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What does a runny nose actually do for recovery, like from a flu? | It prevents additional viruses from entering. As the immune system is busy handling one virus it leaves the body open to attack from another virus. To prevent this there are several other defense mechanisms that turn on like increased mucus production, lack of hunger and tiredness. The flu virus and influenza virus does take advantage of this as it spreads though mucus that gets airborne after you cough. So it will also stimulate mucus production. |
Is it bad to hold back sneezes? Like pinching your nose to block the sneeze etc. | Every time I hold in a sneeze (like when I'm in a very quiet place and don't want to draw attention) I almost shit my pants. I literally can picture the sneeze working in reverse and trying to come out the other end. |
How were the lights synchronized in Lady Gaga's halftime show? | The drones use Intel's realsense technology combined with infrared LEDs, allowing the drones to know where each other are and form a sort of wireless mesh network. Once the drones know where they are and where they are supposed to be, you can program them. Example of drone formation from 5 years ago: _URL_0_ |
Why two signals at different frequencies can coexist? | It's just like sound. If you press two keys on a piano, you hear a sound that is different from the sound either key makes by itself. The combined waveform has components of each note's frequency. A more selective receiver, the kind that only hear's one note, like the kind your radio uses, works differently than your ear. It internally generates a signal with the one frequency it detects. It uses a circuit called a phase locked loop to align itself with that frequency even when it's mixed with other signals. Once it syncs up, it can detect when the signal is there, what it's amplitude is (for AM) or measure small chages in frequency (for FM). |
How many color combinations are possible with choosing 4 out of 7 colors if colors can be repeated and which formula is applied in this instance? | 7^^4 = **2041** of possible combinations Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but this should be it E: Wrong, it's **35**, see below |
What causes alkaline batteries to leak when mixed with other types of batteries? | All batteries of the same size pretty much always put out the same voltage regardless of what they're made of, so I think it may be a case of the other batteries may leak and they just copy-pasted the same safety warning. Those cheap "Heavy Duty" batteries you see in dollar stores are I believe Carbon-Zinc or Zinc Chloride batteries, an older, cheaper battery technology that has a lower capacity, and, more importantly, leaks when it is fully discharged. If you mix alkaline cells with these cheaper ones, because their capacity is lower, they will deplete first, but because the alkaline batteries will still have power left, your TV remote might still work, but one of the batteries is rotting it's guts out and is a out to spray acid all over your lap because, of course, you lost the battery cover. Its most likely a warning because if you mix battend types, one type may start leaking when it dies, but you won't be warned by all the batteries running down. |
If I fall asleep at 12:30am and naturally wake up at 6:30am, will I be better or worse off then getting 2 more hours of sleep, but waking up to an alarm? | I heard it's best if you get up the first time you wake up naturally. It's your natural cycle. Majority of people need around 8 hours but there are people who just need 6. some might need 10, it depends. I've noticed myself that I'm less tired if I get up the first time I wake! You should try it :) |
How can they tell how many people watched certain TV show? | They use Nielsen ratings. Certain households, called Nielsen families, participate in a program where they log everything they watch. These statistics are extrapolated to the whole country. So the viewership numbers you hear are estimates based off the number of Nielsen families that watched that show. |
Why can mayo remove water stains from finished wood? | The combination of fat and mild acids penetrates the top layer of the finish to replace the water with nourishing oil. At least that's what it says on _URL_0_ |
Why do red objects and text appear blurrier than other colours in low-quality digital videos? | Digital sensors use what's called a [Bayer Filter](_URL_0_) over the sensor to filter out the colours. As you can see in the images on that page, red pixels are only a quarter of the total number of pixels. This actually roughly matches the sensitivity of your eye, providing a more accurate colour balance. A side effect of this is that pure red and pure blue can sometimes appear 'bitty'. |
It has been a few years since the big boom of the "Occupy" movement. Did any major changes result from those protests? It seemed like every major city had an "Occupy" at one point. Did we ever ever see a shift in wealth (99% vs 1%)? | No, there wasn't a shift of wealth. Occupy never managed to really push a mechanism for changing that. What one can say Occupy did accomplish in a very real way was to shift the national dialogue. Pre-Occupy very few people were talking about the wealth dispairity except in lofty academic circles. The whole 99% thing wasn't even in the common national discourse. Occupy made people aware of the issue, but wasn't able to effect much change on it. |
