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

[User]
CMV: The Furry Community Shouldnt Get As Much Hate As It Does.

Hear me out, I used to hate furries. I thought they were really weird and I didnt understand them. I only really hated them because everyone else around me did, too. A couple years ago, one of my friends told me they were a furry. Instead of ruining our friendship because of a thing I thought was messed up, I accepted them for who they were. Since then, I've learned a lot on what being a furry actually is.

Here are some things to know:

1. The community is nothing more than a creative hobby. The majority of the people within the community are artists and some even make a living off of doing furry art.

2. No, they do not think that they are animals. For some reason almost everyone thinks that furries think of themselves as animals. They simply enjoy the anthropomorphic(?) style of drawing animals. (Robin hood, Mickey mouse, Zootopia, etc.)

3. Yes, there is a sexual side to the community, but most furries dont participate in that. It makes up a very small percentage of the community. Saying that the community is completely sexual and perverted is like saying all people who enjoy anime like perverted hentai. Sure, there are some, but it's a minority.

4. These people have raised hundreds of thousands for charities of all kinds. Everyone likes to ignore this fact. A recent charity run a few participated in raised around $10,000 for autism research. There are tons who've raised money for other diseases such as cancer. Lots have also raised money for endangered species and ecosystems. You name it, they've probably raised money for it. They visit kids in hospitals, they run charity runs, they go to carnivals, children's parties, and overall are very charismatic and amazing towards children especially.

5. They're incredibly welcoming and accepting. Since they get so much hate for something that truley doesnt deserve it, they've learned to move past the negative stigmas and instead support each other. The community is extremely positive and supportive of one another.

6. The furry community consists of ordinary people. There are doctors, lawyers, engineers, biochemists, you name it. There are probably people in every common field. Its definitely not just unemployed 20yr olds living in their mothers basement.

I believe that while the furry community may be different and slightly odd, we shouldnt harass them because of the very few negative things that come with their community. The positives greatly outweigh the negatives. This may be hard for people, since we've all grown to hate them by default. It's like a common thing to hate furries for no particular reason other than everyone else does too. That to me, makes absolutely no sense.

In conclusion, furries are one of the most--if not the most hated community on the internet. Theres universal hate for them for no good reason other than it's weird and everyone else hates furries too. They dont harm anyone else; and my view is that if someone or a community does not hurt or harass others, they shouldnt receive extreme amounts of hate for their hobby. I believe the community as a whole does not deserve as much hate as it gets.

CMV! !

[Assistant] How much hate do the furry community actually get? Any hate crimes? They are mostly the but of jokes on the internet. And internet being internet, makes fun of everyone. Furries get the standard amount of hates I'll say.


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

[User]
How do companies get the viruses for vaccines?

Like do they farm it?

[Assistant]
Essentially yes. We can already grow cells in labs and have many "cell lines" (cells that all come from one lineage and can essentially be propagated indefinitely, in one way or another). In general, they'll add virus to a susceptible cell line being grown in a dish and let the virus infect + kill the cells. For viruses, these are probably mammalian cells... and given that they would then normally have an immune system they're usually pretty susceptible, and a company will obviously pick a cell line that maximizes production (given some constraints, ie such as try to avoid human cells where possible).

As to how they get the virus itself, either a university or research institution such as a hospital or government lab will give it to them. If not, and if it cannot be purchased commercially, theoretically you can introduce the viral DNA using various existing biotechnology techniques to get it to start replicating. Once it does it's far more trivial, because it's a virus that replicates itself. To be clear, the virus consists of its genetic material and a limited set of proteins encoded by this genetic material that are required to enter the cell and hijack cellular processes to create these same proteins from the genetic material, and to copy the genetic material. These proteins and genetic material will self-assemble before release, and go on to infect other cells and repeat the process exponentially.


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

[User]
[DC/Marvel] Sure superheroes deserve all the same rights as the rest of us, but for the sake of our future, why don't we install superhero eugenics?

(you can give a neutral answer, one for either world or one for both(

Alright so listen, I get it, this seems extreme but come on- the Justice League and the Avengers may always win in the end, but it's usually pretty damn close. If we had a couple Krypto-Amazons, or someone like Nathan Gray on our side in the future, the safety of the Earth would be much more ensured.

We've seen it proven that some mutants can be deemed compatible, with the aforementioned Nathan Gray. It was believed that if his parents had a kid he would be insanely powerful and sure enough he was.

So for the sake of the Earth's safety, why don't we instill a superhero eugenics order wherein any two superheroes who have been genetically proven to produce (hypothetical) incredibly powerful children must do so?

We're not asking for the two heroes to spend a lot of time together, we have IVF nowadays and hell we probably have enough cloning tech that we don't even need the mother to be present.

The only argument I can see being made is that they might turn bad, but even if one turns bad we have other eugenics-born supers to stop them, or we could install a failsafe of some kind if they're cloned. If the heroes are willing to raise them then that probably cuts that possibility out entirely anyway. They would likely have a very high-level education as well due to their position as the arbiters of Earth's future, which would also help avert this.

If we use cloning or similar tech, we could even ensure all produced children are twins, but raise them separately. This would mean that if an outside factor made one evil, we would by default have someone at least on equal footing with them.

Definitely not asking this since I intend to present the bill soon and want to avoid a^^^nother superhero civil war.

[Assistant] Imagine what the military, what Lex Luthor, what the Joker would do if they could create children that would grow to rival the power of the Justice League. Any one of them is one childhood kidnapping away from being the monster that Arkham couldn't hold, one missing clone away from being the next world ending threat - maybe even the one that finally does us in. We're lucky that no one knew who Superman was until he'd grown up in a good home with good parents, or he'd have had a dozen groups vying to control him, ruining his childhood, likely leaving him a broken and disturbed man - especially if any of those groups were abusive.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] What about wizards who *don't* join the Wizarding World?

The Wizarding World has all kinds of rules designed to keep muggles in the dark about magic. Statute of Secrecy, restrictions on underaged wizards, and so on. And while most would consider it a privilege to go to Howarts (or another local wizarding academy), surely there must be some who, for one reason or another, don't go to school, and don't join the Wizarding World, staying in the muggle world.

What happens if one of these starts experimenting with magic? We know wandless magic is possible, and also wordless magic. Normally, one would learn with a wand, with wordless wandless being an advanced technique. But what if an unaffiliated wizard manages to figure out some wandless methods of harnessing his potential? What happens next?

[Assistant]
You are disappointed as the magic community laughs at them, and points out that wandless magic are the default in like the entire African continent.

And like Muggle societies, you don't get to choose if you want to be part of society or not. Sticking to yourself is fine, so is homeschooling, lots of wizards do both, but if you break the statute of Secrecy or any other laws, they can and will drag your ass to court.

You will then quickly learn that like the muggle variant, being a "Freemaj On The Land" don't mean crap to the judge.
Laws are not magical spells either in Muggle or Wizard societies.


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

[User] ELI5 what exactly is Verizon's and AT&T's "perma-cookies"?

[Assistant]
Well a 'cookie' is a piece of data that is typically stored on a user's computer/device (via their web browser) and used to identify that user  (e.g. for purposes of authenticating the user to a website).

A 'perma-cookie' usually just refers to a cookie that is quite persistent and hard to remove. It may, for example, be used to identify the user even after clearing their cookies in their web browser's settings/configuration menu.

In the case of some mobile carriers like Verizon, a so-called 'perma-cookie' is being injected into user's web traffic. This effectively may allow any website you visit to uniquely identify you and cross-reference your activity on that site with your activity on other websites you visit. The thing about these perma-cookies is that they are not stored on the web browser / device, instead the carrier is injecting them midstream between you and the web-server. This means that it's impossible for you to disable / remove the 'perma-cookie' to prevent you from being tracked across websites.


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

[User]
Is it theoretically possible for an object to have a finite area but have an infinitely large perimeter (if pretending we can make things infinitely smaller than atoms)?

For example, if we take a circle then make the circumference extremely jagged where each tooth on the jagged edges is a fractal that is also really jagged, couldn't the area be finite while the perimeter is infinite?

[Assistant] Yes. For certain fractals, in some sense the perimeter is infinite and the area is *zero*. But you don't even need to get that complicated; if you just take the shape bounded by the x axis, the y axis, and the graph of y= 1/x^2 , the area is finite but the perimeter is infinite.


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

[User] ELI5: When breathing turns oxygen into carbon dioxide, where does the carbon come from?

[Assistant]
The food you eat. Sugars, fats, carbohydrates, they are pretty much just variations of long carbon/hydrogen based molecules.

Inside your body you react them (basically set them in fire without the flame) and they break down into CO2, water, and heat/energy. That heat/energy keeps you alive and moving, the water keeps you alive (and you eventually pee or sweat it out, and the CO2 you breath out.

There are a lot of mini steps along the way but thats the gist of it.


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

[User]
[Bond] - What's the deal with all the other 00s?

In Specter there's a reference to his car to be earmarked for 009.  Are the other 00 agents still in active duty?  Do they work with the same handlers?  Do they ever collaborate/work together or are they by design meant to work solo?

