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

[User]
I think that the portrayal of abusive jocks in pop culture is a myth fabricated by unpopular students who grew up and became Hollywood writers - CMV

I've never in my life met or heard of athletes at high school or college level randomly assaulting unpopular honor students for being nerds.  In my experience, jocks were some of the nicest and fun people to hang out with.  They were definitely too busy trolling the hell out of each other to notice some mathlete.  If anything, they ignored most other less popular kids like band geeks and nerds.  They would never pass by a geeky kid in the hallway, call him by his name, and stuff him in a locker -- they didn't even know his name, which I bet hurt more than the supposed random harassment.

When those nerdy kids grew up, some found their way to Hollywood and onto the Internet, where they began to propel the frustration-fueled myth of a dumb, violent jock.

[Assistant]
So you're basically saying that Hollywood writers were ignored by popular jocks in high school (since you already said they weren't subject to any physical/verbal abuse), and then, to get back at jocks, made them seem worse in movies than they actually are?

It's just a big vendetta from unpopular kids who wish they were popular? So, 30 years later, the writer demeans the jocks? You really think Hollywood writers hold grudges against people who simply ignored them in high school?

Jesus christ.


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

[User]
ELI5: If cell towers need lots of power to send data, how does my phone have enough power to send back?

I was talking about 2 way radios with friend the other day and it just got me thinking about this. Is signal strength a combined send and receive measure on a cell phone?

[Assistant]
A few things here.

First, the "signal strength" bar on your phone is entirely the receiving signal from the tower to your phone.

Second, sending data from your phone to the cell tower is one of the most power intensive things that your phone does. Simply being closer to the tower and being able to use a lower transmission power will greatly increase your phone's battery life.

Third, the cell phone tower has the advantage of being in an ideal location, high up with good line-of-sight to a large area. Plus, they have much better antennas than your phone so they can pick out much weaker signals than your phone can.


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

[User]
ELI5: The difference between Kosher and Halal.

Assuming there is more to it than "One's for Jews, one's for Muslims"

[Assistant]
1. Halal excludes alcohol, Kosher doesn't.
2. Slaughtering practices are different.
3. Mixing meat and dairy is not Kosher, but is okay for Halal. This one can be taken very seriously, banning that the two be consumed in the same meal (if you had steak, no ice cream for desert), even to the point of having separate dishwashers, sinks, plates, etc.
4. Halal allows shellfish (depending on the school), Kosher doesn't.
5. Halal allows a broader range of meat (basically, it has to be totally herbivorous); Kosher requires that it has cloven hooves and chews cud.


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

[User]
What does it mean when a charger says 5.7v?

Is that the usage per second, minute, or hour? How do you calculate how much electricity it uses in a second?

[Assistant]
None of the above.  5.7 V is the output voltage (electric potential) of the charger.  It's sort of like someone being 5'8" - the position of the top of their head when they're standing with their feet on the ground - it shouldn't vary.

Somewhere on there, the charger should have another rating.  This may be in current (Amperes), or power (Watts).  Since you already have the voltage, you can easily convert between the two - Watts = Volts x Amps.

This tells you the *maximum* power that the charger can safely output.  1 Watt is also equal to 1 Joule (energy) per second.  However, the exact amount of power that the charger is using may vary depending on what you have it attached to.


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

[User] ELI5: How is the US economy doing since the 2007-2009 recession?

[Assistant]
The Dow Jones index has gone from 7400 to 17300; unemployment has gone from 10% to 5%; the budget deficit has gone from 1400 billion to 400 billion; GDP has gone from 14.5 trillion to 16.4 trillion. Industrial capacity has risen 25% but continues the downward trend it's been on since the 1960s (namely, production is still going overseas).

Economically, we've been on a very steady recovery, and in most respects better off than where we were before the recession. By a few measures, such as industrial production per capita, we're not there yet, but we're close.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why Russian heavy equipment isn't popular as their military hardware exports?

The Russian T-72 tank is one of the most popular military exports from Russia, with tens of thousands of copies made and exported world wide.

So why hasn't this translated to export prowess in the heavy equipment industry like tractors, cranes, bulldozers, heavy duty dumpster trucks, etc...?

I'm sure the trades, skills, and manufacturing plants simply need to be retools, but they should be similar in production right?

[Assistant]
I think you've fallen a victim of survivor bias. Russian civilian equipment is popular in the same niche as Russian military equipment - cheap, rugged, does not require a lot of education to maintain and operate. The fact that you do not see Russian trucks and bulldozers being used in the developed countries does not mean much, since you don't see Russian tanks there either.

For example Kamaz (Russian truck manufacturer that also makes military vehicles) makes 40-50 thousands of civilian trucks every year and 12% of them are exported.


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

[User]
[Sherlock Holmes] What philosophy was he studying/creating?

In 'His Last Bow' Sherlock is said to have retired to the countryside where "his time is divided between philosophy and agriculture". Being of a very literal mind with no time for metaphysical things that can't be proven, what school of philosophy was he spending his time on?

[Assistant]
Epistemology without a doubt. Mr. Holmes was a master of inductive reasoning, and could probably write volumes on methods, practical applications, etc.

The other major branches like metaphysics, logic, ethics, and aesthetics are all imminently dismissable as 'hey, where's the evidence?'


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

[User]
My Supervisor is Getting Married Soon, What is a Suitable Wedding Gift if One is Required?

He was my supervisor for my Masters and will be my supervisor for my PhD as well.

He recently got tenure and will get married next month.

The lab has been invited to his place for celebration. I'd like to know the etiquette for a suitable wedding gift.

Thank you.

edit: Thank you for your responses. Collusion seems out of questions as few people even come to the lab these days and the party is a few days.

I managed to find their registry, but it is already complete. They did put Amazon giftcard on it, so I guess that's how it will go.

Thanks again for your help.

[Assistant]
Collude with your labmates to go in together on something nice. Advantages:

1. Nicer swag. You're grad students, so you're probably all wicked broke; this way you can actually afford a gift worth getting.

2. No awkwardness when someone gets something too big/small.

3. Keeps things in the context of the professional relationshipthe *lab* is getting him a present.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do some Windows Updates need up to 1 hour to install, even longer than the first installation of the OS itself?

[Assistant] Generally these large updates are essentially new versions of the OS, with one big exception. When you first installed the OS the computer was blank, so it was rather easy for the computer to just plop everything down and be done. Now since this is an update the computer also has to worry about making sure your setting stay the same, your files arent deleted, etc. which slows things down and makes it take extra time.


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

[User]
[Spider-Man] Peter got bit by the spider ONCE and became what we call the spider-man. What if it bit him again, or say, multiple times? Would the mutation have increased?

So one bite gives him spider sense, ability to crawl on any surface and superhuman strength and other goodies. What if he got bitten again? Or what if the spider quickly bit him twice instead of just once?

Would his mutation stay the same, or would it be enhanced (maybe even, make him worse)?

[Assistant] While the spider's bite introduced the initial genetically modified material, that material multiplied and spread through Peter's system all on it's own. While multiple bites might have *accelerated* the process, it's likely that the end result would have been the same.


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

[User]
[Marvel] I've been told that a lot of the characters in the MCU were "scaled down". How much more powerful are the comic versions of the main cast?

Loki in particular seems pretty weak in the movies, to the point where without that staff he'd just get steamrolled by anybody who knew what they were doing.

[Assistant]
**Iron Man**'s suits are usually tougher than they're portrayed in the films; there's heavier use of forcefields, often some nanotech. He controls Extremis, which usually means he has some personal superpowers (regeneration, armour that can liquefy and store itself inside his body, "technopathy", stuff like that.) More is made of his chest-beam being especially powerful, and of "special" suits with unique abilities.

**Thor** is significantly stronger and tougher. He's effectively invulnerable to everything but special magical attacks, and strong enough to shatter planets. He's a god, not an alien, in most continuities (although the idea that Asgardians are aliens has shown up in the comics before.) More is made of his control over lightning, which barely shows up in the films. He has vaguely-defined spellcasting abilities, as do all Asgardians. He can channel some of his life-force into a "Godblast", which can defeat almost anything; it's powerful enough to stop the Juggernaut.

**Black** **Widow** has taken a knockoff Soviet version of the super-soldier serum, granting her superhuman strength, agility, healing etc. She doesn't age.

**Captain** **America** is actually a little physically weaker in the comics - they make a big deal about him being "only" as good as the best normal human would be at a task. On the other hand, he's got significantly enhanced mental abilities; he's instantly familiar with any weapon, has a perfect memory from the point he took the super-serum, has some sort of superhuman ability to analyse a battlefield, and so on.

**Hulk** has become strong enough to destroy planets in the comics, and he's usually at a higher strength level than the films. More is made of the fact that his strength is *proportional* to his rage, rather than merely triggered by it. More is made of his healing factor; he's recovered from extremely serious injuries in moments. He has some kind of enhanced mental defences; also, he can see ghosts for some reason. He adapts to different environments, allowing him to survive underwater, in space etc (although it's not clear if this is the case in the MCU.)

I believe **Quicksilver** is much faster in the comics. He's been known to create whirlwinds, stuff like that. He heals faster and is tougher than a normal human. More is made of the idea that he's *always* fast, which makes him extremely impatient.