r/KotakuInAction and "Gamergate" | KIA and gamergate is anti SJW. GamerGate began due to the accusation of a female game developer of sleeping around with game reviewers, which was partially true and partially false. So, the internet rioted and began to demand ethics in game journalism, while some attacked her directly on the internet. She accused her accusers of attacking her because she is a woman in a male dominated industry, claimed they were harassing her, and others came to her aid. The gaming journalist sites sided with them, and basically it has been like this for half a year now. GG claims it is trying to find ethics in journalism, anti - GG claims this is really a group trying to fight against women in the gaming industry. r/kotakuinaction is the largest pro GamerGate subreddit. My suggestion to you is to tread no further. I once got wound up in this conflict and now I see that the conflict in general is very vile basically cancer. |
Why are all videos not available on mobile youtube? | Uploaders can choose for each of their videos whether or not to enable mobile viewing. Google implemented this choice because the mobile Youtube apps used to not be able to display ads, and some uploaders might not want to lose out on that ad revenue. That reasoning is obsolete now, since ads are shown during mobile viewing. Maybe Google hasn't removed it yet because there are other reasons. One guess that comes to mind is for channels like Vevo which have ads on the webpage all around the video player. |
How can businessmen get prosecuted for things like insider trading and securities fraud when their businesses have limited liability? | Limited liability protects members from debts, liabilities, and tort claims -- not crimes. For example, if you're a member of an LLC that goes bankrupt, you are not responsible for those debts. If someone slips on a puddle of coffee inside your office and sues you, you are not personally responsible for paying that judgement (if there is one). Limited liability does not protect you from being prosecuted for a crime, whether you committed the crime as an owner of the company or in your own interest. |
How do clouds stay up in the sky? | Air also has weight. Remember that clouds are totally gigantic. The amount of air that would take up that space actually weighs more than that. Since the cloud is lighter, it floats on top of the air. As the cloud gets denser, it can sink down. As it gets less dense, it can rise up. That's why fog, stratus clouds, cumulous clouds, and cirrus clouds hang out at different heights. |
Why drugs have the stigma that they possess today? | Well... it's obvious there have been enormous negative social impacts from drug use. I think it'd be ridiculous to say it's "purely" because of corrupt governments or money. Obviously the War on Drugs didn't help their public image, and some-not-quite-as-bad drugs were caught in the "drugs are terrible" crossfire, but it just doesn't make sense to discount the actual harmful issues they cause to society (as a general class, including legal drugs). |
Can some please explain to me how computer programming works? | Computer Science graduate here. Those "seemingly random lines of code" are in fact deliberate and specific lines of code that tell the CPU (brain of the computer) to display a shape at this size and this color, display a comment on reddit, or keep track of all the files you have downloaded. Your question isn't terrible, but just because the code is random to your eyes, does not mean that it doesn't have a precise order and exacting function for each and every line. |
Why Does My Spoon Taste Metallic After It Touches Aluminum Foil? | Some of the aluminum oxide, which **always** coats the aluminum, rubs off. It tastes metallic because you are tasting aluminum rust. |
How can our brains allow us to kill ourselves? | They try really hard to stop us, but sometimes they're too damaged. |
Why is a president commenting on a judicial procedure not a violation of the separation of powers? | He is allowed to comment all he likes. He is even allowed (and often expected) to fight judicial procedures in court. What he can't do is order his executive branch to directly violate the court findings. |
The inclusion of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance during 1954. | one of the main points of propaganda against the soviet union was that the soviet union was atheist and godless, while the US was strong under the protection and guidence of god. The pledge of allegiance was written by a baptist flag salesman to increase sales anyways. |
Why do I often get calls from random numbers with nobody on the other line? | They're likely scammy telemarketing calls. Outbound call centers typically use a "power dialer" that calls a bunch of numbers at once, and if the line picks up, instantly connects it to an operator. In legit call centers, they're tuned so that you rarely get enough people picking up at once that there are no operators available. But scammy telemarketers? They don't care, they want 100% of the scammers working 100% of the time, and if that means you get woken up 3 times to a dead line, so be it. |
Why are most road kill on the side of the road? | State trooper move the carcass to aide of the road if it's blocking or endangering traffic. Later on, animal services comes by and takes the carcass if animals haven't eaten it already. If healthy itll be butchered and donated to local animal shelters |
What are the pros and cons of "right to work" laws? | > A "right-to-work" law is a statute in the UnitedStates that prohibits union security agreements, or agreements between labor unions and employers, that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment. Pros: employees that don't want to be in a union cannot be forced to as a condition of their employment. Cons: The functional power of a union is reduced. Strikes are less powerful, as nonunion employees can still work without fear of retribution. |
Why are some apples crisp and some mushy, even within the same variety? | Because all apples are inferior to honey crisp! But probably age picked. They all just get jumbled up together so you could have apples picked one time, and apples from two months earlier in the same bag or batch |