[Assistant]
There are a bunk of 00 agents. The 00 ("Double-Oh") is a kind of indication as to the kind of high level spy agent they are whereas the number is for identification. They are all part of the 00 section of MI6 and all have killed in cold blood in the course of their duties and have a general "license to kill."

While they mostly operate alone, they do sometimes work together when the mission calls for it. They all report directly to M, and probably all rely on the same administrative infrastructure (working with Moneypenny, Q, etc.)


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

[User]
ELI5:Why do we have inner monologues/pictures?

Why do we have inner monologues/pictures, and why does it not "shut up"?

[Assistant] There is incessant thinking because the untrained mind is run 90% of its life acting and reacting to situations based on past patterns. When your on auto pilot ideas come and the mind latches on and runs with an idea. By melting away the unnecessary and mindless thinking one finds beneath all that chatter is an blissful emptiness. Instead of thinking of what your going to do in the future, or have done in the past, your mind is identifying itself through these. The mind is like Donald trump, it keeps talking even if no one is listening or wants to hear it. Bring your focus to the present and watch your thoughts without reacting to them. You are not your thoughts, practice this and space will grow between you and mind.


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

[User]
Exploitation of grad students or am I just overreacting?

Most of the phd students at our institute are in a graduate program and have to gather credit points. One of the things they have to do is organizing 'social activities', e.g. organizing colloquia, gatherings of students etc. In the last three years however this wasn't once the case and credit points are usually awarded for 'volunteering' to set up the equipment for talks and seminars or being a member of the phd representatives. Generally it's stuff that PI's / the institutes administration doesn't want to. Usually it consists of simple tasks that take max. 1hr / 2 weeks.

Yesterday however, phd students were asked by email to help with an institute seminar by:

* Coming in on the weekend for 2 days x 8 hours
* Preparing coffee, lunch, set up of beamers etc.
* Do the dishes, clean everything

The students do not take part in said seminar.

Is this normal for graduate programs? Personally I come from a background where phd students don't have graduate programs and do not need to gather credit points. Asking them to come in over the weekend to do catering for something they have no relation too would have garnered rather serious questions about ones mental health.

What would you do? Shall I talk to the person offering this 'activities' and tell him I think it's a disgrace to ask people to work for essentially free. Go directly to the program manager and ask him what the academic goal of these exercises are? Or just ask the students if they would help me wash my car and do my dishes.... I would throw in some credit points on top and even a free pizza (seriously, it's so unimaginable for me to ask for something like this I still think it's a very convincing joke). Otherwise I could just ignore it. If the phd students don't speak up why should I?

Any thoughts on this?

[Assistant] The fact that you have identified this situation as potentially exploitative is an excellent reminder of the relative powerlessness of graduate students. It can be surpassingly difficult for a student to question his or her supervising faculty, and the repercussions of offending or hurting the program manager's feelings can be dire if access to these opportunities are necessary for successful completion of the program. This is why vulnerable populations need advocates in positions of power. It is also why you should speak up, even if the PhD students don't.


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

[User]
Gases and liquids are fluids, but solids arent. Does plasma, the fourth state of matter, count as a fluid?

Most of my search results are giving me information on blood plasma, and Im not finding a clear yes or no about the kind of plasma I actually want to know about. Is the definition of fluid absolutely applicable to plasma the same way it is for liquids and gases, or is it just used as a theoretical condition to lay down a framework for studying its behavior? Or, is it a yes, but more complicated situation kind of like how light is both a particle and a wave?

[Assistant] Plasma is absolutely a fluid, and in e.g. astrophysics simulations we use the same equations of hydrodynamics to describe it. Plasma is really just ionised gas. It can behave differently to a non ionised gas, especially in how it interacts with magnetic fields, which is why we have fields like *magnetohydrodynamics*, but even there this still counts as a sub field of hydrodynamics, i.e. fluid dynamics.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do many businesses, especially those with long term aspirations lease vs buy their buildings?

[Assistant]
Lease payments are deductible business expenses.  Leasing property or equipment reduces a company's taxable income dollar-for-dollar.

A building owned by the company is an asset.  Depreciation reduces taxable income, as well as does interest on loans taken to acquire business assets, but in general leasing is the better option for tax purposes.

Of course, there is less risk involved with leasing than with ownership.  Ask anyone who has moved to a new house while being unable to sell the old one.


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

[User]
ELI5: Do humans need to eat carbohydrates to survive? To thrive?

I am keenly interested in nutrition, but I feel like there is so much talk on either side of this debate. I read blogs from people who say they have eaten a zero carb diet for decades and have never felt better, but an equal amount of dieticians who say they are essential.

Help?

[Assistant]
Your brain and body run on sugar. Which is a carbohydrate. If you do not consume them directly then your body will process sugars out of protein and fats.

It is virtually impossible to eat zero carbs, as even meat has carbs (it is what allows it to brown) but you can eat an extremely low carb diet. As to if this is better, that depends on the person. Every individuals needs are unique and the diet that is best for them will not match what is best for the next person.  There is no singular diet that everyone should eat.


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

[User]
ELI5 : how does reverse image search work?

How boys and girls?  How?

[Assistant]
well it basically works like google.
First, you'd want to know where are **every** image on the internet. So you'd need 'robots' (really programs) that scan the internet all day long for images. (You can just use google's but whatever).
Then you want to compare images? But how to?
The "easier" way would be to compare pixel by pixel each image, and to change as soon as you suppose the two images to be too different. But that would be extremely long. So the best is to do a "map" of frequencies you found in the image.
Effectively, each image could be depicted by different mathematical factors  linked with the presence of different frequencies. A low frequency represents the background ( similar colors, with a few changes between pixels) and a high frequency represents the details of the picture (edges and such.)

So basically, if you depict a map of the frequencies in the images, you could just compare a few of the frequencies factor, which are less variable than the color, which doesn't vary that much when the size of the image is changed, and which are mmmuuuuuuuch less heavy than an actual image file .
FYI That's actually also the way algorithms like shazam's works...


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

[User]
[Spiderman] What are some of Peter Parker's most impressive academic feats?

We all know he's a web slinging hero, but some might forget he's also a somewhat accomplished young scientist.

I struggle to name specific scientific achievements and am hoping y'all have some to share.

[Assistant]
Peter is an intelligent person, but he doesnt have many academic feats because he doesnt know what to manage his time, prioritize tasks, and delegate tasks.

In Superior Spider-Man, Doc Ock implants his consciousness into Peter and forces Peters consciousness out to die. Ock decides to be a better Peter and a better Spider-Man (Superior Spider-Man).  Ock finds out that Peter is a very intelligent person, but cant manage his time and prioritize tasks. Ock proceeds to build Spider-Bots to patrol the city for him, which alerts him if he is needed, so Ock (in Peters body) can return to college. He delegates the Spider-Bots to contact him for Spider-Man level emergencies or to call the police/fire department for smaller emergencies.

He also brutally beats villains to deter other villains from committing crime, saving Ock even more time. Eventually Ock (in Peters body) graduates and creates Parker Industries. Parker Industries develops a lot of different kinds of technology. Towards the end of the Superior Spider-Man storyline, Peter gets his body back and Ocks consciousness gets transferred to a different body. Peter continued to develop a few different kinds of technology until he had to destroy the company.


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

[User] In layman's terms, can someone explain the difference between "first-order logic" and "second-order logic"?

[Assistant]
I first order you get to make universal and existential statements about individual objects in your theory.

In second order you get to make universal and existential statements about not only individual objects, but sets of objects.

For example, take arithmetic, i.e., a theory about natural numbers.

An example of a first-order property of natural numbers would be: "Every natural number is either even or odd."

And example of a second-order property of natural numbers would be: "In every set of natural numbers there is the smallest element."


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

[User]
ELI5: How does jumping/landing/falling "correctly" not give your brain concussions?

Googling this gives stories about people actually getting concussions on trampolines or doing parkour and that's not what the question is.

The question is, if your brain's the consistency of tofu, how does bouncing around "safely" not just bump your brain a bunch? Why can it survive bouncing on the trampoline or jumping down stairs or sitting in a bumpy car or what we consider "normal" jostling in the modern world?

[Assistant]
Bounces don't give you concussions, your brain has some cushioning and can move around a bit in the head.

what does cause concussions is rapid movements (like whiplash getting hit, or in a car accident) or sudden stops (like falling on the ground and hitting your head hard) that cause your brain to move TOO MUCH and hit/squish up against the skull.

imagine it like a cup of jello. You can toss it around and catch it and the jello has enough give and take to handle it fine. It is when you drop the cup of jello on the ground or it hits a wall that problems happen.


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

[User]
[Marvel] Why don't more characters use web shooters?

Pretty much every spider themed character uses them, and their quite effective. Even if you don't have the strength to web swing, webs are great at subduing opponents and are quite versatile in use if you know what you're doing. Also, I notice Spider-Woman in particular doesn't use them. Why is that?

[Assistant] Web shooters are a gimmicky low-cost gadget suitable for a street-tier hero who likes showing off but is on a tight budget. You need both super-strength and preternatural reflexes to use them effectively without splatting yourself. If you had more money you would do what Iron Man does and have some real nonlethal gadgets (and get around in a car or aircraft). If you had more superpowers you would fly or Hulk-jump everywhere.


