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

[User]
[Fallout] How do you pay with bottlecaps?

Say I am buying something for 6,000 bottle caps, how do I pay?

The vendor needs to count to 6,000 to make sure that all of them are there and has no reason to trust me as this is the apocalypse.

[Assistant]
Realistically, Caps would be used to make up the difference, as it were. You wouldn't actually pay thousands of caps for something, you might offer a some grenades, a couple magazines of 5.56 ammo, and a Laser Rifle, with a couple dozen caps to make sure the value of what was traded was approximately equal.

Most people wouldn't even carry around that many caps, the sheer amount would be too much to fit in a backpack.


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

[User] I see a lot of memes about oh it was missing a ; or I forgot a () at the end of the function, isnt there a plugin or something that helps avoiding these silly mistakes? if not, why?

[Assistant]
Yes there is, and its build in every IDE.
(Syntax highlighting, linting etc)

People posting theses ether refuse to use this feature or are new students who code in notepad.

Not that its bad to learn to code with zero help, but its not how anyone would work.


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

[User]
ELI5 Why are the front of a lot of city buses a flat square? Isnt that the least aerodynamic shape there is?

Seems like theyre so heavy anyway they'd try and save fuel.

[Assistant]
A more aerodynamic shape would help fuel efficiency some, but not that much for two reasons. First, buses don't travel that fast and drag (air resistance in this case) becomes a bigger deal at higher velocity.

Second, there are two different types of drag: drag from pushing air out of the way and drag from air passing over the surface of the vehicle. For a short car, there isn't much surface for air to pass over so pretty much all of the drag comes from pushing air out of the way. That's also the sort of drag an aerodynamic shape helps with. For a long vehicle like a bus, drag from air passing over its surface area is a bigger deal. There's still more overall drag on a bus from having to push air out of the way, but skin drag is a much bigger component than it is for cars. This makes the drag from having to push air out of the way in the front less important for buses.

Those are just reasons why an aerodynamic shape won't help a bus as much, though; they're not reasons to not do it. The reason buses are designed with a flat front is that it maximizes volume and a flat front and window allow the driver to see better, especially when turning. The increased space and visibility are more important than any small increase in efficiency from a more aerodynamic shape.

tl;dr - Buses benefit less from aerodynamics because of their long shape and they would be hurt by a more aerodynamic shape because a flat front maximizes space and driver visibility.

Edit: In response to the multiple comments saying that some buses go fast, we know that. But most buses do not and when buses are designed it's usually not clear exactly how they'll be used. And even for the ones that get on the freeway, the flat front is better for volume and for turning once the bus inevitably leaves the freeway.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are almost all flavored liquors uniformly 35% alcohol content, while their unflavored counterparts are almost all uniformly 40% alcohol content?

[Assistant] Alcoholic beverage developer here! The main reason is the solubility of sugar. Most of these flavored spirits have a large amount of sugar in them, and sugar is not very soluble in alcohol. Therefore, to get the sweetness they want, they have to dilute the strength of the spirit.


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

[User]
ELI5: How did/do scientists decide what a group of the same animal will be called? (herd, pack, etc)

Is there a system to it?  Often you just hear of flock, pod, school, swarm, pack, or herd, but I have also heard of unique ones for certain animals.  Such as a murder of crows, dazzle of zebra, sounder of pigs; crash, dale, or bloat of hippos.

[Assistant]
This has nothing to do with scientists.

Back in the day, people had different words for groups of animals they were hunting, and originally it made sense: you would distinguish, for example, between a *flock* of geese on land and a *skein* of geese in flight; dogs form *packs* when hunting other animals, deer form *herds* to keep themselves safe from attack and will take flight if threatened.

So originally, the word you used for a group of animals would tell you something of the way that group was behaving.

In the Late Middle Ages, for some reason, people started inventing more and more words. Sometimes they might simply have been showing off, sometimes they might have been trying to be funny. In 1486, a publication called the *Book of Saint Albans* included a long list of these collective nouns, and at least some of them appear to have been jokes: a gaggle of women (because women gossip and giggle, or sound like geese), a subtlety of sergeants (ironic), a superfluity of nuns, and so on.

So that's really all it is. Originally a useful shorthand for hunters, it just became a joke that got out of control.


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

[User]
ELI5:How do airplanes, as they're leaving the gates, move backwards without the tug-cars?

Also, how do they slowly move forwards - is it the result of thrust from the jet engines or is there power being generated which is physically linked to the wheels?

[Assistant]
Very few aircraft backup without tugs anymore. Some use their thrust reversers (very carefully) but this is becoming rare.

When going slowly forward ("taxiing") it's just low thrust from the engines, nothing is driving the wheels. Once you get moving, idle is usually fine to roll along.


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

[User] Why does it feel so good rubbing your eyes, then hurt as soon as you stop?

[Assistant]
Awesome question; most don't stop and think about these things!

So basically, **Unmyelinated nerve fibers** are found in the **dermis**, or commonly known as sensors in the skin. When those sensors are irritated, it is called an itch. Itches are signals to our selves that something is wrong and it should be checked out immediately. The sensors in the eye and most mucus membranes are very very sensitive. So it is easy to cause tiny scratches or abrasions in the top layer of the skin. When you rub your eyes, the brain is satisfied that the problem was investigated, but consequently causes small cuts that get irritated more when its exposed to air!


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

[User]
[Yakuza series] Soooo... About those fancy suits.

So, I was on vacation (Sometimes you need to just...get out of Whiterun, you know?) and I ended up in this beautiful country with things I'd never seen before. Truly remarkable stuff.

Anyway, I was wandering the streets when I suddenly came across two guys talking. They seemed totally calm, but the vibe was just wrong, you know? Anyway, I was about to leave, and then I noticed one of them touch his shoulder and fling his arm outward. And somehow, that gesture was sufficient to completely disrobe the guy from the waist up. It took like half a second, tops! The other guy must have been going to the same tailor, because he made the same gesture and woosh, no suit top either!

So like any responsible citizen, I decided to stick around and watch the fight. And after they were through beating the shit out of each other, the suit tops just... *Reappeared*.

I don't really know what was going on, but I really want to learn about this new tailoring style, and possibly bring it home with me. It takes me ages to take off the lining on my armor, and my housecarl is constantly complaining about my burdens, so anything I can do to get her to quit her bitching is alright with me. Is there anyone who can teach this technique?

Thanks in advance!

[Assistant]
It's a secret Yakuza thing. There's probably like, five tailors in Japan who know how to do it and they all work in 200 year old shops that look super grubby on the outside but have a back room that's pristine.

You don't get to go in that back room. Live in the town for five years and become best friends with the tailor and he might, possibly, let you back there and make you one suit. Try to replicate it and some kid trying to get in as a low level soldier will rob you to get it back and the tailor will stab you with scissors if you ever go near his shop again.


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

[User]
[Star Wars/Marvel] Would a Jedi Mind trick work on the Hulk?

So Jedi mind tricks work on those with "weaker minds" if i remember right, so Ive always seen it as a weaker form of mind control. Would the Hulk be considered weak minded enough to be affected by it, or would his mind be too focused on being angry and killing? I know hes been manipulated by people like Wanda before, but her powers are a lot stornger and more direct than your typical force wielder.

Im more familiar with the MCU and Disney Canons respectively, but Im curious how 616, Legends and others would change the result if at all.

[Assistant] No, even Marvel telepaths have hard time reigning in the Hulk, and most Marvel telepaths are more proficient in that than Jedi soft influence. Hulks rage is borderline supernatural, and once he gets going, there's no stopping him. Maybe when Hulk is somewhat calm he could be influenced, but all bets are off once he gets enraged for real.


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

[User]
[Warhammer 40K]What exactly is an STC?

I've heard that it is a database of knowledge from before the Dark Age of Technology.  I've also heard it a device that is capable of constructing anything from lasguns to full Emperor class Battleships.  Planning minds want to know.

[Assistant]
Imagine a blueprint.  Now Imagine a computer full of blueprints.  Now imagine a Computer full of blueprints with an attached 3D Printer.  Now imagine that Computer/3D Printer combo really easy to create and maintain and send off into space with colony ships.

That's what an STC is.  What we're looking for now are the blueprints people copied down from the STCs.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do we need funding for things like scientific research, feeding the homeless, sending aid to Africa, etc? Shouldn't we be able to just DO those things without having to pay for the supplies necessary to do so if it's beneficial to mankind?

Sorry if this is a stupid question. I've never been able to wrap my mind around this.

Okay, so cancer is terrible. We should cure it. We just need to donate money to whichever foundation we choose and let them deal with the research.
I get that. I just don't understand why the government/whoever is in charge of that decision can't just provide the money, tools, etc that we need. I know that money is necessary to avoid chaos (I guess), but can't we, as a species, just... I don't know... Turn a blind eye to currency when it involves things that are necessary for the continuation/well-being of the planet?

Please don't attack me if I'm speaking out of ignorance. This is something I have just never been able to understand.

**EDIT**: My question has been answered and I feel a little less ridiculous. Thanks guys!

And also. Don't go and downvote the other people in this thread that were also curious. We ask because we'd like to know, not because we enjoy living in ignorance... You're tacky and I hate you.

