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

[User]
[Star Trek III/IV] Why was the Enterprise 1701 being decommissioned in III only for a brand new exact same version of the ship ( 1701-A ) to be rolled out just a few months later in IV?

Has the Federation got nothing else to do but build starships?

[Assistant]
The Enterprise-A wasn't originally meant to be the Enterprise-A. It was a gift *and a punishment* to Kirk for his actions with both the Genesis device and saving Earth/the Federation with his time travel antics. The ship itself was built as an entirely different vessel (beta canon says it was the USS Yorktown), which just happened to be conveniently undergoing major refits and upgrades much like the Enterprise a few years before.

After Kirk returned to the 23rd century with the whales, the Federation was left in a pickle. On the one hand, the Klingon Empire had some legitimate grievances with Kirk and might have declared war if nothing was done. On the other hand, Kirk saved the heart of the Federation and robbed the Klingons of a potential doomsday weapon before that. So the Federation scrambled to shove Kirk was far away from politics and the spotlight as possible. It just so happened that this "punishment" happened to be exactly what makes Kirk happiest, and his crew was more than happy to join him.

As you see in the following few months (Star Trek 5), the Enterprise-A was literally shoved out of spacedock as soon as the registry paint dried, so it had a TON of technical problems that Scotty needed to fix. Again, this just happened to be what made him happiest, so it worked out for everyone.

But also, yes, as a multi-light-year spanning interstellar empire, the Federation has the capability to build a LOT of ships. Even in the 23rd century, they could churn out starships at an alarming rate if they needed to.


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

[User]
[Star Trek] What prevents teleporters from being weaponized?

In all of the Star Trek episodes and movies, I can teleport anything, anywhere (so long as shields are down). People... objects.. I can even teleport something when its in warp.. This is some pretty serious stuff here...

What prevents someone from using a teleporter to kidnap some scientist on earth?  Are anti-teleportion devices a thing?

Or what prevents some nefarious race from teleporting red matter into earths sun?

[Assistant]
Teleporters can't penetrate shields, and leave a traceable signature. They also require accurate sensing (and their energy efficiency isnt really known).

Given the above, the most likely reason they aren't widely used as a weapon is that they aren't more effective in an average combat situation than, say, just firing torpedoes. Sure, it might work well in an odd scenario, but it's rarely the best option.


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

[User]
ELI5: Mechanically, what is happening in your body to give you a stiff neck on one side after sleeping in a bad position?

Every so often I will wake up like this. Why is it that when I turn or tilt my head to one side, I feel like I can't move it and I experience a lot of pain? Is something getting in the way or is it just muscle that doesn't want to move anymore?

[Assistant]
Sleeping in a bad position can physically strain either muscles or other soft tissue in your neck, causing microscopic damage which in turn causes inflammation which in turn puts pressure on nerves and causes pain. This is working as intended as your body is signalling you to not cause further damage by moving your neck in certain ways while its busy with the repairs.

A latex rubber band serves as a good analogy - stretch it out and keep it stretched for a long period of time, once released from the stretching it is unable to return to its original length because even though nothing visible has happened to it, there is microscopic damage - you sprained your rubber band!

Fortunately our bodies are very good at dealing with light tissue damage like that, it is in fact used as a catalyst for growth in some cases and no cause for concern.

Eating a varied diet with lots of nutrients and keeping active physically make your body more flexible and thus more resistant to this kind of damage.


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

[User]
Did any dinosaurs live in Japan?

Perhaps the first question should be "did the Japanese islands even exist when dinosaurs lived?"  I'm discussing this in a bar in Gifu-ken, Japan, and nobody seems to know.

[Assistant]
>Japan was originally attached to the eastern coast of the Eurasian continent. The subducting plates, being deeper than the Eurasian plate, pulled Japan eastward, opening the Sea of Japan around 15 million years ago. The Strait of Tartary and the Korea Strait opened much later.

Barnes, Gina L. (2003). "Origins of the Japanese Islands: The New "Big Picture"". University of Durham. Retrieved August 11, 2009.

Dinosaurs disappeared around 65 million years ago (?), which means that the land that made Island of Japan was connected to Asia when there would have been dinosaurs.


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

[User]
ELI5, how did we determine the length of a second?

Title says it all. What defines a second, and how was this unit of measurement established/discovered with relation to the atomic measurement we currently use.

[Assistant]
Timekeeping is a very ancient system.  Ancient Mesopotamians used a base-12 system for most mathematics so they divided up the day into 12 hours of day and 12 of night.

They also did a lot of counting on their hands so they sub-divided each hour into a full hand of 12s (12x5) to get 60 minutes.

Then again to get 60 seconds.

So the *original* definition of a second is 1/86400th of a day.

Accurately determining what that means and how to reproducibly measure it was much more challenging, and wasnt formalized in any useful way until much more recently.


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

[User]
[Immortal Hulk] Apparently gamma radiation is Satan. How concerned should I be about that?

So, I just heard, and apparently it turns out that as well as a wave or a particle, gamma radiation can also be thought of as very literally the actual Devil himself incarnate in our realm. I work in a nuclear power plant. Should I be...concerned by this? What are my odds of being taken over by The One Below All at my workplace? Can the reactor become a portal to hell? Are other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum also incarnations of deities?

This all seems like a big problem in my line of work and maybe the laws of physics as a whole. What should I do?

[Assistant]
Relax, citizen.  Think of it this way: gamma radiation is basically TOBA's cell phone signal.  It doesn't do anything but radiate by itself, and if you don't have a cell phone (the correct metagene, in this analogy) TOBA's not going to be able to reach out and touch you.  Your nuclear reactor is a threat to the environment, but that's because of nuclear waste, not Satan.

Now if someone in your plant *does* have the gamma metagene, and there *is* an accident that releases large quantities of gamma radiation, you might end up with a possessed Gamma mutate.  But I'd hope your company screens workers for that sort of thing.


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

[User]
How does the Burden of Proof work exactly? So confused.