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

[User]
(WH40K) Turns out the whole tyranid fleet is actually running from something worse. What is that something, and how screwed is the galaxy?

Well, it turns out the entire tyranid fleet isn't coming to invade us. They are running away from something much worse, and we are just in their way. What is it they are running from, and how screwed is the galaxy now?

[Assistant] They are running from starvation.  Who knows how many galaxies worth of biomass they have already consumed.  It's likely there are even larger hive fleets nipping at their heels.  Their frenzied pace of conquering is probably a survival instinct.


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

[User]
ELI5: What does it mean that we've never "directly observed" a black hole?

I guess the title says it.

[Assistant] Black holes don't emit light.  So by definition there is no way to see them directly.  We observe them indirectly by seeing how the gravity of the black hole affects the objects around it that do emit light.


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

[User] ELI5 What are the technological advancements that have made solar power so much more economically viable over the last decade or so?

[Assistant]
They are somewhat more efficient now, but the real revolution has been that the cost to produce them has gone down by orders of magnitude since the 1980s when the silicon based tech we use today was introduced. If its cheap to make in bulk then suddenly a huge field with panels becomes an affordable option, even if the efficiency tops out at around 15%.

In the near future however were likely to see that change, with perovskite based panels boasting greater efficiencies, lower costs, and *far* less waste from the process of making them.


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

[User]
CMV: I think that laws against having sex with someone at the age of 18 are almost completely arbitrary.

The idea that as soon as you reach the age of 18 you are now able to have sex with whoever you want is insane, given that 1 day prior, having sex with him/her would put them in jail for a long time.  The idea that a single day can make you an 'adult' is pretty stupid.

In addition many countries (e.g. Canada) have set the age at 16 (which was moved relatively recently, from 14).

Now, the simplest objection is, that one has to draw a line somewhere; and hence it's reasonable to make it the same date when you become a voting adult.  While an age is fine as a heuristic, shouldn't courts be looking specifically at whether the person is mature enough to be making the decision?  Indeed, courts are able to try minors as adults if they feel it warrants it.

[Assistant]
>While an age is fine as a heuristic, shouldn't courts be looking specifically at whether the person is mature enough to be making the decision?

No, because courts have to err in favor of the defendant. If the legal standard is maturity, and there's any reasonable doubt that the victim was too immature, the court must acquit. The only way to err in favor of potential victims is to set an arbitrary line like this.


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

[User] [Hancock] What race of people are Hancock and Mary?

[Assistant]
I don't think it was explicitly stated.

I think they were just the same "race" that people in the ancient past referred to as gods, in the distant past as angels, and in the recent past as aliens.  Now they're called super heroes to shoehorn them into a currently-established category - just as had happened throughout history.


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

[User] ELI5: Why can't the prison system agree on a "painless" execution method, when any veterinarian in the country can painlessly put down a dog?

[Assistant]
Part of it is, it's getting increasingly more difficult for states to get the drugs necessary. Some drug companies will not sell the drugs to states if they know it will be used in executions.

If the states could get all the drugs they need for an execution, instead of having to alter the process, or use off-label drugs, it probably would be as painless as a euthanized animal. There is a reality that some people don't want the state to execute people and trying to make it difficult for the state to do so.


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

[User]
ELI5: If my bathroom scale shows different numbers around the house, which number should I trust?

**Didn't know if this was the right subreddit for my question, but here goes:**
I have a digital bathroom scale, and I know it works properly. Recently I moved into a new flat, and it's an old house, so all the floors are a bit wonky. I have no idea where it's even and where it's not.

**It shows numbers all the way up to 67,8 kg and all the way down to 65,0. Should I just find the mean number between all the results, or should I trust the highest? Or the lowest?**

[Assistant] Find something in your house that you know weighs a certain amount for sure.  E.g. a new bag of rice or potatoes or whatever. Weigh that in different areas of your house and see where you get the most accurate reading. Just use your scale in that spot.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why does it take my pharmacy 30-40 minutes to fill a prescription?

Even when it's not busy. Count the pills, put them in the bottle. You already have my insurance, I'm here every month getting the same things. Why does this take more than 5-10 minutes to accomplish?

[Assistant]
It's not necessarily not busy just because nobody's physically there. There could be a bunch of people who called in ahead of you, or who call while they're filling your prescription.

For some things, there's also additional oversight required; the pharmacist might have to confirm that you really do have the prescription and check to make sure it's safe to give you.


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

[User] ELI5: Why, in the 21st century, do passports still need to be books with stamps? Are the stamps even a credible source of information?

[Assistant]
Because "Paper" and "Ink" are standards that are used, accepted *and available* everywhere in the world.

If you went digital, you'd have to get every single country on Earth to agree to a standard. Sorry, make that every single *government* on Earth to agree to a standard. We can't even do that between states in the US for drivers licenses.


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

[User] ELI5: How The hell did Rob Ford get elected Mayor of Toronto, and how is he still Mayor?

[Assistant]
Firstly, its really hard to kick an elected official out of office, and there actually is not currently a method on the books fro which the mayor of an Ontario city can be forcibly removed, short of committing a crime, we we can't actually prove he did.

As to the original election, no one knew most of this stuff then. He's actually pretty charismatic, he comes from a well off political family, he had a platform that really resonated with voters, and he actually, at the end of the day, was a pretty good mayor. Elections are this fall, and he still has a pretty strong fan base who are of the opinion that what he does on his own time is his business.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do humans and many animals have a dominant hand?

[Assistant] We don't exactly know. We don't even know what brain structures correspond to handedness, it's very controversial right now. Your brain does something called lateralisation. It means that the left side and the right side are sort of different. The reason for this is because your brain only has a certain amount of space. If you dedicate only one hand to doing complex movements, you can use that space on the other side of the brain for something else. It's 'inefficient' to have both hands being able to do complex tasks well because there's few situations where you need to. So by only having one hand be able to do those, you save space. The other hand is used for holding things, or positioning them so you can use your dominant hand for complex manipulations.


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

[User]
ELI5: How can my cellphone record and post nearly 4K video but CCTV cameras at legitimate businesses(banks, schools etc.) have such poor quality?

Im new here and not trying to troll. Im also very familiar with cellphones. However, after watching this episode of Dateline I dont understand how I can record and post near professional grade videos with my phone, and the cameras outside of legitimate businesses(banks, doors to apt complexs, schools, etc) have such low quality?? How sway?

[Assistant] Try to make a 24h 4K video with your phone. You will have a little problem with the storage capacity. To be able to work with less storage you could loop the video, but at least a few hours should be stored in the loop. In 4K still a lot of space. And maybe your workplace needs multiple cameras, would add a lot of Data to the list.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does alcohol "sting" when applied to a wound?

[Assistant] Alcohol sterilizes wounds by killing cells. However, alcohol does not distinguish between bacterial cells and your cells. When your cells are dying, the nervous system sends pain signals to the brain to try to tell you that your body is under attack and that you need to deal with the problem.


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

[User] ELI5: What determines whether your belly button is an innie or an outie?

[Assistant]
Winding up with an innie or an outie is somewhat of a matter of chance. While the majority of people have innies, outies usually occur when more of the umbilical cord is left when it's cut, leading to some remaining scar tissue.

Everyone tends to start with outies, but as the subcutaneous fat layer develops under the skin around the umbilicus, they move inward to become an innie.

Some doctors claim, however, that it has nothing to do with how the umbilical cord was cut or clamped. Outies which are not the result of extra scar tissue are typically caused by an umbilical hernia-- when the stomach muscles don't fuse together properly after the cord remnant falls off, causing abdominal tissues to poke through.


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

[User]
CMV: Repeat Pedophiles, Rapists and Sex Offenders should have no human rights.

First off I want to make things clear, I know people who know people that have been "wrongfully" convicted of a sex crime or crime against a child. And that's why I am saying REPEAT. Because I know that false convinctions happen. Okay so now that's clear.
I think that Repeat Pedophiles, Rapists and Sex Offenders (I'll just say "pedos" from here on out) should have no human rights. For somebody to commit such a crime and be convicted of it multiple times imo forfeits their right to freedom and control over what happens to there body. I do think they should have food and water to keep them alive, but I do think they should be put in gen-pop in prisons, placed on suicide watch and be used as lab rats or subjects for expirementations and stop testing things on animals and start testing on pedos. I also think they should be castrated, chemically and physically. I want pedos to be alive and abused.

I know it sounds harsh but I've heard from family, friends & mutual friends and some strangers the horror and utter disgust of certain types of crimes commited by these pedos. I just want to know other peoples opinions on this and to see if I should change my view on this subject. Thank you in advance.

Edit: I just want to say that i know it would scar people and I understand that, but I feel that a "pedo" should have no right to protection. That's it.

I also would like to add some things I've been told of from my family member who is a former detectives and federal agent. A man 20 years old middle class, raised by two loving parents who was never once abused or arrested. He one day decided to go to pick up his sister from school with her friend (sister age 10, sister's friend age 11). And he crashed the car killing his sister. He grabbed the friend and took her into an old building. Where he raped her, cut her hands off and pleasured himself with them. He cut her head of and used her mouth as a form of pleasure. When he was arrested he was screened by multiple shrinks. He had no form of sociopathy or personality disorders. He showed no signs of regret. He even bragged about his crimes. And went to prison he was ratted out and people did unspeakable things to him. They gave him food and kept him well fed. But the inmates woke him up, cut his hands off and then hung him.

