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

[User]
Why are dead roaches always upside down?

Whenever I'm unlucky enough to stumble upon one they're always in that position.

[Assistant]
Not all of them do. If you're killing them with some sort of pesticide or neurotoxin, like Raid, their dying brains will cause spasms in their muscles. Frequently this will flip the roach over onto its back where it will then spasm uncontrollably and helplessly until brain death is reached. Most of the dead roaches you see are probably poisoned, which would explain why you're finding them that way. Roaches rarely meet their maker in a natural way out in the open; if they were to die naturally, they would probably be already too weak to leave the burrow. Too weak and slowly dying, the roaches dying of old age will most likely be on their bellies. But you'd never see them.

To recap: roaches have mini seizures when they're poisoned, flipping them onto their backs. By sampling bias, you probably only see the poisoned ones, and draw the conclusion that dead roaches die on their backs.


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

[User] [Warhammer 40k]My neighbor has committed heresy by creating some fell new technology. He cut prongs into the end of a spoon and is calling it a "spork". Who do I report him to, while avoiding having our entire apartment building burned down and my family executed for proximity to this fell heresy?

[Assistant] The Adeptus Arbites aren't gonna arrest some civvie for cutting notches in a spoon. If you waste their time with something that innocuous, you may find yourself suspected of intentionally drawing officer resources away from actual problems.


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

[User]
ELI5:The whole Cliven Bundy Ranch situation in Nevada.

I'm sorry. I've tried numerous websites and blogs. Since there is no such thing as honest media, I find several different (and confusing) explanations of what's going on there.

[Assistant]
OK, so, the Bureau of Land Management is a government agency that owns a lot of land out in the west. In Nevada especially, where the BLM literally owns most of the land in the state.

Ranchers use BLM land to graze cattle. It's a good deal: the ranchers don't have to purchase lots of land, and the government gets grazing fees from the ranchers.

There's a rancher out in Nevada who grazed on BLM land. There was some dispute 20 years ago, regarding the habitat of an endangered tortoise that lived where he was grazing. Back about 15 years ago, the BLM revoked his grazing permit. But, he continues to graze his cattle on BLM land without a permit. Eventually, the government got fed up with it, went to court, and got an order to impound the cattle that had been illegally grazing on federal property.

The rancher has made claims that this is really his land, his birthright, from before the BLM owned the land (so, before the 1870s). He doesn't seem to have any legal claim that a court will recognize.

He has a lot of support, mostly from other ranchers who don't like the idea that a tortoise habitat can take precedence over their livelihoods. So, there's protests and the like, but the basic issue is this: he's already had his day in court, he's already lost, and he doesn't like the result.


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

[User] [Star Wars - The Phantom Menace] Are Queen Amidalas (and her decoys) extensive and apparently daily-changing hairdos on the Naboo taxpayers dollar?

[Assistant]
Yes, but that is fairly routine on our world. A varied and opulent wardrobe, complete with intricate hairpieces and ornate facial decoration, is expected of our sovereign. It's a bit of a holdover from the dynastic royalty of the past, who eventually ruled less and played pretty dress-up more. In time, they were replaced with an elected administrator, but the people still demanded the same sort of flair they had come to associate with the position.

It's a tradition, much like Ithorians' pacifism or the Jedi's choice of robes.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does flipping the batteries around in a remote (TV, console, etc) occasionally give you more power?

[Assistant]
> Why does flipping the batteries around in a remote (TV, console, etc) occasionally give you more power?

The biggest cause of battery "failure" in remotes is dirt and corrosion between the batteries and the contacts or between one battery and the other.

When you swap the battery positions, spin them, take them out and tap them on the table, or whatever, you are dislodging the dirt/dust/corrosion that is interfering with the power flow.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is different about female disposable razors other than color and packaging.

I buy the ladies ones as a dude and they work great on my face.

[Assistant]
The blades themselves are usually the same (some of the razor companies go to great lengths to point this out) however the actual design of the razor differs.

The big one is that the angle that the head is attached to the stick is different. This is because a men's razor is designed to keep your hand below the cutting head (so it doesn't get between you and your mirror as much) but a women's razor is designed to keep her hand away from her leg so it doesn't end up in the woman's line of sight.

In addition the 'head' of the razor is usually designed differently. Women's razors usually have features to help stand up fine hairs and make it harder to cut yourself when shaving large areas quickly, all of which make the head of the razor larger. Mens razors on the other hand favor smaller heads for increased accuracy when shaving.

TLDR; Womans razors are designed to be used when looking down a leg, mens razors are designed to be used when looking in a mirror.


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

[User] If a proton was fired into a neutron star, what would happen? And why would it not just be the largest hydrogen atom in the universe?

[Assistant] Neutron stars are not in some kind of absolutely perfect equilibrium between protons and electrons, so the effect would just to be adding a very small mass with a  very small charge. "Pissing into the ocean" springs to mind.


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

[User]
When humans began spreading out over the planet, where were the continents?

Was everything in present day or Pangea orientation or something in between? I just realized that I was taught about Pangea in Geology and human migration in Social Studies and never the two have met.

[Assistant] Pangea broke up 200 million years ago. Human dispersion is thought to have occurred approximately 100,000 years ago. Pange had 199,900,000 years to drift apart. When humans migrated out of Africa, Europe and N. America were 2.0 kilometers closer than they are now. That's it. You'd be hard pressed to notice this difference in two different maps.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why did humans, and other species, evolve to have both male and female species? Wouldn't it be more efficient if everything could reproduce asexually?

There's probably a simple answer to this, but in reality it would be more efficient for every species to just reproduce asexually.

[Assistant] Sexual reproduction allows for more genetic diversity by requiring two very different organisms to combine unique sets of genes, some of which are sex-specific, to create an organism that is genetically half of each parent.


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

[User]
CMV The 2nd Amendment is necessary to the safety of all citizens

My view is that the 2nd Amendment is not just defence against a tyrannical government, but defence from people who want to harm you or your family. I've had multiple family friends have break ins and they all say that their gun was the only thing that stopped the robber.

"But what about Britain? Their gun violence went down!"

And knife violence SKYROCKETED shortly after their ban. As well as daytime crime, and "hot burglaries" (Burglary when the home owner is home). As well as the recent acid attacks and grooming gangs that terrorize the country.

"Cant have a bad guy with a gun if they're outlawed!"

Reducing supply without reducing demand causes a spike in sales from alternate sources, e.g Cartels. You'll be taking guns away from properly trained people who have genuine reason to arm themselves.

"A ban on guns is a ban on gang violence!"

Again. Supply and demand. That is, assuming they didnt already acquire their firearms illegally. Studies show that only 3%-10% of all murders are committed with a legally owned gun, and a large percent of uses of a firearm are to STOP an ongoing crime (No exact % due to wildly fluctuating estimations between Bureaus)

[Assistant]
>And knife violence SKYROCKETED shortly after their ban. As well as daytime crime, and "hot burglaries" (Burglary when the home owner is home). As well as the recent acid attacks and grooming gangs that terrorize the country.

While these are true, aren't their overall crime rates comparable or much lower than ours, in general? And looking beyond just Britain, for the most part every other major developed country has gun bans, and some of them *definitely* have lower crime than we do.

>As well as the recent acid attacks and grooming gangs that terrorize the country.

It seems very unlikely that banning guns is going to cause a strong spike in crime 20 years later. Why the lag?

>Again. Supply and demand.

Why don't countries that have gun bans see this already?

As you said yourself- gun violence in Britain *went down*. If it were the simple supply/demand picture you're painting, why did it have such a strong effect there?

edit:

From your link in the comment:

"The policing minister, Nick Hurd, said that crime, as measured by the crime survey, was down by a third since 2010 and by 69% since its 1995 peak."

(as another commentor mentioned, the UK's ban went into place in 1996. So overall crime is still way down after the ban. (with the caveat that most countries have seen overall trends of declining time over time in the past few decades, with some fluctuations)


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

[User] ELI5: Why does the a/c setting in your car defog the windshield better than normal air?

[Assistant] Because passing air through the evaporator core of the a/c system removes humidity from the air. Dry air defogs much better than moist air. Lots of cars actually activate the a/c as part of the defrost setting automatically.


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

[User]
[Unreal Tournament] Is the tournament held in real life or is it virtual reality?

In the original intro for Unreal Tournament they show 2 dudes in a tiny arena while telling you that you have been selected to fight.

Does the Unreal Tournament actually happen? As in there are actual giant arenas where people fight with their real bodies and people die or do great fighters meet in a virtual arena to fight?

[Assistant] Yes iirc unreal Championship explained that most of the competitors are prisoners with extremely long life sentences that use teleportation and advanced technology to pull competitors out of a fight the instant they die and upload them into an entirely new body. Every death takes a day off their sentence and every victory takes a month with select volunteers that choose to join getting cash prizes for victories instead.  Unreal championship 2 had them taking part in a regional bloodsport where the victor would become ruler of the planet they were on but used corporate sponsors to help bring in money and competitors. Unreal tournament 3 was the military incorporated a smaller scale version of the teleport / cloning technology to utilize it for warfare and had brought in former competitors to act as trainers for the rank and file soldiers that were unfamiliar with how to cope with the technology.


