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explainlikeimfive/e1pzf8t | 8vsuxu | Why and when is Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling preferred over Monte Carlo sampling? | MCMCs are just Monte Carlo samples drawn from a markov chain, rather than drakwing each point at random irrespective of context If your data behaves like a markov chain (i.e., the distribution for each observation is a function of the previous observation), it makes sense to generate it from a markov chain rather than generating each observation independently | 3 |
AskReddit/c115ovu | dltpf | How do you regain lost idealism, and how can you work to become a nicer person again? | I can identify a bit. My advice: don't try to regain the lost idealism, find a new ideal. You're older, and it's easier to see all of the pain and injustice in the world. We can't make everything right, everyone happy. But every moment that you live, you can make the world just a tiny bit better. | 2 |
AskReddit/e8n9gbe | 9s9vpl | Who's the hottest girl you've ever seen? | A girl I met like ten years ago. Just an absolute specimen of feminine beauty. We kept running into each other and one day I just asked her if she wanted to go out for a drink and she actually said yes. The next day she tells me she couldn't go because she found out she was pregnant by the boyfriend she had dumped like two months prior, and she wanted to try to get back together with him. Still super smoking hot though. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cgrts1u | 22z0ya | How do people get around a foreign country without knowing the language? | I've lived and traveled in Italy, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands without knowing any of the local languages other than yes/no. I had a guide book, one of those "5 dollars a day" books, enough people knew English and I was able to figure things out as I went. | 2 |
AskReddit/ehsphqr | axcdw8 | What was a house rule your parents had while you were growing up that you didn't realize was bizarre until a friend pointed it out? | My parents rarely used ACs/heating units. It had to be bone-chilling cold or scorching hot. They opted for sweaters and oscillating fans. | 5 |
explainlikeimfive/cvm521k | 3n9va8 | Why are children more likely to fall off the bed while in deep sleep than adults? | When you sleep your brain turns off your motor-cortex (the thing that controls your limbs) so that you are basically paralyzed. This is also the reason you sometimes feel like you are falling when you are about to fall asleep and suddenly jolt yourself awake. In children this function is still developing and sometimes it doesn't turn off all the way or at all. Thats why kids also sleepwalk much more often than adults. | 45 |
AskReddit/cm55ecc | 2mksrz | What is something that you enjoy, but your friends/family don't understand? | Documentaries and generally educational films. Their argument is that the films are always biased one way or another. I understand that, the trick is to try to see through that AND put your own biases aside. If I feel something may be inaccurate I research it. To my family that's just more work, but to me it's an enjoyable way to consume media. | 2 |
AskReddit/dis4wuv | 6gpjph | If the U.S. federal government were to collapse, how would the state and local governments respond? | Does anyone think the states would try to reform the federal government with a constitutional convention? What would happen to the military overseas? Would they all return home? Which states would join together? Which would join another country? | 2 |
AskReddit/dfub3li | 63i0xy | How would you terrorize a city if you were given an unlimited supply of duct tape? | Unlimited amount? I'd tape the entire ground (double sided), so that the sticky side is up rendering people unable to move, frozen where they set foot. And then I'd drop unopened rolls like it was raining, watching people get knocked over, being stuck to the ground panicking, trying to tear loose. I'm not a very nice person. | 6 |
askscience/c1j3suu | fwbev | If we can see galaxies thousands of lightyears away, how come we can't see Pluto? | Three reasons: most galaxies have a greater angular diameter than Pluto.that is, they take up more real estate in the our sky most galaxies are brighter than Pluto galaxies are stationary And by most, I mean most that show up in those awe inspiring photographs. Take Andromeda, our nearest galactic neighbor.it is about 5 billion times further away than Pluto. But it is also 100,000 times bigger in the sky, and it about 15 million times brighter. Galaxies are just that big. What about dimmer galaxies? Just about all the pictures you see are long exposure shots, sometimes lasting days. It works with galaxies, because they don't move. But Pluto? It rotates, it gets jerked around by Charon, and it revolves around the sun. After a few hours, and any detail will get smeared. So all we get is short exposures, which barely show any detail at all. | 21 |
askscience/c1zvng2 | i0j34 | Why does heat capacity decrease as particle size increases? | specific heat capacity is heat capacity divided by mass, all particles have approximately the same heat capacity so the particles of lower mass, like hydrogen will give a higher value for the specific heat capacity | 3 |
AskReddit/ccubez3 | 1opdji | What food do you snack on that tastes good, and is also healthy? | Almonds. Unsalted or sometimes lightly salted. Many kinds of nuts are good, but I feel like almonds have the best health:cost:tastiness ratio. Peanuts are super tasty and cheap, but not so healthy (apparently peanut oil will harden your arteries; goddammit). Most other nuts are too expensive. | 3 |
AskReddit/cvvde7j | 3oa8yk | What are the most annoying types of questions on AskReddit? | I've grown weary of the "your going to die in X hours, days, etc, what do you do?" type of questions, and all the questions about your death, do you want to know when, if you death could cure a disease, etc. I find such questions morbid and a bit disturbing. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/c2fgds9 | jvihy | Why was monstrously big hair considered attractive in the late 70's up through the very early 90's? | 70's hair has natural, long, hippy, counter-culture hair. 70's long hair meant relaxed and partying. In the 1980's big hair was either the poofed up New Wave Mullet (see Bono's hair circa 1984) or poofed up 80's Metal Hair, or mainstream variants of these which all involved lots of hair spray. Then in 1991 there was a video on MTV called "Smells Like Teen Spirit" that was by a band that was louder and better than all the 80's Hair Bands combined. And this band wasn't wearing spandex, no hair spray, no pyrotechnics, no fake drum machine beats, none of the costume ball pretense that dominated the 80's. Then there was a tidal wave of bands just like them, also lacking spandex and hair spray. It was refreshingly real and loud, and didn't require a full can of hair spray to enjoy. After 1991 the culture changed from everyone wanting to pretend they came from planet rock star, to everyone wearing and dressing whatever they felt like. | 3 |