[Assistant] How does torture help anyone? Making someone suffer doesn't improve the world in any way. It just makes for more pain. Worse, it means that humanity has decided that inflicting pain for the sake of inflicting pain is okay. We don't even do that to animals. It makes the rest of us compromise our ethical standards for no reason. It means that some people will have to live with the knowledge that they have committed torture. And no one ends up any better for it. Nothing is improved. The world is still the same as it was except now there are more traumatized people in it. Now there are loopholes and justifications for once firm ethical laws.


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

[User]
[Dune] Why did Paul's "terrible purpose" and Leto's "golden path" end up in a jihad? Why did a jihad need to happen?

Paul mentions the Bene Gesserit wanted this to happen, to ensure the survival of the species, which Leto also mentions as the reason for the Scattering.

What about the jihad ensures the survival of the species?

[Assistant]
Alright, first and foremost you have to understand the world that Paul was born into.  The population had been tightly controlled by the existing feudal system and Bene Gesserit programs.  The population was constrained to the planets they already lived on and were generally satisfied with their lives.

That sounds wonderful on face, very little conflict, minimal strife and everyone is satisfied.  Unfortunately, that is the path to stagnation and eventual death.  The genetic controls positioned people to be completely controlled, the social satisfaction stifled innovation and the religion prevented people from reaching their potential.  In short, mankind is on a long slow path to stagnation and death.

Alright, so now we have the world without Paul and his Heirs, so we can talk about what is involved in the golden path.

Leto saw where mankind was headed and realized that the only path to the survival of the species was to fracture them and spread them throughout the universe.  Unfortunately, stagnation and satisfaction was the enemy, so drastic actions were needed.  The golden path showed the way to restart human ingenuity and restart our drive to spread and succeed.  The first step in that path was to clamp down on society through total central control.

That's where the jihad comes in.  Leto's Fremen went force to impose Leto's order and control upon the known galaxy.  They abolished the old feudal system by force and imposed a dictatorship.  The CHOAM and Lanstraad were abolished and the voices of the people and Noble houses were silenced.  The jihad was needed to impose that level of control and authority via force.

The goal was to suppress the population so totally and completely that they would rebel and reject all controls in the future.  At the same time the Fremen and jihad broke the chains in the tightly controlled genetic programs.  The combination was intended to restart human ingenuity and the need to expand and thrive.

From there things get pretty complicated and there is a lot going on behind the scenes, but the jihad was a necessary first step to force the population to once again start thinking for themselves and push them away from stagnation and into expansion once again.


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

[User] ELI5: How are some digital scales able to tell such little weight differences? (Such as between 0.00g and 0.01g)

[Assistant]
The difference between 0.00g and 0.01 g is only little in terms of your perception of the world. There's 2.618*10^20 atoms in 0.01 grams of salt. (That's a lot) so if your method of finding out a sample's weight was counting atoms, then 0.01grams is an enormous weight.

We, humans, are bad at weighing things. Digital sensors are not. The one in your kitchen scale works by converting the weight to a small current. More precise scales work by essentially having the scale vibrate, and measuring the degree to which the object you try to measure interferes with that vibration.


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

[User]
[South Park] Could Cartman have been prosecuted for what he did to Scott Tenorman?

Is anything he did actually illegal? He didnt kill Mr. and Mrs. Tenorman, and I dont know if making someone eat something without their consent is illegal.

[Assistant]
So cartman is absolutely complicit in the death of Jack tenorman. He created a situation where Jack would be killed or grievously injured which would normally fall under first or second degree murder depending on the state laws. As for the cannibalism it's dependent on state laws again but desecration of a corpse and grave are usually illegal but more a misdemeanor than felony offense. Feeding someone tainted food could fall under assault laws as well since the intent was to cause harm to Scott with the chili.

By far some of cartman's lesser crimes but still likely enough to get him charged under Colorado law for it.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] Has a radical terrorist wizard ever attempted to expose magic to muggles? What would happen?

note: I read the books long ago and forgot most of it. I remember the movies slightly better.

[Assistant]
Voldemort did just that. But exposing magic wasn't his end goal, just a stepping stone in his grand plan.

It went about as well as you'd expect. There was widespread chaos in London for a short while. After he was defeated, the Ministry of Magic and select senior members of England's Parliament along with respective elite soldiers went through a lot of trouble cleaning up the mess. This ranged from coverups and censorship to mind wipes and magic based environment restoration.


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

[User]
[All Superman] Why doesnt Superman blow away kryptonite or incinerate it with heat vision before it weakens him?

If "kryptonite is invulnerable to his powers" is the answer, if he gets a kryptonite stain in his suit does he have to take it to a regular dry cleaners?

[Assistant] Well, in general when Supes is exposed to Kryptonite, it's in the form of surprise or sneak attack. Which makes sense, if you're using it as a weapon against him you want it to have the maximum impact.


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

[User] ELI5: It's been more than 40 years since the first successful space shuttle launch. However, as we saw with the recent NASA launch, we still have launch failures. Why is it so tough to achieve reliability in space shuttle launches? Does this apply to all space technology?

[Assistant] "It's Rocket Science" is a meme for a reason.  To get maximum efficiency, rocket designers are pushing the limits of human technology.  Sure, we could more reliably use old technology, but it's not affordable.


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

[User]
Why are price controls considered bad, specifically?

I can understand that it could deteriorate the market with bad products, but can you not just regulate that as well?

For example, Have a percentage profit based on the cost to produce the product and have modifiers for the quality/safety of said product. And since stores havent produced the product, they can only earn profit on the cost to transport the product, store the product, etc. And since they degrade over time theyre checked again at the point of sale for the nutrient modifiers.

Food for example. Say it cost 1 dollar to produce a banana and the base pricing limit is 100%, then it gets tested for nutrients and found that it has higher/lower nutrients than the set standard so it gets a 1% increase/decrease of profits for each mg of nutrients(thats capable of being absorbed by the human body). Or something along those lines.

And then for shipping theres something similar for the drop in quality, shipping cost, etc. [I dont know a whole lot for shipping, but I dont see why you couldnt adapt a sinilar approach so they can turn a profit as well]

And because we already have models for quality testing for virtually every product on the market, we should in theory be able to do this with everything.

On top of all this you could give government incentives for basic necessities and such. Obviously this would need to be ironed out, but I dont see why this couldnt work.

TL;DR: I dont really know much about economics, so I came up with a scenario for people who know what theyre talking about to poke holes in so I can understand better.

[Assistant]
Because absent market failures the price mechanism results in an equilibrium quantity at a price that maximizes producer and consumer surplus, or economic welfare.

This mechanism is automatic and doesn't require any far fetched expensive government programs to test nutrients in bananas or whatever.


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

[User]
eli5 why is exercise supposed to make you tired if atp is not stored?

I read that atp is produced constantly as needed and that you can only store about a minutes worth, so how is exercise supposed to make you tired and sleepy if you're not using up your energy?

[Assistant] You are using energy. Atp and glucose. A good analogy I've heard is atp is like a quarter. Good for small amounts of energy. Like using a parking meter or doing laundry. Glucose is like a 10$ bill. It's easier to transport around than 10$ in quarters, but doesn't work for paying the meter. During large exercise. You are spending lots of money, and your body needs to recover that, hence you being tired.


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

[User]
CMV: I think disallowing visible tattoos and piercings at a workplace only prolongs the prejudice that tattoos and piercings are for delinquents.

At every job I have worked at, part time to full time, one is not allowed to have any piercings (this includes clear studs) or visible tattoos. Ear piercings are allowed, however, any other piercing is to be taken out which I also believe to be rubbish and prolonging the negative judgment behind piercings that are not on the ears. I understand if the context on either the tattoo or the jewelry have an offensive image on them, but if there is not then there should be no problem to show them at the work place. I believe the rejection of showing them only prolongs the idea that tattoos and piercings are for immature, wrongly rebellious and unprofessional citizens.

[Assistant]
Every job has a certain expectation of professionalism.  This includes code of conduct, and usually some kind of dress code.  The dress code for most jobs reflects the image the business is trying to protect to its customers or clients.  Piercings and visible tattoos affect the perception of an employee (and therefore, the business) as much as clothes do.  It is reasonable for employers to enforce a dresscode which includes piercings and tattoos.

You acknowledge that a stigma exists against those with visible tattoos.  Whether this stigma is fair or not, why is it the responsibility of employers to counter this stigma?  Why should they put themselves at risk to lose business when they can simply enforce a dress code?


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

[User] Can a parabola be translated, scaled and rotated in such a manner that it would perfectly superimpose one half of a hyperbola?

[Assistant]
No- hyperbolas reach asymptotic limits, while quadratics have constantly changing slopes.

So at really big numbers, no matter what values you choose, the hyperbola will look like a line and the parabola will be quadratic, with increasing slope.