Let's say somebody believes Pikachu exists. How would you tell that person Pikachu doesn't exist?

Burden of proof lies with the person making the claim, positive or negative right?

So if, I where to say Pikachu doesn't exist, the burden of proof would lay on me right?

Here's the thing, If I say that Pikachu doesn't exist because there's no evidence wouldn't that be the appeal to ignorance fallacy?

How would you go about this? I'm so dumb and new to this lol. Thanks.

[Assistant] There arent general rules for the burden of proof.  If youre in court or in a formal debate, then there are rules you can just look up. Out in the wide world, people have to just negotiate these things based on the context and whats at stake.


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

[User] ELI5: When you're standing up you have 14.7PSI of atmosphere (weight of the air above you) pressing down on all the surfaces perpendicular to this force; shoulders, top of head. Lay down and you expose much more surface area to this force. How does a scale not reflect this change in surface area?

[Assistant]
>When you're standing up you have 14.7PSI of atmosphere (weight of the air above you) pressing down on all the surfaces perpendicular to this force

That's not quite right.  You have 14.7 psi pressing on *all* surfaces -- the top of your head, the bottom of your feet, your stomach back and sides -- at the same time.  It's not a directional "from the top" pressure.


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

[User] Could there be an unknown planet that is always on the opposite side of the sun from our perspective?

[Assistant] No. There are several reasons why not. Because the Earth's orbit is elliptical, it moves at different speeds when it's close or far from the sun, so the two planets would get out of 180 degree alignment and we'd see it for part of the year (although if it had the same elliptical orbit but reverse, it could remain hidden).  Space probes we've sent to other planets would have been sent off course by the gravity of this planet, but that didn't happen. And we sent some probes to the sun with powerful cameras, and they would have seen this on their way.


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

[User] ELI5: Why did it take Rockstar 265$ million dollars to make GTA V.

[Assistant]
There are many reasons for this. Some of the most significant include:

- Insane marketing budget. Ads and other forms or marketing cost a lot of money, and ensures that everyone and their grandfmother knows about the game before it is released.

- Well-known actors are all over the place in the GTA V cast of characters. As you are aware of, famous actors have insane salaries.

- GTA V was developed by a huge number of people, all of which require salary. In addition to the hundreds of developers working directly with the development at Rockstar North, there are tons of people involved in the development, marketing and general production of the game. More so than pretty much any other game released so far.

- It took a lot of time to develop.

- A lot of licensed content (music etc.) costs a lot of money.


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

[User]
[Batman] What if only one of Bruce Wayne's parents had been killed?

Would it have been different depending on the parent?

[Assistant]
I think it would have turned out similar to Ed Brubaker's DCAU what-if story where Bruce would have been taken by his parents to live somewhere else because the incident with Joe Chill, even if they survived it, spooked them into moving their son away from Gotham for his own safety.

If only one parent survived, this could have made them all the more determined that Bruce would never have to be exposed to the dangers of the world.

So Bruce would probably have grown up 'normal' and happy, but Gotham would have completely turn to shit eventually since there would be nobody left to deal with the emergent supercriminals.


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

[User] ELI5: Why can we eat almost any part of most living things without incident, but eating some brains and cows with mad cow disease are dangerous to us?

[Assistant] This is because of prions, which are infectious misfolded proteins. They exist only in the brain and are transmitted when someone/thing eats infected brain matter. The prions cause the host's proteins to misfold, causing cell death. This creates the characteristic spongy brain associated with prion diseases like Kuru and Mad Cow. In short, don't eat brains.


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

[User] [Hero Academia] Assuming unhindered use of both side, is there any "limit" to Shoto's hot-cold?

[Assistant]
Almost all quirks have an effect on their user when used too long/extensively. With training this adversity is something that can be overcome Deku uses Shoot Style for example to overcome the fact that OfA blows up his body.

Spoiler free answer is Yes but we havent gotten to that point yet. In some of the more recent chapters Endeavor gives us his hypothesis on what Shoto COULD do.

Id recommend reading it if youre not already doing it!


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

[User]
ELI5: What exactly happens to your heart when you have to inject it with an adrenaline shot?

The needle always seems huge and one would think that stabbing yourself in the heart would cause some damage.

[Assistant] The needle is very long so that it reaches the heart.  It's pretty far in there.  It's not too big around, and your heart is a big muscle, so it can close the hole without too much trouble.  The adrenaline is a strong stimulant, which gets the heart pumping harder and faster.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] How do clone troopers not know that Vader is Anakin, if the 501st Legion marched with him to capture the Jedi Temple and Palpatine's guards rescued him from Mustafar?

In a recent comic, Vader faces off against Jocasta Nu and captures her aboard an LAAT. After one of the clone troopers called her a Jedi liar, Jocasta flat out tells them Vader is Anakin and Vader responds by throwing every trooper off the vessel.

My question is if Anakin commanded hundreds of clones during the Jedi Purge and was rescued by clone troopers from Mustafar, how is his identity not common knowledge among the clones? Did he and Palpatine kill every clone trooper with this knowledge? Brainwash them?

[Assistant]
The troopers had a biochip in their brain that took control of them with the activation of Order 66. Most wouldn't remember the good things about the Jedi, only that "good soldiers follow orders" and that their orders were to eliminate the Jedi.

The 501st were the ones that worked with Anakin throughout the Clone Wars and were also the ones who were sent with "Lord Vader" to attack the Jedi Temple, but the ones in that recent comic weren't the 501st - you can see that clearly by the fact that their colors were red, not blue like the 501st wore.


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

[User] ELI5: why do countries print new currency (notes & coins) every year, and how do they decide the amount that is made.

[Assistant]
The population of the US, and almost every country is growing, so more people need more money.

They also destroy damaged money every year, and have to replace it.

The federal reserve will keep a supply of extra bills, and send them to banks when needed.  If they are running low on cash, they order more from the mint or the Bureau of Engraving and printing.