[Assistant] Nothing in this world is truly free. All resources are finite. Governments aren't able to do that because they would have to neglect something else. If there was a war going on, saving people dying from cancer be the last priority. Unless we lived in Utopia and all humans were altruistic, this will never happen because everyone wants something. Would you be willing to work in the farms for your whole life? You will get nothing in return but you know that you fed some starving children.


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

[User]
[STAR WARS] Why did the emperor make Vader kill the younglings in the Jedi temple?

Why didn't he take these powerful (but impressionable) children and turn them to the darkside? Raise them to be force welding warriors of the empire or something.

[Assistant]
To make sure that Anakin was fully under his control. What better way to test his new tool than order him into the home of his only friends to murder innocent children when you know you turned hin in large part with the promise of protecting children.

One Darth Vadar is worth alot more than a bunch of novices, especially in the early days when he hadn't completely established dominance.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is the benefit in "tar and chipping" a road?

Might not be the same everywhere, but here in Pennsylvania, sometimes instead of paving a road, they will tar and chip a road. For anyone who doesn't know, this is when they pour hot asphalt and then cover it with loose stone and then it is rolled over and packed tight to form a finished surface.

Is there any actual benefit of doing this? Just seems to me like a cheap alternative to actually paving a road.

[Assistant]
You've nailed the big one, it's simply cheaper.

Asphalt can be really expensive when you need tons and tons of it, and if you can reduce the amount you need to lay down because your road is not handling a lot of heavy traffic, "chipsealing" is an economical way to do it.

Plus this alternative might help create some local jobs at the nearby quarry... which the local mayor just happens to own.


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

[User]
How do economists measure unpaid work?

How do economists measure unpaid work?

Alice has a farm and grows 20 apples.

She eats 10 of them and sells 10 of them for 1 USD each.

She has 10 USD to spend otherwise.

Would you say she has an income of 10 USD, even though she produced 20 USD worth of apples?

Bob has a farm and grows 15 flowers.

He sells all of them for 1 USD each, and buys 10 apples to eat for 1 USD each.

He has 5 USD to spend otherwise.

Would you say that Bob is "richer" than Alice, even though he has less money to spend after buying apples to eat?

[Assistant]
From a theoretical economic point of view Alice produces more output than Bob, and assuming no costs or expenses were required to produce the output, then income is equal to output and therefore Alice is wealthier than Bob. That's because what Alice produced is worth $20 and what Bob produced is worth $15.

The problem in the real world is that the 10 apples that Alice eats is impossible to measure. We usually refer to this "household production". The common IRL example people give is the young mother who stops working and stays home to care for the child. In terms of the statistics the government is collecting, the household's income has fallen since the mother isn't working anymore. But their real income/output may have risen if the mother's childcare service is worth more than her old income.

So in short; Alice is richer, but government statistics would say Bob is richer.


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

[User]
Eli5 how do micro-plastics end up in our bodies from things like bottles and plastic packaging

I have been googling how micro plastics get into our bodies and I get a lot of articles saying its from drinking and eating from plastic but nothing explains HOW the micro plastics are actually leaving the containers and getting into us. I specifically want to understand how drinking out of a plastic bottle transfers plastic to our body? I understand microwaving plastic leaches chemicals into food but I dont get how drinking cold water from plastic could transfer the micro plastic to our bodies.

[Assistant]
Ever wonder where the synthetic rubber from your tires go as they wear?  that's a microplastic. In this case it's washed from our roads into the water and ecosystem. That water is used and consumed by people and voila.

basically things get worn down into smaller and smaller parts and we end up with small particles. Sometimes the items start out small like those microbeads in a lot of scrubbing body washes.  They flow into the ecosystem and we eat or drink the items containing these micro plastics.


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

[User] [LOTR] Is the One Ring limited only to Mt. Doom? Or could I destroy it with a nuke or a very powerful industrial furnace?

[Assistant]
No. Even the fires of Glaurung or Ancalagon couldn't melt the one ring. Ever hear the one about ashes to ashes, dust to dust? Beginnings being endings?

When created, the Ring became an integral part of the world, like gravity.

In Mt. Doom, the ring is vulnerable, returned to the crucible in which it was embedded into the universe by one of the original singers. It feels the echoes of the power and the fires of its birth and becoming a mutable object of power again instead of a constant.

Sort of like a hole in fabric. It was pushed through a hole made in Mt. Doom, and only there can it be drawn back through and dispersed.


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

[User]
Would it be dangerous to consume food in a holodeck?

Say you ate food while in a holodeck simulation and you stayed in long enough for the food to be absorbed into your body.

What would happen to those materials when you exit the holodeck?

Is it even possible to consume things in the holodeck?

[Assistant]
That depends entirely on whether or not the holodeck is set to replicate the food.

If replication is enabled, the food is real, and it will stay with you when you leave.  If replication is off, the food is entirely illusionary, made of nothing but lights and forcefields.  Once it gets to your stomach, the holodeck will stop simulating it.    With holographic, non-replicated alcohol, you'd be able to drink as many drinks as you liked without ever feeling a buzz.


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

[User] ELI5 - When races are won by fractions of a second, why do so many athletes seem to wear jewellery - especially sprinters? Doesn't it just add weight and make them slower?

[Assistant]
Okay let's take Usain Bolt. He weighs 97 kg (204 lbs) and an olympic gold medal weighs about 500 grams (1.1 lbs). He weighs 0.5% more with this added weight. While that MIGHT make a difference, no athlete would wear something that heavy.

More importantly than the physical aspect of this is the mental side. Sporting events are arguably just as mental as they are physical. If the athlete feels more comfortable with the jewelry they will probably do better.


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

[User] [Prometheus] How can David "like" movies but not "want" or feel emotion?

[Assistant] You're projecting anthropomorphic motivations, admiteddly, that's inevitable because that is what David is designed to do. When we see David watching movies and mimicking behaviours we interpret it as enjoyment, but in reality it is simply an extension of his programming to constantly improve on his ability to mimic human beings flawlessly. We also see him practice ancient languages, but as that is clearly relevant to his mission we don't interpet it as "He likes ancient sumerian"


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

[User]
Why COVID-19 variants mutate so quickly towards higher transmissibility but same thing is not happening with flu?

Original COVID-19 variant reproduction rate was estimated to be around 2.5-3. Now we deal with the variant twice as transmissible. I often hear that influenza mutates at a faster rate compared to COVID-19.

When it comes to flu it seems that worst strains ocassionaly get to around 1.8 r0, but mostly it's around 1.3. Why flu doesn't mutate gradually towards more infectious forms? Most infectious strains actually seems to fade and strains that are both less infectious and deadly seems to take off during some seasons, which is kind of counter-intuitive for me.

When it comes to COVID-19 is there any hope that future variants will be less infectious and deadly? Or we are more likely doomed with crazier and crazier mutations?

[Assistant]
So there are two separate things here. There's infectiousness in the absence of immunity, and then there's the impact of pre-existing immunity of the number of people contracting the virus.

Flu has been around for thousands of years. It's well adapted to humans, but at the same time, most of us have some immunity due to prior infections. Occasionally a new strain will emerge that fewer have immunity to, so it is able to infect more people as it spreads.  But then once we gain immunity to that strain, it's back to "normal".

SARS-Cov-2 on the other hand is a new virus in humans.  First infections were around December 2019 - at the time it's clear it was of very low infectiousness, barely able to pass between humans. It needed to adapt to its new host. Since then it has become better and better at spreading among humans and that process may not yet be complete. Also it hasn't had much in the way of pre-existing immunity to deal with so far, so there are more hosts available for it to infect than for a typical flu epidemic - but that's changing now. In the UK the vast majority of adults now have *some* immunity to it, and it's clear that despite Delta being a more infectious variant, the rate of infections is slowing down (although likely to rise again when remaining restrictions lifted next week).

From now on, the evolutionary pressure on SARS-Cov-2 will be similar to that on Flu - to find ways to combat existing immunity, whether from prior infection or vaccine. Whether it can or not, and what the consequences are for virulence are unknown and all we can do is speculate until the next variant arrives.


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

[User] How stable is the human oral microbiome against disruptions like mouthwash? If I use alcohol mouthwash will my mouth microbiome be back to the same amount and species ratio by my next meal? Several meals? Or never quite the same again?

[Assistant] This varies from person to person, but alcohol based mouthwashes do disrupt the oral microbiome at least in the short term, ranging from days to about a week. Combined with recent studies that cast doubt on the efficacy of those mouthwashes in preventing cavities, it's becoming more typical for salt water rinses to be recommended as an alternative.


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

[User]
Can an individual actually "fight to live" or "give up and die"?

I don't mean this via not eating, drinking, or something necessary like that. Is there a hard-nosed approach to the relation between one's psychophysical health and life?

eg. From Viktor Frankl's *Man's Search for Meaning*

"The prisoner who has lost faith in the futurehis future was doomed . . . I once had a dramatic demonstration of the close link between the loss of faith in the future and this dangerous giving up. F--, my senior block warden, a fairly well-known composer and librettist, confided in me one day: I would like to tell you something, Doctor. I have had a strange dream. A voice told me that I could wish for something; that I should only say what I wanted to know, and all my questions would be answered. What do you think I asked? That I would like to know when the war would be over for me. You know what I mean, Doctor--for me! I wanted to know when we, when our camp, would be liberated and our sufferings come to an end.
And when did you have this dream? I asked.
In February, 1945, he answered. It was then the beginning of March.
What did your dream voice answer?
Furtively he whispered to me, March thirtieth.
When F--told me about his dream, he was still full of hope and convinced that the voice of his dream would be right. But as the promised day drew nearer, the war news which reached our camp made it appear very unlikely that we would be free on the promised date. On March twenty-ninth, Fsuddenly became ill and ran a high temperature. On March thirtieth, the day his prophecy had told him that the war and suffering would be over for him, he became delirious and lost consciousness. On March thirty-first, he was dead. To all outward appearances, he had died of typhus."

