[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
what does it mean to take something to the i power?

I have been reading up on Euler's Formula of

*e^i +1 =0*

and everything else makes sense other than the *e^i* part. how does one take something to the power of *i*, which is the (-1)? Like, how. Its imaginary. I just can't wrap my mind around it.

[Assistant]
Asking this question is how you discover Euler's formula, e^(it)=cos(t)+isin(t), in a natural way that doesn't rely on Taylor series magic or something similar.

The question is: If A is a positive number, then what "should" A^(i) be equal to? We'll make this a bit more general and ask what A^(it) "should" be equal to when t is just a real number. To answer this, we need to know a couple of things about exponents and complex numbers.

* The single property that makes exponents useful in everything that they appear in is the additive property: A^(x+y) = A^(x)A^(y). This is really the only thing that matters about exponents, along with the fact that they should be continuous. Continuity and the additive rule immediately imply that the function is differentiable and that the derivative of A^(x) with respect to x is ln(A)A^(x). This derivative rule is really nothing more than an alternative version of the additive rule. If anything is going to be called an "Exponent" then it should satisfy this property. So if we're extending things to imaginary exponents, we don't want to lose these properties, so we assume that the additive rule and the consequential derivative rules hold.

* Complex conjugation is one of the most important tools for complex numbers. The complex conjugate of z=x+iy is z^(*)=x-iy. This allows you to do a couple of things. Firstly, by the Pythagorean Theorem, the value sqrt(z\*z^(*)) is the distance that z is from zero. Moreover, the complex conjugate allows us to see how complex things interact with real things. For instance, z is real if and only if z=z^(*). We have a similar thing for functions. If f(z) is a function that inputs complex numbers and outputs complex numbers, when can we know that it will actually only output real numbers when we restrict to only inputting real numbers? For instance, f(z)=z+1 will output a real number whenever we input a real number, but g(z)=z+i will not, so f(z) is a "real function" that we are allowed to input complex numbers into, but g(z) is not. This happens exactly when f(z^(*))=f(z)^(*), which you can check with these two examples just given. Since the exponent function F(z)=A^(z) does output real numbers when you input real numbers, it needs to satisfy this. That is, we'll impose that [A^(z)]^(*) = A^([z^* ]).

With these two things in mind, we can figure out what A^(it) should be.

Firstly, using the conjugation property that we just went over, we see that the complex conjugate of A^(it) is A^(-it). So if Z=A^(it), then ZZ^(*)=A^(it)A^(-it) = A^(it-it)=A^(0)=1. This means that A^(it) has a distance 1 away from zero, which means that it is on the unit circle that lives inside the complex plane. This means that there is some number r so that A^(it)=cos(r)+isin(r). So using nothing more than the complex conjugate, you can figure out that raising something to an imaginary power *must* put that number on the unit circle and look something like Euler's formula.

So the quick-and-dirty answer to what raising something to the ith power does is that it throws it onto the unit circle, and this is because of how the additive rule of exponents interacts with complex conjugation.

To figure out what the angle r is in A^(it)=cos(r)+isin(r), we need to do some calculus. Taking the derivative with respect to t of both sides of this equation, keeping in mind the chain rule and that r is a function of t, and then doing some manipulations, we end up with dr/dt=ln(A)t (try to get this on your own!) This means that r=ln(A)+C for some constant C. Because of properties of trig functions, we're free to choose C in the interval (-pi,pi], and since we need A^(0i)=1, it follows that C=0. Therefore, you get A^(it)=cos(ln(A)t)+isin(ln(A)t), which has e^(it)=cos(t)+isin(t) as a special case.

This is how you can figure out what raising something to the ith power means and should be.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why is 1000mbps internet only guaranteed at 900mbps and what's the equipment needed to get the 1000mbps advertised?

[Assistant]
Wire speed is different from data speed.

Basically, with all the encapsulation protocols and things that "carry" the data, there's *at least* a 5 or 10 percent degradation ... *Just because those 'lower levels' of transmission take up the other room+.

It's similar to asking why postal mail weighs more than just the paper you are sending ... Everything that tells it "how to get to the other side" encapsulates (contains) it, and makes up that "extra weight."


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
How accurate can we get when measuring the speed of light? Wouldn't time be slower in one zone than another zone as the light travels, therefore make the measurements of it inconsistent?

A metre is defined by the light, so the speed of light has no decimal points. So I was wondering if measurement of time is also define by the light as well. If not, would that not make it inconsistent, therefore cannot definitively measure it?

[Assistant]
Time is defined by atomic clocks. Specifically it's "the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom". Basically, an electron in this particular element will bounce back and forth between two nearby energy levels at a known frequency of 9,192,631,770 Hz, so we use 9,192,631,770 wibbles of this atom to define the second.

Once you have the second defined, you can measure how far light travels in 1/c seconds (in a vacuum under ideal circumstances), and that's the definition of a metre.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
What happened to all the Aquatic Dinosaurs?

I'm curious as to why the aquatic dinosaurs disappeared. I know there are a lot of theories and hypothesis as to why the land dinosaurs were wiped out, but it seems that sea life has been left out of this discussion.

For example, the asteroid. How did that affect the ocean?

[Assistant]
First off, the obligatory "Giant marine reptiles were not technically dinosaurs" (some were actually pretty closely related to certain lizard groups, others were in completely different groups, none were dinosaurs proper)

Second:  These marine reptiles tended to be large, active top predators.  Life is always a bit more precarious for top predators.  Blot out the sun for a few years and you'd see phytoplankton populations crash, leading to a crash in small fish.  This would decrease populations of the larger fish that top predators eat.  Lacking food, many would starve.  And top predators usually have pretty low populations because their food supply is limited even during the best of times, and each individual needs to eat a lot. Fewer individuals mean lower chance of survival.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Why can't decompilers perfectly reconstruct source code?

I always thought that there was a one to one translation between machine code and high-level languages, but after looking up decompilers, they don't usually do it perfectly.

[Assistant]
Going from high-level language to machine/assembly is generally a lossy, one-to-many-possibilities operation. Take a simple while-loop, you can probably find five or six ways to implement it in MIPS or other assembly language, and that's not even considering optimizations.

A decompiler can produce high-level code that duplicates the semantics of the machine code, but reconstructing the *intent* of the original is impossible. Too much of that is literally lost in translation. Consider a simple optimization such as loop unrolling - a fixed loop such as `for i = 1 to 3` might be unrolled into three copies of the loop body. Without context, how could a decompiler know that the original was a loop, and not three copies of the same code snippet?

And this doesn't even touch on one of the biggest contextual hints in source code, which is identifiers. The names of methods and variables carry a lot of meaning for us, but are meaningless to the compiler except in their uniqueness, and are often lost in compilation. Sometimes they are recorded in an attached symbol table for e.g. debugging, but that's no guarantee, we often strip symbols to save space.

You wouldn't think of computer science as involving a lot of artistry, but there are niches where talent, insight, experience, and intuition play a large part. Reconstructing source from binary is one of those niches.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
If you plant the same species of tree in different hemispheres, do they still flower at the same time?

For example, if you plant a cherry tree in the southern hemisphere, will it still flower in march-april? or in semptember-october (spring)?

[Assistant]
Trees respond to temperature and light, so they'll bloom when that is correct for that species of tree.

Even the cherry blossoms you mentioned bloom first in southern Japan, then Central, then Northern. You can see Sakura calendars online. As the warm temperatures and longer days move both, the trees bloom when the conditions are right. Cold snaps or warm spells can delay them or make them premature so they aren't just blooming when they "should" bloom based on latitude alone.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[MCU] Which of the Avengers has the highest body count?

Recently I began noticing a bit of a distinction between the Defenders and the Avengers. The latter seem to go as far as needs be to get the job done, whereas the former seem to insist that some lines shouldn't be crossed. As such we have two of the Defenders (Daredevil, Luke Cage) having no fatalities on their belts, one with three kills and a whole lot of mental anguish for it (Jessica Jones), and one whose kill count is unspecified despite no particular aversion to it (Iron Fist).

In the Avengers, it seems all of the members are fine with killing sentient life. Of course seeing as Cap was a soldier, Widow and Hawkeye were assassins/government spies, Hulk is a rage monster and Thor was (or still is) the foremost fighter of a proud warrior race, fatalities are to be expected (though Iron Man going from businessman to mass murderer for justice is a bit different).

So which of the Avengers (or any of the MCU heroes for that matter) has the highest body count *of sentient beings*? Namely anything living with enough consciousness to categorise it as sentient (so Chitauri are valid, but Ultron bots are not). And furthermore, **do we have any figures for how many kills everyone has to their name**?

[Assistant]
Thor says he's 1500 years old and has killed twice that many, but given his age, and his experience as a warrior, he's probably far understating.

The next runner up after Thor is probably Tony. All the ones he killed in the Middle East, plus Stane and Killian (and Killian's goons) plus the Chitauri.

The others, we don't know. Clint and Nat were both assassins, so they probably both have a decent number of kills.

Cap probably has a couple hundred kills at best including his campaign in WW2 and the events of Winter Soldier.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why a tattoo on your elbow is so painful if the skin barely has nerves there.

