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

[User]
Why does blowing my nose (when it's closed for allergies or a cold) not free it?

I have pollen allergy.. Why is blowing my nose useless if I feel it's blocked?

[Assistant]
Because it's not usually just obstructed by mucus or any other foreign body.

When you're all stuffed up, it's usually the membranes of the nasal passage way becoming swollen from inflammed blood vessels. This just means the hole you're trying to breath through has got significantly smaller.


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

[User] [The Matrix] Can someone explain the ending of The Matrix to me. Why did all the agent Smiths explode?

[Assistant]
Prior to his death at Neo's hands, Smith was an Agent of the Matrix; a glorified antivirus and web security all rolled into one.  While he could bend the rules aid could not truly be killed (note that even being exploded by Neo didn't *actually* kill him), he was still ultimately a part of the system.  But as he was reassembling himself and following the protocols he was programmed with - to return to the Source - Smith found that he didn't want to.  Moreover, he could suddenly *choose* not to.  So he didn't.  At that moment, Smith ceased to become an Agent and became an Exile.  Much like the other Exiles or the human rebels, Smith can access the Matrix but is not a part of it himself.  As he tells Neo, he is "unplugged", and that choice of word is no accident.

As such, the Machines had to deal with Smith the same way they would deal with rebels and Exiles; dispatch the Agents.  This goes about as well as you'd expect.

When Neo allowed Smith to take over his body, he left out one incredibly crucial detail; he was not using a rebel jack, but one directly linked to the Machine mainframe.  In so doing, Neo gave the Machines access to Smith through him.  The rest is history.


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

[User] [marvel] How can Emma Frost move when her skin is in diamond form ?

[Assistant] The same ability that allows her to tighten the bonds between her carbon atoms and reconfigure them into diamond allows her to loosen them at the molecular level to allow movement, likely without conscious thought.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why does water seem to taste more refreshing after I eat chocolate?

I love drinking water after I eat chocolate, can someone explain why?

[Assistant] The simple answer is because chocolate contains sugar and salt. Both of these substances are known to dehydrate your body. Therefore, after anything sweet or salty (or both) water is cleansing and refreshing.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why does leftover food that has been in the fridge smell different than when it was just cooked?

And then when you reheat it in the microwave, the smell returns. Im probably just thinking about it weirdly but if there is a scientific explanation, I would be pleased to know!

[Assistant] Not too complex. Smells come from particles evaporating up from the object. Cold objects evaporate much more slowly -- and *some* molecules are more affected by this than others, so the blend changes.


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

[User] [Pee Wee's Playhouse] I've just been crowned "The King of Cartoons". What are my duties other than showing up at people's houses to make them watch cartoons?

[Assistant]
The King of Cartoons had his public job on *Playhouse*, but behind the scenes he had a regular network job.

After the show finished taping, he headed back to the network offices, where he'd be stuck in meetings for most of the day, making important decisions on the future of shows - which got new series and which got the chop.

Sadly, over time this began to wear on him. The constant responsibility, the crushing meetings where he had to cancel cartoons and then the humiliation when a show like Family Guy was brought back over his head.

Sadly, when *Playhouse* ended its run, the King lost the only thing keepign him sane. Stuck with a job that involved soul crushing work, he went on a rampage across the city, naked as a jaybird and armed only with a remote control. It ended with him being taken into custody and he now lives out his days in a mental institution, muttering about better days, when Ren and Stimpy ruled the air.


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

[User] [Aladdin] What's stopping the Genie from giving Aladdin anything he wants after being set free?

[Assistant] The fact that genies can't actually do whatever they want.  Without someone wishing for something, their own magic is actually rather limited.  There's an entire Aladdin series where the Genie sticks around and keeps helping him out on his adventures, but he can't do the truly impressive stuff anymore because he can't grant wishes.


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

[User]
[MCU] Was Odin being able to take Thor's power away something Odin can do to all Asgardians, or is Thor's power something special that was granted to him in particular?

The specific enchantment Odin places upon Mjolnir:

"Whosoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor"

Yet when Odin casts him out he becomes mortal and weak like a human, but Asgardians are supposed to be physically stronger and more durable naturally. What powers come under that label of "The Power of Thor"?

Did Odin just take Thor's special abilities, or did he make him human and store the 'magic energy' in Mjolnir, to be released when held. Also could Odin do the same to Loki, or Sif, or any other Asgardian or was Thor's case special?

Also I do understand that it was kind of a test from Odin anyway, but I am curious about the details.

[Assistant] In the MCU the power is linked to the hammer. But his long life, durability, and strength is attributed to his species. Odin in having the hammer created can override the hammer's enchantment and nullify its perceived worth in someone. Thor without the hammer cannot fly and cannot call forth lightning. He can still take a swing from hulk though.


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

[User] ELI5: why is it that sometimes when you touch something really cold it feels hot at first and takes a few seconds to register that its cold?

[Assistant] There are three main categories of receptors in the skin at play here. We have warmth receptors, cold receptors, and nociceptors (pain receptors). Warmth receptors begin firing (meaning sending signals to your brain) around 30 degrees Celsius to about 45 degrees Celsius, at which tissue is destroyed. Cold receptors have a broader, bell-shaped range, firing between 10 degrees and 40 degrees, with the most activity occurring around 24-28 degrees Celsius (below 10 degrees, cold will act as an anesthetic [numbing agent]). Cold receptors also differ from warmth receptors in that they are both tonic (they send signals in a continuous rhythm at a given temperature) and, uniquely, phasic, which enables them to also detect change in temperatures. When a temperature change occurs, signaling activity will quickly rise, before dropping off to its normal activity at the new set temperature. Thus, when there is a sudden change in temperature, the cold receptor will be a little slow to respond, because it will take a little bit of time before demonstrating the correct temperature. If the sudden change is to a really cold temperature, the pain receptors will signal the brain that it hurts, before the cold receptors "tell" the brain what the temperature is.


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

[User]
[Marvel] What is the Spider-sense capable of doing, and what can't it do?

Does it work only in a specific range or time frame, does it only work if Parker himself was in danger or does it work for others as well, would an economic bubble Parker is invested in qualifies as a danger, how capable is Parker of telling what the Spider-sense is  telling him does he have to guess, etc.

[Assistant]
What is it capable of? True Precognition. No seriously. There was a "what if?" comic that had him being recruited shortly after by the government. They trained him to be an assassin and *he* trained his spider sense so that instead of looking a few seconds into the future he could look years into the future.

What it is, prior to secret wars, was his ability to read the Web of Life/Time.  It would move when a threat approached him and since he was attached to it he could react to it.


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

[User] ELI5:How do plants generate heat, how to they stop freezing when the droplets of water that are on them are frozen, when they plants are made up, mostly of, water?

[Assistant] Plants generally do not generate meaningful amounts of heat.  They deal with freezing temperatures by: dying, like orange trees; freezing, but in a way that doesn't cause permanent damage, like most deciduous broad-leaf trees; or pumping themselves full of antifreeze, like most conifers.


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

[User]
Do philosophers often believe that there is an objective truth?

And the statement - There is no objective truth. Is that subjective or objective?

[Assistant]
>Do philosophers often believe that there is an objective truth?

Most Philosophers believe there are objective truths about things where it's controversial to think there are objective truths, like morality. For normal boring truths about concrete objects the agreement is going to be near universal.


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

[User]
What does Marx mean by the following passage in his Paris manuscripts of 1844?

 If mans feelings, passions, etc., are not merely anthropological phenomena in the narrower sense, but truly ontological affirmations of essential being of nature, and if they are only affirmed because their object exists for them as an object of sense, then its clear: .............only through developed industry, i.e., through the medium of private property, does the ontological essence of human passion come to be both in its totality and in its humanity; the science of man is therefore itself a product of man's establishment of himself by practical activity. The meaning of private property liberated from its estrangement is the existence of essential objects for man, both as objects of enjoyment and as objects of activity.

P.S. Can someone also clarify what is the difference between ontology and metaphysics? Thanks in advance.

[Assistant]
This passage by itself is quite dense if you are not familiar with the larger body of Karl Marx's work, particularly his earlier writings.

In essence, he's trying to demonstrate how the concept of alienation emerges under capitalism. It also rebukes the counterargument that private property is necessarily (or essentially) a property of the human condition. It's also a good restatement of a few key themes of Marx: historical materialism, the theory of alienation, and Marx's concept of humanity (or human "being-ness"). Finally, he suggests what it would mean for mankind to exist outside of capitalism ("private property").

To do so, he first has to explain the importance of materialism (in a philosophical sense): that our reality (or at least our relation to it) is determined ("affirmed") by the external world ("the object"). The external world is known to us through our senses. The senses, influenced by external objects, excite within us "feelings, passions, etc." If we assume that these feelings and passions are at the root of our experience ("ontological affirmations of an essential being of nature"), then it follows that the external world of objects in some sense determines how we feel. What's being implied  and what is very important  is that the external world is contingent, or historically rooted. While the feelings themselves (how feelings make us feel) are timeless and ineffable.

In other words: Different objects in different times or in different places can you make you feel things differently, but the feeling itself, as it is experienced, is timeless and eternal. All men know happiness and sorrow, even if they live with different objects (which determine the happiness or sorrow).

