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AskReddit/e33y1w2
|
928va8
|
What are your loopy wisdom teeth stories?
|
Less loopy but kind of spooky. I went to a dental school and it was free to remove all 4 at once if I didn't mind a participating in new non-narcotic drug on trial with fda. Trying to save my folks a few bucks I went for it. Not sure if I had the new drug or placebo (double blind study). I had zero pain. Did lots of frozen peas on my cheeks so had minimal swelling. About ten years later I ran into a dentist who was a graduate of the school where I had my wisdoms removed. I told him my success with the drug. He remembered the trial. I asked him if it ever got approved. His response: 'oh God no. Too many deaths.' Dodged that bullet.
| 4 |
AskReddit/ek74r07
|
b9v3qa
|
What's the most kind & civil response to a Christian who tries to "force" their belief on u when u don't believe in Christianity?
|
Atheist here. Been one since i can remember.So many people including my parents have tried, but all i say to every one of them is , I am keeping an open mind and when and if the time comes where something happens to change my current belief, I'll happily convert to a Believer. Maybe you can use the same line for christianity
| 2 |
askscience/c1izefe
|
fvri2
|
How hot is 1 million degrees fahrenheit?
|
The amount of energy required to heat something up is called the specific heat capacity. It can be expressed in joules (units of energy) per kilogram (units of mass) degree centigrade (units of temperature), meaning that one joule per kilogram degree is the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of one kilogram of stuff by one degree. So let's get specific. By "rock," let's say we mean granite, because I was able to look up the specific heat capacity of granite easily: It's 800 joules per kilogram degree. By "the size of an F-150" I had absolutely no idea what you meant, but some googling implies that it might be a vehicle, so whatever, let's just call it 2,000 kilograms of mass and move on. The energy required to heat a 2,000-kilogram sphere of granite, then, would be 1.6 million joules. To heat it from room temperature to a million degrees Fahrenheit — a temperature change of let's-call-it half a million degrees centigrade — would take eight hundred billion joules, or about 200 megawatt-hours. That's equivalent to about one fifth of one kiloton of TNT. So you'd get a very, very large, but not astonishing, explosion.
| 12 |
explainlikeimfive/cm6ta4v
|
2mr3xn
|
Why was the race to be the first nation to land on the moon so important the countries involved?
|
The moon landing occurred during the height of the Cold War. If someone can shoot a rocket and hit the moon, they can definitely shoot a rocket and hit their enemy's capital city. So it was a mixture of intimidation, bragging rights, and good old one-upsmanship.
| 4 |
askscience/c1q7u9e
|
gtov8
|
How does quantum mechanics affect our knowledge of causality?
|
Causality isn't a well-defined concept in science. Many processes are acausal. Enough processes have some time-ordered sequence that the world, on the whole, appears to have causation, but the details have always been a bit blurry when you investigate more deeply into the matter. It's a useful fiction to work in for many systems; but when we do get down to the quantum level or other specific aspects of physics, the concept breaks down.
| 5 |
explainlikeimfive/cvae5hl
|
3lykec
|
What happens inside a person's body whenever a lactose relief pill is taken before consuming dairy?
|
Lactose is a sugar. Lactase is an enzyme that digests it. People with lactose intolerance lack the lactase to digest lactose. The lactose pills and additives (such as LactAid, milk with lactase added to it) simply provide the enzyme for digestion.
| 13 |
AskReddit/e4es97y
|
98bvky
|
What kind of ritual do you go through before using a public toilet or outhouse that makes it "safe" enough for you to feel comfortable with using it?
|
I cover any part of the seat that I’ll touch with toilet paper every time I use any public bathroom. I can’t imagine just sitting down on that communal seat without any barrier at all.
| 2 |
AskReddit/c51ju2k
|
v5o3v
|
How can I ask a person to chew with their mouth closed in the most polite way?
|
Some things you can't dance around. You simply need to spell it out as it is. "Can you close your mouth when you chew? It's grossing me out." Embarrassment only exists in your mind, most of the time the other party will never remember or care about the event. Don't dance around it, just be direct.
| 3 |
AskReddit/df82o13
|
60onwk
|
Why has Amy Schumer suddenly become the Nickleback of comedy?
|
I don't particularly like Amy Shumer but Reddit thrives on hate boners and she's basically the embodiment of everything Reddit hates. Slightly pudgy, self-acutalized female with a lot of attitude and a penchant for stealing jokes. She's not the Nickelback of comedy, she's just the new Reddit target fixation. Personally I don't get why it's surprising that she's been successful in a world where crass, unfunny male comedians dominate the scene. I'm not saying she's brilliant, but it's fine that she exists. The degree to which Reddit rags on her is completely unjustified imo.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/der945a
|
5ymsmn
|
Why are all the planets spherical?
|
Gravity. When something has enough mass, the gravity from the center will pull equally in all directions. This will make a sphere. In the case of planets "mostly spherical." Something like an asteroid doesn't have enough mass to "crush" itself into a sphere, so they can take many shapes. One of the requirements of being called a planet is that it is spherical (to a certain degree).
| 308 |
AskReddit/cdm9i6r
|
1rdwa8
|
What is the worst realization about life that you came to as you grew up?
|
How sad life can be. I grew up a happy kid with a great family that raised me right but they never prepared me for all the troubles that came with the good times. 12 year old dog dies. Parents separate. Friends move away. Some teachers flunk you out of personal bias. Job applications that go nowhere.
| 5 |
explainlikeimfive/d00lfu6
|
45vs4n
|
Why aren't university professors expected to undergo teacher training?
|
They do get a decent amount of instruction in teaching. However, a second-grade teacher is teaching a subject matter that all mentally competent adults understand, so the only way for a teacher to be better-qualified than a random man on the street is to study how to teach it. (Well at least - one would hope - actual studies have shown that elementary- and middle-school teachers often have a weak grasp of the subjects they are supposed to be teaching, and communicate some of their own uncertainty and confusion to their students.) Conversely, with university-level subjects the basic problem is that many people don't understand the subject at all, and never will understand it if they don't take the time to study it thoroughly, and only a very select group of people have a truly comprehensive grasp of the entire field that allows them to be sure that what they're teaching is the best their field has to offer. Additionally, while there may be more to your complaints than the grave sin of projecting notes onto a screen, you should consider that university-level studies are more difficult than high school studies. If you come to class and can't understand what the professor is saying, look yourself in the mirror before proposing wild schemes for reforming the education system. The class may require more of an investment from you.
| 103 |
AskReddit/dx2xntk
|
8b0cv3
|
Who was the best teacher you ever had?
|
Mr.Sodiya, he replaced our religion teacher because her dad died. He was a 7 foot tall black dude in a very catholic very Italian school. The first thing he said to the class was that grade 10 religion was the worst course he ever took and incredibly boring. I have story about him for every day in that class. It's teachers like him that make me seriously consider teaching as a career path.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/dgorxtq
|
679mmb
|
Why do people praise God when something good happens, but rarely faults Him when something goes wrong?
