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50hd5h
why do people in indian soap operas start speaking english randomly or adding english words in the middle of sentences? is that common and how did they get to this point?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/50hd5h/eli5_why_do_people_in_indian_soap_operas_start/
{ "a_id": [ "d7409hs", "d7410u7", "d7416ex", "d742tib", "d7463xv", "d746e0t", "d74frgf", "d74g5yb", "d74kqc0", "d74smo1", "d74ya5k" ], "score": [ 28, 4, 42, 2, 49, 9, 2, 2, 2, 3, 5 ], "text": [ "India was a British dominion for a long time... so English was injected into their culture by force. So it's so deeply ingrained into their culture now that they seamlessly switch back and forth when there is a word that exists in English but not in Hindi.", "When you are listening to a language you don't understand and you hear a word in your language, its likely a \"loanword\" -- a word from your language that has become part of theirs.\n\nEnglish is no different. You've probably used words borrowed from other languages like bagel, or bikini, or tornado.", "Most educated Indians are bilingual. English + 1 language (varies state to state). In fact, in many schools and work environments, people use English solely, mainly because not everyone speaks the same Indian regional language. When people move state borders, often they end up with English being the one common language of communication. Bilingual people, who were educated in English, would subconsciously add/substitute English words when the regional language word is not familiar to them. ", "My friend from Saudi Arabia who does a lot of business in the US does this when on the phone speaking Arabic. He mixes in enough English I usually can figure out what he is talking about. ", "I think that could be [code-switching](_URL_0_)? It tends to happen in contexts of [diglossia](_URL_1_).\n\nWhen an area (be it a whole country or just smaller areas) is bilingual, with most people speaking both languages, people tend to blend them and speak both at the same time. You might speak in Language 1 but use plenty of vocabulary of Language 2, or even speak Language 1 and suddenly say a sentence or two in Language 2.\n\nFor those people, both languages come naturally, it's not a struggle to use words in the L2. In fact, they probably hear some terms or even phrases in one of two languages more often than in the other, so mixing both is actually easier and speaking a \"pure\" version of whichever language would mean thinking more. Obviously, you don't try to be a purist while speaking with friends.\n\nFor example, you may say: \"Iba yendo al *car wash* de *Fremont Street* cuando me encontré con la *manager* de Emilia alrededor de la *hardware store*.\"\n\nWhen I was a kid I used to speak a L1 at home but studied in a L2 at school, so a normal conversation with my mom or my friends would go something like this: \"Hoy la *andereño* nos ha devuelto las *azterketas* de *Ingurune* de la semana pasada y he sacado un *Bikain*, aunque tenía una *ariketa* mal.\"\n\nMany people around the world speak that way. Since they all understand both languages they use, it's not a problem, and you probably hear some words more in a language (for example, vocabulary about the family in your home language) and others in another language (for example, things you hear on tv or at school in the official/\"high variety\"), so you are used to using different words in different languages, because it's easier that way. \n\nIt is quite common in Africa too, where local languages are mixed with English or French (Franlof: French + Wolof; Swahili + English, etc.)", "Although some people have mentioned loanwords, I think your question is mainly concerned with *code switching*: this is when speakers move fluidly back and forth between two languages or dialects.\n\n* _URL_0_\n\nThis happens in places where it’s common to be fluent in more than one language. So if the speaker and the listener are both fluent in two languages, the speaker will sometimes mix them up, even in the middle of a sentence.\n\nThere are several causes of code switching that linguists have suggested. So code switching could be caused by one or more of the following.\n\n* people code switch as a subconscious way to “mark” their rights and obligations in the social interaction with the listener. So if you share a second language with another person, you might switch to that language in order to indicate solidarity if you need to ask a favour.\n* the conversation follows a flow, and one person code switching gives a cue to the next speaker to use that language.\n* it’s part of how people show that they are in an *in-group*: think about how teenagers switch accents to fit in with their peers, and imagine extending this to a bilingual context.\n* the speaker is more comfortable discussing one topic in a certain language. For example a bilingual child may have school related vocabulary in one language but be more at home discussing domestic matters in another language.\n\nPlaces where it’s common to hear code switching:\n\n* India (among educated people, who are likely to know English plus a native language)\n* Philippines (Tagalog/English)\n* Puerto Rico (Spanish/English)\n\nIn the above places English is the second language due to those countries' colonial past, but code switching also occurs with other language pairs.", "There are hundreds of languages in India, though some have way more speakers than others. English is what they use to communicate a lot of the time since it's their own little linguia ~~franca~~ india.\n\nUltimately, the reason is their knowledge of another language. English has a ton of words we use that are from other languages and we know they're from other languages. Like people who say \"Capisce?\" (Italian for \"Understand?\") even though they aren't Italian.\n\nI was watching an episode of Skam on NRK (Norwegian show, Norwegian broadcaster) and the main character said something like \"Jeg trenger bare *some space*\" (I just need some space). Even though you can say that in Norwegian. It was weird, but, Scandinavians are really good at English. They absorb a lot of things. I think that was their way to relate to younger kids but ultimately it fell flat (at least to me). I'd have cringed if I didn't immediately think, \"wait wait, do people really say that now?\"\n", "From what I see from my mom's dramas is that they use English to emphasize what they are saying. ", "This happens in Filipino TV shows and movies too. Only reason I can keep up when I'm watching something with my mom", "The worst part is, when someone uses an English word while speaking a foreign language, for a split second, I suddenly think that I can understand their language.", "As someone learning Hindi, I find it terribly difficult to follow flipping back and forth with my in-laws as they mix in English, Punjabi and Urdu with their Hindi. I've asked why they do it. I've asked why this happens often in movies, music and commercials. The answer comes down to brevity, specificity and borrowing. Hindi can require a lot of context, where a bunch of words must encapsulate the very thing you mean to say. For example, कल means yesterday *and* tomorrow, literally meaning \"one day from now\". But, one can say yesterday or tomorrow in English, with no more additional words required. Specific ideas may not have an easy conveyance in Hindi. Like, a lot of people might use a Hindi word for deer, but specifically call out reindeer in English, specific to an animal associated with a Christmas-related sentence. And, borrowing. Keep in mind that the British ruled India for many centuries and English serves as a common language. When I worked in India, the team reporting to me had five different mother tongues. Two of them did not know Hindi. English was the only common language. It is just easier to say \"film\" for movie than some multi-syllable word cooked up in an Indian language. And, trust me, you sound like some sort of time traveller when you say \"chalchitra\" (चलचित्र) for movie rather than just \"film\". People in India usually say \"pen\", \"newspaper\" and \"train\" rather than use the longer, less common versions in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil or any of the other many Indian languages. Anywhere you go in India, you can say \"pen\". But, only a few places would understand someone saying \"kalam\" (कलम) (which is also borrowed from Arabic, I think). Computer rather than gyaanyantra -- sandwich rather than... whatever (I don't even remember). Borrowing works well." ] }
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[ [], [], [], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-switching", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diglossia" ], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-switching" ], [], [], [], [], [] ]
3ps832
what's the big deal with voter id laws. puerto rico has had them for ages and no one's complaining.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ps832/eli5_whats_the_big_deal_with_voter_id_laws_puerto/
{ "a_id": [ "cw8x4uu", "cw8x67f", "cw8xazt", "cw8xpui", "cw8xyk2", "cw8xz0o", "cw8y1iu", "cw90bts" ], "score": [ 12, 4, 5, 17, 4, 7, 6, 3 ], "text": [ "Because Puerto Rico does not have a long history of denying the right to vote based on specious reasons that were, in reality, obvious and thinly veiled racism. Restricting the franchise in any way is looked upon extremely critically in the US.", "This is a very divisive topic, but ultimately it is political. The groups that could potentially have trouble obtaining voter IDs, or any type of ID in general, tend to vote heavily Democrat. Democrats don't want to reduce their voter base. Republicans want to make sure the people voting are actually eligible to do so(or they want to oppress minorities depending on who you ask).", "Because [25% of African Americans](_URL_0_) don't have a valid photo ID. This costs Democrats votes since African Americans predominantly vote Democrat.", "There's nothing *inherently* wrong with voter ID's. But depending on how a voter ID law is implemented, there may be a lot wrong with it.\n\nThe first problem is that states often charge residents to get a valid ID, so any ID has to be free or it will infringe on people's right to vote. \n\nThe second problem is that most states require something like a birth certificate or proper documentation to get a valid ID, but a lot of elderly people weren't born in hospitals or live in rural counties that no longer have birth certificates on file. So these people are undoubtedly allowed to vote, have voted for years, but would be prevented from doing so now because the piece of paper they need no longer exists.\n\nThe third problem is motivation. Voter ID laws were passed in several states in rapid succession, largely by Republican held legislatures. They claimed to be reacting to concerns about massive voter fraud, but no law enforcement investigation or political science study has ever been able to find anything more than a dozen or so cases of voter fraud across the entire country. It's pretty much a non-issue. So the laws reek of partisanship.\n\nThe last problem is timing. A lot of the laws were scheduled to take effect a very short time after they were passed, meaning that many citizens would not have a fair amount of time to learn about the law and respond to it by working through some of the above problems and getting an ID. \n\nSo really, a state can require a resident to show ID before voting. But the state has the responsibility to ensure that it isn't doing so in a way that infringes on a citizen's right to vote. ", "One of the biggest problems is there is no mandatory government issued ID so to make ID for voting mandatory would require anyone without ID to obtain ID first.\n\nThere is a large percentage of the american population that doesn't have a qualifying piece of ID and the majority of those can't afford to obtain one which means those people would be excluded from voting due to a financial challenge, not because they're ineligible.\n\nIn addition there is no evidence that voter fraud by way of identity fraud is so prevalent as to cause a serious concern to the process and there is little evidence that having a mandatory ID law actually significantly reduces the small number of voter ID fraud cases that do happen.", "The U.S. has an unfortunate history of using legislation to block access to voting.[ This used to take the form of a \"Poll Tax.\"](_URL_0_) You had to pay money to register to vote, which prohibited a lot of black people from registering, because they simply didn't have the expendable income. It was used in conjunction with literacy tests, current-events tests, and other forms you'd have to be able to answer correctly to be able to register -- again, done to target black people who had less access to schools. \n\nThat's the big deal. We're still very sensitive, as a country, about limiting access to the polling place. So something like needing a photo ID seems totally fine, until you suss out that in some jurisdictions it costs money to get a photo ID. Not a lot, but it's still money. There's the limited access to getting to a DMV in order to get the ID to begin with, which for some without consistent transportation can be difficult. There's also a problem of access to records, as in order to get the ID, you might need a birth certificate or other documents that people might not have, or that cost money to get a replica of -- again, small costs but ones that disproportionately hurt people who are poor or lack an education. \n\n", " > but instead of getting rid of the ID requirements we should be providing assistance in getting people gov't issued photo ID's so that they can better integrate into society.\n\nSure, if you see it as fundamentally a bureaucratic requirement. As it may well be in Puerto Rico.\n\nBut elsewhere it's not. This is a naked attempt to disenfranchise voters, especially blacks, by Republicans. So, far from providing assistance to people getting IDs, as they would if this was driven by any reason other than disenfranchisement, [Alabama is now *closing DMVs* in black areas](_URL_0_).\n\nIn Texas, [a handgun license is okay but not a student ID.](_URL_3_). Handgun owners? More Republican. Students? More Democratic.\n\nAnd so on. \n\nAll of this is officially to protect against \"voter fraud,\" but that's a problem that really barely exists--our existing safeguards work just fine. _URL_1_.\n\nAnd this isn't just politics as usual. Where's the voter suppression of Republicans by Democrats? \n\nThese are, I'm sorry, evil people doing evil things. The fact that they use reasonable-sounding methods when they can doesn't alter the case. (And they're perfectly happy to abandon any pretense of reasonableness when that works; see _URL_2_.)\n\nAnd it's part of a wider problem, from the gutting of our campaign finance laws, to post-2010 gerrymandering, to Citizens United--the fact that our pol\n\nThat's why people are up in arms.", "If you haven't been in the USA for very long you might not appreciate this fact yet:\n\n* Puerto Rico is very good at registering people to vote and getting them to show up to the polls.\n* The states are **terrible** at both of those things. And many of them **on purpose**, as a Republican ploy to prevent Democrat votes.\n\nI got registered to vote in Puerto Rico a few months before turning 18 at a government-operated mobile registration van that came to the UPR campus for a couple of days to register people there. I don't remember what the documentation requirements were (this was about 20 years ago!), but well, I don't remember having to go out of my way. \n\nPuerto Rico also affords imprisoned convicts the right to vote, which they do use, and you know those guys aren't going to the DMV to get registered. And let's not forget that election days are holidays in Puerto Rico.\n\nIn many of the states, in contrast, their Republican government is actually trying to *selectively prevent* people from voting. Governments not only don't have mobile registration vans—many actually [harass third-party groups that try to register voters](_URL_1_). And they almost transparently conspire to make it harder for some ethnicities and locations to vote. For example:\n\n* [Providing fewer machines and workers to districts that vote Democratic.](_URL_2_)\n* [Ohio in 2012 tried to limit early voting hours in Democratic-leaning counties and expand them in Republican-leaning ones.](_URL_0_)\n* [Alabama just recently has been trying to close DMVs—the place you need to go to get your ID to vote under their new laws—in counties with large black populations](_URL_3_)\n\nSo in short, you're taking the voting ID requirements out of context. The key issue is that state governments in the United States are not very committed to enabling all their citizens to vote—and in the worst cases they're actively trying to disenfranchise voters. The problems with ID requirements exist in that context. It only looks unreasonable if you remove the context." ] }
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[ [], [], [ "http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2012/jul/11/eric-holder/eric-holder-says-recent-studies-show-25-percent-af/" ], [], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poll_tax_\\(United_States\\)" ], [ "http://www.snopes.com/2015/10/01/alabama-drivers-license/", "https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/voter-fraud", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Texas_redistricting", "http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119900/texas-voter-id-allows-handgun-licenses-not-student-ids" ], [ "http://www.thenation.com/article/ohio-early-voting-cutbacks-disenfranchise-minority-voters/", "http://www.thenation.com/article/new-voting-restrictions-could-swing-2014-election/", "http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/opinion/long-lines-at-minority-polling-places.html?_r=0", "http://www.thenation.com/article/alabama-birthplace-of-voting-rights-act-once-again-gutting-voting-rights/" ] ]
1g00uk
what is the nsa, and what are they doing?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1g00uk/eli5_what_is_the_nsa_and_what_are_they_doing/
{ "a_id": [ "cafgjua", "cafgtj1", "cafpqom" ], "score": [ 16, 102, 20 ], "text": [ "They are a security department of the government. They have been taking all data communications online, as part of a program called PRISM. This violates the 4th amendment.", "I will try to make this *not* a wall of text, and with dates in the beginning.\n\n*1952:The NSA stands for \"National Security Agency.\" It was established (by the government) for spying in general.\n\n*1973: The supreme court basically says that in order to spy domestically (In the U.S), you need a warrant.\n\n*1978: The government was wiretapping and an act (Called FISA) was signed into affect. The FISA act protected Americans from being spied on.\n\n*Early in 2002: There were some signs that hinted at a warrantless wiretap in a legal briefing.\n\n*June 6, 2013: The Prism program was revealed. Basically Prism was the Nsa tapping into major companies, and gaining all of their information.\n\nThere are a couple of threads out there about prism already: [Link](_URL_0_)\nSource for info: [Link](_URL_1_)\n\nPlease comment if I made a mistake: I will make edits.\n\nEdit: I should mention that the Nsa focuses on security mostly. They claim that the wiretapping was used for the nations security, specifically after 9/11. Some say that this is unlawful, which I happen to agree with. A lot of comments ask if the Nsa can get access to: Reddit, Microsoft, or Skype. To answer these, Yes they can, but would most likely not focus on them because they don't involve the nations security all that much. Keep asking away with more questions.", "NSA is a US intelligence agency that deals with mainly with foreign intelligence(no Not foreign *intelligence services*).\n\nThe ruse is over the PRISM system revealed a few days ago. Its a data mining/collection system used by the NSA that collects data from internet cables leading into the US and data from tech giants like google, microsoft, apple, facebook etc etc. \n\nThey don't have the resources or the authority to just look into every single data they collected. So it operates in three ways.\n\n 1. Algorithms - They can filter out data mainly on foreign terrorist plots/networks/suspected terrorists. For example if they wanted to filter out arabic/farsi/somali words for terrorist plots or ones in plain english, they can but only if it relates to terrorism. I'll explain why later. If the logarithms find suspected terrorist plots then 2 and 3 are some of the options they are legally bound to take to continue a more thorough analysis by PRISM. \n \n 2. They can attempt to track the online usage of only foreign persons with the dual permission of the US attorney general and the Director of National intelligence. Of up to a year to gather more info on the suspect. Usually with the intent to gather data if the suspected foreign person is connected to terrorism.\n\n 3. US citizens with a warrant approved by the FISC, who is suspected of being linked to foreign plots can have their data examined. This also requires probable cause. US citizens cannot be the direct purpose of a PRISM search, but they can be investigated under a FISC warrant which then allows PRISM to search for their data. If your confused its basically that PRISM cannot target US citizens in their logarithms, but they can be investigated IF they are suspected to be linked to foreign terrorists/plots\n\nThe Legal authority comes from the Patriot Act and the 2008 Amendments to the FISA passed orginally in 1978. and the \"Protect America act of 2007\" Specifically under Section 702 of the 2008 amendments to FISA\n\n_URL_0_\n\nStart searching here. \n > ‘SEC. 702. PROCEDURES FOR TARGETING CERTAIN PERSONS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES OTHER THAN UNITED STATES PERSONS.\n\nCongress authorized it by giving their legislative approval by approving all three laws just said above. and the supreme court technically approved it by giving legal authority by the chief justice to create a 12 member court justice panel to deal with the legality of surveillance activities. called the FISC or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. That oversees NSA and other intelligence service activities. Including that of PRISM. Legal authority to investigate US citizens have to require a FISA warrant. And the PRISM system itself gets scrutinized to make sure it only applies to terrorism. \n\nBasically the whole three sides boil in this.\n\n\n1. People who don't trust the government. \n\n2. People who are apathetic.\n\n3. People who do support some of the surveillance activities, but understand there has to be legal and public scrutiny regarding its constitutionality." ] }
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[ [], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1fx8zs/what_is_prism/", "https://www.eff.org/nsa-spying/timeline" ], [ "http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/110/hr6304/text" ] ]
dtip7y
why do red skinned apples tend to get white flecks scattered on the skin?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dtip7y/eli5_why_do_red_skinned_apples_tend_to_get_white/
{ "a_id": [ "f6wvm5s" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "I think you’re talking about the lenticels—they are more easily visible on some apple varieties than others. Here’s an article about them: _URL_0_" ] }
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[ [ "https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/69134/what-are-those-tiny-spots-apples" ] ]
45h81u
how do brutal dictatorships start/stay in power if the people of the country gate them so much? what convinces normal people to enforce insane laws and policies on other innocent people?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/45h81u/eli5_how_do_brutal_dictatorships_startstay_in/
{ "a_id": [ "czxun39", "czxunbk", "czxvkk8" ], "score": [ 2, 5, 2 ], "text": [ "Those who are better off under the dictatorship will seek to prolong and enforce it. Though this might be a minority, they are usually wealthy and powerful and therefore can influence and subjugate large proportions of the population. This can be done with propaganda, discord or weapons.\n\nYou also assume that the people hate the dictatorship under which they live which is not always true. Patriotism, blind faith and cults of personalities all lend themselves to the support of brutal authoritarian regimes. Though I hate to use the Nazis as examples, they managed to establish their rule democratically at first, the German people were happy to see a strong leader finally take control.\n\nA side note, groups of people underestimate their collective strength and sometimes have little confidence in their ability to band together. If you alienate and divide people, their ability to unite and stand against a common enemy is weakened.\n\nEDIT: k3g communicates my last point more elegantly", "I know what I'm thinking, you know what you're thinking. \n\nI don't know what you're thinking, you don't know what I'm thinking.\n\nI think said dictator is a dicktator, but I don't know if you think the same.\n\nYou also think he is a dictator, but you don't know if I think the same.\n\nIf I expressed my feelings to you, and you don't think the same, I will definitely die and so will my family. \n\nIf you expressed your feelings to me and I don't feel the same, you will definitely die and so will my family.\n\nBasically, you need a large enough support to overpower the entire military. How can you have such a force if everyone doesn't come together and revolt?\n\nHow can you come together and revolt if said things are punishable by death?\n\n", "dictatorships rely on the threat of violence to maintain control (technically all governments do, but dictators do it openly)\n\nBasically, a soldier in a dictatorship does what he's told because of the threat of being jailed, tortured, executed, etc.\n\nAs long as the soldiers don't get together amongst themselves and collectively decide to defect or overthrow the government, the individual expects that his fellow soldiers will do their duty and capture and punish them if they disobey.\n\nAs long as each individual feels that their own life is worth more than trying to change the way things are, then will continue to put up with things.\n\nWhen the individuals get together and collectively decide it's not OK, etc. then you see a revolt or a revolution." ] }
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6zak75
why you have to pay tax on a used car bought from a private seller?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6zak75/eli5_why_you_have_to_pay_tax_on_a_used_car_bought/
{ "a_id": [ "dmtroio", "dmttqjj" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "Because you're going to drive it on public roadways, and so you pay a tax to help cover the cost of the infrastructure. If you're not going to drive it on a public road, it doesn't need to be registered, so no tax. ", "Sales tax is a tax on almost all purchases of most types of merchandise by the end user. Or another way of looking at it is a tax on acquisition of property. There are exceptions that vary by state, with things such as food often but not always excluded. The context of the sale isn't really relevant. \n\nThe real question you should be asking is why don't we charge sales tax on other private sales. The answer is that states make exceptions for most private sales because the effort involved in the bookkeeping doesn't justify it. However many states will trigger a sales tax collection requirement on someone who holds frequent yard sales or exceed a certain amount on services such as eBay (perhaps measured in dollars or perhaps in transactions). Often the people making the purchase are still obligated to report it as a use tax (which is the same as a sales tax except the seller doesn't collect the tax in behalf of the state). \n\nThus the reason for paying sales tax on a private party purchase of a car is that, given the requirement to register the car and title, the paperwork overhead isn't enough to justify making an exception for such purchases. " ] }
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2sz6dk
why is alcohol, ammonia, and chlorine such good cleaners? and why do we use so many different types?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2sz6dk/eli5_why_is_alcohol_ammonia_and_chlorine_such/
{ "a_id": [ "cnu7lcx" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "alcohol is a polar molecule with a non-polar region, and ammonia is polar. That means that they can interact with both types of dirt, and also with water when it's being rinsed. Chorine (bleach) is an oxidizing agent, so it accepts electrons from other substances. This changes the charge of the other substance, which makes it less tightly adhere to something, thereby making it easier to remove" ] }
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5lhdgq
memory assignment in hardware
When I write a line of code in C like int x = 5; How is that value physically written into the computers memory?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5lhdgq/eli5_memory_assignment_in_hardware/
{ "a_id": [ "dbvom3m", "dbvwt64" ], "score": [ 7, 2 ], "text": [ "The C compiler will craft a request to the operating system to assign an available memory location to hold an integer.\n\nWhen it's time to store a number there, the CPU will put an electric signal on its address bus pins equal to the binary address of that memory location, and a signal on its data bus pins equal to the binary version of the number 5, and then briefly electrify the \"Store\" pin to tell the memory subsystem to accept this write request.", "First you compile the code, and the compiler generates assembly instructions something like this:\n\n mov eax, 5\n mov dword ptr [ebp-8], eax\n\nThen it translates that into machine code (which I could look up and show you, but it's a pain so I won't). And it writes the machine code into the executable file.\n\nWhen you run the executable, when the CPU gets to this point, first it copies the number 5 into the register eax, then it copies the number in eax into the memory location ebp-8. (This is a local variable, so they don't have fixed addresses. ebp is a register that conventionally holds the start of the local variable area for the current function call).\n\nIgnoring the effects of caches to simplify things, the CPU then sends some electrical signals to whichever memory module happens to contain the address that ebp-8 resolved to, telling it to store 5 at the location corresponding to that address.\nThese electrical signals then cause some capacitors in the memory module to charge or discharge, which is what actually stores the value." ] }
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16y5w2
electric motors and how long they last.