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

[User] [Star Wars] If the Kaminoans had a cloning system, why the jedi didn't made a army of Yodas? Or why Sididous didn't made a army of Mauls to kill the jedi easier?

[Assistant]
Because attempting to create Force-Sensitive clones does not work. The Force won't allow it, so if you attempt to create a clone with a high Midichlorian count, the clone will either be powerless or die.

There have been clones believed to be force-sensitive, but this is often described as an accident or the will of the Force.

Edit: Also, while the clones have an advanced aging process to make them battle ready, that's not possible for Yoda's species since their normal gestation period is absurdly long. The Child from *The Mandalorian* is fifty years old.


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

[User]
ELI5: Raspberry Pi

Emphasis on the "like I'm five" part. My knowledge of computers is basic.

[Assistant]
It's all the necessary parts of a computer, but small enough to fit in a pocket, and not as powerful as a normal-sized computer. It has USB ports for a keyboard and mouse, and plugs for the TV or computer screen so you can do stuff and see what you're doing. Because it's small and less powerful, it's very cheap to make, making it easier for poorer schools to afford.

Because its main goal is helping teach programming, there aren't things like games, or a calculator on it. Instead, if you want to do something like that, you need to show the RP how to do it for you. The logic behind this is that when you grow up you'll have a much better understanding of how computers do things for you, and will be able to tell them what to do much more easily, which will in turn make life much easier for you.


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

[User]
[Batman] Can Gotham City be saved?

Batman has been fighting crime in Gotham many years. He's saved it from vampires, mobsters, giant monsters, cults, supervillains, an earthquake and more. But at the end of the day, Gotham remains Gotham.

Is Batman, a man who has gone toe-to-toe with a dark god and lived, really capable of saving Gotham in the long term, or will Gotham always be a cesspool of corruption and supernatural crime?

[Assistant] The problem is crime in general. Gotham is notorious for crime even before super villains, so even if Batman gets rid of them and organized crime, its impossible to say. He still has to undo decades of poverty and violence.


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

[User]
ELI5: The difference between 3NF, 2NF, and 1NF

The way I understand it, is that 1NF is a table where columns have unique records, but the table isn't dependent on other tables, while 2NF introduces a dependent table and keys, and 3NF introduces a dependent table upon the 1st dependent table.  Is that basically what it is?  Or is there more to it?  Thanks in advance.

[Assistant]
Almost. The core idea with normal forms is that you never repeat information you've already listed in other rows, and that every table has a single key that all other columns depend on in full.

The following mantra usually sums up 1NF, 2NF and 3NF

>For each relation:

>Every non-key attribute

>depends on the key (1st normal form)

>the whole key (2nd normal form)

>and nothing but the key (3rd normal form)

>so help me Codd.

in 1NF tables every column must only store a single value (so no nested lists or sets) and depend on the primary key. In a bookstore you shouldn't cram five values in to the "genre" column: have a separate genre table for that and have some table that can handle describing what books are what genre.

in 2NF tables every non-key column must also depend on the entire primary key: if the price of the book depends on both what book it is and if it's hardcover or paperback you'll end up listing the same book multiple times: author and all. You already know the author wrote that book, you don't need to state that again and again for every format the book appears in, and so you should pull out the format and data that depend on the format (like the price or page count) and have them link back to the book table.

in 3NF you also should make sure that non-key attributes don't also depend on other non-keys. For instance let's imagine that you have a book table, and that book table lists the author, and that author is of a certain nationality.

Now, the author depends on the title: after all the same author can write multiple books and that will depend on which book that happens to be. However the author's nationality will never change. 3NF states that albeit "author nationality" technically is 2NF it is repeating information, we know that whenever this author shows up this nationality also shows up. 3NF would thus pull that pair in to an "author" table that lists the author name and nationality, and then in the "book" table you can just list the author and skip the nationality.


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

[User]
[Marvel] While both of them are single, why haven't Peter Parker (616) and Spider-Gwen hooked up?

It wouldn't be the same -- that, I can understand. Just because they have dated their counterparts, doesn't mean that they are compatible with each other. Still, why not give it a go?

As long as it isn't dating for the sake of replacing their deceased counterparts, it should be alright. Plus, they can defend themselves, if the situation requires so.

[Assistant]
In addition to the age difference, remember that these two people have grieved for the loss of their loved ones. Years have passed and they've come to terms with the acceptance of death. This is why Peter avoided Gwen a lot during the Spider-Verse event: He didn't want those emotions resurfacing and undoing what he healed from.

Emotionally, it would fuck with two people that probably shouldn't be emotionally fucked with.


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

[User] ELI5: We went from 2g to 3g to 4g LTE relatively quickly. What is 5g and why have consumers not seen it yet? What's taking so long?

[Assistant]
We didn't switch that quickly in the past. 3G networks started rolling out in 2002 and 4G networks started rolling out in 2010. It may have seemed faster because there were "3.5g" bumps in the middle, like the rollout of HSPA+.

In the last year or so, a number of telecoms have started rolling out LTE-Advanced (a "4.5G" technology, or the first one to technically be 4G if you're using the ITU's definition of 4G).

5G is still a work in progress. Electronics companies are currently testing some possibilities for the technology, but the industry hasn't settled on a standard for it yet.


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

[User]
ELI5 : pig vs cows...why is pork more sustainable for Earth than beef?

Hi all, the production of beef is often known to be bad for the environment.

Grabbed off the first Google link is an explanation :
"pork has a lower environmental impact than beef. Of note, pork producers can expect to use at least 75% less water than beef producers."

I wondering - does this have to do with the efficiency of protein metabolism/growth for animals? Eg, feed a cow 10k calories, it grows 5kg, while a piggy grows 15kg.

My assumption is that 10k calories results in the same CO2 and methane when broken down by the animals.

Is my assumption incorrect? Please ELI5!

[Assistant]
Beef produces five times more heat-trapping gases per calorie than pigs. It also produces more water-polluting nitrogen and takes more water and land than pigs. Beef is not just the most polluting protein, it's one of the most polluting industries there is.

It definitely has to do with how much water and food the animals need (and the resources needed to produce their food) and also how long it takes for them to attain their maximum weight. Cows are bigger and take longer to put on weight for meat, they eat more food over their lifetimes than other animals raised for protein.

To produce a kg of beef you need more less 15000L of water, for pigs "only" 6000L. Check out waterfootprint.org to compare how much water is used to make a variety of products.


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

[User]
[Wheel of Time] How does everyone speak the same language?

This huge continent of pre-industrial feudal kingdoms have all had the same language for a thousand years? How is that even possible?

[Assistant]
It's a remnant of the age of legends.  Before the breaking of the world everyone spoke a single language, now known as the old tongue.

The breaking was horrible and people were separated from each other for an extended period but not long enough for a new language to start.  Once people started getting established after the breaking they reconnected and any linguistic differences that did arise were worn down by travel and trade.

Maybe the Land of Madmen has a new language or languages. They were the hardest hit by the breaking and are still affected today. But Shara and Seanchan were stable enough to retain some of the culture and language during the breaking until they could reestablish themselves.

The new tongue which people speak now is different from the old tongue.  But the Forsaken have no trouble learning it, seeing it as simpler and derivative.


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

[User] How do cities without bodies of water/rivers nearby deal with sewage? Examples: Johannesburg, South Africa or Lodz, Poland.

[Assistant] Smaller cities in the desert can run sewage through an activated sludge plant. The raw sewage runs through huge, open air chambers similar to oversized swimming pools.  Multiple chambers run in series combine to form an entire plant. As the sewage runs through each chamber, air is blown through diffusers in the bottom of each chamber. This introduces oxygen into the raw sewage, known as sludge. The oxygen promotes bacterial growth. Each chamber's oxygen level increases as the sludge flows through it. These bacteria eat the raw sewage, and with enough treatment, you are essentially left with trillions of dead microbes. After digestion, the solids (dead microbes) are separated from the water in very still settling tanks. The clear water remaining is sterilized using chemicals or lights with specific wavelengths. It is then pumped into rapid infiltration beds, big holes in the ground. The water seeps into the ground, which essentially filters out any remaining biological contamination. If the waste is properly treated, there are almost none anyway. This water works it's way downward into the water table. The remaining solids are either landfilled or composted.


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

[User]
[Matrix] If Bane aka Agent Smith can copy his digital 'self' into a real person from Zion. Does this mean the other Machines living in the Matrix can to?

Could the Architect, Merovingian, Oracle, or any of the machines theoretically do that if they wanted to?

[Assistant]
[Extended Canon - The Matrix Online]

The intent of the Oligarchs was to make this possible. The Oligarchs were rogue programs who were essentially "code ghosts" of humans from the original Matrix. Humans whose bodies died but they propagated themselves as code. They wanted to escape the Matrix and return to physical human bodies, which is why they started the Biological Interface Program, developing humans that could engage with the Matrix without a hardwire connection. The Oligarchs could go in and out of the Matrix at will, but leaving the Matrix required robot bodies; it was the choice of a digital body in the real world, or a human body in the digital world. So they manipulated things behind the scenes to get the Biological Interface Program going so humans would eventually be vessels for them to enter into, outside the Matrix.

