus somewhere in the 3rd minute. This usually applies everywhere but on niche radios. The small trimmings add up to more ad slots in the long run. "
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g0alnu | why can’t the ring finger extend independently of its adjacent digits? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/g0alnu/eli5_why_cant_the_ring_finger_extend/ | {
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"The ring finger and middle finger each have two tendons that connect near the base of the fingers. One of the tendons from the ring finger goes underneath a tendon for the middle finger, while both middle finger tendons are on top. You can lift just your middle finger because nothing is in the way, but when you try to lift just your ring finger one of the tendons is blocked/held down by one of the middle finger tendons.\n\nIt can go up a little but it's already under tension and tendons can't stretch very easily, so the ring finger doesn't go very high.",
"how many people just tried to lift their ring finger?"
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caxjgl | why is the equation for kinetic energy 1/2mv^2 when the equation for momentum is mv? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/caxjgl/eli5_why_is_the_equation_for_kinetic_energy_12mv2/ | {
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"They are completely different measurements that describe different physical properties.\n\nThe momentum describes how much force wee need to apply and for how long we need to apply it in order to change the objects velocity a certain amount (F•t) . Just like forces, the momentum has a direction vector.\n\nThe kinetic energy describes how much work (energy) is needed to stop the object's movement. The kinetic energy has no direction."
]
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la68v | what is arp poisoning? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/la68v/eli5_what_is_arp_poisoning/ | {
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"Every network interface controller (or NIC) (an ethernet port or a wifi radio) has what is called a MAC address. A MAC address is a unique number associated with your NIC. When you connect your computer to a network, a router or designated computer will give your computer an IP Address. It uses a method called Address Resolution Protocol (or ARP) to do this.\n\nARP Poisoning (or \"ARP Spoofing\") happens when a computer requests an IP Address, but rather than getting one from the router or designated machine, a hacker tricks your machine into thinking that it needs to connect to the hacker's computer to get an IP Address and other network services. After your computer gets tricked, the hacker then controls your access to the network. He can either block you off completely, or worse, he can act as a man in the middle. \n\nIf you request to connect to your bank's website, you'll send that request to the hacker, the hacker will read it. From there, the hacker can read all of the unencrypted information you are sending the bank and then send it off to the bank's website. The bank's website then sends a response to the hacker, and the hacker sends it back to you. The hacker will monitor your conversation with the bank until he gets some useful info.\n\n**OR** rather than sending you to the bank's website, he can send you to a fake site. When you submit your login info, you're just giving it to the hacker. This is why some banks employ a secret image or phrase when you log in. The hacker won't know what your image/phrase is, because that info is only saved on the bank's real website. If a user logs in and finds their image/phrase is different or missing, then they can assume they are being spoofed.\n\nTo stop a spoofing attack, you must remove the hacker's machine from your network.",
"Every network interface controller (or NIC) (an ethernet port or a wifi radio) has what is called a MAC address. A MAC address is a unique number associated with your NIC. When you connect your computer to a network, a router or designated computer will give your computer an IP Address. It uses a method called Address Resolution Protocol (or ARP) to do this.\n\nARP Poisoning (or \"ARP Spoofing\") happens when a computer requests an IP Address, but rather than getting one from the router or designated machine, a hacker tricks your machine into thinking that it needs to connect to the hacker's computer to get an IP Address and other network services. After your computer gets tricked, the hacker then controls your access to the network. He can either block you off completely, or worse, he can act as a man in the middle. \n\nIf you request to connect to your bank's website, you'll send that request to the hacker, the hacker will read it. From there, the hacker can read all of the unencrypted information you are sending the bank and then send it off to the bank's website. The bank's website then sends a response to the hacker, and the hacker sends it back to you. The hacker will monitor your conversation with the bank until he gets some useful info.\n\n**OR** rather than sending you to the bank's website, he can send you to a fake site. When you submit your login info, you're just giving it to the hacker. This is why some banks employ a secret image or phrase when you log in. The hacker won't know what your image/phrase is, because that info is only saved on the bank's real website. If a user logs in and finds their image/phrase is different or missing, then they can assume they are being spoofed.\n\nTo stop a spoofing attack, you must remove the hacker's machine from your network."
]
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6kyz94 | what are plus minus sign used for? | I don't seem to understand the concept.
If an answer has a plus minus sign, what does that mean? The range of the answer?
And how does the answer end up that way.