**Scarlet** **Witch** has even broader and vaguer powers than in the films. She can do basically anything. It's just ... magic. Usually she's *mostly* a probability manipulator, although she does other stuff. Also, she's famous for occasionally getting amped by some magic thing or another and rewriting reality across the entire planet.

**Hawkeye** has a flying motorcycle, and occasionally throws plates, coins, stuff like that when he doesn't have any arrows.

**Vision**'s actually less powerful; he can't do that internet trick. His powers are more well-defined: he can shoot blasts from his head-jewel (which absorbs "solar energy"), make himself denser to become invulnerable, make himself less dense to fly and phase through things. He time-travelled once, not sure how.


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

[User]
[Marvel/DC] Do other planets have as many supervillans as Earth does?

I realize that other civilized planets usually have one or two supervillans, but Earth seems to be filled with them. Do other planets just not have as many villans as ours, or do we just not see them because they stay away from Earth?

[Assistant]
Other planets have similar issues, but earth is in a rather odd situation where there's a lot of advanced alien technology and magic on the planet due to it's cosmic significance but not very advanced technology in police and military hands. Other worlds tend to either have fairly low tech and so only face the odd demon summoning or monster from beyond which can be handled by shaman, or are more advanced and so any inventions by geniuses can be handled by police who also have advanced weaponry and demons and other magical monsters likewise can be beaten down much more easily.

If the police and military are super, being a supervillain is a lot harder.

Notably, they don't stay away from earth. We often see and face alien supervillains. If you're in a high tech society and you want to be a supervillain you generally can't in your homeland because local police and military will shoot you to death with plasma weapons. You can go to a lower tech world like earth and beat on people there.


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

[User]
[616] Who is smarter Peter Parker or Dr Octopus?

I've heard that Peter is in the top 10 geniuses on Earth and wondered how Ock matches up.

[Assistant]
Peters in a weird place where he *could* be smarter than Doc, but isnt.

Hank Pym noted that while Peter was able to create technology that was comparable to his while he was still in high school, hes not as devoted to his studies as Pym and Octavius are which is probably what stagnates his potential.

Peter mentioned that hed thought of a better version of Ottos thesis, so its a coin toss to say whos smarter.


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

[User] [SpongeBob] If the sea creatures are all mutated toons because of the nuclear tests, why are the prehistoric creatures in SB-129 still mutated toons?

[Assistant] The simplest answer is that they're not, and that fan theory is wrong, which makes more sense anyway. We've seen numerous times that the creatures living in Bikini Bottom are not unique; sea creatures from far and wide are basically the same. Even Sandy, who isn't even from the ocean, is anthropomorphic and certainly not a "normal" squirrel.


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

[User] [LOTR] What, if any, were the powers of the lesser rings compared to the One Ring?

[Assistant]
The seven and nine ring's main power is to augment the natural abilities of the users- so generals become mightier, orators become better speakers, beautiful ones become more radiant. The the Nazgul became greater leaders and sorcerers and generals, the dwarven kings became immensely wealthy. It had the side effect of immortality and invisibility by turning you slowly into a wraith like shadow creature.

The three rings are different. Gandalf's Ring of Fire was said to "rekindle hearts in a world that grows chill". Elrond and Galadriel's rings granted them the power to magically protect their realms against Sauron and Morgoth's influence, and to do things like summon floods to wash away Nazgul. Vilya in Elrond's hands let him become the mightiest healer in the world, along with his elemental control.


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

[User] Can someone explain what is happening with the rebellion in Kiev?

[Assistant]
First of all: it's not a rebellion, it's a protest. Citizen's are calling for the impeachment of the president, Viktor Yanukovich.

Why is he being impeached? Cause he basically dicked the country over by telling the EU 'thanks for the invite, but if it's all the same with you we'll just hang out with Russia'. If you know anything about Ukraine's history, regardless of perspective, you'll notice that Russia ALWAYS shoves its nose in Ukraine's business. This is a conflict centuries in the making and has escalated to the point where Russia is now taking credit for cultural and historical achievements done by Ukraine.

Less with that, had Ukraine entered the EU we would have had lowered tariffs whenever we traded with other EU nations. There's other bonuses that come out of this (better international relations, economic support, etc) but this is one of the primary reasons Ukrainians want to be part of the EU, especially since exporting of raw resources is all its economy is now based on (graduates can't find work and people with jobs refuse to go into retirement and live off of pension).


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

[User] ELI5:In this age of computers and (near)instant processing, why do some things like standing orders, direct debits etc not get taken at weekends?

[Assistant]
Up until about 2005 the Bank of Queensland in Australia still used reel to reel tape for their nightly transfers.

I shit you not.

We are talking 1970's hardware like you see in an old bond movie.

The only reason they changed to cassette tapes (single spool data tapes not audio) was because the vacuum tubes in the reel to reel tape machine (the size of a standard fridge) failed and when the tech opened up the spare parts box the spare vacuum tubes had gone brittle and were useless.

They could have changed to cassette tape at anytime but if it's not broken why put the effort in.


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

[User] ELI5: If you imprisoned someone in a cell where they cant see the outside world at all, and gave them a clock that runs 3 times slower, would they eventually happily sleep once every three days, and for a long time? Why or why not?

[Assistant]
There have been studies that when deprived of natural light, the body will naturally drift toward a 48-hour sleep cycle (24hr awake, 24hr asleep)

I can't see the introduction of a slow clock having an effect at all.


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

[User]
ELI5: why do animals at the zoo often look very healthy and in shape, despite a relatively sedentary life style?

I don't see the Tigers running anywhere, but they're still relatively healthy in weight.

I also notice monkeys virtually never look fat, and more often than not, look plain muscular.

Yet the humans there are always super fat. What's the deal? It must be more than just diet.

[Assistant]
The animals get exactly the right food, in exactly the right amount and they are very closely supervised and monitored by animal medical experts.

If the humans lived in a cage where the only food they had to eat was the food their doctor thought would make them the most healthy, they would not be fat.

If the humans had nothing to do all day except play with enrichment items provided by their doctor to enable them to work out and maintain muscular physiques, they would look muscular.


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

[User]
Why does a long extension cord drop voltage measurably, but every home in the US gets 110V power, regardless of distance?

I can't figure out why putting my microwave at the end of a long extension cord changes its performance noticeably, but everyone seems to get the same service to their home, no matter where it is.

[Assistant]
Wire has resistance. A long thin wire will drop voltage in proportion to the amount of current that's flowing.

Power is distributed to homes at a high voltage and low current until it gets to the last transformer, and the voltage is adjusted along the way to compensate for losses.


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

[User] Why does the English language have a different word for prepared meat and the animal it comes from? (Eg. Pork and pig, venison and deer, beef and cow)

[Assistant] It comes from when England was invaded and conquered by the Normans from France in 1066. Being from France the Normans spoke French while the rest of the country being English spoke English. The English were mostly poor and did not eat a lot of meat though they did raise the animals. The Normans being the conquerers had more money and ate the meat but did not raise it. So we ended up having English names for the animals like cows and sheep, and French names for the meat like boeuf, and mutton. The French names eventually became the words we use today.


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

[User] why is it so important to keep trauma victims awake/alert on the way to the hospital, as in how does that aid in their chances of survival?

[Assistant] More often then not, its easier to monitor the condition of someone whose conscious. By simply talking with the first responder we know they have a viable airway and are breathing. A comatose patient is difficult to assess, as they cannot pinpoint the location of the injury, tell the medical staff how they feel, and communicate any changes in their condition.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Does being force sensitive make you live longer?

Im looking for canon answers.

I know it does in Legends, but is there any canon evidence that it does? The oldest known force user (Yoda) is the only member of his species with a known age, so his 900 year lifespan is irrelevant. The oldest known human force user (Palpatine) was pretty frail when he died, and looked at least twice his age.

Thoughts?

[Assistant] There's no real canon evidence for it, unless you count making yourself one with the force as "living". If anything, high force potential seems to have a negative impact on life expectancy, what with the risk of death from adventure as a jedi, and the near-inevitability of getting murdered as a Sith.


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

[User]
what is Transcendentalism?

I'm especially curious as to how it's different from individualism.

[Assistant]
Transcendentalism is a moral and spiritual philosophy, most strongly associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson and other writers of the 1830s and 1840s in the United States. For transcendentalists, truth comes not from physical evidence but from a sense of Truth that comes from communion with, for instance, nature.

Think of it like the force. There's a connection that links all living thingsa divine soul (but not necessarily a Godly thing). It's inherently good but has become corrupted by civilization, which splits man away from the oversoul. Humanity lives a dismembered existence as a result of the corrupting influence of civilization.

Individualism is part of the philosophy. Only if men are truly self-reliantthat is, only if they don't bend to the popular will or fashions of the time, or established authoritycan they regain the connection with nature and the transcendental oversoul.


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

[User] ELI5: how does Google profit from things such as free unlimited photo storage?