Thus, Marx posits that if this is the case (which he has sought to prove), the way in which objects of our world *come into being* specifically in our time ("developed industry") in some sense constitute *for us* what it means for us to *be* human (for good or bad). (If objects influence our passions, then the way in which the objects come into being must also influence our passions ).

When Marx speaks of the essential nature of man's "practical activity", he's furthering the materialist claim made earlier, advancing from a metaphysical claim to a socio-political one  and showing them to be one and the same. If objects constitute the way in which we perceive the world, then so must the way in which we act within the world of objects (i.e., the way they are produced and the way that society is constructed around this production). In other words, the way in which we occupy our times (often producing objects) determines who we are and how we interact with the world.

Importantly, he's reaffirming his definition of "mankind", or what "mankind" might mean outside of the historically constituted man  what in German he calls elsewhere *Gattungswesen,* which means "species being".

Remember, feelings of all sorts are at the root of our experience of existence, as he proved earlier. If man is defined by what he does, then shouldn't it follow that we should be *happy* or *proud* of what we spend our time doing?

Consider then,

*"The meaning of private property liberated from its estrangement is the existence of essential objects for man, both as objects of enjoyment and as objects of activity."*

What he's suggesting in the final sentence is that objects exist for man in some historical contexts as fundamentally "estranged". To make sense of this, we have to consult the larger body of Marx's work:

Throughout this passage, he's implicitly forming an *ethical* or *moral* component to his argument, which we must consider when talking about any particular form of social arrangement and production, which is what Marx is hinting at here. In other words, that a particular form of social arrangement  one determined by private property  estranges man from the objects of his making.

Lurking outside this specific excerpt is his one of his earlier critiques of capitalism: that capitalism is fundamentally *alienating* ("*Entfremdung"* is the German word used in the *1844 Philosophical and Economic Manuscripts,* which more literally means "estrangement", as used above.)

The younger Marx seems to be a bit more of the "humanist" Marx, in that he seems to suggest that there is an essential human-ness always at play within man. Because capitalism forces man to work (to labour) and produce objects not for his consumption, but for the consumption of others, there is something "unnatural" about this.

To produce something for another's consumption which you yourself might not enjoy is not, in itself, the problem. A blacksmith who works for himself no doubt "works hard" to make a fence for another to enjoy, but he is paid for his labour upon completion. He also probably enjoys being a blacksmith, or takes some degree of pride in his work. When he's paid for his labour, his labour reaffirms itself: he can be proud in the time he spent with his practice (interacting with the material world, as discussed earlier).

However, under 19th century capitalism, this wasn't the case for most men (nor is it the case for mankind today). A man works in a factory to produce a component of a machine that not only will he never enjoy, but that he will never be paid for the full cost of his labour (this is where Marx's theory of surplus value emerges, which isn't strictly relevant to this passage). Thus, he is estranged, estranged from the moment he beings to produce an object, and forever estranged from the product of this labour that he spends his time working to produce.

Such a man spends the majority of his waking life, from adulthood until death, always producing objects that are never "his". As a consequence, not only is he alienated from each product, but his whole life is itself alienated from his true species being because he cannot spend his time as he likes. He must isntead endlessly toil to simply survive.

Surely this is no way to live, as it is a miserable existence (we are defined by our matieral world, recall)...

Thus to return to the powerful conclusion of this passage:

*"The meaning of private property liberated from its estrangement is the existence of essential objects for man, both as objects of enjoyment and as objects of activity."*

He's suggesting that if we liberate mankind from private property (that is, all men as historical beings under capitalism), the external world of objects  both as physical products as well as the time spent making them  will cease to be alienating. Man will be made whole again.

As for the difference between ontology and metaphysics, Marx means "ontology" or "ontological" to mean the way in which something (mankind, an object, etc.) is constituted (usually in the context of other things). We might say that the ontology of an individual man  you or I, say  is the feeling of being human, which itself is largely defined by our material world, which is historically constituted (that is, exists within history).

Metaphysics is a form of philosophical enquiry that seeks to explain the relationship of things in the world to one another, us included. Marx's materialism is a metaphysical analysis of the world: external objects act upon our senses, which influence our passions. This inscribes a hierarchy between the thinking subject and the world of objects (or the external world).

Hope that helps.


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

[User]
Why does water vaporize under 100 degrees Celsius in some cases?

Why does water vaporize under 100 degrees Celsius, for example in oceans before forming clouds?

[Assistant]
The molecules have a spread of amounts of energy handy. Occasionally, a molecule just happens to have enough energy to beat all the counteracting forces (hydrogen bonding, pressure from atmosphere above) and happens to be at the surface interface so it breaks free.

True of all materials, not just water. The boiling point (in a hand wavy fashion) just describes that level of energy where all the molecules will have enough energy to break free and go to gas.


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

[User] ELI5: How do speed detectors work?

[Assistant]
There are multiple different types of speed detectors. The three common ones are Radar, LIDAR and cameras.

Radar works by sending out radio waves at fixed intervals that hit a car, and the difference in time taken to get to the car and back can calculate the speed of the car. It also takes advantage of something called the Doppler Effect, which is what causes emergency vehicle sirens to switch pitch when driving towards you vs away from you.

LIDAR works basically the same as radar, but using lasers instead of radio waves.

Traffic enforcement cameras work by having sensors in the ground (usually) that tells you how long it takes for a car to go from one point to another.


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

[User]
ELI5: the difference between Software Engineer(ing) and Software Developer(ment), if there is one.

Just wondering what the difference is, if there is one. It seems that people that I know in software engineering tend to have slightly different roles than other friends who are software developers. I can't put my finger on the difference though, so I thought I'd ask.

Many thanks!

[Assistant]
In general the two terms are fairly interchangeable, and the work done by a "software developer" at one company might be identical to the work done by a "software engineer" at another.

If there is a difference it's that Software Engineering might try to put a greater emphasis on trying to adhere to industry best-practice guidelines. So an insistence on whatever are the current in-favour development methodologies, at the moment that would include Agile techniques such as Behaviour-Driven Development, Test-Driven Development, probably Scrum or Kanban or similar.

However it's perfectly possible for someone to have a "software engineer" job title and not adhere to those methodologies.


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

[User]
[Marvel][40K]If the Hulk perma-hulked and was teleported to an Ork infested planet, would he become the biggest warboss of all time?

Assuming the Hulk is incapable of returning to Banner form and he landed on an ork-fested planet, would he become the warboss in short time? Furthermore, would he be unstopable and the biggest BOSS TEH EVAH HAD?!

[Assistant]
No.

He might be big and strong, but he does not act Orky at all as deep down he has a human conscience and personality.

He will not kill the innocent.

He does not generate a WAAAGH! psychic field.

The Orks would just have a hell of a good time fighting him.


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

[User]
Does eye colour affect colour perception?

Do e.g. green-eyed people perceive colours differently than e.g. brown-eyed people? Im aware of the individual colour perception, but is it related to eye colour?

[Assistant] Statistically speaking, so called "color blindness"...both red-green of varying levels of severity and blue-yellow which is more rare but more often almost total color blindness...is more common in blue-green eyed people, but much, MUCH more commonly associated with a condition which causes the sufferer to have more rods than normal. So, there's a good chance your colorblind friend can see better in the dark.


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

[User] Now that we have a much larger catalogue of where there are planets in the goldilocks zone, wouldn't that help SETI or other endeavors searching for intelligent life?

[Assistant]
It might give them something to point at, but would not dramatically increase the chance that we get a signal generated by alien life. Let's say we find a planet in the Goldilocks zone that's 5 million light years away. So we swing our radio 'scopes to point at it and listen to see if we can catch an alien signal.

Let's further assume that there is an alien civilization there right now, with its own SETI, and they've found Earth, and just pointed *their* scopes at us. What will they get? They'll get what humans were emitting 5 million years ago, which is to say, absolutely nothing. If they were to then conclude "Oh well, guess there's no intelligent life on Earth," they'd be making the error of assuming that Earth's occupants were in the same technological state 5 million years ago as we are today.

In short, we not only have to listen to the right *place,* but we also have to be listening at the right *time.*  For all we know, the planet we're pointing at 5 million light years away had a fantastically advanced civilization 6 million years ago that for whatever reason is no longer there now (now being, of course, 5 million years ago). Or it might have had a civilization 5 million years ago, but that civilization just invented the wheel and therefore wasn't radiating anything. And whatever it's radiating now, we have to wait 5 million years to receive. In short, SETI is up against some tall odds. Finding any signal at all would be a pretty amazing thing, even if the universe is, averaging over time and distance, absolutely bursting with intelligent life.


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

[User] [Supernatural]What would happen to you if you cut your hand as often as the Winchesters do?

[Assistant]
I always feel like cutting your palm would be like the most annoying injury possible.

It's never going to heal. You use that shit all of the time. Then again, they are the chosen of God and all that shit.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do Asian currencies tend to have very small denominations while western countries have big ones? For example, 1 USD  22,500 Vietnamese Dong

1 USD is about:

100 yen, 1000 won, 8000 kip, 35 baht, 22500 dong

But on the other hand, one USD is about

0.85 euros, 0.7 pounds Etc etc

So why is it that Asian countries have currencies that are so finely granular (for lack of a better term) that the smallest physical currency they have is worth 500 units? And why do western countries have currencies that are so big that a quarter of one unit is relatively significant?

