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

[User] ELI5: why do we lose weight more easily when we drink lots of water?

[Assistant]
1. Your stomach has stretch receptors that tell your brain you are full. If you drink a lot of water, your stomach is streched out by a 0 calorie drink rather than a high calorie food. That's partly why eating a giant low calorie salad makes you feel as full as a small high calorie baked good. There are other things that contribute to fullness, but the stretch receptors are an important one.

2. If you drink cold water, your body has to burn calories to warm it up to body temperature.

3. You drink water instead of other high calorie beverages. You will swap out water for soda, juice, etc. That keeps those empty calories off.

4. Your kidneys have to burn more calories to get rid of all the extra water you drank.

5. Water is an important part of many calorie burning chemical reactions in your body. If you don't have enough water, your body stops the less necessary reactions to conserve water.


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

[User]
[AOU] Spoilers, why not Asgard?

Is there a reason they chose to hide out at Hawkeye's with Lindsey Weir instead of having Heimdal bifrost them up to Asgard?  Asgard would be completely out of reach of Ultron so would be a perfect place to regroup.  Also is there a reason Thor didn't ask for a bunch of Asgardian warriors to bifrost down to protect Earth in the final battle?

[Assistant] Thor has just seen some terrible visions of Asgard getting completely wrecked. Its not in his vest interests to take the Avengers to Asgard when they're seemingly safe with Hawkeye. Thors priority is figuring out exactly what he saw and how to stop Rakgnarok, which is what Heimdall mentions. Its natural that he would be wary of doing anything to set the events of Ragnarok in motion, including getting the most destructive people he knows to his home planet.


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

[User]
ELI5: Saltwater to fight fires?

Can firefighting helicopters use saltwater to fight wildfires or is it just freshwater?

Will the salt have a negative impact on the area after?

[Assistant]
They can use saltwater, too. Some things to consider though:

As you mentioned, salt isn't great for re-growth.

Most sources of water nearby forests usually aren't the ocean but instead lakes.

Saltwater can be damaging to water tanks and it causes corrosion more quickly.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why is 2% inflation rate good, and what would happen if the rate falls below this?

Would people notice sudden changes in daily life?

[Assistant]
Inflation means that a dollar gets less valuable over time (by 2% a year). Too much inflation, and money becomes worthless, like in Weimar Germany. The too-little problem is a bit trickier.

Inflation encourages people and corporations (and especially banks) to do things with their money, specifically, invest it in businesses, education, or something else. If money loses 2% of its value each year, companies have to be doing something with it that earns at least a 2% profit - like lending it out.

Basically, inflation forces banks and billionaires to stop just sitting on money and instead reinvest it, creating new businesses and jobs and driving the economy forwards.


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

[User]
CMV: Businesses should not be allowed to discriminate based on race, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, etc.

1. You can effectively run people out of town just because of who they are by withholding essential services from them. You could also basically ban blacks, gays, etc. from town if all of the hotels decided not to accommodate them. This happened before the Civil Rights Act, something you have to oppose if you're being consistent. That's why when JFK came up with the Civil Rights Act he wanted to outlaw discrimination by private owners of public accommodation.

2. It is a dangerous precedent to set. What if I interpret my holy book in a certain way that I believe I should pay certain people below the minimum wage? Isn't the minimum wage violating my religious freedom? If you actually want to be consistent, then minimum wage shouldn't be required either.

3. You never know when a new class of people could become the new hated group. Imagine if, hypothetically, we went to war with China, or there was a terrorist attack. There would certainly be a lot of people who would refuse service to people of these nationalities. So you can't just say that we've forever moved past it.

4. Private owners of public accommodation (retail stores, rental establishments, recreational facilities) are already not allowed to discriminate based on race, color, religion, or national origin according to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is very important legislation and will have to be repealed is you disagree.

Let me make myself clear: I think businesses should be allowed to refuse service based on *what the service is*, not who is asking to be served. So a bakery can refuse to bake a cake shaped like a dick or something. I also think if a service is purely religious, like a wedding ceremony, a religious establishment can refuse that service.

[Assistant]
At a college campus, lets say that the law technically allows minors to be in a drinking establishment so long as they are not being served alcohol. However, to help prevent prevent older +21 students from passing drinks to younger ones (which happens frequently and is hard to prevent), the college bar decides simply to not allow anyone under 21 at the bar after 8pm.

This is clear cut age discrimination, so would you argue that the bar owners should be fined for taking this precautionary measure to help prevent underage drinking?


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

[User] [Luigi's Mansion] Why is this mansion filled with so much money? And why is it hidden in so many weird places, like in chandeliers or toilets?

[Assistant]
Money in the Mario series carries with it magical properties. Note how collecting 100 coins will grant Mario the ability to rewind time and prevent his own death, or hitting Toads that have transformed into bricks will produce a stream of coins before transfiguring those Toads into a different type of block.

Luigi's Mansion was a mansion that "popped up out of nowhere" because King Boo created it with his magic. Because there is magic in money, and it requires a lot of magic to maintain a gigantic structure, we likely find lots of money in the mansion for one of three reasons: either A) King Boo collected all of this money and used its magic to create the mansion, B) the money acts as a sort of crystallized version of the magic emanating from the walls of the Mansion, taking on physical form in the shape of money over time, or C) this magical currency is the equivalent of ghost ectoplasm in the Mario universe; as the ghosts roam the hallways, the magic that they radiate turns into money that is then spread throughout the mansion.


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

[User] ELI5: How do my electric guitar's pickups, together with my amp, create their sound?

[Assistant]
Magnets. In simplest terms, the magnets in the pickups pick up disturbances in the magnetic field surrounding it, the capacitors and other electronics turn it into an electronic signal that is pushed through the amp which amplifies the signal into the speaker and our ears.

In more complex terms

 The basic science behind pickup function is Faradays Law of Induction. It states that a changing magnetic field causes an electric field to be set up in a nearby wire, causing a current to flow if the wire is part of a closed circuit (a loop of wire for example).

Since Faradays Law tells us we need a changing magnetic field to make an electric current, how does the magnetic field from the static permanent magnets change? Thats where the string comes into play.

See, the string is made of nickel and steel (iron+carbon), materials that are ferromagnetic. That is, a magnet attracts guitar strings. When this ferromagnetic metal vibrates in the magnetic field of the pickup, that disturbs the field which also crosses through the coil. That changing magnetic field makes a current flow that tracks the vibration of the string, and we have a working pickup!


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

[User] [Batman] Does Joker have a lawyer on retainer for when he gets caught or does he go with a court appointed one? Does he have any kind of relationship with his representation? Whats that relationship like?

[Assistant]
Pretty sure court appointed, or hed demand to represent himself.

Of course if they were court appointed, could definitely see him killing the first few next time he escapes for not being able to get him off. Probably would be hard to find anyone to do it after that.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is it that bad singers cannot recognise themselves as out of tune or off key when everyone else can instantly hear it? Makes even less sense because a bad singer can pick out other bad singers without any issues, yet they fail to hear how bad they are.

[Assistant] I think it is because when you are listening to someone sing (or talk,...), you hear the sound conducted through air, however when you hear yourself, not only do you hear the sound that goes through air, but also through your own body (mainly bones). And since bones have different sound properties than air, the pitch is different and the result in your ears might be perfect, yet unbearable for others.


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

[User]
CMV: It is completely possible to be racist to people of your own race

Racism:
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized

I hope the title is clear but more and more I'm coming across scenarios where people think it's OK to make a racist judgment/joke/argument and then defend it by saying "But I'm that race/background". In example I am White British, and it WOULD be racist of me to say I dislike White British people because of XYZ reasons, as i am making assumptions and generalising people based on their race.

Most recently someone at work was giving a presentation and did a silly little, classic Egyptian hieroglyphic dance thing. Someone passed a small comment that it's a bit stereotypical and unfunny and they responded with "I'm allowed to do that, I'm Egyptian"

[Assistant]
This is called internalized racism. Its well-documented. Was the aforementioned friend born and raised in Egypt or around Egyptian people? Because theres a difference between using an ethnicity you might *be* but werent brought up in to justify stereotypes vs POC joking about their experiences in a way that would be racist coming from a white person.

Like, its pretty distasteful to make jokes about all the black people in the hood, but a black person who grew up in an impoverished area making jokes about other black people who also grew up in poverty is fine imo.


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

[User]
eli5 How does the process of throwing up work?

I was driving about 20 minutes ago and I could feel myself about to throw up. I was less than a minute away from home and so I tried to hold it down but despite my best efforts it came up anyway and I had to open the door just seconds before spewing my guts out. Why aren't we able to hold it down? How does that bodily function work?

[Assistant]
Your stomach is like a bag of fluid and mashed up food. It is surrounded by muscles that "squeeze" the bag. They usually just mash food around to help with digestion.

With throwing up, your body decides that it needs to get rid of your stomach contents (more on that later). It has all the muscles around your stomach squeeze hard. Picture a small Ziploc bag of water with a tube coming out the top, then you squeeze the bag hard in both hands. The contents has to shoot up the tube.