AskReddit/c0logvy | b9uyb | What should I do if a dog attacks me? | My aunt has some pretty vicious pitbull mixes. She gets really irritated if anyone complains about their viciousness. She always tells me "Oh, just get a stick and hit them if they try to bite you." So according to my aunt, hitting the dog with a stick is the best way to fend off a dog attack. My aunt is really a terrible pet owner. Totally a lawsuit waiting to happen. | 10 |
AskReddit/dlghtz9 | 6sxz7s | What is the most pretentious thing you've overheard someone else say? | Someone I've worked with at a client "growing up, my mom was organic, before it was a thing - she joined a co-op and we had all these fresh vegetables from farmers. She never fed us sugar, so i've NEVER had an issue with a sugar addiction, unlike my husband. His mom fed him junk, so he's always eating junk and has to work out all the time." | 6 |
AskReddit/ef7ql6e | aktjrv | What album changed your perspective of music? | Green Day - American Idiot Though I don’t listen to this kind of music anymore, that album showed me that you can tell a story through an album, and that an album is not just a compilation of random songs that you put on together just because. | 2 |
AskReddit/c914n54 | 1avhet | How have you changed in 1 year? | Graduated with my masters degree. Got a job 400 miles away from everyone I knew. Lost 45-50 lbs. left a bad relationship. Those are things I've done, but I guess the change I've made. I now believe I can do hard things. And I changed my perspective from happiness being the destination to happiness being the mode of transportation. | 2 |
AskReddit/dhspnp8 | 6c845l | What makes your life worth the effort? | I didn't always think this way but once I experienced what it's like to succeed, I wanted more of it. The feeling of achieving and reaching my (career) goals is addicting. It's empowering. I'm an ambitious individual and that drive in itself makes life worth the effort. | 2 |
AskReddit/d42zpi7 | 4ndluj | Why Did you Get Fired? | Never truly got fired, but I worked as a dishwasher for one day at a restaurant. I hated it, but I decided to work one shift. I was paid in cash, below minimum wage, in a separate room with one window and no noise. I told them I did not want to work there again and they were fine with it (they had many other highschool dishwashers available). About 3 days later, the lady called me and said I had a shift that I was an hour late to (even though I was never given a schedule, and they would call me when they needed me), and I was currently at the store. The lady got upset, and yelled at me saying I was fired. Didn't really care, quit earlier anyways | 2 |
AskReddit/erlxd3o | c2ol0u | What is a show/movie that truly never gets old for you? | I have several movies and TV shows that I have on constantly, mostly in the background, especially for noise when I go to bed. As far as shows go I’ve yet to get tired of South Park, Futurama, or Supernatural. For movies, I’m always playing Coraline or any movie starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as the leads, including Paul. | 2 |
askscience/exkc36u | ct1wxx | Is there a proven benefit of writing pen to paper versus writing on a tablet? | Any studies based on note taking and learning I've seen are related to pen/paper vs typing. Don't think I've seen any which relate to writing on a tablet. In theory, the "benefits" of writing with pen on paper would be no different to using a stylus or equivalent on a tablet, as you're doing the same motions, maybe even better as likely to be slower so actively thinking about what you're writing more. By benefits I mean retained information, since the studies mentioned are to do with note taking and ability to recall that information better. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/c8lee0w | 1975sr | When secret documents are leaked, why don't officials just claim they are forged? | I would guess because they could be caught in a flat out lie and it's probably not worth the serious hit to reputation you would get from a flagrant lie. It's likely that when something is leaked, there is someone who has first-hand knowledge and is willing to corroborate the validity (even if in secret to the press) or there is someone who can verify it through some external means (i.e., researching the subject). You have a good chance of finding something to backup a claim if you know what you are looking for. | 4 |
AskReddit/cbft4cn | 1jlcku | What are the "little things" in life that make you happy? | The smell of pine trees. Fishing. Discovering five bucks I forgot that I tucked away. When someone unexpectedly smiles and says, "Hello!" My pet cockatiel when he decides to dance. A phone call from friend or family. Soup. When a really hard rainstorm washes my car. A clever commercial. Lilac scented Glade plug ins. A favorite song on the radio. Watching kids play stupidly. (They remind us how to be.) Seeing just the thing I needed at a yard sale/Goodwill. When my hair is finally long enough to donate to Locks of Love. Large chunks of grilled meat. Fireworks. The first good snowfall and how QUIET it makes everything. An enthralling book. The feeling right after I have significantly cleaned. Taking kids to "Disney on Ice" and reliving my childhood. A hot, soaky bath. A nice dip in a pool. Having a dip in a pool and then hopping into the hot tub while traveling and staying at a motel. Awards shows. When the motel has those waffle makers for breakfast the next morning. Coffee. When the last person you'd suspect says something shocking and funny. Grape tomatoes. A "MASH" marathon. | 2 |
AskReddit/e8u34wx | 9t6wdo | Where were you when you had your first slice of cheese? | I didn't know about real cheese (only American cheese GROSS) until I was about 13. I thought I hated cheese cause those nasty American cheese slices as all I knew. Then I went to my friend's Italian Christmas party and had so much amazing cheeses. It was wonderful and now I love cheese | 4 |
explainlikeimfive/cwni9qx | 3rf6lw | How do people that buy a giant plot of land in Alaska to live off of pay for taxes? | Property taxes are typically very low or non-existent in rural counties. Those taxes pay for infrastructure and government services, both of which aren't present way out there. Your state and federal taxes are based on your income, if you live off the land and make no income you owe no taxes. | 5 |
AskReddit/ea0meu0 | 9ydf6u | What makes a guy regret not appreciating a girl more and taking her for granted? | I think I understand your question, but I have an idea since I’ve been in the situation as the guy before. I think it all comes down to today’s culture where we have access to so much social media and attention from others. We subconsciously hold this idea that there’s always greener grass on the other side, and so sometimes this can deep into the relationship. This happened to me years ago, when I was about 16, and I broke up with the girl. In regards to when we regret it, that happened a couple months later. One day I broke down because I realized how selfish I had been and how much I had hurt her. I had no logical reasons for breaking up with her, and she really was a great girl. So I guess we sometimes come to this conclusion because sometimes when we have what we want, we think we want more, even if that isn’t realistic or possible. So we ignore the good things we have since we think we can do better. The regret comes when we realize the foolishness of this. | 7 |