[Assistant] The main product that Google is selling is me and you. Their business is all about learning as much as they can about you and then selling that to advertisers. We are the product they monetize through ad sales. The same can be said for Facebook, probably to a larger degree. So your photos tell an awful lot about you. Where you have been, what you are doing, your lifestyle, you interests, even who you are with. Google is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Artificial Intelligence software that can accurately and quickly scan photos to determine their content. Also photos contain a lot of information that can say precisely where the photo was take, what time, which camera you used etc. All of this can be used to help sell more targeted advertising. Ever wonder how Google makes those really clever automatic Slide shows by grouping photos together? So the more photos Google has from you, the more it knows you and the more valuable as a product you become to Google.


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

[User]
ELI5: How did shampoo become popular if there aren't any benefits to using it?

I can see why once people start using it they don't want to stop due to greasy hair, but why did it start if its not useful? Also, if there are benefits that I don't know about, what are they?

[Assistant] There are a lot of benefits to using shampoo, you simply are not suppose to use it more than once or twice a week. Shampoo cleans your hair removing both dirt and natural oils. This is a good thing if not done too much.


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

[User]
What is Spinoza's influence on Hegel?

I am beginning to really get into Hegel for the first time and I have heard multiple people say Spinoza had a great influence on Hegel (and Marx).  I have not gotten into Spinoza yet.

Can someone explain Spinoza's influence on Hegel?

[Assistant]
Spinoza had extensive influence in German philosophy during the period of Hegel's maturation as a thinker, particularly owing to the Pantheism Controversy, which hurtled Spinoza into the limelight of the German intellectual scene. Though, for most German thinkers of this period, the Spinoza they encountered was Spinoza as presented in the documents of this controversy -- Mendelssohn's remarks on Spinoza, or Jacobi's, or Herder's -- rather than a Spinoza they were encountering through the primary sources.

Spinoza's role in the Pantheism Controversy made him a figurehead for general questions about the role of reason and the nature of the Enlightenment, but he also became influential during this period because he was perceived to be the great representative of an "objective" mode of doing philosophy, that was a contrast, corrective, or supplement to the "subjective" mode associated with Kant's idealism.

This context sets the stage for Hegel's engagement with Spinoza. But beyond this what Hegel found in Spinoza was also a philosopher of systematicity, who had presented an encyclopedic account of the various topics of philosophy derived from one another and organized according to foundational principles. And this would become the model for Hegel's own understanding of his mature system.


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

[User]
[Marvel]Can Deadpool be "killed" by his carbonanium sword?

I know not too much info about marvel comics, as I haven't really read any, so here goes. I'm aware DP was cursed by Thanos so that he couldn't die, because they both love Death. But, even so, DP has the same healing factor as Wolverine, which means it's not gonna be likely they can be killed. But, Dp has a sword which negates his healing factor, which he used to kill Wolverine. Does this mean that if someone were to use DP's own sword on him, that he wouldn't regenerate and would be essentially a seperated corpse?

Also, I heard Dp dies in a issue where two universes collide with eachother, as was a large amount of Marvel characters. How did that work that he was able to die there?

[Assistant]
Deadpools healing factor is so far beyond Wolverine's it's embarrassing. It also has this nifty trick where if Wade *wills* himself to heal, he will heal.

I don't think Carbonanium will work on Deadpool. It certainly doesn't when Omega Red gets frustrated with Wade.


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

[User] ELI5:why can celebrities sue the paparazzi? isn't it their right to sue someone who's following them all the time and taking pictures of them?

[Assistant]
Generally you can't sue, except in special cases.

 There's a thing called "expectation of privacy" which means you can have privacy from crazy stuff like this -- Bbut when you're a celebrity or public figure, your "expectation of privacy", courts have decided, is a lot less than Joe Schmo off the street, so some different rules apply, this is well known, settled and done.

Paparazzi people know the laws of what they are and are not allowed to do very well and always do their best to keep within it, so they cannot be sued.


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

[User]
Are organelles inside cells actually colored?

In cell models you can see the organelles colored in certain ways. Are they actually colored like this, or are they colored that way so we can differentiate them.

[Assistant]
Some are colored, but most are not*. Chloroplasts are a good example of organelles that are colored due to the presence of chlorophyll. Melanosomes are also colored due to the presence of melanin, just to name a couple examples.

*Technically, proteins and DNA absorb light, so you might consider calling them colored. However, most proteins absorb at 280nm (barring the presence of a chelated metal), so they would generally have absorbance outside of the visible spectrum.


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

[User]
[Steven Universe]Rose Quartz never meets Greg or give birth to Steven. How do the Crystal Gems deal with their challenges? (Spoilers)

Greg Universe heads to Empire City a day earlier and never meets Rose Quartz. As a result, Rose doesn't fall in love with Greg or any other human, never gives birth to Steven, and is still the leader of the Crystal Gems during the time of the show. How do they deal with the resurgent challenges from Homeworld?

While Lapis Lazuli would likely remain stuck in a mirror in Pearl's gem, so she wouldn't return to Homeworld and give them any information, assume Peridot still is scheduled to send her droids to check on the cluster. Otherwise they are pretty much doomed through ignorance.

1. Were Homeworld to send Jasper and Peridot in an armship could Rose defeat them? How would she react?
2. Could Rose pacify the cluster the way Steven did?
3. Would Rose choose to reveal herself as Pink Diamond at any point?
4. Even if she did would that be enough to change the other Diamonds' minds?
5. If she does, how does she deal with >!Spinel, armed as she is with a weapon that resets gems?!<

[Assistant]
Option One: Since they never built a house without a Steven to live in it, the robonoid droids land undetected at the warp pad outside the temple, teleport to the Galaxy Warp, repair it, and then Peridot, uninterrupted, sees no evidence refuting the evidence that Crystal Gems are still around, heads to the Kindergarten, does maintenance and check-up on the Cluster, teleports back and the Crystal Gems never know. In about a year, the Cluster hatches and Earth explodes, killing the Crystal Gems along with the planet.

Now, if we're being very generous, and assuming that Rose spotted the Robonoids at the same time that Steven did,, we have a different scenario. Everyone trusts Rose's judgment, so Garnet begins using her future vision to figure out where the Robonoids would land. They make it to the Galaxy Warp, but without a Crying Breakfast Friends sticker to make her wary and immediately bug out, Peridot then immediately warps to the Kindergarten. The Crystal Gems then break the Galaxy Warp, before following Peridot to the Kindergarten. There, they discover the fusion experiments, demanding answers from Peridot. Peridot is now trapped on Earth, overpowered by the four of them, even with her tech, as Rose is just that much more powerful. They get the information about the Cluster from Peridot as their prisoner. Rose isn't Steven though, so she sadly is forced to kill the cluster to save the planet. It hurts her, but she doesn't see another solution.

Peridot is bubbled, and no one cares to check up on her. Blue Diamond shows up for a visit, and then leaves without encountering any of the Crystal Gems. Rose hides in her room for the duration of Blue Diamond's trip to Earth. Eventually, another Peridot is sent to check up on the Cluster that seems to be growing behind schedule. Pearl has since left faked data that showed the Cluster was a failure. This... leads to Yellow Diamond invading directly. Earth needs to be destroyed directly then. Rose is forced to out herself to Yellow Diamond to stop a second war, she is taken back to Homeworld, left in a tower forever. (Earth also gets blown up. White Diamond wants loose ends taken care of.)


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

[User] ELI5: If inflation lowers demand, would that not eventually offset inflation naturally without government intervention?

[Assistant]
Some demands are more elastic than others.

Vacation homes?  Highly elastic demand that swells in good economic times and shrivels in downturns.

Food?  Highly inelastic demand.  You wont last long without that.

This makes the impact of inflation highly variable depending on what industry youre in and how much money you make.  Kraft and Ferrari dont sit on the same demand curves.


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

[User]
[Metroid/Halo] Would Samus make for a good SPARTAN?

Instead of Samus being taken in by the Chozo at a young age, she is instead taken by ONI to be placed in the SPARTAN II training program. She endures the same training and augmentation as the rest of the IIs, and receives her own set of Mark IV/V armour. Would she be just as effective as Chief and the res of the SPARTANs, or better? And would her effectiveness change the outcome of the Human/Covenant War?

[Assistant]
Samus was a "child of prophecy" according to the Chozo and was selected to save the galaxy from all the evils that haunt the Metroid universe but its not really clear how much of her ability and potential comes originally from her and how much comes from the Chozo technology, genetic engineering and chozo upbringing.

It could be that even without all the Chozo enhancements she could be peak human or higher. But we just don't know. As a spartan she would definitely be one tough ass-kicking SOB, but we just don't know if she would stand out from the rest of the exceptional crowd.


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

[User]
CMV: Pascal's wager, if taken at face value, proves that Christianity is the logically wrong choice.

For those that aren't familiar, Pascal's wager is an argument made by the 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal that essentially states that belief in God is logical and a lack of belief is illogical. The idea is, if you believe you stand to gain infinite benefit if you're right and you just live a moral life with no downsides if you're wrong, but if you don't believe you risk infinite loss if you're wrong and you gain a life of vice if you're right.

His goals were more along the lines of persuading non-believers to live a moral life than trying to logically prove that everyone should believe in God. There have also been many counter arguments made, but despite all that people still either invoke Pascal's wager or unknowingly use its logic in attempt to prove that the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible should be believed in and followed. I'm not really trying to bring up a new argument to disprove Pascal's wager, and I'm not trying to convince anyone who thinks it's a good argument to the contrary.