|
Why? Well, because when God does something good, "God is good", when God does something bad, "God works in mysterious ways". It's a problem that arises from Confirmation Bias. Which is something that a lot of religious people have to deal with. They have to dupe themselves into being able to reconcile all the contradictions in their belief system.
| 3 |
AskReddit/c9v5gy8
|
1dyglz
|
What's the dumbest rumor you've ever heard about yourself?
|
In 9th grade, after a weekend choir competition trip, I and two of my friends fell asleep in the back of the bus on the way back to school. We were each called individually into the principal's office Monday morning and told we were being written up for smoking marijuana on the trip. Apparently falling asleep = doing drugs. For the record, I was Nerdy McGeekerson and focused on making valedictorian. I've never done drugs, and we certainly weren't doing them then.
| 5 |
explainlikeimfive/ebozdve
|
a5s5i2
|
Why was Lisa Kudrow the only 'Friends' actor to win an Emmy?
|
Usually in an exceptionally strong cast, the Emmy goes to whomever gets writing that best features their abilities. For instance, The West Wing got so many acting nominations and wins because every season had a major episode devoted to a very strong storyline for each main actor - allowing them to show depth, range, etc while being front and center. Without the material, you don’t get the Emmy. In this case, she won for the two-part episode “The One With Ross’s Wedding”, which had a whole slew of comic and dramatic features for her, plus she did it while pregnant and while isolated from the rest of the cast (since her pregnancy forced her to stay in Burbank while the rest of the cast traveled). Additionally, Phoebe was just written and played more colorfully than anyone else. She was given far more to play with, and she took it further.
| 5 |
AskReddit/eykp5xg
|
cxfcli
|
What was that one decision you took that made your life completely different in a good way ?
|
Quit my job . In June last year I quit my old Job and thought I will enjoy the Summer before searching for a new one . in August a Company contacted me and made an offer For the last Year I have my dream Job with less stress and slightly more sallary, big bonus to my work-life-sleep balance In 2 months I will be a father and I am so happy with my life atm!
| 2 |
askscience/e7b29a3
|
9lreqd
|
Can Technicium-99m be used in PET scans?
|
No; it doesn't emit positrons so it can't be used for PET. It is used for bone scans with a gamma camera, though. Sometimes its grouped in with PET under nuclear imaging, and I've seen some papers that sort of discuss them in the same breath, which can be kind of confusing.
| 2 |
AskReddit/c9wr3qb
|
1e4nra
|
What do you have in your house that will be useful during a zombie apocalypse?
|
Canned goods. I went nuts last summer and canned all sorts of stuff for the first time. Hopefully, the zombie apocalypse won't happen until at least September or October of this year, giving me time to create an even larger supply.
| 6 |
AskReddit/evpan7j
|
ckp0sj
|
If someone is born blind, what do they dream about?
|
A blind guy weighed in on this question the last time it was asked. He said that they normally dream about big tiddy goth girlfriends like the rest of us. Apparently that particular dream is universal.
| 4 |
AskReddit/ej1gzum
|
b3r56r
|
How are you able to afford a wedding?
|
When planning one NEVER use the term wedding, use something like family gathering or event. When the people who plan events and stuff hear the word wedding they throw on so many extra charges you could get a wedding that would normally cost like $20k for only a few thousand just by never saying the word wedding.
| 3 |
AskReddit/cy1bg5s
|
3x3oun
|
What is your go-to food you can prepare in less than 30 minutes when you want to eat something good?
|
Take a boneless/skinless chicken breast (defrosted) and some small cubed potato, put in foil on a cookie sheet (or in a foil bread pan) with some seasonings and chicken stock (enough to just about cover the food), cook on 450 for about 25-30 minutes, and you'll have a great meal, and healthy!
| 2 |
askscience/c4hc8pf
|
svl8h
|
What are some concepts from Quantum Mechanics/ other advanced sciences that are misunderstood at a popular level?
|
>I recently came across a friend of mine who somehow connected the probabilistic and indeterminate nature of Quantum Mechanics to free will. Sounds like your friend has an agenda, he he . quantum mechanics says nothing about free will. There is at least one interpretation (the de Broglie-Bohm interpretation) that suggests that the universe is fully deterministic, but even connecting determinism vs. stochasticism to the idea of free will is a big, big stretch. A part of the problem is defining "free will," or even just "will"/volition, for that matter. There is simply no good definition for the concept. We do know that the universe is either fully deterministic, or stochastic (meaning based on both deterministic processes and random processes), and most people would have a hard time accepting "random" as a definition for "free." When people say "free will" they generally never mean "random will," as random implies that they are not in control of their choices. Of course, determinism also implies that they are not in control of their choices, so most proponents of free will are stuck between a rock and a hard place. And lacking a suitable, objective definition for what it means to have "free" will, they will continue to be stuck there. People who want to believe that they are "in control" in some way cannot really define what it means to be in control to begin with. Entanglement, quantum coherence, the Higgs boson/field/mechanism (which isn't necessarily quantum mechanics but is conceptualized in its formalism), quantum computers, and even the difference between discreteness and continuousness (which is the heart of quantum mechanics really), just to name a few.
| 4 |
AskHistorians/cpum1r5
|
30ppdd
|
How important was the Paris Commune and First International in growing socialism?
|
The Paris Commune was hugely important to Marx and Engel, the latter of whom looked on the commune as a model for his 'dictatorship of the proletariat': A directly democratic system, in which public servants were elected for short terms, paid like other workers, and based on universal suffrage. Marx vision of a democratic, constitutional system developed into the Erfurt Programme of 1891, drawn up by Karl Kautsky, the leader of the German Social Democratic Party. The SDP subsequently became the model for socialist parties across Europe, including the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, which split over issues of party membership to form the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks.
| 3 |
AskReddit/c7q42ge
|
15vajs
|
What's the best story your parents have told you from their high school/college days?
|
My Dad and his friends in a college in Spain would go around the dorms at night and squirt a bit of lighter fluid under the gap between the door and the floor then set it on fire so people would wake up to a small fire in their room. He still laughs whenever he tells this story and says the floors weren't carpeted so there was little risk to causing a big fire or major damage. He is actually a very intelligent person but I think this was purely insane.
| 3 |
AskReddit/cgc7vdd
|
21e8t1
|
Have you ever had a scary close encounter with a predator from the animal kingdom?