explainlikeimfive/dm61eas | 6w5gdg | If my body wakes up naturally after only a few hours of sleep, is it still bad for me? | It is neither good, nor bad. Assuming you had no schedule or time constraints, sleeping whenever you need to has shown to be just as effective as sleeping a consistent 8 hours a night. The 8-hour-a-night schedule is socially created. If everyone decided to randomly take an 8 hour nap whenever they wanted, it would be much more difficult to coordinate schedules, work, appointments, etc. Imagine sleeping from 12-8pm then trying to get your car repaired at 10pm, which would be similar to someone else's 10am. Without delving into this part as well, REM sleep is only achieved after a certain amount of sleep, roughly 2 hours. This means if took enough 2 hour naps throughout the day to feel well rested, it would be similar in effect to 4 2 hour naps in an 8 hour period. | 5 |
askscience/cmibe90 | 2nxow1 | How would the rest of the solar system be effected if one of the planets were to disappear? | ^ well said sir Just wanted to add that all the planets affect the course of comets, asteroids, etc. Its already a shooting gallery out there, I wonder if that would make things worse. (for earth's chances at getting hit. ) | 3 |
AskReddit/dg6ioql | 650r59 | What is the difference between a government using chemical weapons on their own citizens and a government removing regulations which prevent businesses from exposing the public to harmful chemicals? | Directness. One is the result a conscious effort to murder innocent, defenseless people. The end goal here is to kill. The other is the result of an effort to make money. People may get sick or die as a secondary result, but the end goal is to make money. While both harm people, one is much better than the other. Since the second one is money driven, you can change the behavior by making it more profitable to NOT remove regulation. The first behavior can't be changed in such a way. If the goal is to kill, they will find a way to kill. | 3 |
AskReddit/eqwho3r | bzt1qn | What's the most ridiculous tax you have to pay in your country? | I don't know if this exists anywhere else but in France there is a bonus tax fee that you have to pay to the local counsel for buying a house in that area, even before paying the property tax or moving in and it's calculated on the value of the house not just a set fee. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/ehau4mz | auv5u8 | Why can't we drink salt water? | Salt was used in ancient times as a preservative, as it draws out moisture (water) from things. Normally when we drink water, our organs absorb that water and it is used in the cells of our body for various things. When we drink salt water, however, there then becomes a higher amount of salt than water in our body, so our organs release water to try and balance out the salt level. This leads to severe dehydration-and in some cases: death. | 11 |
AskReddit/c5t6tpk | y7uxj | What cartoon do you watch, even though you're too old for it? | It's not a kids cartoon, but I watch Futurama entirely too much. I watch 1 or 2 episodes every single night before bed. It's like my comfort show, the one I can always watch. I've seen every episode probably 20-50 times at this point. Sometimes I think it's very strange, but I guess the show is just perfectly formulated for me, great blend of humor and sci-fi and cartoons. At any rate, it's become like a habit, turn off all the lights, put on an episode, get in bed. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/c3g0e1y | obpdd | Why are Scandinavian countries so socially progressive? | I think this might be a bit of a controversial answer, but here goes: They are ethnically homogeneous. Socially progressive laws are much easier for people to accept and clamor for the more they see commonality between their neighbors. People in Scandinavian countries are all very similar as compared to the differences seen outside Scandinavia. People are much more apt to look out for those most similar to them. This is not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. | 36 |
explainlikeimfive/cdtf1c2 | 1s32ql | Why are Europe and Asia considered two continents? | The ancient Greeks first developed the idea of a continent. They saw that the Mediterranean divided Europe from Africa, the Red Sea divided African from Asia, and with their limited knowledge of geography, assumed the Black Sea divided Asia from Europe. They were wrong, but the notion stuck, and has been reinforced by a culture divide that runs roughly along the same lines. | 116 |
AskReddit/d77hdf7 | 50wgak | Did everyone already forget that the U.S. Army lost 6.5 trillion dollars? | not the army, the pentagon. and they didn't lose the money, rather they don't have the paperwork in order. organizations have to be built from the ground up to have accounting systems built right. many aren't. you'd expect the pentagon to have good accounting practices but they don't. | 45 |
explainlikeimfive/dei5n3p | 5xhs64 | Why do we consume Sodium Chloride and not any other salts? | We do consume a few other types of salt, just not as much as sodium chloride. If you look at the container of salt in your kitchen, it probably says that it's "iodized salt", meaning it contains a small amount of sodium iodide or potassium iodide in addition to the sodium chloride. A lot of packaged foods also have potassium chloride, although people don't usually keep that in the kitchen. As for why? Sodium chloride tastes salty, is non-toxic, and is widely available. Many other salts lack in one or more of those three areas. | 10 |
AskReddit/csds1dz | 3alkmk | What's worse than stepping on a Lego? | A chronic pain issue that feels like you're stepping on LEGO for 24 hours a day. Took nearly 5 years for the nerves to finally burn out. | 5 |
AskReddit/c5z6qka | yvjxz | What movie cliches are you tired of? | Comic/Superhero movies. I know they are based on "source material" but it's still tired. Normal person suddenly gets power/cool suit. They figure out what their new power can do. They use them. They are misunderstood. Throw in some sort of villain(s). Throw in some sort of love interest. Throw in some sort of existential crisis. At the end force the hero to have to make some almost impossible choice. Mix in a shitload of CGI action and viola! | 12 |
AskReddit/ehhalcy | avrf88 | What's the dumbest excuse someone told you? | When I’m looking to place an iv addicts always feel the need to justify their trackmarks. My favorite was a lady that told me her dog loved to bite her in the right ac. Sure it looked like needle marks but it was definitely a dog bite. | 2 |
AskReddit/cj5oyll | 2biik6 | What's a misunderstanding many people have about your country? | We don't ride camels. We're a pretty modern country which is struggling with terrorism, energy and economic crisis but still we're loving people. Don't be scared of us. evil grin Edit: I'm from Pakistan. | 15 |
