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

[User]
[Dragon Age: Origins] Why can't the Warden utilize everyone in his group?

I'm a fletcher in Redcliffe, and a few weeks ago, we were being attacked by these undead monstrosities from the castle. Apparently the Arl's son was a mage, I guess the chantry is right about them.

Anyway, after being terrorized for the third night, this Grey Warden showed up asking for an army to fight the blight. Now the blight is bad, but Bann Teagan kinda set the Warden straight that we currently had our own problem going on. The Warden agreed the help us fight these things. Helped out a lot, got the good-for-nothing dwarf Dwyn and his lackey's to fight, even convinced Lloyd to fight. But the night of the attack, the Warden shows up with only 3 of his companions, another Warden, an Orlesian redhead, and some woods woman who I swore turned into a wolf.

What's the deal? I know the Warden has more people at his disposal. He's got a mage from the Circle travelling with him, I know that 'cause she helped the Arl's son. He's got some dwarf warrior with a big axe, a mabari, even one of those big kew-nari blokes. Where were they during the fight. My cousin Ted died fighting that night. Ted never fought a day in his life, he just dredged the lake, he did. If what mage was there that night, she coulda fixed him up before he turned over. A lot of lives could have been saved if we had more men. What was the Warden thinking? Why would he go into battle without all his men by his side. What army does he hope to get from Redcliffe if the whole village is dead?

[Assistant] The Warden has to use his companions for a variety of task.  He usually chooses to travel 3 of his companions as a group of bodyguards/advisers, when he is trying to help with a particular problem.  His other companions are doing various tasks at this time.  Most likely his other companions were off scouting the area to make sure that other enemy forces weren't approaching.  The Warden's companions are incredibly talented and they are probably the only people that could scout in small numbers and survive in the case of a Darkspawn attack.  While, it did unfortunately weaken the defense of Redcliffe it was a prudent military move that could prevent a greater military defeat.


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

[User]
Why isn't the Winter Solstice the coldest day of the year?

If the Winter Solstice has the least amount of direct sunlight, then why is it typically warmer than say, January or February?

[Assistant]
A lot of variables control temperature.  Different air masses, cloud cover, and wind mixing are just as important to regulating temperature as radiative heating is.

Assuming a constant air mass, a noticeable time lag in the global radiative heating balance appears.  As summer progresses, more heat is entering the Earth and that continues well into the fall when a eventually a balance between the heat gained and the heat loss reach an equilibrium.  As fall progresses into winter, more heat is expected be lost but the swing between heat gain and heat loss takes awhile and then it takes more time for the heat loss to become dominant around January or so.


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

[User] With the ability to be anywhere in the world instantly, know who is being bad or not, and the ability to carry gigantic amounts of equipment, why doesn't Santa Claus become a superhero?

[Assistant]
Santa's powers only work on Christmas Eve. That's also why he needs elves to do all the work, he *could* magically make all the toys himself Christmas morning, but that would take away from his delivery time in the Pacific Islands. He spends the rest of the year reading mail, making his lists, tending to the reindeer, and spending time with his family.

Mr. Claus also knows that the current setup is more beneficial for the world than superhero work would be. Because of his system, he's encouraging people to be "nice" year-round even though his powers don't work year-round. In the long run, he's doing more good for the world that way.


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

[User]
Eli5 What really is a fraction TIMES a fraction?! It makes NO sense.

I am reteaching myself math, but something is bugging me soooo bad and I can't find the answer.  What is a real life example of multiplying a fraction by a fraction? I was wondering why .05 to the 5th exponent would get smaller not bigger.  This is driving me bonkers.

Sure 1/2 makes sense, but how about 1/2 times 3/5 in real life?!?

Edit: OMFG. Math is cool and makes sense.  Finally, I'm 28.  Thank you all!!!!

Edit: I was given an AP Scholar award, but it was not for math.

  * * * The best explanation goes to the person who explained "times" and "of" were synonomous!!!! * * *

NOW EXPLAIN THIS: How am I in the 99.9th percentile for arithmetic, but suck at math?! Do I have potential? Am I still gifted in "math" or are math and arithmetic too separate things.  A professor told me they are different parts of the brain.

[Assistant]
Replace the word "times" with "of"

1/2 of 3/5. Half of 3/5. Obviously it's going to be smaller than 3/5

0.05 of 0.05, that's 5 percent of 0.05. You know 5 percent is a relatively small chunk of the original.

The problem may be you were taught only the abstract math rules, but it wasn't well tied into concrete example that would build the numerical understanding.


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

[User]
ELI5: Mountains are brown, yellow, and green and definitely not blue or purple, yet they look purplish-blue from far away. Why is this?

Noticed it on my drive home in the desert...never occurred to me to actually ask why...

[Assistant]
Because if they are far away, there's more stuff i.e. atmosphere between you and the mountains and thus it gets a slight bluish tint. It's the same reason why the sky is blue. Blue wavelengths are scattered less easily than red ones so they 'dominate'.

You'll notice that not only mountains appear bluish at a distance but really everything does.


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

[User]
[40k]The Emperors presence

So how powerful is the Emperors presence now that hes stuck on the throne?Is it easy to get close to him or does he retaliate agains anyone he disapproves of being in his throne room?

[Assistant]
Being in the presence of the Emperor would kill most people, custodians struggle, it burns them out and scorches their armour, not all of them can do it.
During the war of the beast some rather high ranking harlequins invaded terra and the Palace, they didn't manage to get anywhere near to the Emperor himself but they could feel his presence and it terrified them.


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

[User] ELI5: What is umami?

[Assistant]
Umami is another one of the "basic tastes", along with salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. It's also sometimes called "savory"--think of the flavor of meat, cheese, broth, or mushrooms (that isn't salty or bitter).

Chemically, it's sensed by your taste buds with the presence of glutamate, which is one of the basic amino acids that makes up proteins. This is why MSG (monosodium **glutamate**) is used to flavor foods--it gives a lovely umami taste to things.

Also, MSG has not actually been shown to be harmful or cause bad reactions in people.


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

[User]
[Man of Steel]Why doesn't the Kyrptonian armor worn by General Zod and his soldiers fold like aluminum foil when struck by Superman?

What I mean by this is: the armor worn by General Zod and his soldiers is Kryptonian, crafted to withstand Kryptonian weaponry and attacks, on Krypton. Right? So it wasn't crafted to withstand the super-strong punches, kicks, and heat beam eye attacks that Superman subjected it to during the recent events in Metropolis. It also wasn't crafted in such a way(that I'm aware of) to absorb Earth's yellow sun's radiation so as to become stronger. Why doesn't it buckle and break?

[Assistant] Moreover, Jor-El seemed to be saying that Kal would gain strength from growing up on Earth rather than simply being on Earth, but the Zod Squad gained their powers immediately and without enjoying the air first. Can this inconsistency be explained, as well as why Kal didn't avoid the Kryptonian air by simply holding his breath? And if he can be in space and keep his power, why does the air matter at all?


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

[User] ELI5: Why do GIFs load so slow although I have fast internet?

[Assistant]
I take it you mean animated GIFs? Two possible reasons, one is that the site hosting the GIF serving slowly (you can only download as fast as the other side is sending) and another is that animated DIFs are actually really large, must larger than proper video files would be. They're not very good at compressing photos or compressing motion, so when you put those both together (eg. film clips) then GIF is pretty much the worst format for it.

The reason it's popular is because it's still much easier to host GIFs than it is to host videos, and browsers play back looping GIFs better than looping video files.


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

[User]
How can I become a programmer

Hello everyone!

At 27 years of age (a bit late), I think Ive found something that really interests me from a career standpoint and its, no surprise, programming.

Ive got the full Python, Wordpress, and JavaScript courses on Udemy, and want to dive headfirst into them. Im hoping that by the end of the year Ill have passed them. They not only include theory and examples, but projects that I can do that puts these skills to the test.

My question is, is it realistic to assume that Ill have viable work options for me by having taken these courses and made my own examples through the course? Will I be screwed without a college degree?

Edit: cant thank you all enough!

[Assistant]
You dont need a college diploma but youll definitely need a lot more than a couple of Udemy courses to learn enough to get a job. The best thing you can do is make stuff, break stuff, and read stuff online.

Learning React will probably get you a lot further than WordPress when looking for an entry level job, but thats really up to what interests you more.


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

[User]
ELI5: How does anything live on islands where the max elevation is less than about 20 feet?

Every time I see videos of boats hitting massive waves that they have to climb like a small mountain it makes me wonder how these same storms don't just wipe clean any and every small island in the ocean. It seems like whenever a big storm came, waves would just wash over any low lying islands in their path and take everything with them into the oceans. Yet you still see palm trees and sometimes even people and animals living on tiny islands.

[Assistant]
The same waves typically peter out as the sea floor elevation rises towards the island.

While it does happen, the waves produced out at sea dont carry the same force as a tidal wave, as only the surface water is raised (vs a tsunami in which the entire depth of the ocean is raised)


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

[User] ELI5: When using the TOR wiki only a few websites come up, and yet people say that 90% of the internet is on the deep web, is this true? And how does one find these sites?