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

[User]
Can overweight people that partake in the use of marijuana get high from stored cannabinoids while working out?

I feel like we've all seen a similar story before, but recently on Reddit I saw a claim in which someone said that their overweight friend gets a buzz while working out because the fat that the cannabinoids are stored in is burned and they are released back into the blood stream.

I was always under the impression that cannabinoids stored in fat were "converted" (not sure if that's really the right word to use there) to a non-psychoactive form - making the above impossible.

I'm sorry if the question is worded poorly, if you need further clarification just mention so.

[Assistant] Studies in rats (never been shown in humans) did suggest that over the short term fat metabolism (from dietary restriction) may increase readings of THC, however the manner in which it is stored is not psychoactive, so no.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] Did Umbridge know Voldemort was back? And if so, why did she refuse to actually teach defense against the dark arts?

I heard that she was actually aware of Voldemort coming back to life, but just denied it. If that is true, is there a more interesting reason for her doing this than just being incredibly stubborn?

[Assistant]
I dont think theres any evidence that she believed that Voldemort was back. She didnt teach her subject properly because she believed that Dumbledore was trying to build an indoctrinated wizard army to take on the Ministry. Thats explicitly the reason given in the books, and the irony was that Harry ended up starting a literal Dumbledores Army after she said that. She wasnt being stubborn.

During book 5, the Ministry saw Dumbledore as a crackpot Alex Jones type demagogue using paranoid conspiracy theories about evil wizards to terrorize the public. Thats why Umbridge even got a job at Hogwarts, because the Ministry was trying to exert more control. The only reason she even ended up specifically with DADA is because that was the only open position.


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

[User]
ELI5 why isnt it sufficiently satisfying just to chew tasty (but unhealthy) food rather than also needing to swallow it in order to enjoy it fully?

In other words, we all eat food that tastes great but is unhealthy. The part that we like is chewing it and enjoying the taste in our mouths. It would be great to do only that and then just spit it out and then turn to less tasty food and swallow that for the health benefits. But our bodies seem to need us to also swallow the bad (tasty) food in order to be satisfied. Why is that?

[Assistant] Food tastes good to us as an incentive to eat it. Our bodies evolved this to make us eat food that is calories dense specifically for our (over) nutrition; our body is much more worried about starvation than obesity. So that appealing flavor is almost inherently tied to us actually swallowing the food, rather than spitting it back out.


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

[User] ELI5: What did Julian Assange actually do that was illegal?

[Assistant]
One very important distinction to remember is that he has not been formally charged with any offense.  He is wanted for questioning by a prosecutor in Sweden for a sexual assault case.

The initial purpose of the charges were to get an HIV test from him.  The two women he had been sleeping with did not know about eachother and he had twice neglected to wear a condom without their consent.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is the difference between a budget car tyre and a premium brand. What happens during the manufacture of them to make such a noticable difference in grip?

Basically, how are budget tyres so bad compared to a premium make? Different process in making them? Poor design?

[Assistant]
First you have the rubber; what ingredients are used? The natural rubber can have several qualities, everything from pure condom rubber to rubber with sticks and insects in it. Then you have the additives, what proportions are used? Sulfur and stuff. Porpotions between natural and synthetic rubber. The best premium recipes are guarded secrets.
Some rubbers are soft and some durable, a consideration has to be done.

Then you have the cord, how well did they manufacture them? What materials?
Oh, and we must not forget the "baking" of the rubber, times and temperatures, expensive brands care, cheap brands don't care.

Then the pattern design.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] As a whole, why were the Jedi and Sith more powerful in the old republic area than the republic era?

I know the republic era had it's fair share of powerful Jedi and Sith but on the whole as an order why were they more powerful in the old republic?

Just a few examples so you get what I'm talking about.

Satele Shan- Can stop a lightsaber with her bare hands as well as shoot force projectiles so powerful she can destroy a small cliff.

Dread Masters- Can render an entire fleet of starships immoble by causing such fear that those targeted either go mad or commit suicide.

Sith emperor- sustained himself for hundreds of years, can feed off the force energy of billions making him stronger all the while sustaining revan and probing his mind.

Darth Nihilus- literally feeds on the force

Countless Sith sorcerers who can literally create terrifying storms of force lightening, Jedi's who can sever someone's connection to the force.

So my question is what the hell happened between the old republic and the republic era before the rise of the empire where both Jedi and Sith lost their prowess over the force?

[Assistant]
Rule of Two, mostly.

The rule of Two was both the best and worst thing that ever happened to the Sith. It accelerated their development within the Force (every Master is probably going to have a wider general knowledge than his Master, as well as his own specialties) and ensured that only the best candidates were selected, in terms of Force potential and personality. It also cut them off from the ruthless infighting, murder and mayhem that comes when you take a large handful of Sith, a pinch of power, a planet and shake well.

It forced them to stop their military opposition of the Jedi and the Republic and start worming their way inside. Seed dark side cults instead of marching on the Jedi temple. Etc. It also caused an awful lot to be lost, since the Master never really revealed everything he had to teach. While the main body of the knowledge passed on was larger, his greatest secrets stayed hidden. Something that might be taught when you were in the Jedi Order for, say, fifty-sixty years, and had been taught for the better part of a millenia, might take two millenia to enter the body of 'general knowledge' for the two Sith. The galaxy is also a bit more peaceful - while still boiling with conflict, there's considerably less outright war and more skirmishing. No more great crusades to forge new Sith revelations, new dark paths to follow.

Now. Take the Jedi Order: The Sith Empire is gone. Vanished into the dark, never to return. The great Vitiate dead, the supposed immortal rotting away into oblivion. Clearly it's time to get shitfaced and party, right? So they do, in a sensible manner as you'd expect from the Jedi - two drinks and an early bed time, with a few glasses of water beforehand and a handful of multivitamins. Then they settle down. They're peacekeepers now! Just what they always wanted. So they get complacent. Aside from the odd flareup, they lose the massive conflicts that kept them shaken up. There's nothing out there, really - border skirmishes, delicate negotiations, hostage crises are nothing compared to an all out war. So they sink into complacency over thousands of years. Noone pushes, noone pulls. Knowledge is lost, or hidden and forgotten. Holocrons roll under the couch. Or stay locked away, because 'there's no need' to learn how to eviscerate fifty soldiers in a blink in the current universe.

The Force Adepts are just as potent as they ever were - Palpatine was casting a pall of darkness over the entire galaxy BEFORE his Ascension - but they've got less to work with and less impetus to grow. Yoda and Sidious were exceptional not just for their strength, but for their willingness to move beyond the accepted body of knowledge. Sidious, for example, could tear the universe a new one and create wormholes as well as summoning force storms. But the rest? They rely on the Force to get what they want done, and rarely grow further - it takes great drive to overcome the inertia. Kreia was right, in a way.


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

[User]
(Fallout) If an organism is dropped in an FEV vat would the results differ by environment or any other factors?

Or would he/she just become a super mutant? no matter what.

[Assistant]
Hugely differ, yes.

- The strain of FEV is important.  East Coast mutants differ significantly from West Coast mutants.

- Lifetime radiation exposure (or some other factor correlated with exposure to the world outside the vaults) is a large component of the results of FEV.  'Pure' human stock generally retain their intelligence after being exposed to FEV, while heavily 'corrupted' stock will produce the retarded mutants we're all familiar with.

- Unique circumstances also play a part.  The creature known as the Master began life as Richard Grey, and was mutated into... Whatever he was, due to FEV exposure.  Harold is also an FEV mutant, and different from Ghouls. Somehow.

- It isn't just humans that are affected by FEV.  Centaurs are the product of throwing a seemingly random assortment of animals into the vats, and seeing what happens.  Other wasteland monstrosities, such as Deathclaws, may or may not be the result of FEV exposure.


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

[User] [Star Trek] Zefram Cochrane's warp ship launch happens a week later then planned. The Vulcan ship cruises through the solar system without stopping. What is life like for humans in the 24th century without the Federation?

[Assistant]
It would have only been a matter of time before someone picked up human warp signatures.

Vulcan is quite close to Earth, so Vulcan ships would travel nearby on a regular basis. First contact may have been made later on, perhaps after there was already a human colony established on Mars, but it would have been made at one point.

This delay could potentially have given Vulcans a better opinion of humans. Less of a barbaric species launching a warp powered spacecraft from a nuclear missile silo, and more of an early, peacefully expanding species that has already settled on a nearby planet.


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

[User] Is it true that you can get botulism from garlic stored in oil?

[Assistant]
Sort of. *Clostridium botulinum* is ubiquitous in soil, but it is normally only present as spores; these spores by themselves pose no threat. However, when exposed to an oxygen-free environment, the spores germinate into live bacteria and in the process produce the botulism toxin.

In normal commercial food processing there is a high-heat sterilization process for canned/jarred food to prevent the germination of *C. botulinum* spores, but the temperature and pressure required are difficult to achieve in the home. So the threat is not necessarily *all* garlic-in-oil, but those prepared at home by inexperienced or ill-equipped cooks.