Please help me I've been in hospital and I have trouble studying again at school and the teachers doesnt seem interested in helping me. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6kyz94/eli5_what_are_plus_minus_sign_used_for/ | {
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"Nine of my friends and I decided to drive cross-country, from my house in LA to a friend's mom's place in NYC. We went in three separate cars, and took almost identical routes.\n\nCar 1 traveled 2800 miles.\nCar 2 traveled 2795 miles.\nCar 3 traveled 2805 miles.\n\nIt's not wrong to say that the distance between LA and NYC is 2800 miles exactly, but it isn't right either, is it?\nThis is when the ± sign comes in handy - it can be used to denote the margin of error.\n\nSince each car would have had some tiny deviations from the exact same paths followed by the other two cars, the most accurate way to describe the distance between LA and NYC (in this example) would be to write it as 2800 ± 5 miles, meaning the actual distance is expected to be anything between 2795 and 2805 miles. The range comes about because of an inadvertent error in measurement.",
"People have already mentioned that it's used to answer with a range of uncertainty, but in mathematics it's mostly used to denote that there are two possible solutions, one with a plus and one with a minus. \n\nFor example, the [quadratic formula](_URL_0_) has two solutions (unless the part under the root is 0), one where you subtract the root and one where you add the root. Another example would be the solution to an equation with abs(x), x^2 or x^4 or any other even power where the sign of x is irrelevant in at least one spot. For example: x^2 = 4 gives x = ±2, x^2 = y gives x = ±√y\n\nYou can also have multiple ±es in one equation, in which case the notation is a bit ambiguous, since it could mean that there are two solutions: [all +] or [all -], or it could mean that you have 4 solutions: [all +], [+ then -], [- then +] or [all -]. Ìn this case you'd have to guess from context.\n\nThere's also the ∓ symbol, which if used together with ± almost always means you just have two options, [all top sign] or [all bottom sign]. An example: a±b∓c is either a + b - c, **or** a - b + c"
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4hc9a0 | what do investors mean when they talk about derivatives? | What are derivatives and how are mortgage derivatives different than others? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4hc9a0/eli5_what_do_investors_mean_when_they_talk_about/ | {
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"derivatives are something that derives its value from something else.\n\nmortgage derivatives derive their value from mortgage debt\n\na call option on mcdonalds (a derivative) derives its value from the price of mcdonalds stock.",
"A derivative is any financial product that is based on the performance of another underlying product.\n\nFor example, a bank which has issued mortgages might offset its position by issuing a \"Mortgage Backed Security\". This is a derivative where the payments are based on many individual mortgages. If the homeowners don't pay up, the note pays less.\n\nFor an MBS, the mortgage is the underlying, but there are many types of other derivatives.",
"The general word, derivative means \n\n > something that is based on another source.\n\nSo in a financial sense, a derivative is something that's based on another source.\n\nLets use an example first. Lets say I'm a dragon who has a LARGE pile of gold. The gold is a financial asset because I can exchange it for money, yay. Now there are other things that are assets, like buildings or even bank accounts. These things are assets because you can get money in the future from them. \n\nNow, when a bank loans someone money, that's an asset to. The bank has a contract where someone's obliged to pay them in the future. That contract can be sold to someone else, but the total loan can sometimes be large, and it's hard to find someone to sell it to.\n\nSo a mortgage derivative is a mechanism where the bank takes a bunch of mortgages, thousands of mortgages. They then push them all together into 1 big asset. Then they take that large asset and chunk it into tiny pieces. The tiny peaces can now be sold on the open market as it's own product. \n\nSo now it's a \"financial prodict\" so anyone with an investment account can buy one. So banks could sell all these mortgages that they've always held. Then they used the cash to invest back into the open stock market. \n\nTotal mortgage debt it HUGE remember. Lots of people have mortgages, and lots of mortgages are quite large. So one would think that mortgages are very high risk, and very low reward because interest rates are so low. But mortgages has a trick, they are backed up by the house.\n\nSo there was little risk in these mortgage backed securities. Securities ratings agencies were like \"OK, this seems low risk. If the home owner defaults, we get the house. House value always goes up, so it's actually a good thing that people default, we make money either way!!\"\n\nThis was super cool for the banks. It meant that they could sell these things to people looking for a very low risk investment, like retirement or pension funds. So the banks were happy they would get a very good price for the mortgages. \n\nSo the bank sells the thing, makes it's profit right away rather than over 30 years. The pension fund is getting something that's considered very safe but has a higher interest return than government bonds. \n\nSo years go by and everyone's happy forever...\n\nExcept not. \n\nSo the problem here is that it's the bank's job to ensure that only approved people would get mortgages. But the bank was selling that risk along with the derivative and the buyer did not give a shit because they could always snap up the house and flip it. So who the fuck cares about properly approving people. Everyone makes money even if they default **because housing prices always go up!!** and this goes on for years, and everyone's happy forever!\n\nExcept not. \n\nSee, all these approvals means that there was lots of people buying houses. That means high demand!, high house prices! and large mortgages! So that means there's a large boom of home building to satisfy that demand! Yay capitalism, problem solved. \n\nExcept not. \n\nSo it all comes together after a few years. Millions of people default, causing there to be more supply of homes for sale. Plus the building boom is producing new homes literally as fast as possible. All of a sudden, home prices start to fall. Now there's more supply than demand. The pension funds, hedge funds and insurance companies (who all have large investment portfolios) suddenly realize that taking someone's house away after a default is not profitable.\n\nOver the next while everyone hopes the situation will get better, but it doesn't. Home prices start falling faster, normally the market could absorb that. But with all the easy approvals that were given out, there were LOTS of defaults over LONG periods of time. Wave after wave of houses come onto the market. \n\nMore and more supply and prices fall even further. Banks who repo houses lose more and more money by doing so and people are really realizing that the mortgages in these securities are super shit and that's going to matter if home prices keep falling. \n\nAnd they do keep falling. ",
"A financial derivative is a financial product where the value is based upon a financial asset, but where the derivative is not the asset itself.\n\nSo, let's take a look at a common type of derivative known as a stock option. A \"call option\" is a voucher which gives the holder the option to buy stock, on a certain date at a certain price. Let's say I have a January 2017, $150 AAPL option. This means on 1st January 2017, I can present the voucher with $150 cash and get 1 share of AAPL. If on 1 January 2017, an AAPL share is worth $100, then my voucher is worthless and I may as well tear it up. If, instead, on 1 January 2017, an AAPL share is worth $200, then my voucher is worth $50. As the price of AAPL stock changes, so the price of my voucher changes, but the voucher is not the stock itself.\n\nSo what isn't a derivative? Let's say a bank makes a bunch of mortgages, and then wants to bring in some money to sell new mortgages. It packages up the mortgage loans into a pool called a \"mortgage backed security\" (MBS), and sells the MBS to a bunch of investors. The MBS in this case is not a derivative, because the investors actually buy the pool of loans. The MBS has a price, which is related to the price of mortgage debt, but that it is because it *is* the mortgage debt.\n\nOf course, there are mortgage derivatives out there, which are based on the price of the MBS. These were often designed so that you got different derivatives with different risks. This way, if a buying an MBS was too risky for you, you could buy a derivative which gave less risk. Alternatively, if an MBS was too boring, you could buy a derivative which gave more risk with potential for higher profits. In the 2008 crisis, these derivatives caused big problems because the risk calculations for the derivatives were wrong. Investors (often banks) thought they were buying low-risk derivatives, but instead, the risk was extreme. \n\n\n\n"