[Assistant]
Well, one reason is that many of these countries are ( or were ) quite poor.  So, poor people need to be able to sub-divide value quite small.

Another reason is relative inflation, many of these countries have had periods of really high inflation.  So the numbers have gotten really high.  As a comparison, the smallest coin (200 dong) in Vietnam is worth about 1 US cent.

In fact, many countries will sometimes rebase the currency to get the numbers to be more usable.


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

[User] [My Hero Academia] Does Deku have a limit to how much he can use One For All? The Quirk's descriptor is the ability to "stockpile power", is it possible for him to "run out" of power or can he use it indefinitely only worrying about physical backlash?

[Assistant]
> Does Deku have a limit to how much he can use One For All?

Yes. The primary limit on One For All is the durability of Deku's body. He can use it until his arms and legs have been reduced to pulp.

> The Quirk's descriptor is the ability to "stockpile power", is it possible for him to "run out" of power or can he use it indefinitely only worrying about physical backlash?

The "stockpiling" refers to how it adds the quirks together. They aren't consumed when they are used (but it's conceivable that a different quirk that copies or absorbs powers could work this way). Deku's quirk seems to have no *endurance* limit.

Quirks vary greatly in how their limitations work. Todoroki's ice powers freeze his body until he goes into hypothermic shock, while his fire powers seem to have no such limitation (and he can use his fire powers to thaw his body and reduce the limitation on his ice powers). Uraraka becomes nauseous the more she uses her quirk, to the point of incapacitation, and using it on heavier things makes this happen more quickly. Kaminari gets dumber the more he uses his electricity powers.

I would not be surprised if we eventually find out that there is a limit on One For All. If there is, Deku hasn't reached it yet.


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

[User]
[Indiana Jones] Why didn't the US Government research the Ark?

Were they just being ultra cautious?

[Assistant] Based on the Area 51 warehouse, the standing U.S. policy for Weird Shit is to shove it in a hole and pretend it doesn't exist. They don't play around with the Ark for the same reason they didn't completely dissect the little green man they found outside Roswell, or mess with any of the other stuff they shoved in a crate and filed away for safekeeping.


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

[User]
Why is magnetic inequivalence not a problem in 13C NMR?

In 1H NMR I've been told coupling to magnetically inequivalent carbons isnt considered due to carbons low RA, but why is it not an issue to consider in 13C spectra?

[Assistant] The chance that a particular carbon is 13C in a molecule is about 1%, but the chance there are two neighbouring 13C's is 0.01%, i.e. to small to be observed in 13C. The 2D INADEQUATE experiment makes use of this 0.01% (one needs to use extremely concentrated sample too) to map out which 13C's belong to neighbouring carbons.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] After Vader revealed himself as Luke's father, did Luke let himself fall with the intent of dying?

Was he suicidal?

[Assistant]
I think this was him giving in to the force and letting its will be done, while doing the only thing he could to resist Vader. He was definitely in a rough place, and ready to at least face death instead of join Vader.

Later on the Death Star II he sort of does the same thing. He lowers his defenses, and gives in to the will of the force even when it looks like it means his death.

But he does so there willingly and with a clear head. On Cloud City he was backed into a corner and maybe not thinking clearly. He didn't have the fortitude to stand up to Vader.


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

[User]
The Fed just pumped $1.5 trillion into the financial system. Where did the money come from? Where does it go?

I'm not terribly versed on this stuff, I'm aware my question might be nave. $1.5 trillion dollars seems an absolutely astronomical sum - I've seen it pointed out that it's as much as the total amount of student loan debt in the US. My question is - if this money doesn't represent taxes paid or goods exchanged or whatever, what does it even represent? Where does it come from? Who gets to "keep" this money and spend it going forward? Is the fed just essentially devaluing everyone's existing dollars in order to keep the bond market going?

Tangential question to help me understand this: Would it be possible for the Fed to inject $1.5T into, say, infrastructure?

[Assistant] The 1.5T is essentially short term loans to big banks to stabilize their balance sheets, so that nobody worries about their ability to pay or worries the banks will be unstable.  These types of short term loans will be repaid in the very short term, it seems like between a few days to a few months.


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

[User] If you put a deciduous tree in a room with constant year-round light and temperature, would it still drop its leaves?

[Assistant] Yes but not all at the same time like they do in areas with seasons. The easiest way to observe this is just look at the deciduous trees that have been transplants to Arizona. The leaves are constantly dying, falling off and regrowing but the tree is always green.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do dirt roads develop a washboard texture over time?

[Assistant]
Start with a smooth surface covered with something granular like mixed dirt and gravel.

The first car goes over it. Its wheel bounces when it hits a pebble or a spot that isn't quite as hard-packed and even as the rest. That bounce creates a little divot and then a bump, and the car bounces along a few times. Some gravel is kicked back and forth on each bounce.

The second car goes over that area, not quite on the same path but close. That car misses the little pebble but catches a part of the first bump and divot, and that part causes the car to bounce too. More bumps and divots are formed by the bounces.

The third car goes over. It hits the bumps and divots squarely, making them larger and then adds a bunch more on top of those and stretching out that area of creases.

As more and more cars go along that road, the already-existing bumps get amplified into ridges that cross the whole road. Some of them get wiped out by people driving at different speeds or braking and stuff, sure. But eventually the pattern becomes pretty entrenched. And if it's on clayey soil it can get worse if you add rain and heat, which might bake the ridges into place and wash away looser material in the divots.

Eventually you end up with washboarding, which can stick around until a grader comes and levels out the road.


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

[User]
[Star Trek] If the Borg merely recruited people for assimilation rather than by force, how would the different peoples of the Alpha quadrant react to them?

Imagine if the Borg still had all their terrifying technology, but in this universe they merely invite people to be assimilated, as a way to escape loneliness and isolation and achieve a form of immortality. Basically they're now an enormous cult rather than an empire.

Do the Federation/Klingons/Romulans/Cardassians/etc. still see them as a threat and react accordingly?

Side note: would any Vulcans actually ***want*** to be assimilated? Vulcans seek to purge all emotion and achieve efficiency and discipline. Assimilation seems like a cheat code to instantly achieve *Kolinahr.*

[Assistant]
*buhBEEP!*

"Mr Governor, we've got an incoming subspace message. Seems to be originating from a large vessel that's approaching at high warp-speed."

"Oh, that sounds bad. Prepare the planetary defenses."

"Sir?"

"It could be an invasion, Adelmeier! The Romulans, the Dominion, hell, it could be some horror we've never heard of from beyond the edge of known space!"

"Seems pretty dramatic, sir, but okay. About that message?"

"Yes, yes, put it on."

*"BINGbong* **WE ARE THE BORG. PLEASE LOWER YOUR SHIELDS TO RECEIVE THE GOOD NEWS. DO YOU HAVE A FEW MOMENTS TO SPEAK WITH US ABOUT OUR LORDS AND SAVIORS, UNIMATRIX 001? YOUR BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS CAN BE ONE WITH OUR OWN IF YOU ACT NOW. RESISTANCE WOULD BE RUDE, BUT UNDERSTANDABLE. HAVE A NICE DAY."**

"Oh hell, these guys. So annoying."

"What should we do, Mr Governor?"

"Don't answer. Hopefully they'll assume we're not home and go away."

"They seem to be launching something towards the planet, sir. Should we return fire?"

"No, Adelmeier, firing will do nothing. Those aren't photon torpedoes, they're something far, far worse."

"Quantum torpedoes?"

"No, even worse than that. They're *pamphlets!*"


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

[User]
[MCU] On the usage of the infinity stones [spoilers]

I don't know if this has already been asked, but It has been a while since I watched Guardians of the Galaxy, but if I remember correctly, when Quill has the power stone in his hand, the rest of the guardians (Rocket, Drax, Gamora) link arms to stop massive damage occurring to him as a result of touching the stone, like what occurred to that girl in the collector's place. My question is, when Hulk held  wielded the gauntlet to snap everyone back in Endgame, why didn't they link hands in order to reduce the effect it had on him? It was clear he was injured. Thanks.

[Assistant]
Because the Power stone contains a *lot* of power. You spread it out, and everybody just has a portion of a *lot* of a power.

All the stones together have *infinite* power.

What happens if you divide infinity?


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

[User]
"Make all the figures before you start writing the paper" is terrible advice

Biomedical sciences student here. I am curious what people think of this statement. Personally, I have heard it from many PIs, including my own, leading me to believe it is a common bit of philosophy throughout academia.

Based on my experience, this has been garbage advice. Sure, you need to know your data, and you need to have it analyzed before you start writing. But I have found that the story only comes together when pen hits paper, and some parts of the story end up needing to be emphasized while others can be ignored. In the past, I tried to stick to pre-made figures and maintain the expectation that they weren't going to change. Ultimately I found that this unnecessarily constrained the story I ended up being able to tell and became a waste of time since I just remake the figures anyway.

[Assistant]
Theres a reason lots of people use that advice: it works. No the figures wont be perfect, but you need an order of events that makes sense, and figures allow you to present that story. Same reason shows put together a storyboard.

I dont believe your PI meant that the figures shouldnt change at all while writing; if he did thats taking this too far, you're right.


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

[User]
[Portal] Where does GLaDOS get the raw materials?