[Assistant]
Research seems to indicate that willpower or despair does not significantly affect mortality.

Hospital nurses (me included) can give you lots of anecdotal evidence. We like to tell stories about patients who, on being told they had a terminal illness, apparently "gave up" and died before the illness seemed severe enough to be fatal. However we also have stories of people who had great attitudes, were bound and determined to beat the illness, and died early anyway. So anecdotes, including the Frankl one you quoted, are not much help.

There is some correlation between depression and poor outcomes, but it may be that the depressed patients are those who are sicker to begin with. That is, more serious illness may cause depression, rather than the other way around.


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

[User]
Eli5 Where do flies come from?

I know that theyre attracted to decaying matter and they plant their eggs in it, etc, etc. If I put a plate of shit out on my lawn, there will be flies on it rather shortly. But where do they come from? How far away are they? Do they lurk in the shadowswaiting?

[Assistant] If one fly happens to randomly spot a plate of decaying matter, it'll go back and call its friends to have a feast. Other types of flies leave some sort of scent near the plate which will attract other flies. You cannot smell it but flies do.


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

[User]
ELI5:. Does habitually holding in your pee for long periods of time strengthen or weaken your bladder long-term?

My guess is that it weakens it, but I would love to have an explanation either way.

[Assistant]
For people who have stress incontinence we recommend Kegel exercises. Which is like stopping your pee in the middle of peeing. It does not strengthen the bladder but it does strengthen the surrounding muscles.
However holding your pee constantly can result in urinary tract infection. It does not really have any benefits.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] "The Sith rely on their passion for strength." Will letting my heart rule my decisions inevitably bring me closer to the Dark Side?

As an emotional person, I've sometimes thought I'd do better as a Sith than a Jedi if I were Force-sensitive. I'm not into choking people, though. Is it the eventual lust for more power that will turn me destructive, or is it simply dangerous to reach out and use the Force in states of e.g. anger even if it's "righteous"? (See, I guess that's exactly the kind of thinking that starts it off...) Thanks for reading.

[Assistant]
The dark side is primarily one of selfishness, aggression, and (most importantly) immoral choices. As long as you stay away from actions such as these, then you'll technically be OK.

However, it is easy to, say, strike down an already beaten foe or slaughter an entire village in vengeance if you let your passions gain the better of you. The power of the Force is intimidating and frightening in the hands of the wrong person, and therefore one needs great discipline to wield it morally. The Jedi know this all too well, which is why they practice strict control over their emotions.


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

[User] ELI5: How does raising interest rates slow/lower inflation?

[Assistant]
Here's the easy part of the equation:

* Loans create new money from thin air
* Money buys goods and services

Here's the hard part:

* Goods and services buy money.
* Nothing creates new goods and services from thin air.

Because #Covid and #SupplyChainDisruption, the global economy is not creating enough goods and services to buy all the money it created.

* To most of us, it looks like prices are going up quickly, which makes us anxious.
* To economists, it looks like each good and service is forced to buy too much moneywhich makes them anxious.

High interest rates make loans expensive.

Expensive loans are not as popular as cheap loans so fewer people take them.

An economy with fewer loans taken creates less money from thin air.

This gives us time to balance the pile of goods and services against the pile of money.


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

[User]
ELi5 Why are sitting positions that are bad for our spines more comfortable than sitting positions that that are good for our spines? I.e. leaning forward while sitting vs sitting straight.

I always thought it should be the opposite.

[Assistant]
Because the muscles are more relaxed.  It's literally more relaxing to sit that way.  But that means the muscles aren't being used so sitting in a less damaging position becomes more difficult and even less relaxing.

That it's not good for you long term is irrelevant to comfort initially, but may become relevant as time goes on.


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

[User] What is physically different inside monitors that support 60hz vs 144hz?

[Assistant]
The fundamental limitation as to how fast LCD panels can refresh is the motion of the liquid crystals.  Nematic liquid crystals are rod-like with an electric dipole and so the rods can be oriented by applying an external electric field.  The liquid crystal cells that form the pixels on the screen have grooves in them that tend to orient the liquid crystal molecule rods in one direction if no electric field is applied.  Once the electric field is applied, the liquid crystal cells rotate and align their rod axis along the electric field direction, which takes on the order of hundreds of microseconds to a few milliseconds.  This takes some time because of the viscosity of the liquid itself.  Once the electric field is removed, the liquid crystals realign along the grooves again but this also takes time, again on the order of hundreds of microseconds to a few milliseconds.  There are many proprietary techniques to speed this process along but this is the basic idea.  The electronics can handle, in principle, receiving pixel data from a video source and outputting a signal to the digital-to-analog converter at much higher speed than the liquid crystals can respond.  There are also effects from the matrix that addresses the crystals but the main limitation is generally the liquid crystal motion.

Lower refresh rates such as 60 Hz are really more of a legacy artifact of earlier video standards such as PAL (50 Hz) and NTSC (60 Hz) which were used for analog CRT-based televisions up until about 20 years ago.  If there was a few Hz difference between the line frequency that power was delivered and the refresh rate of the screen, it might cause flickering in the display that would be quite annoying, especially when the television standards were new in the 1930s-1950s and based on valve technology and tube rectifiers, and therefore it was decided to transmit the video signal at a rate very close or at the oscillation frequency at which power was delivered.  Being that CRTs are no longer used and power supplies basically pass basically zero ripple from the power line to the DC output used for modern televisions, this is not really a consideration anymore, and more just a legacy of adapting existing video standards such as 480i (NTSC) or 576i (PAL) to be usable on modern televisions.  It is likely that if broadcast formats did not have to be compatible with earlier forms of analog and digital modulation, higher refresh rates could be standardized, and dogs would be less annoyed watching TV with you.


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

[User]
[LOTR] How did the Witch King learn about Glorfindel's prophecy about his demise?

"... not by the hand of man will he fall."

It's not like elves or men of Gondor communicated information like this with Sauron's forces. Did the Witch King even believe it, given it came from an enemy, or was he just saying it to taunt his enemies and make them lose hope and morale? If his enemies believed the prophecy even if the Witch King did not or if it wasn't true, the Witch King could use it as a psychological tactic in battle.

[Assistant]
I dont think he outright knew of the prophecy and was more just (egotistically and i guess rightfully) bragging that no man (human) could kill him because of what he is.

Edit. So i guess he was using it as a psychological tactic to unnerve his enemies, one he probably believed anyway.


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

[User]
[General Star Wars] Why do lightsabers collide?

Seeing as they're essentially controlled jets of superheated plasma contained by an unknown electromagnetic force, they should realistically be passing through one another, resulting in both wielders torching each other.

[Assistant] I think of it as the the electromagnetic fields that control the jets repelling each other, like if you push the same ends of dipole magnets together (like South to South or North to North) they repel each other with a decent mount of force even in small magnets.


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

[User]
What happens to dead brain tissue after a cerebrovascular event (e.g.: stroke)?

Does it stays there as inactive tissue? Can it cause any problems? Or there is some mechanism to "clean" dead tissue out of the brain?

[Assistant]
In the Central Nervous System, dead neuronal tissue would be broken down by a specialized Glial cell called Microglia; whose job is to circulate the nervous system and swallow up/destroy odd bits of foreign/non-functional matter. The "empty space" left by those deconstructed cells would be replaced by other various glial cells (probably astrocytes through scarring).

You pretty much have "janitors" in all parts of your body.


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

[User] [Harry Potter] Say a wizard were to take a 23andMe DNA test. Would the wizard gene be discovered?

[Assistant] I think the short answer is no, because the test wouldn't be looking for it. There's a ton of DNA in our bodies that we don't fully understand the purpose of, and so the wizard gene would just appear to be part of that pile of stuff.


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

[User]
How did scientist know how much protection astronauts needed on first moonwalk?

Seems like since there was NO basis for comparison they were kind of just "winging" it.  Did they make earlier suits for animals and stuff to see which ones survived?  I am just confused how they would know what would allow humans to survive in a place they had never been before?

[Assistant]
>Seems like since there was NO basis for comparison they were kind of just "winging" it.

How so?  We had already performed spacewalks.  We know the design requirements which a vacuum poses.

Other than lower gravity and somewhat higher ambient radiation, there isn't much difference between a vacuum produce on Earth by evacuating air from a sealed chamber and the vacuum of space present on the Moon.


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

[User] ELI5:How come some people are very confident when it comes to giving speeches and presentations, but suffer from high anxiety and insecurity when having a dialogue with someone or within a group?

[Assistant] I think it's because for some people -including me- a crowd that you are presenting or performing to is just a "mass of people". they are too crowded for you to imagine them as individuals at that moment, so you don't feel the anxiety of what do they feel or think about you. When you are talking to a person (or a few people), it takes too much effort to keep track if they are interested, if they are listening, how do they fell about you etc.