|
Not exactly predators but equally dangerous, my encounter with African Elephants. When I was young, between the ages the age of about 1-11, our family lived in Zambia. One of the best parts about living in Zambia was the relative ease of being able to encounter native animals in their natural habitat, due to the number and proximity of game parks scattered around the country. The problem though, is that the roads in these said parks are almost never drivable, due to being poorly kept dirt roads surrounded by wild animals. Therefore, its almost always a requirement to visit these places in a fairly solid 4wd like a Hilux or a Landcruiser. But my dad, being my dad, wasnt gonna let that stop us. He decided his company Peugeot 504 Station Wagon could get through the roads. He was wrong. He was immensely wrong. At some point on our little budget safari the car got bogged down in some loose sand and, being a RWD Peugeot, did not want to move. So there we were in the middle of a game park, stuck, with the sun setting. We couldnt call for help, no cell phones in Zambia back then. Hardly had any food. 4 kids, 4 adults, and no Bear Grylls to save us. And thats when we started hearing wild African Elephants in the distance. A entire herd of them was not more than 200 metres away. For those that dont know, African Elephants can be extremely aggressive especially when they have young with them. Immediately, my dad told us all to stay in the car. His plan to get the car unstuck was to use the floor carpets as a surface for the wheels to gain grip. Inch by inch they worked to reverse the car out of the sand dune. From memory they worked into the early hours of the morning, surrounded by screaming elephants. From that day onward we never went on another trip outside of the city without a proper 4wd. We also got lost in the Okavango Delta once, that was fun. We came across a Hyena.
| 3 |
AskReddit/cn0s5kc
|
2px4jf
|
What is the best and worst thing about being someone your age?
|
26 year old female here. Best thing: I've aged out of the "young adult" stage of life, and people take me seriously and value my opinions. Worst thing: People have a hard time understanding why a 26 year old married woman doesn't have any kids, and I hear about it all the time.
| 2 |
AskReddit/cosi14c
|
2wnopg
|
Is there anyone from when you were a kid that you look back as an adult and realize you were unintentionally a bully?
|
One day when we were 16 my friend Dan and I went to the movies. As we were walking back to our cars in the dark parking lot we saw this kid from school, Chris. I never had a problem with Chris before that, but Dan said we should beat him up and I impulsively thought that sounded like fun. I walked up to him and punched him in the guts. Chris winced and said "Ow, what was that for?" He chuckled nervously, like trying to play it off as just kidding. I felt instant regret. Chris had always been a decent guy. Why did I think hurting him would be fun? We walked to our cars and left. As I walked by Chris he kind of flinched back. I was full of shame at that moment. That was over 20 years ago, but it still haunts me to this day. Chris was always cool with me at school after that and I always went out of my way to be nice to him, but we never became friends. Really the only thing we shared was that shameful moment in the parking lot behind the cinema. I sometimes wonder if he still remembers that day?
| 8 |
explainlikeimfive/chuivxu
|
26u9o7
|
Why are the Clippers selling for $2,000,000,000 when they didn't make Forbes "The world's 50 most valuable sports teams" list and #50 is worth $674,000,000?
|
Value for sports team is a bit different than standard businesses. A regular business is often valued by calculating what that business has made relatively recently, is currently making, and is likely to make in the near future. Sports teams, and maybe some other businesses, also go up in value due to less than tangible reasons. For major sports teams, you just can't start one. You have to buy an existing one or petition the league to add a team. Adding a team to a major sports league is not an easy feat. The perceived value of a sports team could be $x on paper but that's when it's not really on the market. Just putting it up for sale increases the potential value because of how unique that event can be. tl;dr- because major teams rarely go up for sale and that rareness dramatically increases the purchase price.
| 6 |
AskHistorians/cllwdu4
|
2kjg7b
|
When did humans first suppose they had a common ancestor with monkeys?
|
No, Darwin was the first, because before Darwin, no one thought that any different species could have a common ancestor, because it was believed each species was a discrete, unchanging unit. That is, even though there was Lamarck, who proposed that species could change in appearance somewhat, he did not say that one species could change so much it became a different species, nor that one species might have several populations branch off and become other species. However, the similarities between humans and apes and monkeys were noticed earlier. This is best indicated by Carl Linnaeus, creator of the binomial nomenclature system which we use (with a few adjustments) today to refer to different species. He placed humans and apes together in the same category. Bonus fact: Charles Darwin's grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, translated Linnaeus's works into English.
| 7 |
AskReddit/c089jg6
|
850kj
|
Can pointing out "racism" make you a racist?
|
If an individual called a black person a monkey; then somebody pointed that out and said it was racist, wouldn't that in fact make them the racist, because they automatically associate in their mind monkeys with black people?
| 3 |
AskReddit/ewmmexu
|
cp1jy4
|
Who’s that teacher in your school that made you ask “how are they not fired”?
|
my ag engineering teacher. He had a med weed card and would come to school high. He once filled a ziplock with a flammable gas, threw it in the air, and shot fire at it to make it explode mid air. He also used the air compressor on a fidget spinner making it go so fast the a bearing flew across the room and hit my face lol. Honestly one of my favorite teachers though he was always doing something funny
| 7 |
AskReddit/ewuyjo8
|
cqanvi
|
What's the worst loss of your life?
|
At this point in my life I really don’t have one. My grandparents have passed and I miss them but they died when I was young so I really didn’t get to spend time with them. So I guess my big loss is yet to come. If I had to really be honest I think it would be my loss of innocence at a young age because of things that happened to me and that I saw.
| 2 |
askscience/d3fmj7x
|
4khmzv
|
Is it possible to calculate New Moon times to the exact second?
|
Yes, we can calculate the time of new moon to better than one second. This is not very useful, though, but in principle nothing stops you from doing this (new moon is defined by the moon having the same ecliptical longitude as the Sun). For the sunset and sunrise times: in principle this is possible. BUT it depends on what you're exactly asking for. If you define sunrise and sunset as the time when the altitude of the moon or Sun above the horizon is zero, one can do a very precise calculation. However, this calculation is not very meaningful, as the apparent position of the Moon and the Sun on the sky are shifted from their geometric position by refraction in the Earth's atmosphere. Refraction depends on local conditions such as the current air pressure and the temperature stratification of the atmosphere. These are typically not known well enough, and therefore it does not make much sense to give sunrise and sunset times to better than a minute or so.
| 4 |
AskReddit/ethabhw
|
cbpofg
|
Why people are so divided about the Black Ariel character?
|
It’s a microagression. If we swapped out moana, black panther or miles morales with another ethnicity people would through a hissy fit. Me personally, I just don’t like the pandering and would rather them create new characters instead of casting a black actor to play the role of a white character.
| 9 |
AskHistorians/df956ww
|
60sn5t
|
How did Akechi Mitsuhide convince his men to attack Honnô-ji?
|
I can't answer "How" he was able to do so. However, it is quite clear that he didn't really need to. Akechi Mitsuhide was under the command of Oda Nobunaga. Mitsuhide's men however, wasn't. When looking at Sengoku Japan (or many other places and times throughout history) you must dispense with the notion of a centralized military authority and loyalty. Armies were regionally raised and loyal to regional lords, not to a central lord (unless he also happens to be your regional lord). Unless Mitsuhide's vassal samurai for some reason felt more loyalty towards Nobunaga than Mitsuhide due to personal/familial ties or thought it was a good chance to rebel or something, the default is to just follow Mitsuhide. As for what he thought would happen, we don't really know. Perhaps he wasn't thinking straight. Perhaps he thought that he, as one of Nobunaga's top generals, could rally enough support from old enemies and allies alike to make a successful bid for power. By all accounts Hideyoshi's speed marching west completely caught everyone off guard. We have no way of knowing Mitsuhide's train of thought. But we need to remember this is the Sengoku. Successful or failing revolt against one's lord happened all the time.