Are animals less prone to mental disabilities due to evolution and the 'survival of the fittest' mechanism? | Survival of the fittest is something of an old term, and not terribly accurate. Closer to reality is 'survival of the good enough.' If a species has evolved a heritable high likelihood of mental instability to the point that it can't function, then it is going to be hard for that species to survive. So you'd expect to see natural selection not reward that trend. If you mean 'relative to humans' rather than in general, we'd have the same effect on us. There are a lot of people, and a lot of them are mentally stable. |
. Why does white text/black background on a monitor make my vision wonky? But on tv or a movie screen it doesn't really bother me... | Most text on your monitor is very small compared to the size typically used on movies or TV shows. The clarity of small fonts is much more affected by the slight "smearing" effect of white on black. An extra 1mm of white doesn't hurt the clarity much when a character is 25mm wide. |
Is eating too fast that bad for your body ? | Yes. Eating too fast increases the likelihood of choking, and vastly increases the incidence of stomach upset and gastric reflux. |
Why is horizontal head-shaking an expression of saying 'No' while the vertical head-shaking is for 'Yes'? | It's arbitrary. Most of the world uses this system, but there are actually a few countries and cultures that do the opposite, as well as some that have neither system. |
Did the holocaust have any lasting effects in the make-up of non Jewish people in Germany and elsewhere? | Before we say anything else here, it's important to note that there are many Jewish people who are blonde with blue eyes, and many Germans who do *not*! *That* said, here's the thing. *Tens of millions* of people died during WWII - 3% of the total population of the entire world, at the time. The holocaust is a part of that, but Germany was devastated by that war, and limiting the rippling effect to just the holocaust itself is probably not very feasible. |
How will the newly imposed China tarrifs affect the average consumer? | China's tariffs shouldn't directly affect US consumers, it only affect the people who produce those goods (soybean farmers, car manufacturers, etc), who will find it harder to export their goods. Trump's tariffs *will* affect US consumers though. Everything Trump puts a tariff on will become more expensive for you. The worry is that Trump will tariff some things, then china will retaliate, then Trump will retaliate with *more* tariffs, until there's a full blown trade war. |
What did people do to for snake bites and staph infections and such before modern medicine? Did they just die? | Did you ever play Oregon trail? Friggen snake bites killed my family constantly. Yes, many more people died from diseases and wounds that today are easily treatable. Aside from antibiotics and the like, sanitation also played a large role. |
what is happening to this ingot of tin to cause the ringing sound? | Like every material the metal changes its size due to the temperature change. Because the temperature does not change evenly parts of the metal ingot change more than others tension builds up. It seems that this tensions leads to a point where internal cracks form, and and this motion lets parts of the metal vibrate. A way to find out what happens exactly would be to tap the metal ingot and listen to the resulting sound (does it sound similar?) and then examining a cross cut of the ingot under a microscope to look for features where the ingot is not solid, but has parts that can vibrate freely. |
What is that deep, almost primal feeling of wonder, longing, and even sense of place we get when we see pictures of open landscapes or the natural vastness and beauty of earth? | It's probable that it's a remnant from our evolution. Ancient humans who felt the same wonder and attraction to lush, fruitful landscapes simply were more fit to survive, and passed that 'instinct' to further generations who also were more fit because of it. Compare it to an attraction to barren, dead landscapes. Ancient humans who were attracted to homes there may have struggled to find food and sustenance compared to humans drawn to life, fresh water, and greenery |
How do people shave in prison? | And before disposable razors were invented, prisoners used locking safety razors like [this](_URL_0_). The guards would put in the blade and use the cylinder on the right to tighten the razor together. |
Why does climbing a tree, or a ladder, or any steep height seem fine going up, but much more scary coming down? | * you can see where you are going and what you are doing better going up that down * if you run into a problem going up, all you have to is let gravity bring you back to where you just were...going down, you have to overcome gravity if you change your mind and want to go back to a safe spot |
why do some products in stores have a "if found at another retailer, please call...." sticker on them? | Generally, they are to discourage you from buying something from Retailer A and then turning around and reselling it through Retailer B for more money. For example, buying some stuff from Walmart during a crazy sale and re-selling it on Amazon later for a profit. This has some info: _URL_0_ |
How illegal immigrants can be appointed to government positions, get driver's licenses, etc. | Legitimately they can't and it is against the laws. However, currently, immigration laws in this country mean nothing. |
Are their more Android vulnerabilities nowadays or are we just hearing about them more? | There will always be vulnerabilities in software, but like Windows, Android is the biggest target, so it will probably get the most publicity. However, like Windows, there are some cut corners in order to get that install base IMO, and it's a bit worse now with the tie-ins with carriers and OEMs. I'm a bit concerned though, as a Google services/Nexus 5 owner, how much does Google really care about their own security. They don't shy away from throwing stones at other companies, primarily MS, but they don't seem to take security as serious with Android, as Apple does with iOS, eg the recent Stagefright patch that doesn't work. |