We see that those objects which are disposed of are incinerated, including used or malfunctioning turrets.  Yet there are entire factory lines making new turrets.  I understand that GLaDOS could rearrange most of the rooms from existing parts of the building that remained undamaged, but there doesn't seem to be any sort of recycling chamber.

I thought that perhaps the incinerated objects are used again for scraps after being incinerated, but the fire and heat would do intense damage, especially as we see that turrets are flammable when lasers hit them.  In addition, it seems like the cubes and turrets and any other waste products all go to the same place.  Unless they're all made out of a single compound, I don't see how it could be reused.

[Assistant]
As a turret is melted down the metals it contains can be recovered easily.

The organic materials (mostly plastics from PCBs) are incinerated, but those can be farmed renewably:  There is a surface-level algae farm that pumps carbon dioxide from the incinerator exhaust for extra-speedy growth, the algae is then turned into oil and natural gas through a process called Thermal Depolymerization.  That oil can be used for making plastics, the gas is used in the incinerators (and in fuel cells for electricity) and the cycle begins again.


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

[User] If photosynthesis uses sunlight and carbon dioxide to make sugar, why don't leaves taste sweet?

[Assistant]
Glucose is produced in photosynthesis but if it is not used in respiration is it converted into starch so that it can be stored for later use.
Testing for starch is a classic way to test for photosynthesis taking place (many will remember a high school experiment where a stencil placed over a leave causes starch to only be produced in the areas that are open to sunlight. This starch can be detected using iodine.)


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

[User]
How can a black hole created by a collapsed star have a stronger gravitational pull than the star it came from?

Black holes can swallow up light particles, but stars don't have nearly that strong a gravitational pull.  Is the area of effect of the gravitational pull simply smaller, but more powerful?

[Assistant] It doesn't. The reason is that the same mass is compactified into a smaller region, so you can get closer to the black hole while still feeling the same amount of mass. If you're outside a star, you'll feel the same gravity as you would the same distance from a black hole of the same mass. But if you're inside that star, you'll only feel the gravity from the parts of the star interior to where you are (i.e., closer to the center) so you're only feeling some of the star's mass. With a black hole, all that mass is always interior to where you are.


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

[User]
[Marvel] Where did elder gods, like Galactus, originate?

I just finished the Annihilation Saga, and elder like Tenebrous of the Dark and Aegis of Sorrows. The chapter ending with them being "reclaimed" ??? What are the others of their kind?

[Assistant]
Galactus was the last survivor of the previous universe, incubated in a cosmic egg. He was once a scientist, Galen, from a planet named Taa and happened to go exploring in space vessel with his chums when they were caught up in the universe ending.

It's unknown where Tenebrous of the Dark and Aegis of Sorrows originated, save that Galactus came before them and they have some relation to him. Except none of his companions survived.


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

[User]
ELI5:Why are the video files movie theaters use so much larger (100+ GB) than the files that are put on blu-ray discs which are excellent quality?

Even though the files movie theaters use are 4k, why the huge difference?

[Assistant]
Three reasons.

Firstly, most file have a number of different versions of the film embedded with different audio (and occasionally video) sizes, allowing each screen the file is shown on to be at the highest quality. For example, a screen with an 11.1 setup will have a different audio track to a screen that uses 7.1. Projectors are rather good at downsizing video when it's in the correct aspect ratio, audio systems will always perform better when outputting directly 1:1.

The second reason is that to store 4k video, 4 times the resolution is required, which will require 4 times the bitrate to produce the same quality. The average bluray is around 30-35gb per film, thus a cinema 4k film will be 4 times that minimum (around 120-140gb) and that's before the multiple streams for audio and video.

Finally, the way the film is stored is pretty unique - each individual frame is stored as a JPEG2000 file, which, whilst each frame is stored individually in a film, it uses much better compression methods. The way that cinemas store films doesn't allow the video to look forwards and backwards to see if there's any clever way it can make things look better but take up less space. It's as close to lossless as you can get, with each frame taking up around 1mb.

Tl;dr Simply higher quality all round.


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

[User] ELI5: How jets time their stadium flyovers perfectly to the conclusion of the national anthem.

[Assistant]
GPS, computers, and radio. They hold station at a certain point, and they've calculated on a computer beforehand how long it takes to get from that point to the flyover point, say, 30 seconds. Thirty seconds before the music ends, somebody on the ground gives them a go and they go.

It should be noted that flyovers cost the taxpayers a shitload of money. A simple one might cost as "little" as $20,000, the more complex ones run upwards of half a million. Superbowl flyover typically run in the $80k-100k range.


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

[User]
[STAR WARS] What, exactly, are starships engines fuelled with?

Something that's bugged me for awhile, there's (to the best of my memory) no mention of the spaceships ever needing refuelling. So, do we know if they are fuelled by anything at all, and if so, what is it? If they don't use conventional "fuel" what method do they use to propel themselves?

[Assistant]
you connect your engines to a power cell or a onboard reactor, and runs them off that.
Somewhat like a nuclear submarine, ships with reactors rarely need refueling, and are limited by the amount of supplies for their crew they can bring.

The most common type of engine, ion engines, use fusion reactors to launch charged particles backwards, propelling the craft into the opposite direction.


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

[User] [Harry Potter] Could Harry have joined a professional quidditch team while enrolled in hogwarts?

[Assistant] There's no rule against that specifically, afaik, but students can't just come and go from Hogwarts whenever they want. Whether they would have allowed him to with special permission from his guardian is hard to say; it seems like Hogwarts likes to run a pretty tight ship. Worth noting that Victor Krum played for his national team, not a professional team, and because the World Cup was at the end of the summer, and because the Seeker doesn't need as much chemistry with the team as the others do with each other, he probably didn't have to be involved with the team during school.


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

[User]
ELI5:The U.S. national debt.

For the most part I understand the national debt but what I dont understand is that some people (conservatives) are saying the debt has gone over 18 trillion and others (liberals) are saying the debt has gone down.  Is there anyway to get an unbiased answer?

[Assistant]
It's important to know the difference between the Debt and the Deficit.

The Deficit is going down, which means that the Debt is rising more slowly than it used to.  As long as there is any Deficit, the Debt will increase.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does washing knives in the dishwasher dull them?

[Assistant]
Sharp knives narrow to a very thin and deceptively delicate edge. Knives which are in the dishwasher will be exposed to water jets from various directions which can cause them to shift in whatever is holding them, causing the blade to impact something that would dull the blade edge.

Beyond that, some dishwasher detergents contain actual abrasives. This fine grit when blown around the washer will help strip off food particles but will also slightly abrade the blade edge such that it becomes dull.


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

[User] ELI5:In films such as Horatio Hornblower from 1951 they have amazing live action sailing footage of old sailing ships. How did they make them so realistically?

[Assistant]
They used real ships.  :)

Even today, there are a number of people and organizations dedicated to preserved old sailing vessels, and many ships of this type still operate, mostly for recreation or tourism, around the world.


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

[User] (W40k) So... does the Imperium have a plan?

[Assistant]
The Imperium has a plan.  The Imperium has *many* plans, criss-crossing the whole of human space, affecting humans and Xenos alike.  The apparent chaos and disorder of the Imperium is nothing more than a tighly wound knot of intentional efforts aimed at protecting the whole of the Imperium and setting mankind back on the right course.

A million different contradictory plans, all with the same goal, whose failure to succeed is caused by nothing other than the plans of their fellows.  There's a reason why Tzeentch is clearly the supreme patron among the gods.


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

[User]
CMV: Zombies, such as those in the Walking Dead, would never pose a threat to humans

I've begun watching the Walking Dead again, after struggling to make it through the first time. I am trying really hard to enjoy this show. One pretty massive problem persists throughout the entire show though, and that is that *the zombies suck*. There is no way that zombies, as usually depicted in popular fiction such as the Walking Dead, would pose any kind of threat to humanity.

Let me first start off by saying that yes, some forms of fiction demonstrate the concept of Zombies differently. Some may pose *a little* more of a threat than the pathetic Walking Dead zombies, such as by being faster or more intelligent. In general, though, I don't believe any kind of zombie outbreak would pose a realistic threat to humanity. I will, however, focus my post on the zombies that are featured in the Walking Dead, mainly because it is probably where most people have seen what a world like this may look like.

There is also different ways of looking at the threat level of a zombie outbreak when considering location and % of population infected. You could imagine a circumstance when the outbreak first begins and when the amount of infected would be very low, that the disease would be eradicated quickly. I am not going to even argue that though. We'll just assume that *somehow* the number of infected seem to be 90%+ of the population such as is depicted in the Walking Dead. The location also matters as well. You could imagine that in America, with an abundance of weapons, that is would be even easier to kill the defenseless zombies. For the sake of simplicity, we'll look at the particular circumstance of the Walking Dead.

I'll go ahead and get right down to the fundamental problem that these zombies have: Lack of **Speed and Coordination**. These zombies are slow, very very slow. For this simple reason, even humans with no athletic or combat experience would have no trouble outmaneuvering these zombies. They would also be particularly easy to kill. Even in the Walking Dead, there are scenes where children are killing these things *in melee combat*. So even ignoring all the easy access to firearms that the group has in America, it really wouldn't matter. Any melee weapon is capable of killing these things, so if this same scenrio were to happen in a place with more restrictive firearm access it still would not matter.