Not any particular electric motor, just them in general. What's maintenance like?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/16y5w2/eli5_electric_motors_and_how_long_they_last/
{ "a_id": [ "c80htys" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Here is a list of the most common parts of a motor that wear out (there are lots of other ways motors can fail but these tend to be the most common):\n\nBrushes - Not all motors have brushes but if they do they will wear out sooner than most other components on a motor. Brushes wear out for 2 reasons - mechanical friction and electrical erosion. Mechanical friction is easy to explain - rotating metal on metal contact causes the brushes to slowly wear down. The electrical contact between the brush and commutator can also cause brushes to wear down. Brush life might be anywhere from 2000 to 7500 hours depending on the application and design of the motor. These are usually easy to replace.\n\nCapacitors - Many single phase AC motors have capacitors attached to them to help them start. If a motor doesn't start but will run okay if already started, it may be a bad capacitor. These are generally really easy to replace.\n\nBearings - There are many types of bearings but a very common type of bearing is the ball bearing. These generally have multiple small metal balls that are held together in a thing called a cage (it keeps them from bumping into each other) and then they rotate inside the bearing housing. So there is generally a lot of metal on metal contact in bearings, too. Bearing manufacturers also put grease in their bearings to reduce the friction between these metal parts. A well designed motor will have a bearing in it that will last 20,000 hours under \"typical\" running conditions. \"Untypical\" conditions includes if the motor is operating in a place with really high (or low) temperatures (extreme temperatures can cause the grease to not work as well), if there is an unusually heavy load on the shaft (imagine hanging a large weight on the shaft ... it would cause more friction between the balls and the housing), or really high speeds. Bearings can be replaced by taking the rotor/armature out of the motor, removing the old bearings and putting on the new ones.\n\nMotor insulation - Insulation keeps the electricity in a motor where it should be (in the copper coils). Again, the insulation in a well designed motor should last at least 20,000 hours under \"typical\" conditions. This means that the motor should be run at the rated power. Running the motor at higher than rated power means the insulation will get hotter than it should and will break down faster. It also means that the ambient temperature of the motor should be below 40 degrees Celcius. Again, hotter insulation means it breaks down quicker. If you have an insulation failure, you will smell it and it will be very difficult to repair the motor. Depending on the size of the motor, it may not be economically feasible to repair. " ] }
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7sqsfw
how do surgeons prevent major blood loss during coronary artery bypasses?
If at some point during surgery a hole is made in the aorta so you can bypass a clogged heart artery, how do you prevent blood from spewing like a fountain out of the aorta?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7sqsfw/eli5_how_do_surgeons_prevent_major_blood_loss/
{ "a_id": [ "dt6t6d9", "dt6ugpo" ], "score": [ 6, 3 ], "text": [ "It is clamped. The heart is then stopped with a potassium solution (many potassium solutions such as KCl can cause cardiac arrest, which is used in lethal injections!). The sewing of another vessel is performed, then the heart is eventually started once again. ", "Blood flow is diverted to a heart-lung machine during surgery, which allows the heart to be stopped and operated on." ] }
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dkmfoa
are there planets hurtling through interstellar or intergalactic space, planets that have been cast out of a solar system?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dkmfoa/eli5_are_there_planets_hurtling_through/
{ "a_id": [ "f4hhdi4", "f4hi9ck" ], "score": [ 6, 3 ], "text": [ "Yes, they are called rogue planets. These planets have no chance for liquid water on the surface of them but there is still a chance for them to contain life. If they have water and are heated from the inside they could have giant liquid oceans under kilometers of ice.", "It does happen, but scientists think that it's rare. Scientists can't be 100% sure why it happens, but asteroid impacts knocking them out of orbit or planets managing to reach escape velocity due to changes in orbital speed or shedding of star mass are the leading theories as to how this could happen. There's also a theory that Pluto is captured rouge plant because it's orbit is so wildly different from the other planets/large bodies in our solar system" ] }
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a3redr
i don’t see bugs crawling around my house, but where do they come from if i leave a plate of food out on the counter for too long?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/a3redr/eli5_i_dont_see_bugs_crawling_around_my_house_but/
{ "a_id": [ "eb8guc5" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "Ants send out the occasional scout. When they find something interesting, they report back to their home base, and others come following their trail. You might not see the occasional ant, but they are there. If you don't have ants at all, they don't magically appear when you leave food out." ] }
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36ooah
does queen elizabeth have any power in regards to affecting any canadian laws?
Does the UK government have any say?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/36ooah/eli5_does_queen_elizabeth_have_any_power_in/
{ "a_id": [ "crfqhs0" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "The UK government? No. The Queen? Yes, she's the Queen of Canada and her royal assent is required for any bill to pass into law and the government of Canada including the Prime-Minister serve at her pleasure.\n\nHer appointed representative to which she 'chooses' to defer in all matters is the Governor General of Canada. The GG 'chooses' to be more of a figurehead that rubber-stamps what is required of him or her.\n\nThis 'choosing' comes from the fact that there's an established tradition nobody would put up with being broken; the GG and the soverign hold little in the way of real power." ] }
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6b5y78
why do am radios have seemingly random numbers for tuning while fm radios are more consistent?
[deleted]
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6b5y78/eli5why_do_am_radios_have_seemingly_random/
{ "a_id": [ "dhk2wns" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Both AM and FM need more than just the channel they broadcast on to encode the audio information. So for example AM station 612 actually uses all the numbers from say 611.5 up to 612.5. If you muted any part of this range of numbers, you'd reduce the quality off audio at the receiving radio. \n\nSo when you tune an AM radio into 612, the radio needs to be designed listen to all the numbers in it's band to ensure good quality audio. But you can't design a radio to just hear one range of numbers perfectly and not hear any other numbers at all. If a radio is designed to hear everything from 611.5 to 612.5 it will also be able to hear 610 to 611.5 pretty well (and a similar group of numbers above). It'll be able to kinda hear maybe 605 to 610 and just make out say 598 to 605.\n\nIn summary a station called 612 actually uses 611.5 to 612.5 and could interfere with any other station in the range 598 to 626. This is why AM stations have sort of random numbers, because you need to leave quite a few numbers in between so that there is no interference.\n\nFM is basically the same, but the channel numbers are much bigger (because AM came first and claimed all the lower numbers). However because the numbers are so big, we scale them. So an FM station called 106.1 is actually 106100 if written in the same terms as AM. Similarly to AM this station uses a few numbers either side of 106100 and can interfere with other stations nearby (say from 106055 to 106145). However after scaling, these numbers become 106.1 to 106.1. The gaps between stations just round away. This makes it look like you can have an FM station at every number, but in truth it's actually just as random as AM only the bigger numbers involved makes everything look more orderly. " ] }
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2dstvt
why do we hear about so many soldiers in the present day wars in iraq and afghanistan returning with ptsd, yet it seemed to be nonexistent in those returning from wwii?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2dstvt/eli5_why_do_we_hear_about_so_many_soldiers_in_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cjsovvn", "cjsp20e", "cjsr7ps", "cjsrwiy", "cjssut0", "cjsu5jm" ], "score": [ 39, 3, 2, 7, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Back then it was called shell shock. Damn sure happened frequently but just not as discussed much like most mental illnesses", "It wasn't non existent it just wasn't understood. PTSD as we understand it today probably goes back as far as conventional warfare, but we have no documentation of it because we have only just begun to understand mental illness.\n", "Google Audie Murphy. it wasn't non existent at all. just under reported", "**Source:** I am in graduate school getting my doctorate in psychology\n\n**Answer:** There was always PTSD. Unfortunately, untill fairly recently, mental health in general was not something people would talk about and at the very least, admit that something was bothering them. Moreover, when people would go to the doctor, they would go for phsyical symptoms in hopes to get something, anything, for help; all without actually saying they were bothered from PTSD symptoms. One of the reasons this happened was because it was a very commonly held opinion that you were *morally weak* if you could not handle going to war.\n\nAs others have said in other answers, \"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder\" was only coined in the 1970's, but not formally recognized until the 1980's (what the fuck). It was known as, \"Soldier's Heart\", \"Hysteria\", \"Soldier's irritable heart\", \"irritable heart\", \"shell-shock\", \"War Hysteria\", \"Stress response syndrome\". And that's not even all of them!\n\n**tl;dr:** People have always had PTSD, but it's been called a lot of different things and until very recently (last decade, maybe, but that's even optimistic) people have been ashamed to get diagnosed as it was seen as a sign of weakness. ", "**Psychology** as a science ***is relatively young*** (the first formal laboratory of psychology being dated at 1879 thanks to Wilhelm Wundt) and it has had many obstacles to surpass (for example Freud's importance is in introducing the irrational nature of human psychology to the public). \n\nAs such, diagnosis and pathologies that we recognize today are also the results of recent history. *In the past, insane people were said to be possessed by the devil, today they would be diagnosed with a mental disorder.* \n\nFurthermore, our understanding of the pathological and what symptoms we consider to be part of a same disorder can evolve, infamous examples being homosexuality, for an older example, and the removal of Asperger Syndrome from the new DSM-5 (the most recent version of the \"Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders\"), for a more contemporary example.\n\nAs thus, the answer to your question revolves around **labels**. At the time, ***PTSD as such wasn't yet conceptualized***. If we could send experts back in time, they probably would find a sizable number of soldiers they'd diagnose with the disorder. In fact, ***studies*** **have** ***found World War II soldiers suffering of the sequelae of psychological and psychiatric disturbances***. ", "It wasn't discussed 70 years ago - just hidden in the corner and ignored for fear of being labelled a coward on unmanly. " ] }
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b8jxho
how do ais figure out what i am saying?
e.g. & #x200B; How does grammarly "read" and understand the nuance in text? & #x200B; How does siri/alexa understand what I am saying?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b8jxho/eli5_how_do_ais_figure_out_what_i_am_saying/
{ "a_id": [ "ejyd25p", "ejyd8zx" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "It's all based on algorithms. Grammarly for example has a database that compares what you're writing to its database of commonly used phrases and sentences. If it detects that what you're writing is not the same as it's database, it is going to show how it should be written. For siri and alexa, they're just programmed to detect certain wavelengths of sound (which are your voice) and when it detects them, it will associate those wavelengths to a certain instruction and execute it", "When you're talking with Siri, there's two things happening in the background. The first step is to employ speech recognition, which basically analyzes the sound waves and converts them into text. Every word has certain patterns of sound that make that word. Some words have multiple, depending on intent or sentence structure or even dialect. This needs to be trained, so that Siri will be able to understand as many people as possible. \n\nAfter that, something called \"natural language processing\" is used on the text. It's extremely scientific and complex, but basically Siri gets taught with machine learning how to interpret sentences. It tries to determine the intent of the sentence, just as you and me do when we hear someone talk. This makes it so Siri will even be able to get it right should your request be grammatically incorrect or incomplete. \n\nSo in short: We're teaching a computer to understand language the same way a person understands it. This happens with a looooot of training by using existing data (the more the better) and a lot of very bright people are involved programming and analyzing to help it get there." ] }
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6qnhaw
why the roma/gypsies,alone remain nomadic in europe.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6qnhaw/eli5why_the_romagypsiesalone_remain_nomadic_in/
{ "a_id": [ "dkykp2r" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "There are also \"Irish Travellers\" in Ireland and the UK who are, shall we say, controversial. The problem with being nomadic is that it has an impact on the environment. \n\n\"Gypsies\" or \"Travellers\" are not travelling all the time: they stop on a piece of land, exploit the land and surrounding areas, and move on, leaving their mess behind them for others to clean up. So there are complaints and attempt to prevent them stopping, wherever they go. It's a lifestyle that only makes sense if you have large unused areas of land that they can exploit, which is becoming harder. " ] }
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1qu9zg
how does depositing a check with a picture work?
How is taking a picture of a check the equivalent of depositing it via a teller or ATM? They are unable to physically examine the check, what if it's fake or the picture quality is poor? Does it take longer to process than physically depositing it?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1qu9zg/how_does_depositing_a_check_with_a_picture_work/
{ "a_id": [ "cdglm4x" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Visual recognition software can be the first line of defense, then they are relying on the electronic transfer system between banks and the fact that your account is with their institution and you are known to them. Hence the reason you can't use such a convenience unless you are a customer with deposit accounts.\n\nIf the check is bogus it's handled between institutions, and your account will be adjusted, and even penalized, if there is a problem. It's really no different risk-wise than the system of old handwritten checks without electronic verification at the purchase site, which was SOP up until the 1990s." ] }
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1li2w1
how do astronauts arrive to the international space station?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1li2w1/eli5_how_do_astronauts_arrive_to_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cbzfsch" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Aboard Russian [Soyuz](_URL_0_) spacecraft." ] }
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[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_%28spacecraft%29" ] ]
2c5wnc
why was unidan banned?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2c5wnc/eli5_why_was_unidan_banned/
{ "a_id": [ "cjc8h67", "cjc8p2e", "cjca49a", "cjccltj", "cjccr3p", "cjcdvym", "cjcfx6d", "cjcg9v8", "cjchxpz", "cjciyrz", "cjcjf28", "cjckfky" ], "score": [ 200, 23, 5, 296, 15, 4, 17, 46, 73, 2, 4, 2 ], "text": [ "He was banned?", "~~This looks like a likely possibility.~~\n\n~~_URL_0_\n\nEdit: Nope, he was banned for using alternate accounts for vote manipulation. Wouldn't have believed it if he didn't admit to it himself.\n\n_URL_1_\n\n_URL_2_", "The reddit rules are very strict about 'vote brigading,' that is, if you click a link from a subreddit like /r/SubredditDrama, /r/ShitRedditSays, or any other 'meta' subreddit and then vote, you'll likely get banned. The admins see this as 'brigade-voting.' Essentially, they believe that if you don't come upon a post organically, they don't want you contributing to the thread. You're not a part of the community or the conversation, so bringing your votes into it is unfair for the people trying to have their own discussion. (The exception is that you can comment on the threads, but voting is super-mega-off-limits)\n\nWhat likely happened with Unidan (and this is unconfirmed) is that when a comment thread of his was linked to SRD yesterday, he accidentally voted on a thread he was already active in. Of course, this isn't really against the rules, but if the admins have a bot which does all of the banning for this, it's likely he was caught in it by mistake. After PMing the admins (which Unidan has already done), they can look into it and decide if he broke the rules (and the ban is deserved) or if he didn't (in which case, the ban is reversed).", " > He was caught using a number of alternate accounts to downvote people he was arguing with, upvote his own submissions and comments, and downvote submissions made around the same time he posted his own so that he got even more of an artificial popularity boost. It was some pretty blatant vote manipulation, which is against our site rules.\n\n_URL_0_", "[Cupcake1713 explains why](_URL_0_)", "Is he banned from all of Reddit or just a few select subreddits?", "Who is this Unidan? I'm not trying to be funny here, I don't know why he's famous.", "I am fucking glad, He come into a thread once about Sea lions and said what I saying was not true, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS!!!! and then i got mega downvoted and he got upvoted.", "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.", "wait is this a perma ban?", "How will r/circlejerk survive?", "I thought Unidan was a woman ?!?!??" ] }
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[ [], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/SubredditDrama/comments/2c5cxa/unidan_shadowbanned_after_jackdaw_kerflufle/cjc2n3s~~", "http://www.reddit.com/r/blog/comments/2c63wg/how_reddit_works/cjcc49i", "http://www.reddit.com/r/blog/comments/2c63wg/how_reddit_works/cjccfyt" ], [], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/blog/comments/2c63wg/how_reddit_works/cjcc49i" ], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/blog/comments/2c63wg/how_reddit_works/cjcc49i" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
6mrwfl
how are airlines so good at scheduling flights that almost every single one is fully booked?
I've been on 46 commercial aircraft over the past 4 years, and only one of them was not at least 97% full. What type of things do airline companies use to determine when to schedule flights that will get the most bookings? Note: I'm not asking why an airline would want to do that or how overbooking works (like other threads have answered), I'm asking how airline companies know their flights will be fully booked.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6mrwfl/eli5_how_are_airlines_so_good_at_scheduling/
{ "a_id": [ "dk3wdzo", "dk3xaru", "dk3z6jv", "dk4014b" ], "score": [ 2, 7, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "\n > Note: I'm not asking why an airline would want to do that or how overbooking works (like other threads have answered), I'm asking how airline companies know their flights will be fully booked. \n\nThe airline companies know how many people on average will show up after buying a ticket.\n\nIf they have 100 seats, and know that if they sell 110 tickets that on average 98 people will show up, then they will sell 110 tickets so that 98 people show up (usually).\n\nIf you are asking \"how do they know that 98 of 110 show up on average?\" that's easy to find out just by looking at all your past ticket sales compared to how many people actually showed up after that.", "There are two main ways:\n\nFirst, they have a lot of data from being in business for many years. They can look at how many people flew from New York to Houston on every flight they've flown between those two cities for the last 10 years and see if there are trends for which flights are full, which are empty, what times of day are preferred, etc. Flights that consistently aren't full can be cut or have their scheduling changed.\n\nSecond, they adjust the prices for flights constantly. If you've ever looked at the price for a flight over the course of a couple weeks, it regularly changes from day to day. Part of that is due to who is buying flights when (price-sensitive recreational travelers tend to book well in advance, price-insensitive business travelers tend to book closer to the flight time), but a big portion of it is making sure the flight ends up full. If the flight isn't selling as many tickets as they want it to, they can lower the price, whereas if it's selling more tickets than they expect, they can raise the price. They keep doing that right up until flight time (even advertising sales and such things very close to flight time if the flights are really underbooked) to try to ensure they sell every seat while maximizing revenue from those seats.", "There are a lot of good points in this thread. Another way to ensure you get full airplanes is that they do not schedule which airplane model is servicing which flight until they know how many tickets they are going to sell. So if the tickets are popular they use a bigger airplane and if the tickets are not so popular they use a smaller airplane. Sometimes they might even change the airplane after people have started checking in.", "They use demand pricing.\n\nIf a plane isn't full, they drop the seat prices, until someone says, \"I will take the 6 am flight\" or \"I'll leave on Thursday instead of Friday\" if it means saving $300. \n\nAt the same time, the price on the full flights go up. If what is usually a $200 flight to Vegas is now $600, you are apt to seek out one of those emptier flights." ] }
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2jcb6f
how does a greek stock market crash affect the rest of the eurozone, and how does it affect the rest of the world economy.