[Assistant]
Most of the deep web internet is on normal sites you can access with a regular browser.

Deep web is that which is not indexed by search engines, which includes all the dynamic content of the normal web.


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

[User] [Dragon Age] Why don't surface kingdoms send soldiers to help the dwarves fight against darkspawn?

[Assistant]
They don't really consider it their problem. They tend to forget about the Darkspawn until a Blight happens and even then, they're not always quick to take it seriously.

Even just ten years after the Blight in Fereldan, the surface kingdoms have gone back to ignoring them again and people are once again treating the Grey Wardens like they're useless.


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

[User]
Why aren't rotational kinetic energy and translational kinetic energy as fundamentally distinct from one another as angular momentum and linear momentum?

Conservation of momentum and conservation of angular momentum each have, through Noether's theorem, their own associated fundamental symmetry of the universe: spatial symmetry and rotational symmetry respectively.

In (seeming) contrast, all different forms of energy -- translational, rotational, vibrational, nuclear, etc etc -- are lumped together in Noether's theorem, their collective conservation leading to (or being equivalent to) the universe's time symmetry. This makes sense, since you can convert any kind of energy into any other kind, so they are only conserved collectively.

But, rotational kinetic energy is directly associated with angular momentum (right?), and translational kinetic energy is directly associated with linear momentum (right?). So why are you able to convert between rotational and translational kinetic energies, but not between angular and linear momentums...momenta...?

[Assistant] An object moving through space at constant velocity without rotating has angular momentum in all reference frames where it doesn't move through the origin. Be careful with statements that depend on an arbitrary reference frame.


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

[User] Why can humans cross their eyes but not do the opposite? Make them look outward.

[Assistant]
You can cross your eyes because that's the action required to look at an object which is very close to you. You can see this by focusing on your finger and moving it towards your face; you'll end up with crossed eyes.

However, no matter how far away an object is, you'll only ever need both eyes pointing in exactly the same direction; you'll never need them pointing apart, and so there's no reason to be able to do that.


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

[User]
ELI5: Where did the tradition of having bedrooms on the second floor come from?

I know that any small room can be a bedroom but i want to know why their always upstairs in a house with more then 1 floor.

Did it come from the idea of "Staterooms" in old mansions?

[Assistant] Bedrooms have been upstairs since houses had two stories, because it puts them away from the public spaces, away from the livestock, and away from some of the creatures that crawl around on the ground. Also it's warmer in the winter, and catches more breezes in the summer.


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

[User]
[Stranger Things] what are the international implications of the events in season 3? (Spoilers inside)

This is the Cold War and Soviet military was operating deep inside the USA.

How does the US government react? It seems like they have kept the whole issue under wraps, but why??

Soviet military conducting research and operating on US soil is an act of war.

Why aren't nukes flying already?

[Assistant]
It's all covered up because the American public and the world would flip out if they knew they were all almost destroyed by an interdimensional monster twice, and that the Soviets were able to build a big underground base right under their noses.

They also want to keep L a secret so noody finds out about their unethical experiments, and that she has incredible powers.


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

[User]
ELI5 why replace old battleships/aircraft carriers but not the b52?

Old time/battle tested warships are scrapped to make way for new ships that bristle with brand new tech that isn't battle tested, but they keep using the b52 bomber from 55 years ago?

Edit; Thanks for all the comments, I was thinking aircraft carriers mostly, it makes sense that actual battleships are outdated but the superstructure of an aircraft carrier should be able to be modified in the same way that a b-52 is modified over the years, also didn't consider the erosion from exposure to salt air and seawater.

[Assistant]
You had better believe there is new tech in the B-52 of today. But the airframe, the flying around bit, hasn't really changed in 50 years. What does it need to do now that it didn't back then?

Battleships on the other hand have changed quite a lot. Instead of slugging it out with giant cannons and meter thick armor, they now launch missiles and have small, rapid firing cannons for close defense. You can't retrofit a battleship with 3 meter thick armor and 20 inch guns into one that has 6 inches of hull and missile bays.


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

[User]
ELI5: Will certain Olympic sports reach a point where progress can't be made in them?

To fix ideas, consider the 1600 meter race. While its astounding that people continue breaking record in this event, am I correct in assuming that eventually "peak human performance" will be reached? For example, it seems unlikely that an unmodified human will ever reach a point where they can run the 1600 meters in 30 seconds. When "peak performance" is reached, will such events be meaningful (given that records will never be broken)?

[Assistant] While record breaking may become increasingly rare, remember that participants aren't racing against records, just each other. So sure, records may one day become harder to break, but the races themselves will mean pretty much as much (or as little, depending on who you ask) as they do now.


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

[User]
[Fallout] Why are there power armor repair stations all over the Commonwealth?

I understand that they would be present in military installations, but it seems like every civilian garage and repair shop has one.

[Assistant] Actually there are two kinds. One is a simple lift for supporting heavy objects like engine blocks, and it just happens to be tall enough to hold power armor upright while somebody works on it by hand, and then there are the more purpose built arches designed for power armor.


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

[User] [General superheroes, especially Marvel] Are there really that many crimes every day in NY that it would require multiple superheroes to be able to fight them?

[Assistant]
In the MCU at least, Stark has decided that there's no real benefit to being located in NYC, and has moved the Avengers upstate. Of course, he might just be tired of paying NYC's income tax.

As for the lower-tier heroes, they tend to stake out a claim and stick to it. Daredevil doesn't leave Hell's Kitchen, while Spider-Man stays in the Bronx. Luke Cage watches over Harlem, Jessica Jones watches a bottle of whiskey, and Iron Fist will get around to heroing just as soon as he reminds us that his parents are dead, he can win any fight, and that he hasn't had his nap today and is very cranky.


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

[User]
CMV: Internet access should be a nationalized utility in the US.

I don't have much to say about this other than the following:

1) Internet being privatized is *why* the world is so entangled in it. ISPs and the PC hardware industry, in at least a few ways, have pushed the world towards digitalization, specifically so they could get us dependent on it, and eventually have a scenario where we don't have a choice but to pay $150 a month for 25mbps connections (an exaggeration, maybe, but not that large in my experience). If we nationalize, and take the profit motive out of it, maybe we'll see people start to revert away from being so tech crazed.

2) The only way that the Progressive movement America so desperately needs is going to properly gain traction in this country, is for their voices to be protected by constitutional law. Right now companies have *allowed* us to push for certain ideals, so they don't reveal their true extent of control too much. If they just outright squashed the Progressive movement in every regard, it'd be the tipping point for massive outrage. ***But make no mistake***, that eventually, they ***WILL*** start pushing back. By nationalizing the internet, taking control of any and all current web infrastructure, and writing the law such that anyone who maintains a website is an extension of the government, the First Amendment will apply. And no, I don't think Uncle Cletus being allowed to say the n-word without repercussions is a good enough deterrent against this.

3) Tying into point 1, taking the profit motive out of the industry will make it more accessible to people. Sure, we'd still need to pay for it, so that it's not entirely reliant on tax revenue (because leaving it as such is a surefire way to leave it open for exorbitant underfunding), but $40 a month for gigabit fiber sounds a lot better than the $100 I currently pay for 100mbps down, 10mbps up. And having a cheap way for the world to be so interconnected will only improve the benefits the internet has already displayed (such as showing Americans that other countries have long since solved bullshit we ***still*** can't seem to take care of).

[Assistant] If internet service is nationalized would it follow that access would have to be equal for all Americans? Would one living in the middle of WY be able to expect the same service as one living in NYC? Where is the money going to come from to extend fiber lines or other high speed access to remote areas with very few people?


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

[User]
ELI5, How are the children of illegal immigrants in the US (who, therefore, are also illegal) able to attend high schools and universities?

I am speaking about children who were not born in the US, but rather, were taken there as young children under the age of 16. Specifically, my questions arises from watching the CNN report about the children of illegal immigrants lining up to apply to remain in the country without fear of deportation for at least the next two years. They interviewed a young man that was illegally in the country, yet he is a junior at UCLA. How is this allowed?

[Assistant]
Public schools generally only require that you list your place of residence and you arrange for transportation, whether by school bus route or personally picking up or dropping off. Most school districts don't check citizenship because it's never been an issue.

Colleges just don't care about citizenship. They only look at high school grades, financials if you apply for loans, and extracurricular activities for applicants.

Bottom line: no one checks.


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

[User]
I feel laws should have no moral footing. That the purpose of laws is purely to make society function efficiently. CMV

To elaborate, I believe terms like freedom, liberty, justice, right/wrong, good/evil, etc dont inherently work as an argument to enact or abolish any particular law. Sometimes these thoughts line up with making society function, but not always, and alone should not be a reason for enacting a law. You can, however, use them as a basis of why a law can work.

For example: Freedom of speech is required to have a productive society because without this we cannot have debate on issues that are unpopular. Without this debate and the considering of things that are not popular, we cannot change public opinion, and in turn, change policy to one that would better benefit the populous as a whole. See, the argument for freedom of speech is not made because freedom is right, it is made based on its benefits to society as a whole.