Most other Machines didn't have the code access to make such a thing possible. The three you mentioned- Architect, Merovingian, and Oracle- probably would be able to if they put their minds to it, but they had no desire to leave the Matrix.


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

[User] ELI5: Why did the Dreamcast fail?

[Assistant]
The Dreamcast's performance was underwhelming. The main reason: it launched in the West only six months before the PlayStation 2. When the Dreamcast launch, marketing for and buzz around the PS2 was massive. The PS2 would have far better graphics than the Dreamcast, and had a range of extremely high-profile desirable titles in the works -- Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Silent Hill, Crash Bandicoot, FIFA, NFL. The marketing centred on the technological power of it, with tons of tech demos, and Sony pursued a more adult image -- they ran a bunch of disturbing surrealist commercials and emphasised games like Metal Gear and Silent Hill that appealed to teens and young adults a lot more than the relatively childish image Sega was promoting (based almost entirely around Sonic the Hedgehog). Even the machine was a sleek black thing with jagged edges, next to the beige plasticky-looking Dreamcast.

What was more, everyone was pumped about the PS2 being built around DVD technology. This was 1999, DVDs were pretty new and the players were expensive, but everyone knew it was the next big thing. The PS2 launched as one of the more affordable DVD players on the market, *and* it doubled as the most advanced console ever released, with a bunch of the most desirable franchises. (Sony sold the consoles at a loss; they planned to make money from people buying games, and also had a strong interest in promoting the DVD format, which would be profitable for the film arm of the company.) Games on DVDs seemed truly next-gen -- a DVD could hold as much as *twelve* CDs! -- so the fact that the Dreamcast had CDs or 1 GB discs compared to the PS2's DVDs/8.5 GB discs really made it seem old hat.

In the West, the Dreamcast was just destroyed by the hype for the PS2.

Plus there's the background: the 32x, Sega CD, and Sega Saturn had all been huge failures. Sega hadn't launched a successful console in 11 years, which meant that a lot of people had almost forgotten about them, and had switched to the PlayStation. Sega's key franchise, Sonic, hadn't had a hit in 6 years, and in that 6 years a ton of new franchises had appeared (Metal Gear, Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot, Pokemon), so that many had stopped caring. So Sega wasn't in a great position anyway. Remember that Sonic targeted the under-15s, to whom 6 years might as well be eternity.

The Dreamcast launched much earlier in Japan, and it did better in Japan than it did elsewhere, but it still struggled; it launched without anything of interest and many perceived that it took way too long for the interesting titles to come out. It was competing there with the N64 and PS1; although the Dreamcast was technically much superior, it really struggled because those two consoles were at the time releasing a barrage of entries from super-popular franchises to rave reviews -- while the Dreamcast launch was being marketed, people saw its rivals release *Ocarina of Time*, *Tomb Raider 2*, *Crash Bandicoot 3*, *Resident Evil*, *Metal Gear Solid*, *Gran Turismo*, *Starcraft*, *Xenogears*, *F-Zero X*, *Resident Evil 2*, *Final Fantasy 7*, *Pokemon Silver*, *Mario Kart 64*, *GoldenEye*, *Symphony of the Night*, all of which are commonly ranked among the best or most successful games of all time. The Dreamcast launched with four games, only one of which got positive reviews. By the time its lineup was fleshed out, people were hyped for the PS2.

After all of this, Sega could still have stayed in business, could have released another console. But a large part of the management were tired of the hardware business, and had wanted Sega to become a software developer for Nintendo/Sony for a long time. There was a debate between the pro-hardware and anti-hardware factions in management as far back as '94. The spectacular failure of the Dreamcast in the West didn't drive Sega into despair, it just gave the anti-hardware faction the justification it needed to reorganise the company. Their pitch was along the lines of "We failed with the 32x, failed with the SegaCD, failed with the Saturn, and failed with the Dreamcast. We COULD gamble on yet another system for launch in 2005, trying to recapture what we last did in 1989, and just endure the next 5 years... or we could start writing software for the 30 million PS2s out there *today* and guarantee steady profits", and few could argue.

# bulletpoints:
- By the time the Dreamcast launched outside Japan, the PS2 was almost ready. The PS2 was much stronger graphically, used much larger discs, and doubled as a cheap DVD player when DVD was just becoming big, which made everyone want it.
- Sony marketed with a much cooler and more adult image and made Sega look juvenile in comparison. They captured the teen and adult markets almost completely (and Nintendo would go on to capture the under-16 market).
- Sony had all the cool new franchises like Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Metal Gear, Crash Bandicoot, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, Tomb Raider, etc on the way. Sega only had Sonic.
- In Japan, the Dreamcast had an anemic lineup, which only became impressive by the time the PS2 was launching with an even better one.


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

[User]
ELI5, Julian Assange has just been granted asylum by the Ecuadorean government. What does this even mean?

 Will he just be held in Ecuador for now? Until what happens? I believe this is in regards to declaring that he would not face a fair trial if he were to be extradited to the US. But I'm not positive. And the UK threatening to storm the embassy in Ecuador to retrieve Assange, what would this do to the two countries?

[Assistant] Pretend you are a boy named Julian Assange in a middle school class. A teacher is being bought off by students to give them better grades. You expose the teacher and the students for the corruption, to the whole school. Drama ensues and now none of the people involved can be trusted, all because of you. Now, one of the kids buying off the teacher, a huge, muscular boy named Sam Uncles wants to beat you up for tattling on him. You are really scared, but luckily your friend Equa Dorian offers to let you hide in his house. He tells the whole school he beat you up, when in actuality, you  chilled together and played Halo. Sam Uncles is satisfied because he felt like you were beat up and you are not truly beat up.


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

[User] [Looper] What happens if you shoot a blunderbuss at a target more than 15 yards away?

[Assistant] I have to agree with Omni about the effects, and also elaborate: a blunderbuss does not represent any sort of new and exciting firearms technology. It is just a shotgun with a large capacity tube magazine that fires caseless ammunition. It is designed and manufactured by criminals to be used by criminals who are often untrained, unintelligent, high, or hungover. Thus it has a choke that creates a very wide spread of pellets, so that you basically just have to point and click.


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

[User]
[Batman] Why didn't Dick Grayson's robin costume have pants and why is it so colorful?

It seems leg protection would be a big necessity for crime fighting, maybe not like heavy armor, but at least some form of tough leather to not sacrifice mobility.

Also the color of his suit would easily stick out giving him away. wouldn't all black or gray be much better?

[Assistant] It's been said that Batman wears dark clothing and hides in the shadows because Batman doesn't like getting shot, and Robin wears bright colors and leaps around in plain view because Batman doesn't like getting shot.


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

[User]
[Marvel] Does Wolverine need to eat food or drink water?

Does wolverine actually need nutrition or will his body just always maintain a healthy equilibrium? For some reason Im trying to rationalize that a near omega level healing factor means you wouldnt need nutrition because your body is always at its peak health.

[Assistant] Technically he doesn't need food or water since he can regenerate from what is essentially a skeleton, but that doesn't mean he can't get hungry or delirious from hunger or thirst. He just won't die from it, is all.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do most Americans seem to be suspicious of the federal government?

[Assistant]
It's part of our culture.  Our nation was founded by people with a fear and resentment of governments and kings. We were once a brave and rebellious assortment of people.

Also our government always gives us good reason not to trust. Sneaky bunch of motherfuckers.


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

[User]
CMV: The Hunger Games shouldn't be praised for its depth or world-building.

As far as The Hunger Games trilogy goes, it explores different themes through the eyes of Katniss Everdeen, who eventually becomes a revolutionary icon against the Capitol's government. Not only does the Capitol live far above the living standards of the districts it directly controls, but it also proves to them they can do nothing against them by celebrating a gladiatorial contest where different districts pit their children against each other.

Here are my concerns about:

**The world-building of The Hunger Games**:

* It is ridiculous on all levels to divide a country in regions whose only function is to uniquely produce one good or set of goods. If we are to understand Panem is mostly the former United States, there is great resource disparity across the territory it controls. Not diversifying production with such opportunities is complete lunacy, especially considering Panem seems to have the technology to exploit them beyond belief, both through technically and humanly. Panem is simply inefficient beyond belief.

* While it is explained the outer districts can do nothing against the Capitol and are in fact unhappy about its policies, this doesn't justify complaciency at all. The level of civilian unrest caused by this would mean mass migrations (even in the form of escape attempts), small to moderately sized rebel guerrilla groups and this would all happen long before a 16 year old can become an icon for such activities. Not only that, but the Capitol essentially *begs* for massive  dissidence and unstability through Quarter Quells and such. By repressing such tension through brute force, the Capitol is in a vicious cycle of escalation that will mean its demise altogether. This is precisely why upon the first signs of revolution, even *District 1* went rogue. It makes no sense that an advanced, all-powerful government would be as nave as to limit its prevalence and influence in such an unnecessary fashion.

* The fact there is only one police institution, that being the Peacekeepers, is absolute lunacy for modern statecraft. As a state becomes more complex, it must diversify its institutional arsenal to tackle the challenges it will face. Not only this, but they're also charged with internal affairs, intelligence and even with being the army itself. Creating such a massive body means creating a bloated institution that will require much more administrative efficiency and resources than those that would be consumed by further diversifying government agencies, committees and instutitions alike. It is simply ineffective to concentrate it all in one sole building.