Just read [this Business Insider post](_URL_0_) on the front page, and I thought a simple primer about how the world economy is tied together would be helpful. It's easy in the US to see this as something that won't affect me (and maybe it won't), but I'd love to hear how it propagates or if it will. Thanks in advance.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2jcb6f/eli5how_does_a_greek_stock_market_crash_affect/
{ "a_id": [ "claeeyh" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Because of a rather boneheaded law passed in Europe, all Eurozone government debt is considered equally secure for the purposes of bank regulations. So if a bank needs to have a billion dollars on its books to meet its capital requirements, it can choose between Greek and German debt, and both are treated as equally good. But because everyone knows Greece is sketchy, they have to pay more to convince people to lend them money, so a lot of banks bought Greek bonds to try to get some extra return. If Greece defaults on their debts, then a lot of European banks will find that their operating capital has just evaporated, and will be in trouble. Runs on banks are the proximate cause of basically every market crash ever, so this is a scary prospect. \n\nAlso, Greece isn't the only sketchy country in Europe. If Greece falls, then everyone's going to say \"These guys aren't getting bailed out - is Portugal next? Italy? Spain? Shit guys, SELL ALL THE THINGS!\", and things will get even worse. " ] }
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[ "http://www.businessinsider.com/greece-down-2014-10" ]
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bux3e6
how do vitamins prevent deseases?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bux3e6/eli5_how_do_vitamins_prevent_deseases/
{ "a_id": [ "epiva0g", "epj7847" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "In short, they don't.\n\nOur bodies regulate what vitamins we can intake in the form of food. Pure-form vitamins are overdoses that typically get urinated out.\n\nVitamin C is a good example, if you take a Vitamin C supplement that is something like 9000% daily recommended dose, likely your body will absorb about .002% of it, and pee out the rest.\n\nIt makes you feel better because of the placebo effect.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nNow, some types, not all of them, of vitamins can be absorbed through the gut, and some are really difficult to absorb unless they are in your food. But it depends on your diet, and specific conditions, like some people have trouble absorbing Iron.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nAlways consult a doctor, someone with an actual medical degree.\n\nTaking too many supplements can at best drain your bank account unnecessarily, and at worst land you in the hospital.", "Vitamins do not prevent disease. All the multivitamins and supplements you see being advertised are just products to waste your money on and to make others money. In 99.9% of the cases, the vitamin/ supplement you take will most likely go in through your mouth and then be pooped out without any difference being made to your body.\n\nI'm afraid that getting better nails or stronger bones is not as easy as taking a pill twice a day.\n\nThe only type of disease that vitamins are good for treating is vitamin deficiency and **your doctor should be prescribing these** in this case, not you. A lot of people love to self-diagnose like \"oh my bones hurt so I'll take this calcium and vitamin D supplement\". Go talk to your doctor about it. That's why he/ she is there. And if they suggest a blood test trust me that the 20 seconds you feel pain for are way less painful than the metaphorical heart attack you will have when seeing money leaving your bank account just so you can poop out a pill you ate for no reason.\n\nThat said, all of the vitamins you need can and should be obtained from your diet. Just have a balanced diet and don't survive solely on Pot Noodle for a year (seriously, there are cases of people eating only Pot Noodle for months and getting severe vitamin C deficiency, also known as scurvy)." ] }
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1uafp1
how come when dogs poop they can just do their business and then walk away, but sometimes when i poop i have to wipe an absurd amount of times to avoid leaving skid marks in my underwear?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1uafp1/eli5_how_come_when_dogs_poop_they_can_just_do/
{ "a_id": [ "ceg2rx8" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Because they don't wear underwear. If you pay attention, many times dogs (and other animals) will have feces stuck in their fur. Most animals clean it by licking themselves." ] }
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1smptj
5 how are the flights at an airport scheduled?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1smptj/eli5_5_how_are_the_flights_at_an_airport_scheduled/
{ "a_id": [ "cdz3l58", "cdz57m7" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Depends on the airport. At small airports, the airline says \"We'd like to arrive at 14.20 and depart at 15.10 every Monday and Thursday\", and the airport say \"That will be great!\"\n\nAt bigger airports, there are many more factors to take into account, to ensure that not too many aircraft try to arrive and depart at the same time as each other. There might be some kind of bidding system that airlines have to participate in to get the slots they need.\n\nIn pretty much all cases, this will all be dealt with by a \"handling agent\" that's appointed by the airport. The handling agent, as well as allocating slots to airlines, will often also look after the passengers, arrange re-fuelling and loading/unloading of bags, food, etc, prepare the necessary paperwork for the pilots and lots of other things too. This is especially true at an airport that is not one of the airline's bases (where they will probably have their own staff to do many of these things).", "I'd also like to remind people that American-European flights tend to concentrate takeoffs late in the day-midnight so they get into European cities by early-mid morning. " ] }
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27itua
how do talent shows like american idol, the voice, and america's got talent obtain the rights to all the songs their auditionees and contestants play and/or sing?
I notice that they tend to play the same handful of songs they could get their hands on for all the parts of these shows in between performances. So obviously they still have to get the rights to music like that. But it couldn't be that they get the rights to *every* song people do for the show or they'd lose their budget pretty quickly. Or at least they'd have a larger library to select from for the reality TV portions of the shows. It would make sense that after the performers are contestants and not auditionees that they could only choose from a bank of music the show can use, but what about in the audition process when everyone chooses what they play? Soyeah. How do these shows get permissions for all the music?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/27itua/eli5_how_do_talent_shows_like_american_idol_the/
{ "a_id": [ "ci18aux", "ci19dc3" ], "score": [ 5, 2 ], "text": [ "They have a pre-authorized list that people select from, and it has a pretty wide selection, meaning that there are songs for everyone.\n\nOther people like \"Pants on the Ground\" make their own songs, which they would obviously have rights to.", "Performance rights are much cheaper than recording rights. In other words, it's relatively easy to get permission to sing \"Yesterday\" on television but god forbid you actually play the version the Beatles recorded in 1964." ] }
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1ud70f
why do hunters wear camo with real trees and real foliage while the military uses digicamo? and which one works better?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ud70f/eli5_why_do_hunters_wear_camo_with_real_trees_and/
{ "a_id": [ "cegv25q", "cegv5bm", "cegv9nk", "cegx4lt" ], "score": [ 10, 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Real tree type camouflage is better, when used in the environment it is based upon. Military type camouflage is designed to be used in many different environments.\n\nA hunter has to buy one set of his own more specialized camouflage \"for example\". The military has to buy millions of sets of their camouflage. \n\nTherefore a hunters \"real tree\" type camo will work better in it's intended environment, and the hunter only has to get the set that works for his specific climate. The military has to accommodate hundreds of thousands of soldiers/marines/sailors/airmen in multiple environments, therefore they have to get a more generalized, multipurpose, kind of camo.\n\nSource: I'm a soldier, and a hunter. ", "Camouflage is not so much about blending in as it is breaking up your outline. Hunters will pretty much always be in the woods. If they match their surrounding it is harder for animals to distinguish the outline a person.\r\rThe military could be fighting in the jungle, the forest, the fields, or the desert\rTheir background is constantly changing. Their camouflage is really just a distinguished uniform. Its helps but if they really want to be hidden they will use foliage, grass, limbs, and rocks to hide themselves. ", "The camo in the military is usually picked for a variety of terrain in the area of operations. It's not going to be perfect for everything, but it will be better than bright orange. \n\nHunters have the advantage of knowing their terrain, and can get hunters that more accurately match the area they're likely to be in.\n\nThe real power of camo tends to come from breaking up the silhouette. The small square nature of digi camo tends to make it harder for human eyes to focus on patterns and discern that it's person against a multicolor background, especially compared to old camo. It also doesn't have the huge patterns of color that were common in the last generation of camo, which could also make a camouflaged wearer stand out. And it can be kept more generic so the military doesn't have to kit out six dozen camo patterns and warn everybody which twelve patterns they may need to pack for one area. A couple of more generic, with soldiers adding foliage and other stuff to break up their silhouette even further will get the job done. ", "Digital camouflage works best against robots." ] }
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[ [], [], [], [] ]
4y97ek
if we could travel faster than light, what would the light emitted from our space ship look like? would it make us appear to 'arrive' even years after we'd left?
I'm imagining that if a faster than light space ship entered orbit around Earth, we perceive them as 'arriving' for years, even after they'd left.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4y97ek/eli5_if_we_could_travel_faster_than_light_what/
{ "a_id": [ "d6lz3cn" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "No one knows, because our current understanding says that faster than light speed travel is impossible.\n\nYou might as well say, \"if you could pour three gallons of water out of a two gallon bucket, what would it taste like?\"" ] }
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4hernd
why can't animals recognize the danger of walking into oncoming traffic?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4hernd/eli5_why_cant_animals_recognize_the_danger_of/
{ "a_id": [ "d2pcn01" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Yes, and why do they go for round 2 after being hit the first time? " ] }
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ffrmpy
why does the world economy tank when oil prices goes down? should it not go up as more people willbe able to travel more, products involving oil, like plastics should become cheaper, so should airtravel, shipping etc. so why does the world economy rumble when oil prices does the same?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/ffrmpy/eli5_why_does_the_world_economy_tank_when_oil/
{ "a_id": [ "fk05xfp", "fk06e8c", "fk0atwe", "fk1hf44", "fk1qwbe", "fk242u5", "fk26fgr" ], "score": [ 2, 145, 14, 13, 5, 6, 2 ], "text": [ "Oil Prices are like human body temperature. \nThings go bad is if it’s too high or too low. \n \nLike it or not, oil companies are a big part of the economy. \nWhen these companies suffer they bring down the rest. \n \nThey make a lot of money, so they invest a lot in other companies. \nWhen they do badly they don’t invest as much, so there’s less money until everyone adjusts. \n \nThey also employ a lot of people to find oil, take oil out of the ground, and make oil usable, so these people might get fired and have to find other jobs.", "Oil prices rise when economic output is strong. When business aren’t producing as much across the whole world then they don’t need to buy as much oil. That means that the oil that has already been produced doesn’t sell so the price lowers. So a low price for oil is sometimes related to a low demand for oil which is due to shrinking economic activity. It’s a little more complicated because oil isn’t freely traded. A large number of oil producing countries have banded together into a group called OPEC+ which can artificially set oil prices. Russia has recently had a disagreement with the group and has left the group. That made Saudi Arabia, one of the largest oil producers, increase production to extremely high rates in an attempt to flood the market with oil so the price will drop. This is designed to hurt Russia because the Russian economy is essentially little more than production of oil and other raw materials. This is extreme action that is a sign of high tension and instability. Stock markets tend to sell in times of uncertainty or when tensions may risk conflict. In the current situation there are worries that reduced travel and increased numbers of people sick from the COVID19 virus will reduce economic output/demand for oil. So the surplus of cheap oil on the market isn’t as likely to have a stimulatory effect.", "The economy is not tanking because oil prices are down. Oil prices are down due to slowdown in economic activity - people use less of it, so the price goes down.", "Demand goes up when the economy is strong, price goes down when the economy is weak, and right now it's on life support. The price of oil is the indicator, not the driver, of economic health. That said, when it gets too high, it can act as an anchor on the global economy dragging it down.\n\nPrice is the thermometer, not the sickness.", "You have the causality backward. Oil prices go down when the economy is weak and people can't afford to do as much. Consumers buy less, stores sell more slowly and need fewer trucks and trains and ships to keep good in stock. People travel less and put off large purchases until they have more certainty about the economic future.", "The price drop will hit American fracking companies and other oil producers very hard, leaving them unable to finance their debt. This will impact oil producing states, those who they owe money too, the workforce and the general economy. It's just another twist of the knife into the market already in near free fall due to covid-19. Trump's policy of giveaways to the market created a bubble and at the same time removed the ability to make meaningful intervention to stop the damage. Cheerful I know!", "All the comments say it's the other way around: bad economic performance leads to drop in oil prices. But isn't this precisely not the case now, but rather Saudi Arabia deliberately manipulating the price to screw Russia or something??" ] }
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33oox9
why do fast racing boats use propellers which aren't completely submerged?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/33oox9/eli5_why_do_fast_racing_boats_use_propellers/
{ "a_id": [ "cqn0adh" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "They do get submerged at higher speeds. See [this](_URL_0_)" ] }
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[ [ "http://cerberus-international.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/xsr48-close-up.jpg" ] ]
f3ro1m
why are gas stations the only business that adds on 9/10 of a penny per gallon? why is it represented as 9/10 instead of $x.xx9?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/f3ro1m/eli5_why_are_gas_stations_the_only_business_that/
{ "a_id": [ "fhkliib", "fhkscmd", "fhktedr", "fhkufny", "fhkx6fi", "fhl1hjp", "fhl2suj", "fhl4uwy" ], "score": [ 772, 77, 11, 12, 63, 3, 31, 2 ], "text": [ "It's not much anymore, but 60 years ago when you could get a gallon of gas for a quarter gas stations actually used that fraction of a cent spot to set prices.\n\nThey're measuring your purchase to the thousandths of a gallon, so most people technically end up owing some fraction of a cent anyway.\n\nAs the price went up, changing that last tenth of a penny became pointless and stations began permanently setting it at 9 - so much so that most newer stations have it permanently painted on.\n\nI've seen both the $X.XX9 and the 9/10ths variants. They round to the nearest cent when billing you, not always up to the next cent.", "Some people in this thread are extremely confused. Gas stations do not \"round up\" - the tenth of a penny less is definitely included in the price (check the next time you fill up - if you buy more than 5 gallons you should be able to detect it). Almost every retailer rounds in one direction or the other on every purchase \\*on the final price\\* because of sales tax, and they do it in the correct direction - less than half a cent, down, more or equal, up. So if you bought one gallon at a time, you'd be getting rounded up every time. But if you buy 5.01 gallons, you'll be getting rounded down.", "It's literally just a throwback. Gas stations are routinely checked by govt. weights and measures. The penalties for shorting gas is so high that most pumps actually pump a tiny bit more than you pay for.", "Here (Ireland, and EU in general) petrol is sold by the cents per litre, priced also to the one-tenth of a cent. My local petrol station is 147.7 at the moment (so €1.477/l, or USD$5.952/gallon).\n\nIt used to be the case that the stations here were all xxx.9 for a similar reason to the 9/10 you see at your US gas stations, but recently some have started changing that last tenth of a cent. I've seen stations beside each other where one was xxx.9 and the other xxx.8, thus looking cheaper. If you were to buy 50 litres of petrol this would amount to a 5c difference in the total price -- not totally insignificant. (or for €50 you get an extra 34ml of petrol == 1.15 fl oz)", "In Canada, you see similar pricing but also different because metric. We see prices like 97.7 cents per liter. “Back in the day when gas was cheap” (sorry euro friends) you’d almost always see xx.9 as the price. Now stations mostly use the last digit for pricing wars. They’ll undercut the next guy by 0.2 or 0.3, which looks cheaper but really is only a marginal amount. Rounding happens as described elsewhere here, on the TOTAL amount, and is done using correct rounding rules. On top of all that, we don’t have pennies (because pennies are dumb), so if you pay cash, you get rounded again on top of the tenth cent rounding. If you pump $60.02 (after the first rounding) and you pay cash, you only actually pay $60.00, if you pump $60.03, you pay $60.05 cash. Debit and credit, you still pay accurately down to the cent. Bonus fact: our cents are smaller than yours too, so we’re splitting a smaller cent on a smaller volume of gas, so we’re really splitting hairs up here!", "maybe its been covered, but 10gallons at 3.299 vs 3.29 is a difference of 32.99 or 32.90. Those 9 cents do add up.\n\nbetween cost and quantity both being deep decimals, you will inevitably have a decimal in your actual cost out to the thousands place, They do straight rounding, if its more than .XX5, they round it up to the next penny. You only see the rounded number in the price as it scrolls along, the 3rd decimal is immaterial since you cant do anything about it.\n\nIf you are extremely worried about that penny and not convinced that you'll average out, or just want to really beat the system, you'll need to do the math to find how much gas you need to pump to get your exact cost close to ending in .XX44444 every time so you get half a penny of free gas at every fill up.\n\nI hesitate to tell you that the pump only needs to be accurate to +/- .3% So you could be getting shorted on that end too.", "Reminds me of the Simpsons episode with Donny's discount gas, where the price ended in 8/10.", "Here in the UK petrol is one of the few things that are never priced by the pound (£). When the price per litre passed the £1 mark a few years back, petrol stations just kept the pricing in pence. So it's 118.6p per litre or whatever. This was probably just because they didn't have a big £ to put on their sign as they had never needed it, but it's stuck.\n\nActually I think a lot of people would fail to cope with \"£1.186/litre\", a la [Verizonmath](_URL_0_)" ] }
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[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp6ccIiZp1Y" ] ]
19v2bs
why is there no motion blur on satellite images?
If its as simple as satellites just take pictures in geosynchronous orbit, then why is there no image blur on SR71 Blackbird [spy photos](_URL_0_) from the cold war? They were moving quite fast.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/19v2bs/why_is_there_no_motion_blur_on_satellite_images/
{ "a_id": [ "c8rk4pi" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "There is plenty of blur and it is a major concern and has two main components; (1) there is a lack of focus mainly due to the optics but may also include the jitter of the platform (vibration) and then (2) there is smear due sensor motion (slewing) and target motion. " ] }
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[ "http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/spiesfly/phot-03.html" ]
[ [] ]
7eajja
why do we not feel food go down our bodies?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7eajja/eli5why_do_we_not_feel_food_go_down_our_bodies/
{ "a_id": [ "dq3kwe7" ], "score": [ 18 ], "text": [ "You don't have touch receptors in your gastrointestinal tract. You can sense pressure and things gurgling around because of that, but not actual touch." ] }
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37abd6
why did the roma migrate from india?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/37abd6/eli5_why_did_the_roma_migrate_from_india/
{ "a_id": [ "crl9h0w", "crlejij", "crlgbcz" ], "score": [ 14, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Popular theories hold they were likely kicked out/banished as a people. If their customs are to go by, they would have likely upset the population there.\n\n\n\n\nAlso it would be the Indian subcontinent as far as our best guesses go. We don't where exactly they originate from with regards to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, etc. ", "No one really knows. There are no historic records, so we can only speculate. Most of their traditional songs (which is all we have to go by) seems to indicate some kind of banishment, but it's just speculation.", "Its only a theory IMO. \nThis dates back to the time of Alexander the Great. When the land was occupied from Alexander in Indian subcontinent. He deployed Army generals to rule the specific regions. Along this time, they laid with the regional women and used their power for wrong. Along with this, small kingdoms emerged near to Indian Subcontinent like Southern Indian Kalinga or Maurya Dynasty (later). As these generals were not as good as the Alexander himself, they lost. Later, they tried annexing the land through other means but failed. \nOnce they became enemies of Indian Dynasties, obviously, they will be banished. Along the same timeline, Egyptian Empire and Middle East emerged and acted as trade middle men or traders themselves. So, Probably, outlook of romans changed from India to middle east. \nIts just my theory and it can be speculated. " ] }
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5ta8h0
what causes whale beaching and can we do anything to prevent it?
It seems to be happening quite frequently in New Zealand, the most recent being at Farewell Spit where [416 whales were beached, with 75% of them dying so far](_URL_1_). Surely there's something we can do to prevent it? EDIT: [another 200 whales at risk of being beached this morning](_URL_0_)
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5ta8h0/eli5_what_causes_whale_beaching_and_can_we_do/
{ "a_id": [ "ddle23p" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "There are two types of beached whales: a single whale or many whales. For a single whale, It's not known exactly, but there are a few hypotheses why. Firstly, sonar may interfere with whales communication. Secondly, whales have be disoriented similarly to humans. Sometimes old age, illness, parasites, amongst other diseases can disorient whales. For many beached whales, it's hypothesized that they are actually trying to save the other whale, but instead get stuck themselves." ] }
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[ "http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/89303624/200-whales-head-to-shore-at-farewell-spit", "http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/324193/farewell-spit-whales-to-be-refloated-tomorrow" ]
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2hwacs
why do russian nazi hooligans wave the swastika flag if it represents their worst enemy?