Really, I just had a shower thought and I want to know if my logic is flawed or if Pascal's wager indeed not only isn't a good argument, but if applied at face value actually proves that the Judeo-Christian god is the logically worst god to believe in, (or rather, that he's tied for worst.) When I say "take it at face value" I mean to apply his logic as he does while ignoring anything that makes it a non-starter.

On to my actual argument. Pascal's wager posits a false dichotomy; God exists, or God doesn't. In reality humans have worshipped countless gods throughout history and the wager, if reflective of reality, wouldn't be a 50/50 chance of picking the truth, but more like a 1-in-a-million chance of picking the right god. There are thousands, if not millions of deities that have been worshipped throughout history, and most of those are polytheistic. Hinduism alone has, in some texts, 330 million gods. When a polytheistic religion can have dozens or hundreds of named gods and a monotheistic religion can only have one, the number of monotheistic gods is inevitably going to be insignificantly small.

For simplicity's sake, let's say we have 9,000 polytheistic gods, 999 monotheistic gods, and atheos. Taking Pascal's wager at face value but removing the false dichotomy, we want to use logic to determine what belief will give us the highest chance of reward with the lowest chance of punishment.  Choosing atheism gives us a 1/10,000 chance of being right, but choosing any of the monotheistic gods also gives us only a 1/10,000 chance of being right, but choosing any of the polytheistic gods allows us to chose more than one god and have a greater than 1/10,000 chance of being right, therefore, if you want to use Pascal's logic not only should you not necessarily chose Christianity, but it's considerably worse than choosing any polytheistic religion.

You can essentially ignore hell, heaven, polytheistic religions that still hate you if you worship the wrong gods, religions that have no concept of punishment or reward in the afterlife, and all other minor factors because as long as choosing the Judeo-Christian god means spurning at least one possible deity that does offer eternal paradise and/or eternal punishment, choosing the Judeo-Christian god is as good as choosing no god, and if you chose a god that allows you to worship even one other god that offers infinite punishment and/or reward, then you're twice as likely to have picked the right god than if you'd gone with monotheism.

Edit: To clarify, I am not arguing the validity or efficacy of Pascal's wager, I am not trying for or against Pascal's wager, religion, polytheism, or anything else. My argument is essentially, "If we apply Pascal's wager to all gods that humans have worshipped instead of just the Judeo-Christian God, my view is that by the risk/reward weighing pragmatic logic of the wager and ignoring any outside parameters that the wager doesn't address, polytheism is the correct choice." CMV by proving that monotheism and/or atheism have an equal or greater value than polytheism based on the logic of the wager.

Also, I've awarded a few deltas to people pointing out that some deities don't require you to actively acknowledge them to reap their rewards. I don't think these make monotheism a better choice, because polytheism still gives you more options, but I admit that's a big detail to overlook. I'm not going to give deltas for that point anymore.

[Assistant]
Assuming that deities are mutually exclusive and only one or zero exist, atheism is more like a 9,999/10,000 bet, given that only one alternative is wrong.

But also, the logical choice, if you buy into Pascals logic, is to pick the deity with the worst possible punishment for non belief.  Its a hedging strategy at core, so you want to hedge against the worst outcome.  Im not enough of an expert on religion to know if Christianity fulfills that requirement.


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

[User]
[Futurama] How effective would tube travel be?

Me having a decent case of claustrophobia would probably never use them, but what about tube jams?

How did they work, vaccuum style?

How fast is a safe speed?

[Assistant]
>Me having a decent case of claustrophobia would probably never use them, but what about tube jams?

Tube jams are caused by jerks trying to pass on the right. It's an ongoing problem.

>How did they work, vaccuum style?

I believe that they use gravity rings to pull people and keep them safely in the center of the tube as they travel. It's the same kind of technology used for all manner of hovering stuff. You see air rushing around people being pulled in because air is lighter than people.

>How fast is a safe speed?

.5c is the max speed. The tubes can only support about 1/2 of infinite mass.


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

[User]
Why do ferrite beads attunate high frequencies?

Is this because:

Z = j\*omega\*L, where omega = 2\*pi\*f ? So for high frequencies, Z(impedance) is high. And then there's this: P = U\^2/R

R is real part of Z

so if we got high(is high the right word here?[english isn't my 1st language]) impedance then we have high rezistance and therefore power is low (for the same voltage). Is that correct or am I missing something?

[Assistant]
Current cannot instantaneously change in an inductor.  If there is no current, once it starts flowing it has to also induce that corresponding magnetic field the Faraday and Maxwell were all on about.  As the magnetic field increases, it opposes the current flow a bit.  After a period of time (some constant that is a property of the entire circuit) the magnetic field is fully established and current can flow at its full rate.

If current is already flowing and it stops, the induced magnetic field collapses and induces current back into the wire.  And this back induced current opposes the collapse of the magnetic field a bit.

If we're pushing a constant DC current, you can see how things reach equilibrium.  There are some start-up costs and a bit of trail-off when shut down, but otherwise works as expected.

If we slowly cycle the current it will kind of act like constant DC.  As we increase the frequency of the cycling, all those induced magnetic fields and collapse induced currents start to all interfere with one another and cancel out and the result on the other side of the inductor is (as frequency increases) just the underlying DC component of the signal (if it has some).


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

[User]
Will the Appalachian mountains erode completely?

I've read that they could've been as high as the Himalayas, but the mountains dont have any more activity that keeps them from eroding, will they vanish completely in the future?

[Assistant] It wouldnt be that they have activity that keeps them from eroding, it would be that they are still being formed, therefore growing, and that the growth equals or exceeds the rate of erosion since erosion is always going on. Colliding plates formed the Appalachian mountains, but these plates are no longer colliding so the mountains are no longer growing, only eroding. So yes, one day they will probably be completely gone, but not for a long long long time.


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

[User] Why do our mouths fill with saliva right before we vomit?

[Assistant] To protect your teeth from stomach acid, which essentially turns your enamel into gum. This is also why you shouldn't brush your teeth directly after, and not at all if you don't have fluoride mouthwash to use prior to brushing.


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

[User]
New chemical elements in space?

Is it possible that there are different chemical elements in space than those that are common on Earth?

[Assistant]
New chemical elements - no.  Antimatter elements - sure.  Uncommon elements - sure.

There are a lot of elements that aren't very common on earth that are more common in space, such as iridium (in asteroids), helium, etc.  There also may be anti-elements in space because there is no matter around to annihilate them.  But in terms of new elements in the periodic table, no.  That table is based on the number of protons atoms have.  You can't just fit new elements in between because you can't have atoms with a half-proton.  Elements with a different number of electrons are called ions and elements with a different number of neutrons called isotopes.

On the subject of anti-elements though, we may one day find stable matter which is not comprised of atoms at all, quarks and gluons in strange and unpredictably stable arrangements which we haven't seen before.  But we haven't found anything like this yet, and there's nothing to suggest that it's even likely.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] If you come from a strong wizarding family and have the magical gene within you from birth; but were also born with some form of crippling genetic issue (deaf, blind, missing hands, CP, mentally retarded etc) what kind of life could you be expected to have?

I feel like this wizarding world is only geared towards those who were blessed at birth without any issues; but blindness and deafism and CP are all very real and common problems.  If you were born with a debilitating limitation; are there people trained to work with you? Would wizarding schools accept you? Could you be taught how to silently cast a spell if you didn't know how to properly speak the incantation?

[Assistant] We see people who have magic but are disabled in some way. The Gaunts were inbred and definitely had the defects of it and Dumbledore's sister suffered brain damage at a young age. In both instances they ended up ignored by wizarding society as useless and untrainable. The more dangerous ones ended up in Azkaban.


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

[User]
ELI5 what the common cold would do if I had no immune system response to it.

If the cold symptoms we feel are the body's response to infection, what does the infection do if it faces no resistance? If it kills us, how?

I recognize that if I had no immune system respose, lots of things other would kill me. How would the common cold specifically do it is my question. Thank you!

[Assistant] The common cold is caused by any of up to 200 viruses (not bacteria).  If you could not get rid of it because you lack a functioning immune system, complications that exist even for those with a functional immune system, such as pneumonia, would be more likely to occur.


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

[User]
Where is all the money going?

Almost everything seems to be getting more expensive, to name a few: College, Healthcare, Housing and more niche markets like boats and airplanes.

But wages are not going up very much.

This doesn't seem to be sustainable.  People can't even afford to have kids, much less buy a house.

Why are all these things so expensive now?  Why aren't wages going up?  It's easy to blame the ceo's or whatever but if a ceo makes say a few million a year and employs 10,000 people (these are completely random numbers) that's only a few hundred per person which doesn't affect anything really.

So where is the money going?  I really don't understand.  And how can this be fixed?  Will it ever be fixed?  Wages can't magically double, triple, or quadruple.  But the costs of these things can't plummet either because that would cause a crash of the economy (particularly housing like in 2008).

I just don't get it, is there something I am not understanding?

[Assistant] Some things are more expensive, some things are less expensive. For instance, clothing, cars, cellphone service, computer software, and so on are all cheaper now than 10 or 20 years ago. On average, prices have been going up by about 2% a year, while median income goes up by slightly more than 2% a year, so that real median income has been slowly inching up.