**And from here my concerns with THG's depth**:

* The Hunger Games is utterly vapid should it be asked to talk about politics. True authoritarianism is built upon societies that are carefully sculpted by totalitarian rule to the point its methods are masked for the sake of having the state prevail. On the other hand, Panem does the complete opposite: it *gloats* with its brutal display of military police and deliberately reminds everybody how much a horrible governing state it is. As such, Panem is simply no valid source from which to draw political conclusions, as it is completely detached and unaware of how authoritarianism is truly applied. It draws closer, in fact, to a more disingenuous, childish perception of it, where big bad government does big bad stuff. THG has no delicacy, no elegance in creating a compelling dictatorship, and as such it doesn't deserve the slightest bit of analysis in that respect.

* "Panem and circenses", "bread and circus games". Collins thought the coverage of war events is disturbingly similar to the coverage of reality in that it becomes perverted by an odd shade of sensationalism. Panem would be a more or less decent satire (which would somewhat justify our previous point), but its attempts at taking itself seriously make it hard to believe the whole display of the story is ironic. It  could've at least argued totalitarianism can rely on steady entertainment to keep the masses under control, but even the story itself would betray this point in showing popular unrest as it does.

* Its portrayal of war is, too, nave. Its image of PTSD is incomplete and shallow, as it doesn't present the utter mental devastation war has through, for instance, shellshock. THG doesn't aim to start a discourse on the traumatic effects of war, but rather seeks to just attribute another defining trait to the characters that participate in it. PTSD in THG is implemented as a device for the characters, not as a pillar to uphold a general philosophy. Likewise, its portrayal of war is, too, shallow. It doesn't develop any deep facets of armed conflict; instead, it simply seems like it doesn't mean to say much more than "war is bad because people die when they're killed". I legitimately haven't felt THG ever even attempted to start a discourse on the essence of war.

The navet, shallowness and painfully negligent world design make this novel exactly what it is: a YA novel. I've seen people go as far as to compare it with 1984 (even proclaiming it to be its successor), which is, needless to say, critically offensive. If we judge it as a YA novel, especially a sci-fi one, the issues I've mentioned can be tolerated easily. However, if we *attempt* to praise THG for depth and world-building, we find these glaring defects do not permit such a picture. **This post is, in fact, a reaction against that sector within the THG community that seeks to extrapolate THG to a greater level of meaning far too heavy for such a work.**

Many fan theories actually manage to make sense of the story and consistently build up a more respectable philosophy for it. While I do recognize some of these do make sense and even manage to paint THG in a different vibe, I doubt any of these were in fact a clear part of the story's ideation itself. We should appreciate THG having at least *some* attempt at mature themes, though anyone seeking such themes should move on to greater works of literatura as soon as possible, and avoid regarding this trilogy as anything on that level.

[Assistant]
Concerning your points on believability-

North Korea exists. A country split into districts where travel is extremely limited or outright banned, inefficient resource harvesting occurs due to mismanagement despite there being better technology in the capital, and of course the capital living in relative wealth while the rural population lives in abject poverty. All led by a one-man figurehead of state.


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

[User] ELI5 how does scientist exactly describe or know a very, very far away planet with interesting properties like lava ocean and raining rocks?

[Assistant] For the most part they dont know. Here is how they determine properties: first they look at the parent star. From the light, brightness, relative movement of the star, they can figure out the size, mass and composition go the star. They detect the planets mostly by measuring the light of the star. Every time the planet passes in front, scientists measure the dip in intensity. From that they can determine the mass and distance of the planet to the star. From the stars composition and the distance to the star, along with the mass of the planet, using models for the formation of star systems, they can make predictions, or educated guesses about the chemical make up of the planet, as well as surface temperature. Finally, hopefully we are able to do this soon, we will be able to see light shining through the atmosphere of the planet with a powerful enough telescope. This will give info on how thick the atmo is and what exactly is in it.


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

[User]
CMV: Doors to public restrooms should open outwards instead of inwards

I'm talking about the doors to get in and out of the larger restroom itself, NOT stalls. There are *a lot* of people including myself who will do everything to avoid touching bathroom door handles, because they're disgusting. In an ideal world everyone cleans their hands adequately before leaving a public restroom but we all know that's not the case.

**It's** **Unsanitary:**

Door handles are highly-touched surfaces that provide an excellent method of transmission for viruses and bacteria if not cleaned, and given what restrooms are for, door handles are now the perfect surface for nastier bacteria and viruses to get transmitted. There are very few surfaces in most recently-built public restrooms that a user must touch (given all the automatic toilets, faucets, and paper-towel dispensers), but most still force the user to grab the door handle in order to leave since the doors swing *into* the restroom instead of outwards. This essentially guarantees the user will come into contact with bacteria or viruses lingering on the surface unless they use a barrier.

**It defeats the purpose of handwashing:**

The purpose of handwashing, is to *sanitize* your hands before handling food, touching a wound, or partaking in some activity that creates a situation with higher-than-normal vulnerability to infections. It's been proven that while sanitizing your hands with rubbing alcohol or some other cleaner *is effective,* handwashing is optimal. You wouldn't want your surgeon just throwing some *Purell* on their hands before operating on you! Forcing the user of a restroom to interact with a highly-touched surface that is extremely dirty *after washing their hands,* even with a barrier like paper towel, just defeats the purpose of handwashing!

**Why doors that open outwards are superior:**

The user can push the door outwards with their body to leave, instead of being forced to pull the door open using the handle, meaning their hands can stay "clean". Furthermore, since people of all different heights, the **average** concentration of bacteria in one particular spot on the door should theoretically be *less* than on the door handle as the surface area of the door handle is obviously much smaller than the surface area of the entire door, so people who insist on using their hands will be pushing from a larger variety of locations on the door itself.

TLDR: Public restroom doors should open outwards since it's more sanitary.

[Assistant] Opening outwards could be dangerous to others in the main store who happened to be walking past, and open doors allow people to see in.  There should be no door at all but instead two or three narrow offset walls creating a tiny maze that blocks any visual sight lines into the reatroom but is easily walked out of without touching anything.


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

[User] [Harry Potter] How did the wizarding world react to the moon landing in 1969? Did they care, was it no big deal, have they been to the moon? Are there wizards on the moon!?!

[Assistant] Wizards, being extremely racist, refuse to find the very real accomplishments of muggles to be noteworthy, regardless of objective difficulty or breadth  of achievement. They probably even held sometimes conflicting notions that it was both fake and not worth doing to begin with.


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

[User]
ELI5:Why do people who oppose the death penalty get excluded from jury selection?

It seems to be that people in favor of the death penalty are not considered biased, but people that oppose it are. Following this logic, wouldn't a jury of people that believe in capital punishment be more likely to execute a convicted criminal, being as that is their bias?

[Assistant] Presumably, the reason is that someone who opposes the death penalty would(or might) always vote not guilty in a case were the death penalty is on the table. While someone who is in favor of the death penalty would vote based on the facts of the case as normal.


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

[User] ELI5: I read on the cancer research UK website that cancer of the heart is very rare. Does anyone know why this is?

[Assistant] Cancer at its base is a disease where a cell divides and forgets to stop.  Every time an individual cell divides there is a chance it becomes cancerous.  The cells in the heart divide significantly less often then other areas of the body.  So there are fewer opportunities for a cancer cell to start.


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

[User] If Wolverine loses his healing factor, would his body begin to reject the adamantium? Would his bones brake from the weight of it?

[Assistant]
To the first question: Yes. It would stand a very good chance of killing him. To be clearer, adamantium itself is highly toxic. His body wouldn't reject it at all, given it's adamantium beta, but it would poison his blood.

To the second question, no. His adamantium is a very rare version of it known as adamantium beta, his bones are as much bone as they are metal and don't inhibit production and distribution of blood cells in every way. Plus, it only adds about a hundred pounds to his weight, meaning a few ounces per bone. The metal wouldn't break his bones.


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

[User]
[Batman] So why are they called The Arkham Knight?

Forgive me, as I couldn't play the game, but I'm confused. I know the Arkham series take pride in the Arkham name (Aslym is the setting; City is the setting and evolved from Asylum's destruction; Origins is just, well, the origins of this AU), but why is the antagonist named Arkham Knight?

What does he have to do with Arkham?
Likewise, I heard the character was adapted in the comics. Why does it have that name?

[Assistant] The reason in universe is cause they were born in Arkham. Joker kidnapped Jason Todd and tortured him for a year in an abandoned wing of Arkham Asylum, so he took the name to mark his feeling like Batman abandoned him.


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

[User]
ELI5:Why did movies, tv shows, and comics start using the plot device that radiation provides positive effects (super powers, growth, etc.) and why do they still use it?

Everything from classic superhero powers to the Tomacco in The Simpsons have used this plot device. How did it start and why is it used now despite common knowledge that it would just cause cancer/sickness/death?

[Assistant]
Many of these stories were from the 50s and 60s (the sixties, especially, for comics) when radiation was the biggest scare for people living under the threat of nuclear war. These stories just tapped into anxieties that were already there.