Looking at different pictures of Russian and other Eastern European football hooligans, I can't understand why they want to be associated with a flag that stands for Nazi Germany which killed millions of their grandfathers? Pictures: _URL_2_ (Spartak Moscow, Russia) _URL_1_ (Karpaty Lviv, Ukraine) _URL_0_ (CSKA Sofia, Bulgaria)
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2hwacs/eli5_why_do_russian_nazi_hooligans_wave_the/
{ "a_id": [ "ckwkjso", "ckwkl3h", "ckwo506", "ckwoayn", "ckwomhu", "ckwqngt", "ckwrw9e" ], "score": [ 3, 23, 10, 5, 12, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Because of the enormity of the Russian dead in WW2 its considered extremely disrespectful and rude. It screams F U!\n", "Whats the most \"anti everything\" thing you can wave in Russia? Bingo.", "Because lots of young people in Russia and the old Soviet countries admire Hitler and Nazism, and consider the WWII to be the reason why the Soviet Union grew to become a superpower. Also years of Cold War has ingrained a siege mentality among the Russian, and xenophobia is strong in that country because of that.", "Because they're uneducated drunk idiots. End of story.", "Because they're the Missouri of Eastern Europe.", "The same reason anyone waves a Nazi flag in the 21st century: Because they're dumb asses who don't know that the Nazis were the losing team 70 years ago.", "They are mostly just uneducated or believe in antisemitism even though they might not be arian." ] }
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[ "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s4BSdTq1AQA/TI4K8lBAp_I/AAAAAAAAMoA/YWS22YLW7nQ/s400/ultras_cska.jpg", "http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2012/5/30/1338385262489/Supporters-of-Karpaty-Lvi-008.jpg", "http://en.ria.ru/images/18444/49/184444931.jpg" ]
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3qocks
how do you test if stuff causes cancer?
Obviously i thought of this because of the news that bacon and red meat apparently cause cancer. How is it tested?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3qocks/eli5_how_do_you_test_if_stuff_causes_cancer/
{ "a_id": [ "cwgxy0w" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "Depends on what level the study is at.\n\nLook at people who regularly eat lots of red meat and bacon, and compare it to people who don't If there is a difference in cancer rates between the two groups, something is causing a higher rate of cancer. Maybe work place exposure, food, lifestyle etc.\n\nThen take genetically modified identical rats, feed one group bacon or red meat, feed the other group a standard diet. See if there is a higher rate of cancer in the rat group that eats a normal rat feed diet.\n\nLong term studies on humans is difficult, you can't lock a person in a cage and restrict their diet or activities. And there are ethics concerns with intentionally feeding suspected carcinogens to humans. " ] }
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ymm5h
why is having both government and non-government aid important?
Are there any strong particular reasons why?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/ymm5h/eli5_why_is_having_both_government_and/
{ "a_id": [ "c5wxp0v" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "I don't think anyone thinks that it's important to have both things just because. Some people just think that neither the government nor private citizens could ensure everyone's basic welfare on their own." ] }
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3o1v5u
why do eating utensils taste different when they come in contact with aluminum?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3o1v5u/eli5_why_do_eating_utensils_taste_different_when/
{ "a_id": [ "cvte3uw" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "because they taste like aluminum?\nidrk what you're asking, can you rephrase that or be more specific?" ] }
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r6ven
concussions
I had a few concussions when i played football in high school, what exactly happened to my brain when I made those hits that caused concussions? Why did I feel like I was in a "foggy" area when making any hits that my head was apart of after the concussions? What will or can happen to me in the future because of these concussions?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/r6ven/eli5_concussions/
{ "a_id": [ "c43dcvk" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "What happened is that your brain bashed against the inside of your skull, bruising itself and potentially killing some neurons. Not good. You felt foggy because your brain wasn't working completely correctly. Hopefully nothing has happened to you, but there is a possibility you've experienced minor brain damage." ] }
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1txipt
an evolutionary account for why people of some cultures developed with curly hair while people of others developed with straight or wavy hair.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1txipt/eli5_an_evolutionary_account_for_why_people_of/
{ "a_id": [ "cecftau" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "Natural variation in phenotypes. Not everything evolved for practical reasons. Hair type isn't that important for survival. " ] }
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83emip
why a helicopter can’t drop me on the top of mount everest
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/83emip/eli5_why_a_helicopter_cant_drop_me_on_the_top_of/
{ "a_id": [ "dvh7h76", "dvh8opq", "dvhg9j0", "dvhpd41" ], "score": [ 12, 9, 4, 2 ], "text": [ "Because it's too high, at those altitudes the helicopters engine just cannot produce enough power , the blades also just cannot produce enough thrust , the higher the plane or helicopter flies the less thrust and power it has its called density altitude, and it's due to the fact that the higher you go the more spred out air particles become due to the fall in pressure \n\nSo if the air is thin it's sucking in less air to the motor which produces less power and the blades have less air to push against so less thrust ", "Pretend to be you having to get up in three different situations. One is a high ledge, two is a swimming pool and three is the air. When you want to get up a high ledge you can use your hands and arms to get up there. You are essentially trying to push the ledge down and in the process, because obviously you cant push a ledge down, your body goes up. In a swimming pool you essentially do the same. You push the water down in order to get up yourself. You can try to do the same in the air, but there is not enough resistance in the air to get you up. Without getting in too much detail, you can't push down the air in a same way a bird can, so you can't push the air down in order to lift yourself of the ground.\n\nThis is in essence how a helicopter works. A helicopter flying beneath a certain altitude is like you swimming in water. The helicopter's wings can create enough lift by pushing the air down. How higher you go, how thinner the air gets. Essentially it will become harder to push air downwards and that way creating lift. There comes a point where a helicopter can't push enough air downwards so it cant climb any higher. In the same way as when you reach the surface of the water, you can't swim yourself into the air.\n\nMount Everest is too high.", "In 2005 [a guy](_URL_0_) actually did land a helicopter on the summit of Everest. It had been stripped of excess weight, and he and the engine needed supplemental oxygen, but he did make it. He even went back the next day to prove it wasn't a fluke. ", "[It can](_URL_0_).\n\nHowever, most production helicopters cannot fly higher than about 10,000 feet, mostly because there is no reason for them to. The vast majority of the earth is below that level and there is very little economic reason to make a helicopter that can fly higher than that. The ones that can are stripped down experimental models designed for publicity stunts." ] }
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[ [], [], [ "https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didier_Delsalle" ], [ "https://youtu.be/nhYG-IgsRJ0" ] ]
5vq9ne
why doesn't the us school system slowly implement metric teachings into school so that eventually it can be the main system?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5vq9ne/why_doesnt_the_us_school_system_slowly_implement/
{ "a_id": [ "de3xebo" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "I thought all schools taught metric at some point?\n\nI remember learning it. I use it professionally so maybe I'm misremembering but I'm pretty sure exactly this happens.\n\nMetric is slowly gaining ground. I can't see a day when speed limits get posted in km/h but already many items are set in metric.\n\nAlso a number of imperial units have been resized to \"fit\" metric. A fifth used to be 757ml but it got redefined at 750ml to make it a clean fit.\n\n2L bottles are common and most liquids will have both the imperial and the metric quantity listed." ] }
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2uhuov
why are so many elevators operating in a seemingly inefficient algorithm manner?
For example, company building has 3 elevators. I enter on a ground floor and press 'up' arrow. Numbers show the lifts are currently on floors 6, 5 and 3. After a seemingly long pause, elevator from 6th floor starts moving down...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2uhuov/eli5_why_are_so_many_elevators_operating_in_a/
{ "a_id": [ "co8jha5", "co8jl51", "co8k6jw" ], "score": [ 3, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "An elevator traveling from the top has the potential to pick people up along the way and it won't needs to send a second elevator up for them. \n", "Well some systems may just be using an inefficient algorithm; always possible. Some elevators are running far older than you may expect.\n\nAssuming it's a decent algorithm the system probably believes that the other cars were more likely to be boarded and sent to a higher floor, or in fact it's possible they were already predisposed to going up and therefore the car on floor 6 was the best one to send for you. Quite often the ground floor passengers will select multiple floors to go to; a car at a low floor number, but above ground floor, is very likely to be in the middle of making its way up to drop off many passengers. ", "In one of Knuth's Art of Computer Programming volumes, he recommends that the reader watch a bank of elevators and describe its algorithm. He said it would be surprising." ] }
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63r9eu
what is virtualization?
I've got 6 rack servers, and I installed debian and I'm using them normally. But everywhere I look everyone is saying virtualization is the way to go. Is that where the 6 servers work together and appear as one server with access to the hardware of all 6? I'm confused, and wikipedia did not help much.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/63r9eu/eli5_what_is_virtualization/
{ "a_id": [ "dfweuqe", "dfwfcs9" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "It is the simulation of hardware and software. Like an emulator! It is more efficient to simulate your servers using special software than actually using 6 different servers. It's much easier to manage! ", "1 physical server can do the work of many because most servers are never pushed to 100% utilisation. So, get 1 physical server to host a few virtual servers. Each virtual server does its thing separately from each other.\n\nNow imagine 10 physical servers hosting, say, 100 virtual servers. Need more memory on virtual server #35? *click click clickerty click* aaand, [OK], you're done. Need another processor? More storage? No problem.\n" ] }
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2k92ww
why does bubble wrap pop when i squeeze it but not when i cut it?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2k92ww/eli5_why_does_bubble_wrap_pop_when_i_squeeze_it/
{ "a_id": [ "clj262h", "clj2ct2" ], "score": [ 4, 3 ], "text": [ "When you squeeze and pop it, you are stressing the material to it's breaking point and it fails catastrophically, releasing all the air very quickly. \n\n\nWhen you cut it, you open a small hole first without stressing the surrounding material, releasing the air very slowly (comparatively)", "Pressure.\n\nWhy does a kettle of boiling water whistle, but a pot of boiling water doesn't?" ] }
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3g4iuz
how were ancient lighthouses like the lighthouse of alexandria lit and maintained?
Looking at pictures of the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria, I found myself struggling to imagine how they would have maintained such a large fire that high up. I would think they'd continuously feed it wood or other flammables but I'm curious about the basic steps of how exactly it was accomplished. It seems to me like it would have been fairly difficult to maintain a fire at such a height, no? Are there any surviving resources that explain the process behind this?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3g4iuz/eli5_how_were_ancient_lighthouses_like_the/
{ "a_id": [ "ctuqma1", "cturpo5" ], "score": [ 3, 2 ], "text": [ "So, first of all, the fire was only lit at night. Also light pollution back then was way less so you would only have needed a smaller fire compared to what you need today to get yourself seen. Also labor was rather cheap in those days, considering slaves and all.", "Presumably locally available fuels would have included wood and probably coal to keep a fire going continuously during the night. Lighthouse keepers may have added combustible liquids to reduce the expenditure on fuel and keep the light steady during gales, but little information exists in the literature from the time. It may also be possible that the light was protected from the wind by glass windows, and large mirrors may have assisted in projecting the light beam as far as possible. It is likely that lighthouses would have required considerable labour for transporting the fuel and maintaining the flame. At Cape Hatteras in the 1870s, one keeper and two assistants kept themselves busy by tending more sophisticated flames from powerful oil lamps.\n\nThe first lighthouse to use a parabolic mirror was around 1790 and was replaced with the Fresnel lense in 1820 (the first lighthouse to do so)" ] }
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3c8joq
what is brigading?
I've been seeing a lot of talk about this in the uproar. What is it and why do mods want tools for it?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3c8joq/eli5_what_is_brigading/
{ "a_id": [ "cst86ey" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "A person in Subreddit A posts a comment. A user in Subreddit B posts a link to that comment in Subreddit B and says \"Look what this person in subreddit A said!\" All the users in Subreddit B follow the link and downvote the comment in A. Subreddit B has just brigaded Subreddit A. It's important because brigading is against the rules of reddit and if Subreddit B gets caught, the entire subreddit could be banned by the admins. So the mods have a strong incentive to control their users and to stop brigading. " ] }
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1xytvx
why is it, that no matter the food item, any attempt at re-creating fast food always falls short of the 'real' thing?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1xytvx/eli5_why_is_it_that_no_matter_the_food_item_any/
{ "a_id": [ "cffwikz" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "When you make it yourself, you simply can't force yourself put the same ridiculous amounts of salt, sugar, fat and msg into the food as a fast food restaurant does. " ] }
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3fz478
hoverboard mechanism
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3fz478/eli5_hoverboard_mechanism/
{ "a_id": [ "cttbv5k" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "It's because of the motion. \n\nThe description is a little misleading. The surface needs to be a metal that doesn't stick to a magnet, like copper or aluminum. It doesn't have any poles until the hover engine gets near it. \n\nEach hover engine consists of a spinning rotor with magnets. Moving magnets near metal like this induces current in the metal, and that current creates its own magnetic field with like poles which repels the rotor magnets. \n\nIt also creates drag on the rotor, so a fair amount of power is needed to keep them all spinning. " ] }
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4fq853
why is harriet tubman going to be on the $20 bill?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4fq853/eli5_why_is_harriet_tubman_going_to_be_on_the_20/
{ "a_id": [ "d2b149z", "d2b38mi", "d2barkc", "d2bev28", "d2bfitu", "d2bftd8", "d2bh3om", "d2bh9o7", "d2big06", "d2bjcbe", "d2bjol8", "d2bktzy", "d2bkuv8", "d2bl07m", "d2bl31a", "d2bl94a", "d2bli25", "d2bll6d" ], "score": [ 473, 56, 19, 2424, 97, 3, 420, 4, 24, 35, 1817, 5, 4, 6, 2, 9, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "In order to get with modern times, the government wants to put the first woman on our currency. They chose the $20 bill primarily because Andrew Jackson himself hated the national bank and is probably rolling in his grave over the thought that his face was put our our money to begin with. So it only makes sense to replace him, and not other candidates.\n\nHarriet Tubman was selected because they feel that she is the one woman in our national history that has had the most influence on society.", "**Harriet Tubman is NOT replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.** \n\nNot any time soon, at any rate.\n\nThe idea that Harriet Tubman would be replacing Andrew Jackson started a few days ago, when [CNN said that \"a woman\" *might* replace Andrew Jackson](_URL_1_).\n\n > \"The soonest that a new $20 note will be issued is 2030,\" the source said, citing a lengthy process convened by the Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence steering committee, which includes representatives from the U.S. Secret Service, the Treasury, and the Federal Reserve.\n\n > Future Treasury Secretaries -- of which there will be several -- could reverse or alter the decision regarding the $20, making Lew's announcement far less of a clear-cut victory for the movement pushing to place a woman on American currency. \n\nThis story came about after [a poll was conducted](_URL_0_), in which people were asked about whom they'd like to see on the twenty. Harriet Tubman won... and now suddenly, the proposed change is being reported as though all of this is set in stone. Jack Lew - the Treasury Secretary - has expressed his support for the idea, but that doesn't constitute an actual change yet.\n\nIt's certainly *possible* that Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson... but not for several years, and not if anyone offers a different idea in the meantime.", "Because Andrew Jackson made it his political mission to take on and defeat private central banking which is pure evil within a Republic. That's it.", "No one's going to mention that Harriet Tubman was also a badass spy during the Civil War? She's the first American woman to lead an armed expedition in wartime when she freed over 700 slaves at Combahee Ferry. ", "Because Jackson was a controversial figure who was at least partially responsible for the deaths of thousands whereas Harriet Tubman was responsible for saving hundreds of lives. Honoring a racist man who helped to steal the land, livelihoods, and lives of thousands is not something that we find to be acceptable today...nor should we have ever honored him. \nHarriet Tubman was essentially faultless, fighting against the injustice of slavery with every fiber of her being...a truly righteous rebel...a hero who defied the odds and the status quo while always risking her own safety in the pursuit of saving others. There is no greater definition of a hero.", "[Here](_URL_0_) is an interview. Basically the treasury agreed it was time for change and asked the public for input and got a ton of support for Tubman. ", "Paper money, aka bills or notes, needs to be redesigned every so often. Most of the time, it's because doing so allows the Reserve to add new security features to fight against counterfeit, but sometimes, it's also to change the designs to be more aesthetically pleasing, or to add features that make it easier for the visually impaired to use (if all notes were the same size, how would a blind man know if he's getting the right change back?)\n\nA while back, someone proposed removing Founding Father, and founder of the United State's national bank, from the $10, in order to put a woman onto a note for the first time. The proposal didn't sit well with fans of Mr. Hamilton, as nobody's more fitting to exist on american currency as he, especially when there are people like Jefferson or Jackson on other bills that would have been more fitting to remove, considering Jefferson was a slaver and misogynist that tried to dismantle Hamilton's national bank, and Jackson was an old corrupt, racist, anti-Semitic, misogynist, who removed Native Americans from their land, and also tried to dismantle the national bank.\n\nIn the end, they decided to remove Jackson (since people barely even see the $2 bill Jefferson is on) in order to add Harriet Tubman to the front of the widely-used $20. Harriet Tubman was a very important agent of the Underground Railroad, leading many former slaves to freedom in the north, as well as being the first woman to lead an army while freeing slaves at Combahee Ferry.\n\nHarriet Tubman was selected to be on the $20, as she's done more good for more people in America than Jackson. Even Jackson's claim to fame, the Battle of New Orleans, wasn't even done by his own merit; he won due to British incompetence, and he frequently ignored orders, facing several court marshals.", "Because she was important and black. We don't have any important black people on our money and getting rid of Jackson on the 20 note is a pretty easy choice because his fanclub is weak compared to those other money folks. ", "Another reason why Harriet Tubman deserves to be on a $20 bill:\n\nShe embodies the spirit of what it means to be an AMERICAN.\n\nLet me explain...\n\n240 years ago, our founding fathers saw an injustice, said YOLO, fought for what they believed in and won. \n\nHarriet Tubman not only embodied that spirit, but did it all quietly while risking her life.\n\nAs a Typical white middle class American male, I'm damn proud to have Harriet Tubman on my currency", "Black and a woman, Kills two diversity requirement birds with 1 stone and only uses 1 note to do it.", "The real ELI5 answer is this:\n\nLast year there was a large national effort to put a woman on our currency by a group called Women on 20s. They wanted to get a woman on currency to reflect women's contributions to our country. They chose the $20 because Andrew Jackson is a jerk (he relocated Native Americans and also happened to hate paper money). There was a huge vote on who would replace Jackson and Harriet Tubman won. The US Treasury decided to follow what this group wanted. ", "Well, you see, in order to be ruled your resistance must be co-opted. Your existential and ideological struggle must be consumed and fed back to you by your very oppressors. It's why movies like Fight Club and The Matrix exist, but it's also why figures like Harriet Tubman can end up on money. I wonder if she would be happy about this. To be used to buy your next diabetes inducing fast food meal or mindless video game.", "Also, Andrew Jackson committed quite a bit of genocide against Native Americans and was a crazy motherfucker in a bad way.", "People have a bee in their bonnet about race relations (for good reasons in many instances) and it's the Reserve's way of trying to do something to play nice.\n\nAlso Andrew Jackson was a pretty fucked up guy, elected because he got famous for winning a battle that happened after the war was already over.", "Because she's better than Jackson, whom was in support if native American genocide, and slavery", "Woman? check\nBlack? check\n\nTwo birds with one appeasing stone.", "Andrew Jackson was pretty much the first supervillain to be elected President, and in hindsight isn't someone we should be celebrating on our money.\n\nThat's how I see it, anyway.", "There's really no good reason why it's Harriet Tubman specifically. In fact, there are multitudes of more deserving Americans and I say that with no disrespect towards Harriet Tubman's accomplishments. Race is just a hot topic right now and everyone is looking to do something involving that. \n\nI'm not voicing an opinion on the subject, because I really don't care, but anybody who tells you differently is pretty much kidding themselves. " ] }
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[ [], [ "http://www.womenon20s.org/", "http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/16/news/economy/jack-lew-hamilton-10-bill/index.html?iid=hp-stack-dom" ], [], [], [], [ "http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/how-harriet-tubman-kicked-andrew-jackson-off-the-front-of-your-20-bill%e2%80%8b/" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
404vdi
how is it my internet provider (56k) is unable to load videos i want to watch quickly, but can instantly load hd advertisements?
It can't be YouTube/the video's side, right? My internet can't load HD videos when I want it to, what makes it able to for an advertisement video?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/404vdi/eli5_how_is_it_my_internet_provider_56k_is_unable/
{ "a_id": [ "cyri2ru" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Can you do a speed test? Go to _URL_0_, and post the shareable URL of your results. \n \nOne reason is the advertisement's bitrate is usually lower, meaning it takes less data to stream it to you. Another reason is that they are stored on local servers (hence why you see commercials from local businesses), so the amount of people trying to access the content is less, meaning more available bandwidth." ] }
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[ [ "speedtest.net" ] ]
28aayd
would it be possible to mine a white dwarf star?