Why can't you stop it? Evolution has "decided" that over all when the situation is dire enough that you need to vomit (which is usually because you are being poisoned by something you ate), getting the poison out ASAP is more important than being able to choose where that happens. You can wash out your car or your carpet if you don't make it to the bathroom - but not if you're dead from whatever you've gone and eaten.


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

[User]
[Matrix] Why doesn't anyone bother cleaning up the sky?

I just thought about this. During the big events during the Matrix I would imagine the humans wouldn't have had the capable or the time but the machines have free run of the planet. They could easily find a way to clear up the massive clouds blocking the sun so they could have a secondary power source.

[Assistant] There's a theory that the "scorched sky" is actually a massive cloud of EMP generating nanomachines. This would explain why Neo's ship failed as it escaped into sunlight while he was trying to reach Machine City. It also makes sense as a protective measure by humanity to ensure that the machines never escape Earth. Given that humans had hover technology before the war, it's likely that they had extraterrestrial colonies, and when the war happened, they released the cloud to contain the machines to Earth.


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

[User] Why is it that there is no planet that orbits the sun in the opposite direction to the other planets?

[Assistant]
All the planets in our solar system would have emerged from what's called a 'proto-planetary disk'. This was a fairly flat disk of gas (largely H and He) and dust (solid stuff, including rock-making stuff and, at farther distances, solid ices). The planets inherited how they orbit from the direction in which the disk rotated, which would have been about the same as the spin direction of the sun.

There are several observed cases where the one planet in the system rotates in almost the opposite sense to the sense in which the star is rotating (or at least in which the sense of the orbit and the sense of the star's spin are at some large angle relative to each other). In these cases the system went through some sort of violent upheaval or maybe the star somehow had a different spin than the proto-planetary disk. This topic is a hot area of ongoing research.


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

[User]
What causes raindrops to be different sizes?

I ask because when it rained today, I looked up at a streetlight and saw that rain was coming down in sheets though I was barely getting wet. What makes these drops so small as compared to when it rains and the drops are huge and get you soaked?

[Assistant]
A raindrop gets bigger in the cloud by combining with other drops, also called coalescence. Coalescence happens in the air, and the cloud, so the raindrops that combine in the air, are larger than the ones that don't.
Another reason why raindrops vary in size is because a raindrop can be ripped into pieces on a windy day, creating tiny droplets of water that fall to the ground.
Hope this helped :)


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

[User] ELi5: When giant ships like the Titanic sink is there a whirlpool effect that can drag people under when the ship fills with water? Can someone please explain why or why not this would happen?

[Assistant]
Let's get this out of the way.
The effect is a real thing that happens with large ships.
The Mythbusters did one small scale test, with a boat far too small for the effect to be noticeable.
There are many accounts and engineering studies showing that the effect happens.
You need a large ship such as the battleship HMS Hood, and it needs to go down fast (the Hood went down in a few minutes after it blew up)

As to why it works.
Ever move you hand through a pool of water?
Behind you hand theres less water because your hand pushed it away, so water fills in that place. The water moving into fill that place is whats sucking you down.
If your hand moves fast, the water has to move fast to fill the space.

Also theres air trapped in a large ship that bubbles up to the surface as the ship goes down. In some cases, the bubbles make the water light enough to make it impossible to swim or float. The air going up also displaces water, causing it to rush in from the sides.


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

[User]
How do chemical reactions work on the quantum level?

I'm an undergrad student studying chemistry and biology where (especially in organic chemistry) we do a lot of "arrow pushing" (i.e. drawing arrows to signify where electrons travel during a chemical reaction). Earlier today I was watching a video in which Sean Carroll (physicist) goes on to explain how electrons actually form a "cloud" of probability around an atomic nucleus, where according to its wave function you can predict where you might find that electron if you went looking for it. He also stated, most importantly, that the electron is actually just a cloud of probability until you look for it, that the electron isn't anything more than a wave function until we look. What does that mean for my arrow pushing? If the electron is just a wave function does it collapse when chemical bonds are formed? What exactly goes on in this sense?

[Assistant]
Arrow pushing is a way of visualizing the quantum processes. When you push two electrons from the valence shell of an atom to an "empty" orbital of another atom, these blend to make a new bond.

For example, you can take two electrons from an s orbital and put these into an empty s orbital of another atom. The spherical cloud of each s orbital then blends together to form an oblong sigma bond cloud of probability. The sigma bond is now just as the original s orbitals were a cloud that describes the probability of finding the two electrons in a given place.

Basically, the orbitals, which are clouds of probability, blend together when you push the arrows, so to speak, and create a newly shaped cloud of probability that spreads out between the two nuclei.

This is nicely illustrated by two p orbitals interacting. For example, if you are forming an alkene, you already have a sigma bond between the C atoms. The p orbitals then can interact, through for example beta elimination, and form a pi bond. The p orbitals' clouds of probability have an hourglass shape, and the resulting pi bond (or double bond) looks like hotdog bun that wraps around the sigma (single) bond with no probability of finding the electrons on the C--C axis, just as the p orbital has no probability of an electron at the center of the hourglass.

So a chemical reaction creates a new wave function (sigma bond), a new cloud of probability. Collapsing the wave function refers to observing where exactly the electron is at any particular moment. This means that you no longer have a cloud of probability, but an actual measured location for that electron. In a sigma bond, that electron could be found near one atom, near the other atom, or in between the two.


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

[User] Who's a bigger asshole, Joffrey or Feyd Rautha?

[Assistant]
I have no idea where Joffery is headed, but as it stands now in the TV series vs the books, Feyd by a large margin. He was not only cruel, but trained to be so AND capable. Had someone of lower status slapped him, they'd have been slowly tortured to death. If he didn't have The Barons blessing, it would be known by the public and suspected by The Baron. If he did have his blessing, it would occur publicly.

Feyd has skill, he fought Muad'Dib and nearly won. Joffery uses his authority, but is still childlike in his abilities.


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

[User]
[WH40K] Do the Chaos Gods have an impact beyond our galaxy?

Do the Chaos Gods draw power from the hate/plotting/lust/rotting of beings all across the universe, or are they tied to our galaxy? If the latter, why?

For that matter, what about the Old Ones or other Warp-Beings?

[Assistant]
We don't know. What little records we have on the Old Ones don't mention anything about their activities outside the galaxy. And the closest galaxy is still to far away to use warp travel (the chances of getting lost is too high). The only lifeform we know that comes from outside the galaxy are the Tyranids and they won't be talking anytime soon.

Although there was this one rumor; we sent out probes sometime during the Great Crusade and they came back filled with the chanting of Orks.


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

[User] ELI5 why can a person's weight change +/- 5-10 pounds a day when they definitely aren't eating 5-10 pounds of food/water a day. Where does this extra mass/wight come from?

[Assistant]
Don't underestimate the weight of food and especially water. A half gallon of water (the standard-even-if-derided recommended daily amount) weighs over 4 pounds. A hearty meal can weigh 1-2 pounds on top of that.

Not all of this material stays in the body long-term because we expel it as waste, but our body's capacity for storing water especially goes beyond the size of our bladders. Our cells literally get dehydrated overnight and will swell up with water over the course of the day.


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

[User]
[DC Comics] Does Superboy (Jon Kent) being half human limit his powers in anyway?

Does he have all the same powers as his Dad - the heat vision, the freeze breath etc.

[Assistant] Well, because he was still growing, it was assumed his powers, which are the same as his fathers, were still adapting, and that was why even if his other powers were still active, his invulnerability was imperfect. Later it was made clear this was due to the manipulations of Manchester Black. But due to his human genes and the fact he is still developing, he is in a different position than his father. On one hand, his powers fluctuate with his emotional states. On the other, because of that, he has the potential to be even more powerful than his father.


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

[User]
CMV: The statement that an armed population has no chance against a conventionally armed and supplied military force is naive and incorrect.

I keep hearing the argument that civilian ownership of weapons is useless to combat tyranny because civilians cannot win against a military force. This flies in the face of universally accepted concepts of establishing an insurgeny. Many conflicts in the past 50 years have been exactly that and a good number of them have been successful to varying degrees. Also after a period of some time through training, establishing alliances, setting up supply lines and experience those former armed populations have for most intent and purposes transformed to become almost functioning military forces in their own right. Please show me the error of my reasoning and CMV.

Edit: Apparently I am trying to reinvent the wheel here as I am told that this is a common CMV that's been dealt with repeatedly. I apologize and will read those threads. My reddit search skills are poor I guess. Thank you to all who helped me see the holes in my logic.

[Assistant] Id like to also point out that most of these successful insurgencies occurred in third world countries, which, unlike the U.S., did not already have a high tech surveillance state already in place.


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

[User] [Game of Thrones] Wouldn't giant Wun Wun demolish entire Bolton's army in Battle of the Bastards if only he had armor and any kind of club weapon?

[Assistant] If Wun Wun just threw logs and rocks as a artillery battery, could have pushed a giant mechanical push mower through the ranks, he could use fifty yards of chain and jump rope his way through divisions, etc.  Wun Wun is juggxrnaught and that should with any coordinated support would be nightmarish to deal with.


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

[User] If earth stopped rotating what temperature would the side facing the sun reach?