There is another large reason that zombies would not pose a threat, and it is more universal to all ways zombies have been depicted in fiction. It is because zombies are **Extremely Predictable**. Zombies follow a very simple ruleset, such as being attracted by loud noises and light. And you know what humans are really, really good at? Exploiting predictable behavior to our advantage. We have become experts at factory farming animals, and these zombies pose more predictable and abusable behavior than any animal. Zombies could be exploited in exactly the same way. And because they have seemingly infinite energy (or *extremely, extremely efficient energy*), they would serve humans greatly. In a sense, a zombie outbreak with the energy mechanics of the Walking Dead would be one of the most beneficial things to humanity, as it would basically give us infinite labor.

Only in the most outrageous circumstances does someone actually get infected by one of these things, usually due to terrible planning and being in a place they obviously should not be. The only reason anyone ever dies on the show is that it seems to feature extremely stupid people with some of the worst conflict resolution skills on the planet. I think that's why a lot of people (including myself) stopped watching once they got to the jail; because as long as they were reasonably smart, they should never have any problems.

And again this is in the scenario where most of the population is already infected. Even in a situation like the Walking Dead where zombies to humans seem to be 99:1, it still shouldn't be a problem to survive. It would be exponentially easier to eradicate an outbreak when the disease is in its infancy and the population infected could be isolated and wiped out. Simply put, I just don't see how zombie outbreaks pose any sort of a threat to humanity.

[Assistant] TWD zombies propagated  quickly because everyone carries an incubated virus. When they die, they become zombies. It's a problem that never goes away.everyone killed that day comes right back.  Ever car crash victim, sick person or person shot. Thousands of people die every flday. Now imagine the panic that would be caused by dead people getting up and attacking. Industry would break down. Food shortages would start. People revert back to their instincts and kill each other for resources. Over time, the world would be overwhelmed. People never stopped dying. So zombies never stopped coming.


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

[User]
ELI5 - What is happening when you see 'stars'?

When you get up too fast or do a cartwheel (which I rarely do but still...)

[Assistant] When you stand up too fast, a temporary drip in blood pressure causes a short lack of oxygen to the nerves in your eyes, which causes a "dead signal", which looks like dark spots in a bright location or light spots in a dark location. This lack of O2 is usually short enough that there's not permanent damage.


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

[User]
[Star Wars][The Mandalorian] Why did Mando scoff at Greef Karga when he suggested that Mando report the Imps to the Core?

Why did Mando scoff at the suggestion of Greef Karga that Mando report the Imps he delivered Grogu to? Was it because they were too far out in the galaxy for the New Republic to bother? Or enforcement by the New Republic was too spread thin to cover the entire galaxy?

[Assistant] The New Republic is seen as a joke by most of the Outer Rim at this point since their forces are too far spread out to effectively combat the Imperial warlords carving up the place and rampant criminal elements as well. Mando knows that even if he gets far enough to someone who can actually do something in time, its not going to do enough.


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

[User]
What does Nietzsche mean when he says "The irrationality of a thing is no argument against its existence, rather a condition of it"?

This is not for schoolwork, I have been getting into Nietzsche recently and I can't seem to understand how a thing's irrationality could be one of its conditions.

[Assistant] To put it plainly, just because a *thing* exists and there is no rational explanation for it does not provide an argument for its non-existence. He is arguing something similar to the idea that you have to trust your experience and sensation of the world as valid even if you cannot explain its presence.


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[User] [The Rocky Horror Picture Show] Riff-Raff goes full-on Jame Lannister with his sister, turns his house guests into unwitting cannibals by serving them Meatloaf, and shoots Columbia between the tits without remorse. How does he get off telling Dr. Frankenfurter, "Your lifestyle's too extreme"?

[Assistant]
Feeding them Meatloaf as probably on direct orders from Frankenfurter.  Eddie was also a human, which Riff-Raff is not.

Frankenfurter seems like he might be a deviant even among Transylvanian sex culture.  He bangs any human ( a lesser species) in sight, and even devotes long periods of time making what is essentially a living fleshlight (Rocky) and actually puts on a stage show orgy, that he doesn't invite his staff to.

What is more extreme in human eyes?  Feeding vegetarians steak and banging your sister, or spending 80% of your time trying your hardest to get it on with every cow , dog, or raccoon you see?


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

[User] ELI5:Why do black houseflies rub their legs together like as if they are plotting something?

[Assistant] They're cleaning them selves. When they rub their legs together, it gets all the grime, oil, and dirt, and forms it into a little shit ball that they get rid of (i think they eat it). Then they just keep doing it over and over again, until they cant form any more shit balls.


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

[User]
Is the undercover economist or principles of economics a better introductory book?

Hey guys, I'm in highschool and just had my first economics class this year and found it fascinating. However, the pace we're going at makes a glacier look like a formula 1 racing car, we barely did anything more than supply and demand. Apparently we'll only get to Keynes by the end of the second to last year ): I've watched crash course economics  up to episode 15 which I like, but I think I'll finish it soon, so I wanted a little bit more of a challenge.

I found that the two best introductory books were Mankiws' 'Principles of Economics' and Hayfords 'The Undercover Economist'. But which one is better for someone like me?

[Assistant]
Both are good books, the biggest difference is just the type of book. Mankiw's book is a textbook typically used for intro econ classes in undergrad. It's relatively thorough, for better and for worse. Harford's book is meant to be more interesting.

So I'd say it just depends what you want. Mankiw's book will be more comprehensive, but it might be a dry read if you don't love the topic. Harford's book is more likely to keep you engaged, but it won't cover the topics with the same rigor or formality. Depending on how much enthusiasm you have, you can decide what book to go with.


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

[User]
[LOTR] How all knowing are elves about the history of middle earth in general?

They seem to be savy on most of what's going on than most races. They know the history of men better than most kings.

[Assistant]
Elves are naturally immortal. The main Elvish leaders, Elrond, Celeborn, Galadriel, Cirdan are all thousands of years old. They know the history of men because they were here to witness it. Of the above, Galadriel and Cirdan predate the birth of Men altogether.

Add to this that the Elves have a very strong oral history, especially via song, so any of the "younger" elves would acquire this knowledge through those traditions.


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

[User]
ELI5 How would a massive ship like the Felicity ace (carrying 400mil worth of cars) sink due to fire?

I just cant imagine a fire causing a hull breach because a hull is at least 2 different layers of thick steel.

[Assistant]
The ship didn't sink due to a hull breach.

The ship was being towed, and the wind/seas shifted unexpectedly.  Without the onboard ballast controls, because the ship was badly damaged in the fire, they lost roll control.  The ship listed to the side, and water flowed into it through holes that were normally above water.


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

[User]
Why is it currently less common for the earth to encounter a large comet or asteroid than it was millions of years ago?

I was reading Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and one of the lines gave me pause "earth's occasional encounters with large comets and asteroids, a formerly common event"

NDT doesn't explain why this is, simply that it was formerly a common event.

I assumed that it was either the universe was expanding and now there is more room and less collisions.  Or perhaps that there are now less comets and asteroids since over time they have collided and been destroyed?  Or something else I didn't think of at all?  Thanks!

[Assistant] Asteroids and comets are predominantly remnants leftover from formation of the solar system. Over the billions of years that our solar system has been around, these leftover bits have mostly had an unsteady orbit which caused them to collide with the sun, or have already collided with another object in the solar system.


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

[User]
Why do worms come out in rain?

It has been raining a lot here and worms are scattered across roads and sidewalks. They only seem to do this when it rains. All feed back appreciated thanks!!

[Assistant] Worms get oxygen through their skin, which has mucus-secreting cells, so it has to stay moist. If they came out in the sun their skin would dry up and they would die. In the rain they can navigate above ground much more easily and they won't dry out.


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[User] [Harry Potter] hogwarts acceptance letter says that you are allowed to bring an owl, a cat or a toad. Scabbers was a rat and rats are not mentioned, Ginny brings a Pygmy Puff, also not mentioned. Would Dumbledore object if I brought my chihuahua? He has separation anxiety and hes (usually) good.

[Assistant] Dumbledore would not object as he gives no fucks. Hogwarts Deputy Head Minerva might but she's so busy teaching, being the deputy, being the head of Gryffindor House and having to be the one to yell at the Weasley twins yet again that as long as your dog doesn't cause any issues she'll look the other way.


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

[User] ELI5: How were ancient astronomers able to accurately predict cosmological events using a geocentric model of solar system?

[Assistant]
You don't have to know how something works to recognize patterns in it.

Jupiter takes 12 years to travel the constellations of the Zodiac.  Venus takes 584 days to go from being the morning star to the evening star and back to the morning star again.  If you see an eclipse, you will see a nearly identical eclipse 54 years and 34 days later.

Those numbers check out whether you think the earth goes around the sun, the sun goes around the earth, or the earth is on the back of a giant tortoise and the sun carried by a golden chariot chased by a dragon.


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

[User]
[The Thing] Why didn't drawing blood for the hot needle test cause the Thing to try and defend itself?

We hear MacReady say that any part of the Thing will defend itself from harm, so why doesn't assimilated Palmer react violently to the scalpel drawing blood?

[Assistant]
In a way, The Thing in question *did* defend itself from harm.