I saw an interview with Stan Lee about when the Spider-Man origin story was tweaked in the movies to be a genetically engineered spider. He commented that in the 60s, everyone was afraid of radiation, and that's what he wrote about. Had he known about genetic engineering, he probably would have written it that way.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are springy doorstops made with maximum compression? Wouldn't they be more effective if they could be compressed to cushion the door's impact?

[Assistant] The coil is just for flexibility (as others have said). If the spring was not compressed though when the door was pushed into it the spring would compress, absorbing the impact (good), however it would the release this compression, flinging the door back towards the person opening it (bad). The more force the door was opened with potentially the faster the door would be returned towards the opener. This would probably cause a lot of accidents. However you would get some great YouTube compilations.


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

[User] ELI5: What was the difference between the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA)?

[Assistant]
View cong were "irregular" guerilla fighters that recruited from the south Vietnamese population. They were not officially part of any government and weren't all that concerned with things like uniforms and formal rank.

The NVA was a "regular" military force under the direct control of the north Vietnamese government, and supplied with uniforms, pay, rank, ect.


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

[User]
"The scandal of philosophy" - the unsolved problem of induction and its impact of rationality

Before I start, let me state that I'm not trying to put forward an idea here rather just asking a question out of pure curiosity.

Every time I read about the problem of induction and it's many proposed solutions, I'm always left unsatisfied. It seems to me at least that no proposed solution is satisfactory. I'm starting to wonder whether the correct response to the problem is to revise our concepts of rationality or revise what we want from our arguments.

From what I've read of the literature it seems that attempts to solve the problem try to show inductive reasoning to be rational in a traditional sense. Of course what is meant by 'rational in a traditional sense' is debatable. But, is this the correct response? Hume's problem seems to be too strong. Inductive reasoning may be impossible to ground rationally (as we traditionally understand the concept). Should we need weaken our concept of rationality to include inductive reasoning? Has anyone attempted this strategy?

Sorry about the vagueness of the terms used and the lack of directness of the question. It is a question of mere curiosity rather than a fully fleshed out one; but if this subreddit is not the place for mere curiosity where else is?!

[Assistant]
Briefly, yes, many philosophers have tried some variation on the strategy you suggest. There are several options. First, Hume himself (at least on one reading -- Hume isn't especially *clear* on this) suggests justifying inductive reasoning non-rationally, by way of custom and habit. Loeb and Qu have developed readings of Hume along these lines, if you want to look into professional literature on it. Other naturalists in the Humean tradition, most prominently Quine, have also pursued this kind of line. Second, some philosophers such as Strawson think the way to go is to simply take inductive reasoning as *constitutive* of rationality. It is just analytic that using induction is rational. You might understand this as revising the meaning of "rationality" or you might understand it as challenging Hume's understanding of that term. Third, some philosophers, such as Popper, think that Hume's attack is entirely successful but that it doesn't really matter because in our best reasoning, we don't use induction anyway. It's not obvious to me that Popper's strategy really works, but that's a longer conversation. Fourth, there are some Bayesian philosophers, such as Howson, who think that Hume cannot be answered directly but that there are deductive constraints on permissive credences and how they are updated. You could understand Howson's position (I think) as approximating induction with some stipulations. And then you could take the stipulations as what we add to our account of rationality.

Is this the sort of thing that you're looking for?


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

[User]
How can our brain distinguish the sound of a single note vs. a chord?

I wondered this when I was listening to piano chords on my computer. My headphones produced a singular sound, yet I knew it was a chord compared to when only a single note is played. How can we tell the difference if they are both just single sounds?

[Assistant]
What will blow your mind more is when you realize that literally *everything you hear* is a "single sound" in the sense that there is only a single waveform being received by your ear. Think of listening to a song... the singer's voice is essentially a continuously modulated "chord" in the sense that it is comprised of a fundamental frequency (the note they are singing on) layered with "Formant frequencies" (which form vowels and which are influenced by consonants to create speech). Every instrument, even if it is only playing a single note, similarly has layers of resonant frequencies that are responsible for its timbre (how you can tell the difference between instruments playing the same note).

Our brains effortlessly group together those frequencies that belong to a single source (an instrument or voice) and separate those sources into different "auditory objects" in a process called "auditory scene segregation". It's a phenomenally difficult task and we don't really understand how it works in the brain; there is some evidence that the "phase" of the component sound waves contributes.

Our perception of sound is so fascinating and surprising.

Even something as fundamental as our musical scale is not as immutable as we believe... check out the work of "William Sethares". Basically, he demonstrated that our scale is an artifact of the kind of musical instruments we play. All of them vibrate in such a way to create predictably linear resonances that are essentially the notes in our scale. However it need not be that way: you can create scales with arbitrarily many consonant notes and create strange alien-sounding music from it. The thing is that an octave, which we would normally define as the doubling of frequency, turns out to be a perception. In Sethares' artificially constructed scales, you absolutely can perceive an octave, the same way you can recognize that "C" is the same note in different octaves, even though the scale is no longer based on that doubling of frequency.


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

[User] ELI5:Why do certain foods pass through you so quickly (I.e the diner, Taco Bell, etc). I went to the diner last night, and came home and was on the toilet all night(TMI). Isn't the food not even digested by that point?

[Assistant] Among your bodies numerous reflexes is something called the gastrocolic reflex. Like you're five: your body does some things automatically. One of those automatic things is that when you eat food, your belly sends a phone call to your brain to tell it if there's still food in there from the last time you ate (which there usually is). If there's plenty of food in it, your brain decides "Well, better make room for more food" so it tells your belly and your butt that it should probably poop soon. You wouldn't want your belly to get too crowded, because that would feel awful. Some foods make your belly feel awful no matter what, just because of what is in it. Everybody's bellies are different, but some of them are not friends with greasy food, and some of them are not friends with spicy food, and other bellies are not friends with things like milk or grain. so if you eat one of these foods, your belly has to spend extra effort dealing with it. And one of the ways your brain can help your belly out is by clearing out the other food that is in your belly already. So it makes you poop. You actually aren't pooping out the food you just ate. You are pooping food that you ate earlier, even as far back as yesterday, that you just haven't pooped yet. Cool, huh?


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

[User]
ELI5 how do wireless chargers work?

Charged my smartphone on a wireless charger and Im convinced it is black magic or witchcraft. It barely charged (sitting for 4 hours, only went up by 10%.) I assume it has something to do with electrons

[Assistant]
When you move current through coils. You generate magnetic field in the direction normal to the coils. If you alternate this current (positive to negative) the field will also alternate.
When you move alternating magnetic field across a coils. Current is generated.

Thus getting a wire -> air -> wire transmission of electrical energy.


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

[User]
[MCU / Avengers] In Avengers 1, why did Loki come through the portal looking strung out?

He comes through the portal and hes pale, sweaty, breathing hard, and his eyes are comically baggy. It actually looks like paint under his eyes. Whats going on? Is taking tesseract portal painful? It doesnt seem to be in Avengers 3.

[Assistant] We saw that the Other,  Thanos' seneschal, would induce pain in Loki at the slightest provocation. He probably did that a lot, including as a last minute reminder to Loki not to screw up and/or betray them.


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

[User] [Star Wars (Prequel Era)] Fellow Galactic Senators, I've been hearing rumors of "Separatist" worlds, and I'm inclined to allow them to leave the Republic, rather than risk a civil war. Can you convince me otherwise?

[Assistant] And lose quadrillions on quadrillions of credits? The Trade Federation, the Commerce guild, the INTERGALACTIC Banking Clan, and the Corporate Alliance are all leaving with them! Plus Billions of taxpayers! If we don't get them back this house of sabacc cards is going to collapse, and fast. What is literally our best investment at this point is to use all our remaining funds in order to wage war and recapture those assets.


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

[User]
CMV: Being open-minded does not mean accepting other peoples truths

Thesis:

In regards to Gender Dysphoria and Transgenderism (only because it was a hot topic just recently in a debate I had), I dont believe I am transphobic simply because I dont believe someones claims that they are what they claim to be. I dont believe its fair to just accept what anyone claims as fact and then lie to them and myself about the validity of that claim. If I were to claim something is true, would nobody have a reasonable doubt in their minds and hearts about how truthful it is?

Someone asked me Why do they need to be validated by you? This is literally just an attempt to say im transphobic and that Im incapable of understanding. My question back was If they want me to understand, isnt it important for me to have a more objective view than a subjective one? If they dont expect to be challenged for their beliefs and ready to share their reasoning, then they arent trying to help others understand.

Anyways, below is the written argument I had regarding objective truth using Gender Dysphoria as the topic.

To say that the treatment to gender dysphoria is HRT and surgery can be considered just enabling potential mental illness rather than dealing with it.

If the brain can develop differently than the body, what does that mean? Even if you dont identify as the gender associated with your sex, which isnt something anyone has to do anyway, then there has to be something wrong with a persons mental health to want to be a different sex if they could just dress and act the way they want without surgery/HRT. This can only be true if gender and sex are different of course, which is the argument claimed by so many in LGBTQ+. Even if they are uncomfortable in their bodies, how do we know that isnt due to their interpretation of what gender they think they are and the mismatch of that claimed gender with its associated sex?