[Assistant] Keep in mind that if it stopped rotating entirely, there would still be one day per year as the Earth moved about its orbit.  If you want one side to be permanently facing the sun, you want the Earth to be tidally locked with the sun.


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

[User]
[MCU] "That's my secret Cap. I'm always angry." What does Bruce actually mean by this?

I mean, he seems pretty chill most of the time. Was he actually seething at everyone and everything in the helicarrier the entire time, and for every part of the movie where he wasn't the Hulk?

[Assistant]
Yep.

Banner is not mentally well. Even if he had never been exposed to gamma radiation he would be a walking basket case. His father was not a good man, his childhood was not healthy, and his neurosis would fill an entire diagnostic manual.

He covers this well. He seems like a happy, easygoing man. A nice guy. But he's not. Like many people with a traumatic past, Banner knows how to play a role. He knows how to hide his pain, and his fear, and his anger. People don't see him as a man on the edge, because he doesn't let them.

So they see Banner is a bomb with a wonky fuse. Poke it the wrong way and *boom*, you've got a medium to large disaster on your hands. His default state is "safe", but if things go wrong, he'll explode.

But Banner isn't the fuse. He's the failsafe.

Banner is *always* angry. The Hulk is *always* on the verge of taking control. He has to work to keep the monster at bay. And he's very, very good at it. So good that he can joke about it. So good that he can pretend he's about to lose control. So good that people are worried that he won't be able to summon the Hulk when he's needed.

But the Hulk doesn't have to be summoned. He's always there, always trying to escape. All Banner has to do is step out of the way. The anger will take care of itself.


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

[User]
[General Sci-fi] How does gravity on space ships work?

I know how it works on ships that use centripetal force, but how does it work on most ships from Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, etc?

[Assistant]
Usually via gravity generators that can produce gravity fields and/or whatever the force carrier particle for gravity is in that universe (gravitons, typically). Sometimes these fields/particles can be manipulated and projected elsewhere, such as from emitters in the deck plating, to make sure that 'down' is always towards the floor rather than whatever part of the ship the generator itself is. Handy when your ship is long, so your crew doesn't end up walking 'uphill' towards either end.

Some ships just use sheer acceleration to do it. In situations without FTL, travelling at a constant 1G of acceleration is usually the quickest and most comfortable way of handling long voyages where cryostasis isn't available. Technically, however, this isn't actually gravity in the same way that centripedal force isn't gravity.


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

[User]
[Lord of the Rings] Where does the smoke go in an underground place like Moria?

It  doesn't have to be Moria, it is just the most known example. Imagine an actual underground city in a medieval setting (so no electric lights,  also not so much magic). You obviously need a lot of fire, or you just  don't see a damn thing. Wouldn't they get a smoke poisoning sooner or  later? The underground halls might be huge, but they're still closed  rooms, the only openings would be tunnels.

I am asking this question, because I am in the process of creating such a city for my ficitonal world. And then it is an interesting question for fantasy worldbuilding in general, if you think about dungeons in video games and such.

[Assistant]
The mountain above the city is full of air ducts that not only direct smoke out, but allow fresh air inside. Many of them are artfully carved so as to blend seamlessly into the rock above everyone's heads, or are part of the buildings around everyone. Small curves in the vents would also prevent sunlight and rain/snow from falling into the settlement.

They are so numerous and relatively small that the amount of smoke released by each vent is negligible, and thus the mountain doesn't appear to be wreathed in smoke at all times.

Keeping these vents clear would be a massive and endless job, but the constant maintenance would ensure that nothing clogs and ends up killing all of the inhabitants.


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

[User] ELI5: why isn't the US happy about Russia being in Syria? Isn't it good for us if they crush ISIS at their expense and with their soldiers?

[Assistant]
There is a pretty complicated war going on. It's more complex than this, but there are essentially 3 sides fighting at once:

FSA - Rebels against Syrian government, USA-backed

Assad Syria - Syrian government, Russia-backed

ISIS - Radical muslim, both USA and Russia enemies

When the USA fights ISIS, they of course focus on fighting them in ways that benefit the FSA... attacking ISIS forces threatening FSA, etc. Russia, however, fights ISIS in ways to hurt the FSA and support Assad Syria.

So, while both USA and Russia are anti-ISIS, they are also indirectly fighting against each other by supporting their side in the war.


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

[User] [Blade Runner 2049] Nexus-9 models are known for obedience. How was K able to go against his orders?

[Assistant]
He was obedient, but hes still intelligent, sentient.

Give a sentient person reasonable cause to believe their entire life is a lie, and they they arent actually a replicant but a human being, and they are capable of exceeding their programming.

In short, K had such an intense existential Android crisis that it overrode whatever his baseline programming was. His baseline tests he gets at the police station show he is capable of going off mission because otherwise they wouldnt test for it.


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

[User]
CMV: I believe planned obsolescence is wrong

Planned obsolescence is a manufacturing decision by a company to make consumer products in such a way that they become out-of-date or useless within a known time period so that consumers are forced to buy a product multiple times rather than just once. I believe it is betraying the structure of free market economy. It is just using its rules to stay for as long as a company would. Looking at from a customer's perspective this can be really hurtful. For example, fast fashion is always being promoted as very useful and stylish. Chanel sells a bag at a very high price, but Bershka can produce a very similar knockoff, isn't it amazing? But surprise, even you wear it a few times in a week, it's going look very bad in a year and you will no longer want to use it.

When you look at the producer's perspective, it is reasonable that you want to keep the business going all the time so you need a factor to keep your products selling. But customer won't always accept this and they might turn into new alternatives. I'm open to every perspective of this issue. I really wanted to talk about it in automotive and mobile sector but I don't know strong arguments about them.

EDIT: I think I made a mistake by giving an example from fashion. Let's say you just read the sole definition of PO. Would you think it is right? I believe Apple making iPhones go slower with every update is wrong.
EDIT2: I don't know if it's against the CMV's format, but I'd rather discuss this issue in the definition of it, not examples. When we talk about examples I feel like this is a game where both sides are trying to come up with something different.

[Assistant]
I think there's a fine line between intentionally creating a product to be useless after a period of time, and not prioritizing longevity.

For instance, that bag wears out more quickly because it's made of cheaper materials with less quality control. That allows them to sell it for less money, which many consumers value.

When companies don't prioritize longevity, it's generally for some reason that supplies something else consumers value, like a lower price. While fast fashion sellers may be happy that consumers buy new stuff when the old things wear out, that isn't the sole motivation behind their manufacturing decisions. They're also providing value with those decisions as in the example of a lower price point.


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

[User]
[Greek Mythology] How did Cronos know what a horse was?

The first centaur Chiron was conceived when Cronos took the form of a horse and slept with an Oceanid. But Poseidon didn't invent horses until much later.

[Assistant]
He just transformed into a random fleshy shape. He wasn't thinking of a specific animal, just some random traits and a big penis. If anything Poseidon ripped him off and took credit.

Or because they're gods, and the fact he's the god of time, it works differently for them than mortals.


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

[User]
ELI5: When transferring money between banks, where is it when it is not in either account?

When I transfer money from one bank to another (whether by check or electronic transfer), there is always some period of time when the money is in neither account. Where is it? Who has it? Can they do anything with it (e.g. loan it out for an hour)?

[Assistant]
It's still in the first account, but it's flagged by most computer systems as "not usable" to prevent overdrafting.  If there were some error and the transaction didn't go through, it would remain in the original account.

The "in between" state is there because most banks immediately tag the money as "gone" so that users can get a clearer picture of their finances.  And the "receiving" bank doesn't list the money in their system until it arrives, just in case there's a problem and the transaction doesn't go through.  This way, nobody accidentally spends money that they don't have.


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

[User]
[LOTR] Were the hobbits created by Ilvatar, or were they an offshoot of another race, similar to the orcs and elves? If they were children of Ilvatar, why was Sauron unaware of them until Smeagol's first trip to Mordor?

When telling the story of the ring to Frodo, Gandalf says:

>'Yes, alas! through him the Enemy has learned that the One has been found again. He knows where Isildur fell. He knows where Gollum found his ring. He knows that it is a Great Ring, for it gave long life. He knows that it is not one of the Three, for they have never been lost, and they endure no evil. He knows that it is not one of the Seven, or the Nine, for they are accounted for. He knows that it is the One. And he has at last heard, I think, of hobbits and the Shire.

which seems to imply that Sauron was not previously aware of hobbits. Wikipedia claims that they are an offshoot of men, citing this passage:

> It is plain indeed that in spite of later estrangement Hobbits are relatives of ours: far nearer to us than Elves, or even than Dwarves. Of old they spoke the languages of Men, after their own fashion, and liked and disliked much the same things as Men did. But what exactly our relationship is can no longer be discovered. The beginning of Hobbits lies far back in the Elder Days that are now lost and forgotten. Only the Elves still preserve any records of that vanished time, and their traditions are concerned almost entirely with their own history, in which Men appear seldom
and Hobbits are not mentioned at all. Yet it is clear that Hobbits had, in fact, lived quietly in Middle-earth for many long years before other folk became even aware of them. And the world being after all full of strange creatures beyond count, these little people seemed of very little importance. But in the days of Bilbo, and of Frodo his heir, they suddenly became, by no wish of their own, both important and renowned, and troubled the counsels of the Wise and the Great.

but this is a pretty disappointing explanation considering how otherwise thorough Tolkien was in his worldmaking. They are nowhere mentioned in the Silmarillion that I recall, though I suppose that was intended to be written from the Elves' point of view. Was there a "sundering" of men and hobbits, like that of the Eldar and Avari?