Argument, from the past couple of days here on CMV:

On abortion legality, the question continues to be where does human life begin? This question is great when debating the morality of abortion. However, when the legality of abortion is brought up, the question should not be this, but how does the legality of abortion benefit/hurt society as a whole. When it comes to legality, this is the proper question.

Another example of a current law on the books that is there, IMO, for the right reasons, and shows that this point does not lead to anarchy: Murder is not, or should not, be illegal because it is morally wrong. It is illegal because allowing murderers to walk free creates vendettas/vigilantism which hurts many innocents in the process and removes otherwise productive members of society to seek justice (I didnt use justice as the reason, I used it as an action people will seek without the state assisting in obtaining, which will harm society as a whole).

Basically, murder, rape, theft of property, rights of property, etcall have their basis in making a society run and optimizing as many members of said society. The also have a basis in morality, but I dont feel that is the reason for their existence. Other laws that I believe are right to be on the books, such as seat belt laws, sin taxes, progressive taxes in general, are all things that are not really dealing with morality, but they do help society function better/efficiently (at least that is the argument).

My point being that if we believe that law=morality, or use morality to justify laws, we wind up with many laws that will actually be detrimental to society, i.e. marriage laws, laws on adultery, premarital sex, lying, decency laws, etc things a significant portion of the country believe to be morally wrong. You may hear this and think I dont believe those things are wrong, well maybe that is why we shouldnt base laws on morals, everyones are different. Shouldnt the one and only goal of laws be to make the country run better? That if you leave this premise in any way, then you have left the debate of law.

[Assistant]
How do you define running better? If we were to enslave half of the population and force them to be incredibly industrious and work for basically nothing, the other half would live in absolute splendor. This would be a very efficient system, and think of the wonders we could create...

It may be more efficient (depending on how you define efficiency with regard to society) but does that justify it? Is that how the laws should be written?

If you have a problem with any brutal but supremely efficient system, it is because of morality. If you think that laws should be stifled from becoming too terrible on people for ultimate "gain", it is because of morality. Many people would find many problems with these laws because of general morality. While each individual person's morality is differing, there is a general sense of what is right and wrong. The laws tend to stick close to this.


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

[User] [Portal] If a celling were to come down to crush me, and I place one portal directly above me, and portal directly below, and the celling meets the floor, where would I go?

[Assistant]
There's no space "inside" the portal. Entering one portal *is* exiting the other portal. There is no significant void space between them.

So if this scenario was somehow created you would be crushed against your own body.


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

[User] Eli5: How come humans need around 1,500-2000calories for basic survival of the Body but people suffering from severe anorexia can carry on for years eating a lot less.

[Assistant] 1500 to 2000 calories is what the body needs to remain healthy. Less than that and the body begins cannibalizing non essential things. It starts with fat stores, then it goes to muscles. All in the name of keeping energy supplied to the vital organs. Severe anorexics will consume just enough calories to keep their brain, heart, and lungs functioning but their body will essentially be digesting itself. That's why you'll see malnourished people looking like skeletons with skin stretched over the bones. Their muscles are barely there anymore.


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

[User]
ELI5: After someone designs something like a breakfast burrito, what do they do for the rest of their career?

I touch a lot of things that are clearly at some point designed, today I was eating a burrito from McD's, someone came up with the shape of this wrap.

But it's been this way for many years.  What is that person doing now? It's not like McD's has a bunch of menu changes every year, were they just a contractor that does this for many food chains?

Edit: I'm a product dev engineer myself, so just curious.

[Assistant]
Big chains like that actually go through a lot of product development and testing continuously.  Have you ever seen a commercial for a new burger or something where it says "in select markets only" or "for a limited time only".  That's them testing a new product.  They are testing them all the time, but it might just not be in your area, so you don't know about it :)

Before it even gets to a limited run though, they have people developing things, and if it seems like it might do well, they make a very small amount of them (maybe 100), and they feed them to a random focus group of people who give their opinions and thoughts, and depending on what they say they may tweak some things and do it again, or they may scrap the product all together, or they may put it out for a limited run to see how it does in stores.

Somebody at McD's didn't just wrap up one breakfast burrito once, started selling it, and make it big, there is a huge long process before a product gets to the stores, and then if it is a hit or not, they start the process all over again with a new product.


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

[User]
[Spider-Man] Does Carnage lose pieces of itself when he fires "darts"?

I'm just going in my head, I'm guess they are some how keratin based organic that he makes from alien biology and replenishes when he eats?

I also read when he made a hammer with his arm it shattered upon hitting steel. Does that hurt him?

[Assistant]
First of all, when you say "him" you're actually talking about the symbiote.  So, no-human carbon based biology.

They all seem to have the power of just drawing mass from somewhere (presumably the meat dimension).   In one scene the Carnage one went form the size of a drop of blood to full size fast enough for carnage to act while those nearby were still surprised.  Venom can be form-fitting and sleek or add mass to hulk size or bigger.  It can also shove people it eats  there, as symbotes have eaten people and then slimmed down to normal clothes size seconds later.

If one shoot off something like a dart the default assumption is it would remain hardened for an indeterminate time, to eventually be reclaimed by said dimension.  Just melting into nothing.

Few things seem to cause the symbiote real pain - fire and sound being the most notable.  Physical damage is something the host needs to worry about but not the symbiote.


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

[User]
[Avatar] How would Ozai feel if he knew that Azula cheated on the final Agni Kai?

I mean he definitely favors her to Zuko so he might not be too salty but on the other hand since he doesnt respect Zuko he might find it extra disgraceful that she needed to cheat to win.

[Assistant]
He would be so proud.

Ozai and honor are not a thing. In Zukos childhood flashbacks he was shown plotting against his brother who was out performing military duties while he sat in the palace.

Its implied some tomfoolery went on so that he could be declared firelord instead of iroh.


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

[User]
Why is partially hydrogenated oil (or some variation) in so many types of processed foods?

Is there a certain chemical reason to it? Why is it so universally used?

[Assistant] It's cheaper to partially hydrogenate a vegetable oil than harvest an animal oil with similar properties. Hydrogenated oils have longer shelf-lives before they go rancid. You can also customize the oil's properties somewhat by controlling how it is hydrogenated.


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

[User] [Predator] When the Predator laughs at the end he sounds just like a human laughing. Is this really what his species sound like when they laugh? Or was something else going on?

[Assistant] They use voice mimicking technology. The laugh you hear at the end while Dutch is running away is a recording of Billy laughing at one of Hawkin's jokes from earlier, just amped up to 11. Real Predator laughter probably sounds more like a series of grunts and clicks.


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

[User] If I am hungry does that mean I have spent more calories than consumed in the day?

[Assistant]
Hunger is actually not directly dependant upon caloric need, although that is one influence. You can continue to desire food even though you may have already consumed over your caloric requirements. The hunger centre appears to be located in the part of the brain called the arcuate nucleus. A variety of inputs can influence it; hormones such as insulin will inhibit it, whilst a substance called ghrelin stimulates it.

Interestingly, when you are sick, inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines are produced as part of the body's response to illness. These also act on the hunger centre, inhibiting it, which explains why you lose your appetite when unwell.


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

[User] Which is the appropriate statistical test?

[Assistant]
Why is your data in ratios? If it is weight or something you can just use a t-test.

If you want to compare expected vs observed results use a chi-squared goodness of fit test.

Is this just the weight of black sees compared to the weight of yellow? If so perform two tailed t-test.


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

[User] [Chemistry] What factors do we know for sure cause living organisms to age?

[Assistant] We don't know anything for sure, but the theory is that it is a combination of DNA damage (e.g. through free radicals) and chromosome shortening during cell division. Both effects accumulate over time and cause aging.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why is the english language so bad at describing weekly occurrences? (Next Tuesday and this Tuesday can mean the same or different things, biweekly means twice a week or every other week, etc.?)

Edit: I think all the argument in the thread below establishes that yes, this is indeed a confusing topic. My question remains why? Is there a linguistic explanation for gaps in a language that seem easy to fill with new, specific words but just aren't?

[Assistant]
It is actually the opposite. In general there are accurate terms that change meaning as the popular use changes. English is a living language, and the meanings and use of words are constantly changing.

For example, Biweekly strictly meant every two weeks and was a replacement of fortnightly (first used in print in 1832). Some people were confused, understanding the 'Bi' meant two, and used it as a replacement for Semiweekly (first in print in 1890). The incorrect use of biweekly is so common now that English dictionaries list both definitions.

Starting with dictionaries printed in 2014, Merriam-Webster has now changed the definition of *Catfish* to include *a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes*.


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

[User]
The Human Genome Project cost $2.7 billion. 20 years later, it costs <$1000 to sequence the genome. Was the cost of the project fundamentally necessary for subsequent progress, or could we have "waited" for the technology to become cheaper?

I'm very much a clueless layman, but I'm learning about genetics for the first time. I don't mean this in any sort of combative waythe Human Genome Project had countless benefits that we can't possibly track, and I'd imagine $2.7 billion is a trifle compared to its broader impact.

My question is just narrowly about the way that genome sequencing has dropped rapidly in cost. Was it fundamentally necessary to first use these exorbitantly pricey methods, which provided the foundation for the future research which would make it affordable? Or are the two questions inherently separate: the Human Genome Project gave us a first, initial glimpse at our mapped out genome, and then a decade later separate technological developments would make that same task much cheaper (as is commonly the case in science and technology).