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

[User]
what did Nietzsche meant by " There is an innocence in lying which is the sign of good faith in a cause "

what did  Nietzsche meant by " There is an innocence in lying which is the sign of good faith in a cause "

[Assistant]
This is Nietzsche flipping the script as per usual. Normally we might consider that people who tell the truth are "innocent" and those who lie are cynical or corrupt.

But here Nietzsche suggests that being honest is something that can only be done by those who have become jaded with respect to overarching "causes," since when one is committed to a cause the ends often justify the means. Here the word "cause" might be understood to be something like an agenda or ideology.


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

[User]
[Game of Thrones] Could Robb have declared Jon a Stark when he was King of the North?

When Robb became King of the North, would he have the ability, as King and head of the Stark House, have the power to allow Jon to be a Stark or was Ned the only one capable of doing so?

[Assistant]
Yes.  A king can legitimize any bastard. This would have presented problems for Robb however. The king doesn't declare a person a member of a house he legitimizes bastards, saying that a person was born with all rights a privileges as if his parents were married.  Legitimizing Jon as Ned's son might place Jon as first in line not Robb. There is some question of which is older though that should be able to be settled now.

Catylan says: If you make Jon legitimate, there is no way to turn him bastard again. Should he wed and breed, any sons you may have by Jeyne will never be safe.

If Jon is the eldest son of Ned then Robb does not have a claim to be the head of the Stark family its Jon's place. While Jon might not press the claim his children might press it on Robb's children.  Since at the time its not clear when/where Jon was born there will always be some question of which was older.  Robb would not take the chance of doing this unless it was clear he would die without heirs (including Brandon and Rickon) and needed Jon to be legitimate in order to perpetuate the Stark line.


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

[User]
Is it okay for an undergrad to write a letter/communicate to the department that they support a professor who is up for tenure?

Greetings all. I have just completed an undergrad thesis with a faculty member of my department. The professor is up for tenure next year and I'd like to show my support if it would help; this professor is liked by all the grad students, helped me out a lot, supported me when I needed support and pushed me when I needed to be pushed. I don't know that anything I have to say would be taken seriously by the committee since I am only an undergrad but would it help, or should I just stay out of it? Thanks.

[Assistant]
What you can do most to support the professor is to write a letter now to the Chair or Dean saying how much you learned from the professor and what a great mentor he (or she) is. Keep it away from the tenure decision/dossier because you do not want there to be even a hint that it was solicited.

The Dean or Chair can always suggest to the faculty member that they include the letter in their packet if the administrator thinks it will help their case.


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

[User]
EILI5: How does sound transfer to tapes and/or records?

And for that matter how do speakers replicate any sound we desire?

[Assistant]
Sound has two main attributes, frequency and dynamics (pitch and loudness). This can be represented using electricity that goes up and down higher the louder it is, and moves faster the higher the frequency is. This electricity is then changed into magnetic energy. Tape is ran over the magnets at a certain speed, which transduces the representation to a magnetic reading on a tape.

To get back to speakers, the reverse happens and the magnet is read and the information is changed to electricity. The electricity runs over wires to the speakers. The electricity is then converted to magnetism again, and the change in magnetism pushes and pulls the speakers at the correct speed to recreate the original sound.


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

[User] Why does our immune system not detect and fight off the bodies own cancer?

[Assistant] It does! Cancer cells often produce novel proteins that can be recognized as foreign. A combination of cancer cells inhibiting our immune cells and cancer cells being very similar to normal cells to begin with means it isn't very effective at it, however. Immune therapies are a real thing in oncology - for instance one blocking the inhibition of immune cells that both normal and cancer cells make use of. This has IIRC proven to be very effective against some cancers, the downside being you get a lot of autoimmune side effects.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is wider speakers required for deeper sounds?

[Assistant]
The deeper a sound is, the longer its wavelength. The longer the wavelength, the more the energy in the wave is damped (which means to reduce, like the way a shock absorber on a car smooths out the bumps in the road).

This means deeper sounds require more energy which means you have to move more air, to move more air you need a larger cone.

This is also why you can get nice full sounding deep tones from headphones with very small drivers but if you want to hear it across a room you need much larger drivers. In you ear the sound only has to travel a very short distance so there isn't much air in the way to dampen the waves. But traveling across the room there is a lot of air in the way so the damping effect is much bigger.

This is also why PA systems at large concerts have very large speakers just for the low frequency sounds (subwoofers). A typical concert PA system will have subwoofers with a pair of drivers that are 18" or larger, and there will be between 4 and 36+ of these boxes depending on the size of the venue.


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

[User]
Why is * 0 0

It looks like a simple math. I mean, I know infinity is some number very very big, but regardless of the magnitude of infinity, I would assume if I multiply that number with 0, then I would get 0.

[Assistant]
As many other comments have stated, infinity is not a number, it is an idea.

you may ask yourself, is there an integer number which is bigger than all other integers?  The answer is no.  If you take your integer x, and you add 1 to it, you get x+1, which is always an integer bigger than x.  Thus there is no maximal integer.

Since the set of integers is contained in the set of real numbers, there is also no such thing as a maximal real number.

In fact, as a "number" infinity cannot be well defined.  If you think about all possible integers, the number of them is called "countably infinite".  If you think about the bigger set of all real numbers (including irrationals like sqrt(2) and pi), the amount of them is even bigger, called "uncountably infinite".

These two levels of infinity are different, but still both maintain the property that they are "bigger" than any number you can think of.

Similarly, the number zero is often misunderstood.  Many times it is the constant value which is neither negative nor positive.  Many other times, zero is the result of a limit, which is the value which a sequence converges to after "infinitely many terms"

In this sense, we can define "zero" times "infinity" as the product of the output of two sequences which respectively converge to these ideas. Thus, we can pick a few different examples of sequences who have products converging to any output you desire:

Example 1: a_n= 1/n , b_n = n^2
it is easy to see that a_n -> 0 and b_n -> infinity
but a_n *b_n = (1/n)(n^2)=n, which also goes to infinity

Example 2: a_n = 1/n^2, b_n=n
again we see a_n -> 0 and b_n -> infinity
but a_n*b_n = (1/n^2)(n)= 1/n, which goes to zero

Example 3: Let r be a real number and a_n=r/n and b_n=n
then a_n ->0 and b_n ->infinity
but a_n*b_n = (r/n)(n)=r, which is exactly our real number

thus we can pick different sequences who have limits zero and infinity but whos product ends up being any value we want.

Again this is because infinity is NOT a number, and is therefore NOT precisely defined.  thus, the concept of multiplication has no real meaning for it, and we can only consider it was the result of taking limits.

remember, multiplication is just a binary operation, which maps the xy-plane onto the real line, and is therefore not defined on its boundary (which includes such cases as "infinity * real number" and "infinity * infinity" )


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

[User]
ELI5: Apple is forcing every iPhone to have installed "Apple Music" once it comes out. Didn't Microsoft get in legal trouble in years past for having IE on every PC, and also not letting the users have the ability to uninstall?

Or am I missing the entire point of what happened with Microsoft being court ordered to split?
(Apple Music is just one app, but I hope you got the point)

[Assistant]
The main reason is the way the law treats both companies.
Microsoft was a software only vendor in the past but Apple is the hardware and software vendor.
US and EU laws dictate that the hardware manufacturer to have full control over the ecosystem becuase of the industry behaviour in the past and who the end-consumer pays his money to.

The IE case: Microsoft was accused of using it's monopoly status in the software industry and force the hardware vendors from changing the default browser to something not made by Microsoft beause back in the many hardware vendors included netscape with the preinstalled windows' PC's. Since the EU laws treated the hardware vendors as the ecosystem owners Microsoft ws violating the law by forcing it's will on the PC manufacturers allegedly threatening them of not allowing preinstalls if they do not include IE as the default browser. The EU law states that it's not a Microsoft ecosystem if the end-consumer pays their money to the hardware vendor(pre-installed systems only) and not Microsoft.

The Apple case: Apple is itself both the software and hardware vendor and the end consumer pays the money to Apple for their services and agrees to their services agreement. Apple can have full control over what their hardware will have and won't have.

This is not related to marketshare of Apple or Microsoft but related to who is the hardware vendor.

Edit: Microsoft argued at the time that they are not forcing manufacturers to use IE as the default browser but IE is an integral part of the operating system and hence microsoft did not give an uninstall button. The EU was not happy with this explanation and fined them for unfair practices.


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

[User]
Why do we not feel the difference in rotational velocity at different latitudes?

At a latitude of 90, the speed of rotation is 0, but at the equator, the speed is 1041 mph. Why do we not feel a difference?

Edit: Thank you guys so much for your responses!

[Assistant]
Because you're not sensitive enough to feel it. If you were sensitive enough, and could record force, you would feel heavier at the poles than at the equator.

Similarly, you would certainly feel the change in rotational velocity if you were sitting on a cruise missile flying towards the poles.


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

[User]
ELI5: If there is no sound in space does that mean stars are silent?

I did Google this a bit and understand that sounds needs a medium to travel.

So if we could hypothetically stand in the surface of the sun would we hear nothing?

If two asteroids collided would it be completely silent?

[Assistant]
>So if we could hypothetically stand in the surface of the sun would we hear nothing?