How do bookies at an event keep track of wagers when everyone's shouting at them and handing them money? | It's overly dramatized in movies. You can't actually just shout at a bookie and throw them money and expect your bet to be recorded. |
What's the difference between 2$ HDMI cables and 50$ HDMI cables? | You being ripped off. If an HDMI cable works it works. There is no difference in quality from a $2 one to a $50 one. At best the price difference may mean they used a higher quality material to make them and they will last longer under heavy use. |
How do we determine how "large" (in bytes) a genome is? | In genetics, Mb doesn't mean megabytes, it means megabases. DNA is formed as a sequence of bases (usually A, C, T, or G), and that's the unit of size that they use, so the sunfish has a genome that's about 730 million bases long. |
Why does Tea and Coffee taste bad when it's watered down, even though they're mostly water? | Coffee and tea are a specific ratio of water to "stuff;" the stuff is the oils and other chemicals from the coffee beans or tea leaves. So when you brew a cup of tea, the box of tea will tell you "Steep this tea bag in X water for Y minutes." That's like a recipe - it makes sure there's the right amount of stuff vs. water. Pouring extra water in there messes up that ratio, and it tastes worse. Just like if you put too much flour in a cake or too much water in a soup. |
The link between allergy medicine and dementia. | This is a science press story on an article in JAMA Neurology, the led publication in the neurology field. This is almost certainly legitimate scientific research. There have been other studies on anticholinergic drugs, and they do have potential to cause problems in older populations. Most prior studies indicated they drugs lingered longer than in younger patients reducing glucose and making them report feeling "foggy", potentially making this dementia concern greater. Your term "cause dementia" is probably too strong. If you're getting close to retirement with a family history of dementia, you might to try hard to get allergy drugs based on other mechanisms. I'd look at ah H1-blocker (zertec et. al.). |
What happens when a company buys a competitor but keeps the name? | Branding is important, and time will tell if those two brands have more value separately or together. A smart acquisition keeps its options open and gathers market intelligence over time to inform such decisions. Yes, they've eliminated a competitor. They've also expanded their business, now with two distinct customer bases: the traditional Allstate and the online eSurance. Each surely had lessons to learn from the other. Potential for a 1+1=3 situation. A business operation has a certain amount of overhead. Combining businesses has potential for economies of scale once they figure out how to merge their systems. (SO much easier said than done.). This is potential for 1+1=1.5 ... eliminating redundancies in overhead operations. |
Why do aquatic mammals swim with their fins moving up and down, but fishes swim with their fins moving side to side? | The most basic reasoning would be bone structure. An aquatic mammal still has bones in the same general shape as ours, meaning that their shoulders work a lot like ours do. Up and down and using them as rudders works well with the bone structure. Its the same with penguins. Fish also share a common bone structure with us, but it is so far removed from terrestrial animals that its barely recognizable. Fish limbs are the original limbs for swimming. They then evolved for walking on land, then in the case of aquatic mammals or birds, re-evolved for ocean life. |
What is the clear fluid that fills a bilster (from heat or pressure) and what is it's purpose? | It's usually plasma, which is the liquid part of blood that the red and white cells are suspended in. It helps the healing process of the underlying damaged skin. |
What is Black Body radiation and how does it work? | Everything that has a temperature will self-radiate by the emission of electromagnetic waves, e.g. light. The name "black body" radiation comes from the idea that if you have a perfect absorber, a body that absorbs 100% of all light in the entire spectrum that hits it (hence, "black body"), the said body will emit light not by reflecting incoming light but by spontaneous emission. This emitted light is referred to as "black body radiation". |
Why do movies about modern times often include outdated technology (e.g., paper & pen, dedicated camera, typewriter, etc.)? | Paper and pen is not outdated as of yet. Many if not most still use them daily. |
How do wet dreams cause one to cum if there is no sexual pleasure in reality? | Sexual pleasure is mostly in the mind. Your dreams are fully capable of providing that. What little contact is needed for wet dreams is provided by your underwear/other clothing, sheets, or actually masturbating in your sleep. |
Is looking through someone else's glasses on similar to their vision with their glasses off? | I would think it could but in the inverse direction, as long as you have perfect vision. In other words, say you have 20/20 vision. You put on your friend's -3.25 glasses, meaning they are myopic. Wearing glasses with -3.25 brings them to zero but since you're already there, your vision will correct to +3.25 *edit: which would give you nearsightedness*. (I'm not an optometrist and am purely speculating but think this is how it works.) |