[Assistant]
Hobbits are a product of genetic drift in an isolated population of Men.  At some point a small group, perhaps three or four extended family clans, were separated from the rest of Arda somewhere around the Anduin River valley.

One or more of the traits that distinguish hobbits as hobbits - short stature, large hairy feet, prolonged adolescence (aka neoteny) - appeared as random mutations within a family.  Due to the small population size, these traits became fixed, i.e. they were inherited by all individuals in the valley within a few generations.

Once this tribe of proto-hobbits became differentiated, their unusual features would be a deterrent for interbreeding with other groups of Men.  This would result in the fixation of further mutations, eventually resulting in the halfling races seen in the Third Age.


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

[User]
[Independence Day] Was Russel really abducted by the aliens?

Russel famously was...sexually...abused/probed by aliens, or so he says. He certainly seems to believe it, since he announces "I'm back" when he destroys the first ship.

Were the aliens really conducting programs of this kind prior to the invasion? And would they return someone they'd abducted? Why? I got the impression that they arrived - and attacked - rather suddenly. I know one crashed at Roswell - was that part of the science program? An advanced scout?

[Assistant] The novelization explores some of this. At first, Casse doesn't recognize the aliens. Later he realizes this is because of their exosuits, as they look exactly as he remembers them once they are out of the suits.


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

[User]
What would happen to honey in high gravity?

I was wondering how would a liquid with higher viscosity react to a planet with higher gravity (like honey). Would it drizzle slowly? Or would it flow like water flows on Earth?

[Assistant] It should flow more freely in a higher gravity field - and, to continue that train of thought, it should flow more slowly in a lower gravity field (on the Moon, for example). Adding honey to your tea on the Moon could take a while.


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

[User]
What happens when a sound wave encounters a vacuum?

We know that sound doesn't travel through a vacuum, but something has to happen to the energy of the sound wave when it hits a vacuum.  Does it bounce back in the opposite direction?  If so, what prevents spacecraft from constantly ringing like a bell?  I'm guessing the sound energy will eventually become heat, but doesn't this take some time?

[Assistant]
Sound reflects off a perfect vacuum with a 180 phase shift. As a result the sound energy is perfectly reflected back.

Spacecrafts do, in fact, have to deal with this problem since they don't radiate any sound energy it gets trapped. However, the sound energy can get dissipated as heat in the materials of the craft.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] why do Yoga and Old Ben Kenobi try to get Luke to kill Vader and not the Emperor?

Just watching ROTJ and it occurred to me that Obi Wan and Yoda never pressure Luke into killing ol' Sheev but they have it in for Vader.  Obviously Anakin betrayed the order but why do they not tell him about the Emperor?

[Assistant]
That is a genuinely good question and it is one that needs a multiple part answer.

* The jedi are blinded by their hate of the traitor Darth Vader, and they don't see him as redeemable

* The emperor sits on the throne while vader does the leg work, the jedi do not care about the rebellion so they
think eliminating vader will do the most good.

* Becoming powerful enough to kill vader would be a big stepping stone to being powerful enough to kill the emperor.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do extremely tall people have higher mortality rates?

[Assistant]
Because doorways aren't high enough for them and eventually they bump their heads one too many times.

On a serious level though - this is a developmental defect. Organs don't scale the same way as body size does when it comes to supporting larger organisms, but humans don't have the necessary systems in place to make organs in the right way to properly allow for larger humans, so an exceptionally tall person is making do with organs that aren't quite efficient enough for their body's needs. Most importantly, gigantism is typically caused by overproduction of growth hormone. This makes  the heart thicker, but doesn't make it bigger, so it just has a really hard time moving enough oxygen and other blood around the body. Eventually, it'll have worked so hard that it fails, which is the most common form of death in gigantic people.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why is it that television shows from Britain seem to appear different than American tv shows?

Can't quite put my finger on it... something to do with the cameras?

[Assistant]
Couple things would give it a different look. First, they use PAL rather than NTSC. Pal uses 25 fps while ntsc uses 30 so pal will look more cinematic while ntsc will look more fluid. Also color encoding differences between pal and ntsc.

When we in the U.S. watch a Britcom or other material produced in the UK, there will be some kind of conversion that takes place. The difference you see is mostly because of the conversion process.

The above refers to analog signals. Digital signals typically look more consistent between US and UK. Take a show like The Graham Norton show. It looks like it's produced in the US. The colors are on, no frame rate adjustment... All good.

Btw the frame rate (25 vs 30) is due to the in-country electrical system. In the U.S., our AC runs at 60Hz. While in the UK, they run at 50Hz. So the frame rate is a multiplier of the AC cycles.

If you're looking for less subtle differences, they spell things differently. So you'll see honor spelled honour; color spelled colour; and other spelling variances.


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

[User]
Difference between antibodies made after infection and antibodies made after vaccination?

When someone is infected by Covid-19 what part(s) of the virus does their immune system make antibodies against? Im aware that the mRNA vaccine will be translated into the spike protein so that our immune system will make antibodies against that. Im assuming that when getting infected by the virus our bodies make antibodies against numerous parts of the virus. But considering antibodies only protect people for a few months, it probably targets parts of the virus that mutate very often and the amount of spike protein antibodies made are too few to offer lasting protection?

[Assistant]
Disclamer: Dont quote me on this one.

Its been shown that the most effective antibodies that neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus are antibodies that bind against the s-protein on the surface of teh virus, which is the protein that the virus SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect our cells. For the most part, it seems that people infected with the virus will make antibodies that will recognize the s-protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2. Now, the virus does have other surface proteins that our immune cells could recognize and form antibodies against as well, so there is the chance that your immune system could make antibodies against sars-cov-2 that do not necessarily bind against the s-protein.

The vaccine will induce your cells to produce and present the s-proteins, allowing your immune system to respond to it and make antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 s-protein.


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

[User] [MCU] Which part did Steve Rogers sing in his barbershop quartet: tenor, bass, baritone, or lead?

[Assistant]
Hmm.  Unlike princess Vespa, he doesn't seem like a base.  And he doesn't want it to be all about him.  For that reason and because he was so self-effacing, he's not the Lead either.

He wasn't a big guy so I'd say Tenor.  After taking the serum his voice probably changed for the deeper, so I'd think him a baritone now.

Does anyone know the actor's voice range? - That's probably nail it down.


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

[User]
So, the universe is ever expanding. Does that also mean that the distance between our planets in our solar system will also slowly drift apart?

(I'm not exactly sure what to put in here that would have any relevance. Sorry.)

[Assistant]
The answer is no. That's because the rate of expansion is too small to affect such closely gravitationally bound objects. The expansion can have an effect on the maximum size of a galaxy, but for a solar system the effect is way too small.

Here are some numbers. Hubble's law for the expansion is that v=d*H. v being the velocity the two objects are moving away from one another, d their separation, and H Hubble's constant. H is ~70 km/s/Mpc (Mpc = Megaparsec = 3.26 million light years). The Earth is about 93 million miles from the Sun, that's only 4.85x10^-12 Mpc. Using Hubble's law that gives a velocity of ~1.2x10^-6 km/h = 1.2 mm/h. And that's if expansion of the universe is the only factor. Which it isn't. This expansion is dwarfed by the gravitational attraction.


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

[User]
ELI5: Where did our time keeping system come from? How did it become so popular?

From which Civilization does the idea of having 24 hours a day, and 60 minutes in an hour come from? How did it become the global standard for time keeping? What were some alternatives that were used before?

[Assistant]
The Egyptians divided the day in 24 parts, allegedly because they used a numerical system that used 12 as a base (Egyptians used to count joints on each finger with their thumb, so they could count to twelve using one hand). Also, they used a set of 36 stars, 12 which were only visible in complete darkness.

Greek astronomers used different influences from different cultures. Whereas the 24-hours division of the day came from Egyptians, the Greeks used techniques from the Babylonians, who had a sexagesimal system (a numerical system with the base of 60).

Hipparchus later divided the map of the world in sections of 360 degrees. Ptolemy (Claudius) would later expand on his work and divided each degree in 60 parts (partes minutae primae, or first minute) and each of these parts in 60 more parts (partes minutae secondae), or second minute, or second. It was not until the 16th century that this system was introduced in actual time-keeping.


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

[User]
[ELI5] What is whole grain?

What is whole grain and what does it mean?

[Assistant] When most companies make bread flour, they usually use just one small part of the wheat grain, called the endosperm, because that makes bread feel softer and look whiter. "Whole grain" means they use most of the rest of the wheat grain (not just the endosperm, but the germ and the bran, too), so you get more nutrients and fiber.


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

[User]
CMV: European countries shouldnt have any obligation to invite refugees

1. US and Russia dont participate in this "humanitarian" campaign even though their doings in Syria are the main cause of the ongoing war. So why should EU be the one to invite refugees?