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49uwqi | as a non-american, what is the purpose of the senate, congress and house of representatives, and how do they work in relation to each other? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/49uwqi/eli5_as_a_nonamerican_what_is_the_purpose_of_the/ | {
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"Congress is the name for the whole legislative branch; it includes both the Senate and the House of Representatives.\n\nThe House of Representatives is meant to be the people's voice in government. Each representative covers roughly the same population and they're voted on every two years, meaning they're theoretically more responsive to their electorate's desires.\n\nThe Senate is the states' voice in government. Each state gets two senators, regardless of population. A third of them are voted on every two years, so they serve six year terms in total. They're supposed to be more stable and interested in the big picture.\n\nThe reason for the two house structure was because small states were afraid they'd have no voice in a purely by-population legislature while big states felt they deserved more say given their bigger size. Creating one house to serve each need and making them compromise with each other to pass laws was a way to balance these competing interests.",
"The congress is the name for the whole thing. The house of representatives and the senate is the two parts. \n\nThe house of representatives has a bajillion people in it based on population (well 435). the senate has two people for each state. They both have to vote on something for it to become a law. \n\nThe idea is to balance what the states want by having every state have equal representation in one house but then also have a for the people directly thing by having a population based house with lots of people in it. So it means that california and texas can't gang up and push every law because they have the most people but also that all the low population states don't get to call the shots and the states people actually live have no say. ",
"Congress has two parts-the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives has 435 members and the Senate has 100. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives is based on population, while in the Senate each state has two Senators. A state with a large population, like California, will have more representatives (and thus more power) in the House than a less populous state, like Wyoming. In the Senate, each state has equal representation, so Wyoming has the same power, theoretically, as California, sine each state has the same number of Senators.\n\nLaws have to be approved by both the Senate and House before they can be signed by the President. \n\n",
"Thr Senate and house of reps together make up our congress. The house is made up of representatives from each state, how many each state gets is dependent on population. The Senate is made up of two representatives from each state. Either house can introduce legislation, but legis\nlation has to pass both in order to actually become law. \n\nEach house in congress has additional separate duties as well. For example the Senate aproves treaties and court appointees that the president nominates. \n ",
"* Congress = Senate + House\n* Senate is the upper house, 100 members, elected to 6 year terms\n* House of Representatives is the lower house, 435 members, elected to 2 year terms\n* all laws have to pass both houses, then go to the president who can sign or veto\n* each has its own miscellaneous duties, the Senate confirms presidential nominations, the House brings impeachment charges, etc. ",
"The Senate and the House are the two branches of Congress, an example of a bicameral system. Bicameral just refers to an organization of a republic's legislature that divides it into two entities. I'll start with Congress as a whole.\n\n**Congress'** basic responsibility is to decide what the best course of action for the nation is, with respect to honoring the values of its people. All laws are supposed to stem from this. For example, the Bill of Rights is essentially what everybody agreed upon as a collection of ten near-universal values in the nation. A right to free speech, a right to own a weapon, citizens are not obligated to house soldiers, etc. This is why amendments are considered to be more or less the most important form of law (The Constitution sans amendments is essentially just an outline of how the system works), as they must be agreed upon by a vast majority (75%) of the states.\n\nBelow the amendments are regular laws. Acts, codes, establishment of certain agencies, etc. They are written subject to the amendments. They are supposed to reflect the values of the people as well.\n\nCongress' last responsibility is the declaration of war. This is pretty self explanatory. I don't know the required votes off the top of my head, but traditionally, the matter isn't voted upon until it's more or less a done deal.\n\n**The Senate** is the half of congress that was intended to give every state equal representation. It's generally a higher office than Representative (A member of the House) because it's more limited in number. There are 100 members, two from every state regardless of population. Despite being a higher position, as well as being referred to as the upper house, its power is effectively lesser than the House's. They are not able to introduce bills about federal taxation or spending. They are, however, able to try impeachments and their approval is required for certain presidential appointments.\n\n**The House of Representatives** is a much larger body, with each state getting Representatives based on the portion of the total US population they contain, being guaranteed at least one Rep. Sometimes, the total size of the House is increased, and it's not uncommon. Essentially, they are supposed to reflect the views of the people in terms of sheer numbers, whereas the Senate is based on regional equality.\n\nEach branch of Congress may introduce a bill and, assuming they pass it, passes it on to the other branch. If they pass the bill as well, it goes on to the President for signing. If the President decides he doesn't like the bill, he can veto it, sending it back to Congress. With a 66% majority, Congress can bypass a veto. If the second branch decides they *don't* want to pass it, however, they may amend the bill and send it back to the other branch. The two branches repeat this process, tossing the bill back and forth, until they reach consensus. \n\nThis is more or less how it happens. I've left some stuff out such as specific votes, number of House seats, and the election process, but that's less important to the general concept."
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4wnqzk | what's happening inside our bodies when we get jump scared. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4wnqzk/eli5_whats_happening_inside_our_bodies_when_we/ | {
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"Your animal brain reflexively initiates your fight or flight response due to a perceived danger. Your rational brain takes a split-second longer to recognize that it isn't actually a threat and start shutting it down. "
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3z9nu8 | what's the white substance that comes out of bacon when cooked | Whe bacon is cooked there is like white substance that comes out of it.
I always thought it was salt, but I've been told it's fat, and when I looked it up some also said its protein.
So does anyone know what exactly it is?
Thanks! | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3z9nu8/eli5_whats_the_white_substance_that_comes_out_of/ | {
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"Bacon certainly releases fat when cooked, but this will be clear and then turn white. I believe you are referring to the frothing/foamy white stuff that comes from _some bacon_. If so, this is the result of added sugars (dextrose, honeys, maple, some preservatives). Sugars froth when presented with high heat. If you've ever made jelly, or overcooked sugar in making caramel, you'll have experienced this. If you get natural bacon without added sugars (e.g. sliced pork belly) it will not foam."