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

[User]
[Blade Runner] Why did they make Synthetic Humans to use as workers and not robots?

Replicants just seem like a bad idea considering  the fact that they develop emotions and can make their own decisions. Robots would probably be cheaper to manufacture and aren't as prone to rebellion if programmed properly. Just make a trash can with arms and legs that can be easily pushed over if it gets a bit testy.

[Assistant] The issue is that replicants are intended to fill the same roles that a human would, and the Blade Runner world doesn't have robotics technology sophisticated enough to replace a human. Tyrell can't make a "trash can with arms" smart enough to serve as a surrogate human.


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

[User]
How are musical tastes developed? And do musical tastes necessarily have an effect on how a person behaves or acts?

I've always been curious about this.

Specifically, I'm wondering if someone has never heard music until they're 16 years old, and start listening to a broad range of genres, how would the person identify what their musical taste is? In this case, they wouldn't have an influence in their upbringing to what music is listened to.

And to the second question, I'm not really asking if the person is more violent for listening to screamo etc. but rather more small ways of thinking.

[Assistant]
What constitutes aesthetically appealling music has been argued quite a bit in the West by music theorists, philosophers, and musicologists over the last few millennia.  One common argument has been an appeal to natural law, from Pythagorean ratios and tuning to Rameau's explanation of major and minor harmonies and tonality being derived from the overtone series (and a speculative subtone series).  To some extent this line of reasoning continues today in the work of spectral music composers an theorists and outsider figures like the drone/raga/just intonation artist La Monte Young.

Other era specific theories you might find interesting are the baroque affects which ascribe a particular feeling and color to differing harmonies and the gallant style from the classical era (Haydn, Mozart, CPE Bach, etc.) that emphasized a simple elegance and eveness in phrasing, melody, and harmony.

Study of past ages and the eccentric tastes of foreign cultures during the 20th and 21st century has led most modern scholars to conclude that while these culture specific theories are neat, musical taste is almost entirely a product of environmental conditioning.  An appeal to nature only makes sense in a culture that values that sense of nature, the affects of the chords were learned, the gallant style was framed on either side by historical periods of immense complexity (late Baroque and Romantic). Isolated cultures often value the use of varying tuning systems, rhythmic frameworks, melody, timbre, etc.


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

[User]
ELI5: I'm trying to be as racially sensitive as possible, but for Sikh gentlemen, why do the younger boys wear the smaller turbans and when you get older you wear the one that covers all your hair? Is there some kind of promotion ritual or something?

I know people grow hair longer as they get older obviously as well, could that also be the reason?

[Assistant] no. no ritual or anything, not anymore. Although there was a ceremony type of thing back in the day most sikh men just today start wearing a turban because to us when a grown man wears a patka(smaller head covering you were talking about) it looks bad, wearing a turban with a beard looks good and there is a sense of pride for us to wear a turban. The turban for sikhs represents sovereignty and reminds us about how our previous generations fought for equality against oppressors.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Has the Empire/First Order ever seriously tried to enforce gun control in the galaxy?

Every one and their mothers are packing blasters, and gun fights break out semi-regularly across multiple systems.

Given that criminal gangs are highly active and the fact that an insurgency is currently trying to violently overthrow them, have galactic authorities ever tried universal disarmament?

[Assistant]
>Given that criminal gangs are highly active and the fact that an insurgency is currently trying to violently overthrow them, have galactic authorities ever tried universal disarmament?

Are you kidding? They can't enforce gun control in minor nation states or space stations, even.

I went this place near Alderaan called Ted's and everyone had guns.


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

[User] Could someone explain to me what a job in industry (molecular biology, biophysics, something along those lines) looks like? What's the biggest difference between industry and academia? Is one more rewarding/stable?

[Assistant] The reason you haven't gotten an answer yet is because there isn't one.  Just think about how many different types of academia jobs there are, all of the different types of appointments, all of the different departments, all of the different fields.  Now compare that to the private sector where the variability is so much greater.  A job in the industry can be very similar to academia research, or it can be totally different.  You can be stable and a tenured prof or you can be as unsteady as a lecturer.  Likewise, you can be as stable as an executive for a well-established company, or you can be as unsteady as a mid-level scientist after a merger.  Your question doesn't have a good answer, but the best anyone can say is that they're both jobs, they can both be rewarding, or they can both be hell.


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

[User]
[LOTR] How did Easterling and Haradrim officers coordinate with orc forces on the battlefield and during strategic planning?

Orcs don't seem to be the most collaborative people, even the orc captains. Do the orcs have overseers that do the collaboration/communication with other teams and the orcs have standing orders to follow whatever the overseer says? If so, who are these overseers?

[Assistant]
This is brought up in Tolkien's notes- for all their malice, Orcs must have *some* grasp of loyalty and co-operation to be a functional army. They can't be fully hostile to everything or they wouldn't be a threat to anyone.

So, the answer is simply that they met with the Orc Captains and discussed plans. Orcs are soldiers and soldiers, even evil soldiers, need the ability to interact with their allies.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do humans get impulses to do things they know are incredibly stupid? (I.e. Standing on a cliff and having the impulse to jump off)

[Assistant]
It's a mental phenomenon called "Call of the Void".

Have you ever stood near an edge and considered jumping off?

Driving a car and imagining yourself crashing head first into a tree?

It's kind of your mind's way of doing things before you actually do them. It's a survival instinct we developed back then (imagining ourselves dying when we walk into a dark cave helps a bit).


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

[User] ELI5 if nicotine flushes out of your body within a week, why do ex smokers have physical cravings even long time after quitting?

[Assistant]
The nicotine doesn't directly cause the cravings. Instead, when you use nicotine for an extended period of time your body starts to assume it's always going to be there, so it adjusts itself appropriately.

When you stop ingesting nicotine suddenly your body doesn't have it anymore and so you feel like your lacking something. Just like a wound takes a while to heal after the knife has left, it takes a while for your body to adjust itself back to the way it was after the nicotine is gone.

This applies to any substance we use to alter our body from caffeine, to alcohol, to heroin.


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

[User]
ELI5: What causes us to wake up right before the alarm goes off?

I never have problems sleeping through an alarm because I always wake up right before an alarm even though I have different alarm times almost every day. Why and how does this happen?

[Assistant]
Your body has proteins that act like grains in an hourglass. When they run low your body knows it's time to go to sleep. While you sleep the hourglass fills back up until it's full enough that your body starts to wake up.

If you keep a regular schedule, your body's natural cycle will start to sync with your artificial cycle (the alarm clock)...so your body will start to naturally wake up at the same time your alarm clock is set to wake you up.


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

[User] ELI5: How do scientists figure out how much planets & stars weigh?

[Assistant] Everything in the universe exerts a gravitational force on objects. This force is relative to the mass of the object which can be determined mathematically. By looking at the effects larger objects have on smaller ones, we are able to determine the approximate masses of planets and stars.


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

[User]
How does mold on a bathroom counter get its food source?

One time I was at a public bathroom and noticed some mold growing under neath the tub that made up the sink, and it got me thinking. The mold probably isn't using the porcelain counter top as a source of food, but there's no obvious sign of organic material or glucose anywhere. And it is growing from a place where sunlight could not reach it.

 How does it grow and sustain itself?

[Assistant]
Molds are a type of fungi and don't rely on photosynthesis for energy. In fact, UV radiation actually inhibits mold growth (so they thrive in dark places).

They release enzymes to break down organic material (the bathroom counter is likely covered in dead bacteria, dead skin cells, etc...). They then use this digested material as their energy source.

Lastly, they require a lot of moisture. Molds grow best in damp or humid areas. There would be lots of water from the sink to help them grow.

(Currently a Master's student in biology)


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Why did Jango use Kaminoan poison darts to kill Zam Wesell?

Wouldn't Jango already have preferred weapons and he wouldn't just use a Kaminoan weapon just because he's been to Kaminoan recently? Similarly why would Obi-Wan assume the source of the dart would lead him to Jango? Jango likely uses the best weapons from around the Galaxy and usage of a particular weapon doesn't mean he is at the manufacturing location of that weapon. Did the Kaminoans just by chance have the best assassin weapons and it was just coincidence they were making the Clone Army?

[Assistant] Well they killed Zam instantly and could be fired from a few buildings away along with being small and clearly hard to trace, so thats a plus in their favor. Obi-Wan had no idea about who Jango was or what his deal was besides kinda looks like a Mando, so tracing his weaponry to the source is always going to at least possibly giving him a lead if not the direct source.


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

[User] ELI5: what is IP sniffing ?

[Assistant] Inside of wires that connect almost EVERY computer in the world, you have a whole bunch of little letters (packets) that are being sent between the computers. These letters have (IP) addresses of where they came from and where they need to go so that the people who deliver those letters (routers) know where they go and the computer that gets it can send a message back if it needs to. Sometimes people like to look in the wire and just see the information in those letters. A lot of times it's harmless people and students trying to learn more, but sometimes it's bad people. Sometimes those bad people want to steal those addresses and use them in a mean way. Sometimes they might take the letter so that they can send a message back pretending to be the computer.