2. Refugees draw in terrorists. Now, I dont mean that they ARE terrorists. The problem is that every country which houses refugees gets targeted by ISIS. Thats because ISIS wants to increase the already high tension between European citizens and refugees. But whatever the cause, the equation still stands true: where there are refugees, there are terrorist acts.

3. Refugees are no longer good for the economy. They used to be, for a brief while, due to aging society in e.g. Germany. But now they're just straining the social system that is already in a pretty bad state (e.g. in Poland)

Now, I know of the whole humanitarian rhetoric of helping people whose country is getting torn apart by war. But I also know that every single person who says "Refugees welcome!", would be deathly afraid of terrorist attacks if a large number of refugees lived in their city.

Hence why its hard for me not to see people that are very welcoming of refugees as hypocrites or just plain ignorant.

I'd like to note that Im actually left wing in terms of political and social views (free healthcare, equality, tolerance of other sexualities etc.),  but the refugees are the one issue in which I support the stance of right wing parties.

[Assistant]
They have an obligation because they played a major part in destablising these areas. France, Germany, Britian, and the Netherlands especially played massive roles throughout Africa and the Middle East in what is one of the biggest causes of the destablisation.

Also, nearly every terror attack that has occured in Europe or in Britian has been done by a second generation legal immigrant (not refugee as of yet). That means their whole life they were brought up in their country of residence and were born there.


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

[User]
ELI5: How does a router decide what inbound packets should be routed to which machine?

Well, let's assume Alice and Bob are both browsing the Internet on devices connected to the same router within the local network and they are both communication with the same external server. (I don't know if that matters, but the router can't distinguish traffic based on server's IP in this case.) How does the router know what inbound packets should be delivered to which machine?

[Assistant] By port number.  When the router rewrites the source IP address, it also assigns a random port number (and remembers it).  When the packets come back, they're addressed to the the port the router assigned so the router can then look up which device on its network it used that port for.


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

[User]
What is Gravitational Wave and why is it so important?

I am curious, not scientist... And my mind tries to conceive the idea of empty space being fabric that ripples like water.  Anyhow, what is it?  What would it mean if it is proven to exist?

[Assistant]
Gravitational waves are a prediction of Einstein's theory of gravitation, called general relativity.  In a gravitational waves, space gets distorted in a particular pattern (a circle would deform into an ellipse, alternately elongated horizontally and compressed vertically and then compressed horizontally and elongated vertically).

There have been indirect measurements to confirm their existence, but a direct measurement would be significant for several reasons:

(1) We would get explicit confirmation of a key aspect of general relativity.

(2) The kinds of events that produce sufficiently large gravitational waves are dramatic things -- black holes or neutron stars merging or colliding, for example.  We would be able to test general relativity and how it works in these situations.

(3) Probably more important, the ability to detect gravitational waves opens up a new means of observing the universe.  For example, how often do black hole mergers occur?  Historically, new means of observing the universe have enabled us to find new phenomena that we had not anticipated and to give us new ways to examine previously known phenomena.

Stay tuned -- there is an official announcement at 10:30am EST (15:30GMT) on 11 February, at which point we will all know whether the rumors are true that gravitational waves have been observed and, if so, exactly what has been seen.


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

[User] Eli5, How was number e discovered?

[Assistant] Jacob Bernoulli was thinking how much money ultimately could be made from compound interest. He figured that if you put $1 in a deposit with 100% interest per year then you would get $2 in a year. Now if you put $1 in a deposit with 50% interest per 6 months and then reinvest it in 6 months in the same way, then at the end of the year you would get not $2 but $2.25 back, despite the fact that the interest rate is the same (50% times two equals 100%). Now if you keep dividing the interest periods in smaller and smaller units and reinvesting every time, you would be getting higher and higher returns. It turns out that making the interest payment continuous (that is, if the money gets reinvested constantly), $1 would become approximately $2.72 in a year, that is, the number e.


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

[User]
[A Song of Ice and Fire] Who is the majority stakeholder of the Iron Bank of Braavos?

So the Iron Bank has some serious cash to throw around, and it's an institution that will exist long after the people who currently run it die, but surely there must be somebody who has the final say in decisions?

Who has the most share in the wealth of the Iron Bank, and who would be most affected if it were to shut down?

[Assistant]
Members of the Bravosi Elite. There are thousands of keyholders in Bravos who own some share technically but most of them inherited that right and don't have controlling say. There is an actual "board" of sorts that is not publicly known made up of the major contributors who don't even necessarily count as keyholders (don't wear an iron key around there neck even) but who actual make the decisions and own most of the Bank's wealth.

They would suffer the most if the Bank were somehow to fall but the chances of that are incredibly small, the Iron bank is one of the strongest most robust organizations on Planetos.


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

[User] Given how cold the outer Solar System (planets and satellites beyond Jupiter) is, how is it possible for Enceladus to have liquid water oceans? Shouldn't they be frigid ice instead?

[Assistant]
Gravity from Jupiter and Saturn could cause flexing in the mantle, generating heat and allowing a zone that could keep water liquid.

Internal composition of the cores of the planets could also contribute heat.


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

[User]
What's the fastest "big" thing in the universe?

Something on astronomical level, like a comet, planet, star, etc

Somewhere I've read there are stars orbiting the center of our galaxy at about 1% speed of light. Is that true and is there anything faster?

[Assistant] The fastest moving macroscopic object that we know of, in some reasonable reference frame, is the S-2 star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the galactic centre. It can reach 2% the speed of light at the closest part of its orbit.


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

[User] ELI5: How are movies dubbed into a second language while maintaining other background audio?

[Assistant] The background audio and voice audio are separate tracks. They are laid over each other to create the illusion of a single track. For other languages, the native voice track is removed and the second language added over the background track.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do magnets "die" after a while of being used?

[Assistant]
Imagine the atoms in a magnet as little arrows. When manufacturing magnets, all of the arrows are arranged In one direction. This is done because it makes the arrows useful.

These arrows don't like to all go in the same, linear direction. This is because they don't like their tips touching, or even getting near each other. As you can see, when they are all going in one direction, the arrow tips are very close the ones above. The arrows don't like this, and only want to be near the end of another arrow. This makes the arrows unhappy, so they become unstable and want to move.

 When the arrows are in a position they enjoy, they become happy. When they are happy they are stable and don't want to move.

Because the arrows are so closely packed it is hard for them to rearrange in a way that makes them happy.
One thing that makes this easier is when they are hot. This gives the arrows the energy and wiggle room they need to point at something they like.


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

[User] ELI5: The difference between deductive reasoning and making inferences?

[Assistant] Nothing. Deductive logic involves starting with a set of premises/axioms/assumptions and then, using logical *rules of inference* deriving a conclusion from those starting points such that, if those premises are true, the conclusion is necessarily true.


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

[User]
ELI5: why does your mouth water before you throw up?

I recently had food poisoning, and every time I threw up, I had the obvious I'm-about-to-throw-up-and-I-know-it feeling, my mouth started to water an extreme amount about a minute before I threw up. It was an easy giveaway to get to the trash can, but why does it happen?

[Assistant] The stomach acid that is about to pass through your mouth could damage your teeth. Your body knows it's about to throw up. So in order to protect your teeth, your mouth produces some saliva to help protect your teeth. It will help dilute the acid, and cover your teeth to make sure the acid doesn't stick to it.


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

[User] [40k] If Big E was around for millennia, why did he allow mankind to follow such meek spiritual figures as Jesus, Buddha, etc? Not to mention idiotic political leaders.

[Assistant]
We don't actually know with certainty that he was around for that long, all we know for certain is that he ended the age of strife by unifying earth and pascifying Mars. There are theories however that he *was* all those people. Of note is that they existed sequentially in different(-ish) parts of the world. His disapproval of religion would be a result of seeing what men will do with the power of religion in the absence of his direct guidance.

There is another theory that he preferred to lead from the shadows, ancillary to power but never in direct control; an apostle but not Christ himself. This could explain why he s not mentioned at all, no stories of a magnificent psyker saving people during the age of strife or during the dark age of technology.

And of course it's possible he was a perpetual but didn't have his immense psychic powers until he made a deal with the chaos gods sometime before records begin. He would have been northing more than a man who could not die until he was able to access the knowledge discovered during man's zenith.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do cars have those random tap/tick noises under the hood after you turn it off?

It sorta sounds like tiny pieces of sand hitting the inside of the hood or something. Since I was a kid I never understood, and I passed a car today that was making the noise after the guy had gotten out. I'm so curious!

[Assistant] Well, son, when things get hot they usually get bigger too. When the car is running, it gets pretty hot. So when the car stops, it gets to cooling down. As it cools down, it's also shrinking back down to size some too. Those sounds you hear are the metal cooling down. If you listen really hard, you can hear those sounds other places too. Like the flat panel TV in the living room. Some of those make sounds you can hear when you turn those off too.


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

[User] [Star Wars] Why did master Sifo-Dyas order a clone army at least 10 years before the Clone Wars even came close to starting?