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6dde6a | is it possible nuclear reactors will run out of uranium that powers them? how long will the uranium we have sustain our input and what are scientists doing to make sure we have enough? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6dde6a/eli5_is_it_possible_nuclear_reactors_will_run_out/ | {
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"I don't know if I can explain it like your five. Once we crack the fusion (reactors today use fission) problem don't think uranium will be needed anymore. The tokamak reactor is something you should look up."
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5ou8ob | how do combination locks store their code? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5ou8ob/eli5_how_do_combination_locks_store_their_code/ | {
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"Mechanically.\n\nAs the dial rotates it rotates wheels with a notch in them. The wheels have bumps that allow one wheel to rotate the next wheel if you a whole turn past the number you started on.\n\nThe position of the notches relative to the numbers on the dial controls the combination."
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29m9dn | what mental illness is it when one talks to themselves out loud (as if talking to someone) and why does it happen? | I was at the supermarket today and I witnessed this lady (probably in her 60's) talk out loud, as if she was talking to someone.
She was saying complete sentences but it didn't make sense. It was like she was insane. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/29m9dn/eli5_what_mental_illness_is_it_when_one_talks_to/ | {
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"There is a huge list of things that can cause someone to suffer hallucinations (which is what this sounds like).\n\nIn terms of mental illnesses, you might be thinking of Schizophrenia, the symptoms of which often include hallucinations, delusions and so on. ",
"Imagine you wake up from a nightmare and you're not sure if what you just experienced was real or not. It's hard to shake that fear. Or maybe you had an okay dream, or just a weird dream. And you know you're going crazy, and everyone tells you you're going crazy.\n\nThat's what it feels like to have a psychotic episode, and that's what those symptoms sound like.\n\nShe seems really weird, and she's thinking really weirdly, but she's not dangerous unless you pick a fight with her.\n\nThere is a very good TED talk on this subject.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nPsychosis is a major feature of schizophrenia, but it can also be part of something as simple and common as the after-effects of bullying.\n\n(And, yes, maybe not a five-year-old, but I would certainly say this to an eight-year-old.)",
"Some people prefer to bounce their ideas off themselves. It always sounds different in your head than when you say it out loud . You learn to view what your thinking as a physical construct, something you can say out loud, and by doing so, you are able to \"visualize\" your thoughts and reconstruct them in your own head to flow better.\n\nLike when you practice what your going to say before you argue with your parents.\n"
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4mc6yz | when boiling a pot of water for cooking, why should you start with cold water instead of hot? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4mc6yz/eli5_when_boiling_a_pot_of_water_for_cooking_why/ | {
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"Cold water is less likely to contain lead from pipes and legionella bacteria from your hot water heater. Hot water boils faster, though( I'm not sure how this is a myth other than in some conditions hot water freezes faster than cold, and so people think the opposite could be true)",
"It's not true that cold water boils faster than hot. The water needs to reach a certain temperature to boil, so starting with cold just means you need to increase the temperature more than you would otherwise. I *have* heard of some people starting with cold or cool water if it's for consumption because the water hasn't been sitting in their water heater, but that could have little, to no effect on water quality.",
"Cold water is often purer because the elements from the hot water heater contain a variety of ions, most commonly calcium (my own home pipes currently have a huge calcium build up due to this). This, plus the coppery taste you can get from the heating element itself makes tap hot water unappealing for cooking.\n\nIn some cases, if food is in your water from the time you start heating it, it can give the flavours time to diffuse through the water. Stews and soups, for example, benefit from the extra time spent in the water, since starting with hot water would cause it to boil faster.",
"Cold water does not boil faster than hot water\n\nMany people start with cold water for cooking [(especially when making tea)](_URL_0_) because cold water contains more dissolved oxygen, so when you've boiled both cold water and hot water to the same temperature, the one that was originally cold has more dissolved oxygen\n\nThe amount of dissolved oxygen in the water supposedly affects the flavor, but I've never noticed a difference myself (then again, I'm not much of a food aficionado)",
"I live in England so if I ever need to put a pan of hot water on I boil the kettle which takes about 2 minutes as boiling it on the job takes about 10 minutes,\n\nAnd no cold water doesn't boil faster than hot water but do not use water from the hot tap as it has been sitting in a hot water tank for a long time so will probably be full of rust and other stuff you don't want to ingest.",
"Hot water has been sitting in your hot water tank. It is more likely to have picked up contamination from said tank be it lime build up flavoring, or bacteria infections like legionella or fungi. ",
"You should never use hot water from the tap for drinking or cooking. It has been sitting in a hot water heater as opposed to flowing straight in from the source. Hot water heaters fill up over time with all sorts of sediment and metals and eventually rust and potentially other crap you don't want to drink.",
"I haven't seen this mentioned, so although its shortish, I'll just say that a water softener is installed on the hot side rather than the cold, to assist with the dish cleaning process-- something you'd almost certainly be using hot water for. \n\nFood cooked in softened water can taste funny. ",
"I have used the hot tap for cooking water for 10+ years and am not sick or dead. Pipes are copper in the uk, and as long as you have a combi-boiler (as most are these days), you only have to run the tap for 5 seconds to get water that hasnt sat anywhere for any period of time",
"Most hot water tanks are steel tanks with heater that are electric or gas, they rust and fail every 8-10 years of service. So if you want a little more iron in your water go ahead otherwise use the cold water for drinking and cooking.",
"Cold water is less likely to contain rust, scale, and other assorted stuff that accumulates in your hot water heater. Hot water will boil faster, as the delta T (difference between starting temp and boiling temp) will be lower and, hence, require less energy from your stove (energy delivered to the water over time)."