The "could we have waited" in the title is probably misleadingI really don't mean any sort of  value judgment (the project sounds enormously important), I purely mean "could" in a narrow hypothetical (not, "would it have been a good idea to wait", which I highly doubt).

[Assistant]
The cost of gene sequencing has dropped dramatically, but these two numbers are apples and oranges. The Human Genome Project "mapped the genome". Meaning it created a "reference genome" that is roughly accurate for every human being on earth. It's like a scaffold upon which you can place any individual sequence you might read.

Today, you can take short reads of roughly a human genome-worth of DNA for less than $1000. That sequencing can tell you if the person has any small mutations. But without the reference genome, all that information would be worthless because you couldn't place all the little fragments of DNA where they sit on the larger genome.

Think of it like having a big jumble of small phrases that you know belong in a big epic novel. Your job is to tell us what page the phrase belongs on. HGP pieced together the whole novel for the first time, so now your job is much easier because you can just do a CRTL+F.

Today, people continue to assemble new reference genomes (e.g., new species) and reassemble the human genome to look for larger variations that don't agree with the original reference genomes created by the HGP and others. You typically can't do that for <$1000. It could cost you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on what tools you use and what accuracy you desire.

Tl;Dr: creating a new reference genome is much cheaper than it used to be and has certainly enabled by technology created in the course of the HGP and others. But still very very expensive.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do leaves not degrade when placed inside the pages of a book?

[Assistant] Effectively they mummify. If you remove the water most biological materials don't decay. Paper will absorb moisture and it slowly dissipates out into the environment while the book keeps the leaf (or flower) flat instead of crinkling up like dry leaves in woodland.


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

[User]
Why does paper 'remember' when it's been rolled up?

As in, if I roll up a bit of paper and then un-roll it, why will it bend in the direction it's been rolled?

[Assistant] The outside of the roll is under tensile stress. Therefore, the interface in between the paper fibres and the matrix is deformed more than the inside. When you let go of the roll, the paper recovers the elastic portion of the deformation, but not the plastic portion.


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

[User]
ELI5: How did Isaac Newton "invent" calculus?

I've never taken any math above algebra 2 or stats in college, so forgive me if this is common knowledge! I've always been confused by the fact that Isaac Newton is credited with having invented calculus. Few questions:

Did he invent or discover calculus? Semantics, I know, but I'm curious to hear what the argument for invention would be.

Do any of his thought processes survive?

Has anyone since invented (or discovered) a type of math? (for that matter, is calculus a type of math or just math or both??)

[Assistant]
In a way, it's both. The concepts that underpin calculus (derivatives, integrals) were already "there" and, in this sense, Issac and Liebniz "discovered them."

But, to discover them, they had to "invent" a new mathematical framework, new symbols and processes, to access this new field.

For example, the instantaneous slope of a curve, f(*x*) = *x*^2, being  equal to 2*x* was always the case. But the processes that can be used to derive 2*x* from *x*^2 were invented.


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

[User]
[Halo Franchise] Why didn't the forerunners build Halo rings that could destroy the flood, rather than merely wiping out "their food source"? I would think such an advanced civilization could build something that specifically targets them, or at least kills them along with everything else.

Are the flood somehow classified as "non-life" even though they are clearly capable of reproduction, growth, infecting organic hosts, etc? Why can a spartan with a gun wipe out thousands of the things but galaxy-spanning superweapons can't?

[Assistant]
The Halo Array as well as most Forerunner/Precursor tech is based on neural physics, a concept that the Galaxy itself is alive and all sentient minds are connected (akin to the Force in Star Wars or other such pantheistic ideas), the Halo Array works by indiscriminately killing any being with a sentient mind connected to the neural network, which is a lot easier than trying to identify and kill individual species and races. It's easier for modern humans to just build nukes than it is to build bioweapons that target specific peoples' DNA. Graveminds and intelligent forms might die to the Halos but the Flood can survive in spores and other less advanced forms.

> Why can a spartan with a gun wipe out thousands of the things but galaxy-spanning superweapons can't?

The Flood can infect tech as well. The Flood had planet-sized forms and could infect the Forerunners' massive armadas of thousands of capital ships. Humans and the Covenant were lucky that their tech wasn't as advanced since the Flood would have used it against them.


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

[User]
[Turtledove] How would the WorldWar series have progressed if The Race had tried to conquer the Southern Victory/Timeline-191 version of Earth?

The "Alternate Point of Departure" is still sometime between December 1941 and May 1942, which places the arrival of the First Fleet sometime during the events of *Return Engagement* or *Drive to the East* from the *Settling Accounts* series.

In the Southern Victory series, the CSA and USA fight multiple wars that only end when the CSA surrenders and ceases to exist in 1944. Now we ought to expect The Race would carry out landings worldwide, including Confederate Florida, Unionist Illinois, Unionist Idaho, and Unionist New York in North America, which would further destabilize the North American theater of the Second Great War as both Union and Confederacy have to scramble to contain the beachheads of the Lizards inside their own territories.

The Race could easily become a 'deus ex machina' (like the original POD of Timeline-191) that would distract the United States from its long-term campaign to finally reconquer the Old South. How ironic it would be, if this second POD was instrumental in saving the Confederacy from its destined destruction, once again.

[Assistant]
The Lizards only recognized the Not-Empires when they showed they had nuclear arms. All the radiation was gonna muck up the whole planet, and the Emperor doesn't send space armadas for nothing.

I would think that the CSA wouldn't have been able to develop the nuclear technology and would have either been conquered along with Mexico, or ended up as a buffer state similar to Poland's fate.


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

[User]
Are military service contracts akin to indentured servitude or slavery?

I am a naval officer and have been in the navy for about 2 years. I dont want to be in the military at this point, but I have 6 years left on my contract and have no legitimate way of buying my contract out. I am forced to perform a job that I dont want to do every day. The alternative is jail or receiving a bad discharge.

Is this morally wrong in the same way that slavery and indentured servitude are considered morally wrong?

[Assistant] I think typically slavery and indentured servitude are bad because you can't quit, not because you can't quit without suffering consequences that were stipulated when you signed the contract. But a job you can't quit without bad consequences might be bad for reasons similar to indentured servitude (even if it's not as bad). It depends on the consequences, presumably.


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

[User]
[God of War] Is Greece located in Midgard? Is the Earth we see in the original games Midgard?

I thought this was confusing. I know Midgard is Earth in Norse mythology, but is it the same Earth we see in the original games, where Greece, Persia, is located? Both Kratos and Tyr traveled from or to Midgard from "other lands" (Greece, Japan, Egypt), but is it the same realm?

[Assistant] Yes, there is only one physical Earth that includes all of the continents and geographical locations you're familiar with. But different gods and cosmological forces have taken control of different regions, and enforced different magical rules over those little realms. When Kratos travels across the land, he's simultaneously moving across the continents and magically moving between several different magical realms.


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

[User] [MCU] How does Captain America have the strength to momentarily hold back Thanos in Infinity War, but that same strength doesnt shatter every bone in Batrocs body when actually trying to beat him in CA Winter Soldier?

[Assistant]
Cap wasn't holding Thanos back, he was using every ounce his might just to hold Thanos's fingers apart (while Thanos just stood there in confused admiration at the futility of it).

He was putting just enough into the fight with Batroc to incapacitate him.


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

[User]
[Halo] Has the Master Chief ever eaten anything in between Halo 2 and Halo 4?

Reason why I left out Combat Evolved is because after the game, the novel First Strike takes over.

Right after the first cutscene in Halo 2, when the Chief is in the Cairo station, the Chief automatically jumps into action. He's plunged into fighting throughout many locations, Africa, the Halo installation, High Charity, and back to Earth in Halo 3. Even then he's thrown into more locations on Africa and eventually when he's back on another Forerunner there seems like no eating break has occurred. Even on human ships it seems like he's just on stand by.

When he awakens in Halo 4, it has been several years. I'm positive he could have had a chance when he runs into the UNSC Infinity, but what we've seen was him squabbling with Del Rio. By the time the events of the Escalations series he probably had something to eat but even then he seems to have jumped back into action.

I know his augmentation helps with quenching and controlling basic human urges, like sleep, sexual drives, etc., but for a man his physical stature, you need a lot of calories to maintain his metallic skeletal structure and muscle density. Plus, he's always moving and fighting other organisms beyond his physical strength, he must use a lot of energy. I also doubt he has much body fat to burn off as emergency energy reserves. So how does the Chief do it?

ninja edit: what about water? and how much does he sweat?

[Assistant]
Yes, he has eaten, but we just never see it. He probably finds time to eat in the few bits of downtime that he gets; en-route to a location on a ship or Pelican, any extended time when he is waiting for something to happen or come to him, etc...

Also, what he is eating is probably some sort of energy-rich superfood like Lembas bread from LotR. It probably takes him only a few minutes to eat something that can provide the necessary nutrients and calories he needs for an extended period, possibly more than a day. So even during that downtime, there is only a small window that one might actually see him eating something.