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

[User]
ELI5:Why does frozen food (like Kid's Cuisine) taste so good when you're a kid, but terrible as you get older?

Maybe it's just me?

[Assistant]
When you're little, if you give baby food and chocolate to a baby, it will probably prefer chocolate because it's "stronger" to his taste buds. But since it is a baby, he isn't used to strong flavors, so it can eat bland foods as well.
That's why when you have a baby, you don't introduce salt and sugar right away, because you want them to get used to every food, every flavor and not to prefer the "bad" ones. As you grow, you start to put more salt in food, or more sugar, and those who don't have any of these components (or very little) seem very bland to you.
Coincidentally, that's why old people put too much salt on food: they tend to lose taste and put more of these components. What seems strong to you, may seem rather bland to another person depending on habits and age.


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

[User] If gravity causes time dilation, wouldn't deep gravity wells create their own red-shift? How do astronomers distinguish close massive objects from distant objects?

[Assistant] They estimate the depth of the gravity well. We sit in one ourselves so this can be taken into account as well. It doesnt matter much. At distances where this is a large effect the random motion of galaxies is still important. At distances where you get nice measurements the redshift is so large the gravity wells dont have a large impact any more.


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

[User]
How exactly do prion diseases work and how can they be prevented?

Also, how close are we to a cure?

[Assistant] A prion is a mis-folded normal protein that acts as a template/model/catalyst to cause other, previously normal shaped proteins to adopt a mis-folded configuration. This occurs entirely on the protein level, no DNA or RNA are involved. The only way to prevent it, which works very well, is to prevent contact between the diseased tissue in sick animals with normal tissue in healthy animals. This is a far more rational approach than treatment would be.


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

[User]
[Ender's Game] Why is there such a strict two-child policy?

The first time the bugs attacked, they nearly wiped out humanity. People keep mentioning that the bugs outnumber humans - maybe a thousand to one.

Assuming there were high casualties in the first war, why on earth are governments limiting procreation? Is there not enough arable land or something?

Wouldn't we want as many humans being born as possible, to increase the chances that we'll get brilliant scientists and military commanders (and if nothing else, humans to use as cannon fodder in the inevitable war)?

[Assistant] Human vs. Bugger combat was never going to be lines of sophonts rushing each other with bayonets. Body numbers don't matter as much when your battles are in space - but industry and a technological base does. If the world's population rises too much, society has to devote war resources to taking care of all those people.


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

[User] Have there always been this many techtonic plates? If not, how do they break up / merge? If so, how did they originally form?

[Assistant]
No, the number varies. New plates form, some old plates subduct, and yet other old plates come together to form stable individual plates for many hundreds of millions of years.

New plates form mostly from rifting events such as is currently happening at the Afar triangle, where a new plate boundary is forming.  An example of a subducting plate is the Cocos plate just West of Central America.  A merged plate might be considered the Indian/Asian plate, wher ethe Himalaya mark the junction of the two. That boundary is likely to remain stable and connected for many hundreds of millions of years.

Also, it seems to be a common mis-spelling (I would love to know where from) but it's tectonic, not techtonic.


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

[User]
ELI5: what are muscle "knots"?

When you get a massage, and the therapist works out a "knot", what is that lump in your muscle that they're working out?

[Assistant] You might not realize it,  but muscles can only pull,  never push. They only contract,  and need to be loosened by an opposing muscle.  So if you're overworked, stressed and don't get enough movement,  some muscles stay contracted,  and need to be loosened up manually. That's why we stretch ourself when we're tired.


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

[User] ELI5  What is a filibuster and what did this Rand guy do with it?

[Assistant]
a filibuster is the process by which a senator blocks the rest of the senate from being able to vote on a particular bill. They do that (or used to) by standing at the podium and speaking. endlessly. The rules have apparently changed lately, allowing people to simply state their intent to filibuster, which accomplishes the same time, absent the requirement to speak constantly.

Thee isn't a requirement that you have to talk about any particular subject matter. You could literally read the phone book, you just have to stand there and talk.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] I know this makes no sense, but if Anakin (or an Anakin like kid) came to Luke Skywalkers Jedi academy in legends would he not fall to the dark side, because they are much more welcoming to older pupils as well as being ok with attachments?

In other words, did Luke Skywalkers new Jedi order (In legends) avoid some of the pitfalls of the old Jedi order?

[Assistant]
Anakin fell because of a perfect storm of factors and depends on whether or not these are also true under this new scenario:

1) Is Luke Skywalker too distracted by an epic galactic conflict to give Anakin proper attention and emotional support?

2) Is Anakin still being tempted and seduced to the dark side by an intelligent and smooth-talking Sith Lord who works closely with him?

3) Is Anakin still traumatized by his mom's death and having visions of Padme's impending doom?


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

[User]
Heroku vs EC2

Hi, I am going from cloud functions to a dedicated server to do things like sockets etc.. I am hearing about EC2 but I did a little bit more research and EC2 involves a good amount of work, especially having custom domain as api root, integrating SSL, etc and stuff like that and you have to pay. EC2 feels like its more for established companies or people that are serious. On heroku you click a button and it does the ssl cert for you. Seamless sql integration. And much more. It seems so hobby developer friendly ? Thoughts?

[Assistant] Here is a tip for free aws credits ($100 monthly). Create an Alexa app, you dont have to really change anything, just use the template they give you, and publish it. For whatever reason they get used every month and you get the credits for it being used.


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

[User]
[PhD dropout] I'm much happier after leaving my program, but feel sad that I won't be a professor.

I entered a PhD program immediately out of undergrad and dropped out after a year because I found myself unable to adjust to the lifestyle of academia. I found it difficult to complete my work in an unstructured environment and felt fairly isolated with so few people to talk to. Ultimately, I never overcame these personal challenges and felt super depressed, and so made the decision to drop out and accept a new job at a great company. I have since been doing really well at work. I went from being a very mediocre student to a superstar at the office. Still, I feel called to be a professor, as dumb as that sounds. The fact that you get paid to do research that you find interesting and discover truths about the world is literally the coolest thing I could imagine. I've considered going to therapy to address the issues that prevented me from being a successful PhD student and maybe reapplying for a program some years down the line. But I also feel like I should maybe just accept that the academic lifestyle will never be a fit for me and fulfill my calling in other ways. Has anyone had a similar experience?