[Assistant]
Your skin definitely has nerves there. In fact, the ulnar nerve that supplies the hand runs right through that area relatively close to the surface of the skin.

It's also a major joint, and so the body will be especially sensitive to pain in that area in order to detect/minimize injury.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: In America, Jewish people make up 2.1% of the population. Why is there a far bigger percentage of Jewish people in Hollywood and on television?

[Assistant] It goes back to vaudeville and Yiddish theater in the 19th and 20th century.  Jewish immigrants basically performed for their communities that were stuck in ghettos in NYC.  When the film industry was emerging, producers needed actors, stagehands, etc. and Jewish theater companies were ripe for the picking.  Couple that with the strong immigrant work ethic and you can see how within a few decades, Jews might have a foothold in the industry.  From there, many worked their way up to studio owners, producers, and directors.  Of course, nepotism, tradition, and a love for the arts have propelled new generations of people of Jewish heritage into movies and tv.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: What exactly is so great about 64 bit versions of things, like Windows, or Firefox, or even Photoshop?

[Assistant]
Pretend you are doing arts and crafts.

You have paper and cardboard and glue and paint and magic markers and scissors and glitter (if you're evil) all spread out on your desk.  Having all that stuff on your desk takes up a lot of room, and it doesn't leave much space for the actual thing you're working on.

Moving from 32bit to 64bit is like moving to a *much bigger desk*.  Even if you don't need it, you have a lot more room to spread things out, and that makes it easier to work on arts and crafts.  You can make much bigger projects, and you can organize your supplies better.

It's a heck of a lot more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it if you're five.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: How do steroids work, and what about them makes them so dangerous and illicit?

[Assistant]
First of all, by definition a steroid is just a specific chemical structure. Most of them just exist naturally: hormones like testosterone or oestrogen, vitamin D, cholesterol, ... Performance enhancing steroids are called anabolic steroids, and are mostly some variations on the male testosterone. When it comes to muscle development, they mostly stimulate protein synthesis and muscle recovery.

What makes them dangerous is that testosterone is a sex hormone, impacting a lot more male "features" than just muscle development. It impacts your sex drive, facial hair, baldness, mood (roid rages), fertility, growth (cancers), ... Artificially injecting it also disrupts your natural production, making problems even worse.

Besides wannabe bodybuilders, they are also used under prescription when teenagers don't enter puberty for example, so not all use is terrible.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
CMV: The Reality Stone was badly used in Thor: The Dark World

Major spoilers for Thor: The Dark World (obviously; aka Thor 2), Doctor Strange, and Avengers: Infinity War (aka Infinity War)

Minor spoilers for Captain America: The First Avenger, Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

In Thor 2, Malekith attempted to use the Aether/Reality Stone to extinguish all light in the universe forever. The Reality Stone was the right one for the job, in my opinion, since that would require rewriting reality to have no light.

However, that implies that Malekith was powerful enough to wield an Infinity Stone and knows what it is capable of, but all we see him use it for is dust storms, levitation, and tendrils. He was facing the prince of Asgard, who can use lightning and Mjlnir. Sure, Malekith had an Infinity Stone, but if he doesn't use it in battle, he would be just as vulnerable as without it.

Malekith never used Aether-specific powers, i.e. reality rewriting powers. Contrast with the other Infinity Stones. The Tesseract (the Space Stone) was used in Avengers to open portals (for Loki and the Chitauri on two separate occasions), and as we found out in Infinity War, to transport the Red Skull to guard the Soul Stone. (Hydra could be excused for not understanding its power.) The Mind Stone was used to mind control Hawkeye. The Power Stone can be used to destroy entire planets. The Time Stone was used to rewind time, speed up time, and save and reload.

This is an even biger problem once we see Thanos using the Reality Stone *by itself* to set up illusions, turn people into blocks or strings, and turn knives and energy blasts into bubbles. Even if Malekith wasn't the trickster type, he could have utilized the Reality Stone's other abilities, like turning Mjlnir into bubbles, or making a butterfly stab Thor.

I really want to like this movie. Christopher Eccleston was in it and he did a great job as the Doctor, but I just can't like it if the Reality Stone was used so badly.

TL;DR Malekith has Reality Stone, uses no reality powers.

EDIT: What would bring me closer to changing my view is evidence that the Infinity Gauntlet allows for greater control over the Infinity Stones (without using the Reality Stone as the example, obviously).

[Assistant]
Malekith was also using a raw Infinity Stone. Compare that to Thanos, who had the gauntlet, which allowed him much finer control over the use of the stone. This seems to be the purpose of almost every stone-powered artifact. It heavily limits the stone's power (the time stone when contained in the Eye could be overpowered by the normal human villains of Dr Strange), in exchange for giving a lot more control. Even the Gauntlet did this, since Thanos wasn't able to make any permanent alterations to reality, which Mantis and Drax returning to life after he left despite how beneficial it would've been to him to kill them.

In short, it makes sense that Malekith wouldn't be able to use the same powers Thanos did, but he got the benefit of being able to impact the entire universe with only one stone instead of needing all of them.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Astronomers, could we detect ourselves?

Assuming there was another earth-like planet with earth level beings and 20th level earth technology, what is the maximum range we could detect their radio transmissions at?

I have trouble getting radio signals on the road between LA and Las Vegas, could folks in Alpha Centauri really be listening to Beyonce?

[Assistant] If there was a planet just like Earth orbiting Alpha Centauri, we couldn't detect their normal radio/tv transmissions from more than a light year away. But if they aimed a powerful directed signal at us, and we were listening to Alpha Centauri at the time, then we might be able to detect it.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why do some wind turbines, when all faced the same direction, turn while others do not? Furthermore, why do they all seem to turn at the same speed?

[Assistant]
They might not be turning for at least two reasons: 1) they have been commanded offline for maintenance, because the power isn't needed, ...; 2) the local wind sensor on the turbine doesn't detect the minimum wind needed to generate minimum power because or hills, wind currents, spoilage from other turbines, ... .

The wind turbine has a rotation rate that extracts the maximum energy, as a function of windspeed.  If all the turbines are made by the same company, and they are all in the same wind, then that optimization process is likely to have them turning at very similar rates.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Indiana Jones] Is Indy a celebrity? How widely known are his adventures?

I can't imagine how people would react if they knew a guy was saving the world and going on crazy adventures and fighting Nazis/Russians. EVERYONE would be wanting to go to that university and take his class. Hell, sometimes famous actors teach classes and it's always a big deal, I can't imagine what it would be like if people knew a guy who found biblical artifacts and directly prevented the Nazis from winning WW2 was teaching one.

I know Indy is a huge heartthrob among his female students at the very least, but does he have much of a reputation outside of the university? Do his adventures make headlines or is it like Men in Black where it's kept on the DL to keep the public from freaking out?

[Assistant]
Temple of Doom is a prequel to Raiders, and as of Raiders he's an un-noticed archeology professor. He **does** have enough reputation for the military guys to find him and ask his opinion, but it seems even that is only because of his connection to Ravenwood.

In Last Crusade he somehow seems a lot more popular, as evidenced by the scene where a hundred students mob his office. But since the ark adventure seems to have been completely classified, it's arguable whether the popularity was due to that.

And as of Crystal Skull (ugh) he's still professor-ing. Granted, Neil Armstrong managed to be a humble professor, despite being one of the most famous men in the world.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why does the Catholic Church need to have diplomatic relations with nearly ever country in the world?

[Assistant] The Holy See of the Catholic Church is a highly political organisation that operates from Vatican City, as it's sovereign state. It is unique as a permanent observer state of the UN. It aims to promote the interests of the religion worldwide at the highest levels.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: why does passing a magnet through a coil produce electricity?

I saw this on COSMOS (Michael Faraday is an unbelievable human btw) but don't get why this causes electricity.

On a related note: when it does, and we see that spark b/c of the connection, how much energy is that (just give a simple estimate).

Thank you. I want to understand this damn thing...

[Assistant] Electricity is simply the movement of electrons from one place to another. Simple as that. Magnets can induce the movement of electrons, especially in certain kinds of materials. Move some electrons and you get a difference in charge from one place to another. Place those areas close enough to each other, and they will neutralize their charges again by moving electrons via that spark.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] Are humans the only organisms that use methods of contraception to prevent pregnancy?

[Assistant] Most animals have much shorter predetermined fertile periods in which they are ready to mate than humans. Also, the fertility of wild animals is often dependent on environmental conditions or the presence of a potential mating partners. Also, Bears for example are able to abort or 'store' a fetus depending on conditions like food supply.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[The Mandalorian] How does an energy weapon jam?

In the finale, there's like half a scene dedicated to one of the protagonists having her gun jam. It's an energy weapon that uses no bullets. How did it jam?

[Assistant] There are far fewer moving parts in a blaster than in a firearm, but there are still a few components that can get out of whack. That, and "jammed" may be used generically for weapons malfunctions even if there aren't literally parts jammed in the wrong place, similar to how modern digital albums have a "track list" even though they no longer have physical tracks, or how save icons are patterned after discs that are no longer in active use.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Why can't light pass through walls, if magnets and charged particles can be attracted through them?

After all, they're both electromagnetic fields.