How is medical marijuana legally distributed? | Marijuana is prohibited under federal law, but state law is an entirely different matter. If a state allows the prescribed use and regulated sale of marijuana, then it is not a crime in the eyes of any state official. Federal law enforcement agencies, however, are able to enforce federal anti-drug laws, but they mostly have the courtesy to allow regulated medical marijuana dispensaries to operate. Of course, it varies greatly based on location and local laws/federal agency policy. About the doctors' licensing, marijuana has known medical benefits, and it's prescription as an alternative form of medication is valid. |
Whats the differences between 'Lieutenant' and 'Leftenant'? | No difference; the former is the American/Canadian pronunciation while the other is found more in Britain and its former colonies. They're both spelled "Lieutenant." |
What all this Amy's Bakery drama is about? | Delusional crackpot had this fantasy that Ramsay would come and tell her how wonderful and right she is against all the "haters" and "losers" who dared to give her restaurant bad reviews or tell her her food was undercooked, because cooking is her god-given talent and a real chef would certainly recognize that. |
How does glass become sea-glass? | It becomes smooth after 20-50 years of being tumbled by waves and tides, in contact with abrasive saltwater and rough sand. It's possible because sand is of similar hardness to glass (being made from similar materials), the sand is able to wear away the glass. "Fake" sea glass is fairly easy to make in much less time. Usually glass is placed in a rock tumbler or treated with acid to produce the smooth edges and frosted appearance. |
How does something go from nothing to a brain? | If you want to make a brain from scratch, you must first invent the universe. |
Quantum physics grad student Ben Ames, wins Alan Alda's 'The Flame Challenge' by most effectively communicating the complexity of a flame to children in his animated video. | > First, we need something big and black like oh no > this pitchfork Oh. |
What exactly am I paying domain registrars for? | There are some administrative that need to be paid for (staff, office costs, hosting their own website). But mainly there needs to be some fee involved otherwise there's nothing stopping people from registering millions of domains, just for fun. |
Will a people with lighter skin tones gradually darken after generations (1k+years) of living in places like the middle east or Africa? Would a people with a darker skintone gradually "Lighten" after generations living up north in Europe or Siberia? | If everyone with the unfavorable skin tone for their region died before reproducing, then yes. In the modern world, no. We have technology that exists to shield ourselves from the harmful effects of the sun for lighter skinned people, and we have ways to replace nutrients lost from lack of sunlight exposure for darker skinned people. So, even if you lived in a region your skin isn't suited for, you'd probably still get to reproduce and pass on your genes, so evolution doesn't work in this case. |
Why is it so hard to clean up radioactive waste like Chernobyl? Why hasn't it disappeared on it's own after such a long time? | Cockroaches can withstand higher levels of radiation because they lack soft tissues, which are the most vulnerable to radiation poisoning. |
Regarding the 2020 Olympics, how will Olympic Karate look different from Olympic TKD? | It's like boxing vs. kickboxing. They are similar, but one allows kicks and the other doesn't. It's a small change, but it completely changes the strategy. Muhammed Ali was one of the best boxers of all time, but I don't think he would have been a very good kickboxer. The same applies to Taekwondo and Karate. Taekwondo focus on kicking so fighters stand slightly farther apart and try to jump and kick the other person in the head. Kicking gives more points, and it's harder to effectively land a punch. So Taekwondo uses hands as a backup if they happen to get close and need to space back out. Karate focuses more on punches, chops, and strikes. The fighter stand closer together and use their legs as more of a back up. You could say that these are still pretty similar, but the little differences matter. Sprinting 100M is very similar to sprinting 400M, but most runners don't do both. |
What is the feeling of grogginess and why do we experience it? | I'm no scientist, but I believe what you're referencing is that 2:30 feeling. To my knowledge, the only known cure is 5 Hour Energy. |
Why do we put so much effort in keeping certain species from going extinct and invasive species out of foreign areas when the more "natural" thing to do is let it happen? (read description for clarification) | Endangered is one thing. And more so humans trying to take responsibility for their actions. Most animals that are really endangered, it's partially our fault. As for invasives, the thing is, naturally it wouldn't have happened in the first place. How is a Python from Burma going to relocate to the Florida Everglades without human interference? (Funny thing is they are endangered in Burma, but super invasive where I live. Idk why we don't just ship em over). So, short answer for endangered, guilty humans. For invasive, depends. Edit: I just want to reiterate I'm not like some tree hugger or human-hater that blames my fellow species for everything. Like I've seen other people say, it's hard to rule out what animal is genuinely endangered and which is our fault. |
Syndication of TV shows | Syndication is when the company that owns the rights to a show sells it to other networks to show. For example, Seinfeld originally aired on NBC and the cast got money from that. But, they later sold the syndication rights to TBS so that TBS could show old episodes of the show. TBS is still paying and some of that money ends up with the original cast. |