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

[User] ELI5: Explain the US Election. I'm Australian.

[Assistant]
The election for the next U.S. president will be in about a year, in November of 2016.

The U.S. has only two major political parties, the Democrats (more liberal) and the Republicans (more conservative). While there are more parties than those two, they don't tend to matter in large election because the elections are winner-take-all, unlike in a Parliamentary system like in Australia. So whenever a third party emerges it tends to either get absorbed by one of the two major parties or die quickly.

Right now candidates are preparing for the primaries, where people vote on which candidate should be the official nominee of each party. There are hundreds running, but around 15 Republicans who seem to be serious contenders, and 6 Democrats.

Primary voting happens state-by-state, with the first primary happening in March. The candidates spend a disproportionate amount of time campaigning in the states that vote first, such as Iowa and New Hampshire.

It's still way too early to project who's going to win the primaries. At this time eight years ago, Obama was way behind in the polls, but he slowly gained support until he ended up winning the primaries decisively.

By around June it will be obvious who the official nominee is of each party. Then that person will pick a running-mate, who will be the Vice President if they win. Then they campaign until November when everyone picks either the Democrat or the Republican to be the next president.

That final vote is state-by-state too. For the most part, each state votes, and whoever is the winner of that state gets all of that state's votes towards the final decision. So sometimes the winner of the election isn't the one that got the most total votes, because they won strategic states.

Finally, there are also elections for Congress and local races going on too of course.

Update - fixed two typos (thanks): first states are Iowa and NH (not Ohio), and Obama's primary was eight years ago (not four).


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

[User]
Why did most plants end up being hermaphrodites while most animals end up with two distinct sexes?

The vast majority of plants have both male and female sexual organs, and when two or more plants fertilise each other, all normally produce seeds or spores.

However in most animals the population is divided into males and females, of which only the females bear offspring.

[Assistant] Plants do not have the same kind of opportunity that animals have to find, pursue, and mate with another member of their species, since they are either rooted in one location, or in the case of aquatic plants, just go wherever the water takes them.  Plants cannot really compete for mates or evolve into a more sexually attractive form.  They just cast their spores to the wind.  So sexuality has a much more active role in the animal world.


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

[User]
[Command & Conquer] Why was Kane on Earth? Where was he trying to go? In general, what is up with Kane?

I haven't played C&C 4, so maybe this is laid out explicitly somewhere, but I can't find much online. The games connect him to the biblical Cain--so was he a human, cursed by God? Or some kind of alien who used the biblical imagery to attract a following? And has he really been around all that time? What was he doing between Genesis and World War II?

[Assistant] Kane is an alien who came to Earth thousands of years ago. Initially he was influencing humanity down certain paths (towards his goal for ascension using tiberium) from the background up until world war 2 where he was an advisor to Stalin. He found the Brotherhood of Nod early on but kept it out of public view until Tiberium showed up.


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

[User]
ELI5: why do we try to reduce the swelling in the ankle/wrist after an accident? Surely our bodies evolved to swell up as it is somewhat beneficial after an injury, so why do we think it better to try to stop it/reduce it?

I know why we need to stop head injuries from swelling up, don't start explaining about pressure damaging the brain.

[Assistant]
Looks like nobody got it yet so I'll answer. Swelling is a natural splint. Back in our hunter gatherer days, when we hurt ourselves, there were no time outs. You kept going or you died. If you've partially torn some of your ankle ligaments, you still may need to walk or even run on it. The swelling immobilized the joint to reduce the risk of further damage. May have taken a long time to heal, but at least you kept up with the rest of the clan.

Now we try to reduce swelling. Why? Because the fluid around the joint is relatively stagnant and deoxygenated. Not the best environment for tissue healing. This is why we ice, to reduce swelling so fresh blood can get to the injury and start the healing process. But what about that nice natural splint, you ask? Well now you don't have one, so stop hobbling around on it and put it up on the coffee table, ferchrissakes!


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

[User]
ELI5: What makes it foggy in the morning? Need answer for my actual 5 yr old.

I couldn't provide a very good answer for my daughter this morning. Any help is appreciated.

[Assistant]
Basically, "fog" is what happens when there's more moisture in the air than the air can contain while remaining transparent, i.e., there's enough moisture in the air to push the humidity level beyond 100%. That's not possible, so the excess water appears as fog or condenses as dew/frost.

The reason there's fog in the morning which commonly "burns off" by mid-day is that cold air can hold less moisture than warm air, i.e., it will take less water to reach 100% humidity. So given a fixed amount of water in the air, you'll start to see dew and even fog as the temperature drops, both of which will go away as the temperature rises.


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

[User] ELI5: How do modern vehicle speedometers work? Tire rotations per minute?

[Assistant] Yep, tire rotation. Knowing the diameter of the tire and multiplying that by pi gives you the distance traveled per rotation. That means that if you do anything to increase the diameter of your wheels, you need to also get your odometer adjusted, or else you will actually be driving faster than your car thinks you are going.


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

[User]
eli5: Why are so many chairs and tables uneven?

I feel like every restaurant I go to theres at least one chair or table that will wobble depending on the weight I put on this. I feel like this issue should not be so prevalent. Whats the deal?

[Assistant]
Explanation: It's not that tables are uneven. It's actually a lot more likely that the floor itself is uneven. A table that's even won't be able to stand well on a floor that's uneven, but you can often get the table to stand flat if you move it to a different area of the room.

But sometimes a table or chair has been built on a floor in a room that had an uneven floor, and yes, that can lead to that piece of furniture itself being uneven.


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

[User] ELI5: What are the reference points for Fahrenheit? If Celsius is based on water freezing and boiling, where in the world did Fahrenheit come from?

[Assistant]
0F is based on the coldest temperature Fahrenheit was able to consistently recreate in his lab. 32F is the freezing point of water and 96 is based on the human body temperature the difference between the last two is 64* which is easily markable by halving the distance a few times.

The modern scale is slightly changed and uses the freezing and boiling points of water at 32F and 212F as fix points.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] Why didnt Snape just brew Malfoy some liquid luck?

Since snape and malfoy were working together, why didnt Malfoy just ask if he could have a vial of felix felicis? Snape is certainly talented enough to make it since hes one of the best potion masters in the world. If he just brewed some then Malfoys objective wouldve been completed correctly. Is there a reason why Snape wouldnt be able to do it?

[Assistant]
Because if Snape gave him liquid luck, he might succeed at killing Dumbledore. After all, most of his plans were to randomly throw dangerous items around in the hope that Dumbledore picked them up, so liquid luck would presumably be even more powerful as its a purely luck-based situation.

This would mess up Snape's *actual* plan, which includes killing Dumbledore himself. Luckily, he's got several excuses (maybe its got several rare ingredients it will be hard to get stealthily, maybe it'll be pretty obvious who brewed the luck potion when the assassin shows freakish luck, etc) to get out of it without playing his hand.


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

[User]
CMV: Women in the United States should be required to sign up for the draft when they turn 18 as well.

Though the draft has been universally unpopular, the fact that modern era women should not sign up baffles me. If a man were to not sign up for the draft after turning 18 in a timley fashion, he will be fined and possibly jailed. The idea that women are not subject to the same treatment as men is frankly unequal and sexist. Previously based on cultural norms and prejudices it would make sense that they were not required. Now in 2018 with a slew of cultural progression in terms of women's rights, gender norms being toppled, and society celebrating women in powerful positions; why do we not see a change in policy to reflect our cultural progression as a nation? I'm only focusing directly on male and female, race/religion/trans people/etc. A is separate issue in this case.

Edit: Thank you for all the wonderful responses and those who have taken the time to really think about this CMV. It has come to my attention that some posters are stating a removal of the selective service (draft), while I do agree with you because the U.S. has the largest Volunteer military the law/act exists and the focus is not on repealing the law but instead the equal commitment of men and women.
One large portion with this argument is that men must sign the selective service agreement in order to express their vote; while women freely receive this right upon turning 18. This is the main point of the CMV. Equal commitment for equal expression. If one must commit to die to express their votes and freedoms while the other freely receives theirs, that is an issue of inequality.

[Assistant]
We should just get rid of the draft period.

Studies have shown that massive acts of compulsion like this are not effective for building efficient teams. Research into 1800s era slavery shows that if slave owners had actually treated their slaves better, they would have worked harder and been more productive, but because they were compelled and whipped and barely taken care of they required more slaves to make up for the workload because someone who at their core is adverse to being in a situation is not going to be the best fit for that situation. Look at Vietnam and draft dodging. People were so adverse to the draft back then that they would have rather done jail time than serve. That's not conducive to a strong standing army.

The draft is a dated concept that was implemented well before the population of the United States was anywhere near 300,000,000. Today right now despite that massive number we are only recruiting 1.3 million for all branches of our military. So odds are, moving forward we will have very little need for a compulsory draft, because the odds are heavily stacked in the favor of military recruitment efforts. If we only need 1,300,000/300,000,000 people that's a pretty achievable goal without compulsion.


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

[User]
CMV: People with a PhD in an unrelated field shouldn't be allowed to introduce themselves as "Dr." when presenting medical facts

This comes directly from something I saw earlier about somebody complaining about COVID etc., I'm all for the vaccination so as you can imagine when I hear somebody introduced as "Dr. \[surname\]" with a different opinion to me, it could imply that he actually knows what he's talking about.