I actually joined reddit to ask this question, couldn't find the answer online.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/28aayd/eli5would_it_be_possible_to_mine_a_white_dwarf/
{ "a_id": [ "ci8xxwl", "ci90ng3", "ci92wo9", "ci94squ" ], "score": [ 14, 10, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Not with science as we know it. We'd have to have some serious gravity/mass shenanigans to even get close to a dwarf star. \n\nIf you could create a powerful enough gravity well in the vicinity of a dwarf star, you could possibly syphon off some of its mass. The problem then would be whether the impossibly-large-to-comprehend energy expenditure would be worth the payoff, in addition to mundane problems like avoiding being sucked in yourself.\n\nIn short: no way of knowing, with present science.", "Assuming you want energy.\n\nStar is shooting his energy away.\n\nYou can just collect it in a save distance.\n\nIf you built a ball of solar cells around it in far away distance. You could *mine* it.", "Sorry to come in and lower the mentality of the conversation here... but what would you mine from a star? ", "I don't propose an answer (you got some fairly good ideas from replies already), I just wanna say that your question might be the starting point for a good hard-sci-fi novel." ] }
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1zo3rn
with modern technology that can locate a rock on mars, how come we can't find amelia earhardts plane?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1zo3rn/eli5_with_modern_technology_that_can_locate_a/
{ "a_id": [ "cfvdb7p", "cfvdc4p" ], "score": [ 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Two entirely different things. On Mars they randomly find rocks. Mars has gajillions of rocks just laying around. It'd be the same as randomly finding a rock on Earth. They're not looking for 1 particular rock.", "Finding a rock is easy, finding a particular rock, that is most likely under water, that's a bit trickier." ] }
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2l8m3r
how exactly does a bite from a venomous spider kill you?
What exactly is going on on a biological and/or chemical level? Is there more than one way it kills you?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2l8m3r/eli5_how_exactly_does_a_bite_from_a_venomous/
{ "a_id": [ "clsghcv", "clsgl8p", "clsgpdp" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 9 ], "text": [ "doesnt it clot up your blood and stop it from flowing? theres a .Gif of it somewhere I believe", "It depends. Different spiders have a different kind of toxin in their venom. Not all venom kills the same. Not all venom kills in general. It's easier to research a specific spider instead of just venom. Wikipedia a specific spider and it will most likely tell you about it's venom and what it will do to your body.", "It depends on the spider. Different venoms work in different ways. Widow spiders use a venom called Latrotoxin, a neurotoxin that screws with your brain's communication with the rest of the body and causes extreme pain. Recluse spiders use a cocktail of toxins that don't cause much pain, they simply cause cells to rupture and die, leading to necrosis. [This is what necrosis looks like at a cellular level](_URL_0_). I recommend you don't look up what it looks like at a macro level. Wolf spiders use a paralytic agent that blocks signals directed from the brain to the muscles, leading to local paralysis. A wolf spider got loose in the showers at a summer camp I worked at once. The sight of a dozen young men half naked with only one functioning leg each screaming for help and trying to get to the first aid lodge was both terrifying and amusing. " ] }
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[ [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrosis#mediaviewer/File:Structural_changes_of_cells_undergoing_necrosis_or_apoptosis.png" ] ]
1m7dnc
how do movies deal with casting overweight and ugly people?
There are so many times in movies in which characters make fun of other characters for being overweight, but do they look for people who are initially fat to do the character? How are the characters okay with just being berated?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1m7dnc/eli5_how_do_movies_deal_with_casting_overweight/
{ "a_id": [ "cc6gflt", "cc6gkjz", "cc6h38s", "cc6hdjh", "cc6hqkz", "cc6hrzl", "cc6hye5", "cc6iavi", "cc6ig03", "cc6inmd", "cc6iouj", "cc6iq5s", "cc6iqzp", "cc6j54e", "cc6j9f5", "cc6jaee", "cc6jmyr", "cc6jn2a", "cc6jrsz", "cc6jxqr", "cc6k4fs", "cc6k57i", "cc6k5eo", "cc6k9lj", "cc6kbt6", "cc6kcyt", "cc6ktvp", "cc6l1kv", "cc6lm8d", "cc6lq7z", "cc6lxi8", "cc6m2lf", "cc6mrjn", "cc6n2dj", "cc6ntes", "cc6nx60", "cc6o2um", "cc6o3ro", "cc6okzk", "cc6ophd", "cc6or8l", "cc6pqlx", "cc6r142", "cc6rwf1", "cc6ssvc", "cc6vbmk", "cc6vk11", "cc6vtch", "cc6vzpj", "cc6w4qz", "cc6w7ym", "cc6wlp9", "cc6xqsp", "cc6xry4" ], "score": [ 42, 1925, 116, 47, 12, 11, 1036, 877, 210, 19, 4, 9, 30, 3, 2, 14, 2, 3, 2, 17, 1587, 35, 3, 5, 2, 2, 14, 2, 15, 3, 5, 2, 2, 2, 8, 8, 4, 12, 2, 3, 10, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 9, 2, 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "I'm not sure if this is right but, I think a person usually auditions for the part they want to play. So if they are fat or ugly and they audition to play a fat or ugly person, they can expect to be treated/portrayed a certain way. Unfortunately stereotypes exist for a reason. \n\nIn other words, I think if you are fat or ugly and you're up for a part in a movie.. you'll pretty much expect that you're not going to be considered the heart throb or the babe of the movie. \n\nEdit: a word.", "They put out a casting call for \"big\" or \"unconventional\" types. The actor knows they are going for the ugly role but also they will get paid decently. \n\nPlus, the fat/ugly character is usually made up and costumed especially unflattering so the actor can take solace in the fact that they don't actually look as bad as the character does on-screen.", "In film there is a fine distinction between lead and character actors. No matter how much he might try, Daniel Day Lewis can never play a sumo wrestler, for example. There are character actors out there that specifically play sumo wrestlers, motorcycle gang members, or Mexican gangbangers (just an example).\n\nThe actors being considered for those roles understand that they are playing a character; indeed they've been able to make a career out of it. Not everybody in the movies can be a Hollywood-type charmer with insanely good looks, and people understand that. Typically the breakdowns that come out of casting directors will look something like this:\n\n\"BIKER GUY [35 - 55 yrs] - Having a good time with his biker friends at the bar when the Terminator suddenly comes in. Looking for heavier set individuals, long beard and tattoos would be a plus but not required. Not handsome type, please do not submit lead-looking actors.\"\n\n A very good example of this is Melissa McCarthy, she knows exactly what she is, is extremely good at it, and is even getting her fair share of lead roles.", "The extras for the cantina scene in the original Star Wars were provided by a Brit firm called Uglies Limited, which specializes in casting \"unconventional\" actors.\n\nAnd then there's \"Hollywood Homely...\"\n\n_URL_0_\n\n", "Almost all actors who have had a history of being cast as \"unconventional\" (as they call it) know they are fat and usually dont take any offense at all.", "There are casting agencies for just this.\n\n_URL_0_", "Somewhat related: In Home Alone when Macauley Culkin makes fun of his brother's girlfriend (\"Buzz, your girlfriend! Woof!\"), the picture shown was a chubby boy in a wig, because director Chris Columbus didn't want to make fun of a young girl.", "My friends cousin who is 12 years old and very fat was in a commercial. They gave him a \"fat jacket\" and told him that he was not fat, but this jacket would make him look big... He believed it and was paid very well.", "Casting director here; we often use words like \"character\" to imply 'not classically handsome'. Our industry isn't exempt from political correctness or heightened sensitivity to people's social expectations; but that doesn't stop people from putting out casting calls using words like \"hot, sexy\" etc. \n\nThere's no shortage of confident and charismatic people that aren't conventionally attractive, and it's an actor's job to know what kind of roles they'd be good for. In fact, they often emphasize the very features that differentiate them from attractiveness expectations. If a role requires a seriously obese person, and that was effectively dictated by the casting call, it's common for actors to show up in outfits that emphasize that characteristic, which is at least a suggestion that they are going to be at least outwardly comfortable with the subject matter. \n\nOn the talent side, talent knows that being friendly and agreeable, even if they find the material offensive or distasteful, is an implied expectation; and if you can't hide your disgust for the subject matter, you're probably not a good enough actor to carry the role anyway. \n", "I always think about this. Especially when there's an old woman or something and the show/movie cracks a bunch of jokes about how she's about to die", "If I remember correctly in *Home Alone* Kevin's brothers girlfriend was actually a boy in makeup to make him look like an unattractive girl. [Woof](_URL_0_). ", "There's also \"fat\" and \"TV fat.\" Television and movies are two-dimensional mediums (even 3D is projected onto a flat screen) and there is an old saying that \"the camera adds 10 pounds.\" This is why someone who looks thin on screen looks absolutely anorexic when you see them in real life (\"My God, she's so tiny!\")\n\nWhich basically is a way of saying, people look fatter on screen than they would if you saw them outside walking down a sidewalk. \n\nEdit: Downvotes for mentioning (correctly) that people look fatter on camera than in real life? Really?", "I remember reading an interview where Kristen Wiig was talking about trying to cast for Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect. She wanted Rebel Wilson, but was stressed about sending her a script and telling her to read for the character named \"Fat Amy\".\n\nRebel Wilson knows what's up, and loved the script. ", "AMA request for Clint Howard ", "I remember hearing a radio interview in which a writer/series creator mentioned being a bit uncomfortable about a casting call for one of her characters going out for an \"overweight, sassy black lesbian\"", "This is not an ELI5 question.", "To truly answer this we need an AMA with half the cast of Orange Is the New Black. I love that show and love the acting, but they **really** made some people on it ugly!", "Sometimes actors gain weight for a role. Consider the case of the actor that played Pvt. Lawrence (Gomer Pyle) in Full Metal Jacket, who holds the world record for most weight gained for a role. It took him around 6 months to work it off.", "For the \"ugly\" effect they take attractive women and add makeup: _URL_0_", "This is why I like British TV, half the people are believably ugly (read normal/plain not truly fugly) or at least homely in a cute way. Take The Thick of It vs. The West Wing. Way more believable ugly people in TTOI.", "WORKING FAT ACTOR HERE! (Proof: _URL_1_)\n\nHere's how it works: Agents and managers have access to something called a \"Breakdown\" which is a character \"broken down\" into a description of their look, characteristics and types by the casting director. When they want a fat person, they generally use the terms chubby, overweight, big, or some other euphemism. Sometimes, rather than post a physical description, they'll post a characteristic that could easily be played by the token chubby dude. For example, I go in a lot for \"stoner,\" \"dweeby nerd,\" \"best friend,\" \"annoying guy with borderline Aspbergers,\" etc.\n\nIn terms of the character being berated, it's REALLY rare, actually. When it does happen, though, it's usually meant to be funny and we chubby guys totally get the joke and do everything we can to play it up. I once rolled around in Cheetos to cover myself in orange dust as I slowly lifted my shirt to reveal my prodigious muffin top. For the lawlz.\n\nWhen it's dramatic, it's exciting for us heavier guys because most of the time we are playing the comic relief. Just because we are inherently funny due to added hormones in McDonald's ~~chicken~~ nuggets doesn't mean we're not real actors. I have a four-year fine arts degree from a pretty good conservatory and I can make tears come out of my face.\n\nOK, so about being \"above-average in size\" in Hollywood - it can be a pretty sweet gig. First off, unlike the sexy and leading types competing with *thousands* of other actors, we chubby guys have a lot less competition. At every audition I go to, there are the same faces. We're all friends on Facebook, we go to each other's improv shows, and we all marry women who are way out of our leagues. It's like Overeaters Anonymous without the 12 steps and anonymity.\n\nSecond, while most people assume fat = funny, there are really awesome chances for overweight actors to do some dramatic work, like I mentioned earlier. I've had to cut off my own hand as I was dying from a zombie bite, attempt a rape on a girl who's father just died, and get brutally murdered in the woods. \n\nFinally, craft services. OMG, like, amazing, you don't even know. There is a person who's job is to keep the entire crew supplied with delicious treats all the live long day. Veggies, exotic cheeses, chips of every kind, energy drinks, water - both room temp and cold, nuts, candies, Red Vines (never Twizzlers), bagels, sandwiches, and so on. I remember one time where it was a night shoot and my co-stars and I were fighting this massive zombie and the little crafty girl came out with hot taquitos and grilled cheese triangles. I maybe made out with her. (SPOILER: I did not make out with her )\n\nSo, yeah, don't worry - we're living the dream just like the skinny people. We just put our backs into it. \n\ntl;dr yes. money. \n\nEDIT: To the guy who wanted proof that chubby actors marry up, behold the glory that is my wife: _URL_0_", "Jorge Garcia said that during his audition for the role of Sawyer in LOST, the people in charge of casting said he wasn't the physical representation of the Sawyer they had in mind and asked him if he'd like to play himself, an overweight, awkward character who is more kind hearted than Sawyer. So they reinvented Hurley and made him fit Garcia perfectly. I assume he wasn't offended by them asking him if he could play someone else because of his weight, most actors are happy with any major role they're offered.", "They just call up Vince Vaughn", "also you may notice that movie ugly is quite far from real life ugly", "There are some people who market their unattractiveness and other aspects such as being fat as what gets them parts. People like Steve Buscemi know they have some unattractive aspects (such as his teeth) but refuse to fix them because they help get him parts by making him stand out.", "This was discussed in an AMA with the guy who plays \"Fat Neil\" in Community. \n\n_URL_0_\n\n", "They hire Steve Buscemi.", "Somewhat related, they must not have bothered in the 50s and 60s, particularly on television. Seriously, go back and look at some shows on Antenna TV or a network like it showing classic shows. Isn't it amazing how many roles are played by obese, *old*, people for just about everything except where a teenager or a young woman figures into the story. Leads, supporting, and extras. Look at an episode of Columbo, or the Six Million Dollar Man or countless others going back to black and white. The whole gambit. *Today* the same roles are all young or at least attractive people. It's like some creepy eugenics thing at work.\n\nI have taken to winding back trying to pinpoint when \"real\" adults, pork and all, were fazed out of TV and movies. Near as I can tell it began happening toward the end of the 70s.", "Film maker here, hope this helps.\n\nTypically the casting process starts when a casting director puts out a casting breakdown. Think of it like a job posting, with all the relevant details for the role. If a director is looking for a specific bit part, such as \"Fat Screaming Woman\" the role will usually be defined as such. A lot of actors I know do very well for themselves because they fit into very specific niches. Most of the time it's an unspoken thing where the actor's auditioning for the role will be able to tell from the casting breakdown wether they will be a good fit for the part. This is the exact same process that would go into casting a \"beautiful\" person. Sometimes, it is not so obvious so casting agents / directors will include something in the breakdown to elude to what physical attributes they're looking for. It's not unusual to see things like \"Victoria's years of poor diet and hygiene have left her depressed\". Some director's however will hold a more open casting process, this will attract more people for any given role, ultimately leading to a decision to be made \"behind closed doors\" as to wether the actor fits the physical aspect of the role. \n\nActors also submit a headshot before they are even invited to audition so a lot of perspective people are cut initially if they don't fit the physical characteristics needed. However, I've worked with plenty of asshole directors/producers\n who will simple pay no mind to anyone actor's feelings and state things like \"I'm not looking for an ugly ginger\". Sadly, it's a very superficial industry.", "[This modeling agency](_URL_0_) was used by the producers of Shaun of the Dead, among other films. Its specialty is people who aren't necessarily two-baggers, but wouldn't usually be cast in \"normal\" roles.", "They're straight forward and put out casting calls saying exactly what they're looking for. \n\nBut what about the hurt feelings? As Don Draper would say, \"That's what the money's for!\"", "Game of Thrones's casting call requested people with \"medieval\" faces and, if possible, disabilities (missing eyes, noses, ears, hands, legs).", "Money. Simple as that. Most people are willing to accept their faults or undesirable features for the right price.", "Many answers in here are correct. Casting companies use wording such as \"seeking overweight women who look 25-30\" just as they would say they are seeking very thin men/women. Actors should know their type enough not to get offended.", "\"We've got you auditioning for a new television show, it's called Jake and the Fat Man.\"\n\n\"Sounds great, you have a script for this Jake character?\"\n\n\"Ummm, yeah... About that...\"", "England doesn't have an issue with it. Seriously, England's television actors represent the real physical types of England unlike American Soap Operas and other shows where beauty gets you onto the set instead of acting capabilities. But it wasn't always that way. Growing up with Fat Albert, All in the Family and the such. One of the first U.S. shows to really buck the norm was Roseanne.", "So many of these commenters are WAY over thinking this. Let me explain the casting process a little bit first: a script is written. It is given to the Casting Director (CD). The CD breaks down the roles into brief character descriptions and send them out to an online database, these are known as the \"Breakdowns.\" The Breakdowns are uppdated and submitted through the day. Here is an example of a typical breakdown - \n\n[MURPHY] Male. Late 20s to 30s. A tough skinhead type in prison. POSSIBLE GUEST STAR. (3 or 4 scenes)\n\nAgents read the breakdowns to see which of their clients fit which roles and submit their clients accordingly (now almost exclusively online). The CDs then go through the submissions, chose who to bring in and schedule as such through the agents. This gets us to the point where most people assume that the casting process starts :the auditions. \n\nNow, to answer the questions bluntly. If they want a fat person, they breakdown says \"fat.\" If they want an ugly person they will often say so. Maybe not use the word \"ugly\" but definitely imply such by saying things such as \"not handsome,\" \"no pretty people,\" \"Steve Buscemi type\" or something like that. You get the picture. The fact that you are all missing is that being actors, at least being good ones, means you know your type. If you are homely looking and you are a serious actor you KNOW you are homely looking and you don't pretend to yourself that you are something else. You play to your strengths. If you want to be a leading man but you are a Character Heavy, you are doing two things, you are fooling yourself, and you are unemployed. If you are a fat actor, you know that you are a fat actor and you look for the fat acting roles. Simple as that. \n\nOh, and in response to the comment about the hometown 10s coming to LA and realizing they are an 8, tops? That is what the title for the show \"Hot in Cleveland\" is literally saying. A Cleveland 10 might be an LA 6. That is just the way it goes. You either learn your type or you find another profession. ", "I am a casting director in background casting for feature films and television shows.\n\nWhen it comes to ugly people, the case is generally as follows: we post on sites commonly visted by background and actors hoping to portray background. For posts looking for not-so-goodlooking folks, we say things like, \"looking for non-descript pedestrians\" or \"looking for homeless and homeless looking types.\" \n\nTo be honest, it is rare that a director is looking for SERIOUSLY ugly people. For that, generally they \"picture select\" - meaning that we go through every database we can think of, picking the homeliest, ugliest, and best ugly-looking people we can find - in hoping that the director agrees. \n\nIn the best cases - they do! \n\nIn the not so good cases - the director circle one or two faces and say \"this is closer to what we're looking for.\" We then search for people with similar characteristics to that person - again remember we have databases full of individuals - and find another list of 18 or so people that the director can look at, and once again decide their opinion.\n\nIf we're not even close, generally they give us a second shot. If we miss again, they fire us and go to a new agency. If we're in the right zipcode, either they say \"wow, that person is GREAT\" and circle them, or something like \"give me a dozen more that look like THAT\" and pick one person they particularly like. \n\nRemember - there are lots of feature that stick out to make a person significantly different looking. Find several with that feature - heck, you could make a damn good casting director.\n\n", "They call your mom", "They find the prettiest overweight people.", "Current manager, former agent assistant and former casting Assistant here. They just put it in the role description. Plain and simple. \n\nDonna: F, early-mid 20's overweight, bordering on obese. A stuck up sycophant who thinks she belongs in the \"in crowd\" due to an unchecked ego. She flirts with Ryan at a party to get his attention yet her stubborn personality makes him flee back to Kaylee. 2 lines, 2 scenes (or supporting lead or under 5, whatever the role is)\n\nJust wrote that up, but that's extremely typical. It's truly up to the agent or manager to determine how much detail to give the client in role description. I've been known to take out the \"overweight border line obese\" part in order to keep them happy. But when it comes down to conversation with said client, if they ask or are in contention, they eventually read the script if not initially and we'll talk it out. Good way to go about it is to say, \"physically the prototype is a Melissa McCarthy or rebel Wilson\". ", " > How are the characters okay with just being berated?\n\n$.", "I want to discuss Jennifer grey. The girl whose career was made with Ferris bueller and cemented with dirty dancing ruined her career with [rhinoplasty](_URL_0_) \n\n\"I'll always be this once-famous actress nobody recognises... because of a nose job.\"\n\nSometimes the casting is for \"plain\" or something. There is a little thing that is hard to define that makes an actor valuable even though it should make them ugly. \n\nGandolfini, both Hoffmans, macy, Reilly, hell even Gosling \n\nRobert Redford almost got the part in the graduate but he was too pretty. Gosling was cast in the notebook because the director *didn't* think he was a hunk. \n\nI applaud producers and directors who can look beyond the pretty and see the gem in the plain. I honestly think Weaver lent the alien franchise a grittiness that would not have been appreciated if she were more conventionally attractive. \n", "Honestly, the rent has to be paid and a couple of grand for a few days work, you can call me whatever you want. Trust me, working actors don't care. They are happy to get the credit and get paid. Unfortunately, if you're a person who gets easily upset then working actor is not the career that someone should choose. \n\nWhen casting puts out a notice for an ugly thin or fat girl, agents are going to submit their best clients who they see as good fits. That's how they make money, so it's in their best interest to make good selections. \n It's a job and no one is outwardly malicious about it. The people on set are working to create a reality, because that's their job. And really, you hear about crazy celebrity antics, but off screen you have a million normal looking people, of all shapes and sizes working hard to make it seem like they didn't do anything. \n\nBesides, you don't have to be ugly for them to make you ugly and if you don't want to be berated in a part, then just don't take the part. There are plenty of actors who would love the chance to act and who aren't so sensitive about it. \n\nI've worked on set, in a talent agency, in a studio and at a network for A list projects and people are generally really cool. The only malicious assholes iv'e ever come across, honestly are some of the assistants to the higher profile people. Ass Kissers.\n\nAll those people you see getting made fun of, know that it's all a part of an unreal universe and know not to put much stock in it. Besides, the better job you do, you might end up being the go to person for that \"type\" and thats money in the bank. One girl at my agency became the go to \"fat girl\" for a while and I didnt feel too bad for her, she bought herself a 40,000 car for her birthday and I bought myself dinner at a Sizzler. ", "If you get the ugly part in a movie, Then you are in a movie, and that's awesome. If you don't get the part, then you are too pretty for that part, and that's awesome!", "The actors who are overweight know this fact about themselves, and they play to it. They make the decision, \"well, I might as well run with it and make it work for me\" and so they get those parts and make it work for them. I'm sure there's pain in the berating, but I would think everyone involved keeps in mind that it's just acting. ", "I always wondered the same thing watching Al Bundy insult fat women on Married With Children.", "Same question , but with the three boobed chick role fore \"total recall\" ", "People have whole careers based on looking like a big weird uggo. And they can make bank on it. Most professionals actors in those sorts of roles have a little self awareness and aren't oblivious to the fact that they don't look like the Hollywood \"norm\" (read: tan + abs + symmetrical face).", "It's casting. The casting breakdowns are usually not pejorative in language. They'll ask for overweight. When they want weird, they may say \"character types.\" That might mean interesting looking people.\n\nHow are actors okay with it? I'm a working actor and I almost always play geeks and dweebs. You accept how others perceive you and bring humanity to the roles you're fortunate to be cast in. If the script is written by mean shitheads, you can always turn down a role. But never do I see scripts are just point-and-laugh-at-the-weirdo-and-move-on. We're not berated by being who we are. I am a geek. I will be cast as that more often than not.\n\nOne of my friends is... not the most physically attractive. But she works more than any of my actor friends out there, even the famous ones. Why? Because she knows who she is. She accepts it, and goes beyond to embrace it. She works a ton in creature films, horror, and even big budget films and TV. She loves it.\n\nAnother friend of mine is super talented, but has a southern accent. He usually plays the southern guy. When he embraces it, he books. He's been on Dexter and Justified as the low-IQ southern guys. That's how he is perceived and gets his roles. I know he would rather branch out to be perceived as more, and with time he has been able to get more substantive roles that allow that. I think for him, it's tougher to deal with. My black actor friends get tired of being \"the black guy,\" and some outright refuse to take those roles on even if it means work. Conversely, a black actress friend of mine usually asks immediately, \"how black do you want me to be?\"\n\nTL;DR: They aren't dicks when they ask in the breakdowns. We actors embrace or reject who we are perceived as and mold our careers from that.\n", "They're actors. If they can't handle having a character make fun of their character, they're not an actor and would never find work. That's it. It's your job, now deal with it. They know what they look like, and they use it as an asset. Their job is their appearance and ability to essentially be someone else. ", "Related question. What if they aren't \"bad looking\" but not intended to be an attractive character. For example the prostitutes on Game of Thrones look less attractive than the main actresses or even the extras that play higher society roles. Do they just put out an ad for \"basic bitches\" or how does that work?", "Did you really need a LI5 explanation for this? Try /r/answers next time! =)", "They usually just ask me nicely. :( \n\n . . . I kid. I'm gorgeous, and so are you." ] }
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[ [], [], [], [ "http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HollywoodHomely" ], [], [ "http://www.ugly.org/UGLY-MODELS/" ], [], [], [], [], [ "http://www.jacquielonglegs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Jacquie-Coe-buzz-13.png" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2012/07/actresses-tv-ugly-real-world-hot/#page/9" ], [], [ "http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3180891/", "http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3204061/" ], [], [], [], [], [ "http://redd.it/qgfuv" ], [], [], [], [ "http://www.ugly.org/UGLY-MODELS/" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://www.contactmusic.com/news/dirty-dancer-greys-nightmare-nose-job_1012171" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
37d8oa
at the chemical level how does isopropyl alcohol break down tough substances like resin from a pipe?