[Assistant]
You had a set of expectations about how your life would go, and it's not shaping up how you thought. It's natural to be sad about this. Look ahead, consider your other options and see how you can move forward. You might find that you really enjoy what you end up doing. Or maybe not, and that's also ok! Coming back to school after some time away can be really beneficial, and it is not uncommon for grad students.

And no matter what happens, or which way things go, professional therapy is a good idea. They can help a lot as you navigate this part of your life.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do people buy 4k TVs without 4k content?

[Assistant] Because they dont want to buy a 1080p one now and then when 4k is available have to buy another one to watch 4k. Or it could be that the salesman duped them claiming it would help them watch 1080p clearer.


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

[User]
[Warhammer 40K] The Emperor is brought back to the pinnacle of his strength and majesty right now in the current Lore, what changes? Also a bonus question about the surviving Traitor Primarchs.

Cadia has fallen.  Roboute has been back for over a century.  The battle on the Moon has taken place.  The Plague Wars were a victory for the Imperium.  The Emperor regains full life, vigour, power, and majesty.  What changes now?

BONUS question: could the reborn, full power Emperor turn any of the Traitor Primarchs from Chaos to his side if he and any individual surviving Traitor Primarch were just teleported to a room together?  Would the sight of the full powered, reborn, glorious Emperor have such an impact on any one of them?

[Assistant]
Well for one the people who should be afraid of the Emperor the most are his subjects. He went to great lengths in the GC to destroy religion and any spiritual beliefs and theres no reason hed stop now, infact he might be willing to start from scratch in the sense that hell rebuild the conquest and humble every planet once more. Keep in mind this guy ran a galactic genocide campaign.

Think about it like this when playing CK2 as Byzantine, you are rendered incapable and all of a sudden your regent/chancellor decides to hand over all your domains to himself and lower crown authority to a minimum, all the while selling off your genius/strong trait daughters to some nobody nomad. The first thing you do when you are forced to play as weak, hunchback, slow, drunk heir is dedicate all your energy to his destruction.

And about the traitor primarchs, they are beyond saving since there was a reason he specifically destroyed Horuss soul, so that he may never be revived again since he already belonged to chaos but did not give his soul to them.


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

[User]
Okay, so First Past The Post voting sucks because the person disliked the most can win. is there a voting system that can use a vote both for most wanted and LEAST wanted (not second or third most wanted)?

For example, lets say there are 5 candidates. I like two of them but am most desperate that a certain one of them doesn't get elected. I've seen voting systems that allow for your first, second, and third choices, but I don't know of one that accounts for your dislikes as well as your preferences. Is there one out there?

This is primarily a political sciences or mathematics/statistics question, but I suppose could also be part of social sciences.

[Assistant] The alternative vote system already does this. If you rank the candidates in order of preference, you are making distinctly clear your dislikes. If you don't care which of the two middle candidates gets elected, just assign their preferences randomly.


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

[User]
ELI5: How are we able to zone out while driving but still, for the most part, drive perfectly fine?

I thought about this on my way back from work. I just zoned out while driving but would still respond to a cars brake light or color change, even though I wasnt focused at all (even my eyes were out of focus!)

[Assistant]
It's actually called "unconscious competence" - it is when you know the task so well that you can do it without thinking about it.

Previous posts are correct - most mistakes are made in this zone. Goal is to be "consciously competent" - you know what you are doing and you are thinking about it. (Envision a great surgeon)

Practice staying "conscious" by watching what other cars are doing, or pedestrians. Note the make and model of the car to your right/left/front. Watch who is turning and who is entering lanes that are close to you. Watch cars as you are approaching traffic lights....that stuff will help you maintain awareness but don't focus so deeply that it turns into distracted driving :)


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

[User]
[40K] How would a Mechanicus Imperium of Man look like?

So basically: Entire 40k verse is the same, but the Emperor gave Mars full control of the Imperium after the HH.

[Assistant]
With your edit:

The Imperium of Man would be kind of screwed up.

One thing that isnt really talked about much is how the Imperium of Man is like a Feudal state. You have the state, then everyone under you (the planets and the like) give tithe in exchange for the 'legitimacy' of their rule (the planetary governors). This ensures that something as large as the Imperium with a million worlds can actually maintain the current status that it has. It's both the reason why things are so stagnant and also the thing that ensures the Imperium actually can survive.

The Mechanicus on the other hand is more like a coalition of sorts. While Mars is famous... they arent the central authority. Mars maintains it's dominance by 'leasing' out STC printouts from its massive vaults, a larger number of them than any other Forge World.

In fact each of the Forge Worlds are their own state under the banner of the Mechanicus and treat each other in the same way that an independent state will. That is with a long arm, any kind of sharing, any kind of cooperation, anything at all is legalized, contractualized and every 'ized' that there is. Anything else quite simply impossible for them since each guards their secrets very well indeed.

Remember that many Forge Worlds have existed since before the Great Crusade and were in fact found over time as the Crusade reached them, each one treated like a valued ally instead of a vassal. There are no demands, everything is done through treaties and contractual promises.

For example some have STCs for certain designs like plasma, some with Meltas and some with lasers. This secret keeping has consequences where Forge World will actually go to war with each other over technology, with Mars actively raiding other Forge Worlds to steal their STCs and maintain its superiority, sabotaging all the while.

Therefore an Imperium that is ruled by the Mechanicus will not be the fractured but whole Imperium that currently exists, but rather one that is formed by countless small states that are always in constant competition and combat with one another trying to find the way to the Omnissiah at the cost of all others around them.