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

[User]
I'm having some trouble understanding Hegel's Lordship and Bondage

When Hegel talks about the Bondsman's "fear of death" and "absolute negativity," I'm confused as to what he is actually referring to. Is he referencing the Bondsman's simultaneously inessential and essential relationship with the Lord, in that the Lord depends on the Bondsman to affirm himself but also considers the Bondsman to be like an object? I somewhat understand how the fear of death is needed to give meaning to work, but I don't really get get how this relates to the Lord. Is the Lord not a *pure being-for-itself* like the Bondsman because it does not work or have the fear of death?

Additionally, what does Hegel mean in this passage (Phenomenology of Spirit 191):

>For what the bondsman does is really the action of the lord. The latter's essential nature is to exist only for himself; he is the sheer negative power for whom the thing is nothing. Thus he is the pure, essential action in this relationship, while the action of the bondsman is impure and unessential. But for recognition proper the moment is lacking, that what the lord does to the other he also does to himself, and what the bondsman does to himself he should also do to the other. The outcome is a recognition that is one-sided and unequal.

This passage, for reference, is before the parts about fear of death and work.

Thanks!

[Assistant]
Remember, Lord and Bondsman are the product of a struggle *to the death* for recognition. The Bondsman became a Bondsman precisely because he *feared* death, i.e. he gave up the struggle, he surrendered to the Lord rather than continue to stake his life in the struggle, and thus entered bondage to the Lord.

Hegel's point is this: whereas self-consciousness began the struggle thinking that *staking* one's life was what was required to prove one's self-conscious status qua absolute negativity, the Bondsman comes to learn that *fear of death* itself is that very negativity (in the fear of death, "everything solid and stable [is] shaken in its foundations", etc.). The Lord has not experienced the fear of death, and so it has not truly experienced negativity (thus the rest of the *Phenomenology* can be thought as following the consciousness of the *Bondsman*).

In the passage you've cited, Hegel is explaining why the Lord-Bondsman relationship is an instance of *mis*recognition. The Bondsman's work is "really the action of the lord" because the Bondsman qua Bondsman only does the work the Lord commands him to do. Thus only the Lord exists for himself, he is the essential party: the Bondsman is unessential qua mere tool or instrument of the Lord's will. But if this is so, then any recognition that might exist between Lord and Bondsman is "one-sided and unequal": the Lord cannot recognize himself in the Bondsman, nor can the Bondsman recognize himself in the Lord, since their very positions as Lord and Bondsman are fundamentally unequal.


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

[User] eli5: How do your gums hold onto your teeth?

[Assistant]
Dentist here. Imagine how velcro works. There's hooks on one side and loops on the other. The hooks attach to the loops and are stuck. In a similar sense, your gums are actually attached directly to your tooth with ligament fibers, which are like the hooks. These fibers in the gums are collectively called the periodontal ligament (PDL). So what does the PDL attach to on the tooth? Your tooth has a layer on the roots called cementum (this is the loops). So your gums are stuck onto your tooth this way. But this is one velcro you don't want to pull off. It's rare for it to reattach back the same way once the gum is separated from your teeth.

It's a liiiitle more complicated than that in reality, but that's the gist of it.


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

[User]
Is the dialectic method truly a science?

When I say dialectic I mean Marxist dialectic. In the socialist literature, I read Marx and Engels both refer to dialectic as a scientific method, Stalin's writings as well.

It is repeated over and over it is a scientific method.

When I think of dialectic I think of having a thesis, and attempting to prove, disprove or expand on it the thesis or creating an antithesis that evolves that original into something new.

According to Marx contradictions cause this for example the contradictions of class society, working-class, and capitalist class with their opposing interests.

Can this be regarded as science though?

[Assistant]
Wissenschaft in German is a broad term, and in Hegel in particular (where M&E get their definitions and much of their theory from) it means the systematic and rigorous pursuit of knowledge. This inevitably involves empirics in many spheres, but is not reducible to empirics.

Marxism is a systematic worldview that has significant ontological commitments, epistemological commitments, and so on, which are built up through the dialectical interplay of theory and empirics. These in turn have methodological implications, both for study and for action. In this way, Marxism is a science.


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

[User]
Why is carbon dioxide used in fizzy drinks and not another gas?

Why not use nitrogen which is a more abundant or another gas?

[Assistant]
A big reason is solubility. CO2 is soluble in 10 degree C water up to about 2.5 g per liter. Nitrogen is only soluble to 0.025 g per liter under those conditions. Oxygen for instance is at 0.055 g per liter.

Some gases are higher, but you don't want to drink them - ammonia can reach 700 g per liter, chlorine gas is around 10 g per liter, SO2 it's 170 g per liter.

There are other benefits, too - it's reasonably safe to consume, can be produced in situ by multiple reaction schemes, and the carbonic about formed in water gives a taste that fans of sparkling water will know well.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do painkillers work?

For example, if I have a headache, when I take a painkiller does it fix the problem that's causing my headache or does it just block the pain receptors and the problem remains? If the problem remains, wouldn't it be bad to take painkillers?

[Assistant]
They block your pain reception. Some have other effects too that reduce inflammation for example.

In general that *can* be good, because your reaction to pain (stress, clenching) can make it worse.

But in general the cause stays, and painkillers are rarely a good longterm solution.


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

[User]
How does one work in industry and do their masters?

As the title suggests, I work for a company where people have completed their masters while working. I'm just curious about how this works. Do I still get paid my 40 hours a week? Do I conduct my research at work or at the school? I assume I have to stay on top of my regular work duties? Any info is appreciated I'd like to start reaching out to the prof I'm interested in working with, but would like some background knowledge beforehand.

I have a bachelors in chemistry and would like to take a masters in engineering. I work at a bio remediation / environmental company.

[Assistant]
You need to ask your manager/HR. No one here can tell you how your company works.

Some places have specific agreements with particular universities and others will just contribute towards the fees of a relevant degree. Some places will allow you to dedicate some of your work time to study, other places don't and you have to do it outside of hours. Sometimes you can tailor the research part to link to a project as part of your work, sometimes you have to do research at the university. It depends what master's you do and what your company allows.


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

[User]
[Elder Scrolls] Can a person live solely off of healing potions?

I'm guessing different races have different dietary requirements (bosmer are physically able to live without any plant material, beast races probably *couldn't* live off of a plant-only diet, but human races have more human-like diets). Would a healing potion bypass the need to take in nutrition? If so, would it work just as effectively for all races?

[Assistant] Healing potions wouldn't bypass basic nutritional needs. They contain certain chemicals and plants, usually augmented by magic, in order to provoke a specific reaction - usually an increased metabolic process to heal wounds in the body, or restore a body to a previous state by undoing damage. However, everything that potions heal are external - things like physical wounds or poisons, rather than effecting the "base" needs or changes a person goes through.


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

[User] [Doctor Who] Why does the TARDIS not translate when the Tenth Doctor says "Allonsy"?

[Assistant] The TARDIS is a sapient and telepathic being, not an automatic process. It can sense intent and translate the import of language, rather than its precise vocabulary. It knows when the Doctor doesn't want something translated, and it acts accordingly.


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

[User] ELI5: Why can you grow a plant hydroponically but if you take the same plant in dirt you can over water it and kill it?

[Assistant]
Plants breathe through their roots. If the soil is wet and the water has no dissolved oxygen in it then the plant will suffocate.
Hydroponic water has air pumped into it through a bubler system to keep its dissolved oxygen levels up so the plants can breathe.


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

[User]
[Disney] Do Disney's anthropomorphic characters live in the same universe?

I rewatched ''An extremely goofy movie'' today and I became curious as to whether or not characters like Micky, Mini, Donald, and Daisy existed in the same universe as the Goofy movies.

99% of the characters we see throughout the Goofy movies are anthropomorphic dogs but Pete is a cat so it seems plausible that other anthropomorphic characters of different species could exist in that universe as well?

Do Disney's main cast of anthropomorphic characters live in the same universe or do they all live in separate universes?

[Assistant] I dont know if that was the intent in A Goofy Movie, but in the new Ducktails cartoon they confirm that all of the classic anthropomorphic characters are in a shared universe (except Darkwing Duck, who is a fictional character in that reality).


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

[User]
ELI5: European soccer leagues

I'm American, and played soccer as a kid, but I never paid attention. I've watched a few big Mens World Cup, and I like watching.

I want to start following a league, and Barclays Premiere League seems the most accessible. I've heard of Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, but that's basically it. What leagues consistently have the best soccer to watch? Besides Premiere League, what are other leagues soccer fans typically follow?

Followup question: what random team should I adopt?

[Assistant]
In a nutshell, every country has its own league, from the big boys like Spain and England to minnows like Moldova and Wales. The top teams from each league play each other in the Champions League every year, with the Europa League as a sort of second-tier Champions League for good teams that didn't quite do as well.

The best advice is pick a league to start following (whatever's most on tv near you is a good idea) and pick a team. Do some research into the clubs and find one that represents you. Keep in mind as well that with promotion and relegation (imagine every year if the top AAA teams in baseball were promoted to the Majors and the worst MLB teams relegated to AAA), that if you pick a small club, they might not be around in the Premier League next year.

Top clubs in England with long histories and likely to remain competitive for a long time are, in no order, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Everton, Liverpool, Man U, Man City and Chelsea. Some would add Newcastle United to that list as well though they're currently in a major period of instability.