[Assistant] Light can go through walls. Visible light is blocked because materials in the wall have structures of that wavelength or pigments with energy levels that correspond to that color. WiFi is electromagnetic radiation and it has no problem going through walls. Gamma rays can also go through many materials.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5 Why Abercrombie can make an entire mall a death trap for people with scent allergies but a kid can't take a peanut butter sandwich to school

It doesn't make sense to me. Is there a legitimate reason?

[Assistant] Private organizations have a lot more leeway to not care about certain groups than government organizations do. There's no legal *right* for you to be able to go to A&M, while there is a legal right for you to be able to go to school.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5 what's the difference between 87, 89, and 93 octane?

And is one better than the other for my car?

[Assistant]
In a petrol (gasoline) engine the fuel is supposed to ignite when the spark happens. But it's hot in the cylinder and that might make the fuel ignite before the spark happens, which is known as engine pre-ignition, and that makes the fuel burn incorrectly causing engine 'knocking' or 'pinging'. At best knocking makes a noise and reduces power. At worst it can destroy the engine.

The octane rating of a fuel measures its resistance to pre-ignition. It's a measurement, made using a special test engine, and does not necessarily relate to the amount of actual octane chemical in the fuel.

Your car's engine will have been designed for a certain octane rating. Use that if you can. Using lower octane in a modern car won't normally do any harm because the engine computer adjusts but it must do so by limiting the engine's power. So if your car should have 93 but the gas station only has 89 don't worry too much. Using lower octane in an older car may cause knocking. Using higher octane gives no benefit and wastes money.

On a final note, Europe measures octane rating a bit differently to the USA. European 98 is about the same as US 93. So if it ever seems like European fuels have crazy high octane, they don't, it's just the units measuring it.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: When you speak to people that understand fractals, they say everywhere and everything is fractals. I have tried to understand fractals but I am completely lost, can someone please explain it like Im 5?

Side note: I tend to find these people very eccentric, I sorta feel like they can see the matrix :) I am absolutely fascinated by this but completely lost :)

[Assistant]
Let's say you're trying to measure how long a coast is. The rough estimate would be to find the end points of what you're trying to measure, and take the distance. Of course, this won't be accurate, because the shore isn't quite straight - there are ins and outs. Alright, no problem, we can measure smaller distances.

The problem is, the longer you do that - the smaller the pieces you look at - the more details you'll catch. You should probably include the cove, but what if the cove has a large rock at the shore where water doesn't quite reach around? What with smaller rocks? Do you measure their surface? What about the sand that water goes around and into? Molecules?

The closer you look at something - even where you would've previously thought you have something smooth, you find that it's made of more nonsmooth stuff. A fractal is a shape where this goes infinitely - not quite unlike most of real world. One of their most interesting properties is that they do not have a measurable length - like the coast example.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Thor] Is Thor impervious to gunshots and bullets? In Avengers 1, Loki is seen being shot at but he is a Frost Giant, yet I cannot recall Thor ever being shot.

[Assistant] Yep. It doesn't affect them or any as guardian It's had to be asgurdian weaponry to even remotely make a dent in them and even then, the person doing the damage has to actually have strength capable of harming them. Remember how they constructed that special chamber to hold the Hulk and Thor was capable of breaking out of it? They would still get the impact if a bazooka or missile was shot at them but they wouldn't be pierced. Just push backwards. Bullets would just ricochet off all of them. And Thor is considered stronger than a lot of the normal asguardians, Even before he tapped into his power in Ragnarok.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[40K] What chapter is most likely to fall to Chaos?

So, I was idly wondering *and definitely not planning anything nefarious*, what Astartes chapter is most likely to fall to Chaos? How you you get them to turn, and what God would they serve? *Definitely not doing that of course*, just trying to figure out how a traitor would come at them. Obviously. Why would you think anything different?

Conversely, and totally innocently ^I ^swear, what chapter would be the hardest to turn? How would you turn them?

Not that anybody would, that would be crazy!

Me? I'm... uh... an Inquisitor? Yeah, an inquisitor. That's why I was thinking about it. Definitely thinking about how to spot the warning signs of chaos taint. Definitely not an Alpha infiltrator, and ^definitely ^not ^^trying ^^to ^^^win ^^^souls ^^^^for ^^^^Tzeentch. ^^^^^That ^^^^^would ^^^^^be ^^^^^crazy!

[Assistant]
Any and all of them. The thing is that Space Marines are loyal to the emperor because they have been hypno-induced into loyalty. What i mean is that part of the "Space Marining" process of which gene-seed implantation is a part is the hypno-therapy which is used to implant the chapter's knowledge into the candidate's subconscious as well as responses very much akin to Pavlov's dogs.

For example at the mere mention of Chaos a Marine despite never even seeing or hearing of it will bare his teeth  in automatic and extreme disgust. Upon mentioning some obscure name in the chapter's history the Marine will recall any and all pertinent information regarding said name. Upon hearing the word "Emperor" the Marine will experience extreme emotions of devotion and love. Upon reciting certain key phrases the Marine is able to initiate physical responses within their bodies such as increased adrenaline production or suppression should the situation call for it.

Now why is this important? Its because indoctrination and hypno-therapy is actually extremely dangerous and reversible in extreme circumstances. In animals such as dogs things such as lightning can reverse the effects of hypno-therapy however in humans something more extreme is needed as a dog's tolerances are lower... in Space Marines the shock needed to strip away their hypnosis is very great indeed and is often the result of years of slow erosion or  facing Chaos for the first time. So the Marine who has been extremely devoted and stalwart in their love of the Emperor suddenly has his feelings stripped from him and he can see what he was i.e. a blind fool and will instead feel the other extreme i.e. hatred.

This is why Chaos Marines despise the Emperor and feel contempt for Space Marines, its because they know how they were forced to love and how flimsy that love actually is. The depth of feeling has already been forcibly opened but now it is devoid of love, and the opposite of  love is hate... so they hate the Emperor with as deep and passionate of their previous love. So it doesnt actually matter what chapter (unless its the Grey Knights, their hypno-therapy was designed after the Great Crusade thus ensuring more avenues were covered to prevent shock reversal) it is, all Marines are susceptible to conversion. The easiest way to do it would be to convert the Apothecaries and have them fiddle with the Hypnosis machines and inserting a Key word which upon hearing it, the Marines will rise up and destroy their brethren from behind.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why is every staple crop around the world some kind of starch (wheat, rice, potatoes, maize, ect..)?

[Assistant]
Starch is a complex carbohydrate which means that it is broken down into sugar by the body. So it's a source of energy.

That's what makes these staple crops, they are grown because they are an efficient source of food energy.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Batman] What's the closest Joker has gotten to getting Batman to kill him?

[Assistant]
Just after Jason Todd died, Bruce Wayne considered killing the Joker, did in fact leave the Joker on a crashing helicopter, and wasn't sure if the Joker was alive afterwards.

Superman arrived shortly after the crash and Batman asked him to find the Joker's body.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why do certain types of thermoplastics or rubber (i.e. used for soft buttons of a tv remote or the insulation of cheap headphone cables) turn sticky or even gooey after they haven't been used in a long while?

[Assistant]
The have a plasticiser in them which given time and environmental conditions leaches out.

Not a perfect analogy, but think of it like an oily rag where the oil will over time flow out.  The rag will end up dry and there will be a pool of oil.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] We all know the downsides of alcohol, but what valuable lessons can we extract from being intoxicated?

[Assistant] Certain states of mind can only be reached by the help of certain substances, including alcohol. Whether or not these states of mind are valuable, and in what way, is open for discussion, but it is undeniable that a lot of art has been created while high, and a lot of truth has been spoken while drunk.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
eli5: Why is it that scientists make claims that planets are uninhabitable because there are gasses, temperatures, etc. that wouldn't support human life? This surely shouldn't be one shoe that fits all.

Surely, all creatures (alien or human) require different 'things' (water, oxygen, etc for humans) to survive. But, those 'things' might not be essential for alien life so why is it that scientists say that certain planets aren't fit for life because they are inhospitable for humans.

[Assistant]
there are estimates that you need a certain variety of molecules to form what we would consider as life. i. e. on earth, carbon bonds to different stuff, and forms things like DNA, proteins, and so on. but we can't make a, say, sodium-based lifeforms because sodium doesn't bond to necessary amount of things, and those to which it does bond don't posess necessary properties.

we could suggest that maybe our estimates are wrong and life is still possible with a non-carbon set of molecules - but it may be so different that we wouldn't be able to simply recognize it.

so, we are in search of life that we can recognize, and that is carbon-based life. and carbon-based life requires certain conditions and leads to certain observable consequences in the planet's atmosphere etc.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: How do trees get rings that can tell us their age?

How are the rings formed? Also, can you calculate a tree's age by measuring the outside of it?

[Assistant] Trees grow from the center outward and different factors change the look of what grows. Lighter wood correlates to spring and darker wood correlates to winter (given the dramatic differences in weather between the two seasons). Since each year has either a spring or a winter, all we have to do is count how many winters a tree has been through to give a good estimate of it's age.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Harry Potter] What's the deal with staffs and other large casting focuses?

We see Durmstrang practice with staffs that appear to be used to cast, specifically some rather fancy fire spells. Is this a simple charm, or are the staffs empowered with one of the usual magic bits? Why are they not more widely used?