Now a lot of people claim that they were born with a female brain in a male body. That implies that male brains and female brains are different. Why are they different though? Im not a scientist, but im pretty sure testosterone and estrogen have something to do with it.

Anyways, to claim that you have the opposite sexs brain in your body despite both the brain and body developing together is redundant. Lets not forget that our brain is still an organ, a physical part of the body just like your heart and bones and hair that can get sick too due to chemical imbalances, genetic mutations, and/or physical injuries.

The only thing I can think of to cause a difference is Human Exceptionalism, specifically our ability to rationalize, think, innovate, intelligence, etc. To put it bluntly: Their brain is not a females brain in a males body. Their brain thinks that due to how their humanity responds to the chemical imbalances.

People who transition are happier than they were before, but how do we really know? How do we know that they arent just happy with that one task out of the way and their whole life is in shambles because they never really found fulfillment or true treatments for their mental health? How do we know the kids who claim to be trans arent doing it due to their easily impressionable minds and need for social acceptance/comradery?

Personally, I dont interpret gender dysphoria as a disorder - just an illness. I think it could be a product of something deeper that we just havent had the time, money, or data to analyze yet. I think most people who claim to be trans are doing it to feel special or different because they werent really accepted or treated well by other kids or people in life, and think that transitioning would earn them sympathy points by people who claim to be open-minded. What hurts me the most is being forced to believe in something that isnt widely understood or conveyed. Some people have suggested that I just take their word for it, but I hate the idea of lying to them and myself about who they claim to be. I want to understand truthfully, which I hope is seen as more honorable and respectable. I want absolute truth, not relativity.

Nonetheless, I dont support legislation that would oppress or hurt the community. I dont support malicious activity and harmful intent towards them. They are people who deserve at least the same level of respect you would give to a stranger. We can respect each other despite our disagrements, but deep inside me I just want to understand and really accept their claim for the benefit of ourselves and social/scientific progress.

[Assistant]
> To say that the treatment to gender dysphoria is HRT and surgery can be considered just enabling potential mental illness rather than dealing with it.

See, the thing is, you're not just disagreeing here with "other people's truths", you're disagreeing here with 50+ years of professional scientific research. For decades, they tried and tested many other ways to deal with it - this is the only thing that worked well.

So if trans people aren't enough for you, and professionals who, with all due respect, are *waaaaaay* smarter than you and know *waaaaaaay* more than you aren't enough for you, then *what will be enough for you*?


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

[User]
How does Reynolds' number work?

So from what I've studied, It seems to be the case that when R is less than 500, it's a condition for laminar flow, and if greater than 1000, it is turbulent flow.

But between 500 and 1000, a few textbooks referred to it as 'unsteady' flow. How is that different from turbulent flow? And is the Reynolds number prediction always valid? Or is it just a likely case?

[Assistant]
The first thing you need to know about Reynold's number is that it is the ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces..

Since flow regime cannot be measured directly and a qualitative analysis is often insufficient; we measure other parameters such as density of fluid, velocity of flow, hydraulic dia. Etc. From which we can derive the Reynold's number..

In simple terms, at lower Reynold's numbers, the flow tends to be laminar while at higher Reynold's number, the flow tends to be turbulent. The exact transition value varies depending on the flow conditions. For example, for flow over a Flat plate, the 'engineering transition' number is 5e5.. everything above is considered turbulent and everything below is considered as laminar..


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

[User] [ELI5] why do home-shaped hamburgers puff up and become round, but store bought, pre-shaped ones don't?

[Assistant]
Frozen, hatching.

Frozen beef stays flatter longer and can be thinner.

And it has holes, which allow air to escape instead of puffing up.

Its like asking why store bought crackers are so thin when your homemade ones are like 1/4 plywood cookies.

They have just ***slightly*** different production equipment.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is France in general (and Paris in particular) considered to be a country of romance?

[Assistant] In comparison to much of Europe, specifically the UK, and to the US the French are much more casual when it comes to sex and sexual expression. They are also known for good food, and have a lyrical flowing language. Combine all of that and add to it as slight pride in the concept of big romances within the culture and you have a country and people that become known for romance.


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

[User] mtDNA is passed down from females to all of their children; shouldn't there be people around who carry denisovan or neanderthal mtDNA because they had a great- great- (etc) grandmother who was denisovan or neanderthal?

[Assistant]
Yes - if there are surviving, female-line descendants of Denisovans or Neanderthals, and if the mitochondrial DNA of those populations was clearly distinct from H. sapiens sapiens.

There are only a handful of mitochondrial genes, amounting to about 16,500 base pairs. There are only 200 variations for Neanderthals, and 400 for Denisovans.

So we're not looking for much, and we haven't found it - there's no evidence of Neanderthal mitochondria in our cells. Interbreeding was rare, and mtDNA lines are too easily wiped out.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why are there starving people in third world countries?

I'm not trying to be insensitive or anything, I'm just completely oblivious to the socio-economic situation in third world countries. But why are there starving people in third world countries? Can they not grow food? Is the soil not firtile? Do they not have seeds? Are there too many people to feed? Do other people keep stealing their food?

Can't they domesticate some sort of animal/livestock for food? If the land isn't fertile or doesn't have proper resources for growing food, why don't they relocate somewhere else?

Instead of air dropping food, why don't we air drop seeds everywhere so food will grow all over the place?

[Assistant] A man named Amartya Sen studied what causes people to starve in 3rd world countries, and found that often the problem was a corrupt government. He stated that ''No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy."


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

[User]
CMV: The United States government does not owe African-Americans financial reparations.

This has been an ongoing topic of debate in this election cycle in the US. To be clear, this post is not to say that I condone what white people have done to African-Americans (and other races) over many years. I just dont see how reparations could ever work economically or socially.

If the federal government were to authorize reparations, there would certainly be unrest in other ethnic communities. For example, Japanese-Americans that were kept in internment camps under FDR would likely wonder why they are not getting the same or similar treatment.

Furthermore, reparations are not the best allocation of taxpayer dollars. It does not seem logical for innocent citizens to have to financially subsidize the wrongdoings of their ancestors.

The federal governments funds and energy would be better spent on addressing and repairing the wage gap between ethnic groups.

[Assistant]
> For example, Japanese-Americans that were kept in internment camps under FDR would likely wonder why they are not getting the same or similar treatment.

They did get similar treatment. In the 1980s they got 20k each. Adjusted for inflation, that's about 40 thousand dollars today.


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

[User]
ELI5: why does music make us feel different emotions?

For example, certain tones in something scary to give you an ominous feeling. Music that makes you feel good in certain parts of movies to portray romance or a wholesome moment.

[Assistant]
Musical notes arent what makes music sound pleasing, happy, or foreboding, it the distance between the notes that can give a piece a happy or sad sound. This distance is called an interval.

This is a pretty in depth topic so its difficult to explain it simply, but ill try.

 Intervals are considered either consonant or dissonant. Consonant intervals are pleasing and give you a feeling of resolution or conclusion. Dissonant intervals create tension, uneasiness and a desire to to resolve on a consonant interval.  This is scratching the surface of the very deep rabbit hole that is music theory.


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

[User] ELI5: Since plastic doesn't biodegrade, why aren't more houses built with plastic instead of wood parts?

[Assistant] Long pieces of plastic which are strong enough to support a house are pretty expensive and heavy; it's easier and cheaper to build a wood frame and then wrap the whole structure in thin layers of waterproof plastic + other waterproof materials to keep everything dry.


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

[User]
[Lord of The Rings] When people mention The Devil in Middle Earth are they referring to Sauron?

In the Lord of the Rings several characters refer to the Devil. For example Elfhelm in RoTK calls getting around in some dark woods "Devil's work". Is that just another term used to refer to Sauron or do they mean something else? Or is it just the fitting translation of whatever Westron word was written by Frodo?

[Assistant] Its just a fitting translation. The Red Book of Westmarch is a translation of what Frodo wrote. They probably meant a word that didnt exactly mean Sauron but just a meant enemy. In our world the idea of a hostile force against you called  the devil predates the Christian idea of the Devil (notice how its always **The** Devil like a title not just Satan or Lucifer like a name). So yeah, its what ever the Middle Earths colloquialism is for an outside evil force.


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

[User]
[Marvel/DC] What's my best odds for getting powers?

I'm a normal human- no mutant/alien/demon heritage. I'm rich enough to get whatever necessary materials are needed, but i think most accidents/experimental works are just too unpredictable.

 I don't really care what powers i get, or what powersource they use, only that i get some. Although i would prefer looking like a normal human afterward.

What is my best strategy for reliably getting cool powers of my very own, with minimal side effects, in each universe?

[Assistant] I would imagine in both universes, one of the safest options would be paying someone to make you iron-man-esque power armor. Technically it's not super powers, but there's a very low chance of it going wrong, and it shouldn't be incredibly difficult to acquire if money isn't an issue.


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

[User]
[Star Wars]Why don't the Empire/First Order use visceral weapons like hollowpoint round slugthrowers, Vibroswords/axes against the rebels?

Given our numerous advantage we can afford to equip a number of soldiers with weapons decided to maim and kill rebels in a horrify manner. Nothing scares them worse than a rebel soldier cut in half by a chainsword or weapons designed to horribly maim our target.