Don't pick Manchester United or you're a twat.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are Roundabouts a common traffic control feature in Europe but not in America?

[Assistant]
If you look at a map of a typical American city and compare it to a European city, you will see Americans favor grid layouts while Europeans are more...organic. This is an artifact of history - most American cities were consciously settled as such and planned, whereas European cities often developed through history.

This starts to become important which you consider that a grid layout will have far, far more intersections than the more spaghetti-like layout in Europe. Further, the grid offers traffic more options, whereas in most small and medium European towns there is really only one way in, out or through, so traffic gets concentrated on certain streets more.

These two factors make the trade offs associated with a roundabout (uses more real estate, improves traffic flow) much more attractive in European city plan than an American one. It's also not a coincidence that the roundabouts you do see in the US are in its oldest areas.

Bottom line is similar to high-speed rail, the US isn't just stubborn or stupid, the proposition simply isn't as attractive due to how it is laid out.

Source: lived on both American coasts and now in Europe.


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

[User]
[General Sci Fi] If most planets were habitable, how important would security of an interplanetary facility be?

Suppose space travel is possible, and I'm making a top secret lab on a remote planet in the middle of a random galaxy. How much of my budget should go towards security measures?

[Assistant]
Security measures as in keeping people from finding the planet or facility or keeping it hidden when people are living on the planet?

How cheap or common is space travel? Would your average space trucker Larry own his own ships?


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

[User]
Why is it much harder to recite the alphabet in reverse than numbers when both follow a set order?

Both numbers and the alphabet follow a set order. "b" comes after "a" just as 2 comes after 1. But it is way more easier to recite numbers in reverse from any arbitrary number given but it is harder to recite the alphabet in reverse without practice.

[Assistant]
Numbers follow a defined pattern that repeats after 10 items. You only have to remember 9 8 7 6.... Regardless of where you start, you know the next number down is one decrement from the previous, with a tens place to start. From fifty-seven you know the next is 56. Once you get to 50, all you need to know is that the next tens value down is forty and you know its 49.

The alphabet doesnt really work that way. What is the relationship between o and n? Or k and j? Or T and H? You have to memorize the entire string, rather than a simple pattern. Its the same for when you first learned the alphabet. You memorized the order of letters. You just havent done that in reverse.


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

[User]
[Avengers: Endgame] What would Thanos new universe have been like?

According to Thor and Cap, in their final confrontation with Iron Man against Thanos, he said he was going to shred this universe down to its last atom, and then... create a new one teeming with life that knows not what it has lost, but only what it has been given. A grateful universe.

But since his original plan that resulted in The Blip (I thought The Snappening was better, but it looks like The Blip is just what everyone is saying now) was reportedly to counteract overpopulation, wouldnt this plan to create a universe teeming with life just make an even bigger overpopulation problem? Or was he actually capable of creating a perfect, joyful paradise full of happy, benevolent beings that live in constant gratitude toward him? Would we all have been recreated there?

When Im not having nightmares about watching my girlfriend turn to dust in front of me (I didnt date while she was gone so were back together now! ) Im lying awake wondering what the hell wouldve actually happened if Thanos had won that day...

Does Dr. Strange know? Has anyone asked him???

[Assistant]
First of all these are the ramblings of a mad man that is salty that people don't appreciate his genocide.

Secondly it seems like he was trying to create a universe in his image, so maybe it would be like the current one.

But the beings in it see Thanos as God and religiously follow his ideology. Kind of like the Black Order or the Centauries. So they vigorously enforce population control and regularly kill half of the population.


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

[User] [Mario] So who's Bowser Jr.'s mother anyways?

[Assistant] Only Bowser (and likely Bowser, Jr.) know. Unlike Mario and Link, who leave their respective Princesses in easy-to-nab areas, Bowser keeps his queen in a safe area well away from the front lines of battle.


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

[User]
How did the Apollo spacecrafts get past the Van Allen Radiation belt?

Had a family friend tell me about this and I wanted to know if you guys have the answer to this .

[Assistant]
Quickly. They did not dilly dally, they did the lunar insertion burn from below the belts in Earth orbit and hauled butt through them. They also angled the trajectory intentionally to miss the worst of the belts on the way to the Moon.

Even so there are accounts of the astronauts being able to close their eyes and see "sparkles" as charged particles zapped through their retinas while they were going through the belts. Which is kind of spooky to think about. Luckily the Earth is inherently slightly radioactive and the body can cope with a certain level of radiation dosage over time.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do we constantly rub our eyes when we're tired?

[Assistant] If we haven't slept in a while, our eyes begin to hurt or itch. This is because, as humans, we rely heavily on our sense of sight. Because of this, our eyes get no rest while we are awake. Whether it's blinking, straining or simply focusing our sight, our eye muscles are constantly at work. When we sleep, we can finally close are eyes and let them rest without having to see anything. With all of this in mind, rubbing our eyes is a way of sort of massaging the muscles around our eyes as we would if we had a sore wrist. The more tired we are and the less we've slept, the more our eye muscles get tired and want to relax. Hope this helped :)


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

[User]
[LoTR] What would be the likely chain of events if Frodo and Sam had fell in Mordor?

How would Sauron's dominance spread over Middle Earth? Would the Elves all flee beyond the sea never to return, or would there be any kind of resistance from the free people of Middle Earth?

[Assistant] King Aragorn and his army, those who remained after the battle at Minas Tirith, would have fallen at the gates of Mordor. The Elves were already in the process of leaving and Gondor's armies were basically gone. There might have been pockets of resistance, but it's unlikely that it would be more than isolated acts of terrorism. It would likely take millenia for a full-on rebellion to organize.


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

[User]
[Skyrim] how messed up is Skyrim's economy?

Gold seems to be practically worthless in the ES universe. It's so easy to come by that finding a gold coin is the equivalent of digging up pocket lint. This shit is everywhere! Odds are on an average day of ~~antiquing~~ ADVENTURING you'll scrounge up more than enough to top up Scrooge Mc'Duck's olympic-sized infinity pool.

No wonder everyone in the game is a bandit and there's only like 20 farmers in the entire country. How horribly inflated is your economy when you don't even bother having lesser denominations of currency? Or when renting a room in some fleabag inn costs more than what an Earth peasant makes in a lifetime? You could argue that coins are just gold-plated or gold ore is super abundant but that's never even implied in the game.

Then you have every joe-blow wizard who can transmute iron ore into silver or gold! You don't even have to work very hard at it, it's not like you're some alchemist questing after the philosopher's stone or pussying around with some "law of equivalent exchange" bullshit. That said, a chunk of solid gold ore the size of your fucking head won't even buy you a house in the snobby Cloud District. You'll need to pay the GDP of Saudi Arabia just to live in Breezehome, a 1 bed/no bathroom house so shitty it's own name implies it's drafty as hell (not to mention your reward for saving the city from a frickin dragon is being able to *buy* ONE horribly marked up property, fucking jarls). Jesus, is Whiterun just the fantasy version of Vancouver?

So clearly there's some serious inflation going on.

[Assistant]
The main reason that gold isn't as expensive is one you've already listed - Magic. When mages can create gold from iron, the price of gold will drop.
The truly expensive things in skyrim are the things which are hard or impossible to reproduce, such as enchantments, rare or unique weapons and armour, and potent potions and poisons.
The recent breakthrough in smithing, Dragon Bone/Scale armour, and the Dragon Bone weapons that accompany these sets, are extremely rare, and can sell for more than the price of a house, especially if tailor-made, or enchanted.
Why do the peasants worry for food when gold is in such abundance? Simple, as much gold there is in the world, it matters not a jot if there is no food to buy. Skyrim's harsh winters and hardy land make growing food hard, and with the recent rebellion, imports are becoming rarer, and more expensive.
Breezehome is expensive not because it is extremely large and spacious, but because it is inside the hold's walls, offering protection from bandit raids and the like. You could easily build a home outside the walls for far less, but chances are, before long you would have to fend off bandits, werewolves, or even a rogue wizard or two!
Also, these left about coins you go on about, are mainly hidden within tombs, ruins and the like, left there as an offering to dead family members, or have been left there for centuries, since the ruin was last sealed up, likely during the ancient times.


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

[User]
How do you come to terms with your place on the global academic ladder?

I mean, it seems like there are always better researchers, at better institutions with better facilities and opportunities.  Except for the tiny minority at the very top, most people have to accept that even with a PhD they are far from the top (or work like mad to get there).  I guess it's a kind of inferiority complex, but in such a competitive environment it would seem inevitable.

I guess I tell myself that I'm just not as intelligent as others, or didn't have the same opportunities, or I don't want to sacrifice my lifestyle to be at the top.

Anyone care to comment?

[Assistant] Much of this seems like a dire lack of perspective (along with a healthy dose of feeling sorry for oneself).  Perhaps you should focus on the fact that you have had the privilege of attending relatively great schools in pursuit of your dreams, which countless others in this world will never have a chance to attempt regardless of ambition or aptitude.  It's easy to lose sight of the real world when wrapped up in academia, but if we've made it through an advanced degree program then we've achieved elite status in terms of education and skills (which translates to money and power), which is out of reach for the majority of the world's population.


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

[User] We've been hearing about the soon-to-come male contraceptive pill for years and years now, why is it not on the market yet?