AskReddit/ccm9h8b | 1nuxby | Are there any Non-Americans out there who love American Football? | I am from Austria. I LOVE American Football. My father is a huge fan so that basically brought my attention to it. I then started playing it myself (played for six years). Recently we visited the US just to watch the season opener Denver - Baltimore and Dallas - NY Giants the sunday after. What drew me into it? The insane tactical aspects and the intensity with which the players go to work. | 5 |
explainlikeimfive/c6uqmz4 | 12g0w3 | Why is it unhealthy to eat late at night/prior to sleeping? | It's not that it's unhealthy to eat at that time. The problem is that late night eating is usually an extra meal (and extra calories) that you normally wouldn't be eating. If it's just a late dinner, you may end up eating a larger than normal meal because you're hungrier (it's been longer since you ate lunch) or because you're sleepy and need the energy boost. | 16 |
AskReddit/doi6l4e | 770zvm | What's the dumbest time your brain was in Video Game Mode in real life? | I played sims like non stop for a week, near the end of this binge on a Wednesday I played the game to roughly the same time in the real world but it was Friday in game. My mom said to me time for bed I replied to her “but mom it’s Friday I don’t have to go to bed early” but it was Wednesday. | 4 |
AskReddit/dguqsk2 | 680jmr | What movie can you watch over and over and still be entertained? | The Hunt for Red October It was one of my favorite movies as a child, and I can still watch it now and be just as entertained. Edit - Now that I think about it, there are quite a few movies from my younger years that I could easily watch over again and never be disappointed. Either movies in the 90's were amazing, or theres something about seeing a good movie as a kid that sticks with you. | 4 |
AskReddit/de141qq | 5vd62d | What great old TV series do you absolutely love but don't reference on Reddit because no one would get it? | Whose Line Is It Anyway. Not sure if you would consider it a TV series, but it's been on since '98 I think it was. Took a bit of a break from '07 to '13 before the new host Aisha Tyler kicked in to revive the show. 10/10 would recommend. | 75 |
explainlikeimfive/d2zklru | 4innd8 | How do our bodies/brains know how to do things we haven't learned? | Genetics/instincts. All living things are born with innate abilities that we just know how to do. Coagulation takes so many different cells and factors to work in harmony with each other. Could you imagine if we had to teach each cell what their job is? How to make our hearts beat.how to make our lungs expand and contract. We wouldn't be alive.We would have to teach each cell their job simultaneously and they will have to learn instantly. | 2 |
AskReddit/dsu5cwi | 7r4lq7 | What is the largest Star Wars plot hole, old or new, that drives you nuts? | R2-D2 never informing Luke he used to be owned by Darth Vader, some of that knowledge might have come in handy once in a while. Not a plot hole, and I thought Han Solo's death was gut wrenching, but I couldn't help but wonder why that bridge had no hand railings. | 4 |
explainlikeimfive/cho1lyk | 266809 | How did they come up with "twin", "double", "full", "queen", and "king" for mattress sizes? | A double is the same as a full. A twin is also called a single. "Single" and "double" refer to the fact that the bed is intended to be occupied by 1 or 2 people. Queen and King refer to larger sizes (King > Queen > Full), and the names imply that they're more luxurious. As far as full and twin go? Full probably originated as a standard size for the parents. They might have been called twin because you'd have separate beds for twins, or because people starting families wanted more than one child and would buy two beds in anticipation of the second child. ^(last paragraph speculation) | 7 |
AskReddit/dxnvv9s | 8dkd6h | What is a totally plausible "little known" fact you just made up? | The phrase "Red letter day" originates in the USSR. Under Stalin, citizens were urged to report those who were suspected of being disloyal and those who were reported would disappear. Those that did the reporting however, were rewarded, and would find red envelopes in their mailbox containing vouchers for extra rations or goods. Obviously, most official communication from the government was in red at the time, being Communist and all. Thus, a day when you got a red letter was a good day, because it meant the family would be warm and well fed for a while. Years later, Khrushchev used the phrase while visiting the US in '59. His interpreter translated it literally, and Eisenhower asked what it meant. The translator explained only that it meant it was a really good day, without explaining the context. Several national newspapers included the quote from Khrushchev when covering his visit, also including the translator's explanation. It caught on with people pretty quickly and by 1968, the phrase had become reasonably common. And that's the story I made up about the phrase red letter day. | 2 |
AskReddit/c1yuyft | hw41l | What's the craziest thing a person or a group of persons has done in your school? | It's not crazy, I guess, but I thought it was pretty cool. The town I went to school in has the town's name spelled out in large concrete blocks on a hillside, so you see it as you enter town from the north. My grad class went up with a bunch of shovels and covered up parts of the letters with dirt and lay down white sheets in other places to change the name of the town to 'GRAD 09'. | 2 |
AskReddit/c2tyq3y | lmr0m | Who was the absolute worst roommate you have ever had? | I have had some bad roommates, but nothing compares to my friends worst nightmare roomie: My friend had this real shifty roommate that was always in his room or not in the house, real dirty and he was starting to think that he had some mental problems. One day he came home and figuring that his roommate was home he called out his name "Kevin!.Kevin!" Hears no response directly he hears some noise in the unfinished basement. He goes down into the basement where there's cement floor, washer and dryer, and very little to no natural light coming in. He goes down the stairs and tries to turn on the lights but nothing happens, moves over to the light in the center of the room, there is broken glass on the floor from a smashed lightbulb in the fixture above him. All of a sudden comes my friends roommate out of the dark corner of the room with a knife, STABS him in the stomach and side. My friend wrestles the knife from the guy and makes it up the stairs and out of the house. This is before cell phones so he has to go to neighbors house to call cops. Turns out bad roomie was going schizophrenic and having a psychotic break. I've got more stories too. | 474 |
AskReddit/e49it3s | 97n6r9 | What's something that was huge years ago that isn't anymore? | It’s a stretch, but a few years ago, it seemed like every movie hitting theaters was being released in 3D. I would groan every time they handed me those glasses. Then, to make it worse, 3D TVs started being touted as the new “must have!” TV. I am so happy that trend in movies has died and I don’t see anyone talking about 3D TVs. | 31 |