Yes, I'm high.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/37d8oa/eli5_at_the_chemical_level_how_does_isopropyl/
{ "a_id": [ "crlqm1b" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is an organic (carbon based) solvent. What is a solvent? Solvents are substances that are capable of dissolving other substances (solutes). Polar(molecules with a partial negative charge and a partial positive charge) solvents (ex. water) typically dissolve polar solutes where as non polar solvents (organic solvents) typically dissolve non polar solutes; interestingly isopropyl alcohol (CH3CHOHCH3) which is organic also contains a polar hydroxyl (OH) group, which gives it the ability to dissolve a great array of substances. The resulting mixture of solvent + solute is called a solution. What is the driving force behind solution formation? Entropy (increase in disorder). In a miscible solution the solvent and solute are allowed to move relatively freely throughout the solution creating homogenous (uniform mixture) of the component solution. Conversely a mixture of water (polar) and a non polar hydrocarbon (oil) will not form a solution. The oil will actually tend to aggregate. This may appear to be counterintuitive because for a given mixture the entropy of the universe must increase, but the oil is forming a separate layer rather than dispersing evenly throughout the water. What is going on? The hydrophobic effect. The miscible oil is actually restricting the hydrogen bond conformations of the water layer, creating a semi-ordered mixture. To free potential H-bonding conformations the oil aggregates in the smallest (surface area)/(Volume) ratio possible, probably a sphere. " ] }
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1jth7q
in old video footage, why do people running seem like they're moving really fast?
I was watching Ken Burns Baseball PBS documentary the other day, and the players look so fast running around the bases. Why does this happen with grainy, old video from the early 20th century?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1jth7q/eli5_in_old_video_footage_why_do_people_running/
{ "a_id": [ "cbi47h0" ], "score": [ 20 ], "text": [ "You mean film? The current standard for film is to shoot at 24 frames per second. Back in the day, film was shot closer to 16 frames per second. When we transferred this media to modern formats, the motion appears sped up because it is playing back 24 frames in a second, when in actuality what you see is more than a second's worth of filming." ] }
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34g37w
what causes the reddit phenomenon of [deleted] and subsequent chain of deleted comments?
I don't understand this-is it mods? People afraid to leave their feelings up on the web? Do they reap karma even when they delete? It troubles me to see entire blocks of conversation disappear.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/34g37w/eli5_what_causes_the_reddit_phenomenon_of_deleted/
{ "a_id": [ "cquat4q", "cquayxk" ], "score": [ 3, 3 ], "text": [ "Yes, it's the mods. Some subreddits have very strict rules, and a comment thread might be in violation of these rules, so the mods delete it in its entirety. ", "Typically when you see a ton of comments deleted it's because of a combination of user-removal and mod-removal. If two people get in an argument that either has nothing to do with the thread topic or becomes particularly nasty/abusive the mods will often delete the whole thing. Sometimes they'll just delete one party's comments if only that person was abusive or otherwise broke the rules of the sub. In other cases one user just decides they no longer want those comments as part of their \"permanent record\" and the other person decides that they don't need to leave their comments when the ones they were replying to are gone.\n\nAs for karma, all of the karma received while the comments were active remains on the person's profile. Obviously, once the comments are removed/deleted voting is no longer possible on them." ] }
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9q43sf
why does north america need honey bees? if they aren't a native species then couldn't we survive without them?
I learned yesterday that they aren't native to NA so I was wondering why we need them now and how things were pollinated before they were introduced.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9q43sf/eli5_why_does_north_america_need_honey_bees_if/
{ "a_id": [ "e86gdpd", "e86gfx6", "e86yzjb", "e87rt7e", "e87vm79" ], "score": [ 26, 11, 3, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Most wild species would be okay without honeybees. They may have fallen into an ecological niche here or there, but if they were to disappear, something else would fill the gap in time.\n\nThe concern is that honey bees are a major pollinator for our commercial crops; many of which are also not native to North America and therefore have NO native pollinators. Also, unlike other pollinators, honey bees are easy to store and move around from field to field.", "We use non-native bees to fertilize crops which are also non-native. On the other hand, the rapidly vanishing native populations are important for ecological reasons.", "The native wild plants would be fine. But many of the ornamental plants in people's gardens, and crops in the fields need bees as pollinators. The big one here is the crops. Starvation will happen if the bees die before replacement pollinators can be discovered and introduced. ", "AS other said, most native species would be peachy. The non-native would suffer more. Our native pollinators also include wasps, so imagine the amount of those demons needed to keep up.", "I remember reading a while ago that the settlers introduction of the honey bees actually drove some of the native pollinators to extinction and that loss of native pollinators killed off some of the native plants that didn't attract honey bees." ] }
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7mo4mw
if a person were larger than average, wouldn’t they be able to take a higher dosage than the recommended suggested? shouldn’t they have to? ie 3 ibuprofens instead of recommend 2. or 2 glasses of red wine instead of 1.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7mo4mw/eli5_if_a_person_were_larger_than_average_wouldnt/
{ "a_id": [ "drvczzh", "drvd2xc", "drvd9bo" ], "score": [ 6, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Yes. Specific medicine dosages are by body mass. 2 pills is for average people. Andre the Giant would not be taking the same amount of Tylenol as Verne Troyer", "the labeling on the sides of OTC drugs are for an \"average\" person. if you're not an \"average\" person then consult your doctor for special instructions. \n\none \"drink\" has been standardized as 12oz of beer 5% ABV, 5oz of wine 12.5% ABV or 1 oz of liquor 40% ABV. there are charts showing the BAC of weight and number of drinks. this chart is not accurate and is only a guideline. ", "Absolutely. When defining the lethal dose, we use the LD50 system, and define that dose as X amount of drug per kilogram of body mass. So lets say Drug X has an LD50 of 10mg/kg.\n\nIn other words, 50% of people given 10mg of X for every kilogram they weigh would die on average in this experiment. A 100 kg person would be given 1000 mg (1g) of the drug, and a 75 kg person would be given a 750 mg dose, but both would in theory have an equal 50/50 chance of dying from that dose." ] }
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7rt6lu
the difference between nerves and neurons.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7rt6lu/eli5_the_difference_between_nerves_and_neurons/
{ "a_id": [ "dszis74", "dszlaf8" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "Aside from expected adaptations the nomenclature is used to separete those from central nervous system from those of the peripheral ", "Neurons are the cells that can receive and transmit action potential, they can work by chemical or electrical stimulation and are mostly located in your central nervous system so brain hemisphere, brain stem, spinal chord and cerebellum (Altho you do have a \"stomach brain\" in the sense that you have neurons in the digestive system).\n\nYour neurons transmit information thought their axon (The long neuron tail that you can see on classical images) and basically a nerve is a bunch of axone condensed together and that can transmit information from the central nervous system to your body peripherical region such as muscle." ] }
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8nglja
there are millions of waves in the air such as radio waves and wifi signals. how do they reach their destination with out being corrupted?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8nglja/eli5there_are_millions_of_waves_in_the_air_such/
{ "a_id": [ "dzvblgo", "dzvc0we", "dzvc389", "dzvcbi4", "dzwfh4j" ], "score": [ 2, 3, 12, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "Errors do actually occur in these transmissions, but there are a range of \"error correcting codes\" which encode bits of information into longer words. There's a whole field of mathematics dedicated to their study and development", "There are corrupted signals but...\n\nThe WiFi communication is not working like former FM radio whereas there is a sender \\(the station\\) and receiver \\(the radio\\). The communication runs over protocols and these devices have agreed handshakes to confirm correct packages of data.", "Electromagnetic waves do not interact with each other*. This is called the [Superposition principle](_URL_0_).\n\nThis basically says that the amplitudes of waves at one point in space add up, but the waves emerge unchanged - like [this](_URL_2_).\n\n*Electromagnetic waves mac interact in high-energy scenarios. This phenomenon is called [pair production](_URL_1_).", "Errors do occur. Before digital, this would cause the fuzziness in TV signals, and static on radios. With digital, the information is coded and there are only two exact frequencies that the receiver is looking for (one represents 1, and the other, 0). As a result, interference from other sources is ignored, and deterioration in the signal isn't such a big deal, as even if the signal for 1 isn't exactly at the frequency it should be, the receiving computer knows it should be a 1 (this would be easier to explain with pictures!) and can rebuild the information easily. Info is also usually sent several times, with error correction codes to check for mistakes. ", "Electromagnetic waves are all on different bands. Think of it as airplanes flying at different heights. There is no possible way they can interact as long as they each stay at their assigned altitude." ] }
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[ [], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superposition_principle", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair_production", "https://media.giphy.com/media/rPLUatAoNAxBm/giphy.gif" ], [], [] ]
evtx47
why when you wake up from a bad sleep are you hands extremely tired, to the point where holding your phone/turning off the alarm becomes a chore but the rest of your body feels fine.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/evtx47/eli5_why_when_you_wake_up_from_a_bad_sleep_are/
{ "a_id": [ "ffxxudh", "ffxzjt7" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "I get that almost every morning or if i wake up in the middle of the night. It feels like i have no strenght in my hands or fingers! I always have to wake up my bf and ask him to open my water bottle😂", "Ummm...have you spoken to a medical professional about this?" ] }
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b1r6ej
why do some clothes have an spf rating?
I notice this a lot with technical pieces, e.g. hiking trousers. If the sun didn't appear to penetrate a fabric, how is SPF relevant?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b1r6ej/eli5_why_do_some_clothes_have_an_spf_rating/
{ "a_id": [ "eink5oi", "einka27", "einkbje" ], "score": [ 9, 3, 5 ], "text": [ "It is actually UPF. \n\nSome clothes are specifically designed so you don’t get sunburnt underneath your clothes. \n\nA white cotton t shirt won’t protect you from ultraviolet radiation. \n\nUPF clothing will. ", "I try to buy these to prevent getting skin cancer without wearing sunscreen. The more tightly woven a fabric is, the more protection it provides.", "A lot of hiking trousers and jackets are very light as this is most comfortable to walk in. The less weight in the fabric you have strapped to your legs the easier it is to move your legs. So a lot of these trousers are thin as paper. If you put them up to your face you will be able to see through them. So the light from the sun is able to go through them although they will cast a shadow. But this means that you can get sunburned through them as well. So one of the thing they compete on is SPF rating as they try to make light trousers that does not let light, water or wind through but does let through moisture. And this is why trousers can cost thousands of dollars and use aerospace grade materials." ] }
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5pj1cz
won't tapping geothermal energy sources eventually draw all the thermal energy from the core and destroy our protective magnetic field?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5pj1cz/eli5_wont_tapping_geothermal_energy_sources/
{ "a_id": [ "dcri2vm", "dcrismk" ], "score": [ 6, 3 ], "text": [ "You are correct that this process does draw out some energy. But the planet's core is absolutely immense, and very hot. After a billion years or so, there might be a noticeable difference.", "In addition to the incredible vast amounts of energy That would actually have to use to weaken the core. Most geothermal energy is built around volcanic hotspots. Places like Nordic countries where the energy is coming from the upper mantle and would be pouring into The world anyway. " ] }
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31gdnk
how do i explain things to five year olds?
my cousin seems really interested in science that might seem too complicated. What's the best way to explain things to him in a way that doesn't leave him completely confused and discouraged? should I use analogies or something?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/31gdnk/eli5how_do_i_explain_things_to_five_year_olds/
{ "a_id": [ "cq1adhl", "cq1dems" ], "score": [ 4, 3 ], "text": [ "Use everyday objects they can relate to along with analogies. \n\nI read this really good one a while ago explaining the prevalence of birth defects in siblings mating: pretend you and your sister's DNA are pants with holes on the left knee and right pocket. If you put them over each other there will still be holes. But if another person has a pair of pants with only one hole on the right knee area, when you put your pair of pants over that person's pair of pants, the holes will be covered. ", "Use fewer big, fancy words. Analogies are nice, but simple, vivid description and narration can also work. Imagination is powerful, it lets you visualize things, and kids have a lot of it!" ] }
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f16h4s
why does a deeper voiced person's voice still sound deeper than someone else with a higher voice even if they're singing at the same pitch?
[deleted]
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/f16h4s/eli5_why_does_a_deeper_voiced_persons_voice_still/
{ "a_id": [ "fh29mff", "fhfjk0x" ], "score": [ 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Lower tones emit significant more energy overall. It's essentially the same reason why if a 2 ball thrown at you at the same speeds (but one being bigger) will cause different impacts.", "Ordinary sound from voices and instruments has a very messy mathematical structure. Essentially, these sounds (the pitches we hear) are \"constructed\" by very many different frequencies layered on top of one another. While a \"deep\" singer may create the same pitch as another, \"higher\" singer, the sound they're making will contain lots of other, likely lower frequencies that contribute to what you hear.\n\nThe mixture of frequencies in actual sound waves is what generates the \"timbre\" of the instrument. An electric guitar's middle C sounds different to a piano's middle C for this reason. Similarly, different singers have different timbres which is why you may prefer one singer to another even if they're singing the exact same notes.\n\nYou can find apps online that will play you a single, sinusoidal frequency. If you listen this, you will see that it has no real 'character' to it, because there is no mixture of frequencies to create any character. It's just a single, continuous frequency." ] }
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fv72ko
why is sliced deli meat smooth but pieces of meat are shredable/have a visible grain to them?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/fv72ko/eli5_why_is_sliced_deli_meat_smooth_but_pieces_of/
{ "a_id": [ "fmgtp3s", "fmgtvyx" ], "score": [ 3, 5 ], "text": [ "I was a butcher. I'm going to make 2 assumptions.\n\n1) meat = roast\n2) deli meat = sandwich meat\n\nIf you take a processed ham with a bone it still has a grain.\n\nIf you get ham for sandwiches it doesn't. This applies to turkey chicken and many other processed sandwich meats. Because they have gone through the grinding process than packed thought in a form to cook.\n\nIf you get a higher end sandwich meat like a roast beef you'll see a meat grain.", "Deli meat is recombined meat. Take all the bits of meat no one wants, stick em in a blender until you get a kind of paste-like substance, stuff it into a sausage casing, cook it. \n\nNormal meat is primarily muscle tissue. Muscles only work when all the cells are aligned in rows facing the same direction, which is why you get a visible alignment to the meat. When the meat is behaving in a shredded fashion, such as in pulled pork, this is because the cooking process weakened the protein structure holding the individual muscle fibers together enough that they can be easily pulled apart. \n\nAs for hams n' stuff, the stuff that isn't recombined, this is typically cut perpendicular to the alignment of fibers in the muscle, so you don't get any visible long fibers, but you do get a relatively flakey texture, depending on how its been cooked." ] }
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6jx0v1
why are almost all the animals afraid of rain ?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6jx0v1/eli5_why_are_almost_all_the_animals_afraid_of_rain/
{ "a_id": [ "djhmoxl", "djhmq1z", "djhmrnx" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "I don't know, but I also wonder: Why do people leave a swimming pool when it starts to rain?", "SOME animals can stand extreme heat, SOME animals can stand extreme cold, MOST are in the middle. \n\nBeing out in the rain means their fur will get soaked, and if it gets soaked it doesn't work to keep them warm any more. This is why we humans do not wear fur coats in the rain, we wore oilskins and now we wear smooth synthetic raincoats. Fur just gets wet and then it transmits the cold outside temperature straight to the skin. ", "Generally when you get wet you get cold, and when you get cold you need more energy to warm up. More energy means more food. That and it could cause hypothermia if the animal isn't able to warm up in time." ] }
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2ma6i1
how come when i am climbing something i can look down and be ok but when i look up it seems to get me nervous?
I was climbing a ladder on a very tall building and i kept looking down which has never bothered me, but when i would look at the top of the ladder i would get 'vertigo' i guess. ELI5
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2ma6i1/eli5how_come_when_i_am_climbing_something_i_can/
{ "a_id": [ "cm2bqor", "cm2brwz" ], "score": [ 7, 3 ], "text": [ "I'd say its the angle of the head during climbing that is naturally tilted downwards. when you look up, your eyes are naturally angled looking into the building face, so the wall plane seems to be tilted out leaving you feeling like you're precariously perched on an inversely slanted wall with the sky behind you ready to swallow you up.", "As someone who has the same vertigo issue, I'm curious about this myself. Worth noting is that mine often occurs when I'm standing on the ground as well.\n\nFor instance, if I stand at the base of a flagpole and look to the top, I fall down." ] }
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228pzm
if our bodies have no use for organs like the appendix or wisdom teeth, why haven't they disappeared by now?