As for water, he probably has some sort of suit-internal reservoir that can last him a bit, but it is probably a similar situation to the food question.


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

[User]
Is it coincidence or simple logic that during both a lunar and solar eclipse the moon and sun respectively are almost perfectly eclipsed?

The earth's shadow is just about the same size as the visible surface of the moon and the moon's apparent size is just about the same as the sun's apparent size. Would this be the case in any planet/moon/star setup or is that just plain silly? Could the earth's shadow just as easily have been a spot on the moon's surface?

[Assistant]
"The earth's shadow is just about the same size as the visible surface of the moon" -- this part is not correct, actually earth's shadow at moon's distance is larger than the moon, so lunar eclipses do not have the tight fit as the solar eclipse.
The moon's apparent size versus the sun is a coincidence.


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

[User]
[Star Trek]Why do the lights get dim when ships go to Red Alert?

Surely the crew would want to have clear lighting while fighting?

[Assistant] Diverting power from non-essentials to shields, phaser banks, etc. It also has the effect of making it easier to focus on your displays without a bright environment to distract you, and in the event of total power loss the sudden change to a dark environment is less jarring when already starting dim.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do drinking fountains have two separate jets of water that combine to form one arc?

[Assistant] Two separate small jets running parallel with each other produces a less chaotic flow of water than a single large jet. You can notice this in those elaborate fountain shows: each jet is actually a bundle of smaller jets that combine to form the big "ribbon" of water.


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

[User]
[DC/Marvel] What would Batman turn out like if he took the super soldier serum?

Considering he's in peak physical condition and has good intentions, what would he end up like if he went though the same process as Steve Rogers did.

[Assistant] It raises you to the peak of human perfection, and there's somebody who achieved Steve Roger's results through genetics, diet, and exercise. So Batman wouldn't be much stronger or faster, but he'd greatly benefit from improved healing and recovery. Things he can't train or practice, like vision, would be improved.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why and how does a Anti-Static wrist band protect and prevent our electronics from being damaged?

Why does static even ruin our electronics, and what exactly does an anti-static band do to prevent that from happening?

[Assistant]
Your body is not a very good conductor.  It's ok, nothing special.

Your clothes/shoes, on the other hand, are good insulators and they can charge you up to tens of thousands of volts.  Discharging 15,000V into a computer circuit designed to run on 3.3V will fry it.

The anti-static band uses your ok conductor body to bleed off the charge your clothes/shoes have built up.  That makes you have only safe voltage on your skin, as long as your anti-static band is hooked to ground (through a resistor, for safety).


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

[User] Is the human immune system basically the same as other mammals, or does it have any adaptations unique to us?

[Assistant]
All metabolic organisms on earth share the common innate immune system.  The exact compounds and mechanisms can vary a lot, such as antifungal peptides, antibiotics, membrane disrupting compounds, and DNA targeting enzymes.  Many organisms either share these, or can reasonably be shown to have evolved their own variants from a common ancestor.  It is believed this evolved in the first organism(s) and, therefore, all innate immunity derives from a single or small group of common ancestors.

All vertebrates have what's called an adaptive immune system.  There are specialized cells that perform specialized immune functions that can adapt to specific pathogens, and even create long term templates for antibodies that can attack that pathogen at a future time. Many vertebrates likely share this through descent from a common ancestor, though, as another comment pointed out, some vertebrates generate unique types of small antibodies, but the underlying mechanisms of the immune system are still ultimately the same.

Those organisms also produce what can be thought of as conventional antibodies, and have specialized cells that derive from stem cell lines and perform the same basic functions as analogous immune cells in other vertebrates.  It's pretty clear that these unique smaller antibodies are derived from the more conventional antibodies as they are made of exactly the same building blocks, but only use one type of building block, what's known as "heavy chains," where conventional antibodies are made of a combination of heavy and light chains. The main advantage of these smaller antibodies is they can fit into tighter pockets in target molecules.

Humans have a pretty run of the mill vertebrate immune system.  Of course, all species have variation in the specifics of immune function, but overall there's not really anything unique about human immunity when compared to other vertebrates.  In fact, because vertebrate immune systems are so similar, it's a common medical practice to use other vertebrates, typically mammals, to produce antibodies which are then harvested and used in treatments, though the most modern techniques attempt to produce antibodies using immortalized cell lines rather than relying on harvesting from animals.   Antibodies are still commonly produced this way for biotech and research needs. That said, there are large variations in specific details even between individual humans because the immune system is so mind-bogglingly complex and relies on very specific "lock and key" mechanisms. Genetic variation plays a huge role here.

TLDR: Overall, the human immune system is very similar to that of other mammals and even to other vertebrates in general, but it's notable that there can be large variations even between humans, and some vertebrates produce unique types of antibodies derived from the more ubiquitous type of antibodies.


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

[User]
[MCU] How would Loki have reacted to the knowledge of his true heritage, if he had been the favoured child of Odin?

It is well-known that Odin showed parental favouritism towards Thor, given that Thor is his biological child. As a result, part of Loki's rage at the truth is because it "explains" why he was side-lined and treated as what he perceives to be the inferior sibling.

But what if *Loki* had been the favourite child? What if Odin praised Loki whenever he cast a new, more complex spell -- "my son, he is truly a talented sorcerer!"? Not to say that Thor is side-lined to the same degree as Loki, yet it would be clear that Odin favours his adopted. In this scenario, how would Loki have reacted to finding out he is a Frost Giant? Better or worse, and why?

[Assistant] Better.  Loki saw it as the revelation that Odin probably actually did prefer Thor because he was his true son instead of any perceived slights.  If Loki had been the favored child he wouldn't have those feelings of inadequacy that would have been further stoked by discovering he's a frost giant.


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

[User] ELI5: How on earth is the "Chance of Rain" calculated?

[Assistant]
Meteorologists collect lots of information about weather. They measure wind speed, cloud clover, how much it rains, the barometric pressure, etc. With all this information, they notice patterns and can use those patterns to predict the weather to some extent.

For example, if in the past, it rained 40% of the time when the clouds formed like they are today, and other weather factors were also similar, they would say there is a 40% chance of rain.


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

[User] [Star Wars] Why didn't Lord Vader sense the force in Leia during The Empire Strikes Back?

[Assistant]
Because she hadn't awoken to her potential yet.

Think of it like a fire. Luke and Leia have a large pile of firewood and kindling. Obi-Wan had provided Luke with a spark needed to ignite that fire, and he was burning slowly until he went to Dagobah, whereupon Yoda poured a bit of kerosene on top.

Leia had never gotten so much as a spark in the original trilogy. She has great *potential*, but she's never had the training and opportunities to learn that Luke had, so her Force presence was still relatively low.


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

[User] ELI5: Why did ancient civilizations make so many damn vases?

[Assistant]
Storage and transport.

Once agriculture and irrigation really took off, people needed a way to store and preserve harvest for the next year. Also imagine how hard it would be to trade items like beans in Mesoamerica without a way to move them.

Some cultures also saw vaseses something you'd need to take with you in the afterlife to help you in your journey.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does sugar sometimes act as a preservative (sugar-cured fruits, honey) and sometimes encourage bacterial growth?

[Assistant]
Moisture is the enemy of preservation.

A high salt or sugar solution around the food will attempt to reach equilibrium with the  salt/sugar levels inside (Osmosis).  You end up drawing water out of the food and having sugar and salt molecules flow into the food to try and balance the levels.  With less water in the food it resist spoiling.

That said, there are some bacterias and yeasts that love high sugar and salt foods so they can actually flourish in preserved foods.  Also, in lesser concentrations sugar is an excellent food source for some bacteria, like the ones that cause cavities.


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

[User]
[DC/Godzilla] Would Batman be willing to kill Godzilla? given the chance?

Out of all of the Superheros throughout DC and Marvel, Batman has one of the most strict No Kill Rules, even more so than Spider-Man which says alot but Batman does have exceptions I believe, such as if the thing he is fighting was never human but would it's intelligence and such a major role in the environment stop him from killing it?

Godzilla is one of the most destructive and unstoppable creatures, he could wipe out all of humanity if he really wanted to but instead he punishes humanity for their sins against nature and the use of the atomic bombs but he is not just some beast that mindlessly attacks, he has very complex emotions and is like a human in alot of ways and despite attacking humanity alot, he is not evil at all and Godzilla has such high levels of intelligence for a creature, it's beyond that of whales, Dolphins, and primates and he understands complex concepts BUT one of the biggest factors here is Godzilla's role in the environment due to the fact that he is a MAJOR protector of earth and while he doesn't purposely protect humanity, he does save humanity alot from giant monsters and even aliens and in a scenaria where he dies and stays dead, humanity would probably suffer big time and be destroyed and so would the planet.

Godzilla can withstand just about anything, literally but given the chance would Batman be willing to kill him? would Batman see him as a big enough threat to risk killing him? and would Batman's no kill rule allow him to kill Godzilla?

[Assistant]
If Godzilla rolled up on Gotham and started dominoing buildings then sure Bats would kill him... If he could and absolutely had too.