The Tyranids appearing out of nowhere, the Necrontyr, the Eldar, the Dark Eldar, all of it wouldnt be met with a centralized and massive reaction, but rather politicking and infighting over rights of salvage, over who sends what and how. All the while the Imperium itself is being nibbled away constantly while the Forge Worlds have very little desire at all to expand. The chipping itself becoming permanent over time.

The Imperium in other words might have the big guns, but they will be very ineffective and locked away for a rainy day guns. Given enough time the Imperium will either be torn apart in a massive civil war... or just destroyed from the many many enemies from the outside.

A Mechanicus Imperium therefore is a very bad idea for any kind of long term stability and will doom it to destruction due to the lack of any kind of central authority to force reactions for the greater good of the whole at the cost of losses in some segments.

Sorry for the poor quality of the reply, if you want clarification feel free to ask for it.


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

[User]
ELI5: What happens when a person is given a wrong type of blood.

For example: If someone who requires O- ,gets O+

[Assistant] If given the wrong blood type their body will react to the blood as it would any other invading organism, with the immune system breaking down the blood cells as fast as it can. This can cause clotting throughout the body which can lead to organ failure, and the mess from all of the dead cells needs to be cleaned up by the kidneys which might be overwhelmed and damaged. The clotting factors might all be temporarily used up and leave the patient open to excessive bleed (which is why they presumably were given blood in the first place).


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

[User]
ELI5: How do fat people in jail/prison stay fat?

It's my understanding that everyone pretty much receives the same amount of food in prison/jail and yet there are still people in prison/jail that have been there for years! Please explain.

[Assistant] Most of the food available for purchase in the commissary is junk food, the stuff of corner stores...Doritos, candy. The daily meal-ration will also usually be largely be comprised of some sort of cheap carb (white bread, stuff like that)


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

[User] ELI5 What are the differences between clementines, tangerines, and other orange-like fruits?

[Assistant] They are all quite closely related. All modern citrus fruits are a genetic mix of 3 original species: citrons, pomelos, and the true mandarin. Due to this close relationship, any citrus fruit can cross pollinate with any other citrus to create a different variety.


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

[User] ELI5: How does lifting something heavy build muscle?

[Assistant]
ELI5:

Your body picks up a heavy thing repeatedly and muscles tear under the stress.

Your body recognizes that you now pick up that heavy thing repeatedly to stay alive, it dedicates resources to regrowing those muscles that were torn and build enough new ones to handle picking up that weight so you don't die.

Repeat.


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

[User]
If there are magnetic field lines are there gravitational field lines also?

If there are what is the significance of them and how do field lines relate to the waves in electromagnetic and gravitational fields?

[Assistant]
Yes. Similar to how magnetic field lines give some indication of which way a dipole will orient at that location and how strongly, and electric field lines indicate the direction of force a positive charge would experience, gravitational field lines indicate the strength of gravitational force a mass would experience at a particular location.

In the case of the Earth, these gravitational field lines would point towards the center of the Earth, and converge(indicating more force) as a mass moves toward the surface.

Keep in mind these field lines are just visual depictions of the field. They aren't "real" in the way gravity is real, just representations.


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

[User] ELI5: what possible reason could the human race have for evolving with chemical capsaicin receptors on the anus?

[Assistant]
What you call "Capsaicin receptors" are just heat receptors. Capsaicin triggers them so they respond the same way they do to heat.

The skin has lots of these receptors, and especially the mucous membranes, since it is good to be able to detect heat in order to avoid burns.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do we have to die?

Assuming that someone is perfectly healthy and doesn't get in a fatal accident, why do we die? Why can't our cells keep multiplying and making newer ones to replace the dying ones indefinitely?

Edit: I see people commenting on how it's mostly natural selection and Darwinian Evolution so I have a follow up questions  why is there such a massive lifespan gap in nature? why haven't we all evolved to live thousands of years like trees?

[Assistant] One reason is that the mechanism that is used to duplicate the DNA in our cells fails after a a certain number of duplications.  So eventually it stops copying correctly and cells aren't able to be replenished.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do nutrition labels even work?

I have a bottle of flavored water (0.68 cents at Wal-Mart, because Im worth it) and it has 3 servings. If you drink 1 servings worth, you get exactly 0 calories and 0% everything else. But if you drink all 3 servings, you get 10 calories and about 10mg of sodium. How is that possible? I know theres sometimes really small amounts of things like sodium, but isnt that usually denoted as <0%?

[Assistant]
If an item has less than five calories in it, it can be listed as "zero calories." In your example, the drink likely has about three calories per serving or something like that.

Basically, it's all round numbers, and the rounding can be weird sometimes.


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

[User]
There is a strong incentive to discriminate against gays and blacks in hiring for small businesses, and in some cases women & religious. CMV

* Fair hiring laws exist
* These laws give legal teeth to people of protected classes
* There are often equally qualified candidates that are not of protected classes
* Lawsuits of these types are often hard to defend, even when firings are justified
* It is orders of magnitude more difficult for people of protected classes to file a lawsuit successfully that they were not hired because of this reason
* It is more likely that a person of a protected class will threaten or file a lawsuit if hired and then fired, than a lawsuit is filed for not being hired.
* Protected class members are more likely to associate their firing to their protected class
* I am unconvinced "diversity" is a tangible benefit when the liabilities are very real and measurable.

Therefor it is logical that when a candidate of protected class presents themselves as being equally qualified to a non-protected class candidate, the logical hiring choice is to discriminate.

In small companies this is easy to get away with and certainly the smarter business move.  Since hiring liabilities have a disproportionate impact on the long term viability of a business when it is small.

[Assistant]
In 2012, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, tasked with enforcing federal discrimination laws, charged employers with 33,512 violations based on race.

There are about 42,000,000 racial minorities in the United States.

Let's be *conservative* and say only 75% of them have jobs.

31,500,000 minority workers, divided by 33,512 complaints, equals .00106, or .1%.