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5jtbh7 | why do the scandinavian countries celebrate christmas eve more than christmas day? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5jtbh7/eli5_why_do_the_scandinavian_countries_celebrate/ | {
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"When Christianity was introduced it was normal \"borrow\" from the local culture when introducing Christian celebrations. Most cultures have some celebration in late December relating to the winter solstice and it just happend that the Scandinavian one was on the 24th."
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8qi6q8 | how do text messages "know" which mobile phone to go to? | What prevents another phone accessing my messages? How is the specific recipient device controlled? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8qi6q8/eli5_how_do_text_messages_know_which_mobile_phone/ | {
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"Your phone authenticates to the mobile network via it's sim card.\nOnly after it has proven that it is the legitimate recipient, the mobile network will send the SMS to the phone. (For the transmission the data gets encrypted, so nobody else can read it)",
"Think about emails, if that helps. Consider that there must be three things (to keep it simple) involved in sending a text message or an email; the from address, the to address, and the message itself. All these things have to be defined before satellite communication is established to find the message recipient. This is also true for things like physical mail, fax, instant messaging, etc.\n\nAs for \"how does someone else intercept my text?\" .... there are many interception points to consider. Police and hackers alike, for example, can tap into someone's phone, so that all their incoming and outgoing communication gets routed through them first. There are many other ways, but none of them are legal."
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4ijzy8 | why do more people blame illegal immigrants for "stealing" jobs than business' for hiring illegal immigrants? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4ijzy8/eli5_why_do_more_people_blame_illegal_immigrants/ | {
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" > Please correct me if I'm wrong but I've yet to hear a candidate call out business' for hiring illegals and thus giving them a means to sustain themselves here. I mean, if it weren't for the fact that illegals could get hired here, would they even bother coming here at all? Isn't that a far more reasonable and cost effective solution to the issue? It create harsher laws on against those who hire undocumented workers?\n\nBecause businesses in America are generally owned by Americans, in particular Americans with at least some money and a strong political interest in not being targeted by this type of legislation. Illegal immigrants are a far softer target for politicians who take this track.",
"Hypocrisy. \n\nThe fastest way to get rid of illegal immigration is to fine every company who hires one $100k per offense. And then enforce this.\n\nMake it really unfavorable to hire illegals and illegals won't be hired. That simple.\n\nThe reason why they punish the illegals for coming here is because they are powerless to fight back.\n\nIt is sort of like how they used to (and often still do) make prostitution illegal but then give the prostitutes the fines and conviction record....while they let the Johns go free. This is slowly changing.\n\nFollow the money. The ones with the money are not the ones who get punished.",
"People are insecure about the economic realities: Illegal immigrants will do more for less. It's like businesses upset at Walmart for stealing their customers by offering lower prices."
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1vrfpa | loads of my friends have gone travelling on the cheap, for months at a time, working abroad to cover their expenses, it's hard enough to get a job in the uk, how do they do it? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1vrfpa/eli5_loads_of_my_friends_have_gone_travelling_on/ | {
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"text": [
"I don't have any first hand experience but i hear some hostels hire people to work there for short amounts of time. If you are interested in traveling [THIS](_URL_0_) is a great site to read, they even have some articles on traveling cheaply.",
"I'm currently doing it now! The easiest way I've done is through odd connections or by marketing yourself on something like gumtree. I find a lot of places in cities need shirt term/casual/part time workers and a lot of backpackers and travelers can fill these roles. I get paid 18$ an hour as an American in Australia to work and that's set me up pretty well.",
"Hello, I work in Korea as an English teacher. The money is good enough that when you finish a one year contract you can easily travel (in cheaper countries) for months if you like. I saved money for my vacation and managed to put money towards my students loans, all while enjoying life, going out, spending money without any big concerns. etc while I was working in Korea. It's very good money and a decent job, if you don't mind teaching kids :-) ",
"I assume its a similar situation in the UK, but here in the states people do it all the time. I met a couple guys recently that rode their bicycles to my city in Texas from North Carolina (at least 800 to 1000 miles). They spend no money on gas, they shower where ever someone offers up a shower (there are websites where you can post a \"hot shower\"). They sleep in a similar situation, people offering up their couches online for a couple nights. I've heard it can be pretty reasonable. I wish i had done it.. I guess its never too late! ",
"I've been doing this gypsy thing for the last few years. The easiest way to do it is to save up some money a bit and then travel. It's way cheaper to live outside of the US (stick to non 1st world countries) vs living in the USA.\n\nA few things that have made this gypsy lifestyle easier, is not having a lot of things. I don't have a car, house, everything I own I can stuff into a 60L backpack. So travel super light. You save fees in airports as well by not having to check baggage in.\n\nI manage to do it because I bartend and save money during that time I work. Then I take the money I saved and just go to south east asia, or somewhere else that's cheap. I'm currently partying/living in Goa, India :) \n\nThere's also websites like _URL_0_, woofing, and there's even sites that'll show you people who are looking for someone to house sit. There's definitely a ton of info out there. Good luck man :) Freedom is definitely awesome. I left the USA in november, and don't plan on coming back till may maybe september :) It's cheap out here ;)",
"I run a hostel in London and every day I have guests asking if we need an extra hand cleaning, doing reception etc.\n\n\n100% of my staff were guests at one point, and depending on the time of year I'm desperate to find staff. It's all a matter of travelling around making connections, giving and receiving tips on where the jobs are. You'd be surprised at how much information you could collect by doing the rounds in the kitchen with a few beers ;)\n\n\nOh, also debt. Most of these kids are using their student loans to travel. Don't do that. Plan ahead (at least 6 months) and flights are always cheap. I used to work temp jobs until I had enough money for the plane ticket as well as money for everything else. When the money starts running out on the road, you'll find a way to make more ;)\n\n\nJust make the jump and go!\n\n\nedit: this question might be better fielded in /r/travel, it's a really helpful community!",