No. A tiny bit of research shows that he has a PhD in *theology*, this was never specified, yet I see the same video circulating quite a bit around the internet (between anti-vaxxers) because he was called "Dr.", anybody that doesn't do research would therefore assume that he has some sort of medical or at least scientific background which is not the case.

I don't disagree with people being *allowed* to introduce themselves as "Dr." because a PhD does take a long time and it is a big thing etc. but it's very immoral

EDIT: When I refer to a "doctor" in this post I mean a licensed physician/MD, I've said "person with a PhD" any other time, I'm aware that they're both considered "doctors" by definition.

[Assistant] There are synergy benefits for Dr. of biology to comment on medical issues or Dr of sociology commenting on social effects of medical issues etc. Lot of doctors (and their related scientific disciplines including theology) have lot import things to say about Covid.


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

[User]
CMV: I should be given a chance to nullify any contract if the company I signed with gets bought out

Part of signing a contract is choosing to do business with a specific company. If the terms of the contract are equal between two competitors, I may choose CorpA instead of CorpB. I may do this for various reasons such as believing that CorpA has better commitment to my community or operates in a more ethical manner.

Let's say I sign a 5 year service contract with CorpA. Two years into the agreement, CorpB buys out CorpA.

I disagree with CorpB's philosophy and don't trust them to faithfully execute the remainder of the contract. I should be given a one-time opportunity to nullify the contract with no penalty provisions.

This should be ingrained into basic contract law. Some may try to change my view by arguing that this provision may be written into the contract. I believe on too many cases, the contract bargaining power is greatly unequal and in favor of the company writing the contract. For this reason, arguing that these terms should be negotiated into the contract will not change my view.

Change my view why this should not apply to all contracts.

[Assistant]
The problem is many contracts are front loaded or back loaded... and that "nullify" gets complicated.

So let's say you buy a house and sign a mortgage with Bank A.

Later on, 5 years into your 30 year mortgage, Bank B buys Bank A.

How would you nullify that contract?  Let's say you've paid about 7% of your principal down, the housing market has tanked a bit, and you now have $120,000 of debt for a house valued at $108,000. You can't nullify it by returning the house; Bank A never owned it. You can't just negate the debt, or nobody would ever loan for houses again.

In short, most service clauses have exit penalties. If you feel strongly enough about your belief that Corp B shouldn't have your money, then pay the penalties and get out.

Also, contract deals often front load benefit to the consumer for long term gain for the business (we give you a free phone, you have service with us for 2 years). Allowing void essentially allows anyone to get the free phone, then back out with no penalty (because the contract break penalty is the remaining price of the phone).

There are so many ways that what you are saying would have to be regulated, for so little gain, and so much risk, that at the end of the day, what you want here isn't worth the risk of destabilizing the economy.


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

[User]
CMV: Parents who opt out of vaccinating their children are guilty of child abuse

Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children because of an anti-vax agenda (assuming the child has no MEDICAL reason to not be vaccinated) are in my opinion guilty of child neglect/ borderline abuse. They are neglecting to protect their child from harm, and purposely putting their child in harms way (neglecting the child's safety entirely).

Going along, children SHOULD NOT be allowed to attend public school without being properly vaccinated. Once again, assuming their is no medical reason (auto-immune disorders) to not be vaccinated.

Parents who deny facts and put their children and others in harms way because of this political agenda is in my mind similar (but worse) than a parent that doesn't bring their child to the doctor when the child breaks its leg.

I honestly want to know the reasoning behind people who disagree with what I'm saying. And I UNDERSTAND completely that there are people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. If these are the only people who aren't vaccinated, herd immunity can effectively take place.

[Assistant] They believe they are protecting their child from harm, they just happen to trust the wrong sources of information. They're clearly not intentionally harming their child. So you have to be a consequentialist about moral blame to call it abuse, which is fine but involves accepting much more difficult moral claims. Especially if we're okay with blaming people for failing to do good things even when they lacked the knowledge that it was the good thing to do.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do appliactions (and OS's) accumulate lag that disappears with a reinstall?

Also, would it be that difficult to design them in a way so that they wouldn't?

[Assistant]
No, it's impossible. There are ways of mitigating the effects of crappily-written third party software, but there is no way to ensure that every program used on a certain system behaves as expected.

In Windows, there are a lot of different ways of storing application data (think internet cookies, but much harder to remove than the cookies). There is nothing wrong with this. The problem comes when you decide to remove a program.

The majority of the stuff you install on your computer never completely goes away on uninstall, and there's not much you can do about it. Formatting the machine can get rid of these, but they'll just start accumulating again.

There are also other reasons for a computer starting to slow down. Sometimes, the problem could be as simple as running out of hard drive space. Windows needs room for use as swap space (Instead of running out of RAM and crashing, your computer switches the the hard drive for you), and if there is not enough space available this can slow down the computer.

Other issues can be programs that automatically add themselves to the start up, and ones that take a portion of your processor just to sit there and idle.

So the answer is no, you cannot make a computer operating system that never slows down with use. While some systems are better at dealing with problems than others, it mostly boils down to you, the user, to keep your computer from accumulating the cruft that they all seem to have.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is a Dimension ?

In terms of maths and physics what is a Dimension? is it just something we came up with to explain things or would Dimensions still exsit if humans didn't ( like how time would exist with out people but hours wouldn't?).

[Assistant]
A dimension is basically a direction.

We live in three dimensions.

X, which is length.
Y, which is height.
Z, which is depth.

From that alone it's not terribly hard to imagine a fourth dimension in this abstract sense. It's just another direction, albeit one we can't currently see or travel.

A core aspect of dimensions is that the number of dimensions is the number of coordinates required to specify a specific location within that dimensional space.

So for example, in a 2D space (a flat plane) you need two coordinates to describe any point. (x,y). Similarly, any 3D area needs three coordinates (x,y,z). So for a four dimensional area you just need to add a fourth coordinate. (x,y,z,a).

On time: Some people consider time to be the fourth used dimension. This is because you can specify a point at a specific x, y, and z as well as time. So your four dimensional area can have points specified by (x,y,z,t), where t=time.


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

[User] ELI5: When paper money became the new standard, how was in distributed? What was the process for people to exchange their old currency for the new currency?

[Assistant]
Paper money started as promissory notes, created by private banks.

The idea is that the bank held the real currency, and would create the note promising to pay the bearer the amount promised on request.

When you have a note that can instantly be exchanged for 100 dollars, it effectively is worth 100 dollars, so if you've got something worth 100 dollars, which is easier to carry than 100 dollars, why bother turn it into actual money when you can just give people the notes as payment?

So promissory notes promising currency can be used as currency themselves. Because of the paper note's ease of use over bucket-loads of coins, they caught on.

But since there were many banks issuing notes, and an institution might not have accepted a note from another institution as payment, there needed to be some form of standardization. The government issued it's own notes to be the standard, which are recognized as acceptable payment in law (legal tender).

In the US, the dollar used to be backed up on the gold standard, so a dollar used to merely represent a certain amount of gold that; in theory; the government promised to pay the bearer.
I guess that makes a commercial bank note a promissory currency promising to pay a promissory currency.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do some cameras flash multiple times before taking a picture?

[Assistant] Cameras usually do this in low light. If the scene is rather dark, the autofocus system of the camera cannot see where to focus. By emitting a series of flashes, the autofocus system gets the information it needs to focus, and when it is done, the camera takes the actual picture, accompanied by a flash as well.


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

[User] ELI5: If 70-75% of all stock trades are executed by lightning-fast, software-driven, algorithm-based High-Frequency Trading (HFT), what advantage is there to the remaining 25-30% of trades occurring at traditional human timescales (especially those occurring on trade floors)?

[Assistant]
not everything needs to happen lightning fast,
the fast trading really counts when you are "day trading" and looking for stocks that move in that moment(for example you see it start to go up you buy it you then wait for 10 mins you see it start to go down and you sell it,you are trying to get a profit by the minute or sometimes second).
but there are still a lot of people who just want to buy a stock and just let it be, for example you save some money and want to invest it so you go and buy some stocks or bonds buying it in lightning fast speed or waiting a couple of minutes has no effect for you.


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

[User] If I am immune to x disease and give blood, will the person receiving my blood have the same immunity due to my antibodies being inside him?

[Assistant] If the person received your plasma, they would then indeed possess your antibodies--for a short amount of time, and at a small percent of your total plasma proteins (depending on how many units of plasma they received from you, and if you're currently making that particular antibody) However, the recipient will not possess the B cells (plasma cells) capable of making said antibody, so they will not be able to mount a secondary immune response upon exposure to the disease using antibodies that were originally yours.


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

[User]
ELI5: In music are F# and G flat the same note?

Thanks!

[Assistant]
Yes. These are called enharmonics. It's the same pitch written in two different ways.

Why?

Because of key signatures. It's convenient for everybody to have a key signature that relies on a particular number of flats or a particular number of sharps, but mixing the two is dreadfully confusing. It's easier to write, to play, and to remember an F# and a C# rather than a Gb and a C#.

This extends to the naming of keys as well. F# major and Gb major are identical musically, but written differently.


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

[User]
ELI5: How were the worlds first words agreed upon and how did everyone know what they meant?