[Assistant] Sifo-Dyas only foresaw that a war was coming, he didn't know anything else. A clone army takes years to grow, so he contacted the Kaminoans as soon as possible. By the time the project was up and running the Sith had killed him and taken his place, and they could afford to be patient, especially since they needed to create an enemy for the clones to fight.


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

[User]
eli5: what heroin withdrawals feel like

Because I just watched Gene Hackman writhing all over the floor of a Marsielles jail cell and it looks awful. But what does it feel like exactly? Is it pain? Is it an itch?

edit: wow this blew up! Thanks for all the insightful answers, it sounds absolutely fucking awful. With that knowledge, I think Gene Hackman really did a killer job!

[Assistant]
Constant alterations in temperature, one moment you're overheating and sweating, 10 seconds later you're freezing cold plus the sweat. No appetite, pain, sneezing and general increase in fluid production like tears and nose drip. Diarrhea. Nausea. Insomnia. Irritability.

source: currently living it!

**edit:** these "supportive comments" are all annoying and stupid.


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

[User] [Star Wars] The Republic decides against becoming an Empire. What does Palpatine do now?

[Assistant]
There's nothing for the Senate to decide. Palpatine got the emergency executive powers. It's like the old Roman law. He is dictator, the supreme ruler.

Disagree and he'll execute you for whatever reason he likes and it will be legal.


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

[User]
Is there any scientific basis to the old trick of rubbing your hands on stainless steel to remove garlic/onion odors?

I've heard that a good trick to remove the strong garlic or onion odor from your fingers after cutting vegetables is to rub your hands with a stainless steel spoon or other utensil. Is there any scientific basis to this theory? And if so, what is the chemistry behind how it works?

[Assistant]
Transition metal elements are useful as catalysts, and they may favour the decomposition of certain organic molecules. If the molecule happens to have a very strong odour, it may be broken down into less odorous molecules. Therefore, if you rub a metal well against something strong-smelling, there's a reasonable chance the odorous substances present will be broken down and the smell abated. Not all metals work, however, and some may be better than others in different occasions.

A related curiosity is the origin of the "smell of metal". A compound must be suspended in air to be smelled, and for most metals it's difficult to imagine that enough of their atoms manage to become airborne at room temperature, because most metals have very low vapour pressures (basically they have high boiling points). It turns out that the smell of metal is actually due to compounds present in the oils produced by the skin. When a metal is touched, oils are left on its surface, and they start decomposing into other organic substances to which we have associated the smell of metal.


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

[User]
[Legend of Zelda] What is Ganondorf's ultimate motivation? Say we all just give up and let him have Hyrule - it's all dark and creepy - now what? What's his tax plan look like?

What's the point? Why does he try so damned hard?

[Assistant]
The short version is that a long time ago, an incredibly ancient evil put on the first Hero and the Descendant of the Goddess "the curse of the Demon Tribe."

Ganondorf is the result of that curse; He is a man/Gerudo/Beast born over and over again, with a lust for power that can never be satiated, and a deep malice for Link and Zelda in all of their incarnations. The true curse though, is that Ganondorf cannot win. No matter how close he gets to ultimate power, the hero will always rise to stop him, and the princess will always be there to keep him at bay.

No wonder he's always so friggin' pissed.


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

[User]
ELI5: Are men who get a sex change and become women able to retire earlier?

In the UK, at least up until recently, women and men retired at different ages. What would happen here?

[Assistant]
That also raises the question of, in the US, do women who become men have to register for selective service? Do men who become women? What about conscription in other countries, or service in combat jobs reserved for men?

Can a man who becomes a woman then marry a man (in a jurisdiction where gay marriage is illegal)?


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

[User]
[Stat Wars] Why didn't the two stormtroopers shove Luke when he walked into the bridge's elevator after meeting Vader on Endor?

They usually shove prisoners or revels when they have arrested them, so why did they keep a respectable distance to Luke when they were walking back to the elevator on the Endor bridge?

[Assistant] Well when a guy peacefully talks to Vader who says "it is too late for me... Son" and "the emperor will show you the true nature of the force. He is your master now." That's usually a dead give away that this guy is VIP.


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

[User]
[LA Noire] Why the hell is Roy Earle giving a eulogy for [spoiler]

Cole? They hated each other, and Roy was a dirty cop. Shouldnt they have gotten Biggs or Galloway to give the speech?

[Assistant]
What the hell are you talking about!? Detective Earl is a one of our finest. Earl gave the Eulogy for Detective Phelps because they were former partners and friends. Before the whole scandal happened they were solving cases left and right, those two! Cole was lucky that he had a friend like Roy.

*This is what the public and the average member of the police force believed, so that's why he was giving the eulogy. Roy gave the eulogy because to everyone else it made sense for him to do so. Only the upper administration, the other crooked cops, and Phelps & co. knew what was going on.*


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

[User] Eli5: Why do we study Limits in Calculus?

[Assistant] Calculus, both integral and differential calculus, is based upon limits.  We don't actually reach our answers but we get infinitely close to it.  You can't calculate instantaneous rate of change (the value of the derivative) without using two infinitely close points.  Well, you *do*, but not without using limits to derive that ability. The rules of differentiation can be derived (no pun intended) by taking the limit as delta approaches zero blahblahblah you know the rest.  Similarly, when calculating area, you're actually calculating the sum of an infinite number of rectangles.  As you approach an infinite number of rectangles, you approach the actual area under a curve.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do the majority of terrorist attack (at least those in the media) in Europe happen in France?

[Assistant] France colonized North Africa a long time ago.  Many North Africans are muslim.  Their great grandparents moved to France because it's a better place to live in vs North Africa, plus they speak French.  They moved there poor though, so they had to live in poor areas.  The poor areas have bad education, so the parents teach their kids that all of their problems can be solved by doing everthing the Quran says and the kids believe them.  Cycle repeats itself, then you're stuck with large ghettos with extremely religious uneducated poor people who also believe that joining terrorist organizations will make their lives better.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do trees leaves move towards the red end of the spectrum Why not the violet end?

Obviously this answer will have something to do with the original colour, green, which is interestingly in the middle of the light spectrum.

[Assistant] Chlorophyll is the green pigment that you see in leaves and it comes in two varieties: chlorophyll alpha and chlorophyll beta. Chlorophyll alpha absorbs more red light whereas chlorophyll beta absorbs more of the blue light (and a bit of red), but they both reflect green light giving you the green color of the leaf. However, during the fall when trees no longer produce chlorophyll, you see carotenoids, which are another group of pigments that absorb blue and purple light, but reflect green to red light. Depending on the the type of tree and its leaves, it'll leave you colors between and including: green, yellow, and red that you see so often during the fall.


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

[User]
Why do most animals have their eyes, nose, and mouth clustered together in roughly the same way as other species?

Why are the eyes usually horizontally aligned, with a nose centered on the face and a mouth slightly below? What are the benefits of this over say having the eyes and the mouth on opposite ends of the body?

[Assistant]
This doesn't answer ALL the factors you asked about but:

* you want your nose close to the mouth to smell your food (for safety reasons)
* you want your eyes as far forward and as high up as possible for seeing things
* You want your mouth far from the waste-hole
* You want all three of those sensory organs as close to the brain as possible (faster processing AND shorter wires are less likely to get injured. This latter one is actually a big deal. If your eyes were away from your brain, breaking your neck would blind you! If your mouth was away from your head, breaking your back means you physically cant eat because you can't swallow).

You're right, the typical configuration isn't the ONLY solution to the above (and other) requirements riddle, but it's a pretty darn good solution - and evolution is *very* much a fan of "if it's good enough, that's good enough".


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

[User]
[Hunger Games] Does District 12 get double the rations after the winning of the first book?

Since, you know, two victors...

Or did they skimp out on district 12 and only give the normal winnings share as punishment for their evil, evil act of defying the Capitol?

I know they both got houses and personal payments, I just don't know about the rations given to the districts.

[Assistant] Negative, the district receives the rations, not the winners who then gift it to the district. If Peter had been from district 5 but they came up with the same plan, district 12 and 5 would each receive rations making the government give out double, but one district won the year, regardless of other odd circumstances regarding the number of winners.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] In between Anakin becoming Vader and Vader killing Sideous, what did Vader and Sideous secretly think and feel about each other?

This includes film and EU. I would assume Vader hated Sideous in every way. In turn, I think Sideous thought rather low of Vader but liked Anakin. Just my thoughts.
*Edit: Sidious.

[Assistant]
After a few years Sidious began to loathe Vader as he did not act like a true Sith. He had no aspirations on supplanting Palpatine. This would continue until shortly after the Battle of Yavin when Vader discovered Luke Skywalker. But Palpatine had been intending to replace Vader for years by this time.

Vader genuinely thought of Palpatine as his friend and advisor as well as his Master. He knew his place and became obedient to the letter. But the Death Star  disaster, to which Vader is nearly entirely personally to blame, he discovered Palpatine's burning distaste for him.


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

[User] [General Sci Fi] What happens to all the paved roads after the flying car is invented?

[Assistant] Hey, just because it exists don't mean everyone got one, buddy. Us average Joes gotta get around somehow too, an' them fancy-schmancy hovercars ain't none too cheap, ya know? Even a hover-conversion job'll cost a guy a pretty penny, 'course not as much as buyin' a car with the hover-dealie built right in. 'Course there's this guy down in Hill Valley talkin' 'bout makin' it more cheap to produce, an' maybe more affordable to the whaddayacallit, 'everyman'.