So, less one-tenth of 1% of racial minority hirings result in a discrimination charge.

Many of those charges are probably based on *valid* complaints, so the percentage of frivolous complaints is even smaller.

Based on these numbers, the statistical risk of hiring a minority employee are completely negligible unless you're looking for a reason to not hire minorities in bad faith.

Moreover, NOT hiring an employee on the basis of race, gender, etc., is a much more significant risk in itself, since it's an actionable EEOC violation.  Also, discriminatory non-hiring probably accounts for many of those 33,512 cases.


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

[User]
[Fallout] Why does nobody dual-wield power fists?

Seriously. Put one on each hand and just start punching. As long as it's in melee-range, it's *dead.*

You'd think that at least some raider, super mutant or Brotherhood of Steel nutjob would try it - but no, nope, never.

Is there anything stopping people from doing that, or is it just that nobody ever thought of doing it?

[Assistant]
In addition to the reasons already mentioned, doing this requires you **own** two. In post-apocalyptia, coming across one is a godsend. These are pieces of precision machinery that have survived decades of nuclear fallout. On the rare occasion someone has two *and* is not looking to sell the redundant power fist, it's more likely they'd use the parts to repair the first fist.

In a world of scarcity, having a power fist for twice as long is leaps and bounds better than having two. Plus, if something's not going down to one power fist, you likely won't have much better luck with two.


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

[User]
Why is it so difficult to get a job in academia?

Hi all,

I have been a casual academic since 2013, when I undertook my PhD, which I was awarded in 2017. I wasn't hired back at my university last year after first semester, and have been on Jobseeker ever since, applying vigorously for whatever academic roles I can find in my area (including casual roles at whatever uni is hiring them), and an assortment of writing/journalist jobs. But I cannot for the life of me land a job.

I am 31, I have published two books with Palgrave Macmillan, and have a good publication record in media and cultural studies (several book chapters, articles all in reputable journals/books), and a good teaching background with great reviews. My parents (who I still live with since I can't afford to rent in Sydney) keep suggesting that I retrain to be a high school teacher, which I am now pretty much thinking is my only option.

I realise that Covid has made what was already a notoriously difficult industry that much harder to get into, but can someone please shed some insight into the academic situation in Australia at the moment? I get good feedback from employers but I never even progress to the interview stage. It's very disheartening going from a promising PhD to someone dealing with Jobseeker providers and having essentially no future. Any words of advice/wisdom would be very much appreciated, thanks.

UPDATE:

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and fantastic, invaluable advice. I really appreciate all of your responses and the time you have taken to reply. It's amazing (yet quite despairing) to see how many people are grappling with the same issues!

[Assistant]
Because there are way more applicants than there are positions, higher ed is facing a demographic and funding decline, and it's essentially a lottery in terms of your chances.

Alt-academic backup plans are a must.


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

[User]
[Batman] Why is Barbara gordon still in a wheelchair ?

I love batman, he is probably my second fav DC hero of all time: but this has always bothered me. Batman has the craziest technology and resources on earth, access to alien tech from all over the universe, literally can talk to beings from the 5th dimension if he wants, Access to the future if he needs so future alien tech if he wants... He can call the legion.....Hell, he could even call Lex as bruce and be like heyyyy can you help me out with this... Everyone always says batman can do anything with prep time etc......Barbara gordon STILL IN A WHEELCHAIR! from a bullet..... Like no GL ring for her as a quick fix.... Nada.... just tap away on that computer for me as oracle..... Seriously?? (nOTE THIS IS NOT NEW 52 BC REASONS)

[Assistant] I believe the stated reason is that Barbara doesn't want to take advantage of all those sci-fi resources until they're available for the public at large. And while her injury isn't necessary for her Oracle identity, she probably felt she was doing more good from her computer than as Batgirl anyway, especially with Cass and Steph picking up where she left off there.


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

[User] ELI5 Why is it that running water and showers etc. makes you need to pee even when there was no urge beforehand.

[Assistant]
I wonder if it happens to people whose parents used the faucet to help with potty training, thereby ingraining it into their physiology?

It doesn't seem to be an issue across the board, as some people don't have that instinct.


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

[User]
[Warhammer 40k]If the Tyranids are so good at evolving, why does every Hive Fleet rely entirely on a Norn-Queen to reproduce?

You would think that a species based entirely around evolution and reproduction wouldn't leave such a glaring weakness.

[Assistant] Because, with a few exceptions, it's proven to be an extremely efficient system for the Tyranids. A Norn-Queen acts not only as a reproductive being, but also as a tactical coordinator and a direct link with the overall Hive Mind (they arguably *are* the Hive Mind), and without some form of central control creature, the fleets would collapse into anarchy. Norn-Queens also are the ones who determine which mutations and traits are adapted for the Fleet for their current campaign, a task that, if left to a bunch of decentralized beings, would result in a single fleet having a wide variety of mismatched organisms, impeding their ability to act as a cohesive whole.


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

[User]
CMV: Politicians should be subject to perjury laws

This is in specific regard to US politics, because I don't know what laws and conditions are like in other countries.

My belief is simple and easy to state:

Politicians  shouldn't be allowed to lie to candidates. If either a sitting  politician or a candidate tells a provable lie, they should be  prosecuted and if found guilty, sent to prison.

Americans deserve a functional political system based on truth and integrity. Allowing liars and frauds into office has put us into the quagmire we're in now. I'm open to alternative courses of action that might work to stop these people from getting into office based on false pretenses and fabrications.

Editing for clarification: This should be applicable throughout the entire election process, including all candidates running for office.

[Assistant]
Perjury is pretty difficult to prove.

It requires *lying under oath* and doing so *willfully* on a *relevant topic*.

(1) Would this mean that politicians are considered "under oath" at all times? During only certain appearances?

(2) We also have to prove that a politician was not misinformed. How would we go about this? Even if they are misinformed, an omission couldn't be prosecuted, just a willful, blatant lie.