.

[Assistant]
The meanings actually came first, before there was proper language.

Human ancestors would have a variety of call, not unlike modern apes.  One sound might mean "Help! Danger!" while another might mean "Who is that over there?".  These grunts and screams got progressively more refined to express more subtle meanings, until they evolved into a true language.


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

[User]
[Doom 2016/Eternal/TAG] What would have happened if the Slayer hadn't backed up VEGA?

At the end of Doom 2016, the Slayer makes the decision to back up VEGA's memory when his body is being destroyed to allow the Slayer back into Hell.  However, come the end of Eternal and the Ancient Gods DLC, we find out that VEGA is in fact the Father, an immensely ancient and powerful god with a life sphere in Hell.

What would have happened if the Slayer hadn't chosen to backup VEGA and bring him to Urdak. Would he still have been able to manifest in some form, or would his memories have been lost?

[Assistant]
[Watsonian] Of course - VEGA wouldnt simply die as a result of being purged there. The machines on Mars were designed to give his spirit a body - not to bring him to life.

[Doylist] This scene only really made sense when VEGA was an A.I., and its fairly obvious that the developers hadnt planned anything more for it during the development of 2016.


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

[User]
How powerful are Drizzt Do'Urden's twin scimitars? What is Drizzt's sword fighting skills compared to others in the D&D universe?

Edit: Thank you guys for all of the amazing answers!

[Assistant]
Twinkle is a +2 defending scimitar, either capable of hitting easier with a sharper blade or defending easier at it's wielders discretion. The sapphire in the hilt identifies threats.

Icingdeath is a +3 Frost scimitar, capable of absorbing fire and ice, as well as being able to imbue attacks with ice.

Just to avoid anyone having to look them up for specifics.


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

[User] [Harry Potter] What are in the rooms in the department of mysteries?

[Assistant] Serious dark magic artifacts. Items which are dangerous to the wizarding and muggle public, items which break the ethics laws, we've seen the prophecy room, so there's proabably magical monitoring systems in there, giving the ministry an omnipotent edge (Big Brother much?), the there would be rooms to store this information. Items with unknown of unique properties.


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

[User]
Is the James Webb Telescope really a one-shot deal?

Since it will reside in the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange point, we won't have a transport vehicle to reach it (and it would be vastly deeper into space than any human has ever gone)...so is NASA really that confident that the JWSP won't have a Hubble-esque start?

[Assistant]
Yes, the Webb telescope will be physically un-repairable for the reasons you mentioned. But keep in mind that the Hubble was one of the only space missions ever to be designed for repairability. So the Wedd telescope will be just like all other space missions. Launch it and wish it luck. Plus build in as much redundancy as possible so problems can be fixed from the ground. But if there is Hubble like problem to start, it will be a tragedy!
Edit: Webb!


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Why are lightsabers typically wielded 2-handed?

I have been studying Kendo, a wooden-sword adaptation of the Japanese sword fencing school known as Kenjutso for three years now, and as a longtime Star Wars fan, I come to realize that the way in which most lightsaber wielders fight is actually one of the most inefficient methods given the nature of the blade they're using.

One of the primary reasons two hands are used in sword fighting is because the longer the blade, the heavier the sword, and thus the more difficult it is to cut an opponent down with only one arm.  In theory, the ability to wield a long blade effectively in one hand would prove a massive boost to range of motion, without the drawbacks of a loss of control.  Even Myamoto Musashi, a legendary duelist from 16th Century Japan, notes this in his Book of the Five Rings:

"If you hold a sword with both hands, it is difficult to wield it freely to left and right, so my method is to carry the sword in one hand.   However, when it is difficult to cut an enemy down with one hand, you must use both hands."

Because lightsabers are practically weightless, and little to no force is required utterly cut an opponent in two, there is no real reason to sacrifice the advantage of maneuverability attained when wielding the sword in one hand.

I have seen the argument made that two arms are useful for matching blows,  but in Kendo it is taught that sticking to your opponent strongly is bad - you should always stick quickly, and ride his blade before breaking off or immediately striking the hands.

With this in mind, can anyone give me a rationalization so I don't keep thinking of this every time I see a lightsaber duel?

[Assistant] In at least one Legends source, lightsabers are described as generating considerable gyroscopic forces when in operation, effectively negating the weightlessness of the blade from a physics standpoint.


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

[User] Whist practically impossible to achieve, theoretically, would two separate double pendulums produce the same path of motion/results given they have absolutely identical starting conditions?

[Assistant]
Yes, if everything about them is identical. The double pendulum is an example of a system that exhibits chaos, **not** stochasticity. The motion is not random, its deterministic. Just very sensitive to initial conditions.

So if you were to repeat the exact same initial conditions on two double pendulums which are identical in every way, they would undergo the same exact motion.


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

[User] ELI5: Why can't you close finder on macs?

[Assistant]
Because the desktop is part of Finder, so if you were to actually quit out of Finder, you would no longer have an interface with which to access anything in OS X.

Imagine a real, physical desk with paper files and folders sitting on top of it. Finder is not just the files and folders on the desk, but it's also the desk itself. Now imagine two guys coming in picking up your desk with all the files and folders on it and walking out with it. You're sitting in your chair looking at the empty, dusty space where your desk used to be. That's what quitting Finder would be like. Now go outside and take a deep breath. Look up at the sky. Go for a run. What the fuck else are you going to do? They took your desk.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is America going through a heroin epidemic?

[Assistant] Heroin usage is increasing because it is cheaper than prescription opioids. Some pill addicts are switching because of changes in prescribing rules that make their Oxycontin or Vicodin harder to get.  Just another "war on drugs" failure.


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

[User] Is the skin on my face actually more 'sensitive' than the skin on the rest of my body, or is that just a marketing gimmick? If so, why?

[Assistant] There is significantly more blood vessels per square inch of your face, than most of your body. Skin Sensitivity (to the lameperson) is usually the appearance of redness when irritated, and hence due to the immense amount of capillaries on your face, it is more sensitive in that respect.


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

[User] ELI5: How come a soft cookie becomes hard when it is stale while a hard cookie gets soft?

[Assistant] Because they adjust to the humidity of the surrounding air. The "humidity" of fresh soft cookies is above the humidity of air, so they get drier with time. However, the humidity of fresh dry cookies is lower than the humidity of the surrounding air, so they get moister with time.


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

[User] [ELI5] Why are battery capacities expressed in Ah (Amperes-hour) and what does it mean, for example, a AA battery that is 2500 mAh?

[Assistant]
Theoretically, an amp-hour is a battery's ability to provide 1 amp for 1 hour. Or 1/2 amp for 2 hours. Basically, an amp-hour makes the equation *time* x *power-draw* = *amp-hour*. We use this because drawing more power from the battery makes it run out faster, but the actual storage wouldn't change.

In practice, the chemicals and materials in batteries are optimized for a certain draw. So a small battery (AA) with 2500 mAh that is optimized for 50 mA would last about 50 hours, but if it is ran at 200 mA it might only last 10 hours instead of 12.5.


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

[User]
[WH40K] Necrons vs 'Nids endgame

If the Nids arrived in full force, and faced a fully awoken Necron horde, who would win? Would the 'Nids find any biomass left to continue their assault?

We haven't seen the bulk of the Nids, but it's safe to assume they're essentially infinite. Could anything the Necrons have fight that? Or would they simply hunker down and hope to escape and outlast?

[Assistant] The Nids wouldn't engage the Necrons. They have nothing to gain, and a war against Necrons is a constant war of attrition as Necron attacks don't simply blow apart biomass but utterly annihilate it at the molecular level, making any engagement a net loss as Necron soldiers can't be consumed.


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

[User] ELI5: If I have a 1 light year long stick and push it, why does that information not travel instantly?

[Assistant] Information travels through materials in a wave at roughly the speed of sound in the material, not light. When you push on the end of a stick, you are pushing on atoms that then have to push on adjacent atoms, which push on adjacent atoms, etc.etc. until the far end of the stick moves. There is no such thing as a perfectly rigid object.


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

[User] ELI5: When someone experiences memory loss, do they also lose all knowledge acquired during the periods of memory that are missing?

[Assistant] They might lose their memories of events, but they can retain skills learned during that time. There's a well studied man who got herpes in his brain, it destroyed his short term memory. He forgets who he's talking to, what he's talking about, within seconds. Bit he can still improve his artistry and learn other skills.


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

[User]
[Marvel] If thor was being mind controlled, could he pick up the hammer?

If he was being mind-controlled, would the mind-controller be able to control him to pick up the hammer and do what ever with it?

[Assistant]
Depends on the nature of the mind control. If someone's will is inflicted over him (he'd probably  be too powerful for it) but it'd be someone else trying to lift it with his body.

If they work his mind to make his will want to be their will, it would.

As an example it'd be the difference between one of the agents in Matrix, vs Loki selling him a new reality.


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

[User]
ELI5: How to wash clothes and bedsheets and cook for one person and socialize. Autistic at college and freaked out.

I have no clue what I am doing. Preferably tailor your advice to someone with a HUGE pile of unwashed clothes (I have bought at least four detergents b/c I was unsure of what to buy). I have been staying up in my room, and I don't really know what venues are offered for socialization at college and I don't really know who to ask. In other words, I'm helpless and need a reddit mom right now, thanks!