[Assistant] Staffs can be used as magical foci, in a similar manner to a wand - but wands are far more efficient, so staffs have largely fallen out of favour. They are still nice for performances though, as they look more impressive than just twirling your wand around.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5 - Why do the edges of eggs go like plastic when you fry them?

[Assistant]
Egg white are mostly protein and water. When you cook them the proteins unwind and link up, that's why it goes solid (ish). At the edges, you get that really thin runny white and over the period of frying the egg it's thin enough that you drive out all the water. The body of the whites still has plenty of water and stays "jiggly."

So the edges are a bunch of long tangled up stuck together long-chain molecules with no water...which, some subtle chemistry differences aside, is basically plastic.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Harry Potter] What if a Student possessed none of the qualities of the Founders of the Four Houses. How would the Sorting Hat sort the student?

Let's say he is basically Gullible, altruistic, a coward, lazy yet academically gifted but also manages to flunk all every exam and every other quality that doesn't belong in the four houses.

[Assistant]
In at least one of the Sorting Hat songs, the Hat mentions that Hufflepuff was willing to take whoever, and teach them all the same.

Hufflepuff is probably the "default" house, or more charitably the house for people who are cool with the idea of being in a default house. The person you described sounds like they would be cool with that, and Hufflepuff also seems like the house for altruistic types.

But realistically, the Hat would probably look for what you want, what you have the potential to become, and what you value.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: 401(k) Plans.

[Assistant] A 401(k) plan is a method to save money for retirement. Income is put into the fund untaxed and taxes are applied when money is taken out based on the assumption that the saver will occupy a lower tax bracket when they retire.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why do we have the feeling of not wanting to eat when we are sick, even if we are hungry?

[Assistant]
The endocrine system is basically the logistics hub of the body.  It will divert resources to where they're needed as they're needed.

The body uses the circulatory system to help fight off infections by redirecting antibodies to where they're needed.  Like how first responders use the highway system.  When you're sick the body draws off blood to the affected area so the antibodies in the blood can fight the infecting pathogen

When you eat, blood is drawn off to the vessels around the stomach in order to pick up and transport sugar and other nutrients, and that jams up the highway through which antibodies reach the affected area, reducing the effectiveness of your immune response.

The endocrine system prevents you from feeling hunger/eating in order to keep the freeway clear for emergency vehicles instead of clogging it up with food and mineral transporters.  It's pretty much exactly that simple.

This is also the reason we feel sleepy after a big meal, and when we feel sick -- the blood supply that normally feeds the brain is otherwise engaged.  The body's changing priority levels favor the brain once basic needs like immune response or nutrition are met but will draw off resources to deal with more imminent problems.

This is also why people are given light food when fighting an illness.  They need the fuel for body power but want to keep traffic disruptions to the combat zone to a minimum.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[MCU] So who really decided to give the Reality Stone (Aether) to the Collector and why? Was is it a good idea?

At the end of Thor 2, Lady Sif and Volstagg give the Reality Stone to the Collector, presumably on Odin's orders -- but we also know Loki started impersonating Odin around this time.  So was it Loki or Odin that decided to give the Reality Stone to the Collector?  At one point folks speculated that Loki might have done this as a ploy to make it easier for Thanos to get the stones... but that doesn't seem to make sense given what happened in Infinity War.

And did they really expect it to be safe with the Collector?  It's played around a bit in Infinity War, when Gamorra says "only a fool" would give him an Infinity Stone, and Thor says "Or a genius" (with a smile).  I've heard that the Collector is supposed to be reasonably powerful in the comics, but in the MCU, is there anything that suggests he actually had a chance to stand up against Thanos or other potential threats?

[Assistant] Well he has to be at least decently powerful/ have a REALLY good security system. He houses a collection worth unfathomable amounts in what would be, to quote, Alec Guinness "Most wretched hive of scum and villainy"


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Star Trek] Vulcans are racists.. well from a human perspective. (fun)

This is from our racial principles which we all stand by on Earth.

Vulcan's like any species have extremes some being emotionally driven and others more logical.

Some examples:

* Vulcans belief logic is used as justification showing contempt for other races.

* Vulcans as far back a Enterprise are arrogant, judgmental, condescending, and prejudiced against humans.
.

* Vulcans called Sarek a traitor and Amanda a human whore in the new film.

* Then the Vulcan who invokes a obscure Vulcan ritual insisting Kirk fight Spock to death, rhis would have easily killed Kirk if Spoke was full strength.

After seeing Vulcans from many time frames interesting to see your opinion?

[Assistant] I don't know about racist, but I've always felt like Vulcan's where this "older brother" species that looked slightly down on the more immature species. They know they used to be the same, and they're understanding about it, but they're slightly annoyed that everyone else hasn't quite grown up yet.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Dear scientist redditors, does decanting wine actually do anything?

I got a wine aerator for christmas and have failed at blind test to see which glass was aerated. Though it usually tastes different to me when using a decanter, i realize this might just be confirmation bias or the placebo effect. Please help me, am i wasting time/dishes by decanting, or am i just not skilled enough yet to tell the difference?

[Assistant]
Not all wines will be dramatically affected by decanting, but those with a significant amount of tannins will change in flavor very significantly. The decanter increases the surface area of the wine, allowing it to be aerated much more quickly. The aeration causes the tannins in the wine to become oxidized, which changes the astringency and aroma of the wine.

Again, not all wines are improved by decanting, but very few are damaged.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[titanfall] Scarves? Why where scarves over a high-tech battle armor suit?

And can someone knit a scarf for my titan? He looks cold.

[Assistant] Fucks with the targeting sensors. Most units use simple motion tracking for target location and identification. Having a scarf waving can distract the fire enough so the enemy is aiming for the scarf flapping a few feet to your left or right.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: The scientific definition of work says that lifting 1lb 400 times is the same as lifting 400lb the same distance once(not counting negative motion). Why does it feel so different to our muscles?

[Assistant]
1. You are also lifting your arm 400 times, and it has weight too.
2. Your body responds to more than the *amount of work,* it also responds to the *amount of force.* To take an extreme example, you cannot lift 4000 lb any distance at all.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: What do candidates for public office do with their leftover campaign money once election season is over?

[Assistant]
In a competitive race, there is no money left over. None.  You may indeed go into debt in the final weeks and hope that friends will help you pay it off if you lose. (If you win, you will have many friends.)

In a non-competitive cycle, safe incumbents just roll their funds into the next year.  They'll use some of it to help candidates in competitive races in order to increase their own clout, and because it's good for the party.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
How does stickiness work? (xpost from /askreddit)

I've always been curious as to how glue and tape adhesive properties work, particularly the strong stuff, and glues that can hold even in water.

[Assistant]
iorgfeflkd the unspellable summed it up pretty well, stickiness is the result of you having to break millions and millions of bonds all at once. However, some adhesives work by worming their way into cracks and pores on a surface, then hardening, which holds together something with mechanical force instead of chemical force.

To hold in water, a substance needs to be insoluble, or unable to be readily dissolved in water. Solubility in water is based on hydrogen bonding. While water is overall a neutral molecule, electrons like to hang out on the oxygen, leaving it slightly negative, and the hydrogens slightly positive. These partial charges can form weak bonds with other nearby charges, known as hydrogen bonds. Dissolving is the end result of many weak hydrogen bonds ripping apart stronger bonds. Molecules must have some kind of polarity to be soluble in water. Back to the original point, if a glue isn't a polar molecule, it'll hold in water.

Super glue, or cyanoacrylate, is a neat demonstration of all of the above. In general, it holds stuff together through mechanical force, by rapidly changing from a gel to a solid, though there is some degree of chemical bonding. Because most of its strength comes from mechanical force, it's not very good at holding nonporous substances together, as it can't get a very good hold on it.

Cyanoacrylate is a polar molecule, and is very much soluble in water - gluing something together at the bottom of a lake won't work. However, when you expose it to water, all the cyanoacrylates start forming strong bonds between each other, making long nonpolar cyanoacrylate chains. These chains make a solid substance that is insoluble in water.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Star Wars] Why doesn't Tatooine import water?

Uhh rather simple question. Water is so scarce they extract it from the atmosphere using high tech devices. I feel like with the prevalence of faster than light travel and privately owned ships someone would find out there was a killing to be made selling water. Is there some kind of conspiracy with the Hutts who use water to control people or something?

[Assistant]
Atmospheric extraction is cheaper. With a mass of 1000 Kilograms per cubic meter shipping water from offworld would be prohibittively expensive.For reference sake. One cubic kilometer would weigh a BILLION metric tons. Real world Earth uses 4,600 cubic kilometers a year.

2nd, Tatooine isn't really an economy whose GDP could afford importing so much.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Kerbal Space Program] On the origin of Kerbals. Did they evolve at Kerbal Space Center?

The whole planet is uninhabited except for the Kerbal Space Center.

[Assistant]
Considering that other civilized points no longer exists, and in career mode you're commonly given missions to explore point on your home planet, it seems that the Kerbal planet may have faced mass extinction and the collapse of society.

Think about it: the one final bastion of civilization is the remaining buildings for a space program, experimenting in both space flight AND aviation. Why would they need both? Either aviation technology was reached and lost, or faced with possible extinction, research to escape Kerbin and see if other planets in the system can sustain life has gone into full force.