AskReddit/dmmfe8p | 6yckwx | What is the band name you created for the band you will never start? | My high school had a wannabe nu-metal band called "Phat Gritz". My best friend and I wanted to start a ska-punk band (this was 1998ish) and call it "Skinny Oatmeal". | 5 |
AskReddit/cnvv7y4 | 2t5f3g | What's the difference between shame and guilt? | Guilt affects your ego while shame affects your super-ego. Guilt is almost entirely internal while shame is fed by your lack of esteem in the eyes of others. Collectively, Western Europeans have a guilt culture while East Asians have a shame culture. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/dgml4i7 | 66zv5f | What's the difference between a CPU with integrated graphics and an APU? | A 'CPU with integrated graphics' is a technical description. "APU" is a brand name from AMD, like how "Retina" is a brand name from Apple describing a high DPI screen. | 12 |
AskReddit/dqbuo0q | 7fhhrl | Which fictional character death was unjustified and didn't really help thicken the plot of the story? | J K Rowling said the one character she regretted killing off in Harry Potter was Florean Fortescue who owned the ice cream parlour in Diagon Alley. It never added anything to the plot and there was no need for him to die. | 5 |
AskReddit/dshgkqo | 7phver | Which aspects of "PC culture" do you find beneficial or detrimental for society? | Beneficial: It pushes awareness that others will respond negatively to something you may find innocuous, so you should be aware of that. Detrimental: I've found that overly PC people have a tendency to move the goal posts and change the rules a lot to try to prove that they're right, and it can lead to some bad arguments and hypocrisy. | 17 |
AskReddit/ckt48yt | 2hir50 | What is the first thing you would do if you found out you were immortal? | Think of some projects worth spending eternity on. Just an hour a day per project, but an eternity of hours. Ideally, I would learn languages, read and write poetry, keep a journal, paint pictures, practice martial arts, work in a charity for the poor, walk in the woods, etc. Maybe a dozen things that I could do for a long, long time and never quite exhaust myself. Travel sometimes -- maybe spend certain years just walking or bicycling from place to place -- and make friends. If I were the only immortal one, I would be the closest thing anyone had seen to an actual god. I would develop a following whether I wanted one or not, and maybe I would accidentally found a religion. That would be interesting. | 3 |
AskReddit/deg5prh | 5x8m98 | What are some common misconceptions about your line of work? | Paramedic here. I'd say the most common misconception related to my job is society feeling every single complaint requires immediate emergency department care. Many time, a PCP or Urgent Care would be much more appropriate and far less expensive. Now actually about my job, I'd say the biggest misconception is how much we actually can do. I don't think people entirely understand just how much we are actually capable of performing in a medic unit or on a scene. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cdulmbc | 1s67xd | Why is dust grey? | Dead skin and hair are mostly colorless, but when added to insect silk and "dusted" with many small particulates of soot and dirt they appear dark, yet almost translucent, thus grey. | 2 |
AskReddit/ejmyokz | b6t5bw | In the (un)likely event that you are captured and bound, what is your escape plan? | Depends on how I’m bound. If it’s just ripe or a zip tie around my wrists, I’m sure I’d be able to escape that and attack my captor when they aren’t expecting it. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cd02f89 | 1p9f1b | How Does a Triple-Beam Balance Find Mass and not Weight? | It doesn't disregard gravity, it just makes changes in gravity between the object being weighed and the weights cancel out. If gravity changes, both the objects and the weights on beams change in the same proportion, giving you the true mass. | 3 |
AskReddit/do7psfw | 75op4b | What small change greatly improved your life? | The first time I listened to Small Change by Tom Waits, my life got infinitely better. Other than that, I created a schedule and began planning my days/chores/meals/hobbies. Since then, I'm less anxious because I feel like I have more control over my life and my house is never messy anymore. | 2 |
AskReddit/e2y26l8 | 91hsb9 | What is the best US animated series you’ve ever watched? | Avatar. And no, it's not anime, like all animated children's cartoons, such as Spongebob, Gravity Falls, etc., it was animated in South Korea and created for American audiences. It was influenced by certain anime, yes, but the show itself isn't. You'd be surprised how many people don't know this. | 6 |
explainlikeimfive/d6uezcm | 4zbg9j | Why do we feel stronger when we're mad? | Well, when you get angry your body also gets mad, this means that once your brain releases power milk, this power milk is called adrenaline, and what it does it makes you think faster, get stronger and it gives you better reflexes. | 13 |
AskReddit/e6gwv6j | 9i51gu | What’s the funniest movie of all time? | Of all time? I dunno. But a really funny movie that would cause huge outrage if it were released now is Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles". Honestly, a lot of Brooks' movies are hilarious. | 3 |
explainlikeimfive/czehe31 | 430d2m | How computer viruses are hidden in innocuous files? | A virus that is actually an image or video won't do much as images won't be executed. You will sometimes see malware that is named to look like an image or document but is actually an executable file. Excel files (and other Microsoft Office formats) can contain embedded code in the form of macros, and you don't want to run code from untrusted sources. When a file is opened in protected mode, macros won't be executed, so it should always be safe to open a file in protected mode. | 3 |
AskReddit/cdv4xqx | 1s93sn | What's one book that you think should never be adapted for film? | Not a specific title, but adapting short children's picture books into full length movies. They usually have to put in so much extra useless detail that the originally book just serves as some sort of loose skeleton. | 3 |
AskReddit/dc8fr42 | 5n3mpa | What is the best piece of technology you have ever bought? | My gaming PC. I had always been the person to get the cheapest everything. Clothes, food, electronics, etc. After buying a Chromebook, I bought a "multimedia" laptop because it was cheap but boy is it heavy, slow and run out of battery quickly. Finally I said I was building a "no compromise" PC. I7-4790k, GTX 970 and a SSD, among other things. It's been two years and it still runs like the day I got it and it has opened up the world of PC gaming and software like Solidworks and Matlab. Somethings are worth the extra money dad! | 2 |