[Assistant]
1. Chores. Make a schedule for the routine tasks and put them on the calendar along with your class schedule.

A. Wash sheets every Saturday morning

B. Wash clothes every Sunday morning

B1. Do homework while clothes are in machines

C. Grocery shop every Sunday afternoon

C-1. Write down every item of food and household product you need for the week before you go to the store.

2. Food. Again, use a schedule.

A. After having done C from above, write down every meal you plan to eat from your weekly grocery trip for every day of the week. E.g.
*Monday breakfast: cereal and milk. lunch: chicken sandwich. Dinner: beef stew.
*Tuesday breakfast: cereal and milk. Lunch: ramen noodle. Dinner: spaghtti with red sauce.
And so on.

B. Cook a week's worth of dinners on Sunday evening, put into smaller containers and freeze. This way you don't have to cook every night!

3. Socializing

A. Join at least 2 clubs. 1 acivity based, e.g. rock climbing or chess or whatever you like to do. 1 academic based, e.g. history club or whatever your fav subject. Once you get the hang of it, join others. Don't be scared, college club groups love to have new members!

B. If you are religous join a student religious organization for your religion, this way you get spiritual support away from home.
Gotta go, babies crying. Hope this helps.


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

[User]
[Minecraft] What's with these bookshelves? And a few other questions.

Is anything written in those books?
Also, what is a dungeon exactly? Is it man made? Is it a naturally occurring thing? Monster nest?
What is the history behind the strongholds, and why are no traces of them visible above ground?
Are villagers human?
What is a Ghast (I have my own theory, I'd just like to hear yours, same with strongholds)

[Assistant] The books are blank, at least when you're not doing anything with them. They're used as "RAM" for magic, allowing greater quantities of energies to flow about a magical focus simultaneously without being lost. Were you to read a book on a bookshelf while it was conducting magic, you'd see symbols appear and disappear, flitting about the pages.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why are much-wanted TV shows like Firefly and Arrested Development (well, previously) so hard to get back on the air despite a rabid fan base?

I'm just curious.  Seems like there's a good majority of folks online who would watch *Firefly* and for a while people yearned for *Arrested Development* to get back on the air; however there always seems to be an obstacle standing in the way.

Is it a skewed opinion of the actual amount of viewership?   Are networks not interested and / or don't think it won't garner ratings despite acclaim?

[Assistant]
OK, Like you are 5:
1) TV shows are expensive to make; for example an "inexpensive" show such as a reality show on TLC runs about $700,000 per episode. A drama such as Firefly (with special effects) or AD (with dedicated sets, larger crew, etc) costs much more.

2) Additionally, each 1/2 time slot has a "cost", based on how much money a network thinks it can/should make in that 1/2 hour.

3) The "good majority of folks online" could very well be a false sample, and in fact the "rabid fanbase" may not provide the amount of viewers necessary to cover (1) and (2) compared to other shows that can. You are online all the time, so it seems like a large viewership to you.

To the networks, it is all about minimizing (1) and maximizing (2) -- and your favorite shows cannot compete with "Ghost Hunters" or "Toddlers & Tiaras" in that equation.


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

[User]
Why would a black hole with the mass of Jupiter trap light while Jupiter itself doesn't?

I'm a bit confused. One is a simple gas giant and the other a black hole of the same mass yet only the black hole traps light. Why is it that way?

[Assistant]
A black hole with the mass of Jupiter would only trap light in a very small area. The distance from the center of a black hole at which light can no longer escape is called the Schwarzschild radius. This Schwarzschild radius depends on the mass of the black hole.

If an object is larger than the Schwarzschild radius of a black hole with the same mass, then the object simply isn't dense enough to trap light. The Schwarzschild radius for a black hole with the mass of Jupiter would be around 2.8 meter, extremely small compared to the actual size of Jupiter. In order to make Jupiter trap light, you would need to compress all of its mass into a ball with radius less than 2.8 meter.


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

[User] Why does cuddling feel awesome?

[Assistant]
Human beings are wired (as in, there is an instinctual, non-conscious response) to respond to physical contact.

Extreme case point:  many autistic children respond positively to being 'compressed' (eg, schools will have heavy, lead-lined blankets like those used for X-ray shielding).  This is related to the same pathway.

Neuroscience brain studies have shown that physical contact with other human beings releases increased amounts of neurotransmitters associated with pleasure.

TL;DR:  Our brains dope us up with feel good drugs when we get touched.


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

[User]
[Naruto] Does a Naruto's clone's pleasure get transferred to the original when it disappears? [NSFW]

Like let's say Naruto is really busy so he sends off a clone to Hinata for sexy time. Just after or before the clone climaxes the clone disappears. Does the pleasure transfer to the original Naruto?

Considering information can be transferred back as well as Chakra (sage mode) I don't see why pleasure can't either.

Can Naruto have a harem to give himself a steady supply of hnng while he does his daily routine?

[Assistant]
While a clone does impart its knowledge when they disperse they don't seem to also convey pain or other physical sensations.

We see hundreds of clones being killed at once with naruto not seeming to notice any of the pain they felt when they disappeared.


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

[User] [Game of Thrones] So, how long will it take to travel from Castle Black to Dragonstone?

[Assistant]
About a week. If we assume you left Castle Black on a Sunday, you'd arrive at Dragonstone the following Sunday.

The return journey takes about the same time, except in cases where a rowboat is used, which tend to take quite a while longer.


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

[User]
Where does uranium come from?

I made a post in askreddit trying to get an answer to this question but this seems like a better place, but I am trying to figure out where the naturally occurring elements with the higher atomic numbers like uranium come from. None of the processes I was reading about in wikipedia like proton capture or neutron capture seemed to reach the heavier elements found here on earth so am I misreading something or is there an undiscovered process that leads to their creation?

[Assistant]
Same place all the other heavy elements everything heavier than iron  come from: supernovas.

Sometime in the distant past, before the Earth existed, there was a star. That star formed out of the primordial hydrogen (mostly) that precipitated out of the Big Bang. It burned for a while, and in the process fused light elements into heavier ones. Then it died, exploding and scattering its fusion products throughout a medium-sized region of space.

Later, another star formed from the stuff the first star left behind. Similarly, it lived and died and exploded, scattering its own fusion products through space.

Then the cloud left behind by those stellar processes, a cloud containing all the naturally occurring elements, collapsed under its own gravitation into little knots. One knot was quite massive and became the sun. Another knot was much tinier and became the Earth.

Some of the atoms that made up the Earth were uranium, forged out of lighter atoms in the supernovae that created the raw materials from which our solar system (and we) formed.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do you text in Chinese?

To my understanding, the Chinese language is composed of complex characters that usually represent words. So how do you text with a language on a limited keyboard?

[Assistant]
Pinyin and knowing the tones.

Chinese has a writing script based on roman alphabet which is what kids and beginners use when first learning the language. This is called pinyin. This is basically the phonetic transcription of the language.

There are then 4 corresponding tones in Chinese. Flat (1), Rising (2), Falling-Rising (3) and Falling (4).

The word 'train-station' in Mandarin is huchzhn. So you type it out like that but add the tones by adding a number after the corresponding character. (But not every character has a tone.)

So huchzhn would be huo3che1zhan4 and this would type out as


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

[User]
[LOTR] Can the One Ring be WILLINGLY destroyed by a mortal?

Frodo did not willingly cast the ring into the fire/magma, the ring fell into it more or less out of his control. Basically what I'm asking is if say Frodo had managed to reach the crack of doom within an hour or two from first receiving the ring, would he have been able to throw it in? Or does the corrupting power get stronger as one gets closer to Mt Doom?

[Assistant]
Not only mortals, but even Sauron himself would not have been able to willingly harm or give up the Ring. From Tolkien's letters:

> Also so great was the Ring's power of lust, that anyone who used it became mastered by it; it was beyond the strength of any will (even his [Sauron's] own) to injure it, cast it away, or neglect it.

There are very, very few people in Middle-earth that could resist the One Ring's power. Given that even Galadriel and Gandalf admitted their vulnerability to its corruption, it's likely only the Valar (gods/archangels), Tom Bombadil, and perhaps Ungoliant could have willingly destroyed the Ring.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Who knows that Darth Vader is actually Anakin Skywalker

I've always wondered about this. The obvious one are: Luke, Obi Wan, Palpatine, Leia, Yoda and Ahsoka. Another strong candidate is Tarkin as he seems quite certain of it in his namesake novel and the way he talks to Vader in the briefing room also clearly indicates that he knows the truth. Also in the meeting was Admiral Yularen who served closely with Anakin in the clone wars, surely he pieced it together as well. And, correct me if I'm wrong I haven't seen it in a while, but I'm pretty sure Ezra heard Ahsoka say it during her confrontation with Vader. If you can think of anyone else please do say.

[Assistant]
Tarkin knew vader's identity pretty early on in legends but kept it secret. In canon IIRC he learns it shortly before the death star is finished in a similar manner.

There's also at least one ISB agent that learned the truth shortly before letting vader kill him and handing Vader the keys to a coup plot against the emperor.

Fett didn't know vader's secret but knew he was somehow connected to Luke by more than just political reasons. He knew enough to connect Vader to obi wan and obi wan to luke but didn't connect them to Anakin.