We'd hear the noise of millions of atomic bombs going off all the time. And the solar wind too for good measure.

Stars are RIDICULOUSLY LOUD, it's just that over vacuum the only part of that noise that gets to us is the electromagnetic one (light and radiation).

Collisions between asteroids are also very loud... To the asteroids themselves and the parts of them flung off because of the collision. But since there's no atmosphere around to transmit those vibrations, so long as you're not touching them it would appear to be silent.

Absence of atmosphere does not mean absence of noise, it just means that noise is not going to be transmitted to things that are not touching the source.


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

[User] ELI5: what's going on in my brain when I feel mentally tired?

[Assistant]
Think of your brain as a processor, except instead of using electricity as power it uses glucose. When you do, say math, you use a lot of processing power, and in turn, energy to do that math. Over time your brain "heats up" and gets tired. Research shows that you yawn for thermoregulation, or to cool off after doing a lot "processing". This is why you're told to take breaks when you study (1hr study, 10min break).

Think of the fatigue as analogous to when you work out--your muscles use a lot of energy and needs breaks between sets to cool off and get rid of metabolic waste.

*Edit: There is some misinformation in the comments which I'll explain.*

1) Glucose as Energy: Your body uses glucose as it's most available source of energy. If you eat either fats or proteins, your body has ways to turn it into carbohydrates only if you run out of carbs, then it goes to converting fats first and if you're out of fat then protein. If you want to get really scientific, we can say ATP powers your brain but sugar was the ELI5 way of explaining it. Most importantly, eating food before studying will not help you, in fact it'll more likely turn you off to studying due to Insulin and other hormones being triggered.

2) Losing Weight with the Brain: The most energy intensive activity you can do is exercise, mainly because you're moving stuff around (it requires energy). If you maxed out your brain's performance capabilities, you will not lose weight.

3) Cooling Systems: Your blood is the ultimate cooling mechanism. Yes, your brain is watercooled, but when you're pushing the limits of the water cooling, then you start to yawn. Keep in mind,  your temperature will not fluctuate beyond 2C, but these little changes in your body have a tremendous impact on your mood.

4) Metabolic Waste: This is pretty important. Basically, after a lot of work, certain metabolic products accumulate in your brain making you feel like you don't want to study anymore. This is mainly because too much of the metabolic product would be toxic.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do we still use propeller planes in the Air Force?

What benefits do turboprops have over jets for large planes, for example the C-130?

I would think that there's no reason for using them except that they haven't been fazed out yet, is that the only case?

[Assistant] Turboprop engines are far more fuel efficient than jet engines, and more reliable in unimproved areas with lots of dust, sand, grass, and rocks. So they are the engine of choice in applications where speed is not valued, but reliability and cost per mile is highly valued.


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

[User] [Fox X-Men] Is Cables future that we see in Deadpool 2 implied to be the future that we see at the start of X-Men: Days of Future Past?

[Assistant]
Nope.  The dark future where Firefist killed Cable's family has been officially designated as Earth-66250 by Marvel, while the *Days of Future Past* future is actually still part of Earth-10005, the timeline that we first saw in 2000's *X-Men*.

Marvel in general and the X-Men in particular are positively **loaded** with all sorts of dystopian alternate futures.  Cable's future in *Deadpool 2* was just *one* of them.


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

[User]
Does current research indicate that an advance warning system for earthquakes may be possible? (More specifically the prospects for near future; <30 yrs.)

I just want to know the current state of research and how feasible earthquake prediction is, or seems like it can be.

[Assistant] Going back to basics, earthquakes are the result of slippages of rock deep in the earth, and the exact moment of the slippage depends on the exact time when the forces involved reach a breaking point.  So predicting earthquakes is much like predicting which stick will cause the pile of "pick up sticks" to collapse when you pull it out.  Or exactly when a sand castle at the beach will collapse as it dries out.  There may be indications of activity that are associated with earthquakes, but there are so many potential factors involved it seems unlikely that there will ever be a reliable way to predict specific earthquakes with any precision.


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

[User] ELI5: Why did the Zune fail?

[Assistant]
The iPod succeeded and thrived because it substantially improved on the user experience of its predecessors. The Zune was a "me-too" product. The features that it had didn't add up to a substantially new or improved user experience. As a result, it became an also-ran in a marketplace full of also-rans.

Also, the Zune's marketing was rather odd. Producing the first generation in shit-brown was a bizarre decision, and Microsoft inexplicably chose to refer to the song-sharing feature as "squirting". This turned the Zune's one interesting feature into a joke for twelve-year-olds.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Does the lightsaber of a more powerful jedi/sith have more "cutting" power?

We're shown that it Qui-Gon isn't able to instantly melt through a thick metal door with his lightsaber. He has to slow down a bit.

Would a more powerful jedi/sith - Yoda or Sidious, for example - be able to slice through with a quick slash?

[Assistant]
A lightsabers power is determined by two things; the Kyber crystal within and (in Legends) they can be tuned to different settings, ranging from combat to training modes.

The wielder of the weapon only contributes to its power in terms of their skill at fighting with it, they didn't contribute in any way to the actual output of the blade.

I can't remember if it's still canon or in legends but typically a Sith's lightsaber was more fragile due to the damage dealt to the kyber crystal.


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

[User]
How do digital alarm clocks remain so accurate over extended periods of time?

I was wondering about my $5 alarm clock today. It is cheaply made, but has consistently shown the correct time since I bought it. If an alarm clock was off by a mere second every hour, it would only be 1/3600th or about .03% off every hour.  That seems so insignificant, but that would make the clock off by a minute after just 2.5 days, and off by over 2 hours in a year.

[Assistant]
At the core you have a quartz crystal oscillator which will have a bit of drift over time but we're talking a few minutes every year.

The frequency of the oscillator depends on the physical dimensions of the crystal which are precision engineered to extremely accurate frequencies. Clocking is just a matter of counting oscillations. Because computers need reliable and fast clocks, quartz oscillators are extremely cheap today. They make literally billions of them every year.


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

[User] [Superman] What would have happened if baby Kal-El had landed but was never found by anyone? I'm assuming for this discussion that he had his powers from the moment he landed.

[Assistant]
If we assume a fully powered baby Kal-El, he probably wouldn't die of exposure to whatever environment he lands in. Even Kansas can have nasty weather during summer and winter, but they'd be nothing to Superman. However, we do know he needs to eat and babies need to eat a lot very frequently to grow their brains and bodies.

So he'd probably die of starvation if absolutely nobody found him.

Not saying a feral Kal-El is impossible, but it just doesn't seem right or palatable to think about a baby sitting immobile for however many months it took for them to leave the ship/pod/whatever either through nature or him crawling away.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does breathing into a paper bag help with hyperventilating?

[Assistant]
It's clear that your body tries to maintain a certain level of oxygen in your blood. What's surprising is that it doesn't do this by measuring the oxygen in your blood, but by measuring the carbon dioxide instead.

When you hyperventilate, you're sucking in more oxygen, which your body sees and measures as a *drop* in carbon dioxide levels. This actually has some consequences and can affect your blood chemistry, which makes you feel worse and can actually even make you sick.

Breathing into a paper bag catches your exhaled breath, and makes you reinhale it. A reasonably large fraction of your exhaled breath *is* carbon dioxide; by forcing yourself to reinhale it, you're breathing more CO2 and less O2 than you would by breathing regular air. This brings the levels of both gases in your blood back to normal and helps you feel better.


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

[User] (Warhammer 40k) Is there any other way of FTL travel that does not involve either crossing the warp or the webway?

[Assistant] As far as the tech priests can tell, the Necrons' FTL system is based entirely on the material plane. This "inertialess drive" is necessary for them, because they are completely disconnected from the warp, and cannot use any FTL method that involves entering it. This drive basically eliminates the diminishing returns on acceleration that are normally experienced when one approaches the speed of light, so that they can simply accelerate past it. How exactly this is possible is not yet known for certain to the Adeptus Mechanicus, but is presumed to be heretical, and therefore of no interest to mankind, save as a target for condemnation.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] How does the wizarding world treat mentally-challenged children with magical capabilities?

 Is there a special school or a special class for them within Hogwarts? Are their magic abilities suppressed?

edit: These answers are making me depressed. Gonna go eat some chocolate now.

[Assistant]
The British wizarding community is pretty old-fashioned. Ariana Dumbledore was arguably mentally challenged and she was basically sequestered by her family out of shame in an attempt to suppress her abilities... to she and her family's ill fate.

I'd imagine there are appropriate wards at Mungo's Hospital but it seems like there is very little oversight among individual families and that the buck stops with the head of household when making these decisions.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why isn't the night sky just one big light?

Okay so I understand the title sounds like I'm on drugs but hear me out?
The universe is infinite, so theoretically in every possible direction we look at some point there should be a star somewhere out there, right? So by that same logic, why are there so *few* stars in the sky? I get that during the day the sun outshines them and that light pollution makes it harder to see the stars at night, but even in the middle of the desert there is still an awful lot of black in the sky. Shouldn't most if not all of it be filled with starry lights?

Does this make sense? Maybe I am high.