"The Bank of Mum & Dad.",
"I have two friends who go all over the world doing this together. I know what they used to do (last time I spoke to them about it was maybe 6/7 years ago, so things might be more internet based now) is only stay in hostels, apparently there is usually at least one other person that has already come across a job and the employer often asks them to spread the word if they need more help (the example of job that I remember them giving was picking and packing some kind of crop). If not then the hostel/other hostels have job ads in the communal area targeting work appropriate for travellers. The examples they described were mostly unskilled manual jobs and bar work. I guess that's probably a language barrier thing.\n\nLonger term, teaching English seems to be the way to go. They're both currently doing that in Vietnam and have been for a pretty long time.",
"Why don't you ask them",
"It is all about what you are willing to put up with. Your friends are likely accustomed to waiting because there may not always be a hostel available or a means of transportation. They are not picky because they need to eat so they will pretty much do any crap job because they know it is temporary... sometimes you get an easy one, sometimes not. \n\n\nIf you wish to travel on the cheap, you gotta learn to be patient and never refuse a job. And that is how you can travel for free/cheap and not starve.",
"It's hard to get a job in the UK but in many other places in the world it isn't.",
"They're your friends. Why couldn't you ask them?",
"Last year I moved to New Zealand, and then bicycled the length of it. [Proof](_URL_0_).\n \nThere are basically three ways that people can go about doing something like this:\n \n1) Do shit jobs that no one else wants. Somebody's got to pick that orchard. Somebody's got to clean that mall. Those clams aren't going to leap out of the water by themselves. There are shit jobs everywhere that the locals don't want and/or are willing to pay you good money to do. This is doubly true in places like Australia and New Zealand, where the locations are physically hard to get to, and thus the pay rate is higher. Do you speak good english and are willing to show up sober at 6am? You're fucking hired.\n \n2) Have a highly marketable skill. I'm a computer programmer and my girl is a scientist. We got jobs after arrival in NZ and lived/saved while we were there. You don't need a technical job to be in demand; A friend of ours is a chef, and another is a ski instructor. A third guy is a carpenter. These are all highly employable jobs in New Zealand. It's about going somewhere where there's demand for your skill.\n \n3) Work online. When traveling I met several people that worked portable jobs. One guy was managing inventory and communication for an online store (he also gave english lessons on the side). A couple of people were web developers. I met one guy running a ruby on rails business from the common room of a hostel, an online writer staying at another, and a guy scouting (and updating the mother company) on agricultural trends.\n \n**tl;dr**: If you don't have the skills to pay the bills, suck it up and dig for clams, son.",
"I lived and worked (the best way to see a country) in NZ for 2 years. \nDo your research, get the right visa, have a bit of money before you leave and just be open to doing pretty much anything.\nDon't expect work right away, but sell yourself and stick in a place you like for a little while. If you're not a cunt something will come your way. \nI've delivered newspapers, loaded baggage on planes, worked in offices, picked fruit, painted houses and been a groundsmen. The opportunities are there but remember you are essentially an migrant worker so may get paid below what you'd expect, but the experiences you'll have and person you'll become will be something to never regret.\nUnless you're a pussyclart\n- not really an ELI5 but some advice nonetheless "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://matadornetwork.com/"
],
[],
[],
[],
[
"helpx.net"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://theeternalsaturday.blogspot.ca/"
],
[]
] |
||
1zmwrk | what differentiates the low-tier pizza chains (papa johns, dominos, little caesars, pizza hut, etc.) | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1zmwrk/eli5_what_differentiates_the_lowtier_pizza_chains/ | {
"a_id": [
"cfv265y"
],
"score": [
2
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"text": [
"- They all have different recipes and do not use the same identical ingredients. You could probably identify each one in a blind taste-test, in comparison to other products. \n\n- Little Caesar's is known as the cheap brand and doesn't deliver. \n\n- Pizza Hut started off as a sit-down restaurant/buffet, but has since shifted towards delivery. As a subsidiary of YUM! brands (formerly owned by Pepsi and includes KFC and Taco Bell), so there are a few combo restaurants out there ([like the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell](_URL_0_)). \n\n- Domino's and Papa John's are the most laike major chains. Both offer take-out and delivery. Historically Domino's brands itself as the faster deliverer (they used to have a 30-minute guarantee), while PJ's tries to focus on pizza quality (their slogan is \"better ingredients, better pizza\").\n\n- As to your last bit, everyone has their own personal preference. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ8ViYIeH04"
]
] |
||
be24nj | will the increase in population in earth... | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/be24nj/eli5_will_the_increase_in_population_in_earth/ | {
"a_id": [
"el2ik10"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Better question:\nIf we all drive our cars in the direction of Earth's rotation will we be able to change the Earth's direction of spin?"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
rrs5s | how water in pipes get pressure? | I was in the shower today and I asked myself, how is this possible while the power is out? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/rrs5s/how_water_in_pipes_get_pressure/ | {
"a_id": [
"c484pam"
],
"score": [
6
],
"text": [
"Water pressure is provided not by electricity (locally) but by the age-old mechanism of gravity, for the most part. \n\n_URL_0_\n\nWater is pumped (normally at a remote location) into a water tower which is normally significantly higher than the local buildings. The water is released from that water tower as needed and gravity provides the basic water pressure. \n\nAdditional pressure will occur if the diameter of your water pipes diminishes. A larger water pipe will allow an amount of water to flow at a certain rate. If you introduce a smaller diameter pipe, the same amount of water must flow at a faster rate. \n\nIn high-rise buildings, a pump station in the building can provide increased water pressure. In the event of a power failure, the pressure may diminish or fail altogether. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_tower"
]
] |
|
3ppyz8 | what keeps the government from shutting down websites? (wikileaks, etc) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ppyz8/eli5_what_keeps_the_government_from_shutting_down/ | {
"a_id": [
"cw8fk7d",