[Assistant]
Because bullets require more supply lines and heavier gear. Blasters just require batteries and gas cartridges for far more shots than a soldier could feasibly carry bullets.

Some already carry melee weapons, but quite frankly most don't need to - they're not going to get up close and personal.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do our bodies waste so much good water when we pee?

Surely just pooping out a big blob of urea and saving the water would be better.

[Assistant]
- It would be quite troublesome to regulate the opposite: Excess water --> Diarrhea every time.

- The kidneys are much more efficient at filtering out electrolytes and water soluble molecules. It would also create a troublesome system of the bowels both needing to absorb as many electrolytes as possible, while wasting the same amount away.

- Our blood needs to be continually cleared, while the bowels do not permit storage of fluid for very long :-l.


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

[User] What keeps tree roots from rotting under ground?

[Assistant]
Rot happens when dead tissue gets consumed by bacteria and fungi. Living organisms don't rot because they have immune systems to protect them.

The immune system of a plant doesn't work the same way ours does. It tends to be a lot more passive. Instead of having special cells seek out and destroy invaders, it tends to secrete chemicals that either harm the invading microbes or else block them from spreading. But that simpler system still usually achieves the goal, of making sure microbes can't eat it alive.


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

[User]
[Superman] Is Clark an exceptional Kryptonian?

His powers aside. Let's say he grew up on krypton, would he be like the Reed Richards of Krypton or naturally stronger than your avg kyrptonian? I read some thread claiming he's a genius even when he's depowered.

[Assistant]
His dad was like thee #1 scientist from a "Science Clan" on a world of genetically perfected citizens, so it would be hard to believe he would not be more than typically bright on a genetic level.

As far as nurture goes, his was so atypical it's really just speculation.  Yellow sun energy has been theorized to idealize kryptonian physique.  So a born and raised on Krypton Kal-El would physically be like any other guy.


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

[User]
CMV: The mega-rich billionaires of the world are actually hindering their own maximum capacity of wealth by hoarding it. They each have enough money that they could more or less 'invent' something brand new through research and development and have a thriving monopoly over it.

When I think of some of humanity's greatest inventions and accomplishments, it would seem to me that someone with enough money could have created and achieved many of those things sooner if they'd had the mind to (or funded those who do) and thus would've been able to solely reap the rewards for their creation (like a privately funded NASA with a bigger budget, perhaps not totally unlike Elon Musk's ventures).

I'm thinking primarily of things that are almost inevitably going to become commonplace or extremely popular in the future (sophisticated and totally immersive virtual reality, cryptocurrency, lab-grown meat, etc.) but really I think there are many things "waiting" to be invented at any given time that we as humans could discover and develop simply with significant funding and focus. I think the wealthiest people and families in the world would actually become even wealthier (and perhaps inadvertently even make the world a better place in the process) if they used their excess wealth to fund their own private research and development companies that focused specifically on creating something new for the masses.

[Assistant]
mega rich billionares do not hoard their wealth, it's almost entirely in assets.

putting your money into companies, bonds, real assets etc does do something for the world. hell, so much of what has been done in the pursuit of "making money" brings about a lot of good to the world.

>I think the wealthiest people and families in the world would actually become even wealthier (and perhaps inadvertently even make the world a better place in the process) if they used their excess wealth to fund their own private research and development companies that focused specifically on creating something new for the masses.

who exactly do you think runs all the companies that fund startups? yeah, people who are rich af.


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

[User] [DC] Luthor tends to dislike Superman because he was born powerful, while Luthor had to work to become successful. But Luthor became a success because he was lucky enough to be *born* with a world-class intellect. He did nothing to earn it. Is he self-aware enough to understand that?

[Assistant]
I think that Luthor would disagree with your construction of the situation. He would argue that a world-class intellect isn't the result of biological circumstance, but rather a sustained disciplined habit of excellence.

I think that Luthor would argue that the only thing he was born with 'naturally' that others might not have had, was the ambition to rise above his station.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Doesn't the Republic (now Empire) know that Palpatine and Darth Vader are Sith?

Why would the Republic (now Empire) follow Sith Lords, the enemy they've been fighting for years?

[Assistant]
How would they know they're Sith? And how would they even know *what* a Sith is?

Palpatine was the Chancellor who ended the Clone Wars, and he survived an assassination attempt by the Jedi Council - they wanted to take over. He's the best thing to happen to the galaxy.


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

[User] Theoretically speaking if we tried to colonize Mars would we succeed and how long will it take until it is habitable for humans, animals and plants?

[Assistant]
Mere minutes. Just drop the equivalent of a caravan onto the surface.

If you're asking how long it'd be before the planet had an environment that was compatible with human life, then without magic the answer is never.


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

[User] [DC] How did the Joker manipulate a professional psychiatrist (Harley Quinn)?

[Assistant]
The comic Harleen actually explores this.
Harleen, at least in that continuity, is still trying to "help" the Joker, thus technically doing her job as a psychiatrist. She goes more and more down into the rabbit hole in order to "relate" to the Joker, show him that he's not alone. She wants to "reach him" and bring him back.
Problem is, the Joker is \*not\* actually asking for help. He's luring Harleen, using her desire to help him to drag her to the bottom. And what is waiting for Harleen at the bottom is not human... not human at all...


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

[User] Why is learning Economics good for daily life?

[Assistant] I'd say the average person benefits most from a decent understanding of economics because we live in a democracy, and it's important, to the furthest extent, people be informed on the people and polices they vote on and the implications thereof, and since many campaigns and policies are economic in nature, it makes sense for people to research and have a decent economics foundation.


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

[User]
[Star Trek] What is considered acceptable retreat in Klingon culture?

Taking things to the extreme, wearing armor and dodging attacks can be seen as hiding from the enemy or retreating, yet is required in combat. However retreat in battle or barricading oneself while avoiding the enemy seems to be dishonorable. Strict Klingon honor might look like fighting naked and using the strength of your skin to repel attacks as you aren't cowering at all, which obviously isn't practical. How much avoidance of the enemy is permitted in Klingon culture?

[Assistant]
The further up the chain you go, the 'larger' you honor gets so you can get away with retreating from one battle to win another.  Typically you should frame it as some sort of tactical maneuver though.

The army didn't retreat, they advanced in reverse to a better position.  The ship didn't retreat, it drew the enemy into an ambush.  That sort of thing, if you are seen as honorable enough, is acceptable.  If you always run though... that isn't going to work.  All is forgiven if you win honorably, even if you were somewhat/moderately dishonorable getting there.


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

[User]
[The Warriors] What if Cyrus was never killed?

So when Cyrus was shot, the gangs' ambitions crumbled as everyone fell to in fighting.

But what happened if he was never shot? Would Cyrus' vision of an alliance of gangs ruling the city actually have succeeded?

[Assistant]
The general truce would hold for a while, but some hardcore, young member would start a fight somewhere along the line. If the Riffs could enforce it, being a kind of,military police among the gangs, while still guiding the plan, it would go a ways.

Once they begin systematically killing police officers, and muscling into organized crime territory, they'd be fighting a two front war while being overwhelmingly under armed. Mafia hit squads, and a deployed National Guard would make all of NYC a massive battleground that street gangs, at least the stylized street gangs of the documentary, would be unable to beat.


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

[User]
[Ben 10/DC] How effective would Ben be in the DC multiverse?

Pretty much what the title says. How effective would Ben be as a hero in the DC multiverse if the Ben 10 multiverse and the DC multiverse were one and the same?

EDIT: Use the most recent version of Ben for reference, Ben 10K is up for discussion too.

[Assistant]
Ben would overly rely on Daxamite, Kryptonian and Martian forms. Most of the aliens in his normal multiverse have a single power that can be called upon, and while that is for the most part true of the DC Multiverse, the existence of Daxamites and Kryptonians and Martians means that he would have access to alien forms with a wide range of powers.

Basically, rather than having to switch between different forms to get the job done, he'd just go Martian and do it solo.


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

[User]
ELI5: What causes the 1,000 yard stare?

It happens to me all the time and has put me in many awkward situations...

[Assistant] On a serious note, the thousand yard stare is essentially the lack of minor eye movements due to intense concentration or shock. We are subconsciously used to seeing minor eye movements so when they are absent, our mind alerts us that something is wrong.


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

[User] ELI5: How we can see stars and galaxies literally billions of light years away but are just discovering another planet in our solar system?

[Assistant]
Imagine you're standing in the middle of a pitch black gymnasium.  Somewhere, about ten feet away from you is a single grain of sand floating in the air.  At the same time, about 100 feet away from you is a lit candle.

Which one do you think you'd be able to find first?


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

[User]
ELI5: Why will the same drink from the same company taste noticeable different depending on the material of the container they put it in?

For example, soda from a plastic bottle tastes different than soda from a glass bottle or a can. I would even argue that the carbonation reacts different when I drink it. OJ from a carton also tastes different from the same OJ stored in a bottle. What is the reason behind this?

[Assistant]
Lots of people talk about the different taste of coca-cola depending on the container. In that situation the formula and recipe is the same but the material may still react with the product in different ways. The polymer lining aluminium cans has been thought to absorb small amounts of the syrup in coke, whilst the acetaldehyde in plastic bottles is thought to migrate into the soda.