AskHistorians/delhlat | 5xuw5x | If I was a woman back in colonial America, what is the tiniest thing I could do to be accused of being a witch? | The short answer is that its complicated. It depends on a person's social standing, political ties, religion, and family. I'll give several examples from the Salem Witch Trials that touch on these points. All the records from the trials are in print in Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt edited by Bernard Rosenthal and many are online at salem.lib.virginia.edu if you want to look at cases further, or just ask a follow up question. Sarah Good was a beggar. She was one of the first accused and considered an easy target. She went door to door in Salem Village asking for money, often times mumbling or cursing to herself and at others. Just prior to the accusations, she visited the home of Rev. Samuel Parris to ask for money and food, and Good allegedly walked away muttering to herself. Good claimed she thanked Rev. Parris and mumbled her prayers. However, Parris' daughter and niece were the first two afflicted by witchcraft, just after Good's visit, so her explanation was more or less dismissed. She was found guilty and hanged on July 19, 1692. Sarah Osborne was accused at the same time as Sarah Good. Her accusation was rooted in feuds with the Putnam family. Her first husband Richard Prince died and left his land to his sons when they reached adulthood. His brother-in-law John Putnam and neighbor Thomas Putnam served as the executors of the will. John's wife Rebecca was Richard's sister. When Sarah remarried to Alexander Osborne, they tried to take the land for themselves. It resulted in a long court battle that began long before and finished long after Thomas Putnam's daughter accused Osborne of witchcraft. Osborne died in jail on May 10, 1692. Wilmot Redd of Marblehead claimed psychic powers before 1692. She claimed to have cursed a family that resulted in the loss of their infant child. Another woman claimed Redd cursed her to cause constipation. She was not the only person of the time to claim any supernatural powers or admit to magic. Samuel Wardwell was a self proclaimed psychic who was accused and other confessors like Rebecca Johnson Sr. admitted to using white magic. Redd had not been accused before 1692, but openly claiming supernatural powers or the use of magic pushed her luck. She hanged on September 22, 1692. Other women who previously faced accusations were accused. Bridget Bishop was accused for a third time in 1692. Her past two acquittals were the result of limited evidence, but in the hysteria of 1692, it was too challenging to escape. Others like Susannah Martin were not accused in the courts, but rumors spread about her being a witch. Bishop was hanged on June 10, 1692. Martin was hanged on July 19, 1692. Rebecca Nurse was almost universally considered a devout Puritan. Even Judge Hathorne expressed his surprise at her accusation. The accusation of the 70 year old Nurse stunned many people and really allowed the accusations to continue. If Nurse could be accused, anyone could be too. Although some things were not in her favor. Her family did have some Quaker ties and her mother Joanna Town was once accused of witchcraft. Rebecca Nurse hanged on July 19, 1692, despite a strong defense for her. Her sister Mary Easty, who was accused just after trying to get neighbors to sign a petition for Nurse, hanged on September 22, 1692. Her sister Sarah Cloyce walked out of a church meeting in protest of Rev. Parris referencing Nurse as a traitor in their community. Cloyce was accused soon after, but she survived the trials. Elizabeth Procter and her husband John were accused. Elizabeth sometimes worked as a healer. Elizabeth Hubbard, the niece of Dr. William Griggs, was one of the accusers. Although it was not the entire basis of her accusation, competition between Griggs and Procter certainly played a part. She and John were convicted. John hanged on August 19, 1692. Elizabeth was granted a stay of execution for her pregnancy. This allowed Elizabeth to survive the trials. These are just several accusations from the 170+ of the men and women named in 1692. A lot of different factors played into each accusation. Sometimes it was as minor as a family feud or gossip, but it was also economic motivations and political tensions. | 17 |
AskReddit/clj3et4 | 2k9556 | Have you ever found a dead body? | When I was a kid I lived in a neighborhood a few miles out of town.a very small town, about 5000 people. We used to walk to town all the time in the summer, my neighbor friends and me that is. There's a spot about half a mile from my house where we would cut thru a trail on thru a short area of pine trees. We found some weird bones and told our parents. It turned out to be a young boy that had gone missing well over a decade before. They excavated the area and found that he had been dismembered and scattered all around in the area where we walked all the time. So technically yes, but not in a gory way. There was nothing left but deteriorating bones. Still it is very messed up to think how many times we just walked over him. Plus it is extremely creepy to know that something that terrible happened right by where we lived. | 4 |
AskReddit/cxfkwoo | 3uke3b | Why do Republicans aim to limit access to contraception/abortion services to women in poverty; yet when that woman has a child due to limitations imposed on her access to contraception/abortion services, Republicans try hard to limit social services and aid for that woman and her child? | They're against abortion because they belive it's the same thing as killing a baby. They're against extending welfare because they belive it's not the government's job to pay you for literally doing nothing. Basically it comes down to personal responsibility. Everybody knows where babies come from, so it's your responsibility to not have kids if you don't want them/can't provide for them. However, this is Reddit, so the answer you'll get is that they're just big meanieheads who hate women. | 2 |
AskReddit/ed17gsu | abljju | What would be on your dream buffet? | Dream buffet. hmm. I’ll have a small cup of “falling”, followed by a few bites of “I’m at work with no clothes on”. I’ll then enjoy some “being chased while running in slow-motion”, A dish of “flying”, and then I’ll finish it off with “late”. | 3 |
AskReddit/eh0stzw | atg1pf | How do you balance video games and life? | Well right now I'm waiting to be able to go back to work. Medical reasons. So I'm on disability. Pretty much sleep and video games. I have no balance I'm already max level on apex. | 2 |
AskReddit/eqrroks | bze4fl | What movie (besides marly and me) hits you right in the feels? | So this is gonna be a bit odd but Lord of War, specifically where Nick Cage's wife discovers that he was the one who bought her painting. She looks so heartbroken and it really gets me in the chest. ​ She's spent her whole life living as a "beautiful person" who was only valued because of her appearance, she decides to try and make something of herself in a way that people will appreciate which is separate from her appearance and.it fails. So she feels terrible because she feels like she has nothing to offer but her looks, when suddenly someone buys a painting! Hooray she has self worth! Then she discovers it was her husband and. there goes the self esteem. It's heartbreaking. | 2 |