"cw8hy95"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Usually with sites like Wikileaks or say the more often target Piratebay the servers are not in the US or other friendly nation so they cant just walk in and flip the switch. If they can manage to remove the site they often have mirrors and other servers ready to spin up and put it back online elswhere. ",
"It's very difficult to shut down a web site. The only group that could revoke their domain registration is ICANN, who would have to be given an order to do so which complied with all applicable laws.\n\nIn cases where a law enforcement group has done so, it is usually after they seize control of some company or group that is violating US law - for fraud or some other illegal activity, most often. \n\nThe US doesn't have as clear a way to shut down or get legal control of an organization based overseas that does not have a US business presence. Wikileaks, iirc, is a fairly unique site in that they don't have a big business operation, and are heavily engineered toward being able to avoid legal challenges. \n\nThis is just personal opinion, but I think governments are reluctant to take on battles where they don't have a fairly clear path to success, and the sight of a world power unsuccessfully playing whack-a-mole against an 'enemy' consisting mostly of a couple dozen middle-aged IT folks, would not do a lot to enhance it's image."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
||
1jrc4a | what do dogs see? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1jrc4a/eli5_what_do_dogs_see/ | {
"a_id": [
"cbhm6eu"
],
"score": [
2
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"text": [
"Dogs can see blue and yellow, but have a hard time with red and green because they lack a special sort of cell in the eye called a cone. Humans have 3 types of cones, but dogs only have 2, so their vision is missing the key colours of red and green. \n\nDogs have very good vision when it comes to tracking movement and and this helps them in predicting outcomes. It is what makes them such skilled hunters. Think about a dog catching a frisbee. Their eyes track where the frisbee is at any given moment, ALONG with where it's going to be in another moment. There are even a grouping of dogs that rely more on their visual skills (sight hounds) than smell when tracking. \n\nDogs also have large pupils in low light, which helps them to see in low light situations far better than humans. That is how your dog knows exactly where to lay in front of you in the dark to most accurately trip you when you wake up in the middle of the night because they've been barking at the loud neighbors fighting next door. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
s2g8e | how someone is declared "legally sane" despite committing horrible crimes. | I'm obviously not qualified to say, but it seems strange to me. For example in the specific case of Anders Breivik, someone who murdered 77 people, what sort of evaluations decide whether he is sane (or not)?
Myself, as a layman, if asked whether someone is sane, I think whether they had committed mass murder or not would decide for me.
To make it clear, I am not saying its right or wrong (I'm not qualified to say), I'm interested in how these evaluations are carried out, thanks. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/s2g8e/eli5_how_someone_is_declared_legally_sane_despite/ | {
"a_id": [
"c4ajos6",
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Legally, the distinction is whether the individual committing the crime was in control of his full mental faculties or not, and whether he knew what he was doing at that time. The individual must be aware of his or her own actions and its consequences whilst committing the act. \n\nIn the case of Anders Breivik, the court and psychiatrists found that he was lucid and aware of what he was doing while committing the crime. The legal aspect of it does not really deal with the overarching philosophies of whether it is 'morally right or wrong' to kill 77 people. The average layperson may consider him insane, hence the specific term 'legally sane' or its opposite, 'not guilty by reason of insanity' (e.g. lack of [mens rea](_URL_0_)).",
"It's generally extremely difficult for a person to be declared insane in a legal case. The defense is rarely used, and even more rarely works. \n\nTo use it, a defendant needs to be shown to have lost the ability to determine right from wrong at the time the crime was committed. \n\nWith a crime like Breviks, it required extensive planning and organization, suggesting that he was at least somewhat rational at the time. ",
"I am also a layman, so bear with me. I think it has more to do with his mental state at the time of the murders than the actions he committed. A crazy man and a sane man can both kill someone, but the sane man would be deemed insane if he was unaware of his own actions. \n\nI do believe in the case of the example you have given, Anders Breivik was found legally sane. That decision simply means he will be sent to jail, rather than a mental hospital. Whether he was insane of not, he is being punished for his crimes, the decision of his sanity is simply for deciding where to send him. \n\nIf I am wrong, someone can feel free to correct me.",
"like you are five:\n\nSome people do crazy things for (not crazy) reasons. Like the way uncle Donnie talks to his dog as a person. He just feels better thinking his dog is human. \n\n\nBut we would treat Donnie different if he started showing actual signs of believing his dog was a human. We would be concerned for his safety and perhaps of others around him.\n\nMental illness is not a choice. \n\nBut we can choose to lie to ourselves (cognitive dissonance)\n\nThose that practice cognitive dissonance at the level of sociopath deserve the deepest darkest prisons. \n",
"Just being insane isn't enough. You have to have a form of insanity whee you are not in control of your actions and cannot tell right from wrong.\n\nLet's say someone slipped you a hallucinogen, and you attacked someone you though was a lizard person trying to eat you. You weren't violent or coldblooded, you really, really confused. The same is true for someone with the right kind of brain tumor or chemical imbalance in their brain. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea"
],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] |
|
3ncfgo | why do kids' clothes cost so much compared to the amount of materials used? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ncfgo/eli5_why_do_kids_clothes_cost_so_much_compared_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"cvmqpi0",
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"score": [
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],
"text": [
"Pretty much the same reason that [XL and small clothes are the same price](_URL_0_) - most of the cost isn't the fabric. Fabric's cheap when you buy in bulk. The cost is the labor to cut & assemble the garment, to ship it overseas, put it in a store and, ultimately, allow the retailer to make a product (even if they only sell 80% of the product).",