I can see Batman running multiple contingencies while he ramped up levels of fire power trying to keep Godzilla at bay. Like calling in a telepath like Martian Manhunter to try and communicate with or pacify Godzilla and try to get him to go peacefully or maybe someone like Superman or MM again to physically BFR Godzilla. Captain Atom would be a good ally to call in as he can nullify the atomic breath and physically match Godzilla. Zatanna or Constantine could just use magic to make Godzilla the size of a mouse.

Batman may even just come up with a way to do that mechanically with some sort of Batsuit that absorbs radiation and uses it as a power source and just fight him off to a stale mate. Or he could use a Boomtube or something to just get him out of Gotham.

But yeah to counter your wording, Batman wouldn't kill Godzilla if he got the chance, but he'd do it if he had too. But he has too many allies and technological gizmos to really need too.


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

[User]
Berlin just voted to expropriate real estate from big corporations. What impact do you expect this have on the housing market there?

Also, what if this causes capital flight from German real estate in general? How would that likely impact the nation's housing market and economy in general?

[Assistant]
First of all, that was just an opinion poll, not anything binding. The leader of the Berlin senate also doesn't really want to do this.

>What impact do you expect this have on the housing market there?

It would most likely help the people living in those apartments. Depending on how it's financed, it would lead to higher taxes, or less spending on other projects (or a mix), so it would hurt everybody else.

The housing market has experienced pretty massive pressure for quite a while, and it's doubtful this would fundamentally change the situation. The issue is a lack of supply, this does nothing to alleviate that, and if we go a step further and assume that this money would be spend on constructing more housing otherwise, hurts everybody else.

It's just the same problem that has plagued housing politics for ages, policies that benefit a select few but do very little to address the issues that cause high prices in the first place.

>Also, what if this causes capital flight from German real estate in general?

That is highly unlikely.

Berlin is not particularly representative of the rest of Germany and investors know that.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why does squinting work?

To an extent.

[Assistant] When you squint you cut off the top and bottom edges of your pupil, making your pupil closer to a pin hole camera. The smaller the hole, the sharper the image, regardless of the shape of the eye or the shape of the lens. The trade off though, is that the image is dimmer.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do atoms of a same radioactive element decay at different times?

For example uranium-238 has a half-life of 4.468 billion years, which means that one uranium-238 atom decays in a day and another one in one billion years.

Why do atoms of a same element have so vastly different "lifespans"?

[Assistant]
Radiodecay is random.

Picture it like this:

The atom is rolling a random handful of dice once a second.  When all of them come up sixes, the atom blows up.

This may happen on the very first roll, or it may take all day.

Atoms with very short half lives are unstable - theyre barely held together and you only need one six to make them explode.

Atoms with very long half lives are extremely stable - you need a whole trash bag full of sixes all at once to blast it apart.

Uranium is very stable so it usually takes billions of years to finally get cosmically lucky and shatter the nucleus with a random quantum shudder that hits *just* right.


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

[User]
What is the soft "crackling" sound my car makes when it's cooling down after I park it?

I don't know how to describe the sound exactly, but it's a very soft "crackling" or "clicking". Does it have something to do with the metal around the engine or hood contracting as a result of cooling down?

[Assistant] As different parts of the car cool, the metal contracts at different rates. This creates tension within the metal, which accumulates as the car cools further and the temperature difference increases. Eventually, one part may move quickly to release this stress, which creates an audible 'tick' sound.


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

[User] [Watchmen] What is Dr. Manhattan is capable of and is there a way of defeating him?

[Assistant] Ozymandias had it right. Dr. Manhattan was human, and despite his abilities still thinks like one. Granted, as time passes his perception of time, space, matter, and everything else diverge from how humans perceive the universe; however, he is susceptible to many of the same emotional weaknesses as humans. If you're able to engender pride, ego, hubris, fear, jealousy, anger, frustration, disappointment, sadness, or depression in Dr. Manhattan, you have a chance to defeat him by forcing *him* to disengage. To leave you alone. To ignore some crucial factor, or to overlook some vital piece of information.


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

[User] [Superman] How does Kryptonite compare to earthly minerals in hardness? Does it have any practical uses outside of Kryptonian deterrence?

[Assistant]
I've never ready anything about it being particularly durable, sharp, or anything else of interest to material scientists. It is radioactive, however, and can be used as a power source, as several of Superman's opponents have done.

It's also fantastically expensive, which means there's *some* sort of a demand for the stuff. That demand seems to be driven primarily by people who want protection from Kryptonians, however.


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

[User]
Can you know something without having it memorized?

Like you know it in some contexts (like when you see or hear it and recognize it) but not others (like when trying to solve a problem or trying to communicate something). I haven't really seen anything written about this so I think its worth discussing.

[Assistant]
There's some interesting work about it in Husserl's *Ideas II*, near the beginning, as well as in his *Origins of Geometry*.

Basically, Husserl has the idea that one you learn something, it can become the grounds for something else that you learn. Let's say, for example, that you learn special relativity to read a book about black holes. When you are studying black holes, you are not actively recalling how special relativity works, but your understanding of it serves in the background as something like the "horizon" for you to read about black holes. Also, you might be able to understand books about special relativity without sitting down and doing the equations from memory again.

Once you have grasped special relativity, in this example, you don't have to recall the entire argument, the equations, or do the math again to "check" your work. Rather, it becomes something like "background" knowledge.

However, part of this background knowledge is the ability to recall it, to work it out again, and check what you know.

What's interesting is that Husserl later applies this to the history of mathematics to explain how it allows for mathematics and the sciences to build off one another without having to redo all of the discoveries each time. He argues that within, say, a geometrical theorem, the proof of this theorem remains something implicit. If we try, in epistemology, to recall this proof, we *recreate* the original conditions of its discovery (which allows Husserl to claim that epistemology is a "historical" inquiry).

This basic idea, that there's a difference between understanding an idea and being able to conceptually articulate it from memory, can be found in both Plato and Leibniz's theories of innate ideas.

In Husserl's historical writings, geometrical ideas aren't "innate," but function in a similar way. This is because mathematics and science have a history. They build off earlier discoveries, which serves as a background for new discoveries.

Generally speaking, Plato has a lot to say about having a correct belief about something and *knowing* it. He might be a good place to look for more information.


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

[User] ELI5: Why can I pick up my little brother, who weighs around 100 lbs with no issues, but I struggle just trying to get a 50 lb weight off the ground?

[Assistant]
A big thing to remember is that when you pick people up, they are actually helping you. When picked up, people uncounsciously shift around to get their center of balance just right so they wont fall, and it helps out the lifter.

If you tried picking up an unconscious or asleep (or dead) person for example, you would have a veeerry hard time because they are no longer helping you and their center of balance shifts wildly.


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

[User]
I don't understand why Iron is the element that starts the supernova process? (Layman's terms please)

 What property does Iron have the kickstarts a supernova? Why not another metal? I just had someone breifly describe to me how a star's lifespan works (Fusion, going from one element to another down the line) but I can't find out why Iron is the magic element.

[Assistant]
I think it is misleading to think of iron as "kickstarting" the supernova process.  When you burn a log, the wood turns to ash.  When you have no wood left, and only ash, the fire goes out.  But the ash didn't cause the fire to go out - the ash is there because the fuel is gone.

Similarly, stars need fusable atoms as fuel.  Fusion involving iron doesn't release any energy.  A supernova happens when the star runs out of fuel, because there is no longer any energy to keep gravity from collapsing the star.  Iron doesn't necessarily cause this reaction - it's just there when it happens.


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

[User]
How would a springboard work on Moon?

I've been wondering about this for quite a long time. None of my physics teachers could tell me how would be the effect.

The gravity on the Moon lets us to bounce 6 times higher, but reduced falling speed would reduce the pressure put on the trampoline surface by our body. So, how would it be?

[Assistant]
First: ignore the fact that it's notoriously difficult to do acrobatics on the moon. And friction.

To figure this out, we need to look at energy. When you jump, you add kinetic energy to yourself. This is converted into gravitational energy when you move up, slowing you down. As you fall back, the reverse happens and you speed up again, ending with you falling down with the same energy and speed as you began. Note that the strength of gravity doesn't change your final energy/speed: lower gravity just takes a bit longer to get you back.

The trampoline does something like gravity: it converts kinetic into elastic energy and back again. Gravity plays no role in this. Without friction you'd bounce forever. If you jump, you add some more energy to the mix. The first jump about doubles it, the second triples etc.

So the trampoline would work perfectly fine on the moon, and you'd jump and bounce at least six times as high as you would on earth. As there's no air friction on the moon, it might even be higher.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do deodorants say "Apply to underarms only"?

[Assistant] Gabrielpenfield brings up an interesting scenario, but it isn't the main reason why we don't apply deodorants everywhere.  Deodorants simply block odors, so we, for the most part, can use them everywhere (I wouldn't use them on your face in case of acne, though).  However, the real danger lies in anti-perspirants.  They can prevent salivation, or any real leaking of fluids. They are also, for the most part, not good in large doses, which can get into your body in many ways - maybe even cutaneously.  In addition, they can clog pores very easily - and most are even designed with that in mind.  Clogged pores can result in many skin conditions, from acne to swollen glands to boils.  Unless you want a bunch of blemishes, it's best not to apply it everywhere.  This warning prevents manufacturers from lawsuits by people who do just that.