(3) We also have the issue of jurisdiction. Which court would have venue? Which law would have jurisdiction?

The issue with formal charges is that they are much more stringent than media fact-checking, and would require a long, complex process that would take up politicians' time without producing much more benefit than current media fact-checking programs. If anything, it would probably produce more of a false sense of security than actually give us meaningful change. Instead, it'd be nice to see some neutral, centralized fact-check program which pops on screens during speech or something along those lines.


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

[User]
[Kingdoms of Amalur] Whats stopping normal people from defying Fate?

Agarth, for example, claims that he was Fated to be killed by an Ettin, and turned to stew.  He speaks as though this is an inevitable end, until the Fate less One intervened.

What's stopping him from taking his own life?  If he decided to fight in the Arena, would he be unstoppable since none of his opponents would be the Ettin destined to end him?

If anyone can simply go to a Fateweaver and have an accurate account of their future laid before them, what's actually stopping them from going against it?

[Assistant]
The thing about fate is that it is true in part because you are you.  A person who's fate was to die in combat would never choose to take their own life.  Not because the physically can't, but because it isn't in their nature.  In fact, some fates may only come about because the individual knows it is fate and tries to fight it.  When prediction is perfect and accurate like fate, it means that no matter what you choose, it was/is/will be the choice that makes the prediction come true.

Part of your fate is your personality, your choices (past and future) and your place in the world (also past and future).  There is no changing fate.

Think about it this way, Fate is a law of physics.  It's like knowing that red+blue = purple.  No matter how many times you combine dyes, paints and lights, red +blue will make purple.  It doesn't matter what choices you make, those choices will lead you to your fate.  Perfect knowledge of the future isn't very useful because you can't change it.


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

[User]
[The Legend of Zelda (the first one)] What exactly is happening when Link "throws" his sword?

In the first game it looks like his sword shoots out another sword until it hits something and blows up.  In the cartoon it is some weird pink energy thing.  In Zelda II it is this completely worthless stuff that only goes a few feet.  What is going on here?

[Assistant]
He's not throwing his sword at all; he's projecting beams of energy from it. When Link is at his fullest strength and uninjured, as a bearer of the Triforce of Courage he can channel the Goddesses' power through his weapon, which manifests as a light to banish evil. Depending on unknown factors, this power may require the Master Sword in order to channel it, or may not be available to Link at all.

As "Link" is not a single person, but rather the name of multiple heroes throughout the history of Hyrule (nearly every Legend of Zelda focuses on a different Link), this power can manifest itself differently from hero to hero and age to age.


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

[User]
[Muppet Treasure Island] Where did Long John Silver get his pirate captain outfit from?

One moment, he's dressed as regular crew while the rest of the crew goes to the island, the next he's wearing a full Captain's outfit.

Where did he get the outfit from? Did they have time to put it in the boats after the sudden revelation that they were to be the first onto the island?

[Assistant] Hammerspace. While access to hammerspace is *usually* reserved for toons, muppets are similar in theme and execution to toons so they can reach into it. Sure, Long John Silver isn't a toon or a muppet, but he's been around muppets for so long that he's learned their ways, and how to access hammerspace.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why are well-known pirating sites not taken down?

Why are websites like MyFlixer and Soap2Day not taken down, despite it being well known they stream movies illegally?

[Assistant] Probably becuase their servers are spread over several countries. International police cooperation isn't a common thing. Imagine Sony finding out that an illegal stream is offered by a site having their servers in Canada, Mexico, The Netherlands and Russia. They'd need to file law suits in all of these coutries. At the time when they have filed them and the local governments took action against the operator of these servers, the site has been renamed, moved to another location or just deleted that very certain thing Sony was sueing about, causing charges to be dropped in maybe one or two countries. Afterwards they will re-upload it at another URL or make it available under some different name.


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

[User] ELI5: Is a purely electric car (e.g. Tesla) actually better for the environment in the long run or is there no significant benefit due to higher manufacturing expenditure?

[Assistant] From a fuel use perspective, electric cars are still getting power from the electric grid, which may or may not still be using mostly fossil fuels, depending on your location. However, electricity production is much more efficient in a power plant than in a standard car motor, which would lead to lower overall emissions. One of the drawbacks to electric cars is the batteries they use are full of all kinds of toxic chemicals and rare earth elements (which are probably strip mined). Additionally, if not disposed of properly, the batteries themselves can be extremely bad for the environment.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why/How the hell can the worst bugs (fleas, ticks, bedbugs, etc) live for MONTHS with no food and just keep repopulating and repopulating and repopulating even though there's NO nutrition?

As if they're not annoying enough when a wave comes into your house, but even the ones that are starved in empty rooms just fucking stay there forever and fuck like rabbits.

Why and How the fuck can these shitty parasites multiply so damn much even though they have nothing? They're surrounded by poison. All the food they do have has poison on it. Some aren't even near animals or people. They just. Don't. Fucking. Die.

How in the hell are these garbage species so immortal?

[Assistant]
These pests have evolved to be very hardy, having built-in survival mechanisms that help them survive. Insects are cold-blooded so they don't need to use energy to keep them warm. Additionally, if it gets cold enough, their metabolism will slow down meaning they can go a long time without eating any food.

Unfortunately these pests have just evolved to survive on such little food and reproduce so quickly. If they didn't, they wouldn't have survived as a species.


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

[User]
ELI5/How does gut flora vary from country to country and from first world to third world countries?

On one hand youd think its better in richer countries that have less disease. On the other hand, people in third world countries seem capable of eating some things first world country people cant handle.
So my guess is its a mix of things? Im wondering how it plays out.
I looked it up and what I found was either way over my head or very specific to one spot.
Thank you.

[Assistant]
How is kind of a broad question. Lets first answer why.

The gut microbiota develop mainly right after birth. During birth, breastfeeding etc the infants gut gets populated with microorganisms. The parents microbiota are well adapted to local conditions and get passed onto the child. During childhood those microorganisms and our body learn to cooperate and deal with local food and other microorganisms that are present there.