"The first thing to realize is that production cost, as u/ameoba said, includes materials, labor, transport, distribution, etc. The actual cost of the materials is only a fraction of the total production cost.\n\nSecondly, production cost is only the lower bound for pricing. Items are always priced at whatever price enough people are willing to pay for them. Businesses take what they can get. The higher the price, the more profit per item. Of course, as you raise the price, fewer people will buy it - so they find the optimal price at which they can maximize the equation [#sold] x [profit per item] = total profits. \n\nNow, as for children's clothes, think about who buys them: parents, usually mothers. Mothers shop for their own clothes and have a subconscious idea of what is a normal price range based on their own shopping habits. I'm no expert, but I would guess that the typical price ranges of adult female clothes provide a sort of anchor for the prices of kids' clothes. A mother is not likely to look at a shirt for a six-year-old girl and think, \"This is only half the size of my shirt, but it costs 2/3 as much. Ripoff.\" Most shoppers are not that calculated. It is probably good enough for her that it is 2/3 the price of her own shirt. It matters that kids' clothes are cheaper than adult clothes, but it doesn't matter that they are proportionately cheaper by size.",
"Supply and demand. People will pay a lot of money for cute little baby clothes. And also, the children who make the little baby clothes have a harder time stitching everything together - manufacturing costs are slightly higher."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/search?q=small+large+clothes&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all"
],
[],
[]
] |
||
3hw6ld | if 'deez nuts', a candidate for the presidential election, won, what would actually happen? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3hw6ld/eli5_if_deez_nuts_a_candidate_for_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"cub3i6z"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"It would be considered the same as no one being elected, in which case the 12th Amendment states that, out of the top three valid candidates, the House of Representatives will choose the president, and the Senate will choose the vice president."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
avq44j | why antibiotics becomes weaker, but stuff like silver, pepper etc doesn't? | Stuff like silver, pepper, pickle etc are still destroys bacteria(as far as I know), despite being used for thousands of years. So, why it's different from modern antibiotics? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/avq44j/eli5_why_antibiotics_becomes_weaker_but_stuff/ | {
"a_id": [
"ehgute5",
"ehgvthe",
"ehgvyof"
],
"score": [
3,
3,
15
],
"text": [
"As I understand it, silver doesn't kill bacteria, it just makes it difficult for the bacteria to multiply and survive, its an inhospitable environment. They slow the bacteria down. ",
"Silver uses the Oligodynamic effect to kill bacteria - _URL_0_ it relatively slowly kills bacteria because it is toxic to many kinds of bacteria. However it does this outside of the human body, it is really easy to kill bacteria, the problem comes with killing the bacteria and leaving the human body intact in the process.",
"Antibiotics usually target a very specific part of what a bacteria needs to survive, while things like vinegar/salt (pickling) are much more general - they make the whole environment the bacteria are in hard to live in. \n\nImagine it like this - an antibiotic would be like a pair of scissors cutting a fuel line to a car (It messes up a specific enzyme/part of the bacteria) - the car wouldn’t work anymore, but to stop scissors from cutting it in future, you just need to make that fuel line a bit thicker or maybe hide it a bit deeper in the engine. Stopping the scissors from breaking the car (evolving antibiotic resistance) is therefore pretty easy and doesn’t require any huge changes to the way the car works.\n\nSalt and vinegar etc., make the entire environment inhospitable for the bacteria. This would be like taking a compact/small car and throwing it on a muddy dirt road in the jungle - it’s not going to work. It’s also not going to die, but it’s not going anywhere. To get it to be of any use, you have to change pretty much how the whole car works - put on a bigger engine, bigger tires, different suspension, make it 4 wheel drive. This is not easy, and until all of these things are done, the car will still be useless. Getting all of these things right is very difficult and the probability of them all happening at the same time is small - hence the relative lack of resistance to salt and vinegar, etc (although there are some organisms that can live and even thrive in these conditions). \n\nWe need antibiotics to be specific because we don’t want to harm our own cells, and want to try and preserve the good bacteria that live in us. But with this comes the fact that it’s pretty easy for them to become resistant. \n\nFYI there are silver resistant bacteria out there too."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"https://youtu.be/pJbDPD_17bw"
],
[]
] |
|
fpd2vl | why does skype never close? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/fpd2vl/eli5_why_does_skype_never_close/ | {
"a_id": [
"flk7t0m"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Skype allows you to accept incoming phone calls and in order to do so must be running on your computer. Having the program running is like having a smart phone turned on. Your smart phone works similarly but doesn't use a separate program so it isn't as obvious.\n\nIf it blocks shutting down while you are not using it that is likely a bug and not intended functionality."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
6ilcrn | when to use the words less or fewer in a sentence? | Have all the answers I need now, thanks! | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6ilcrn/eli5_when_to_use_the_words_less_or_fewer_in_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"dj732i9",
"dj758oh"
],
"score": [
24,
6
],
"text": [
"If it's a countable quantity of something, you'd use *fewer*; if not, you'd use *less*. So you'd have less water, but fewer bottles of water. ",
"You can always use less. You can have less sandwiches, and you can have less butter on a sandwich.\n\nFewer can only be used for countable things. So you can have fewer sandwiches, but not fewer butter.\n\nSometimes the distinction can help to remove ambiguity, so if you say \"Less honourable knights\" vs \"Fewer honourable knights\", the Fewer version means less knights in terms of number of knights, while the Less version would imply less honour.\n\nThere is a good blog post about it [here](_URL_0_)"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://blog.inkyfool.com/2014/02/less-fewers.html"
]
] |
|
cebfx2 | what is the main differences between air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cebfx2/eli5_what_is_the_main_differences_between/ | {
"a_id": [
"eu1823g"
],
"score": [
17
],
"text": [
"There are a lot of differences, and a lot of similarities based on the missiles in question. The one largely Universal difference is in Explosive Yield. \n\nAir to air missiles tend to pack less explosives, because aircraft take less force to destroy than a reinforced bunker, and the missile may have to pull hard Gs so too much weight is a bad thing. They are also ridiculously fast, pulling up to and exceeding mach 5. \n\nATGMs tend to have higher explosive mass and specialist warheads to destroy hard ground targets like tanks, bunkers and large structures, they also do not have to pull hard Gs to get on target and so can be larger, heavier and carry more momentum. They also tend to be much slower, after all the target isn’t going anywhere."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
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