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

[User]
[Flavortown] How do the residents of Flavortown view Guy Fieri?

Is he seen as some sort of tourism ambassador, or a self promoting huckster? Does he actually follow through on these promises to take people there in the first place?

[Assistant] He is Flavor Town's god, devil, servant, master. He is the mewling cry of its newborn babes and the gasping wheeze of its dying patriarchs. He is the bones on which Flavor Town is built, and when Flavor Town returns back into nothingness at the end of all ages he will be the one to sing it into the void. He is the fervant spice of Guy's Kickin' Chili Wings and the tranquil cool of Ranch and Buffalo Chicken Salad Wraps.


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

[User]
[MCU] How did Titan die?

First of all, Im sorry if this question has been asked before but Im not very active on the sub so I dont know some posts. If this has been asked before, then could someone please link to me to the post, thanks. Also, sorry for formatting, I typed this on my phone.

Alright, so Thanos claims that overpopulation destroyed his planet. Apparently the problem was so bad that he appears to be the only survivor and his planet seems have been completely abandoned and desolate. But I just dont understand how overpopulation could destroy a planet like Titan which (Im assuming) had at least some knowledge and interaction with the galactic community (considering Thanos left to conquer that community after his people died) and apparently didnt benefit from those interactions enough to stop a problem that oil-powered human civilisation has today.
I mean, obviously Thanos solution to snap Titan was stupid, but did nobody offer a better solution? Did they never colonise another world, build superstructures for housing, heck, even freeze their people for future awakening?

The MCU is a world where a rainbow bridge can take one from pretty much anywhere to pretty much anywhere, where godly beings like Celestials exist (or at least existed), where neutron stars can be reignited by a dwarf, a raccoon, and a god, etc. In this crazy universe, Thanos says that *overpopulation* us still a problem??
Thats not even getting into the issue of the gravity thing. How did Titans gravity get weird? Overpopulation? Or was it that the gravity issue is what destroyed the planet? I feel like it was the gravity problem that caused the demise of Titan, and that Thanos is lying about the overpopulation problem, but that just feels wrong. It would undermine Thanos whole motivation and make him unsympathetic.

So, what killed Titan? Was it overpopulation? The gravity thing? If it was overpopulation, how?

[Assistant]
Titan may have been a spacefaring civilization, but it might not have developed interstellar travel yet.  Ecological disaster is gonna get you, if the only places you have to go are nearby barren rocks.

Which leads me to overpopulation.  Too many people, consuming too many non-replenishable resources, can kill a planet.  Climate change from things like depletion of ozone layer and too much CO2 in the atmosphere released from a technological civilization can cause a runaway effect.  It frees up more greenhouse gasses trapped in permafrost or tied up in biotic systems, like marine plankton.

As the world warms, more warming agents are released, creating an ever-increasing positive feedback loop.  The end of that road is the collapse of most food webs and most life.  The people that depend on that life, which is everyone, then die off themselves.

The gravity problems may be due to Titan's particular brand of technology.  Those big jack-shaped things in the sky seem to stay aloft due to some manipulation of gravity.  That may have been part or all of the problem too - overuse of anti-gravity leading to global destruction.


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

[User]
Will we ever get a probe or even better a human to the centre on the Earth?

If so what would we find there? Would loads of pressure be released causing mega eruptions or send the earth flying through the solar system like a burst balloon?

[Assistant]
I work on camera systems that go on vehicles with depths ranging from 100 m to 4 km in the ocean... For 100 m, we get to work with nice easy materials like aluminum (6061 is popular for its corrosion resistance). For 4 km, we need pretty fancy pressure housings made out of a single titanium crystal (something like Ti-6-2-4-6). The pressure at this depth is around 40 MPa, and the temperature is a nice 3 degrees Celsius.

The pressure at the center of the earth is 350 *GPa*, and the temperature is probably 5000 C or more. There are no known or proposed materials which can stand up to these conditions.


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

[User]
[LOTR] Why did Gandalf call the Fellowship of the Ring "fools" in "fly, you fools?"

Did Gandalf believe the Fellowship was not intelligent, at least during that moment?

[Assistant]
They were standing there, staring at one of the very few entities on the planet as powerful as Gandalf himself. Essentially, they were facing down a fallen Archangel.

He was trying to convey that standing there, or trying to help, was dumb. There was nothing they would be able to do to help. Running meant a chance at life, and a chance at saving the world. Staying meant certain death.

He was telling them that running wasn't cowardice, it was *smart*.


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

[User]
Why do professors ignore letter of recommendation requests instead of just declining?

Is it a sign that they simply forgot to reply or missed my email, or is it that they just can't be bothered to reply at all if they aren't interested?

**Edit:** When I make requests in the future, would it be appropriate to tack on "just a simple yes or no answer is fine" at the end of the email, to hint that I would appreciate even a very curt refusal rather than silence?

[Assistant]
No, tacking that on would be passive aggressive.

And it's often because the email was lost in the neverending flood of other things, or because it's easier to ignore than deal with the response to a no.

Send a single, polite followup or ask them during office hours. If no response then, head elsewhere.


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

[User]
We have microwaves to quickly heat up food or drinks - why don't we have a device to quickly cool something down in a similar manner?

I've always wondered why I can stick a cup of water in a microwave and heat it almost instantly, but the best I can do to cool it is stick it in the freezer for a while and wait for it to cool down. Why isn't there a device to do this more quickly?

[Assistant] There is a kitchen instrument called the blast chiller that will cool down foods very quickly. Creating cold takes much more energy than to create warmth as well, limiting the general appeal of such a product that would not be used much.


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

[User]
[ATLA] Have there been Avatars in the past who have been under the control of groups like the red lotus ?

I was rewatching ATLA and LOK it made me wonder if there were avatars who were kidnapped or coerced into fighting four them. Would something like this even be possible? Love to hear your thoughts.

[Assistant]
Probably not, as the avatar state makes it extremely difficult to hold one, and each avatar is probably less powerful than the world around them due to advancing technology. The ability to throw fire is a lot more impressive compared to a wooden spear then it is compared to a giant laser mech.

Plus, an avatar would possibly kill themselves if they were captured in order reincarnate.

Also, literally the entire world would probably be against you if you did capture the avatar.


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

[User] [SW ROTJ] If Jabba liked Captain Solo where he was why did he allow him to be defrosted and mess up his whole display piece set up?

[Assistant]
If Jabba is anything, he is a self indulgent, hedonistic, sadistic bastard. Sure he would have been very happy having Han frozen in Carbonite for all eternity, but the moment he figured out that something was up and that Bounty Hunter with the therman detonator isn't who they claim to be, he wanted to see how things turned out and how he could cause them suffering for his enjoyment.

Frankly his plan of executing Han in the Sarlacc pit and having him know that Leia was now his slave, would have been immensely enjoyable to Jabba.


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

[User]
[Dc comics] How come people think Batman is a legend but then he appears publically when the JLA give conferences?

In many iterations, people talk about a "bat" man that does not exist at all. But in other issues we have the same man appearing next to the big 7.

In JLI run, Batman publically stops a terrorist. But then? They want to interview him. Years later, the bat is still considered an urban legend and he even scared off reporters who attempted to get a picture of him.

Also, isn't Batman in danger if his chin is so exposed?

[Assistant]
> In many iterations, people talk about a "bat" man that does not exist at all. But in other issues we have the same man appearing next to the big 7.

I guess perhaps there's a disconnect between the two. On the one hand, you've got a guy who drives a space ship, lives on a space station, has a laser pointed at Earth, and helps respond to intergalactic threats and occasionally major terrorist atatcks. He happens to be called Batman.

On the other hand, you've got this... thing... vague bat-shaped, hunting criminals in the dark, leaving them strung up for cops in dark alleyways in Gotham. Some people say it's Batman from the Justice League, others say its a ninja, others say its not human at all. Who's to know?


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

[User]
[Pulp fiction] Was Jules able to leave Marcellus Wallace's organization safely?

Was Jules able to leave Marcellus Wallace's organization safely? True, in the chronologically later episodes we no longer see him, but it could also be because he was killed.

Usually criminal organizations do not take the resignation of an affiliate well.

[Assistant]
When Jules told Vincent he was quitting the life, Vincent didn't seem too concerned for his safety, just for him ending up a bum. Marcellus also appears to be the kind of person that if you do right by him, he'll do right by you. He even let Butch go when he saved his life. Jules is also very obviously not a wildcard and you wouldn't worry about him doing something rash and causing problems, so Marcellus can most definitely trust that Jules won't go out into the world and run his mouth or send problems back to the organization.

Pretty sure with the briefcase delivered, Marcellus would shake his hand and wish him well on his journey.


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

[User] How come metal sparks in the microwave yet the insides of microwaves are made out of metal?

[Assistant] Roughly: the microwaves induce an electrical potential in the object metal, this causes sparks as differences in the potential across the object metal causes arcs of electricity (especially with water vapour that may come from the cooking food). The side walls of the microwave are earthed, so any potential induced by the microwaves won't build any charge.


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

[User]
What actually is Critical Theory?