A handful of padmes loyalist guards knew Anakin was vader and launched a failed assassination attempt against him.

Legends has a few others learn his identity early on but most were killed to silence the truth long before 0ABY. After that Luke and Leia openly shared their parentage and connection to vader once they knew. However that was mostly after his death. Boba fett knew of Anakin being vader early on but only because of his close proximity to vader that isn't present in canon. He maintained the secret for Vader out of mutual respect and fear unlike others who were killed almost without question. And at least one ISB or maybe just imperial officer discovered his secret during his hunt for the rebellion after yavin but kept it secret to avoid dying like all others even remotely involved in his hunt for Luke. She was fast tracked through promotions but lived in abject fear he would kill her at any moment for knowing the truth.


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

[User]
Do you have to double major in math in order to have a high chance of getting into a PhD programme?

Hi there,

I am a high school student planning on studying economics at university.

I'm passionate about economics and statistics, but based on research, I've seen that an economics degree is better paired with math than stats, and that I should double major in econ and math if I want to get into PhD programmes. However, I haven't practiced calculus/algebra since 2017, as I was in an accelerate class which was two-years ahead.

Can I still get into a PhD programme with high grades and a double major in stats or math, or should I work hard to double major with math? It's not that I don't like math, I just can't imagine doing an entire major in it without having practiced for so long.

Thanks!

[Assistant]
You can double major in either mathematics or statistics.

You should have the following courses on your transcript:

1. A calculus sequence
2. Linear Algebra
3. Probability (the one with a Calc 3 prereq)
4. Mathematical Statistics (the one with a Probability prereq)
5. Real Analysis (the one that uses Rudin's book)
6. One other upper-level mathematics or statistics course

If you major in statistics, then you're gonna take the first four of those *anyway.* A statistics major is basically an applied math major.


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

[User]
ELI5 why is "military grade" referred as being the highest quality, when it's really the cheapest possible manufacturing by the lowest bidder that does what the military needs?

I just watched a movie that boasted a house having "military grade" fiber. I don't want military grade fiber, I would want Google Fiber equivalent.

[Assistant] Because even those cheapest bidders still have to meet certain standards of quality and manufacturing. And those standards are high. The army doesn't just say 'we want this made, who can make it cheapest'. The army says 'we want this made at this high level of quality, who offers the cheapest bid'.


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

[User] [Batman] Who have characters theorized Batman to be other than Bruce Wayne?

[Assistant]
Most commonly, people assume Batman isn't a single individual, but a team of well-paid mercenaries. After all, no one person can be THAT GOOD at all the exploits Batman is known for. Someone hiring a shadowy private army is much easier to believe than one man dressing like a bat and patrolling the city every night of the year. This theory often gets strengthened as the Bat Family grows, and people are shown definitive proof that there are multiple people working under the Bat-label.

Especially early in Batman's career, a lot of people didn't think Batman was a living person at all. But some kind of shadowy, magical figure. Maybe a demon, or other form of otherworldly avenger. A lot of GCPD's earliest hunts for Batman were conflated with chasing Bigfoot and other cryptids, because he seemed very much like one.

There is actually a rather loud group of people online who SWEAR that Bruce Wayne is Batman. But they're usually seen as conspiracy nutjobs and people looking for attention by shouting the most insane ideas possible. Bruce actually encourages this, and even posts some of these ranting posts himself, in order to sow further confusion and distrust of the idea.


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

[User] ELI5: How are cheat codes in games discovered?

[Assistant] A lot of the times, cheat codes are usually "leaked" by the game's developer or publisher as sort of a fun bonus. Also, cheat codes are sometimes coded in by the developers so that playtesters can rigorously check for bugs and faults in the game.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do you hear about police breaking the law (like strangling the guy in Tennessee) and they just get fired rather than arrested and charged?

It seems like this happens a lot.  If a member of the public behaved like that we'd get thrown in jail for a long time.
A police office does it and they simply get unemployment.  Is there a justification for this?

[Assistant]
Police are afforded a significant amount of individual discretion in deciding what is an appropriate or reasonable level of force to use. It's a judgment call in the situation; occasionally they get it wrong. If they knew there was a high likelihood of being charged with a crime themselves there could be situations where police do not use the necessary force required to keep themselves and the public safe.

For that reason, cases of police brutality and the like are more often handled as an employment matter (not fit for service) rather than a criminal matter (not fit for society).


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

[User] [No Country for Old Men] Chigurh spends the movie illustrating that he has Jedi-level combat prowess. How did that punk-ass deputy at the beginning of the film even manage to arrest him? Did Chigurh intentionally get arrested to access police records?

[Assistant]
I think you missed the point of the film if you think Chigurh has Jedi-level combat powers. He's a good shot and he's implacable, but he always uses darkness and surprise. Moss thinks Chigurh is an unbeatable monster, but he actually hurt him in their gunfight. The whole point of him getting hit by the car in the end is to show that he's only human and something as random as a car accident can severely hurt him. Chigurh is not invincible or even that much better than an average human, and if he just starts trying to beat up a cop, things might go badly for him very quickly.

No Country for Old Men is not some action story with characters with unbelievable combat powers- it's a deconstruction of that.


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

[User] If two objects collide on Earth, their kinetic energy is converted to other forms such as light and sound. But in space, it can't be converted into sound energy, so what would it get converted into? And would it be more destructive for the objects in question? Or am I completely misguided?

[Assistant]
Heat.

Depending on size and composition the objects would vibrate, undulate, or temporarily rearrange themselves for a little longer in space if their environment didn't easily remove their excess energy.  Basically, they'd get warmer.  Eventually they would radiate the excess thermal energy.


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

[User] Why when we get vaccinated our children don't inherit the immunity?

[Assistant]
The genetics provide the blueprint for the immune system, but you get vaccinated against things you're not naturally immune to.

A vaccination teaches your body how to respond and fight off an illness, but it doesn't alter your DNA.


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

[User]
[MCU/Thor Ragnarok] How did no one in Agard know who Hela was?

Asgardians are shown to be extremely long lived (living thousands of years) yet no one in Asgard had heard of Hela when she first arrived. Surely there are surviving Asgardians who remember her. Also if she was imprisoned before Thor was born, does that mean that Valkyrie is way older than Thor since she knew all about Hela?

[Assistant]
While Asgardians are extraordinarily long-lived compared to humans, Odin was probably exceptionally long-lived for an Asgardian. His use of Odinsleep and the Odinforce probably allowed him to live multiple times the life of a normal Asgardian.

So to the general Asgardian populance, Odin's period of conquest was still generations ago, and he'd specifically wiped out any mention of Hela and that bloody period of their history.

As to Valkyrie - she's been in exile on Sakaar since facing down Hela, and time is... funny on Sakaar. While sometimes time passes faster there (Loki arriving weeks before Thor, despite only a few seconds passing in the Bifrost) and other times it passes at the same rate (Hela seems to be in Asgard for roughly the same period Thor is on Sakaar, give or take a couple days), on average time appears to pass more slowly there. Valkyrie has been gone from Asgard for thousands of years, but only a few centuries have passed from her perspective.


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

[User] When a new largest prime number is discovered does that number actually advance the field of mathematics or is the process in which it was discovered that matters?

[Assistant]
The largest primes known are so-called Mersenne primes, which are primes of the form 2^p -1, for some prime *p*.

The reason this is the case is that there is a particular algorithm called the *Lucas-Lehmer* test that is particularly efficient at testing primality of a number *n* if the factorization of *n+1* is simple. For Mersenne primes, the number *n+1* is a power of 2, and it doesn't get simpler than that.

The Lucas-Lehmer algorithm is conceptually simple, but what is needed is the ability to multiply very large numbers (millions of digits), and the ability to reduce them modulo *n* (e.g., determine the rest after division). The fastest algorithm known to do this is based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm.

All this is established mathematics, and there is no real interesting mathematics going on any more. The reason people do this is mostly just because it's a nice challenge.


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

[User]
Why does moisture make some surfaces more slippery and other surfaces less slippery?

For example, waterslides and smooth concrete get very slippery when wet, while very thin plastic bags are easier to open if your fingers are wet, and wet clothing is harder to remove than dry.

\*Edit: I appreciate the answers so far, but I think I gave too many examples. I'm most interested in understanding why a little bit of water on my finger tips makes it easier to open very thin plastic bags, and that hasnt been mentioned yet.

[Assistant]
Why does water make things more slippery? Well, water molecules (or other fluids, depending on viscosity) easily move around and slide over each other. So if there is a layer of water between two solids, it can allow them to slide over each other more easily as the water molecules move around easily.

Why does water make some things more grippy? For your wet clothing example, it is because when you pull on your clothing, the water allows for a vacuum to form between the clothing and your skin. This vacuum basically pulls your clothing back on as you are trying to remove it.

Why do things like non-slip shoes work? They have patterns that channel the water away from directly underneath you to create good surface contact with the ground.


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

[User]
ELI5: What does the NSA do exactly and why is it so bad?

I always hear about the NSA but I honestly have little knowledge about the group and what they do.

[Assistant] It's signals intelligence - i.e. they are concerned with the content of communications between parties of interest - which traditionally means other intelligence agencies, foreign governments, enemy combatants etc. When you get mission creep into routinely snooping on the private communications of ordinary citizens without any particular justification, that's when people don't like it.