[Assistant]
Regardless of poor journalism, drug approval can take many many years after discovery. Even if it's a drug that's already approved for one purpose, getting approval to treat something else with the same drug requires the process all over again. Safety trials, tolerability trials, and efficacy trials all take time and (lots of) money. After approval, pharma companies still have to get healthcare providers to pay (no easy feat).

It's a complicated process intended to prevent unsafe drugs from going to market, and to prevent placebo drugs from beings sold as effective. It in turn means that if a research lab finds a molecule that is remarkably effective at treating a disease or disorder, it can be decades before a consumer can walk into a pharmacy to get it.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is Harriet Tubman going to be on the $20 bill?

[Assistant] No one's going to mention that Harriet Tubman was also a badass spy during the Civil War? She's the first American woman to lead an armed expedition in wartime when she freed over 700 slaves at Combahee Ferry.


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

[User] Why don't we put enlarged gyroscopes in robots to help them balance?

[Assistant]
The bigtime robots almost always use "static" poses.  That is, at any point in the walk cycle of most robots, they could freeze totally and not fall because their weight is over a foot.  They fall when this is no longer true for some reason.

Robots don't do this because balancing is hard, they do it because falling is just potentially that expensive.  A gyroscope wouldn't solve falling, it would just slow it down, and probably not by much.  It would DRAMATICALLY increase the complexity of moving for very little benefit.  The reaction time you gain is insignificant- the robot already has plenty fast balancing sensors and computers, but the if the situational awareness to correct a fall isn't there, more time won't help.


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

[User]
ELI5: What has been going on with Dell for the past few months?

I'm aware that Michael Dell wants to take the company private, however, I'm quite confused about the role of Carl Icahn and Silverlake Partners in the whole deal. I've been loosely following the news and would appreciate any input from you guys.

[Assistant]
Silverlake Partners is helping Michael Dell in his bid to take the company private.  Silverlake is providing a lot of the cash and guidance to do this.

Carl Icahn wants the company to remain public, and he's fighting Silverlake/Michael Dell to prevent this from happening.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] If the Sith, and Palpatine in particular, follow the "Rule of 2" then why was he okay with tons of Inquisitors running around during the early years of the empire?

The only way I can see it working is based off a technicality of them not being proper Sith but Palpatine doesn't strike me as the person to use such loopholes to get away with things. As well as this the rule doesn't really seem to be a thing that can be handwaved away since the whole point of it's existence is to primarily protect Palpatine from his apprentices.

I just don't get why he was chill with all these quasi Sith Lords running around. What if Vader worked with them to betray the old man and rule the empire himself? There was at least seven of them that I have seen and he was alone with them routinely. This seems to be the exact thing the Rule of 2 would have disallowed.

Even in Disney Canon itself Palpatine orders the killing of Ventress in Clone Wars in order to follow the Rule of 2. That's just one person! Why the fuck did he a few years later decide it was okay to have at least 7 little Ventress' running around the Galaxy?

[Assistant] Palpatine also doesn't care about rules. Every Sith thinks they're the best and most powerful. He wants to control the galaxy, you need a few enforcers. He probably doesn't consider them his apprentices, but it's not like he didn't have other apprentices as well.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is it so easy for us to concentrate for hours on movies, video games, etc but so hard to maintain our attention span for minutes on academic activities?

[Assistant] Movies, games etc provide an instant dopomine release, which encourages you to continue (instant gratification). When studying you dont get the dopamine release until a lot longer, when you ace a test or feel proud of yourself for studying all day.


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

[User] [DC] I'm a new supervillain in Metropolis. I can't find any Kryptonite, but I read in the Daily Planet that Superman's powers come from the sun. Is there a reason this weakness isn't exploited by his enemies more often, or should I try to beat the Man of Steel by cutting off his power source?

[Assistant]
People tried it, trust me. The issue is, that while he really does absorb power from the sun, he tends to retain that power well long enough for him to finish any business that bothers him. He won't be depowered just by locking him in a dark room.

So taking advantage of this would require a convoluted series of contraptions to lure Superman in and HOLD Superman in for a prolonged amount of time, and few supervillains have access to this sort of resources.


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

[User]
[Civil War] The Winter Soldier's Orders?

So Zemo has Bucky in front of him, he said the code words that brought out the Winter Soldier, and he asked about the day Stark's parents died. What other orders did he give to the Soldier? was it just "get me out of this place?" That seems like a seriously wasted opportunity on Zemo's part. He could have ordered him to do anything.

[Assistant] Yes he could of had him do anything, but Zemo needed the answers he was looking for. He does not want Winter Solider to kill any of them, he wants them to do that to each other for there own reasons.


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

[User] ELI5:Why is controlling your own breathing so uncomfortable?

[Assistant] because breathing is usually mediated by CO2 levels in the body- CO2 levels rise, and you instinctively breathe out. When you breathe manually, you are ignoring CO2 levels and just breathing when you think you should or need to take a breath, so your bodies CO2 levels are not regulated properly. This is uncomfortable because we don't like CO2.


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

[User] Are there any known cultures where it is or was common to practice sex openly in front of others, including children?

[Assistant]
I am not so sure about this one. Our anthropological sources, who were mainly missionaries or 'proper' 19th century men, were not so keen on recording sexual practices, and if they did, they often did it with an exotic message in mind (to show how 'uncivilised' or different other peoples were).

I read that in the Middle Ages in Europe, sex would have been openly practiced in the house, so in front of one's own children, as there was often only one bedroom. Also, in inns sex would have been public, again because of the single sleeping quarter available. Couple this with the double function of many inns as brothels, and you get almost roman orgy-like things going on in those places.

I think it would be safer to put the question the other way around, and question in which societies, and how strongly, the taboo on sex was maintained.


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

[User]
[Star Trek TNG] Why isn't the technology that allows Geordi to see more widely used?

His vision is far superior to "normal" vision. I guess I can understand people not wanting the surgery for the eyes we see in the later movies, but doesn't everybody have a visor like his? They're extremely useful. Who wouldn't want to see almost every spectrum of light?

[Assistant] It strains your optic nerves and causes headaches. Geordi talks to Dr. Crusher about it in one of the first episodes. Her only treatment options were surgery to deaden the nerves, or medicine to do it without opening him up. Both were denied by Geordi because he claimed they would make him less efficient.


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

[User]
ELI5: What causes nosebleeds?

I had a recent nosebleed, and I'm curious. Please stick with the sudden-rush kinds of nosebleeds. Thanks.

1. What causes nosebleeds?
2. What is the evolutionary purpose of nosebleeds?
3. What would happen if you let a nosebleed run without stopping it?
4. Why do I most often get a nosebleed while I'm sleeping? And why do I suddenly jolt awake when I get one?

[Assistant]
1. Nosebleeds are caused by small blood vessels close to the surface of the skin in your nose breaking and bleeding. The lining of your nose is covered with mucus; this is something everyone already knows. This mucus, combined with nose hairs, serves to protect your body from inhaling things that could make you sick. When, for whatever reason, the mucus layer dries up, the blood vessels are more prone to breaking without the slippery mucus for protection.

2. There isn't an evolutionary purpose to the bleeds themselves, they're a side effect of having the blood vessels so close to the lining of the skin. The evolutionary purpose behind THAT is to help warm the air as you breath it in so the cold air doesn't shock your system so much. Have you noticed that when it's cold outside, breathing air through your mouth for a long time is uncomfortable in your chest, but breathing through your nose only makes your nose cold? That's because that mucus and those blood vessels help warm the air for your body.

3. Without stopping any bleed you would eventually get light-headed and pass out. That's true of any bleed. BUT, nosebleeds are not usually serious enough bleeds for that to happen, let alone to cause permanent damage, even if left open for a long time. They tend to clot on their own as long as you don't keep disturbing them.

 Interesting aside: A lot of people are told to tilt their head back and pinch their nose when it starts bleeding. This is wrong, and potentially dangerous, because not only are you stopping the blood from clotting by shunting it away into your throat, but if you aren't paying attention it could go down the "wrong pipe" into your airway (rare). The proper way to stop a nosebleed is to pinch your nostrils shut tight while tilting your head forward. The blood will pool downward, and with no place to go the clotting factors in your blood will clump together and it will clot faster.

4. While you're sleeping you breath through your nose (usually). This can dry out the mucus layer and make you more prone to nosebleeds. A dry mucus layer and the friction of the air constantly passing over the skin can cause a bleed if the blood vessel is thin enough and close enough to the surface. As to why you jolt awake, probably because your body can sense that something is wrong. The truth is, the science behind how/why we wake up is actually pretty unknown.


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

[User]
(Star Wars) What changes did Luke Skywalker implement to the Jedi doctrine when refounding the order?

For example: According to legends, his Jedi were able to marry. Luke Skywalker himself was even said to have married Mara Jade, a turned assassin who became a Jedi herself.

How did Luke justify these changes? Did he consult the Force Ghosts of Obi-Wan or Yoda and how did they feel about these changes?

[Assistant]
Most of the new initiates were adults who had their own lives already, friends, family, children, spouses.   They simply could not abandon them.

The New Jedi Order was much greyer than the previous order, open to darker powers to a certain degree. Jedi Master Katarn openly used dark side powers, as did Luke Skywalker.