I know that evolving and changing a physical makeup can take hundreds and hundreds of generations, but why do our bodies still grow things that it has no use or space for? I just got my wisdom teeth removed and it's made me curious.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/228pzm/eli5_if_our_bodies_have_no_use_for_organs_like/
{ "a_id": [ "cgkfgd9", "cgkfizk", "cgkgen0", "cgkguf3", "cgkjqp2" ], "score": [ 36, 24, 8, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Evolution takes a really really long time, and since we know how to remove them from people, we've effectively removed the evolutionary pressure to evolve past them.\n\nAs long as we continue to let people with wisdom teeth and appendices mate,and remove them when they cause trouble, we're pretty much stuck with them.", "Also, they have found a use for the Appendix, it holds a reservoir of probiotic bacteria, and if all the \"good\" bacteria in your intestines were wiped out (by antibiotics or C difficile), the bacteria stored in the appendix can grow and recolonize your intestines.", "The mechanisms of evolution don't allow for easy declutter. We still have remnants of ancestral organs (vestigial organs) because they aren't harming or helping. There's not enough selection pressure to weed them out. And even when there is selective pressure, it still takes time. They're like grandma's knick-knacks - useless but typically harmless.\n\nAlso, there's the possibility of organs, such as the appendix, undergoing exaptation, or the evolution of a new function (as seen with prolactin, feathers, penguin wings, modern immune cells, etc...). \n\nEdit: grammar", "Because evolution is not something morphing into another animal. It is when a population of animals has many differences, for example humans have different colored hair, eyes, and skin. So lets say that it was advantageous for a human to have brown hair because it offered better camouflage against the brown ground meaning we could hunt better. That doesn't mean all the blonde people would magically morph into a brunette. it means all the blond people would die lol, leaving behind only brunettes, meaning the human race is now predominantly brunette. So the only way the human race could 'evolve' to not have wisdom teeth and appendixes is if all the people with appendixes and wisdom teeth died. It does'nt matter if you got yours removed or not. For example if i chop my leg off, then have a baby, the baby will not have a missing leg too", "Because there's currently no reason having them would lower one's chances at reproducing. Situations where these organs threaten an individual's life before they've reached reproductive age is rare, and modern medicine has increased this rarity. Even if a mutation caused a lack of wisdom teeth, that mutation doesn't grant an individual an advantage for procreation." ] }
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716jqh
why do we have a weaker and a stronger hand/foot?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/716jqh/eli5_why_do_we_have_a_weaker_and_a_stronger/
{ "a_id": [ "dn8gti2" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Because for most people, you use one of them more than another.\n\nMore practice = more skill, more skill = more frequent use, more frequent use = more strength." ] }
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1pldor
why are some things hard to understand? what is going on in our brains when we can't understand something?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1pldor/eli5_why_are_some_things_hard_to_understand_what/
{ "a_id": [ "cd3hz9p" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Possibly due to not having a full understanding of the fundamentals that make up \"hard-to-understand\" questions, ideas and answers.\n\nI remember not understanding a thing about music theory; things like a key and harmonious playing escaped me. Then I took a fundamentals course and it's like second nature now." ] }
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34qc9r
how is sicking a k9 on somebody not considered a cruel and unusual punishment?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/34qc9r/eli5_how_is_sicking_a_k9_on_somebody_not/
{ "a_id": [ "cqx2091", "cqx2fz5" ], "score": [ 9, 3 ], "text": [ "The use of force in and of itself is not cruel and unusual. Police dogs are trained to bring down a suspect by biting into their arm. While this is painful, it almost never causes permanent harm, it is not life threatening, dog bites rarely get infected because of the cleanliness of their moths, and dogs are only used on fleeing or violent criminals.\n\nWhat is cruel or unusual about this?", "I assume you mean police dogs in which case you can think of the dog as a tool, a more dangerous but still non-lethal weapon. The dog is used in the apprehension of a criminal. Unless it fears for itself or its owner it won't use more force, in the same way an officer (usually) won't tackle somebody to the ground unless the perpetrator is fighting back or running away.\n\nThe police K9s are trained just as an officer is and are usually considered full officers (which means if you assault or shoot a police dog you can get the full penalty for assaulting a police officer).\n\nIf you heard about the [recent case in Utah](_URL_0_), the police felt in danger and used their non-lethal dog to capture the man. Nobody is blaming the dog though, even the man's lawyer said:\n\n > At the time and place this force was used, there was no justification at all to sic a police dog on somebody.\n\nThe argument is just an overuse of force on the officer, the dog was only a weapon doing what he was told.\n\nIf you still think they are cruel and unusual punishment, then do you think bean bag guns should be outlawed? They can break bones and do some serious damage, but are only (supposed to be) used when necessary in the apprehension of suspects." ] }
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[ [], [ "http://fox13now.com/2015/04/30/man-sues-west-jordan-police-over-injuries-suffered-in-k9-encounter/" ] ]
1wncg1
how exactly any sub can gain about 1,000,000 subscribers if the biggest promotional sub has only about 47,000 subscribers?
ELI5: How exactly any sub can gain about 1,000,000 subscribers if the biggest promotional sub has only about 47,000 subscribers? I was able to discover that the reddit search engine is uncapable of showing all the subs created on this site, and I believe the quantity of subs here must be measured in millions. I was told that the only way to gain subscribers on Reddit is by promotion on dedicated subreddits. The biggest promotional sub on Reddit, which is /r/newreddits has only about 47,000 subscribers, and obviously subscribers are physically uncapable to check all the subs being promoted everyday. According to this simple math combined to physiical uncapability of software and every redditor to check every new subreddit, it becomes obvious to me that those subreddits that become popular have nothing to do with promotion, but only based on theory of probability. On the facts I have gained it looks to me that those who concieved the algorithm of reddit were creating some sort of toy for people who are supposed to spend their time in creating subreddits that will never find their subscribers, and posting on a few subreddits that are miraculously popular, therefore the only to have enough traffic. Am I right to believe that all this big deal about Reddit is nothing else than a huge collective delusion, and that the algorithm of Reddit is flawed from the beginning?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1wncg1/eli5_how_exactly_any_sub_can_gain_about_1000000/
{ "a_id": [ "cf3ma4n" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "Being popular (in the hundreds of thousands or millions of subscribers) isn't something most subreddits actually want. Take /r/woodworking for example, whether they have 50 000 subscribers or 1 000 000 doesn't matter to them. People who visit that subreddit are interested in woodworking, and seeing other people's creations, getting feedback on their own, or just talking about it. If you go through that subreddit you'll see almost entirely thoughtful feedback and interesting posts. /r/politics on the other hand has 3 000 000 subscribers and is often referred to as the biggest circle jerk on reddit, and entirely pointless to try and debate in.\n\nThe point I'm trying to make is that a subreddit's success or usefulness has very little to do with the number of subscribers. Often smaller subreddits have a much more helpful bunch of people, and better conversations. Hell, /r/catan has 4000 subscribers, but is going to be a lot better than r/gaming for questions about Settlers of Catan.\n\nHow did I choose the subreddits I mentioned here? I picked subjects I'm **interested** in. I doubt that most people subscribed to /r/woodworking or /r/catan found that subreddit through a post on /r/bestof, or /r/newreddits. They simply put in something they like. If a subreddit is about an interesting subject, then people will find it.\n\nThat's the benefit of reddit, you have a userbase of several million, so the chances are you'll find a subreddit for each of your hobbies/interests. Even better, they're all on one easily accessible site, so you don't have to manage dozens of accounts across dozens of websites.\n\nPersonally I hang out in ELI5 and AskScience, but I read a lot of AskReddit and am a regular reader of a few talesfrom******** subs. If you want to enjoy reddit, pick a dozen things your interested in and type variants of their name into the url or search box, then see what comes up." ] }
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244efo
why do people misconceive autism as some sort of superpower?
Are people mistaking autism for Savant Syndrome or did Rain Man really mislead them?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/244efo/eli5_why_do_people_misconceive_autism_as_some/
{ "a_id": [ "ch3hxm6" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "There are quite a lot of autistic savants, it's just stereotyping." ] }
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4gypaw
eritrean independence
Why? Eritrea seems a diverse country with Islam and Christianity as the major religions, multiple languages and multiple ethnicities. So why did an Eritrean identity and nationality form? Why did Eritreans want independence?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4gypaw/eli5_eritrean_independence/
{ "a_id": [ "d2lwlw3" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "The short explanation is that it was an Italian colony, until the British took it over in 1941. The modern boundaries of Eritrea are roughly the same as the boundaries of Italian Eritrea were. \n\nIf you mean why did it become independent from Ethiopia in 1993, it was mostly in response to the (real or perceived) imperialist tendencies of Ethiopia. " ] }
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8kqlc9
how do fatty linings increase blood pressure?
I feel like I might be getting something wrong conceptually here. On the one hand, it has been said that increased fatty linings increase blood pressure. On the other hand, Bernoulli's principle states that a fluid going through a more constricted cross\-section has a lower pressure. What gives?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8kqlc9/eli5_how_do_fatty_linings_increase_blood_pressure/
{ "a_id": [ "dz9r9gk", "dz9rmvi", "dz9s6hq" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "Your heart pumps the same volume of blood each pump. If the blood vessels are constricted that means that the blood has to flow faster through the vessel to get all the blood through during the duration of the beat of the heart, which in turn means that it has higher pressure. \n\nYou can see how this works with a water hose and an adjustable nozzle. Set the water hose in a fixed position a few feed above the ground and turn on the water. Mark how far the water goes before hitting the ground without the nozzle on the hose. Put the nozzle on the hose and put it to the most open setting without shutting off the water or changing its setting at the tap. Measure how far the water goes now before it hits the ground. Now set the nozzle to a smaller opening and measure once more. Keep doing this till you get to the smallest setting. You will see that as you reduce the size of the opening but keep the same volume of water going through the hose the pressure of the water will increase. ", "I’m not a biologist or any kind of health professional but the studies I found suggest that it’s not the constricting of vessels that contributes to elevated blood pressure, it’s the fat’s effect on body chemistry.\n\nSome studies have show that dietary fat effects the Ca(2+) currents in the heart muscles. \n\n_URL_0_\n\nSome studies have also shown that increased fat cell development can trigger adrenal glands to increase production of aldosterone. \n\n_URL_1_\n\nSo while science hasn’t really been able to pinpoint yet how fat contributes to high blood pressure, it’s definitely a chemical issue rather than a mechanical issue. Mechanical blood vessel problems are caused by blood clots or cholesterol that builds up until it blocks flow completely. Both of these things can happen without high fat intake but a generally unhealthy lifestyle is likely to contribute to several issues at once. ", "So since this is ELI5 and some of the other explanation aren't really for a five year old, I'll give it a go. \n\nYou know how when you put your thumb over part of the end of a water hose and it sprays harder/faster/farther? Same concept. Same amount of liquid being pushed through a smaller space causes that pressure build up which results in the harder/faster/farther. Which is higher or an increase in the pressure." ] }
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[ [], [ "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10720603/", "http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2003/11/why-fat-raises-your-blood-pressure" ], [] ]
5ofkxm
why does shaving against the grain cause so much more irritation than shaving with the grain?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5ofkxm/eli5_why_does_shaving_against_the_grain_cause_so/
{ "a_id": [ "dciza46", "dcizqvm", "dcj07t2", "dcj0alv", "dcj1qza", "dcj2hau", "dcjcwcb" ], "score": [ 8, 60, 20, 28, 22, 4, 3 ], "text": [ "Imagine your leg being impaled by a spike at a 45 degree angle. Now imagine a giant razor going against it from each angle. Which angle do you think will hurt the most? ", "When you shave against the grain the razor tugs at the hair in addition to slicing through it, pulling it a bit farther out of the follicle. This makes it much easier to get ingrown hairs and irritation on the skin.\n\nEdit to elaborate on everyone else's experiences by adding my own: Using Mach 3s and all that newer stuff I always broke out on my neck. Switching to a safety razor(a big part of this is also finding the right blade brand for you skin, Feather was way too sharp for me and caused razor burn, I ended up going with Derby), using a badger hair brush and shaving soap and making my own lather, shaving while showering and your hair is moist and skin is warm from the steam, and rinsing with ice cold water after the shave are what I found work the best. Hard to nail down exactly what helped the most cause I switched to doing all that at the same time.\n\n[Safety Razor](_URL_2_)\n\n[Blades](_URL_5_)\n\n[Soap](_URL_1_)\n\n[Fogless Shower Mirror](_URL_4_)\n\n[Mug to make lather in](_URL_3_)\n\n[Brush](_URL_0_)\n\n[After Shave](_URL_7_)\n\n[Cold Water](_URL_6_) ;P (I honestly think rinsing with cold water for at least 15 seconds before putting on after shave is the most important part in avoiding irritation and ingrown hairs.)", "I've always shaved against the grain. Have I been doing it wrong for decades? Face feels fine. \n\nSomething something shaving cream.", "LPT: Use a safety razor with a really nice blade. Shave with the grain, then against the grain. It's a lot better for your skin/hair and doesn't tug on your hair so bad.", "It's mostly a problem with people of ethnic background, because our hair tends to be more curly. That's the biggest source of the problem. \n\nWhen you shave with the grain, you slice the hair in such a way that the end is relatively flat. Think of an unsharpened brand new pencil. When you shave against the grain, you slice an angle into the hair and make it sharp. \n\nNow, if your hair tends to be thin and straight, this isn't much of a problem. The area will inflame a bit immediately after shaving, but the hair still grows straight out of the follicle. If your hair naturally curls, though, we have an issue. There's a chance that your spear-shaped hair will get caught in the inflamed skin. \n\nIf that happens, it's easy for the hair to loop around or otherwise stop growing out of the follicle. Congratulations! You've irritated your skin to produce a razor bump or graduated past that to an ingrown hair! \n\nThe best method I've found, which works for all humans regardless of ethnicity, is to use a safety razor and shaving cream. Shave very lightly in the direction of the grain only. This cuts the hair off flat and flush with the skin. Immediately follow with shave balm or after shave and lotion. \n\nHope this answers your question thoroughly. \n\nEdit: [figure to illustrate](_URL_0_) ", "Shaving against the grain grabs the hair and pulls the follicle. This alone doesn't give you razor burn type irritation. The area swells do to the now irritated follicle but you are going to make another pass aren't you. Now you've just cut off the top layer of skin. You have razor burn. Always use aftershave lotion or rubbing alcohol to prevent infection and some moisturizing lotion. ", "With vs against the grain is really dependant on what kind of facial hair you have, skin sensitivity, and also how you prepare to shave. \n\nThe best shave will always be in a hot steamy shower after you've already washed everything and gotten your face/wet/steamy/hot. Softening up the hairs and just making everything easier to work with. Go to an old school barber shop and the hot towel on the face thing was done for a reason :) \n\nShaving a few days growth? 1st pass with the grain to get the bulk, 2nd pass against the grain to get it baby smooth. \n\nI like saving money but those disposeable single use bic safety razors are shit and no matter how slow or careful, I get cut to hell with them. Currenly use a Schick Hydro 5 (little cheaper than the gillette stuff) and does an awesome job. Even tried those dorco razors (dollar shave club) and found them to be of inferior quality. \n\n\nSpeed shaves in front of the mirror while you are running late, will never be as smooth or irritation free when you are in a rush, more irritation as well. " ] }
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[ [], [ "https://www.amazon.com/Escali-100-Badger-Shaving-Brush/dp/B003WR3QSG/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1484691400&sr=1-4&keywords=shaving+brush", "https://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Shaving-Soap-Refreshing-Toning/dp/B00837YY18/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1484691228&sr=1-5&keywords=proraso", "https://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Long-Handled-Safety-Razor/dp/B000NL0T1G/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1484691127&sr=8-1&keywords=merkur+safety+razor", "https://www.amazon.com/Marvy-Rubber-Shaving-Mug-Green/dp/B00E3B19RA/ref=sr_1_6_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1484691347&sr=8-6&keywords=shaving+mug", "https://www.amazon.com/Squeegee-ToiletTree-Products-Guaranteed-Designed/dp/B003BQ6QXK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484691308&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=fogless+shower+mirror&psc=1", "https://www.amazon.com/Derby-Extra-Double-Razor-Blades/dp/B004SGKMA0/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1484691196&sr=8-1&keywords=derby+razor+blades", "http://www.snopes.com/medical/graphics/coldwater.jpg", "https://www.amazon.com/Proraso-After-Lotion-Refreshing-Toning/dp/B0085UECY2/ref=pd_sim_510_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0085UECY2&pd_rd_r=EVYSVN126N5X2170VJKT&pd_rd_w=kIkfv&pd_rd_wg=GBNBq&psc=1&refRID=EVYSVN126N5X2170VJKT" ], [], [], [ "https://help.getbevel.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/200486467/bevel.jpg" ], [], [] ]
2avon9
why lizards do push-ups
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2avon9/eli5_why_lizards_do_pushups/
{ "a_id": [ "ciz8j9d", "cizalsm" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Lizards do pushups as a display of strength. By pushing themselves off the ground, the lizard enlarges it's visual profile. It's kinda of like how a bird can puff its feathers, or how a dog can make the hair on it's back stand up. To you and me, it this is just pretty cute. But to another small lizard, watching an Anole suddenly double in size is probably a bit scary. ", "I thought for Green Anoles it was that they're trying to get their sexy on by doing pushups and extending the red flap thing..." ] }
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799f3a
why if something spins very fast we see that it changes direction.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/799f3a/eli5_why_if_something_spins_very_fast_we_see_that/
{ "a_id": [ "dp06683" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "That's actually an artefact of the *recording* process. Since we only capture a certain number of frames each second, if there's, for example, a clock face with the minute hand spinning around extremely fast, then if it's moving at *just under* once around every second, and we're recording at 60 frames per second, then every time the camera records the scene, the minute hand will be slightly *before* where it was the previous frame, since after the picture it spins all the way around again until just before its current position which is right when the camera is ready to take another picture.\n\nImagine taking one photograph every second. If you are walking around in a circle, but are walking that circle in just under one second, then every time the photo is taken it'll be just before you reach the point you were in when the photo was last taken. If you put all of these photographs together one after the other, you'll *appear* to be moving backwards, because the parts where you walked all the way around are missing, and so when we watch an animation of those photographs, we assume you were just walking backwards and taking the photos more rapidly." ] }
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5a46w7
when a celebrity dies (e.g. jose fernandez, prince, etc.), why is releasing the medical information about their death not a hipaa violation?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5a46w7/eli5_when_a_celebrity_dies_eg_jose_fernandez/
{ "a_id": [ "d9dkgei", "d9dnhbf" ], "score": [ 15, 7 ], "text": [ "Death, and cause of death, is public record. Also, the family or other loved ones are free to share whatever they may know.", "Police, medical examiners, and coroners are not \"covered entities\" under HIPAA. Doing an autopsy or a death investigation is not medical care.\n\nThere are rules other than HIPAA that do govern such things, but they are mostly at the state level." ] }
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2r44dc
why can't i have my cake and eat it too?
I never understood this metaphor
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2r44dc/eli5_why_cant_i_have_my_cake_and_eat_it_too/
{ "a_id": [ "cnc9g13" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "Because we are saying it backwards than it was originally intended. The first example of this phrase is from 1546 \"wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?\" They are still saying the same basic things though. If you eat your cake, then you don't have it anymore. " ] }
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21jzpa
why can't we stop/counteract inflation? instead of both the cost of goods and compensation levels increasing, why not re-balance them from time to time?
I've seen a bunch of past posts on inflation, but I'm still not sure I understand. A gallon of milk cost $x 50 years ago, and the average salary for {job} was $z. Now a gallon of milk costs 5 times as much, as a person is paid 5 times as much as 50 years ago. Why the need for inflation? Even if the cost of goods doesn't increase at the same rate as a salary, can't we re-balance from time to time? Instead of milk eventually costing 20 times as much and people getting paid 10 times as much, why not level set to keep salaries consistent and just double the cost of milk?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/21jzpa/eli5_why_cant_we_stopcounteract_inflation_instead/
{ "a_id": [ "cgdriok", "cgdrler" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "How do you take money out of an economy? Subtract it from their bank accounts? How do you force a company to spend 5 cents manufacturing something that actually costs them $5?\n\nDeflation is practically impossible to do because it requires coordination and control that doesn't exist.", "The federal reserve intentionally causes a small amount of inflation because they believe it's better for the economy as a whole. Inflation punishes idle money, which encourages investment, which makes economic growth easier. Secondarily it allows for backdoor decreases in labor costs without needing to do layoffs (any year that someone doesn't get a raise at least equivalent to inflation means their true income decreased)." ] }
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46xlrk
why can an ocean mammal survive on salt water while a land mammal needs fresh water?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/46xlrk/eli5_why_can_an_ocean_mammal_survive_on_salt/
{ "a_id": [ "d08kdi0" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "think the answer is better kidneys. I know that cats can survive on saltwater as well, so it isn't just uniquely ocean animals. [this](_URL_0_) post talks about it, and it says on the wiki that\n > Their kidneys are so efficient, they can survive on a diet consisting only of meat, with no additional water,[67] and can even rehydrate by drinking seawater" ] }
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[ [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1l6h3f/til_cats_can_rehydrate_by_drinking_seawater_due/" ] ]
1tb2ex
what is the historical significane of coal in your stocking?