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

[User] ELI5: What is the purpose of adding -eth to the ending of some verbs in older writings?

[Assistant]
In Middle English, you'd conjugate the verb "to think" like so:

Singular      |       Plural
---------|----------
(I)    think        | (we)   think
(thou) thinkest  | (you)  think
(he)   thinketh   |  (they) think

People just started using 'thinks' instead of 'thinketh' and dropped the 'thinkest' altogether.


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

[User]
ELI5: When you cube integers 1-10, the ones digit is unique for each integer (and 11-20 and 21-30...). Is there a mathematical explanation?

Fun with numbers:

Int | Cubed
-:|-:
1 | **1**
2 | **8**
3 | 2**7**
4 | 6**4**
5 | 12**5**
6 | 21**6**
7 | 34**3**
8 | 51**2**
9 | 72**9**
10 | 100**0**

In the ones digit that I bolded, you have

    1, 8, 7, 4, 5, 6, 3, 2, 9, 0

No repeats.

Coincidence? Mathematical explanation? Evidence of intelligent alien gods transplanting a code into the mathematical language of our universe (please be that one, please be that one)?

[Assistant]
Any integer can be written as follows

     x=(10a+b) s.t. 0<=b<=9

"b" is the one's digit, and "a" is all the others. (So if x=4, then a=0 and b=4, and if x=1842, then a=184 and b=2)

So,

      x^3 =(10a+b)^3 =1000a^3 + 200^2 a^2 b+10ab^2 +100a^2 b + 20 ab^2 +b^3 = 10(100a^3 + 20^2 a^2 b+1ab^2 +10a^2 b + 2 ab^2) +b^3

More importantly x^3 = 10*[some integer]+b^3. That is, the ones digit of x^3 is the same as the ones digit of the cube of the ones digit of x (i.e. the ones digit of b^3).

You've verified that a particular property holds for 1-10. The above proof generalizes it for all numbers.

The cube of an integer ending in 1 will always end in 1
The cube of an integer ending in 2 will always end in 8
The cube of an integer ending in 3 will always end in 7
etc...


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do some children's disappearances spark nationwide news coverage while some only get talked about locally?

For example, there's a boy in my local area who has been missing nearly two weeks (feared abducted). Why hasn't this been shown on national news like other disappearances?

[Assistant] The editors in the national media will only run something if there is something special about the story. This can be some weird twist, or attractiveness of the abductor or whatever. People go missing all the time and it wouldn't be possible for the national media to report on every case.


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

[User]
ELI5: How did x and y become the primary letters used as variables in math?

For cartesian plans, for functions, why are x and y the letters we use as variables?

[Assistant]
Descartes was the mathematician who proposed and formalized the coordinate system that was subsequently named after him (cartesian).

He used the first letters of the alphabet to signify known quantities and the last few letters to signify unknowns. The tradition started from there. (this might be apocryphal since x and y were probably already used before his time)

Very generally speaking, this developed into an informal 'system'.

a,b,c are used for scalar (or real number) constants. (e isn't typically used because it refers to euler's constant. In physics, c, is usually reserved for the speed of light)

f,g,h are used for function names typically. In kinematics physics, g is usually reserved for the acceleration due to earth's gravity

i,j (and sometimes k) is used as subscripts, indices or with a "hat" to denote unit vectors.

k,m,n, (mostly m and n) are used to denote integer constants or integer unknowns.

p,q,r are also commonly used to represent vector unknowns. (a,b,c are usually scalar constants or unknowns)

s,v and t are used in physics typically to denote displacement, velocity and time. (In kinematics physics, u is used for initial velocity)

u,v,w are also quite often used for vector variables.

x, y, z are used for variables. z is commonly used to represent complex number variables. (so if a problem states z\^3 =1, you should assume that z refers to complex number solutions and responding with z = 1 is incomplete or incorrect.)

l and o are rarely used because it too easy to mistake it for "1" and "0"


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

[User]
[Fallout 4] Why are the guns left-handed?

I'm looking for a Watsonian *and* Doylist explanation.

This always bothered me when playing Fallout 4. I did a Google search and none of the threads (mostly on Steam forums) offered anything worthwhile.

I haven't found any reason for the manual-action guns in FO4 being left-handed, either in-universe or meta. The only consistent guess I've seen is that the developers wanted players to be able to see more of the guns' operation, which is reasonable with a bolt-action rifle being used in first person. But it's such a sharp contrast with real-life firearm operation that it sticks out to me.

[Assistant]
Watsonian:

Fallout weapons are made to be easily swapped to be ambidextrous.

Boston always had a large post-war population but relatively few guns (low guns per capita). After centuries of intensive use, the right-handed parts have mostly broken and not been replaced. So few of these parts are left that left-handed guns became the norm at some point, meaning even newly manufactured weapons are built left-handed because that's what everyone is used to using by now.


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

[User]
[Avengers: Infinity War] Whatever happen to the rest of the Asgardian?

In the beginning scenes, did Thanos and his men killed them all, then destroy the ship to ensure all of them is dead? But then Thor said to the Guardian that Thanos killed half of his people, so where did the other half went? Did he captured them?

[Assistant] You can see the ship was cut in half. So in theory the rest of Asgard is drifting in space, you have to think The Valkyrie and Korg are floating about on the back half of the ship with whats left of Asgard.


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

[User]
Are galaxies laid out in any sort of order, or just scattered randomly?

If you look at a small section of stars they look randomly positioned, but if you zoom out far enough they are arranged in galaxies.

If we could zoom out even further would we find that galaxies are arranged in some sort of massive pattern, or are they just scattered randomly throughout the universe?

[Assistant]
Galaxies gather in clusters, and those form superclusters. Within those clusters and superclusters the distribution is more or less randomly, but on a larger scale you can see them splitting up, forming long filaments.

Between these filaments you have huge voids with little to no galaxies in them. On the largest scale everything looks like foam, where the voids are the bubbles and the filaments are the edges between them.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] Do Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff have a house rivalry too?

My wife is sponsoring a Foreign Exchange Student from Hogwarts for a few months and it seems like every other word out of the little brats mouth is about how much the "slimy Slytherins" or some such thing (although, I did find out he *hates* being called a Gryffindork).  There's obviously some sort of serious rivalry there, but he doesn't seem to know anything if I ask about other Hogwarts politics. Are the houses paired off against each other, or is it just those two and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are above that sort of thing?

[Assistant]
Ravenclaws generally don't care for house rivalries due to their fixation on academics. They get along well with Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Slytherin unless Slytherin or Gryffindor is acting superior.

Hufflepuff is a friendly house and they get along well with everyone but Slytherin.


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

[User] ELI5: If the cost of hospital care is so high, why do doctors and nurses work crazy long shifts, which directly impacts the quality of care they provide? Why don't hospitals just hire more doctors and nurses?

[Assistant]
Another point that hasnt been mentioned is that it's much cheaper for a company to pay an experienced RN or doctor double time than it is to hire another equally experienced employee.

You might double their pay for an extra 40 hours that week but you only pay for their healthcare, retirement, continuing education, etc benefits once.

Also for some places keeping the same person on shift can actually reduce errors that would occour from information loss during shift change.


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

[User] What effect does the seawater brought inland by a tsunami have on local plants? Does it make the land infertile for a while?

[Assistant]
In Holland we dont have tsunamis, but the results of salt water floods have been studied pretty well. For instance, after the 1953 north sea flood.

For the Dutch soil, all salt from flooding is washed away within 1-4 years. This depends on sveral factors, such as duration of flood, dept of the groundwater level, amount of moisture in de ground above groundwater level, precipitation etc

For some recovery nature needs some help. The (NaCl) salt water also worsens the mineral structure of older clay. Even if the salt itself is already washed away. Naturally the clay could take up to 8 years to recover. Fertilizing with gypsum is enough to repair this and this pays for itself in the first year.

A sweet water flood costs 1 year of production, a salt water flood generally 2-3 years.With gypsum that 3 years can be reduced to 2 years of loss.  The second year some salt-resistant crops can be grown, so the economic damage could be a bit less. In fact, for weaker fields the silt from the inundation increases fertility in the long term.


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

[User]
What do you do when youre burnt out?

Im at the tail end of a six month, 45 hr a week bootcamp. I also work about 30 hrs a week to pay bills. My brain is fucked. Im powering through, but I dont want to just mail it in for the last 5 weeks of my program. I want to give my best. How do you guys cope/get through burnout?

[Assistant]
Don't work more than about 6 hours a day on software. Just like anything, 60 hour work weeks will burn out anyone.

Also with software, more time doesn't equal more code, sometimes you need to give your brain a rest.


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

[User] [ELI5] How does charging a smartphone work? what happens after it reaches 100% and left plugged in, say, for 8 hours?

[Assistant]
In all batteries, there is a chemical reaction that causes electrons to flow from one terminal to the other.  When batteries are recharged, electrons are forced to flow through the battery in the opposite direction, which reverses the reaction so that it can happen again.