Nashville Mayor’s affair proven by reading deleted chat logs from her cell phone. How are these deleted files accessed? Are there ways one can securely delete private data from cell phones and computers? | So when you delete a file off of most computers, the computer doesn't actually *do* anything to that data, other than hide it from the view of the operating system, and mark that section of your storage device as OK to re-use. The right software can just get the data off of those sections of storage media. There are tools that can be used to "zero out" a hard drive (so called because it takes every bit (1 or 0) and sets it to zero) or a file, google with keywords privacy and true delete and you'll find dozens of software packages that will do things like this. But there are forensic methods that can detect what data existed even before this is done; your run-of-the-mill phone snoop won't likely bother with this, but law enforcement can get things off of devices that have been melted to slag. When you're under investigation for a crime, and law enforcement is searching your stuff, then there's not really an expectation of privacy. |
Why can't we use Micro SD cards (or the technology it uses) to create ultra small - high capacity hard drives? | We essentially already do. They're called solid state disks. They can be a number of form factors but 2.5" is the standard because that's what size laptop hard drives are. |
Turning on/off double vision? | I found out I have double vision because I have a retinal tear behind my one eye. It causes it to lag and I have slightly a dropped eyelid as well due to it. I really would go to your optometrist as soon as you can. Anything to do with vision is VERY important and will not go away by itself! |
If we're in the first world, and places like rural African countries are the third world, what and where is the second world? | It's an archaic system because the Cold War is over. It used to be: First World: Capitalist powers Second World: Communist powers Third World: Everybody else So, back in the day, the USSR (and, to an extent, China) was the "second world." I guess you could still say that China is "second world," but I've never heard anybody say that. It's now generally preferred to use developed, developing, and undeveloped, because it makes more sense. |
What do we benefit from keep near extinction animals around? Should we just let them go extinct? (not a popular opinion I know, more of a description in comments) | There are two basic arguments. First, the moral one. We are morally obligated to protect animals that we had a hand in taking to the brink of extinction. Second, the utilitarian one. We can possibly learn something from ecosystems with intact species that could help us later. If we alter the ecosystem to much it could come back to hurt us later in ways that we don't expect. Here's a good thread that goes over this topic in more detail: _URL_0_ |
Why does every car have a different type of battery when every car takes a 12-Volt battery? | different sizes. the bigger the engine, the bigger the amperage is needed for the electric starter motor to turn the engine. the bigger the amp requirement, the bigger battery you need. bigger batteries also happen to be more expensive and more heavy. so you use the size battery that most appropriately matches your engine starting needs. |
Why are people still so obsessed with being racist ? | There has always been a huge push to separate people into groups, as opposed to looking at people individually. Race is a very obvious/visual difference among people, so it is often used to divide. Many people are susceptible to falling into the trap of pigeonholing others based on one characteristic. However, learning about someone on an individual basis, is really the only true way to understanding their character. |
Why do universities make tests too hard and then curve the grades? | So they know where everyone is. If someone gets a 100 then you know they're good on the subject, but not how good. The tests are used to check progress, so they make the upper end redicleously high so they can track everyone's improvement. |
Who has the most power in the U.S political system? | No group is suppose to have "the most power". Every branch is suppose to have counters and checks on the other two. President: Appoints Supreme Court Judges, Has Veto power over potential laws. Congress: Approves Supreme Court Nominees, Has Impeachment power over the President. Supreme Court: Has the power to overturn laws made by Congress, Has the ability to overturn Executive orders. |
Why are there different styles of wall plugs around the world? | For the same reason there isn't an international language, we've just not been culturally connected for long enough to develop a standard. Slightly off-topic: The Danish one is my favourite, because its so happy ●‿● |
Why does the U.S not have massive military parades like Russia and China? | Im a former US Marine ... all I can say is Thank you to my battalion commander/regiment/division/etc. for never having me do any bullshit like that. Fuck drill. |
Why do movies and shows have to blur out or block out company names on products? | In addition to product placement fees, there's also the reverse that if it isn't blocked out and the product is featured and doesnt like it, then they could always sue. |
What are prions? Can animals die from prion disease? | Yes, non-human animals can have prions. Basically, a prion is a protein that has been folded in such a way that it not only doesn't perform its function, but reacts with versions of the same protein that are folded correctly, in such a way that they fold in the same way as the prion and so obtain the prion's properties, reacting with more proteins. This keeps going and eventually the amount of proteins that have been converted to the prion add up to the point where you have all kinds of symptoms (which relate to what happens to the body if that protein is missing, since it might as well be), and eventually death. In order for one animal to catch a prion from another, regardless of species, it has to consume the nervous tissue of that animal. I'm not sure why, but all prions that we know of primarily attack the nervous system. |