[Assistant]
Two things:

1) Regardless of how big the universe is, light still takes time to get places. The universe is 13.77 billion years old, so light has only had 13.77 billion years to get here. Because the universe is expanding, we can see stuff from much farther away than that, but there's still a limit on how far away stars can be and still have had time for the light to get to us.

2) As the universe expands, it stretches light passing through it, causing the light to be redshifted, which means it lowers in wavelength. Visible light from the very edges of the visible universe can get redshifted out of the visible spectrum and into infrared or radio waves. That's why the Cosmic Microwave Background is, well, microwaves. It used to include a *lot* of visible light, but it's so old and it's been shifted so much that it's all microwaves, now.


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

[User] ELI5: Whys is it I can use an outlet splitter and have 8 things plugged into what normally would accommodate 2? Is there a point where diminishing returns are noticed?

[Assistant] It doesn't matter how many devices you have plugged into the outlet(s)... So long as you don't exceed the rated ampacity of the electrical circuit the outlet is on. Most electrical circuits in the average home are rated for 15 or 20 amps, load. Exceed the load and this will trip the circuit breaker or blow the fuse in the electrical panel. You would not experience any sort of diminishing return, as this is not how electricity works. What you will do, simply is exceed the capacity of the circuit and trip the circuit breaker. You can have lots of devices plugged in and not trip the breaker if they all draw low current....  Like say a cell phone charger. Though you certainly couldn't get away with running 8 vacuum cleaners on the same circuit, as they tend to draw a much higher amount of electricity.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do missiles have fins, while modern space rockets don't?

[Assistant]
Fins are cheap and effective. They allow missiles to steer midair and perform quick maneuvers, as well as remain stable.

Rockets typically have engines which can angle themselves to steer, and never need to make particularly tight turns.


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

[User]
Dealing with students' unrealistic expectations about their grades and education in general (in US)

I am a PhD student at a decent school in US, I am also a long time teaching assistant (my fifth year) and for all these years, the class that I was a TA for has been about the same subject, which is also my research topic. My interactions with students are my weekly office hours and grading their exams and assignments. This is where the problem begins: After every homework or exam that I grade, many students come challenging their grades by saying a variation of (i) "My answer is same as the solution manual but I didn't get full credit.", (ii) "My solution is correct and solution manual is wrong." or (iii) "My solution is same as my friend's but my grade is lower."

Aside Info: Even if the subject (taught at this level) is not really mathematical -other than being able to do primary school operations on numbers and comparing them with each other-, I guess it requires some sort of mathematical maturity to avoid fallacies. So answers to each question requires a "proof," even though it is usually a one-liner but the students often lack the background to do it, which is somewhat surprising since most of them are seniors with some juniors at a good university.

I don't know the institutional reasons for the lack of background of the students and I understand that it may not be their fault that they were allowed to take this class without the proper background. However, I cannot possibly teach them proof techniques or basic logic either. I mean, they don't even need to write technical proofs, I just need a decently complete arguments about why some simple statement is true or false. To make this easier for them, I always write very clear solutions to each question after they submit their work, explain it step by step and show/argue that if you omit even one step, the answer would be incomplete.

Here is an example that illustrates the type of answers I get very often: "Every prime number other than 2 is odd since for example 3 is odd." (The actual subject concerns much simpler problems but this shows the type of fallacies I deal with on a daily basis.) Then, they argue that they deserve full credit, since they rightfully argued that "Every prime number other than 2 is odd".

I explain that their end result might be correct but their method is not; that this class is all about teaching the methods, and finally that the question explicitly requires an explanation which should be correct for the answer to be considered correct, hence they don't deserve full credit for it. (I feel embarrassed that I need to say things like this since it feels like an insult to their intelligence; if the question is not a multiple choice or "Fill in the black", these should be fairly obvious. Yet, I dealt with this for years now.) Then, they complain to the professor about this. I talk to the professor about it and we have a good laugh. (I don't remember any instance where a professor sided with the students about this issue and the professors are some of the top people in this field in the world so at this point I am fairly confident about my grading system.) This process repeats itself every week, every year.

I am sorry, I haven't had chance to rant about this in a while so I got a little carried away while trying to give some background. So, is there a systematic solution to my problem? What are your suggestions? I think I will suggest to the professor that we upload a practice problem set with the detailed solutions next term before the deadline for the first homework to set their expectations about our expectations but I don't know if this will work. So, I am open to any suggestion (that a reasonable professor would accept) at this point.

[Assistant] Not sure this fixes everything, but have you tried providing students with a rubric before each assignment or exam that points out both the answer and explanation of method are required for full credit?  Or perhaps "explanation and examples not provided in the text" as something required for credit?


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

[User]
Dissertation topic: What I can't tell my professors....

I'm a first year PhD student struggling to find a dissertation topic. The first topic I chose shows a lot of promise, but is costly/risky to implement, so I'm putting it on the back burner for now. On my advisor's suggestion, I've picked up a new topic that he is also working on. It's interesting and he has data, so I've been pursuing this topic. Now, another prof in my department sat me down and asked if the topic I'm pursuing is something I'm "really passionate about". He is rather discouraging of this topic, and even quickly threw in the fact that he has this great paper idea all ready, but nobody to implement it (it is, incidentally enough, in my research area interest, as well). So, I have two questions: (1) are both prof's just trying to turn my dissertation into something they can put their name on/work on simultaneously with me/use me to pursue one of their ideas? And (2) I'm passionate about LOTS of subjects in my field! I can envision staying up at late at night for a variety of different topics, not just one. Personally, I think this is a good curious-about-learning attitude to have, especially as a new academic. Why not be "bright-eyed and bushy tailed" at the start? I can be jaded later. But, apparently, professor's think you should have a single, narrow focus. I keep having to lie and justify why I'm pursuing one particular avenue. In reality, I could go a variety of directions and be equally happy in my research. And, as that's the case, I'm choosing the subject that is most topical and has the best results/career potential. How do you know when you've found "the right" dissertation topic??

[Assistant]
It's important to remember two things:

1. Your dissertation isn't the end of your publication historyit's the beginning. Picking something to do here doesn't close down any of those other avenues. Write down the other ideas and put them away; you'll be very glad to have them once the first thing is done!

2. The best dissertation is a done dissertation. A Ph.D. program is an apprenticeship; your goal should be to learn what you need and get the hell out so you can get a real job that actually pays a living wage.


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

[User]
How was Fingolfin able to wound Morgoth?

We all know the dude lost, but seriously. How was a regular elf able to harm the most powerful being in existence? When Sauron had his ring, he was unkillable, and I'm pretty sure Morgoth was more powerful than Sauron with the one ring. This shouldn't have even been a fight.

[Assistant]
Two things factor into this. Firstly, Morgoth expended most of his power bringing evil and corruption into Middle Earth. Of all the Valar, he alone was bound to a physical form, and his power was but a shadow of what he was once capable of, though he was still mightier than any mortal creature.

On the other end, Fingolfin was considered one of the mightiest warriors of his kind. In the duel, while he managed to wound Morgoth several times, there was no possibility that Fingolfin could kill one of the Valar.


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

[User] ELI5:How to Kurt Godel manage to "break" mathematics?

[Assistant]
Godel did not "break" mathematics, but rather he proved that there existed limitations to the degree we could root complex mathematics in basic, formal logic.

Philosophers and mathematicians wanted to devise a system where you could take a few basic axioms (unproved statements accepted as generally true), some rules of inference, and then construct every possible mathematical statement that was true.

There are two qualities we want in a system:

1. Consistency - The system never produces a result that is false (for example: 2+2=5)

2. Completeness - If something is true, then our system is capable of producing it as a result (for example: 2+2=4 is true, so we want our system to be able to prove that).

Philosophers and mathematicians spent a great deal of effort trying to develop such systems, until Godel proved that you cannot have a system that is both consistent or complete. A fully consistent system won't be complete (it won't be able to prove everything that is true) and a fully complete system won't be consistent (the system will "prove" things that are false).

Needless to say, it basically shelved such efforts to ground math in pure logic, and any logical system of mathematics has to settle for being either incomplete or inconsistent.


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

[User]
Why haven't we been able to develop a HIV vaccine yet?

Why do we have vaccines for viruses such as smallpox and the common cold, but yet  haven't been able to develop a vaccine for HIV yet?

[Assistant]
Because the virus is constantly mutating. The envelope protein only has a few conserved regions while the rest - particularly the big loops that come off the surface - are highly variable. Plus, the surface is covered with glycans that shield the surface making it difficult for the immune system to interact with parts of env.

There was a phase 3 trial a few years ago called RV144 but it only had ~30% efficacy.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do blind people know where to find Braille in public places?

You see Braille everywhere on busses and toilet doors etc. but how do blind people actually know it's there?

[Assistant] Those Braille signs for bathrooms aren't necessarily there assuming blind people are using them to find the location of the bathrooms but moreso to distinguish if it's the women or men's bathroom.  A blind person would most likely ask someone where the bathrooms are in a building if they had no idea where they were.  Once they know the general area the bathrooms are at, those signs are there to assure they are going in the right one.  Even if you were blind and familiar with a building's layout, you're going to have a bit of relief knowing for sure you're going into the right bathroom before you walk in.