| 3 |
explainlikeimfive/dqn60ea
|
7gzu7h
|
Why do debits and credits always equal in accounting?
|
Maybe you are thinking of an account in a general ledger as representing things like cash in the bank. And while there are some accounts like that, others represent things like "how much we spent on electricity". So let's say a company gets an electric bill for $100 this month. When it pays that bill, in its ledger it records a decrease of $100 in the "cash" account and an increase of $100 in the "electricity expense" account. So overall the debits and credits are equal for this transaction even though we have less money in the bank. This could continue until we have no money in the bank and have spent it all on electricity. But then what happens? Well, we could borrow some money to keep paying the electric bill. So next month we take out a $100 loan and pay the bill with that. Our ledger would show another $100 increase in electricity expenses, but now also a $100 increase in loans we own. Hmm, both things increased (loans owed and electricity expenses paid), so how does that work? Well, the rules for what counts as a debit or a credit vary depending on the type of account. For expenses, an increase in the expense = a debit, whereas for our cash account, a decrease in cash = a credit. So we get balanced debits and credits when we pay a bill with cash (credit to cash, debit to expense). For a loan (a liability) an increase in that = a credit. So when we borrow $100 to pay the electric bill, we credit the loan account and debit the expense account. So we still have balanced debits and credits even though both accounts increased. The rules for when you do a credit vs. a debit are designed so that they'll always balance for any conceivable transaction that happens.
| 4 |
AskReddit/dmgix0b
|
6xjys1
|
Which trilogy of movies do you believe is comprised of three good/great films?
|
I don't mean to say it's the best, but you didn't ask for best, you asked for good. The Prophecy with Christopher Walken. First three movies were golden. "I'm an angel. I kill firstborns while their mamas watch. I turn cities into salt. I even, when I feel like it, rip the souls from little girls, and from now till kingdom come, the only thing you can count on in your existence is never understanding why." Picture that quote, spoken by Christopher Walken. That cemented my belief that religion is hogwash.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cie3ikw
|
28sorp
|
Why, when I have a fever, and my body is hot, do I feel cold?
|
When you're healthy, your body has a "set point" for what your correct internal temperature is (about 98.6 F/37 C). When you get sick, the hypothalamus will raise that set point (let's say to 101 F/38.3 C). This effectively tells your body "okay, 101 F is the new normal temperature, and we're currently at 98.6 F so we're obviously freezing." As a result, you will feel cold while your body works frantically to raise your internal temperature to the new normal. Depending on how sick you are, you may actually shiver and cover yourself in blankets even though you're clearly burning up. Now, after your immune system has taken care of whatever it was attacking your body, your fever will "break." This basically means that the exact opposite will happen. The hypothalamus will lower the set point back to a normal 98.6 F and tell the rest of the body "the new goal is 98.6 F and we're at 101 F, so we're obviously on fire." You'll start sweating and feel incredibly hot until the body reaches its goal temperature again.
| 2 |
askscience/cfglebd
|
1y15pm
|
What causes adhesion between ultra-smooth surfaces?
|
Structural adhesives form covalent bonds along many branched chain polymers. If the surface can be chemically bonded too, it doesn't matter how smooth it is to a certain extent. Surely, a rougher surface has much more surface available for the adhesive to form a better bond, but the strength of the bond for a rear-view mirror doesn't need to be very strong (100 psi) compared to strong adhesives that can bond to smooth surfaces in aerospace (5000 psi), so you may have a weak bond and just not be aware of it.
| 7 |
AskReddit/e7s3i4s
|
9o5sn3
|
What is an essential life skill that most people don’t have?
|
Telephone manners �� whenever I speak to people on the phone at work, I’m amazed at how they can’t function or speak properly
| 6 |
AskReddit/eqodvel
|
bz0jod
|
What is your biggest regret?
|
My biggest regret is that I didn't realize that the girl I had a massive crush on for most of my life also liked m until she told me a few years later when I had another girlfriend and she was dating a friend of mine. It was awful to know that I had the opportunity but wasted it. They did break up but at that point life had moved on and it wasn't an option anymore. Still think of it every now and then, what could have been.
| 3 |
explainlikeimfive/d3jliee
|
4l1v73
|
How do fighter jets detect they are being locked on to?
|
Its like a radar detector. So you know when someone is pointing radar at you. It works by having a device that detects certain types of electromagnetic signals and when it detects a certain type it knows someone has "radar lock"
| 5 |
AskReddit/du1kjkx
|
7wmx9x
|
If you were given ten million dollars to open a museum, what kind of museum would you create?
|
I would create a 5 bed, 6 bath Malibu Museum with a spa, media room and guest residence on 1 acre of prime California real estate. Ticket purchases only in advance. Closed on Mondays, weekends and all holidays. Tue through Thu by appointment only. Fri for private parties only. Call ahead for reservations.
| 2 |
AskReddit/cq3bb7o
|
31o0cr
|
What is something people do to try to be polite that actually make you mad?
|
When you try to change lanes, and someone is in your blind spot so you slow down to go behind them and they slow down with you. Or, being from a small town, whenever people disregard traffic laws like the order you go at a stop sign in order to be polite. The most extreme version I ever saw of this was when one person parked in the middle of a main road to let someone on a side street make a left turn. There was no traffic, and the person could have easily turned after them, but instead they stopped and blocked all the cars behind them.
| 29 |
explainlikeimfive/cuck794
|
3i1fyl
|
Why do states not have the biggest city be their capital?
|
Another reason, not yet mentioned is that in some states, having their capital in a city not the biggest is seen as a way of balancing geographic rivalries. New York has a big divide between New York City and the rest of the state. Illinois has a similar divide between Chicago and the rest of the state.
| 9 |
AskReddit/cudy0ee
|
3i7dv4
|
What is the deadliest weapon you can make only using objects within arms reach?
|
I could stab someone with the rose bush that's right next to me. Or beat them to death with a dried sunflower. I also have a cat that would make a great combo weapon. She is both fat and equipped with claws.
| 2 |
AskReddit/dbbrwko
|
5ixsvb
|
What secret is going to make your holiday family gatherings difficult?
|
My boyfriend still hasn't told his family he's gay & we're dating, but I've gone to his house for holiday gatherings for the past five years as his "friend". He won't come to my family events - even though my family knows about us, and everyone likes him.
| 9 |
explainlikeimfive/cd373i5
|
1pk6th
|
Why should I care about NSA spying me?