The Thing's goal is assimilation. it accomplishes this goal by stealth and subterfuge. To whatever degree it is sentient, it will choose the most prudent course at any given time to either overwhelm with brute force, or hide and wait for a more opportune moment.

In that particular moment, reacting violently to the scalpel cut would have done nothing more than alert the humans that Palmer was indeed a Thing. The Palmer/Thing was restrained and relatively helpless at the time, so keeping up the ruse was  the most pertinent course of action, as at that time nobody (likely not even the Thing) knew whether or not the blood test would actually work.

As to why the Thing contained in the blood tray reacted the way it did, rather than remain inert and continue the ruse: if we can safely assume that every particle of the Thing is somehow self-aware to a degree (which Mac proved via the blood test), we have a somewhat lesser understanding of how aware/connected each part of the Thing is of the current status of it's *other* parts that are not currently connected to the specific piece of biomass in question.

The Thing contained in the blood sample that touched the hot needle reflexively tried to defend itself by invoking it's flight/fight response and jumping away. It is likely that there was simply too little biomass in the tray to make a wholly-sentient Thing capable of logical thought. Enough sentience to react, but not enough to think about how it was reacting. This goes some way towards proving that the "overall" consciousness of the Thing resides in each individual piece of mass. I.E. the "parent" Thing likely cannot directly control parts of it's own biomass that have been separated from the whole. However, the parts do seem to have a sort of Corsican brothers-type sympathy and they all share a common goal, but they are effectively individual actors when separated.


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

[User]
ELI5 why are we typically less attracted to fat people?

Genuinely curious why people generally are less attracted to a fat body as opposed to a fit one. What sociological, anthropological and developmental angles can explain it?

[Assistant]
In a really reduced nutshell:

At a base, genetic level, humans are concerned with the survival of the species. So, in turn, we are hardwired to find those qualities attractive that will aid in that endeavor (wide birthing hips, supple breasts, fit frame, etc). And those qualities unattractive that will hinder that endeavor (obesity, deformities, abnormalities, etc).


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

[User]
Is there any merit to probiotic products sold in stores?

I have read that they are basically placebos and the bacteria cannot survive through your stomach acid, but I learned this after I had already bought a few days worth. I am recovering from pneumonia (took about 20 days worth of antibiotics prescribed by my doctor). And have had a few bowel issues lately so I though I would take a shot and buy some probiotics (I am also lactose intolerant so I can't eat yogurt). I was wondering if there might be research that gives these products value. I want them to work because I hope I didn't just buy placebos, but if it's all bunk, I'd be happy to know so I don't waste any more money.

[Assistant] The idea behind probiotics is correct however the small amount of freeze dried bacteria inside each pill hardly has a fighting chance in your stomach or small intestine.  A better idea would be to eat yogurt and other cultured foods which contain living probiotic bacteria.  Live cultures are a much more effective way of boosting your immune system.


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

[User]
CMV: Immigration from war torn countries such as Iraq is not beneficial enough to the native population to justify it (concerns Europe)

I'm Finnish, and am seeking understanding about the topic that carries actually argumentative merit. I'm still a bit leniant on the contrary opinion, and my ideas about the topic is based on a few facts.

\-30 percent of our rapes are committed by foreigners (4.5% of the population)

\-Especially Iragi and Somali populations in Finland commit a huge amount of crime compared to the native population

\-These facts and the general perceived tendencies of many immigrants to not seem that useful to our society cause the Finnish population to be racist etc. towards them, causing further polarization between different parties.

I'm not educated on the topic. These are just a few ideas I have formed my opinion on.

EDIT: I'm sorry, I didn't state my view coherently enough. The title should include the brackets:

  **Immigration from war torn countries such as Iraq is not beneficial enough to the native population to justify it (from the pov of the native people as an aggregate)**

[Assistant]
>These facts and the general perceived tendencies of many immigrants to not seem that useful to our society cause the Finnish population

Refugees do not become refugees to be useful for the new population.

They become refugees to flee from conflict, and we take them in to be kind and humanitarian, as we would want them to do for us.

*Of course* refugees commit more crime. They come from war torn countries, many likely have little education, and they *all* are suffering from personal and collective trauma. Then they come to the only safe place they can find and its cold ass Finland, they dont have any possessions and their family is dead or dying, they dont speak the language, and all the locals hate them. How would you not feel hopeless? How would you not feel angry?

Refugees are not bad people. They are people that have been through bad things.

And as a cornerstone of our humanity and mercy we should take them in and help them. That's really all there is to it.


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

[User]
Was medieval philosophy more influenced by Plato or Aristotle?

Were philosophies of St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas more influenced by Plato or Aristotle? And how exactly was it influenced by Plato or Aristotle?

[Assistant]
Plato - by means of Augustine.

The vast majority of both Plato's and Aristotle's writings were not available for the longest time - until the reintroduction of Aristotle's work into europe aroudn the 12th/13th century and its establishment in the school of Albertus Magnus and his students (chief among them Aquinas). So Aristotle was mostly irrelevant for the majority of medieval philosophy - the only exception are some of his logical writings, along with commentaries by Porphyry and Boethius.

Plato's writings too were not accessible, save for a translation of a part of the timaios - which earned him the rather interesting nickname of "Physicus".

The greek school of philosophy with the highest influence on medieval philosophy was neoplatonism. When the church fathers talk about philosophy, it was either neoplatonism or sometimes stoicism that they had in mind. Keep in mind that many did not strictly distinguish between "neo" platonism and strict platonism. As far as Plotinus was concerned, he was simply a platonist.

In any case, neoplatonism formed the philosophical background for Origenes and Augustine, the latter becoming a basic cornerstone for all medieval thinking.

For all this, see Coppleston's second volume.


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

[User]
ELI5: why is democracy generally praised while populism is generally denounced?

Both appeal to the desires of the majority, don't they?

[Assistant]
Democracy is usually understood to appeal to the majority while respecting basic rights and freedoms for the minority.

Populism is more of an us-against-them appeal to the masses against the elites.  It's much more one-sided and exclusive.


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

[User] [MCU] Peter Quill can understand the rest of the guardians due to a translator chip in his neck, but it doesn't translate Groot. However, Rocket and Thor both speak Groot, so it's clearly a full language. Why does the translator chip translate every alien language except for Groot?

[Assistant]
Groot is among the last of his kind, his homeworld was destroyed. Most likely no one has ever bothered to make a translation program for it. So Quill wouldn't have it loaded into his chip.

Rocket knows it because he's learned it. Thor knows it because Groot's people used to be more prominent in the past.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do antibiotics kill unwanted bacteria but not the body's own cells?

I know about enzymes and such in a basic sense, but the fact that an antibiotic actually *works* still doesn't quite make sense to me. Wouldn't we need a specifically engineered antibiotic for each strain of bacteria? Why does the antibiotic only harm bacteria?

[Assistant]
This principle is called "selective toxicity".

It utilises the fact that bacterial cells are different from human/animal cells. Specifically, they have different biochemistry, different anatomy, etc.

For example, a very popular group of antibiotics called beta-lactams (an example is penicillin, but there are lots of synthetic variants) work by blocking the biochemical pathway that builds the bacterial cell wall. Because the bacteria cannot maintain or extend their cell walls, eventually the wall degrades and the bacteria die.

Other antibiotics affect different chemical processes. For example, the antibiotic tetracycline, blocks the process that bacteria use to translate their DNA code into protein manufacture. The ribosomes, the molecular machines that build proteins, are different between bacteria and mammals, so the mammal ribosomes are less affected (also bacteria actively pump tetracycline from outside to insude because the tetracycline tricks the bacterial molecular pumps which absorb nutrients, so the bacterial ribosomes get a much bigger dose than mammal cells, which don't have pumps which accept tetracycline). The other interesting thing about tetracycline is that it doesn't kill bacteria. It just stops them, or slows down,  reproducing because it slows down protein production. This is still useful, because it gives the immune system time to catch up.


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

[User]
Is it okay to do research in a field outside of the subject I eventually want to get a PhD in?

I graduated in 2019 with a degree in Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience. I did a year of part time psychology research in undergrad. I then worked as a full time RA for a psychiatric research lab from November 2019 to December 2020. I moved across the country in September, and was applying to jobs over the last 4 months. I now landed a job doing Cardiovascular research paying me 25% more than my last job. I also had a job with a neurology lab lined up, but went for the cardiology one because of the pay, which is more important to me for now. I wanted to know, was this a bad move in terms of research experience if I want to study Clinical Psychology? Is it helpful to have research experience in an unrelated field? I can't find any discussion on this anywhere.

[Assistant]
I don't see it as a problem,  particularity if they are part of the same overarching theme (medical research). Even very established researchers go outside of their  field either   for fun, to get a fresh perspective, or out of necessity.  Having experience in both fields might even be a benefit in that you will likely have a broader set of skills and it might stimulate some cross disciplinary ideas.

I would suggest that if a future interviewer asks why you have experience in a different field you say something about getting more experience and/or trying different things.  Sometimes academia can be judgey if you do things for money (which is a silly perspective, but common) rather than  "for science".


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

[User]
[Sugarhill Gang/Rapper's Delight] What exactly is the Code of the Doctor of the Mix, and how does one go by it?

Asking for a friend.