It seems like its become a buzzword recently but I very often hear conflicting politicised definitions. Upon doing a quick google of the term I cant say I found a consistent or understandable (at least for me) definition.

It often seems to be used in the same breath as other buzzword like identity politics or neo-segregation but I still have no clue as to how much they relate.

The general gist from what Ive gathered is that it seeks to criticise society based on underlying social systems and structures as a conflict between oppressed and oppressor.
But I feel Im completely wrong on this definition and am not sure how to remedy my misunderstanding. Not to mention the added confusion caused by certain prefixes such as postmodern critical theory.

What actually is it?

[Assistant] Nope I'd say that's pretty good as an initial definition. But some context might help. In the first instance 'critical theory' was a school of thought that emerged in Germany in the 1930s in response to dissatisfaction with orthodox Marxism. Max Horkheimer and Theodore Adorno were early important figures here in the so-called 'Frankfurt School'. The argument was that orthodox Marxism had paid too narrow attention to economic issues and neglected culture (Antonio Gramsci in Italy took a rather similar view). This was why it had struggled to explain things like the willingness of the working class to divide up along national lines and fight for their countries in WW1 rather than show the kind of international solidarity that Marxism thought class consciousness would make clear to them was in their real interests. Another problem was the failure of the revolution to occur in the West, but had happened instead in Russia which was relatively economically underdeveloped and thus not ripe for the overthrow of capitalism (it hadn't even gone capitalist yet). So in many ways, critical theory began as a neo-Marxist critique of culture; Horkheimer and Adorno argued that oppression was deeply rooted in Western thought in Dialectic of Enlightenment, for example. Later figures like Jurgen Habermas from the 1960s onwards have added the problems of language to those of culture and have also moved in a more social democratic and less revolutionary direction while still retaining the desire to, as you put it, ' criticise society based on underlying social systems and structures '. There's a good but rather dense history by Martin Jay of the Frankfurt School. So see also Raymond Geuss, The Idea of a Critical Theory, for a short sympathetic introduction. Of course, critical theory, since it is broadly on the radical left, also has plenty of critics!  But insofar as it is a critique of capitalism it can also sometimes line up, oddly enough, with certain varieties of conservative thought that dislike the rationalist reduction of society to market relations. See Michael Oakeshott as a case in point here.


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

[User] ELI5: If freezing generally damages tissue, how are we able to freeze human eggs and embryos for birth later?

[Assistant]
An egg is literally a single cell that can instantly freeze. This limits the damage that ice crystal formation does.
Tissues are vastly more complex and therefore vastly more susceptible to damage with way more points of failure.


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

[User]
Is there actually a solution to the twin paradox?

All the ones I've come across assume that the twin on the rocket is the one changing velocity, (accelerating) which breaks the symmetry, causing him to come back younger. The whole point of relativity is that there are no preferred frames of motion. (each twin would have the same right to claim that it's the other one who is accelerating) In general relativity it's not only the apple that falls to the earth, but the earth that falls to the apple. Both points of view are equally valid. To have it simplified, substitute the twins with two objects in empty space that break apart and come back together again. There is nothing else in that universe for these objects to move relative to so what's to decide if one object's acceleration was any more real than the other?

[Assistant]
It is not really a paradox. It just appears to be one, but on a closer look there is nothing paradoxical about it. It just doesn't follow our everyday intuition formed at low relative velocities.

> In general relativity it's not only the apple that falls to the earth, but the earth that falls to the apple. Both points of view are equally valid.

They are different. One is an inertial frame (following the apple), one is not (following Earth).

Acceleration is absolute. Everyone agrees who accelerates relative to an inertial frame and who does not.


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

[User]
[Power Rangers] Why do Rita, Zedd, Divatox, et al only create one monster at a time? Surely they'd have better luck if they made an army?

Also, imagine if the monsters were teamed up so that they had synergy with each other.

[Assistant] The bad guys only have so much ninjitsu they can shove into their monsters at any one time. If they made two monsters, then each of those monsters would only be half as effective as a single monster. Spread out that ninjitsu too thin and you've basically turned your monsters into fancy-looking mooks.


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

[User]
[Warhammer 40K] How fast is warp travel?

Ideally, I would like to know how long it would take for a vessel with a good warp drive to cross the galaxy.

[Assistant] It seems random, honestly.  The ships have to ride the waves of psychic energy like a ship in a storm.  Some voyages cross the galaxy in weeks (such as when Chaos had the aid of the Gods) and some ships become permanently stranded (again, if the Gods see fit, like when Nurgle struck down the Death Guard).  Best case scenario, weeks.  Average circumstances, several years.


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

[User] ELI5: What does it mean when a scientist says per second per second?

[Assistant]
It means that the rate of change itself changes.

"meters per second" is speed - the rate of change of an object's position. "meters per second per second" (m/s^(2))  means the rate of change of the object's speed, i.e. acceleration.

If a car is accelerating at 10 meters per second per second then it means that every second, its speed gets 10 m/s faster.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why does a deep scrape on elbows/knees/shins stay white for a period of time before bleeding?

Say when you dive into a pool and scrape your knee on the bottom, why does it stay white without much blood for around 30 seconds before properly bleeding?

[Assistant] This is because initially after an injury, blood vessels contract in order to minimise blood loss. They increase again in diameter later to facilitate healing and the movement of specialised cells and materials towards the site of injury. You can see this contraction and subsequent dilation of blood vessels anywhere; try scratching your arm with your nail (don't cut yourself!) and you'll see that your skin will become pale initially, then redden.


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

[User]
If a knife cuts your finger, what is stimulating your pain receptors once the knife is gone (after the cut has been made)?

Obviously, a cut still hurts long after your skin is first broken, and I am wondering why this is.  Are nociceptors just programmed to keep firing for a specified time after receiving a strong stimulus?

[Assistant]
Cell damage is one of the big ones.

When a cell pops open, it releases stuff (e.g., endothelin, bradykinins) that shouldn't be outside of the cell. This stuff hangs around and causes pain.

Another factor is the arachidonic acid pathways. In response to damage, cells will start to convert membrane lipids into things eicosanoids. These are a class of molecules that do a lot of things to regulate the injury response. One of these things is cause pain (they also help stop blood loss and recruit inflammatory cells to the area). The "function" of the pain is to let you know you are injured and keep you from messing with it (and thereby worsening the injury).

As an aside, it's these pathways that are partially blocked by NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen.


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

[User]
[Escape from New York/LA] What event specifically caused Snake Plissken to go from war veteran to hardened criminal-turned anti-hero?

There were many ideas presented like distrust of the government after the Leningrad Ruse or his parents dying at the hands of the US police force, but what really broke him into the badass in the movies?

Also, being a veteran, could he have been eligible for government programs to help him get legit jobs, or did that collapse when the crime rates shot up?

[Assistant]
Snake lives in a world without good guys. In his universe, crime rates continued to skyrockets in the 1980s and 90s rather than decline. This prompted ever more authoritarian politicians getting elected with "tough on crime" platforms, legitimizing an aggressive, militarized police force.

This also led to an increasingly hardline foreign policy; the new Congress and President didn't have much room for nuance, since they were elected solely to beat bad guys. With no room for nuance in their views, they saw everyone as bad guys. They were excessively confrontational with the Soviet Union, to the point that they they were willing to create false flag attacks to justify war with the Soviets.

Snake was recruited for missions like this. In the wake of WWIII and his work, he lost all faith in the US government. Unfortunately, there's no non-corrupt alternative. The state governments have been subordinated entirely to the federal, and local police are corrupt and militarized.

Snake is still an American soldier, but there's no America left for him to serve.

By the time of his service, there were no programs left to help veterans. Empowering veterans wasn't in the federal government's interest. It's much easier to discard them. That leaves them only the choices of homelessness, recruitment into the military police, or joining private military contractors. These all suit the government; they don't want highly trained private citizens operating outside the influence of the state.


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

[User]
How do European drug manufacturers make a profit?

I was reading up on US drug manufacturers with U&C pricing, PBMs, insurance, patents, and the like, and even though all that what I couldn't wrap my head around was how EU drug manufacturers make profit with, and I could be wrong on this fact, their government setting a cap on drug prices.

Wouldn't a market cap disincentivize R&D? Or at least limit it?

Or can EU manufacturers simply copy what US R&D produces and use the formula and create a new patent in the EU?

I have no idea how patents work over international  borders and I could be very underinformed about the process so feel free to correct me on any and all points made!

[Assistant] Drug companies patent things everywhere and sell globally. US is the biggest market so thats where drug companies make the most money regardless of nationality. There are different patent rules around the world so they have different monopoly timings, but as said Drug companies sell on every market regardless of where the company has its headquarters, therefore the nationality of a drug company does not really matter.


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

[User] [Dc/Marvel] What are some purely offensive uses of teleportation powers or other uses of a teleportation power that's never explored or that they could theoretically do with their powers?

[Assistant]
Nightcrawler's teleportation puts a lot of pressure on you. He's been known to grab someone and port with them multiple times to knock them out (he himself is used to it).

An alternate version of him once teleported someone's head off, so the regular Nightcrawler could presumably do that if he wasn't a nice guy.