|
It's the principle of the matter. The vast majority of citizens don't have anything to hide or anything in phone/internet records that the NSA would find interesting. But that's not the point. The point is, as Americans, we are supposed to be entitled to certain things, like the right to privacy, right to be free from unwarranted searches and seizures. These rights are being taken away from us because without them we are supposedly safer. This may be the case, and there may not be any other hidden agenda other than truly to make the U.S. population safer. But taking away one right, and chipping away at our constitutional freedoms just a little bit every once in awhile, slowly adds up over time. It also allows for more control and more extreme laws to be passed because we the people would simply have no more justification for questioning our government and elected (or maybe in the future, unelected) officials. If there's no laws in place protecting our rights that we enjoy (and take for granted everyday), how could we then argue against things like abuses of power and corruption in the government? Say hypothetically, next our 1st Amendment right to free speech is taken away? Well, now you have a situation in which the government can record all of your communications and you do not have the right to speak freely. If you cant speak and communicate freely, you begin to loose your ability to think freely because exchanging of varying ideas and viewpoints becomes harder to do and it becomes harder to learn the truth about the world or form any of your own opinions because information is lacking. Yes, this is not necessarily likely or going to happen in our case, and somewhat paranoid. It is a worst case scenario, but it can and has happened in the past. The more power a group of people has over another group, the more likely they are to abuse that power! It has been proven time and time again throughout history and even through sociological and psychological experiments. Our constitutional rights are all we have to keep powerful people in check and keep them on a moral, lawful and justifiable path. All it takes is a couple slip ups, and power hungry and radical people can have too much control which is potential disaster. Basically, my point is that we are a Democratic Republic. We each have the right to participate in government, being that in theory we elect a few of ourselves to run our government. We therefore need to watch those in power, as much as they watch us to keep them in check. The NSA spying thing may be simply innocent now, but whos to say it isnt used for the wrong reasons in the future?
| 5 |
AskReddit/dzsuqsy
|
8n4zbi
|
Do you prefer Sams or Costco, and why?
|
Sams has bigger portions of normal things at a small discount plus it's basically just a more soulless walmart. Costco has premium product for a good price and normal stuff for a great price. They treat their employees well and so the employees are of a much higher calibre. But seriously the merchandise is just better.
| 3 |
AskReddit/cf2lfhd
|
1wjn5u
|
What are your funny/ horror stories from when you were learning to drive?
|
Learning to drive a stick, was not made aware those roll backwards on hills. First car, steep hill, Jaguar inches from my back bumper, Beemer inches from my front.
| 2 |
AskReddit/e9ppncm
|
9x5khr
|
How much cash do you have on you right now?
|
$40 because my credit card was compromised this morning and I had to cancel it so I needed emergency cash just in case till I get a new card. Almost $10,000 in attempted charges, from Walmart to PayPal, unreal engine, mens shave club and, weirdly enough, several thousand dollars in attempted donations to Mercy Ships. Nothing like a philanthropist criminal. My credit union caught it right away, as did I when the charge push alerts to my phone started coming in so fast the phone couldn't keep up with them. Great way to start my day.
| 2 |
AskReddit/drd446j
|
7kbosh
|
What word has an interesting etymology?
|
Nimrod is kind of interesting. It's a biblical name of a great hunter. But then Bugs Bunny repeatedly called Elmer Fudd Nimrod in a derogatory way, and the name became an insult.
| 2 |
AskReddit/celv0zk
|
1uusux
|
What is the best drinking game I've never heard of?
|
I heard about this one on here, but it's called "Mmm water". You fill a whole bunch of shot glasses with either water or vodka (or something else that's clear), and each person picks one at random, drinks it and has to say "mmm water". Anyone else can call their bluff, and if the person had drank vodka, they have to go again, otherwise, the person who called them on it goes next. If no one calls them, it moves on to the next person.
| 33 |
AskReddit/el8qfe5
|
beusly
|
What something you can’t wait for technology to replace, make unnecessary, or make possible?
|
I would love if computers actually made sense. Every time mine does soemthing wonky, it comes out and says something absurd that I can't make heads or tails of. Lately, I've been getting the error message "invalid arch-independent ELF magic". So that's a new thing that's just a complete mystery to me. I wish computers could just tell me what was wrong with them.
| 4 |
askscience/cj6eu13
|
2bkgcf
|
Why is the color of the sky orange and pink during a sunset, but have a more yellowish hue during sunrise?
|
Well the answer is relatively simple actually. In the morning, the air is much more stable in terms of temperature. At sunset, the air is hotter, and so the waves of heat given off can have an effect on color. In the morning there can also be fog or colder air that mess with the different colors. Also, if you're looking at a still image of both you can never be sure that the colors weren't actively changing. I hope I helped.
| 5 |
AskReddit/e6a18wz
|
9h8uaw
|
If you could be the president of your country for a week and create 2 laws, what would they be?
|
hard term limits (politicians in the Philippines get to rest for a term and come back) and waiver of bank secrecy laws for public officials. id add a third, cap on a public official’s wealth during their term of service. these mother effers.
| 2 |
AskReddit/cj7sx7a
|
2bq3pj
|
What was the worst birthday you ever had?
|
My birthday is the first day Thanksgiving can't be, so at worst it's on Black Friday and at best it's sometime after Black Friday. Since everyone in my family was always busy shopping anyway, I started working doubles when I got into working retail. My boss was appreciative that someone actually WANTED to work then, and honestly it was fun. The worst birthday I had was the first Black Friday after I STOPPED working retail. I was home alone all day and didn't do anything.
| 2 |
AskReddit/dq3wau8
|
7ec15b
|
What's some of the worst cases of helicopter parenting you've ever witnessed?
|
Pretty much anytime a helicopter grows up and joins the army. There are so many better things a strong, young, helicopter could do with their lives, but without good quality parenting they always seem to take the easy way out. Sad, really.
| 96 |
AskReddit/expjii1
|
ctzpkw
|
How much can the human brain actually learn and retain?
|
Each of the one hundred billion neurons in the human brain has on average 7,000 synaptic connections to other neurons. If you consdier each connection to be a bit then 700,000 billion bits of data. So 700 terabits.
| 2 |
AskReddit/et9cbj3
|
cakw8w
|
What is an easy, non-expensive way to dye your hair at home?
|
dont do koolaid, it stains your hair rather than colors it and its tough to get certain tones out of your hair if you want to redye in the future. honestly not knowing much more than that, (dyed my hair turquoise with koolaid at one point and had ugly hair for a long time) you can probably get products from sallys to dye/tone your hair for under $30. better than spending $80 at a salon. dont use box hair dye, will fry your hair. id also look into henna or finding ways to make your own hair dye from fruit and other things!
| 3 |
explainlikeimfive/cdmhmt6
|
1renjr
|
How we forecast the weather, and if it's a pseudoscience?