[Assistant]
It's all pretty self-explanatory.  To follow the code you just hip hop, the hippie, the hippie, to the hip, hip hop, and you don't stop, a rock it to the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie, to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.

I hope that clears things up.


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

[User]
[Mad Max: Fury Road] How does Max have his V8 Interceptor in the film? It was destroyed in Fury Road as well as in The Road Warrior, and it was also the last of the V8s.

Max's interceptor is said in both *Mad Max* and *The Road Warrior* to be "the last of the V8s", meaning there are no other supercharged V8 interceptors besides the one he drives. We see in *The Road Warrior* that Max's interceptor is destroyed by Humongous's gang running Max off the road, and Max's failsafe blowing up the remains of the car.

However, in *Fury Road* Max still has his interceptor. *Fury Road* cannot possibly take place before *The Road Warrior* because Max's interceptor is again destroyed in the chase back to Joe's stronghold, and *Fury Road* cannot take place after *The Road Warrior* because, again, Max's interceptor is intact.

And **DO NOT** tell me he salvaged it after the events of *Fury Road*, because we all saw that shit explode.

[Assistant]
For me, the most satisfying explanation is that Mad Max is a legend of the wasteland, who exists in the stories of its inhabitants  elders tell tales of him to the little engineheads, to give them a little bit of hope, a little bit of wonder, that someone like Max walks the sands.

So each of the Mad Max films are just different stories being told around a greasefire. Thats why Max looks different, or doesnt seem to get older, or how his V8 gets proper trashed but then reappears full chrome  its someone else telling the story.


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

[User] [Star Trek Universe] Why are so many races that Federation ships encounter bipedal humanoids?

[Assistant]
Captain Jean-Luc Picard working from the theories of Professor Richard Galen, recently discovered that all intelligent life in the Alpha and Beta quadrants was seeded by a race that was the forerunner of our own.

This race discovered that they were the only intelligent life in the galaxy and embarked on a seeding program to promote the rise of other intelligent species.  However, they knew that their species would not survive to see the fruits of their work.  So as a legacy they encoded an adaptive DNA program within the DNA of life of several worlds.

This program was activated by Captain Picard while accompanied by Romulan, Klingon and Cardassians and thus all were able to witness the message from the species that was the founder of all of us.


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

[User] ELI5: What is the use/need of complex numbers in real life if they are imaginary?

[Assistant]
They are just as "imaginary" as negative numbers are. You can't have negative sheep. If you put three of them in a pen, it's entirely preposterous to think that you could take five away from there.

Negative numbers just happen to be very useful for representing amounts which can fluctuate between two states. For example, credit and debit. If you deposit five gold pieces to a bank, your balance says "5" which represents the banker owing that much to you. If you go there and withdraw seven gold pieces, the balance says "-2" and represents you owing that much to the bank. At no point do any sort of "anti-gold pieces" actually appear.

Complex numbers are the same. They're a very useful tool for representing things which don't flip between two directions, but cycle through four of them. As a tool, it doesn't really have day-to-day applications to a layperson, but they're crucial for solving a wide variety of math problems which, for example, let your cellphone process signals.


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

[User] [Watchmen] When Dr. Manhattan takes Miss Jupiter to Mars, he forgot an air bubble at first. Wouldnt we die from even 3 seconds on Mars?

[Assistant]
No. Martian atmosphere is very thin and unbreathable, so you would suffocate after a few minutes, but because it is so thin, you would be inlikely to freeze, or be poisoned by it.

It would be no worse than being submerged in cold water for a few seconds, or holding your breath while in a freezer.


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

[User]
[Marvel] Is Earth a famous planet in the Marvel Universe?

Especially for the MCU, the Mind Stone is inside the head of Vision, The Time Stone is in Dr. Stephen Strange's necklace, Depending on when, the Space Stone has been on Earth too. For Earth-616, The litteral son of God used to live on Earth. Earth must be known across the Marvel Universe, unless there are planets more important or powerful than Earth.

[Assistant] Earth is a nexus point. It lies in the center of several dimensional intersections and has been the site of numerous alien civilizations and experiments. Earth is largely a backwater planet of little note to galactic affairs but has become a focal point for cosmic scale incidents. Dozens of seemingly unstoppable forces have been broken on earth and numerous cosmic level threats have emerged and been thwarted there. It's the equivalent of space Afghanistan. Little effect on international affairs but the graveyard of empires.


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

[User] [Spider-Man: Homecoming] Couldn't literally anybode be Spider-Man to some degree by using the Spider-Man suit given by Stark?

[Assistant] They could swing around and use the parachute, but that's about it. They wouldn't have Peter's strength, enhanced reflexes, agility, or Spider-Sense to keep them out of danger. They would probably get themselves killed immediately.


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

[User] [DC] Can flash harm Superman if he stabs Superman with WWs sword as fast as possible?

[Assistant] Of course. WW herself has cut Supes when she killed Maxwell Lord and that wasn't even with the sword. Flash (either Barry Allen or Wally West) are far faster then either Supes or WW, so itd stand to reason he could kill him through either running fast enough to give the sword enough energy as to power through Supes' endurance or the Thawn tactic of "death by a thousand cuts"


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

[User] [Star Wars Legends] How hard would it be for the average person to hire a bounty hunter?

[Assistant]
They are all over the place, man, so not hard. Spaceports are particularly popular hangouts for people who don't mind committing crimes for money.

Now, hiring a *good* bounty hunter is a different order altogether. Those guys are pretty rare and cost a *ton*!


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

[User]
Can someone explain this sentence? "[Gravity] is just the differential rate of time between high places and low places."

It's from The Little Book of String Theory by Steven Gubser. A larger excerpt is:

>>Time running at different rates in different places *is* gravity. In fact, thats *all* gravity is, provided gravitational fields are not too strong. Things fall from places where time runs faster to where it runs slower. That downward pull you feel, and which we call gravity, is just the differential rate of time between high places and low places.

I understand that time slows down or speeds up depending on your proximity to an objects center of gravity, but how does this time differential cause an attraction between the two objects?

[Assistant]
It's a not-necessarily-wrong but also highly unorthodox way of describing gravity. You might say that objects "want" to be in places where time runs slower, so if an object is in one place, and right next door is a place with a slower time rate, it will tend there, the way a ball on a hill "wants" to be in lower rather than higher places, so it falls to the lowest place available.

I don't know how enlightening that is, personally. An equivalent, but hopefully more insightful, way of saying the same thing is that gravity is what happens when spacetime is *curved*. Think of the surface of a sphere, which is a curved space. You know how there are no straight lines on the sphere? It's the same thing in curved spacetime. Particles naturally, due essentially to inertia, want to travel in straight lines, but when spacetime is curved they can only travel on the next best thing - *geodesics*, or paths of least distance from point A to point B. (In spacetime, "point" really means "event," so point A and point B have a time A and time B as well.) Particles following geodesics through curved spacetime look *exactly* as if they're being pulled by a gravitational force, because massive objects curve spacetime strongly around them.


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

[User] ELI5: How does radiation poisoning actually kill people?

[Assistant] Radiation actively damages your DNA and other molecules in your cells. It can cause DNA mutations, strand breaks and whole chromosome breaks. Without an intact genome, the cell can't carry out all its functions and will either make a decision to undergo controlled cell death (apoptosis) or if the damage is too severe uncontrolled cell death (necrosis) may occur. Severe radiation poisoning causes an acute destruction of cells, whereas prolongued exposure to harmful levels of radiation makes you more susceptible to cancers due to the mutating nature of the radiation.


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

[User]
In spirit of Shark Week, why did Megalodon go extinct?

Couldn't they have survived by eating whales and other sharks?

[Assistant] Having an abundant food supply is no guaranty of species survival. There aren't any definitive answers as to why they went extinct because like most sharks the megalodon skeleton was made of cartilage and isn't preserved easily and doesn't fossilize. We only know of the megalodon because of it's teeth, which do fossilize, and bite marks in other creatures preserved bones.


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

[User]
[Marvel] Why haven't Earth Governments incorporate alien tech or acknowledge the presence of aliens?

I mean, the Kree, Skrull, and Spartoi Empire have universal translators, real-time communications over long distances, and space-faring warships. Why haven't they incorporate the civilian tech for humanity?

[Assistant]
Because they don't think civilians can handle it or they're being paid not to.

Aliens are an acknowledged fact. Governments either think the tech is too dangerous to use or, well. Reed Richards is being paid millions of dollars by various corporations not to release his technology into the market, basically paying him not to compete. This could be the same for the alien tech.


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

[User]
If we could manufacture happiness, should we accept it?

Imagine someone creates this pill. When you take it, suddenly you become very happy. It has no harmful effects whatsoever. And it is able to be mass-produced. Should we accept it? I'm thinking, a lot of people would say, no, not at all. Because then people would lose the need to go out and create their own happiness. They'd just stay in their room all day high on this drug doing nothing. And then, as we get older, we'll find that we're not really good at anything. Because we never needed to get good at something to find happiness. Could this become reality? Might there be some big debate over this? I'm curious to see what y'all think as to whether or not we should accept it.

[Assistant]
This is actually a really complicated issue.  You mention the concern that the contentment the pill provides will result in a lack of incentive to improve as people or develop a means of attaining happiness independently of the pill.