This possibility can also be hinted at by the fact that your Kerbal astronaut supply is nigh unlimited. And their qualifications are often terrible. Complete cowards, or dumb beyond belief. Yet they willingly participate. Why? At a chance to escape. And the newfound overpopulation post-civilization keeps the supply plentiful.

However, this doesn't address why you have a limited budget. Why limit the spending capital of kerbality's final hope? Politics mostly. But also limited world resources. Your reputation and money is always on the line, as you race to find a new home planet, and slowly away over those who, like in the real world, believe that space travel is a waste of resources. Some think that we should put that effort into rebuilding this planet. Saving our home, not abandoning it. They would rather spend money towards reclaiming the planet. But the more reputation and success you get, the more funding people will be willing to send your way.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[DC] How would Batman respond to a full blown zombie breakout?

Just like the title says. Batman is patrolling Gotham on the look out for suspects matching the news reports of rabid people attacking eachother for no clear reason. While patrolling Batman encounters one of these rabid people. Needless to say he subdues the "assailant", takes a tissue sample and returns to the Batcave. While doing tests on the samples the city becomes over run with what is now known as the living dead. What are Batman's next moves?

[Assistant]
Batman is a skilled detective and scientist. Realizing that the outbreak is beyond even his scientific abilities, he would first ensure that the foremost doctors, biologists, and pathologists in Gotham had safely reached the local CDC, which is already being secured by Commissioner Gordon and the Major Crimes Unit.

With the academics researching the disease and working towards the cure faster than he ever could, Batman would switch to combating the disease in his role as the worlds greatest detective. He would investigate recent hospital and police reports, attempting to find Patient Zero with the hopes that further investigation may reveal whether or not this outbreak is man-made, and if so, seek out the person that created it with the hopes that they have a cure.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] Can someone explain the difference between Republicans and Democrats, like I'm five?

[Assistant]
Super short answer

Republicans want a small government so that people can live their own life as they see fit.

Democrats want a larger government to help those down on their luck, And keep those with power from getting too much.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5:Why did Russia just bomb/airstrike Syria?

[Assistant]
Russia and Assad(Syrian dictator) are old classmates from Middle East elementary.  Assad allowed Russia to hide his slingshot(Navy) in his locker and let Russia borrow his bike so that Russia could get around in the middle east.

Now they're in High School and it turns out Assad is kind of a dick that beats the shit out of a bunch of his classmates(fellow Syrians) These classmates started their own club called ISIS and several other (rebel)clubs to fight back. Russia, not wanting Assad to get his ass kicked and lose access to the sling shot and bicycles, now has to back up his old buddy Assad.

Obama has beef with the ISIS club too, but doesn't want to look like an asshole by helping a guy (Assad) who beats up innocent classmates so Obama refuses to work with both Assad and Russia.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why does my battery stay on 100% for 30 minutes and then as soon as it drops below 100%, start decreasing much more rapidly?

[Assistant] To make it short, battery percentage is only an estimation. And often, a phone that shows 100% isn't really at 100% of the battery, more like at 95-98% because the charger trick charge it. Staying at 100% is really bad a Lithium battery and the charger "knows" that.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: One in the hand is worth two in the bush

What the actual fuck does that mean? Is that even the right saying?

[Assistant] One bird in the hand (one you have already caught) is better than two in the bush (that you haven't caught yet).  It is better to have one of something than the remote potential for getting two of them.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5 Why do we eat plants if we can't digest cellulose, ie, plant cell wall?

Title says all. Plant cells are covered by cell wall made of cellulose. The human body doesn't have the enzyme cellulase to digest it, so why do we eat them? Do they just pass through us? If so, why are they 'healthy'?

[Assistant] Because we can get a variety of other vitamins and nutrients from them. There isnt much in the cell wall for us to get, so it just passes through. Overall, plants are healthy for all the nutrients we get and the cellulose doesnt hurt us.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5:Are there prostitutes or camp follower types with modern armies?

[Assistant]
The army, of course, does not 'officially support' prostitutes.

However, wherever there are soldier, there will be prostitutes. War time poverty compounds the effect, and often the soldiers who are foreign to the locale will enjoy the companies of the local girls. The military rather does not like its personnel spending time with hoes because they might get sick or give away intelligence to the enemies, but it is very difficult to not let soldiers get their release, so they will turn a blind eye.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Star Wars] What happens when you push the buttons on Darth Vader's chest?

(Apart from the fact he Force Chokes you for your impudence)

[Assistant] The buttons are external controls for Vader's life support. This was set up because Vader was put into an untested and jury-rigged suit on an emergency basis - if something went wrong with his life support and he lost consciousness, there needed to be some way to troubleshoot the suit from outside.  That isn't necessary anymore, but Vader's powerful enough that messing with his buttons won't do anything but annoy him, so he hasn't bothered removing them.  Yes, you could shut his life support down, but the Force would keep him functional as long as he needed to dismember you for your impudence.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: When TV remote batteries die, why does swapping their positions around bring them back to life?

[Assistant]
There is no electrical reason for this to be caused by swapping the positions.

What may happen is:

- a thin layer of oxidized metal may create a higher resistance between the batteries and the remote contacts; removing/reinstalling them "scratches" the contact surfaces providing a lower-resistance path.

- removing the batteries for a while while swapping them may allow the batteries to briefly attain a higher voltage (due to not being subjected to supplying any current), which may be enough to kick the remote back to life for a short time (see below). Battery temperature may also have a role here.

- many electronic devices may freeze or crash if the supplied voltage goes below a limit level. They might still be drawing a minute amount of current, enough to keep the voltage below this limit. Removing the batteries for a while may allow the batteries to "recover" to a slightly higher voltage, and reset the device.

As an experiment, when it happens again, try to just remove the batteries for minute, then place them back in the same positions, making sure to roll them to scratch the contact surfaces.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
How do fighter pilots/planes know that an enemy aircraft has them "locked"?

What signals are they receiving and why would an enemy plane or munition emit these signals in the first place?

[Assistant]
>What signals are they receiving

Imagine you're hiding in a dark room. And you know someone is looking for you: because in that darkness you can see someone using a flashlight, inspecting every dark corner where you might be hiding ...

It's the same thing with whatever electromagnetic signal you're using to find and track enemy airplanes: There's got to be a constant stream (like a flashlight in a dark room) of signals (e.g. radio waves emitted by a radar) in order to see anything.

Back to you in the dark room: How do you know you were found? Because the person holding the flashlight is shining the light directly into your face, dead on, and they have stopped looking into other corners ... They obviously know exactly where you are, right?

Same thing with e.g. radar-tracking: Once a radar is starting to track and aim at a target that airplane will know it's being aimed at because there will be a constant beam of radio waves in frequencies that are very typical for a radar...

In modern military airplanes the radar warning should go off and warn the pilot that he's being aimed at.

Same thing if you use other tracking methods, e.g. laser: Modern military airplanes and helicopters have a laser-warning sensor too.

>why would an enemy plane or munition emit these signals in the first place?

See the analogy with the dark room: how are you going to find someone in a very very dark room without a flashlight? Stumble in blindly and just touch everything, hoping your sense of touch will do the job? Yell and shout into the room and politely ask the other person to come out?  The flashlight is the easiest and safest way.

Same thing with finding and tracking enemy airplanes: you have to emit signals (e.g. radar) or else you're blind. But it also means that the other side can detect where that signal came from...

It's a "cat and mouse" game.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Batman] Bruce Wayne has a thing for fostering black-haired orphan boys, are there any continuities where he adopts Billy Batson, aka Shazam?

[Assistant]
No, and it comes down to geography. Batman relies on locally sourced robins; either he happened on them while in Gotham, or they specifically came to Gotham as a response to Batman's presence there. For a long time, Shazam worked out of Fawcett City, a fictional city somewhere in the midwest, and more recently he works out of Philadelphia, both of which are hundreds of miles away from the New Jerseyish Gotham City. They'd never have cause to meet until after Billy had a secure home life and was actively superheroing.

That said, in the Young Justice cartoon it was revealed that Batman worked out Shazam's real age long before any of the other leaguers did, and he sponsored Billy's membership in the league despite that --specifically because it would have been hypocritical to field so many squishy human 14 year old robins and not field the completely indestructible magic 14-year old.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why can soap clean my hands off oily stuff like grease when soaps themselves are made largely of fat and oil?

[Assistant]
Soaps aren't fats or oils. They're the product of *reacting* fats with alkaline substances, traditionally usually lye (sodium hydroxide).

That reaction produces a molecule with two 'sides'. The original fat on one side repels water and attracts fats, and the extra base attached to the molecule on the other side attracts water. The combination means that soaps can help fats dissolve in water, by bonding to both the fats and the water.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] What is the quickest way to cool down the interior of a car?

[Assistant]
Welp.. this thread is depressingly devoid of good info.

* All windows rolled down, moon roof open.
* A/C on full blast at feet and on outside vent
* Drive until temperature inside matches outside.
* Close windows and and adjust A/C to blow at feet and head.
* Put A/C on cabin recirculate.
* Enjoy rapidly temperature dropping car.