Why isn't museum art featuring cherubs/naked babies classified as child pornography? | For the same reason that [this google search](_URL_0_) is not classified as CP: there is no sexual innuendo involved. Also asked before so please search next time. |
What happens if the president won the election due to foreign intervention? | Russia parties down and said president gets closer to his claimed level of wealth. Meanwhile the other two branches of our government being controlled by republicans means everyone gets away scott free. |
What exactly is work ethic? | When someone shows up to work on time and does their job as expected without complaining or causing problems or slacking off and being lazy they are considered to have good work ethic. Also if they are willing to go beyond their job duties and help other workers out or are willing to do other jobs that their boss asks them to do. |
Why did Myspace fail? | When Facebook first came out, it was exclusive to only people who had university email addresses, it was supposed to be a "college student only social network" The exclusivity made people want to be on it. This exclusivity combined with some key features like groups and status updates that only existed, at the time, only on Facebook made people want to use Facebook more. For a long time most people were on both Myspace and Facebook but Facebook was adding features that people wanted faster than Myspace. |
How does a company like SpaceX remain a functional and profitable company? | They have large private investors which allow them to operate. Google and Fidelity Investments have invested about $1b, for example They have multiple contracts with NASA which run into multiple billions of dollars. They also do business deploying satellites. They are also in negotiations with the US military, and contracts like that will probably be fairly lucrative for them I believe they have been running at a loss until fairly recently, only the last year or so has been profitable |
If we can teach chimpanzees to use sign language, why can't we teach them to use fire? | Well, I imagine it wouldn't be strictly impossible to teach a chimpanzee rudimentary fire starting skills. But why would you do this? Now you have a chimpanzee fire starter. They certainly don't have the experience or wherewithal to deal with fire as well as humans, and humans themselves screw it up often enough. There goes your lab. |
What are the connections between The Theory of Relativity and The String Theory? | This is not really something that we can ELY5 because it's the million dollar question that the scientific community has been unable to figure out. Not specifically String Theory, instead more broadly: Quantum Theory. The scientific community knows they both work, but how they fit together is still unknown. String Theory goes further than quantum theory, but it's worth mentioning that String Theory is a misnomer and is not actually a scientific theory. Requirement criteria for a theory: - Must contain an explanation of a natural phenomenon. - Must be falsifiable, but not have been falsified. - Must stand up to repeated testing. - Must be backed by many strands of independent evidence. - Must make successful predictions. String "Theory" does not meet 4 of those 5 requirements. As of now String Theory is just a mathematical concept. The math looks great, but there has been no confirmation, as of yet, that it is anything more than beautiful math. |
What limits how quickly a battery can charge? Why can't you provide it with an excessive current to charge a phone battery faster? | Batteries are chemical storage device. The transition between electrical energy and chemical state takes time. Extra energy is dissipated as heat. Too much heat and you compromise the cell container and/or the electrolyte. With lithium interacting with atmosphere, it catches fire and goes boom. You don't want that. |
how come we usually blur out license plates in photos but not when they're vanity plates? | Because they're often the subject of the photo. There's no point to a picture of a vanity plate that blurred out. |
Why do some institutions know my new address, while others don't? | Organizations can subscribe to the National Change of Address registry and be notified of address changes for people on their lists. There is a cost involved with this service. Some organizations are willing to pay to ensure they have an accurate mailing list, and others rely on the people on the list to update their addresses with them. |
Where are all the baby pigeons? | Our city pigeons are actually a form of [Rock Dove](_URL_1_) and they build their nests on places on our buildings which are most like cliffs and rock ledges. And the chicks stay in the nests until they're ready to fly but before that they're really [ugly buggers](_URL_0_). |
Why do our eyes adjust to bright light quickly but take a while to adjust to the dark? | Your cones (the vision receptors designed for bright light and color sensitivity) can fully adjust in only a few minutes. Your rods (the dark-adapted receptors) take much longer, 30+ minutes for just 80% adaptation. Your cones play some part in looking in the dark, so it doesn't take 30 minutes to start adjusting to the dark, but full dark adaptation can take hours. |
Why does hair grow strangely in Moles? | Moles are a type of tumour. Tumours are formed when cells cannot regulate their growth and split much too often, and grow too large. In tumours like moles, this usually doesn't cause problems, like cancerous tumours do. But to get back to your question, the hairs growing out of the tumour are subject to the same factors that make the skin cells grow out of control. |