AskReddit/e6b4fbx | 9hdypo | What helped you adjust to working night shifts? | Dont think A.M./P.M. 9 o'clock is.9 o'clock. Also, if you normally stay awake for X hours after a day shift, stay up for the same amount. (Sometimes, though, that doesn't work and you end up with your awake hours being before work instead of after. And that's okay to.) | 6 |
AskReddit/dc9bskb | 5n7h0p | How many of you click to the comments section instead of reading the article, then comment based upon what other people have said? | I like to read the article and the comments. And even google the subject for another perspective. This is a huge fallacy a lot of readers have, that the comments are a better source of info. Many do not realize that paid commenters exist to muddy waters on articles. Most every country and large corporation does it. Negative article about Israel? Here comes a dozen comments from paid posters about why the article is wrong. Negative article about the oil industry, here comes a dozen paid defenders of the industry to say the article is wrong. We saw it plenty this election cycle with Correct the Record. | 2 |
askscience/ckh2z9i | 2g913w | Why does milk act like glue and leave the spoon stuck to the cereal bowl? | Milk is a suspension of fat, protein, sugar, salts and a few other things. When all of the water evaporates all of this stuff is left behind. All of these things are quite 'sticky' because they are all biological compounds which interact predominantly through hydrogen bonding interactions, which are weak individually but strong when you have entire chains of things sticking to one another. You could probably frame the exact same argument as a surface tension argument. i.e. when only a small volume of milky residue is left between the spoon and the bowl it behaves like a fluid with a high surface tension, which holds the spoon against the bowl. | 2 |
AskReddit/d7mx1wl | 52skv4 | Does it bother you when OP replies to every single comment? | Wow, I have tried to write an answer 3 different times but can't quite put my finger on the 'why' I don't like it. As a Reddit person, I really enjoy reading replies but at the same time I think the OP is 'obsessed' with their specific post if they reply too much.this sorta makes no sense to me because I also think it's polite to respond to someone who takes the time to write to you. So yes, it bothers me but it really shouldn't. | 2 |
AskReddit/cldj9kl | 2jo8jy | What is the craziest lie you told people when your were a child? | I literally told my 4th grade classmates that I had a brother in college who was the biggest badass in the world and would get in gunfights and rob places. Everyone believed me and I began to have to update the life of my fake brother on a regular basis because it would come up in our conversations. I have no idea why I did this. | 2 |
AskReddit/ei6cjf0 | aza46b | Why do many insist that they have been victimized by the consequences of decisions they freely made? | Very rarely is that the case. I like to put it this way. When a teacher gives you a test, you have every right to bubble in a picture of a flower or leave it blank but only an idiot would do that and actually expect to pass. The existence of consequences for the actions you take does not negate the presence of choice. However if a man decided to go to the store and is consequently spotted by a robber on the way out that proceeded to rob him at gun point, he really is a victim. He chose to go to market, but it isn't his fault he met some loser who robbed him. He was minding his own business. | 5 |
AskReddit/es1rn1f | c5fnta | What would you do with an extra $900/month? | I got a raise last year that amounted to around $850/month before taxes. A good portion of it goes to taxes, 8% of it goes to my 401k, and the rest of it goes into my savings account that I hope to someday use as a down payment towards a home. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/df6wa1q | 60jkk0 | Why are most of us drawn to eating and drinking unhealthy produce over healthier ones? | A) why are you drinking produce? B) because it's what you learned growing up. Most healthy people were either raised healthy or they had a major life event (diabetes, heart attack, second marriage to a much younger much hotter wife) that forces them to be healthy. | 3 |
AskReddit/cxuib7k | 3w9gmu | What is your least favorite episode of your favorite TV show? | Tie: Every single cartoon that does a "Fantastic Voyage" episode where they are shrunk down and go inside one of the characters bodies in a tiny ship. It is like a mandatory cliche that every animated comedy has to do at some point. TV Tropes has a list of over 50 animated shows that have done a version of this plot. | 45 |
explainlikeimfive/cuvdewp | 3k7f3l | Why is it that when a skunk sprays a space the smells disperses quickly, but when an animal or human is hit, the stink takes a long time to go away? | The earth is a wonderful, self cleaning machine. Basic logic wants to say the smell was put there and should still be there, but try that with anything else and it begins to make less and less sense. "Why isn't that dead animal still there? I threw an apple back here and now it's gone. That autumn leaf seems to have simply vanished". They all sound ridiculous when you think about them, but some things just tend to fall through the proverbial cracks because they aren't as simple as saying "an animal carried it off, something ate it, or the wind picked it up". Smells, like sound, can become so diluted with other odors that we can't make them out anymore, distinctly anyway. Some of the fragrance was carried in the wind, away from you, some of those molecules simply settled on the grass and remains there until something comes along to kick it up (if it hasn't broken down yet), or still, an insect(s) has eaten part or all of something that was sprayed. These are just a few factors in the cycle of our earthly environment but they often come together to form an explanation of many things in life. Light disperses and becomes absorbed to the point where we can't see it anymore. Sound waves become less dense until the compressed air isn't distinguishable to our ear drums. Molecules that trigger receptors in our olfactory nerve suffer this same or similar fate and are either absorbed into the environment or become so faint that they don't occur to us. It's all part of how the system works. | 2 |
AskReddit/d2m4l40 | 4gzedk | Which car do you drive and how does it make you feel? | None, feels great. Never have to queue in afternoon rush traffic. Never have to look for parking spaces or worry about parking time running out and risking a ticket. Never have to think of either regular or unforseen costs of any kind related to owning a car. No expensive insurance, car tax, gasoline costs, congestion charges, no costly accidents or fender benders due to other reckless drivers, etc. The combination of trams, buses, commuter trains and boats offers adequate travelling in most cases, and also bypasses traffic congestions with dedicated bus lanes (or rail tracks). .and I also prefer keeping healthy by bike commuting, over wasting time on boring cardio on a stationary bike (as long as the weather allows it). That said, I do miss the freedom of movement while visiting rural areas, especially during winter, and being able to do longer spontaneous road trips once in a while. but I don't miss a car in my ordinary everyday life. | 2 |