Preventing heat:

* Park in the shade.
* Use those sun shades. That much less light landing on your dark dash really does help.
* Windows down a bit.
* Moon roof open to vent.

Source: Lived in Las Vegas, where dashboards could melt in the right sun.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] So.. can the Iris (colored/pigmented area around the pupil) change hue depending on mood, or is this some stupid myth?

[Assistant]
Colour is unevenly distributed across the average iris.  As the pupil expands or contracts, different colours can become more prominent, in addition to the limbic ring and pupil becoming more significant in relative proportions.

Pupils generally dilate in response to light or arousal... so you may also notice eye colour change due to lighting conditions on top of the change due to dilation.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Why has 7200 RPM been the standard rotation speed for hard drives for over 10 years?

With all of the advancements in solid state technology, platter density, data transfer protocols, and vibration/heat mitigation, why is the typical hard drive still rotating at 7200 RPM after all these years? The WD Raptor series was introduced back in 2006 and operated at 10k RPM. Granted that line is marketed for the enthusiast; however, why hasn't this technology trickled down as the new standard? I would think that conventional hard drives would need every advantage they could get to compete with SSDs.

Your thoughts and wisdom?

[Assistant]
It's not a technology limitation so much as 7200 RPM is a sweet spot between performance and power consumption/heat/noise in the consumer market.

You can find enterprise level drives that run at up to 15,000 RPM.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5 why isn't new years date on the winter solstice?

[Assistant] We used the Gregorian calendar which was influenced by the Roman Empire and the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar had January 1st and the beginning of the new year because that is when consuls, a type of politician, took office for Rome.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: What's the difference between a savings and checking account and is it important?

Edit: Thank you for every response!

[Assistant]
A checking account:

* usually accrues no interest
* can used to pay bills via checks, debit card transactions, and ATM withdrawals
* usually has no limit on the number of transactions that can be done

A savings account:

* accrues interest (though not much these days)
* typically limits the kind and number of transactions that can be done with it

So basically a checking account is where money for your day to day payments flows through, while a savings account is where you keep your savings. Even if the interest is insignificant, a savings account can be a useful tool for financial planning, to designate that money as "savings, don't touch unless there is an emergency".


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] What does it mean for the Higgs field to be "tachyonic"?

[Assistant]
To answer this question, one has to first understand something about how masses are determined in quantum field theory.

In quantum field theory, a scalar field like the Higgs field has a potential energy function.  The vacuum is the state that minimizes this function, and so the field will settle throughout space to the value that minimizes the potential.  Particles can arise as excitations around this vacuum value.  The mass of these particles is determined by the curvature of the potential function at this point; in particle, the square of the mass is equal to the second derivative of the potential function at this minimizing value.

Now in the early universe, the potential for the Higgs field looks like a "U" (well, actually, a bowl), having its minimum at the origin, and so the Higgs field has a vacuum value of zero.  There are also particle excitations around this value, and since the curvature is positive at this point, the mass of these excitations satisfies the relation m^2 > 0.

As the universe expands and cools, there is a critical temperature at which the shape of the potential energy function changes from a "U" to a "W" shape (well, actually, from a bowl shape to a Mexican hate shape).  Now the Higgs field has settled to a value of zero throughout space, so we could ask ourselves what the excitations about this value look like now.  Because the shape of the potential has changed, we are now at a local maximum (the central tip of the "W") rather than a minimum, and so the curvature of the potential has the opposite sign.  Thus, if we calculate the mass of excitations around this point, we get the relation m^2 < 0, and particle with m^2 < 0 would be tachyonic.

But we don't actually get tachyons.  As you see from the above, finding that the particle excitations would be tachyonic is an indication that we are looking for excitations around a local maximum rather than a minimum.  What this actually means is that the vacuum value of the Higgs field is no longer zero, but is a value that takes takes you a minimum of the "W" (actually, Mexican hat).  So the vacuum value of the Higgs field changes from zero to something non-zero.  We are once again at a local minimum, and all the particle excitations have non-negative mass squared.

Edit: Fixed formatting.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Warhammer 40k] What's new in the lore?

Heard a new update came out for the 40k lore that had some pretty serious galaxy changing events in it. Can anyone summarize whats happened so far?

[Assistant]
Cadia, the first line of defense against Chaos, has been completely destroyed. Like, the whole planet is destroyed. This is tied to a massive largely impassable warp storm that's now dividing the galaxy in two.

Ynnead, Eldar Death God, has been awakened, which is big. Ynnead can't manifest completely yet but has an Avatar in realspace called Yncarne. If Ynnead can reach full power, it may be able to kill Slaanesh, which would change everything.

Roboute Guilliman, founder of the Ultramarines and one of the original Primarchs, is back. This is a huge deal. He also revealed he was working with a dude named Cawl to make Primaris Space Marines, who are like the next evolution of Space Marines. Guilliman visited the Emperor and subsequently has now declared himself Lord Commander of the Imperium, basically the Emperor's Will made physical. He plans on completely reorganizing the Imperium as part of a new crusade.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] eli5 What is equity?

[Assistant]
Equity has several meanings when it comes to accounting, but generally it means value of ownership.

Often you will hear people talk about how much equity they have in their house. If you have a $500k house and $300k mortgage, then you have $200k of equity. That means if you sell the house, that's how much money you'd get in your pocket.

If you own shares of a company, that's called shareholders' equity. It's the value of the slice of the company that you own.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Lord of the Rings] Is the Witch King the king of witches or is he a king who is also a witch?

[Assistant]
He's a king of men, a man of high Numenorean birth, but probably not of the royal House of Elros.  He was probably one of the lords of Numenor that settled in Middle Earth before the fall of Numenor, they had a tendency to lord over the Middle Men of Middle Earth, carving out kingdoms of their own while still swearing allegiance to the throne of Numenor.  He was then tempted and corrupted by Sauron.  He was a sorcerer, which was not completely unusual for those from Numenor who were more adept at magic that most men.

So, he was a king who was also a sorcerer/witch.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: How can Hiroshima and Nagasaki be inhabited so soon after nuclear weapons have been used?

[Assistant]
Its because the amount of radioactive material in an atomic bomb is relatively small. And as Mortarius said most of this material is converted into energy and byproducts which though radioactive degrade quickly and are no longer dangerous after a relatively short time.

You may be wondering why places like Chernobyl (where there was a meltdown) are still uninhabitable while Hiroshima and Nagasaki are safe for living today. The answer is that the amount of radioactive materials present at a nuclear power facility vastly outweigh the radioactive material in an atomic bomb.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why do small blood vessels become visible in your eyes when youve been awake for too long?

[Assistant]
Optometrist here. The vessels dilate so more blood can flow through them, bringing in oxygen. Happens when our eyes are opened for too long or we are wearing contact lenses too much or just eyes dry. The eyes from far away appears to be pinkish/red due to these vessels being more visible than before.

I don't think this was really discussed at school at all actually but that's the train of thought!

Edit: Someone mentioned the use of visine, EXCELLENT POINT that i want to add (because i"m constantly telling people): DON'T OVER USE VISINE. Tetrahydrozoline is the decongestant ingredient. Overuse causes REBOUND REDNESS, the opposite of what you want. Visine makes your blood vessels constrict, which sounds like a good idea since vasodilation is  the culprit. But keeping a constant blood vessel tone is a delicate balance between vaso constriction/dilation. The constant Visine use tricks your eyes into thinking that it already reached that balance of vaso constriction/dilation, so now when you take the visine away (which did the constriction), your eyes will vasoDILATE because there is nothing to oppose it, causing the rebound redness. It's great if you use it once in a while for allergies/occasional redness, but it's not for long term. Also don't use it if you have family history of glaucoma.

Go for something more natural. Like artificial tears. (no specific brand recommended because YMMV for most of them).


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Marvel] What would happen if Wolverine didnt keep his wrist straight as he unsheathed his claws?

If he had his hand held at an angle to his wrist, would the blades bend around his wrist or would they be forced into his knuckles?

[Assistant]
Place your hand palm down on a table, and then fold your middle finger under it. Then, try lifting each finger off the table. You should be able to do it easily with each finger except for your ring finger.

It's like that with Wolverine. The muscular movement can only function when his wrists are positioned the correct way.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
I have been comparing the performance of two Java applications with a profiler. It seems that one application spends significantly more time running jdk.internal.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor37.invoke(). Unfortunately, I don't know much about JDK. Does anyone know what this method does?

After some research, it seems that it does dynamic class loading. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could confirm that and possibly give some extra details. Thank you to whoever responds!

[Assistant]
I can't give you a definitive answer but probably the code is abusing functional interfaces like lambdas (function, consumer, supplier,etc). They are shoehorned into Java and they simulate functional programming by creating anonymous classes under the hood.

Java can't accept functions as parameters so to do that it basically creates a new class with just that method and calls it.

I am really a fan of functional programming but when writing Java i tend to avoid it at all costs. It's not worth it unless is not a performance critical part of the program AND the code is replacing is much more messy and complex.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Warhammer 40K] Which warp entity is fueled by love?

The Ruinous Powers feed of almost every emotion imaginable. Khorne feeds off of hate, fury, anger, and martial honor; Tzeentch feeds off of the quest for knowledge, the desire for change, and psychic powers; Slaanesh feeds off of pain and pleasure; and Nurgle feeds off of decay and the desire to survive.