|
We measure air pressure and temperature, and track patterns that we know are associated with certain weather patterns. It's not a pseudoscience - its peer reviewed, based on statistics and empirical data, etc. The systems are just so complex that its hard to get it perfectly right for every region and time.
| 7 |
explainlikeimfive/dm2nxc0
|
6vsbqa
|
Why does water taste different after you freeze it?
|
It absorbed flavors from the other items in your freezer. Does your freezer happen to be a little stinky? A lot of things that are water-tight aren't necessarily airtight. Water is also velcro for all sorts of tastes and smells. and easily picks up/absorbs those. This can happen to ice too, if you use ice trays.
| 8 |
AskReddit/cm8bkqr
|
2mww14
|
Can men really feel no pain greater than childbirth?
|
There's such a wide range of childbirth experiences that I don't see how anyone can say that it is the most painful thing. There are easy births and difficult ones and everything in between. A biological male can't experience the particular pain of childbirth, that is true. Personally, I think downplaying other people's pain and trying to one-up them is pretty crappy, anyway. (Full disclosure: Am female, have never given birth.)
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cy6fgmr
|
3xolxo
|
How do carrier pigeons know where to deliver the message you're sending?
|
Carrier pigeons aren't really trained. They have a natural instinct to fly to their home. So if you want to send a carrier pigeon to Salt Lake City, you have to raise a pigeon in Salt Lake City, at the building you want it to deliver the message to, and then put it in a pet carrier and carry it with you to where you want to send the message from.
| 3 |
AskReddit/e7n1y39
|
9nkytm
|
What should someone know going into a fight?
|
The only way to get better is with practice. Start off by picking fights with toddlers and then slowly move on to small children as you gain more experience. Aim for their throats. EDIT: Karma for beating kids? Sure, I'll take it.
| 200 |
explainlikeimfive/cdsadjz
|
1ryxf6
|
Why do paper cuts hurt so badly?
|
Deeper cuts usually do some damage to the nerves under the skin, cutting off some of the sensation from the cut. Paper cuts expose raw nerves just at the surface of the skin so you feel EVERYTHING that's going on. Just my guess.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/dhbd891
|
69si6u
|
Why does a cell phone find cell service easier than it does the mobile network service?
|
Your data connection requires higher bandwidth, which needs a higher frequency to get the information from your cat video from the video server to your phone. The frequency used for voice communication is lower bandwidth and lower frequency (larger wavelength) which allows the EM waves to travel further without distortion. tl:dr; voice data can travel further than internet data for cell phones due to wavelength propagation differences, slower longer wavelengths travel further
| 2 |
AskReddit/cdm0z2i
|
1rd64x
|
What food/snack can you not stop eating once you take that first bite?
|
Any bag of chips, you open it up and you think huh, I'll just eat a little bit. then you get half way threw the bag and you think "Well I can't just put half a bag of chips away" annnnnd now its gone.
| 4 |
AskReddit/c6at9ob
|
106irb
|
How to handle a difficult college student?
|
I have taught college for over 25 years. It is not uncommon to have students make that type of claim. First, I assume that every student deserves the benefit of doubt. But only once. Repeat customers need proof. Second, do everything you can to make sure that you do not loose any assignments. Take a large envelope to class on days when homework is due. Count the assignments as they are handed in and write the number on the outside of the envelope. Everything goes immediately into the envelope. Grade the assignments on a completely clean desk so there is no chance assignments will get mixed in with anything else. Put the grades into a spreadsheet or gradebook. Count the grades you entered and make sure it matches the tally on the envelope. Look down the list of grades to see if there are any odd grades. Double check any low grades. Third, try to move away from paper. Have as many assignments as possible turned in electronically using Blackboard, Noodle, Angel, or whatever CMS your school uses. Finally, talk to your supervisor about the situation. This would probably have been first, but I am on my phone and too lazy to move it.
| 2 |
AskReddit/ee9rpk0
|
agxq2p
|
What is the easiest language for someone to pickup if English is their primary?
|
It really depends on what you mean by easy, but I would say German. English is a Germanic language, and has many quarks of German that people don't realize unless you know both languages. A lot of words are either Latin in origin, or still look/sound similar.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/egsxtpq
|
asb3ad
|
Why is sleeping at 10pm and waking up at 6am considered better than sleeping at 12am and waking up at 8?
|
I would imagine it's because the former schedule adheres a little closer to sunrise & sunset; for a variety of reasons it's better to be awake during sunlit hours and to go to sleep after the sun is down. But I couldn't find any actual research claiming that a 10pm sleep time is better - do you have a source on that?
| 2 |
AskReddit/cbd6att
|
1jc34k
|
What's your favorite "feel good" song?
|
Maybe not the best "feel good" song, but its my "comfort blanket" song: Take on Me by Aha. Ever since I was a kid and when I started to hear it on Easy Listening radio. Just makes me feel laid back
| 2 |
AskReddit/dql31nu
|
7gquvj
|
What is that one film you’ve never watched, but are constantly reminded of the need to watch it by your peers?
|
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I have no intention of watching it. I've tried to watch it but people kept ruining it for me. Every time I remind my friends I've never seen it, they remind me how funny it is and proceed to quote all the quotes that everyone quotes every time the movie is mentioned. People did the same thing a few years ago when I never saw the Big Lebowski. They would tell me how good it is and give me a few quotes. I saw it and guess what? I found it boring and nowhere as good as people made it out to be. Julianne Moore had an interesting character but that was about it. I tell people I don't like the Big Lebowski and 9/10 times they reply the same way "Yeah, well that's just your opinion man". Haha how funny, you're quoting the movie that I just said I didn't like. Today hasn't been a good day, I'm going to cool off and take a nap.
| 39 |
AskReddit/dk2z486
|
6mnsbx
|
What is something cute about your SO?
|
Everything about him is cute, really. But he hiccups at random moments, often mid-sentence. One time he freaked out the nurses he worked with because his hiccups sounded like a wonky patient monitor.
| 2 |
AskReddit/cfxd98d
|
1zvjfy
|
What's a skill or qualification you can gain in a year which will find you a half decent job around the world?
|
around the world I'm not sure. A good qualification to get would be radio operator, its a very easy course and if you choose to work for say a police, fire or EMS service they pay about 30K starting out. not too bad if you want a half decent job. Worldwide, I would say try to obtain an EMS tech. license, never know when that may come in handy anywhere at any time.
| 5 |
explainlikeimfive/ed9ww9a
|
acq7d3
|
When you erase something with a pencil eraser where does it "go"?
|
So, your pencil is made of graphite. When you write, the graphite sticks to the paper and that’s what makes the mark. The rubber from the eraser rubs the graphite off of the paper and it sticks to the little pieces of rubber instead, then you brush away the little bits of dirty eraser and are left with mostly clean paper to write on again.
| 25 |
explainlikeimfive/cgb78ho
|
21ajmz
|
Why isn't there a movement in the U.S. to "vote with money" and strangle corporations that make the world a worse place?