Why coal? Why not something else if you're bad?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1tb2ex/what_is_the_historical_significane_of_coal_in/
{ "a_id": [ "ce66bdb" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Its a Sicilian tradition.\n\nIt began with the legend of La Befana. Two of the Wise Men stopped at the home of La Befana to ask for directions on the night of Jesus' birth. They invited her to join them in going to see baby Jesus, but she refused. A while later, one of the shepherds asked for directions, and again invited La Befana to join him, but again she refused. Looking up into the sky, La Befana saw the bright star, and thought that she should go to find the stable. She gathered toys to give to baby Jesus. (The toys belonged to her own little one who had died.) Unfortunately, La Befana was unable to find the stable. Tradition says that even today, she continues to try to find baby Jesus. Every January 5th and the morning of January 6th (the feast of the Epiphany) La Befana tries to find the Christ child. Throughout her journey, she leaves toys along the way to the good children and she leaves coal for the naughty children." ] }
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1vto8a
why is it that when i recommend a video that made me laugh hysterically to someone else, it becomes exponentially less funny?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1vto8a/eli5_why_is_it_that_when_i_recommend_a_video_that/
{ "a_id": [ "cevp832" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Well, first off, it may just be a different sense of humor. Probably a bigger player is expectations. When you're browsing reddit, not every link is funny or hilarious. But, when you find one you find extra funny, it takes you by surprise and you feel like you've somehow earned this funny link. When you grab your friend and say, \"hey, check out this funny video!\" They automatically assume it's something you think is great, and if it is, well they were expecting that, so it doesn't surprise them. A lot of internet humor is surprise humor, where something unexpected happens that's funny. So telling someone it will be funny makes it less funny. \n\nUltimately, this is a really subjective question. Maybe you have really weird tastes, maybe all your friends have high standards for humor. Maybe what I said above is a real effect on your video sharing." ] }
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javxi
michelle bachmans politics
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/javxi/eli5_michelle_bachmans_politics/
{ "a_id": [ "c2al9pj", "c2am854", "c2amxmm", "c2anfd1", "c2al9pj", "c2am854", "c2amxmm", "c2anfd1" ], "score": [ 32, 25, 6, 8, 32, 25, 6, 8 ], "text": [ "You know how sometimes you like to play make-believe? Sometimes grownups too too, and while it's fun for you, it's not good for grownups to do. Her politics are hard to understand because they're all based on her make-believe.\n\nIt's like making up a game, but if nobody else is following your rules, the game doesn't make sense and the game goes nowhere. If you pretend that politics are a game, then it's just like that. She's making her own rules for the game, then trying to join the game that everyone else is playing.", "As a five year old, you probably have a greater insight into her politics than we do.", "She is a very conservative Republican whose viewpoints are normally among the most extreme you will find.\n\nSummarizing form the Wiki:\n\nShe supports teaching of Intelligent Design in schools.\n\nShe not only opposes increasing the minimum wage, she opposes the minimum wage.\n\nShe wants to phase out Social Security and Medicare.\n\nShe is adamantly against gay marriage and abortion, and seems to regard homosexuality as some sort of disorder.\n", "New subforum idea; /r/explainlikeimasdumbasmichellebachman", "You know how sometimes you like to play make-believe? Sometimes grownups too too, and while it's fun for you, it's not good for grownups to do. Her politics are hard to understand because they're all based on her make-believe.\n\nIt's like making up a game, but if nobody else is following your rules, the game doesn't make sense and the game goes nowhere. If you pretend that politics are a game, then it's just like that. She's making her own rules for the game, then trying to join the game that everyone else is playing.", "As a five year old, you probably have a greater insight into her politics than we do.", "She is a very conservative Republican whose viewpoints are normally among the most extreme you will find.\n\nSummarizing form the Wiki:\n\nShe supports teaching of Intelligent Design in schools.\n\nShe not only opposes increasing the minimum wage, she opposes the minimum wage.\n\nShe wants to phase out Social Security and Medicare.\n\nShe is adamantly against gay marriage and abortion, and seems to regard homosexuality as some sort of disorder.\n", "New subforum idea; /r/explainlikeimasdumbasmichellebachman" ] }
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58qg8n
what exactly causes a freshwater to die when it is put in saltwater, or vice versa?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/58qg8n/eli5what_exactly_causes_a_freshwater_to_die_when/
{ "a_id": [ "d92gzlr", "d92hsev" ], "score": [ 3, 2 ], "text": [ "That would be the salt. The freshwater fish can't desalinate the water so they dehydrate and the saltwater fish can't get enough salt.", "Fish store manager here!\n\nThe fish die from *osmotic shock*.\n\nYour cell membranes try not to let water through, but some still does. But bigger molecules and the stuff dissolved in the water, like salt, does not get through. When water passes through a *semipermeable membrane* - one that allows some stuff through but not others - it's called osmosis. When there is a higher concentration of dissolved minerals or salts on one side of the membrane, because of some physical properties of how water molecules interact and how liquids work, there is *osmotic pressure* pushing the water through the membrane to equalize the concentration. Simply: if there's more salt inside your cells than outside, water will enter the cells without your cells making it happen, and vice versa.\n\nWith that out of the way: the concentration of salt inside the cells of freshwater fish is higher than the water they're in. This means water is constantly passing into their cells. They spend a lot of energy moving extra water out. If the concentration of salt drops too low, vital cell functions stop working. So when you put them into saltwater, they can't deal with the osmotic pressure. Their cells are used to removing water, not holding it in. They can't process all the salt. So, paradoxically, they dehydrate.\n\nThe opposite is true of saltwater fish. Their cells are constantly flushing out salt and they have several cellular mechanisms to hold onto pure water. Believe it or not, saltwater fish don't drink a lot of water. They get as much as they can from their food, like seaweed that concentrates the fresh water, or other fish that are trying to hold onto it. When you put them into fresh water, their cells are still trying to soak up all the water they can get and flush out salt. But with the concentration of salt now higher inside their cells than out, water is sucked in much faster than their cells can deal with. Those vital cell functions that rely on salts stop working. Sometimes the cells even burst! The water passing the membranes makes them swell up and often the membranes aren't strong enough so the cell bursts and dies. This adds up and slowly kills the fish from osmotic shock \n\nYou can use this to your advantage, though. Smaller things with fewer cells, and invertebrates like many parasites, have trouble regulating the salt content in their cells. So you can put a fish with certain diseases like ich (pronounced \"ick\") in the \"wrong\" water. It'll damage many of the fish's cells, but if it's not for long the fish will deal with it long enough and recover, but the parasites won't!" ] }
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2425kc
why is staten island so rundown and underdeveloped when it is so close to manhattan?
Staten island is very close to Manhattan, and a very short commute with the ferry. Why are there no big towers and why does it seem so run down and low density while Manhattan is very very pricey?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2425kc/eli5_why_is_staten_island_so_rundown_and/
{ "a_id": [ "ch2vrzv", "ch2vw93" ], "score": [ 3, 3 ], "text": [ "For one thing, it has had one of the largest landfills in the world, which puts some people off.\n\nFor another, you said it there - the main way to access it is the ferry. If you want to travel from Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, or Jersey City/Hoboken to the city, you can just take a train or drive over a single bridge. Top of Staten Island to bottom of Manhattan is 12 miles; the Brooklyn Bridge is slightly over 1 mile. You're not going to see a 12-mile bridge built anytime soon; San Francisco's Bay Bridge is massive (and was extremely expensive) and is still just 4.5 miles. And the ferry is an inconvenient way to travel that offers little independence and extremely inflexible scheduling. In bad weather it's a nightmare because you're in a frickin' boat. \n\nAccess to Manhattan is the primary driver of wealth in the boroughs.\n\nStaten Island is, due to its great distance from Manhattan, cut off from a serious economic connection to the city. The commute from outer Queens or lower Westchester to midtown Manhattan is more convenient than the commute from the top of Staten Island.", "Well there are some apartment towers close to the ferry.\n\nBut the reason it's not as developed (in the sense that it's not dense with taller buildings) as Manhattan, or even most of the rest of NYC, is that it wasn't very accessible until recently. The Brooklyn bridge was built in 1883 that connected Brooklyn to Manhattan. Staten Island didn't get a bridge to another borough until the Verrazano Bridge until 1964, and that's to Brooklyn, not Manhattan. \n\nSo Staten Island was largely farmlands and estates up until then. By that point, the larger move away from cities and to suburbs in the nation was in full swing. So the people moving there were looking for houses with yards, not more tightly-packed apartments." ] }
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4k51tq
what exactly did the wright brothers get right compared to other people investing millions into creating the airplane?
Can't remember from where but I remember hearing that the US government paid millions to engineers to try to invent a flying machine and ended up failing, but the wright brothers invested a couple thousand dollars and they some how got it right. What were the other guys doing wrong that the wright brothers succeeded in?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4k51tq/eli5_what_exactly_did_the_wright_brothers_get/
{ "a_id": [ "d3c7wnz", "d3cakdg", "d3f02uk" ], "score": [ 4, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "One of the insights that the Wright brothers had was that to fly, a plane not only had to have enough lift, but also had to be controllable -- it had to be able to not just stay in the air, but also pointed in the right direction, and the plane had to have control devices able to keep the plane pointed in the right direction. ([They then took people to court over control schemes for aircraft](_URL_0_).) Most historical works focus on the ability to provide enough lift, or having an energy-dense enough method of propulsion (i.e. internal combustion engine), but neglect this fundamental aspect of flight.\n\nThe Wright brothers also did a lot of experimentation, so they had quite a bit of working, practical knowledge about the principles of flight.", "There were others who [probably managed to fly](_URL_0_) before the Wright brothers.\n\nA few reasons why the Wright brothers did so well:\n\n* They could get a decent engine. Engines were getting light and powerful enough for flight to be easier.\n* They used a fixed wing, rather than some people who focused on folding wings since they thought that would be necessary for wide-spread adoption.\n* They made a breakthrough for the curvature of the wings to provide more lift.\n* They had carefully documented their work.\n* They were good at publicity and promotion, and getting investors so they made a successful business where others could not.\n", "One thing no one else pointed out yet was that it wasn't just the curvature of the wings, but the propeller on the engines them selves. They found almost the exact degree the propeller needed to twist in shape for optimal output." ] }
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[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers_patent_war" ], [ "http://mentalfloss.com/article/16814/who-flew-wright-brothers" ], [] ]
9ttxt6
what is the difference between genuinely dark and edgy?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9ttxt6/eli5_what_is_the_difference_between_genuinely/
{ "a_id": [ "e8z1vev", "e8z213p" ], "score": [ 3, 5 ], "text": [ "There is no line, thats why some people get triggered easly and others dont, because for everyone the lever of acceptance is different", "Intent. Being dark for the sake of being dark, or to be *seen* as being dark is edgy.\n\nBeing dark for some other reason is genuine dark. " ] }
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7ycmxi
why do some places, casinos for example, refuse to honor a form of id if it's expired?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7ycmxi/eli5_why_do_some_places_casinos_for_example/
{ "a_id": [ "dufbol9", "dufch5h" ], "score": [ 14, 4 ], "text": [ "Counterfeit identification cards frequently have expired dates on them. It's easier to get someone to give you their ID to alter if the card is expired. Or they got it out of the trash. Or the person making the fake put the date wrong or is from a country that does day/month/year instead of month/day/year.\n\nSource - I'm a cop.", "*The law says expired identification is invalid*. There's a lot of money in a casino, letting you get away with invalid ID could put their gaming/liquor license & their entire business in jeopardy.\n\nYou are not worth the risk.\n\n" ] }
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3c3mef
pensacola, fl has white sand and clear water. corpus christi, tx has brown sand and murky brown water. how is there such a huge difference on the same body of water?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3c3mef/eli5_pensacola_fl_has_white_sand_and_clear_water/
{ "a_id": [ "csryqyg", "css5amt", "css5cla", "css6m0r" ], "score": [ 7, 7, 7, 2 ], "text": [ "Well, the rivers that run through Georgia and Florida have sandy bottoms and this keeps it clear. The Rivers that run through Texas as well as Alabama, Mississippi and Lousiana are mud or clay bottomed. This makes the water murky and dark. ", "Other posters are right in that the continental shelf of the western portion of the GOM is mostly mud/clay, meaning that most of the rivers dump muddy silt into the gulf, including the Mississippi River. The Gulf of Mexico churns counter clockwise bringing the muddy water down along the Texas coast. If you think Corpus Christi is brown, go to Galveston. \n\nFun fact: depending on the wind, if you go a couple of miles offshore even in Galveston, you'll hit crystal blue water. ", "The Texas coast is on a backwater eddy current from the Gulf Stream. That means our river silts get washed back in to shore. Further East, the lighter silts get picked up and washed away with the Gulf Stream, leaving only the heavier sand. \n_URL_0_\n_URL_1_", "If you want clear water in TX, South Padre is your best bet. It's a killer drive, but is consistently nice every time I've been there." ] }
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[ [], [], [ "http://texaspelagics.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/GOM_LoopCurrent.jpg", "http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/img_mgsva/loop-current-YYY.gif" ], [] ]
3wus7b
what are the odds of getting an std after having sex with someone with an std?
Heterosexual sex using protection and common STDs
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3wus7b/eli5_what_are_the_odds_of_getting_an_std_after/
{ "a_id": [ "cxz9j8g", "cxzbwwo", "cxzdexf", "cxzdhwg", "cxzdty4" ], "score": [ 3, 2, 11, 2, 4 ], "text": [ "There are several factors involved in this, such as the STD in question, the method of sex, if the giver or receiver is the one infected, whether the sex in question is heterosexual or homosexual and the genders of the participants if homosexual, if there's any open sores or wounds, even if the guy is circumcised or not.\n\nFor example, with anal sex, if the \"top\" is HIV negative and the \"bottom\" is HIV positive, the top has about a 0.11 percent chance of contracting HIV from a single encounter, which goes up to 0.62 percent if he is circumcised.\n\nEDIT: Citation: _URL_0_\n", "Alot of factors that makes it hard to answer a generalized way. For example if it is something skin related like herpes or molluscum contagiosum would transmit differently than bloodbourne pathogens. Using two popular ones, HIV and Herpes, factors are significantly different, while being similar too. Herpes is most likely to spread during outbreak, and condoms may not protect against. Lets say you shave, and is freshly done, then you have more chance of contraction. Similarly yet different in HIV, if you have an \"outbreak\" it would be that it is not under control and the viral levels in the blood is high. The condom will be more protective, but without it you have more chance of spreading or contracting with those high levels. If your levels are low (I think the assumption is below 1500, but don't quote me on that), then you have less chance of spreading, and in fact people have conceived children under these low levels without infecting their partner or newborn.\n\nYou can't lump all STDs into one category and assume your chances are the same for contraction across the board. The factors for each scenario and disease vary too greatly. \n\nIf you want to give a number, go into it assuming 50/50. This is not the statistical breakdown of how many people have STDs. This is a safety net. You have a chance they have something. You have a chance they don't. You don't know if it's treatable with antibiotics, or if it's in you for the long haul. 50% is a big chance, and is that he chance you want to take if it could be one of he nastier ones? That's how it is a \"safety net number.\" Your best bet is to use a condom, get regularly tested, and never be afraid to talk about things with a new partner before engaging in intercourse.", "Don't ask reddit, just go to the clinic and get checked out mate.", "herpes is highly contagious but that doesn't mean you'll get it even without protection--there's a lot of luck, or bad luck with any STD--just don't sleep around much, it may not be worth it--for a sobering view of what's really out there, just google CDC reports on STD's", "Just covered STD's in nursing school last week. Professor made this statement \" If you have had sex with 5 people in your life you most likely have some strain of HPV\"." ] }
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[ [ "http://www.poz.com/articles/HIV_risk_2841_25382.shtml" ], [], [], [], [] ]
2c20ss
why some minerals like pyrite are found in such peculiar shapes?
The fact that we can find pyrite in it's natural state in [this shape](_URL_0_), I think it's mind-boggling. What causes them to be like that?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2c20ss/eli5_why_some_minerals_like_pyrite_are_found_in/
{ "a_id": [ "cjb4um4", "cjb9wgq" ], "score": [ 7, 2 ], "text": [ "Pyrite has a crystalline structure. This means that the molecules that make up pyrite naturally arrange themselves in a repeating geometric pattern. In this case it is known as a cubic crystal system. The resulting formation ends up looking like a larger version of whatever the particular geometric pattern of the molecules is.", "Minerals are found in peculiar shapes for various reason however it most relates back to their chemistry and internal arrangement of atoms. The pyrite which you asked about has a chemical formula of FeS^2. FeS^2 is simply two atoms bonded together, when we combine one FeS^2 molecule with 3 other FeS^2 molecules (4 total), we create a cube of Fe and S atoms. The four FeS^2 combined comprise pyrite atomically since at its most fundamental level we define a mineral as a naturally occurring solid with definite and repeating chemistry. These four FeS^2 are known as the Z number, the minimum number of chemical units required to create the mineral. Once we have the first actual crystal of pyrite, we can add additional FeS^2 to the crystal to create larger and larger crystals.\n\nHowever this is not how all minerals get its shape. Lets take the example of table salt (NaCl), the mineral halite, it also has a Z # of 4 so it take 4 units of NaCl to create a crystal of the mineral halite. Halite, unlike pyrite has cleavage, this means that the mineral crystal will break along planes of weakness within the mineral structure (internal arrangement of atoms). This forms the cubic salt crystals that you put on your food. \n\nThe planes of cleavage are not the same thing as the way the mineral breaks or fractures however. The mineral quartz (SiO^2) fractures when broken, there are no planes of weakness within the mineral structure so quartz will break in a concave fracture. Pyrite has fracture as well as opposed to cleavage. Many minerals will have some measure of both cleavage or fracture with one or the other being dominate.\n\nThe way we assess this is through X-Ray Diffraction and crystallography. The characteristic reflection of x-ray radiation off of mineral crystals can be used to count the electrons in various position within the internal atomic arrangement to determine the location, shape and number of atoms within the structure. The science of mineralogy exists due to X-ray crystallography. Certain minerals such as the alkali feldspars microcline, sanidine and orthoclase are only separable because of the amount of certain cations in the various tetrahedral bonding sites within the mineral structure.\n\nI am willing to answer and more mineral relate questions." ] }
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3vhxrn
how come some of my subscriptions don't show up in the "my subscriptions" bar on reddit?
???
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3vhxrn/eli5_how_come_some_of_my_subscriptions_dont_show/
{ "a_id": [ "cxnp4e0" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "If you mean the bar along the top of your browser window displaying reddit, that's the quick access bar. It can be customized to display whatever subs you want. Next to friends it says 'edit' where you can change what is displayed. In the top left hand corner there is a drop down menu of all your subs. " ] }
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2rfftp
what are the differences between turbofan, turbojet and ramjet engines?
Diagrams would be useful. Thank you ;)
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2rfftp/eli5_what_are_the_differences_between_turbofan/
{ "a_id": [ "cnfcv5g", "cnfd8nm" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Turbofan uses a jet engine to spin a big fan through gear reduction, turbojet makes thrust only from the smaller turbines in the engine. Ramjet doesn't have turbines, so it needs to be above a certain speed to combust fuel. Google for diagrams, nobody is that lazy..", "a turbojet is a jet engine that compresses air coming in, ignites it, then expels it out the back. all the thrust comes from the ignited fuel/air mix.\n\nA turbofan is a turbojet engine that has a large fanblade on the front of it. the turbojet turns the fanblade, which pushes air back around the turbojet. the thrust is then a combination of the ingition of the fuel and the air being pushed through the fan that is being spun by the turbojet. this makes the engine more efficient overall. [Wikipedia for pic](_URL_0_)\n\nramjets use the speed that the aircraft is moving to compress the air in the engine. they require assistance on takeoff since there are no moving parts to them. they are capable of much higher speeds, around mach 3 and beyond. [wikipedia again](_URL_1_)\n\nTL;DR \n\n- turbojet - fans compress air, ignite, exhaust out back\n\n- turbofan - turbojet spins fan to force air to bypass turbojet engine, more efficient\n\n- ramjet - use high speed to compress air, no moving parts, mach 3+\n" ] }
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[ [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbofan", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramjet" ] ]