However, there is one major emotion left out of this list: love. Love is a powerful emotion, and despite the grimdark nature of the setting love is guaranteed to still be present. Yet love helps none of the Gods of Chaos.

This begs a question: could a Lord (or Lady) of Love be the savior of the galaxy? Love is pure, and loving another does not help evil. A Lady of Love would be truly benevolent, helping people without asking for anything in return.

I am referring to selfless love. Putting another before oneself. Being willing to die to save the ones you love. Helping others, without hoping or expecting any reward.
None of these seem to be characteristic of any Chaos faction.  The best example I know of comes from *Harry Potter*, not Warhammer 40k -- Lily Potter sacrificing herself so that her son may live.

[Assistant]
What type of love? Self love? Romantic love? Parental love? General adoration?

For both Self Love and Romantic Love, i would say they're more Slaanesh's territory than anything... They can be very obsessive emotions, which is right up the Prince of Excesses... Excess.

Parental Love is more Nurgle's bag, i think. Part of Nurgle's domain is the rebirth of life through decay, and he is a very proud and nurturing diety.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Star Wars] Why do AATs (Separatist tanks) rarely, if ever, use their projectile launchers?

The main battle tank of the Confederacy of Indipendent Systems, the AAT, posses six projectile launchers in its shovel shaped lower hull which are able to launch anti-personal, anti-vehicle and "bunker-buster" grenades. However, they are rarely used and personally I think I've never seen them in use. Is there any reason for that?

[Assistant]
Projectiles require magazines and logistics chains. More traditional laser cannons don't have limited number of uses provided enough tibana gas is available and the vehicles reactor is intact. In a prolonged engagement or campaign the longer a vehicle can remain effective without needing to be rearmed is a key consideration. Tibana gas is easier to store and transport than a load of missiles for a large conflict.

That aside projectile weapons have always been in use in star wars but fill a more niche roll within battles. Laser canons are used primarily on vehicles but even AT-AT variants and man portable rockets were commonly using ammunition based weapons when applicable. The big lasers are just more versatile and less resource intensive than concussion launchers and missile systems that are less effective against shielded targets or heavy armor.

Edit: to more directly answer the question AATs are general purpose vehicles. Their varied munitions are for specific target types which the GAR didn't always use. The main canon worked well enough but the different missiles only worked in narrow circumstances. They were used but not for just any battle situation.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Is it normal to feel confused and scared before joining a faculty position?

Please guide me. Im 27 american and soon to be a graduating student in the fine arts. I am about to join the faculty of an R1 equivalent university in Canada. Ive secured a job during the pandemic in a very competitive discipline. Im relieved to have secured this position during a time of uncertainty for the entire fine arts world, its my FIRST real job ever.

Everyone tells me I'm lucky to get such a good job since Im not even finished grad school.

I know I should be super excited and happy as everybody around me is, but honestly every time I think about this new position, what Im feeling is anxiety, fear and worry. I feel like Im making a huge mistake in my life and constantly feeling very emotional and borderline wanting to cry. I am so confused as to why Im feeling this. From an objective point of view, this is a great step in growing my career, but part of me is just like... what am I getting myself into.

I know this is what we are all looking for, a tenure track position in a relatively major research university but yet Im not feeling so positive about it. I worked my butt off since I was 4 years old basically and I feel like I should be celebrating this transition but yet Im second guessing everything. I cant tell if its the unknown and fear of possibly of it going so wrong. I get worried that Im gonna hate it all, and realize that Im moving to a smaller city of about 1 million as opposed to 5 million even though theyre about 1 hour apart by flight. Im so confused with all of these mixes of feelings.

I hope I dont sound entitled or whiny but Im truly so confused how to best think clearly and positively about this new role. I know from an objective view this is a great career move and also financially it will help stabilize as a good income source amongst other work. But also at the same time I get worried about how Im gonna adjust to this role, the obligation of mentoring students and also eventually finding a partner... which has been tough for me in a city of 5 million already but imagining what that might look like with a city of 1 million... and in Canada. Id probably meet someone American but that would mean long distance AND another country...

I wanna know your experience if you have felt this way and how you dealt with it.

Thank you :)

Am I naive for thinking that I should be excited and overjoyed about this job? Does it mean I'm a normal academic that I feel dread, or a terrible academic that I don't see it as an opportunity (besides the great salary)? Does it just make me a privileged a-hole that I'm expecting to feel joy but I don't? I would appreciate any words of advice, your experience with before job jitters/dread and whether it gets better or whether I may be making a huge mistake? So confused!

[Assistant] Im in a different profession, but its quite common. It may be a bit of impostor syndrome. It happens to a lot of professionals. Fake it till you make it is the best advice. Congrats on your new position. They would not have offered it to you unless you showed good evidence you would do well.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why can you only use a #2 pencil on a scantron sheet?

[Assistant]
It's not really an issue of whether it works, but of who is responsible in the event that it doesn't work.

They aren't going to test their machine with every possible type of pencil.  Even if they tested it with a variety, *someone* would find *some* pencil that doesn't scan right.  So instead, they test it with the most common type of pencil, and if you use something else and your answers aren't scored right, it's your own fault.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] If elements in groups generally share similar properties (ie group 1 elements react violently) and carbon and silicon are in the same group, can silicon form compounds similar to how carbon can form organic compounds?

[Assistant]
Yes and no.

It is possible to create molecules with several Si-Si bonds just like with carbon, but those are less stable than Carbon bonds.

In addition Silicon Hydrogen bonds are pretty reactive.

Just compare Methane, a pretty stable and unreactive molecule, with Silane, which combusts in air without any help.

That's because the electronegativity of Silicon and Carbon are different, which affects the Si-H bond.

As the other people mentioned Silicon Oxygen bonds are quite stable, that's what Silicone (the polymer) is.

Still, Carbon is the only known element that forms "unlimited" amounts of different molecules where the Carbon is directly bound to another Carbon.

Adding a CH2 group to elongate a molecule does not make it less stable.

This is called catenation, and allows so many different carbon compounds to exist.

Silicon, ( and Sulfur and Boron) allows for limited amount of Catenation, while Carbon allows basically unlimited chain length and branching.

The longest silicon chain that is somewhat possible to create contains 8 Silicon atoms in a chain. Everything longer will decompose on its own, into unspecific Silicon hydride polymers.

Si8H18 is the sum formula for that.

In addition Carbon can form very stable double and triple bonds, the same bonds are possible with Silicon, but they are extremely unstable. the simple molecules ~~Disilane~~ Disilene and Disilyne are possible to isolate, but anything more complex falls apart.

**Tl;Dr** They are very similar, and both allow Catenation, but the addition of another electron shell in Silicon changes the properties (electronegativity) just slightly, so that longer chains get less stable, compared to Carbon chains getting more stable and bonds with Hydrogen have more of a hydride characteristic than the covalent bond between Carbon and Hydrogen.
Thus lifeforms in anyway similar to earth's life is impossible on a silicon basis.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [LOTR] Its said that Ungoliant gave birth to many giant spiders, we know about Shelob but what about her siblings? Were her siblings equally powerful as her? Or was Shelob unique?

[Assistant] Shelob was the greatest (and last surviving) of Ungoliant's children.  Since Shelob devoured her own offspring, we can guess that Ungoliant did the same with most of hers.  It's said that Ungoliant eventually became so hungry that she devoured herself, so any kids still around the place would have been eaten long before that.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
Geese didnt migrate in New York?

Why are there still geese at the local park in New York in the middle of December? Ive always been told they migrate in the winter.

[Assistant] Some of them migrate, but there's a permanent population. Due to the city's microclimate, it's not so cold that they can't survive, and more importantly, people feed them year round. They don't *have* to fly south to find enough food to get through the winter, so they they have no reason to undertake an exhausting and dangerous migration.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[General] Characters who have no hypothetical limit to their powers ?

I am trying to make a list of characters who have no limits to how strong they can be.

I think cell and majin Buu counts since they can keep absorbing people to get stronger.

We have the 9th espada from bleach, who similar to the above example can keep absorbing dead hollows.

Rimuru Tempest from That time I reincarnated as a Slime. Again, no upper limit due to absorbing everything.

Saitama, maybe, since he removed his limiters.

[Assistant]
Superman (and presumably other kryptonians) seems to be able to keep building infinitely, as long as he has enough energy to absorb. In DC one million, where he was in the sun for 15,000 years, he's reached full on reality warper level.

In terms of more specific powers, The hulk also appears to be able to keep getting stronger the angrier he gets- we've seen him get to planet-breaker level in World War hulk. He doesn't get new powers, but he gets stronger. Likewise, the flashes don't seem to have a finite limit on their speed except their willpower to avoid being sucked into the speedforce- if they can resist that, they just keep getting faster.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
What is it called when you do not beleive in objective moral truths?

I beleive that we should adhear to certain moral principles such as do not cause unnecessary harm, destruction of the enviroment and do not enslave people and take away their freedom, and health. But I do not beleive these moral ideals can be validated as if they are the ultimate truths to the question of morality. I beleive you cannot answer the question "is this act morally good?" unless you define the parameters of what moral goodness. What is the name of my stance on morality and on this type of question/answer?