Smart phones use lithium ion batteries.  Unlike some older types of batteries, these batteries can explode if they are overcharged.  Because of this, phones have a built in circuit to prevent overcharging.  When the battery becomes fully charged, the circuit will automatically stop the battery from charging.  It is safe to leave your phone plugged in for 8+ hours thanks to that circuit.


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

[User]
Got invited for a phone interview for TT position! What should I prepare?

I am so excited, I got my first bite from the applications I sent in for TT positions in STEM. I've been shortlisted, and invited to a phone screening on zoom for 20 minutes. The people who invited me are related to my subfield. What should I prepare? Any tips greatly appreciated!!!

[Assistant]
Woohoo!!!

From an R1 / research-intensive institution perspective:

Prep for the main questions:
1) tell us about yourself
2) tell us about your research
3) where do you see your research going in the next 5-10 years
4) where will your funding come from
5) what areas/classes can you teach (bonus points if you can name course numbers at their institution); they may also ask a course you could develop to add to their offerings
6) why this institution/dept?

Have short answers for each that convey you are great and well-prepared for the job (which you likely are). They may ask other questions, but those tend to be the most common.

Then strategically think about questions to ask them that convey you are intentional about launching your research program (and arent easily google-able)

Eg can you tell me about mentoring for junior faculty? how would you describe the culture in the department? How does the PhD student-advisor match work? What does a successful junior faculty member look like in this dept?

Dont: negotiate at this stage or be long-winded

Best wishes!!!


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

[User] ELI5: Why do most trash cans have a sort of taper like \_/ ?

[Assistant] Imagine blowing up the garbage bag inside with that shape until it was at max capacity. You would still be able to wiggle it free. If it tapered the opposite way, you would be unable to remove it. Even a can with perfectly square sides, if it wasn't 100% rigid, the walls would bulge and create a wedge.


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

[User] How did the red fox evolve to remain largely the same species in North America as in Europe?

[Assistant] The same way wolves, moose, and many other species did, they walked from Eurasia across the Bering land bridge about 130,000 years ago. Too short of a time to see any real evolutionary changes and due to the similarities between climates there has been no need for too much adaptation.


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

[User]
ELI5: what is the ex post facto law?

i tried reading it on wiki but couldnt understand.

[Assistant]
An *ex post facto* law is one with a retroactive effect.

Basically it would be making a crime out of something that has already happened. For example, in the US no legislature can pass a law that criminalizes things that happened in the past and were legal when they happened. Laws can only affect things that happen *after* the law is enacted.

This is to prevent the government from punishing people for things that were legal when they did them but may have become illegal later.


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

[User]
I believe that prison gang members harm rehabilitation objectives and should be dealt with differently. Please CMV

Main claim to dispute: Due to gangs' somewhat likely negative influence on the desirable rehabilitation process, gang activities should be scrutinized and disrupted. This is perhaps idealistic so let's talk about the merit of the idea rather than challenges (costs, costs, costs) to implementing this. CMV

Let's say for the sake of argument that prison gangs may exist. Where a person enters the prison population and is forced to join a gang because that's how they will avoid being harmed. Sometimes prison gangs may be established based on race and/or ethnic and/or religious backgrounds (also linguistics, places of origin, level of education, etc); let this item cover every possibility as it relates to countries other than United States of America.

Let's assume that the official objectives of prisons may be for some prisoners (but not all) to rehabilitate and re-enter society with a better attitude and ability to function according to typical expectations (job, a place to live, how about not being in jail).

Gangs in prison may deny prisoners the opportunity to change their attitudes and instead may lead to exposure to violence and criminal activities (gambling, dealing drugs, assaults on demand) in order to gain status or be accepted by a gang.

Members of gangs should be given an opportunity to learn how to function in non-prison society, hold down a job and build healthy relationships. Gang members who fail to get with the program should be treated as dangerous and have their sentences reviewed because of their willingness to engage in violent and anti-social behavior that will likely lead to recidivism or just crime.  CMV

What I do not see as relevant to the discussion is the ex post condition: why the person went to jail (three-strikes laws, selling weed, or crimes that statistically involve vulnerable or minority populations that are over-represented in prison). Any gang activity in prison without prejudice or preference should be treated harshly by corrective authorities.

Edit 1: So what do you think about gangs? do they help or hurt prisoners who want to leave prison? If you decided to complain about the system being broken and slanted, it is a valid critique but not a response to what I am asking.

[Assistant]
What you need to look at is why people form or join gangs in the first place. It often boils down to safety; gangs offer shelter from an otherwise fairly violent prison environment so if you're interested in protecting yourself then a gang starts to look very appealing.

Someone who may not have otherwise wanted to be part of a gang might join because he fears for his safety. Gangs that are especially powerful can even protect other inmates from guards.

By cracking down you're actually encouraging gang activity. Repression by the guards is seen as a mark of honor by a gang, "Look at us, we're so dangerous they can't let us be together." There's also little evidence that I've seen to support that most of the measures taken now to undercut gang activity has much effect in reducing the gang's numbers. In fact there are whole gangs whose leadership *and* membership is in prison and they spread throughout the prison system.


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

[User]
CMV, When bills are proposed in congress (state and federal levels) they should be atomic and singular, containing only the one law at a time.

It astounds me how the US system "works." Basically a group of people want to pass a particular law, but other people want another completely unrelated thing passed, so they attach them together to be voted on together. Many times the laws themselves are so long and convoluted that the senators and reps voting on them don't have time to read or digest them before voting on them... that is if they vote on them at all since many abstain or are off campaigning.

Why is the current system better for society as a whole than a one law, one vote? Wouldn't removing the BS and politics from the system benefit society as a whole?  And don't give me BS about not having time... they already don't have time to read the bills in front of them, and they take hella long vacations and IF they are even in session, many are not present and campaigning for the next cycle.

[Assistant]
Most of the time when this is done, it is done to gain support for the larger "main" item in the bill from congresspeople or senators who otherwise would not support it or who are on the fence.

If Congress needs 50.1% of the vote to pass a bill, and they only have 48%. They can add something like "$2M to fix a bridge in Iowa" and get the support from those Congresspeople who now don't have to pay for the bridge with state tax dollars and they can go back to Iowa and say "look what we did for you!"

Now, whether or not you believe this is morally right is another question. But let's say that first main bill benefited a large part of the country but it wouldn't have passed without the support of those Iowa Congresspeople. Maybe those Congresspeople promised not to vote for that kind of bill and in order to maintain their campaign promises to their constituency, they need to go back with a big "this is why we did it, don't punish us, look at the shiny new bridge we got you that will cost you nothing."


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

[User]
[Star Wars] How did Palpatine set up Order 66 without anyone finding out?

Since we saw him simply tell Cody to "Execute Order 66", and all the clones instantly turned on the Jedi, they must have known about it for a long time. So how did the Order's existence never get discovered by the Jedi beforehand? Why didn't Cody tell Obi-Wan about it, or any of the countless people involved tell the good guys?

[Assistant]
It almost was revealed when ARC Trooper Fives discovered the presence of a biochip that forced the Clones into acting on the order. Tragically the Jedi beleived he had finally snapped after witnessing the death of all his brothers in Domino Squad and was killed on the orders of Palpatine. None of the Clones knew about the order itself, the phrase was kind of a Manchurian Candidate thing.

Kamino was also invovled in the coverup because Palpatine had given them their key to increasing their political influence, so they as well did quite a bit to hide the presence of the order.


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

[User]
[Marvel] My mutant power is super graphic and horrifying. Will the X-Men turn me away?

I don't want to be a mutant.

I'm 20, my powers activated when I was being mugged two days ago. A dude's skeleton just up and exploded inside of his flesh, turning him into a steaming, smoldering pile of meat. I ran away.

Now, I keep hearing Jean Luc Picard in my head and I'm worried they'll sicc Wolfmarine on me! I don't want to be a mutant!

[Assistant] You're actually the sort of mutant the Xavier Institute would want to reach out to help the most. They have experience with helping people with horrific and/or insta-death types of powers find a way to control/restrain those abilities.


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

[User] [Thor Ragnarok] Are the shattered pieces of Mjiolnir still enchanted or could anyone go pick them up?

[Assistant] Assuming it's like the comics, then yes they are still enchanted. In the comics a piece of Mjolnir is picked up by a frog who gets the power of Thor with his own tiny hammer. We see that frog in the MCU (in >!Loki episode 5!<) so it should be the same.


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

[User] [Spirited Away] what did the River Spirit give Chihiro and why was her first reaction to eat it?

[Assistant]
In a generic sense, we know it's an emetic (it forces vomiting), as even a small taste makes Chihiro nearly vomit and the portion she gives to Haku makes him even expel Yubaba's seal. The seal is magic, however, so I'd argue that the object isn't just an emetic in a medical sense, but in a magical sense. It likewise forces No Face to vomit everything he's consumed in a magical sense.

I'd argue it's probably a bezoar, which alchemy holds to be able to cure any poison that you've ingested. Some traditions hold that bezoars are non-digestible food aggregates, basically solidified chunks of seeds, fruit pits, vegetable fibers, minerals, and other non-digestible matter... which is also stuff that could accumulate in a river.