Now, if we are taking happiness to mean levels of well being, and if we take the stand (as some do) that levels of well being are *all* that matter, and that all our other values matter only insofar as they promote our levels of well being, then it would be morally irrelevant what the source of the well being is.  If they would be happy no matter what, then it wouldn't matter on this view whether they were really good at guitar or not, or whether this happiness is deserved.

However, there is still the concern as to how sustainable this well being would be.  Presumably, since everybody is already at such a high level of well being, they may not seek out reward based experiences like relationships or sex, nor would they have much incentive to develop skills that would move us forward as a civilization.  So, if this pill would lead to the dying out of the human race, or the collapse of civilization, then in the long run human levels of well being would not be maximized by this pill, since it would be eliminating future people who might have had lives worth living.


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

[User]
[Parks and rec] how is Ron Swanson so rich?

Throughout the show they mention how much money Ron has but at the same time every time Ron has a chance to make money like selling his cabin and making chairs he turns it down. Where does he get all this money?

[Assistant] Most people get their first job some time between their 16th and 18th birthday. Ron Swanson's first day of work at the sheet metal factory was when he was 9 years old. Median pay of a sheet metal worker as of 2012 is about $43,000 a year, but Ron was made floor manager inside a week, which easily puts him at $60,000 a year. He continued working at the sheet metal factory until he ended up leaving, hitchhiking to get to college at age 18. That means he had earned a good $540,000 in his pocket when he came of age. Because of his libertarian philosophy, Ron also believes in investing in two things: gold and property. Considering that Ron was born in 1960, he started work around 1969, when gold was around $270 an ounce. For reference, as of today, gold is worth around $1,114 an ounce. Ron also invested in property of an undisclosed address and size around Pawnee, ~~ID~~ *IN*, which likely also increased significantly in value. Add to this his side ventures of being Duke Silver, woodworking, construction, city work, and other things which are frankly none of our business. On top of all that, other than tools and meat, Ron tends to be a penny pincher.


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

[User]
Completing the Square: Why does it give the turning point?

Why is it when you turn a quadratic into the form of completing the square, why does this give the turning point?

[Assistant]
It's all to do with translations.

If you've got some function, f(x), you can translate it (i.e. move it) a units to the right by *subtracting* a from every x value, f(x - a).

Likewise, you can translate it b units up by *adding* b to f(x), f(x) + b.

Both translations can be compounded, giving us a translation of (a, b) and a function of f(x - a) + b.

So, to answer your question, by completing the square we write a quadratic into a form that we can use to determine the minimum point based on the translation that has taken place on it:

If f(x) = x, we can translate it with the same function above, so, f(x - a) + b = (x - a) + b, which you might recognise as the completed square form.

Now, how does this tell us where the minimum is? We know that the minimum of f(x) = x is (0, 0), so by translating that by (a, b), all coordinates get shifted by the vector quantity (a, b), so we end up with a minimum of (0 + a, 0 + b), or simply (a, b).

Hope that all makes sense!


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

[User] [Iron Man] How does the HUD get projected in Iron Mans helmet?

[Assistant] It doesn't, it's projected straight into his retina, giving him the illusion that it's floating right in front of his face. This technology is already pretty mature, certain fighter jets and helicopters used it for years before he co-opted it for his suits.


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

[User]
ELI5: The difference between source code, and what we download when we buy a game

I'm not even sure I'm asking this question correctly; that's how far removed I am. I remember reading that someone had found starcraft source code and the internet lost their minds when he turned it in.

[Assistant]
When you write a computer program, you write it using a human readable language, for example C, Java or Python. For example, this is what a basic "Hello world" program (a program that print "hello, world") looks like in C:

    #include <stdio.h>

    main( )
    {
            printf("hello, world\n");
    }

Things like "include", "main" and "printf" are instructions for the computer that tell it what to do. The computer, however, doesn't actually know what this code means. Instead, the code first needs to be translated to "machine code", which the computer does understand, but is very difficult for humans to read and understand. This process is known as "compilation". When you download a game, the game's executable files are already in machine code, after the compilation process was done. This means that you can't really understand how the game works just by looking at the files. However, if you have the original source code, it means that by looking at it you can figure out how exactly it works.


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

[User]
[Lego] Do all the lego series/theme take place in the same universe?

Was thinking about this recently. For instance in the lego racers and Racers-2, the city/town,space (UFO, life on mars), artic, johnny thunder, and racers Xalax themes appear; while in "clutch powers" movie, the city, castle, space (mars mission, space police), agents, powerminers, and other themes appear. In the legoland game the scientist also gets teleported to Planet-U from rock raiders.

Would this mean that all lego series/themes (excluding licensed ones) are based in the same universe and that the only difference is that there in different time periods or planets (ie rock raiders happens many years after the events of power miners)?

Or are there are few lego universes since there would still be some inconsistencies such as Life on mars and mars mission.

What are your thoughts? Is it the same universe spread out throughout time and space, or multiple universes?

[Assistant]
It's clear that the vast majority of original Lego themes take place in the same continuity, whether through explicit connections (a Power Miners character appearing in an Atlantis set, e.g.) or easter-egg references (the Classic Space logo, Octan). It's possible that Life On Mars and Mars Mission are merely different eras and regions of Mars exploration, each encountering a different native species.

The only themes that might be difficult to reconcile with this notion are those that have specific years, namely Ice Planet 2002 and Dino 2010, since, uh... we didn't go to an ice planet in 2002 or get overrun by Dinosaurs in 2010. Such massive shifts in society would have been reflected in Lego City sets (which run parallel to our own reality in terms of culture, technology, and chronology).


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

[User]
[The Walking Dead] What's the remnant of the military up to?

Is there any chain of command left?

In FTWD, we see them pulling out of LA. Where are they pulling out to? Cheyenne Mountain, maybe?

[Assistant] It's likely by the latest point in the show, they're effectively disbanded, since there's not really a United States government anymore. Some groups may keep up a military order and appearance, but they've really become independent colonies at best and very well armed raiders at worst. Some might have plans of restoring the country, but for now that's basically a pipe dream.


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

[User] eli5: what makes tea, tea? like what's different than me plucking leaves off a random tree or finding dry ones off the ground and essentially making flavoured water?

[Assistant]
In addition to being from a specific plant, actual-tea is processed differently to make different kinds of product.

If you just take the whole leaves and try them, you get white tea which has a very delicate (some might say almost nonexistent) flavour.

Most of the interesting-flavoured compounds in tea are produced by oxidising and/or fermenting the leaves before drying them.

If you just oxidise them a little bit (by mildly bruising them and allowing them to sit a while before drying), you get green tea - the leaves are still green, but you get a greeny-yellow liquid from steeping them in water, with a mild flavour.

If you chop them up and leave them to sit longer before drying, the air and the enzymes really get to work transforming the chemical composition of the leaf juices, and you get black tea - producing a red-brown liquid with a lot more astringent tannins and a deeper flavour.

ETA: also the type (eg young leaves from the tips vs older leaves) and the exact variety, growing conditions, etc all go into the differences between different teas.

Plus some are heat treated, some are cultured with fungus, etc. etc.  it's as intricate as winemaking and cheesemaking, seriously.


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

[User] ELI5: How do veterinarians determine if animals have certain medical conditions, when normally in humans the same condition would only be first discovered by the patient verbally expressing their pain, etc.?

[Assistant]
Most owners (not all, sadly) notice when something is different. The animal limps, stops eating, pees too much, acts weird.

The vet examines the animal carefully and notes what isnt right. Heart rate and sounds, temperature, how the body feels under their hands, etc.

Then testing is recommended based on the vets education, experience, and the clues the vet has from the history and examination. Bloodwork, imaging like x-rays, and more specialized stuff.

Animals dont necessarily talk to vets, but owners do, and the body speaks for itself.


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

[User]
[Greek Mythology] How would Charon feel if someone brought their own boat and just started to row across the styx?

Is there a system in place? Do you need a special licence to operate watercraft on the styx? Charon doesn't seem like the violent type, It doesn't seem like he would stop you himself. I realize it's much easier to fit a coin in the mouth of a dead man than a boat, but for the especially thrifty hero, is it possible to bring your own boat and save a little dough?

[Assistant]
Aren't there loads of spirits of damned in the river?

I'd assume they would capsize this boat and drag you under if there is no Charon there to protect you.

They always seem to be clawing at the boat but when the barge man is there, they can do nothing.


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

[User]
[Jurassic Park] Where were the backup generators?

I was specifically wondering about this in regards to the Velociraptor paddock: Muldoon was so concernd about the Raptors staying contained, why wasnt there a backup generator, not reliant on the computer system, that would kick in immediately if power was cut to the raptor fence?

More generally though: the park is on an island 100 miles off the coast of Costa Rica and was clearly prone to cyclones and other large storms. Even without sabotage, occassional power outages would be unavoidable. So why werent there backup generators in place to keep things running on at least at some reduced capacity? Even setting aside the predator enclosures, think about the millions they would lose if the embryo storage room lost power for an extended period, and all the food that would spoil in the kitchens? Is there an explanation for this that I missed?

[Assistant]
Hammond was cheap, and the Park was built with only the barest basics. He also thought he had it all under control with all the genetics failsafes and severely underestimated the intelligence of some of the dinosaurs.

He probably didn't realize well after the park was built that the raptors were as dangerous as they came to be.