[Assistant]
If you mean that while *you* believe we should not cause unnecessary harm, should not enslave people, etc., you recognize that *other people* do not believe this, and *you don't regard your beliefs about this as any more legitimate than these other people's beliefs*, presumably the natural comparison follows, and you think moral judgments are true only in a subjective sense. Popularly, the expression *moral relativism* is often used to describe this sort of position.

What sort of position you hold on meta-ethics would depend on your position on other matters. For example, if you think that moral propositions in the strict sense ought to be objective, i.e. that strictly speaking your judgment that say "we should not cause unnecessary harm" is only properly moral if it is valid for other people, then presumably you think that all properly moral judgments are false (i.e., there is no statement which both provides such a properly moral [viz., objective] judgment and is true)--and you might then be what philosophers call an "error theorist".


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [MIB3: Men in Black 3] How is Boris the Animals little hand monster able to fire an endless number of projectiles? Where is it storing them in its tiny body?

[Assistant]
The thing has a limited supply of Projectiles. You can see it walk on them, but it regenerates them on a really fast pace.

I think to do this it needs a lot of calories and probably minerals so it's body is probably drawing nutrients from Borisssess body.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: Why does rest/inactivity often make us more tired, while activity can make us more energetic?

The world is currently struggling with both an influx of major stress while people in great numbers are also unemployed and inactive. This is leading to a massive spike in depression and related symptoms. For these reasons, I was wondering if someone could give me a good explanation for why resting often makes exhausting situations even more exhausting. Thanks!

[Assistant]
Think about it like percentages. If you have 100 energy and spend 90 of that on daily things you have 10% left.

Increasing strength makes tasks easier so you might only use up 80 per day. Increasing cardio makes starting energy higher, say 120. Now you have 33% left at the end of the day.

You mention mood so I'll add that exercise is a positive feedback loop. It makes you feel better and more energetic so it's easier to get more exercise so you feel better and more energetic... works the same way in reverse for laziness.

In a sentence, exhaustion is relative to how much energy you have.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: The Boltzmann Brain Theory.

[Assistant]
Take a puzzle with 1000 pieces, throw them on the ground. You'll probably generate a huge mess. Repeat this often. Sometimes two pieces that fit together will land next to each other. Repeat this really, really often. Once in a while, all 1000 pieces will land at their right spot.

Our brain is a bit like a puzzle - just with even more pieces (atoms). Space is never completely empty, there are a few atoms and radiation flying around, so space is constantly "throwing pieces around". Wait long enough and have enough space, and eventually a human brain will appear just by random chance. It won't last long, but it can last long enough to have thoughts. Every other possible arrangement of atoms will happen as well. There is also a "Boltzmann flower pot" and so on.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: Why are snakes evolving to not use their venom?

I was watching this documentary on venom and it said snakes are evolving to not use their venom. The thing that allows them survive in a world full of other predators. This sounds utterly insane to me.

[Assistant] Venom isn't free; it takes material to make venom. If a snake can make a kill without venom, then it's a waste to use venom to kill the prey. If enough snakes are successful without using venom, then the number of snakes that don't use venom will grow compared to those that do use venom, since they'd have comparable success but use less resources.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] ELI5: Why does taking a deep breath calm you down?

[Assistant]
A simple answer is that deep breathing increases the amount of oxygen in your body and slows your heart rate, helping you feel more relaxed. Another reason is that it activates the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which is responsible for controlling our rest and relaxation.

The other half of the ANS is called the sympathetic nervous system and deals with the fight-or-flight response, and is associated with fast, short breaths.

Also by focussing on taking deep breaths, you take your mind off of whatever is making you stressed.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[MCU] Question about the stones in Endgame.

When Cap returns the Space and Mind stone they are no longer in their holders. Instead of a cube and a staff he is just dropping off a shiny stone. At both those points no one in contact with them know what an infinity stone is or that those things were infinity stones.

Wouldn't they still be looking for a cube and a staff unless Cap explained what happened, which seems unlikely? Does it accelerate understanding of the stones power and how to use it?

[Assistant] If he returns the Time Stone first, it's likely that the Ancient One could work some timey-wimey stuff on the stones to put them back in the containers they'd been in a few days prior.  That would allow him to clean up the timelines with minimal changes - the one major consequence being the 2012 timeline in which Loki is loose with the Tesseract.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [DC] How much kryptonite do I need to kill Superman?

[Assistant]
Surprisingly little. Even a pebble sized piece would be enough to induce kryptonite poisoning on Superman. Batman keeps a small enough piece to fit in his utility belt. Lex Luthor has had fragments of all sorts of different sizes.

The more interesting question, imo, is what color of kryptonite can you get your hands on? The iconic green one seems to be the most ubiquitous of the colors, but other colors can be far more deadly.

Also, sometimes a small amount is preferable for a killer. A chunk of kryptonite that was forged into a bullet was actually very nearly a perfect method of slaying Superman.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User] [Star Trek] Why do Federation starships always beam down the highly-ranked officers to planets rather than more expendable soldiers?

[Assistant]
You'll note that the most famous records of Starfleet explorations involve exceptional danger even by the standards of the various flagships.  Death for Starfleet personnel is vanishingly uncommon, and only seems to be a widespread risk  because we're only exposed to the stories that involve that risk.

For every away mission that results in death, another thousand go without incident.

Most of the challenges faced involve diplomatic or technical obstacles that need to be overcome.  Therefore, the vessel sends its most apt diplomats and engineers, which happen to be senior staff.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: Swiss Bank Account

Idk if this had been posted already, but can someone explain to me why Swiss bank accounts are so popular among the rich and/or fraudulent? I see it in movies and in the news from time to time. Someone puts a bunch of money away in a Swiss bank account. Why?

[Assistant] Switzerland once had very strict banking secrecy laws and refused to cooperate with the IRS.  Political pressure in the 1990s changed that, but not in a way that movies care about.  Today, it's the Cayman Islands where the rich go to avoid income reporting.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Supernatural] What would it take to convince the world that monsters/demons are real?

Spoilers...

Crowley is going after Sam and Dean's previous victims that they saved and the guy who was attacked by a Wendigo was totally on alert after hearing some weird noises and it made me think what would it take to convince the rest of the world that monsters and demons are real so they could better protect themselves?

Has no hunter(s) ever thought that if the world at large knew monsters were real it would mean better protection and more lives saved since Police would become somewhat hunter-ish?

Would it even be possible to convince people? Sam and Dean capture monsters all the time so couldn't they or other hunters put them on display for a time before killing them to let the population know they need to be on guard?

[Assistant]
Presenting several monsters/demons to the scientific community. If you could compile enough secondary evidence of their existence like tissue samples, video, audio, leaving samples, etc. That would also do but would likely lead to the rapid capture and study of several of the entities in question.

For an example of what happens when science/military forces catch wind of the supernatural look up the web serial "salvation war" not the movie.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
ELI5: Why do many people motion with their hands when speaking?

My partner doesn't even realise that she does it, so it's definitely a subconscious action in her case.

[Assistant] Human communication relies on much more than just words and tone of voice. Body language is important and hugely telling what someone's true feelings are. Gesturing reveals a level of openness, relaxation, or intensity. Standing perfectly still with your arms at your side comes across as robotic and awkward, because it cuts off that vital subconscious communication.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
(Eli5) Why do we have to fall asleep to regain energy?

Ive always wondered.. why do we have to actually fall asleep in order to be rested for another day? Why cant a person just close their eyes and lie completely still for their body to recover? What does sleeping actually regenerate?

[Assistant]
Think of your body as a restaurant. While you're awake, it's open and the kitchen and dining room is full of people. There's no way to clean, bring in new supplies, or fix issues with the building.

You have to have a period of time when the rooms are not in use to do a full clean and resupply. This is sleep. It forces us to shut down our brain and bodies for cleaning and repair.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Quantum Leap] Why didn't Sam ever Leap into the 90s?

Sam can Leap into any body as long as he himself was alive during that time.  The Quantum Leap project began sometime in the mid to late 1990s.  Why does Sam typically bounce between the 50s and 70s?  He rarely winds up in the 80s and never the 1990s. What gives?

[Assistant]
By the 1990s, the Department of Temporal Alignment Projects (dTAP) kept control of the 1990s, from far ahead in the 29th century. Due to this, they didn't need Sam to come that far ahead.

Dr. Beckett is fixing what once went wrong -- as these wrongs would prevent dTAP from existing. They were fighting with other agencies -- most notably, the force behind the Evil Leaper -- and needed to ensure they exist.

The whole show is a chronicling of the work of the first Time Agent -- Sam Beckett -- before he comes fully aware of his goals.


[System] Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:

[User]
[Equilibrium] If prozium suppresses all emotion, why does anyone do their jobs? Where is the motivation? The reward factor?

Apologies if this has been asked before but it has been bugging me for a while. Even if they all believed in doing their work to maintain peace and order, wouldn't there need to be some emotional belief behind the necessity to do that?

[Assistant]
The obvious answer is that it *doesn't* eliminate emotion. It's just blunted.

There are little tics in many of the characters, the use of wit, the continuation of society. And the sense offenders who cease the dose are people led astray by the vestigial, and unmentionable, remains of their feelings.