|
First, people already do this. Companies spend a lot of money and energy avoiding negative press-sometimes through manipulation, sometimes through doing the right thing-because people tend to look down on companies that behave irresponsibly, harm people, or make the world suck. Take Chick-fil-a, whose executives ended up severly cutting back (at least according to media) on their contributions to anti-gay groups after the contributions came to light. Second, it's not that easy. Not everyone agrees on what makes the world suck, and not everyone agrees that ceasing to buy from a company will make the world suck less, overall. Take Caterpillar, for instance. Lots of people oppose their sales of farming equipment to Israeli settlers. But Caterpillar is one of the world's largest and most effective producers of farm equipment. If everyone agreed that what they were doing was wrong, they'd almost certainly change policies, but until that point, it's a difficult balance, because punishing the company doesn't just punish the executives and the workers, but also those that depend on their products to produce things like food cheaply and efficiently. TLDR; Fighting corporate misdeeds is like fighting cancer. We refer to it with one blanket term, but it's actually a lot of different problems, with only some elements in common. Creating a single movement to solve it all in one fell swoop is as likely to succeed as a single drug to cure all cancers.
| 4 |
AskReddit/dli8axm
|
6t64bk
|
How many times do you wear a pair of pants before you consider them dirty?
|
After a fresh wash i can use a pair of pant for as long as 2 consecutive times in a summer day , but in winter some time i don't even bother changing pants in 5 or 6 days.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/ce95r0n
|
1tll3i
|
Why did the human body evolve to have the heart protected more than the brain?
|
Some could argue that the brain is, in fact, better protected than the heart, or at least it was meant to be. While the heart does have several structures surrounding it, like the spinal column and ribcage, these structures hold distinct functions, of which protection is secondary (intercostal muscle attachment, spinal cord protection -> an extension of the brain). The brain, on the other hand, has the skull. A coconut-like casing whose prime directive is to take hard knocks for its squishy master. An additional aside for the evolutionary theorists: The morphology(shape) of our bodies, as dictated by evolution, is a consequence of natural selection. Meaning that the defenses we evolve are entirely situationally-dependent. So you can draw your own theories on how our brains have been selectively targeted over our hearts by predators or the laws of physics.
| 11 |
AskReddit/d0d9488
|
47j0lw
|
What was thing that pushed you to start exercising ?
|
I was alone in a new city for a job, after a couple months of sitting around doing nothing, I decided to start using my mountain bike, and started to learn how to ride. It changed the way I thought about exercise, all of a sudden, it wasn't something I had to do, it started to be fun, and I would look forward to getting off work so I could go out and ride.
| 2 |
AskReddit/dbxtiwc
|
5lr1mo
|
What country has the best public transit?
|
I live in the Netherlands, and I have rarily seen a country this well connected. I am 26 and don't have a drivers license because I can go anywhere I want by public transit or bike. I also went to Germany by train and they seemed very similar, except for the fact that about half the trains I saw still used diesel engines which are quite bad for the environment. Dutch trains will be competely powered by wind energy this year, so that's nice.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/eakzpao
|
a0ukbu
|
How are they able to concentrate almost the entirety of animals' necessary daily nutrients into hard, granular food?
|
Small animals like pets consume far fewer calories than humans do. That being said, we could make dry human-food in pellet form, you'd just have to eat a lot more of it. Also, we already have things like Soylent - nutritionally "complete" food powder that you mix with tap water into a shake. I say "complete" in quotes because it has everything that current nutritional science has identified as an essential dietary component, but fresh fruits, veggies, etc have dietary benefits beyond their essential vitamins that are not yet well understood.
| 20 |
explainlikeimfive/e9mt5rf
|
9wryd3
|
What is the most efficient method of consuming food in an attempt to gain considerable weight?
|
What matters is calories in vs. calories out. If you eat 5,000 calories a day and burn 1,000 you're going to gain weight no matter how you eat those calories.There is not much, if any, difference between eating one huge meal or 20 tiny meals.
| 3 |
explainlikeimfive/dbw1hc6
|
5liufr
|
How does looking at the road in front of you or sitting in the front help relieve symptoms of car sickness?
|
Car sickness happens when your brain can't make sense of what's going on, when two senses offer conflicting information about the current situation. Specifically, if you're in the back, all you might see is a seat that's stationary relative to you. However, your propioception (sense of body's position in space and movement) says it's moving. Your body doesn't like that, and might assume it's because you are something nasty, and therefore want to puke.
| 2 |
AskReddit/c2zo571
|
mbo7c
|
Why don't we have an option to include text with a link post?
|
When submitting a self-post, the comment is the content of the submission. When submitting a link, the link is the content and any additional comments you want to make should have to compete for the top spot like any other comment. Though I do think this should be more obvious on the submit page.
| 9 |
AskReddit/darb3k8
|
5gd5qi
|
What has not been done enough or good enough in sci-fi movies, and why do you want it done more/better?
|
Movies don't have enough time to go over the development sci-fi needs. I want to see development of tech over the course of a series. I want a series with a military arms race that gives details about how their tech works as they go. Give us a Mass Effect universe, where there is on piece of magic bullshit (element zero, in ME's case), but go into the details of how each step in their tech gets developed and why each new piece of tech is developed. I want to know how my shields work, and what their limitations are as I follow a Firefly captain trying to keep his crew alive and aquire better tech for his ship, either through trade, conquest, or his team's own R&D. I want the details
| 2 |
AskReddit/cz84plu
|
4278bi
|
What is the best way to convince someone that you are not the bad guy?
|
You gotta put down your gun first, and then say "If I was the bad guy, would I do this?" and toss your gun onto the floor. Works 9 out of 10 times. The 10th time they shoot you once you're disarmed. That's what the vest is for!
| 4 |
AskReddit/ehpb1o4
|
awuwsi
|
Have you ever felt so empty that you just want to sit or maybe lay in bed, feel mentally tired for no apparent reason, how do you cope?
|
all the time. I even tried to get ill so i wouldn't have to go to work. i just let myself feel that way, it's gonna pass after a while. it's not a good way to deal with those feelibgs though. I also have a list right next to my bed with things that make me feel better (drinking mate tea, reading a book, nature, sports, piano, singing, etc) and try to do at least one of those when I end up in bed again doing nothing all day.
| 2 |
explainlikeimfive/codozc0
|
2v1sa6
|
Does having a big body actually increase your ability to withstand severe wounds?
|
Most of that is just Hollywood make-believe. Some of it could be the increased layer of fat between the skin and the peritoneal cavity where your organs are. In real life, a long enough blade can cause significant damage to anyone. There is something to say for "adrenaline" in the system and the "fight or flight" response it gives you for "ignoring" a wound for a bit, but in movies this is much more pronounced than it is in real life. A good stabbing will take someone down pretty quick.