Both happen on a tiny scale (regulators keep track of materials interacting with product, especially when they migrate into the consumable), but it can still be enough to change flavour.

A lot of people think Coke tastes best from a glass bottle, and this can be put down to the extremely inert nature of glass. It has no reaction with the soda at all, leaving the most unaltered version of the drink.


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

[User]
[A Quiet Place] What evolutionary purpose would it serve the aliens to kill everything?

It seems like the aliens in that film would immediately kill almost anything that remotely made a sound.

From an evolutionary stand-point it seems like that species would wipe-out almost all its food sources in a short while. Not to mention literally blindly jumping out at any noise is not a smart move either.

[Assistant]
We're seeing a single species (or group of closely-related species) pulled out of their native ecosystems.  Just like studies of animals in captivity, their behavior may not be at all indicative of how they acted in the wild on their home planet.

They may be chronically malnourished due to nutritional incompatability with life on Earth so they desperately attack any sound out of hunger.  They may be nesting and are territorial to protect their growing broods.  They might just be crazy from some element in the atmosphere that keeps them in a constant state of irritation.


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

[User]
What happens to electrons and the other parts of atoms as temperature approaches absolute 0?

Does everything stop moving? And does that in turn mean that the electrons fall inwards towards the protons, becoming neutrons?

[Assistant] Electrons are not actually orbiting particles, think if them instead as fields of possible existence which collectively sum to a whole, and can take certain configurations around the nucleus. The existence of the fields neither imply nor demand conventional movement.


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

[User]
Why is there still helium on Earth? Shouldn't it all have ended up in the upper atmosphere by now?

Helium is very inert and doesn't form lots of molecules (unlike hydrogen). Going back to when the earth was formed from a spinning ball of dust & gas, why hasn't all of the helium spun out or risen to the upper atmosphere, out of our reach? Even if some ended up underground, over 4 billion years shouldn't it have worked its way to the surface given it's small atomic size? What is Helium's secret?

[Assistant] Helium is produced by the alpha decay of heavy elements, and the Earth is full of lots of heavy elements. A lot of it becomes trapped in small pores underground, like oil does, and when oil is extracted helium comes out and is captured.


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

[User]
[DC] Why doesn't Batman just imprison Joker by tossing him on a world with no other people on it?

They have Boom Tubes, Teleporters and all kinds of space travel, just knock him out or sedate him, drop him in a boom tube and walk the fuck away.

[Assistant]
There's an in-universe answer to this! It's because it won't stop with Joker.

The Government tried this in the story arc *Salvation Run*. Batman opposed this measure because exiling the truly dangerous and monstrous like Joker just became proof of concept for boom-tubing every single supervillian to the same prison planet, since there are only so many habitable-but-uninhabited worlds you can pull an exile on.

 Joker found himself in extensive company once he got there, and he was running a cult inside of a month. And when the largest collection of superbeings in the galaxy inevitably found their way back to earth, they constituted the largest, most unified iteration of the Injustice Gang ever established, and they were *all* pissed off at the world's governments, even the villains who hadn't been particularly dangerous before.

Your prompt posits that he only does it to Joker, but once the proof of concept exists you've just got another *Salvation Run* on your hands once the government co-opts the process.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do TV shows 'play'?

When I'm watching TV, I'm obviously watching a pre-determined series of programs, but what is the process of getting them onto the television?
Does the channel transmit a 'playlist' every day, or every week, or does someone in a studio somewhere hit the play button when the ads finish?
I know that programs are sometimes cancelled at the last minute because a live sporting event has lasted longer than expected or whatever, so there is obviously a live 'controller', but is this someone who has to intervene, or someone (or a group of people) who is constantly in control of the transmissions?

[Assistant] Somewhere there is a big room called an MCR or Master Control Room (a bit like the place where Homer works in the nuclear plant) in which people control all that stuff. They have a kind of TV guide they're working from, which is much *much* more detailed than the one consumers see, and includes every commercial and trailer and station ID, to the second. Some of it is automated, and some of it is done by people clicking buttons and turning knobs. What makes it more complicated is Localisation, which means that there's one main channel showing the same movie across a wide geographical area, but in the ad breaks, different regions get different commercials.


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

[User]
[General] Why is wood/grass element aligned stuff weak to fire? Isn't everything organic weak to fire?

And why don't treemen ever wear armor?

[Assistant]
Everything is weak to fire if it's hot enough. Elemental relationships are typically symbolic and wood, as a traditional fuel (that is: food) of fire is therefore weak to it. Water, as a traditional fire extinguishing mechanism, combats fire, even though a hot enough fire would evaporate water.

> And why don't treemen ever wear armor?

They do: bark.


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

[User]
[avatar] why did ozai not wait for iroh's to return home?

why did ozai not wait for iroh's to return home, and then both went together to explain the whole situation to azulon? i'm sure with iroh supporting the decision, azulon would have let ozai be the next fire lord.

[Assistant]
Ozai didn't know that his brother wasn't interested in the throne anymore.

Ozai didn't like his brother very much, seeing him as weak for being so loving and emotional. He didn't understand those characteristics and was also envious of Iroh since childhood.

He would never even think about advocating the throne if he was in the same position.

Ozai was 100 percent trying to backstab his grieving brother.


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

[User]
Approaching a professor about an possibly unreasonable workload?

Long story short, I have a professor who essentially requires us to do 100+ practice problems every week. It's hard to do less because our exam and quiz questions are randomly picked from the homework and these can include challenging problems like proofs of theorems. For example, we had 60 problems on Taylor Series assigned on Tuesday, due tomorrow. I'm actually worried I'm going to get carpal tunnel from all the writing and have been switching between using LaTeX and handwriting to do practice problems.

She has been teaching this way for at least a decade, and frequently warns us against being "lazy" so I get the sense that she's very set in how she wants to teach.

[Assistant] Well, in higher education theres a certain number of study + homework hours your supposed to be doing outside of the class hours. If each week your spending a lot more time than the suggested (based on # of credits for the class) then you can talk to the professor or the department (if hes a math teacher, go to math department) to let them know the workload time is too much based on the credits of the class. For most colleges its like 3 hours of study/homework per credit of the class, so if its 3 credits youre expected to spend 9 hours of study and homework. This information may be the best/most professional way to demonstrate the workload is too much.


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

[User]
[League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Comic] How has the world lasted so long?

In the League universe all fiction is true, if that is the case then how has is humanity still alive with all the nuclear wars, various fictional wars, zombie apocalypses, alien attacks dating from the Victorian era (The War of the Worlds part of the comic) and various universe destroying threats, how hasnt the planet been destroyed several times over?

[Assistant]
"All of popular fiction is present" but there's definitely changes made to famous fictional works in this universe. For example, while "Jimmy Bond" is real, the James Bond story "Doctor No" is revealed to have been a hoax. The government from 1984 happened in 1948 and fell pretty quickly. So a world-ending story may happen to some extent in this universe, but dimmed enough so that the world is actually still ok in the end.

In addition, there are forces for good from all of fiction present too. They are helping to balance things out.


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

[User] If we live an infinite amount of finite lives, then logically does this mean we will experience every kind of death and pain there is on repeat for eternity?

[Assistant] The set of all even natural numbers is infinite. You can go through all numbers one by one, but neither you will get a repetition nor will you encounter all natural numbers. Infinity doesn't exhaust every possible combinations necessarily.


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

[User]
ELI5: How hormones are turned into pills

How are hormones such as melatonin harvested and put into pills?

[Assistant]
It depends on the hormone. Each hormone is a completely different chemical and there are different ways of making them. Some hormones are extracted from other animals or plants. For example the meat industry have a lot of byproducts that is used for tons of different things including hormones. But plants may also be full of chemicals we want to extract. Another option is to find the protein that generates the hormone in humans and then encode the DNA that makes that protein into bacteria which then allows you to have a bacteria that will produce a lot of the protein you want. Another option is to make the hormone completely synthetically using techniques from organic chemistry. By mixing certain basic chemicals in a certain way using the right temperatures and ratios we are able to make almost any organic molecule we want.

Melatonin used to be extracted from cows however due to cost and contamination production have now switched to synthetic production instead. Famously insulin costs dropped to almost nothing over night when scientists were able to splice human genome into bacteria and start mass production using these bacteria.


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

[User]
Should I get a masters degree in Computer Science or an Online degree or Self-Study or Go to a Coding Bootcamp?

I am in a weird position. I am 30, and no longer find Accounting interesting. Although I have 4 years in the industry, but I want to transition in a Tech role.

I am wondering if I should get a masters degree in computer science or should I go to a online school?. If not, I am willing to self study everything I need to become a developer with freecodecamp and other online resources, however, I feel that I will be overlooked because I don't have a BS in CIS.

Another option is getting a coding bootcamp certificate, I think because I have bachelors in Accounting  this might be  good option. However, I don't know if economically it is work it since I am currently unemployed with 10k in the bank.

What should I do >

[Assistant]
Is there any chance you be interested in taking the middle step to a business intelligence / data analyst position? You can absolutely get jobs in those fields writing a lot of code and your experience will be appreciated.

If you took this approach you could probably just learn VBA and SQL at home and then start applying. Its not sexy work like web development or data science but, it would be a good middle step while youre learning theory.