Why are eastbound flights faster than westbound flights? | As you suspected, it is because of the winds, specifically the [jet stream](_URL_0_), which mostly flows from west to east. The rotation of the earth makes no difference, because the atmosphere in which aircraft fly rotates with the earth. If the rotation of the earth did make a difference, logically you'd expect the opposite effect - as the surface of the earth moves to the east, the aircraft, you might think, would move to the west relative to the earth's surface. But this isn't what happens at all. |
All of our muscles get tired and we have to let them rest. Why doesn't our heart have to rest? | It does... It just takes 80 years o work before cashing in on the vacation days. |
There are estimates that 46% of the labor force is at risk for being automated in the next 10-25 years. Why is no one talking about this? Why do we need "jobs" when there are about to be less and less for more and more people? | This is actually quite a prominent area in leftist theory that goes back to Marx. One of Marx's biggest points wasn't just workers controlling the means of production, but also the advancement of technology to increase everybody's leisure time. Fully Automated Luxury Communism is a bit buzzwordy but encapsulates well what quite a few modern leftists adhere to (myself included). This book explains it well - _URL_0_ Also, the Universal Basic Income is a way of allowing leisure time to increase during automation without the negative financial effects caused by mass unemployment. You can read more at /r/basicincome. |
Why do youtubers tend to ask for "likes" on their videos, when they get paid per view, and having an uninfluenced like counter could help them produce better content? | More likes - > higher ratings - > more traffic. |
Why do movies use stunt doubles in simple situations like a car pulling into a spot or jogging? | The first thing to remember, is that movies are rarely shot in order and such. Anytime you can use someone that is not a main actor to fulfill their role (often called a "stand in") means that main actor can be shooting a different scene, even on the other side of the world. These helps the timeline and cost of making a movie. Second, stuntmen and such are very trained for these, they know how to make it go off without issue, and get it right the first time. They can knock this out in one take, safe, quick, and cheap. Thats exactly what you want when making a movie. |
Why do songs that we haven't heard in a long time randomly start playing in our heads? | Our thoughts and memories are in a semantic node network. Meaning, each memory/thought/concept has it's own node (theoretical node, not physical), and they're all connected. If one node gets activated, then the activation threshold for connected nodes lowers, meaning it's easier for them to be activated and thus come to mind. For example, the "apple" node is connected to the nodes "red" and "fruit". So if I see an apple, I'm much more likely to think "red" or "fruit" after thinking "apple", because those are much closer to the apple node than a word like "tissue". So about the songs--song nodes can be connected to a lot of other nodes, be it because of lyrics, emotions we felt when listening to that song, childhood memories, etc. You probably saw/heard something (even if you didn't consciously process it) that has a node closely connected to Frosty the Snowman, and activated it. This is an easy example--maybe you saw a picture of a snowman, or a picture of winter. Hope that made sense. Yay brains! |
When you pick up your luggage after landing from a flight, how do airports make sure that the right person is taking the right luggage, and not stealing someone else's? | Airports don't check this -- they assume that it's been done correctly until they're told otherwise, until someone reports that their bag isn't there. That's the big reason why it's important to pick up your bag promptly after landing. |
Is drinking 8 cups of any liquid (i.e. pop, juice, coffee, beer, etc) pretty much the same as drinking 8 cups of water in terms of hydrating your body since the primary ingredient in any drink is water? | There's some difference. First these beverages are high on water, but it's not all water. Cola has like 88% water in it. Black coffee like 98%. Also, the amount of minerals make it either easier to absorb and keep the water, or harder. If you'd drink something high on salt (like sea water), you'd actually get really sick because partially the salty water in your bowels will attract water from you. This will cause diarrea and causes dehydration. Some ingredients work as a diuretic, which means you will pee more because of them. Think of beer and coffee. While uptake may be the same as with normal water (but probably isn't the same) you also excrete more of it. So, the additional ingredients do matter. |
Why do large, established companies like Coca-Cola outsource their branding to boutique firms? | Advertising is something that is generally outsourced to companies who specialize in it. It is very specialized, they are the experts at it, and they are the ones who do it. Sometimes they will keep some of the analytics in house, but generally at a minimum the creative and such is outsourced to the "experts" (but they may outsource parts (or all) of the analytics too!) Its very uncommon for large or even smaller companies to have their in-house advertising department, or at least one that could hold their own against a company who's business is advertising. But one last thing -- remember "advertising" is not the same as "marketing". And companies generally keep marketing completely inhouse |
Why aren't baseball players afraid of being hit in the face by a stray ball? | Because they are wearing special gloves, the express purpose of which is to apprehend said baseball. |
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