| 2 |
AskReddit/cgnnagb
|
22kb8q
|
What is a brand that was so popular, people started calling the general products by that name?
|
There is the "all Jacuzzi's are hot tubs, but not all hot tubs are Jacuzzi" so i think Jacuzzi's qualifies. Considering I am Australian, the fact that it reached this far and we often make the mistake of calling all hot tubs jacuzzi's says something.
| 2 |
AskReddit/cjlu5nj
|
2d41ik
|
What's the most badass story you know about your grandparents?
|
Not direct grandparents, but my great great grandmother ran a Canadian brothel after her husband passed away. Had to make those dolla dolla bills y'all eh.
| 4 |
AskReddit/dplmkga
|
7bxthe
|
If you could replace all the Confederate Statues in America with one thing, what would it be?
|
In all seriousness: an interactive hologram of someone who used to be a slave. You think John Smith was the greatest Confederate ever ? Okay, fine, let's replace his statue with a hologram of one of the slaves he owned. You push a button & you get to hear Betty Smith the slave talking about "I fled the Smith plantation when I was 12 & got whipped until my back bled. I fled to the North at 16 & lived to be 90 years old; but I still worried every day someone would come drag me back to the Smith plantation." I think it's a fair trade off.
| 2 |
AskReddit/dt7ldo4
|
7suokb
|
What insignificant thing makes you feel like a king?
|
Mutual, innocent flirtation with cashiers or retail workers. It's not common, and I always feel out the situation because I'm not trying to make anyone uncomfortable or unsafe, but when they flirt back a little I can ride that bit of confidence boost all day.
| 3 |
explainlikeimfive/djzze68
|
6m9y6n
|
How do we capture the (electric) energy produced from motion, like a dam or a windmill, and store it?
|
By using that mechanical energy to rotate a magnet in a wire coil. A rotating magnetic field inside a coil of wire induces an electric current in the wire. Basically all of our energy sources are converted to electricity in this way.
| 6 |
AskReddit/dj6zlq8
|
6ikkom
|
What is your favorite sporting moment and why?
|
When (seven) rugby was introduced at the Olympics, everyone was considering Fidji as the favorites. And the really lived up to the expectations! Each match they played seemed to be even easier than the preceding one. Sometimes they gave the impression that they played an entirely different sport. Their praying song at the end of the finale was really moving, the cohesion of the team was obvious. It was the first time that Fidji went to the Olympics, and they went home with the Gold Medal.
| 2 |
AskReddit/dhrnnh7
|
6c2ono
|
What "one-in-a-million" thing happened to you?
|
I grew up in Luxembourg, Europe. When I was seven years old, I had a neighbor named Will. He and I were best friends until one day his family moved. He told me he was moving to the US, but I was too young to understand what that really meant and we ended up losing touch pretty fast. Roughly 9-10 years later, I'm 17 and I go to a theatre camp in the states. There are 20 students for a 5 week intensive theatre program. There were only four other guys in the program and one of them was named Brandon. We started casually talking/hanging out until I added him on Facebook and realized we had one mutual friend, my old neighbor, Will. I thought this was crazy and when I asked him about it, he said: "Dude, Will's my neighbor." So somehow, when I was 7 years old, my neighbor Will moved to the states, became this kid Brandon's neighbor, and 10 years down the road, I happen to meet Brandon independently of Will. This was without a doubt the smallest world moment I've ever experienced. The likelihood of me running into Brandon and having that mutual connection just felt like one-in-a-million. I mean how many different houses/cities/neighbors/streets are there in the US. The likelihood of Will moving next door to Brandon, and Brandon and I meeting 10 years down the line seems very very very very slim. I'm 23 now and Brandon and I are best friends.
| 380 |
explainlikeimfive/cnm4wbn
|
2s3st9
|
Why can't we order donuts like we order pizza?
|
Although there are places that deliver donuts, it is pretty rare. One reason is that it is harder to make money delivering donuts. Many times when a pizza delivery guy leaves the store to make a delivery run, he is delivering 2-3 orders to different locations, each order is $15-20 after delivery fees. I don't eat many donuts, but I can't imagine many people spending that much on donuts. And if you did charge that much for donuts, I think the demand would be pretty low.
| 3 |
AskHistorians/eku7k8u
|
bcwjus
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How accurate is the claim that the Royal Navy ruled the waves?
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Here's a provisional answer: The British navy had near total dominace over the seas of the world from about 1815, the end of the Napoleonic Wars, until about 1890. During this period they adopted a policy of keeping their navy larger than the two other largest navies in the world (typically France and Russia). Starting in about 1890 Kaiser Wilhelm, probably due in party to a psychological inferiority complex because, while he was obsessed with ships, his first cousin the King of England had a much larger navy, began building up the German navy as part of Germany's attempt to become a 'Great Power'. In 1906 the Royal Navy launched the HMS Dreadnought, the first modern battleship, which instantly made every other warship in the world obsolete, including the rest of the British navy. At the same time Germany embarked upon a massive fleet expansion in an attempt to challenge Britain's supremacy. Germany theorized that if they could have a force equal to what Great Britain could keep in their home waters, Britain would be unwilling to risk that fleet and, at less expense, they would be able to achieve virtual naval parity with England. Britain responded in three different ways to this. First, they also set out on an even larger naval expansion program. Second, in 1907 they allied themselves with Russia and France, removing two potental enemies with large, up-to-date navies. Third, they allied themselves with Japan, freeing up most of their fleet from Asian colonial duties for wartime duties in home waters. While the Germans would challenge the British supremacy in the North Sea at the battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland, these would result in draws. Following the war a naval race broke out between the victors - the UK, US, and Japan, in which each attempted to embark upon ruinously expensive naval expansion plans (in Japan's case, taking up 20% of the government's budget). This was halted at the 1920 London Naval conference in which the ascendancy of the United States was established and saw them given parity with England. The conference established a 5:5:3:1.75:1.75 ratio between the great naval powers: England, US, Japan, France, and Italy. It established a 10 year moratorium on the construction of new battleships, and limited cruisers to no more than 10,000 tons displacement. In 1930 these terms were renewed for another ten years with minor modifications, including an expansion of the 5:5:3:1.75:1.75 ratio from battleships to cruisers. A 1936 conference had high hopes (mostly from the British desperate to maintain a superiority they could really no longer afford), but the oncoming war rendered it a moot point. The onset of World War II saw Germany embark on it's 'Z' plan to achieve naval parity with Great Britain by 1945, and their U-boats challenged British supremacy, but as the war in the pacific began and American industrial might churned out ship after ship it became clear that after about a century of British rule of the sea a new master had taken over.
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AskReddit/czvndkj
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456vto
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What are you going to love and hate most when the day comes that we are all mandated to use self-driving cars?
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Going to love all the extra time I have while being driven around. I can devote more time to Netflix and other similar hobbies. I am going to hate having to pay to go to a place where I can drive a car manually. I'll miss driving.
| 2 |
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