AskReddit/d1c8x54 | 4btf47 | What is a really fun party game to play with drunk friends? | Turrets Everyone sits in a circle and picks a topic with many answers such as football teams, star wars characters and my personal favorite.racial slurs. A dealer then deals a single card at a time around the table. When your card has the same number as someone else in the circle you have to name something in their category before they name something in yours. The slower person has to drink. It's pretty funny to hear drunk people people yelling animal sounds and screaming muppets characters at each other. | 3 |
AskReddit/c4jyn1t | t6isn | What song instantly transports you back in time to a specific moment in your life and what is that moment? | Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. It reminds me of my mum, particularly two occasions. I used to always sit on the counter and watch her cook when I was younger. One time this song was playing as I watched her make dinner. The other instance is when she was driving me to the airport the last time I saw her. I still can't listen to that song without getting teary yet. | 3 |
AskReddit/cg3psgt | 20inmu | Do you laugh at funny things when there is no one else around? | I laugh when I'm alone, but my standard is higher than when I'm with people. What I mean is, I laugh easily when I'm with people, but when I'm alone it has to be really funny to make me laugh. | 2 |
AskReddit/c8v2vjh | 1a8oeg | How far back in time could I go and still find someone I could communicate with in English? | Roughly the end of the medieval period, around the 14th century. Middle English is close enough that there would be some difficulty, but you could hold a conversation. I've found that reading Chaucer (late 14th century) is much easier than listening to his work recited; there are significant differences in pronunciation (there were no silent E's in his day), but the vocabulary and syntax were mostly the same as modern English. | 2 |
AskReddit/c4w0245 | ujtxk | How could a private space company get their hands on a nuke for propulsion? | Even the private companies are working closely with various governments. If they legitimately had a need for nuclear fissile material, arrangements would be made. After all, medical device manufacturers use nuclear material all the time, and the nuclear power plants in the US are privately owned, just closely regulated. | 2 |
AskReddit/c1gmc20 | fkkpp | Should I continue to allow my parents to claim me as a dependent on their taxes? | The question is academic. According to US tax law: "If you want to claim a person as a dependent on your tax return, that person must meet five criteria. A dependent must be a member of your household, be a US citizen or resident, not be married and filing a joint return, have income less than $3,050, and you must provide more than half of their support." | 7 |
AskReddit/cleux11 | 2jt9en | What's the most random, inexplicable, low-odds event that's occurred in your life? | Wasn't to me, but I was there when it happened. Years ago, my friend just bought a pack of Marlboro Reds. He opens the pack, pulls out a smoke, and lights it. He then gets a really strange look on his face and looks at the cigarette he just lit. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "This is a menthol and it shouldn't be." We looked at the cigarette and sure enough, it said "NEWPORT" on the side of it. He dumped out the rest of the pack, but all the rest were Marlboro's. Pretty low odds to get a pack with a cigarette from another company in it, much less being the first one you grab out of the pack to smoke. | 2 |
askscience/ck1qe9q | 2ep6us | How come there is no cancer of the muscle or the heart? | In general, cancers are most likely to occur in tissues with cell populations that divide a lot over the lifespan of the organism. These include epithelial layers (skin, GI tract, breast, prostate) , blood cells, etc. Muscle and nerve divide much less frequently so cancers arising from these cell populations are very rare. You may be thinking, "then what about brain cancer?" Most brain cancers arise not from neurons themselves but from the supportive glial cells which divide more often. | 54 |
explainlikeimfive/cbjp0lo | 1jyxhp | Why is it that when I'm sick, I feel terrible in the morning but feel a little better through the day? | The reason that you feel worse in the morning is that the clinical signs of disease are caused by your body reacting to the infection. The inflammation, fevers, pain, and any other symptoms are caused by your body fighting the invaders. During sleep your body uses the part of your immune system that causes more inflammation than it does during wakefulness. | 2 |
AskReddit/e6zwne7 | 9kkc17 | What’s the hardest you’ve laughed at a tv show? | In Scott Tenorman must die, my jaw was on the floor during Cartman’s monologue but when Radiohead showed up and called Scott a crybaby I think my insane laughter woke my neighbors. | 2 |
AskReddit/ecd5nmx | a8rr46 | What's the most bullshit story you've ever been told? | My dad claims he saw a white van meet up with a helicopter in the middle of a field - parties exchanged a briefcase for a child (from the helicopter accompanied by two large dudes). Asked if he called the police and he shrugged his shoulders and said 'what would be the point'. On a related note I think my dad has been keeping a second family somewhere and this was some BS story he was telling my mom. | 5 |
AskReddit/c7p5xvn | 15rhe0 | Do the writers care as much for the characters in their books as their readers do? | I'm an amateur writer myself, and I do grow attached to characters. People may rag on authors like J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin for killing off characters, but I doubt it comes easy to them. Think of it this way–Sure, it would have been nice if, say, Sirius had lived, but it impacts the reader much more when he doesn't. It also serves to add some realism into these otherwise fantastical books, since it would be basically impossible for everyone to survive always. Not only authors, but writers on shows and movies have to make these brave narrative choices in order to tell the story they want to tell, and to do the story justice. Additionally, certain characters are simply fun to write, and letting them go might take away a bit of the enjoyment of writing that particular story. | 3 |
AskReddit/ddkpl3x | 5t7mfe | What was your favorite scene in a bad movie? | The scene in the Smurfs movie where Gargamel escapes prison by summoning a swarm of flies to lift him out. I haven't actually seen the movie (just the Nostalgia Critic review), but in a better movie that could be a good little moment for developing his personality. Showing that Gargamel is so incompetent that he can only get flies where a better wizard would get eagles, or that he's so committed to playing the villain that he goes out of his way to do everything in a villainous looking way. | 5 |
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