Obviously, if you move across the world both your body and your microbiota are suddenly panicked. They have to deal with food they have never seen and have to deal with microorganisms they have never encountered. This frequently sends the signal: "We might be getting food poisoning!" and the body flushes your gut resulting in a diarrhea.

Some places have more/different local microorganisms. If say, you are from Europe you might be used to microorganisms X and Y. Your body knows how to deal with them or knows they are harmless. If a European then goes on a trip to Egypt, where X, Y and Z are common, you might expect frequent visits to the toiler. This happens so often some people refer to it as the "Curse of the pharaohs"!

On the other hand, the Egyptian natives moving to Europe would already be used to X and Y, while Z is simply not present, so the risk of getting a diarrhea is smaller for them. If they stay in Europe for a long time though, their body might forget about Z and panic if they ever move back.


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

[User]
[Men in Black] How well do you think Agent J *really* did on his exam?

I always got the impression that Agent J's responses to the Men in Black candidate screening were mostly appropriate, and that they were looking for someone like him, someone uniquely measured in his approach to situations. At the same time, I think it is suggested that he was not as qualified as the other guys in the conventional metrics of secret-agenthood.

[Assistant] I've seen the theory that only J was actually being tested. The other guys had no real chance at becoming MiB agents. They are regularly brought in and then neuralized  whenever there's a candidate to make the test seem more real.


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

[User] What's the worst that could go wrong when the ITER experiment fires up its thermonuclear reactor (i.e., its "bottled star")?

[Assistant] They could have a very expensive bill for a new fusion reactor, but that's about it - if the fusion containment were to somehow be broken, the fusion reactions would cease very quickly as the atmosphere is much, much too cold to sustain them.


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

[User] How do xray machines generate xrays?

[Assistant] Via bremsstrahlung (obligatory use of google to spell it correctly...). It's german and it mean "radiation by braking".  When fast electron (close to the speed of light) are subject to a big change of velocity they emit electromagnetic radiation. The energy of the emitted radiation is continuous up to the kinetic energy of the electron.  In x-ray tubes (the sources inside xray machines) electrons are accelerated in a vacuum tube, then they hit a metal target of a very heavy metal (typically tungsten) which slows them down in a very short space. Xrays are emitted in this phase.


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

[User]
[Doctor Who] Could an artificial intelligence beat a Silent's defenses?

Mainly, their ability to make anyone who's seen one forget about it as soon as they look away. Now because the Silents evolved this ability to piggy back off of other species, we know it is a biological function. So it evolved to work against the brains of other organic beings. It seems that the Silents affect the "recall" function of the brain's memory storage. They don't destroy the memory, but rather disrupt the retrieval of those memories. Once they're observed, all the memories of their race come back. This is known in psychology as "cued recall."

However, an artificial intelligence's memory works differently than an organic being's. Where memory in organics is a vague collection of chemicals, memory in computers holds a specific location on the drive, and is represented by a numeric sequence. If the memory drive could be accessed, then all the memories on it could be accessed. (Please, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not that knowledgeable about computers, or neuroscience. This is my basic understanding though.)

So, my understanding is that the Silents never evolved to deal with synthetic beings, making this a massive Achilles' heel for them. It worked fine on Earth, since humans weren't advanced enough to build an artificial intelligence, and the Silence would probably discourage them from doing so. However, any other advanced species they encounter would have an effective way of detecting them.

TL;DR K-9 is a dick for not warning the Doctor.

[Assistant]
If an AI's memory is entirely mechanical or electrical (or similar) in nature and not biological, they would be immune. Remember, when the doctor inserted the "You should kill us all on sight." recording into the NASA broadcast, he made it clear that exact footage would endure for centuries and that humans would eventually and unknowingly drive the silents to extinction. That would mean every copy of the recording on video tape, then CD/Hard drives, the internet and other future recording device would "remember" the silent on screen. It's just data in a physical or electronic medium.

For example, human cylons would be fully vulnerable to the memory loss, since their "parts" are organic. (well, most of them) A droid from Star Wars wouldn't.

And who's to say K-9 never warned the doctor? It's not like he would remember it happening.


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

[User] ELI5: why is it fairly easy to keep track of how much time has passed while awake, but a short nap of even 5-10 minutes can make it feel like hours have passed?

[Assistant]
While awake youre able to pick up on things like the brightness coming in from the outside and are participating in tasks that youre likely familiar with and can anticipate the duration. Probably more importantly, you likely have a computer, wall clock, or cell phone showing you the time, whether youre deliberately checking it or not.

When you sleep, if youre not a regular napper, you will probably assume youve been asleep for the normal amount of time, since youve been unconscious to the queues that normally help you track time. This is especially true if you did not decide to fall asleep and wake up to darkness with nothing to tell you what time it may be.


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

[User] Are facial expressions similar among animals/living things in general? If a dog is "smiling," how likely is it that it feels something sort of similar to what humans do when they smile?

[Assistant]
Animal expressions are not uniform across species-- not even in primates! A smile in a  a lot of primate species is a signal for danger!

I don't know about animal expressions themselves (though people are fairly bad at enterprising dog body language...) But dogs are actually VERY good at reading our body language!

This makes sense when you remember that we domesticated them. We naturally select for more obedient and responsive and 'clever' dogs and a natural path for that pressure to take them is selecting for animals with a strong ability to understand human body language and learn to read them well and respond appropriately.


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

[User]
Does an electric current take time to accelerate?

Also, does it lag further down the wire from where the difference of potential starts? If these things happen, does that ever make a difference in circuitry?

[Assistant]
Yes, yes, and yes.

Propagation of changes in electric potential is limited by the speed of light, and so even under theoretically optimal conditions, the earliest time when electrons would get moving is (their distance from the initial change in electric potential) / (speed of light).

Similarly, acceleration of electrons is not instantaneous, and the processes that generate free electrons (chemical processes in a battery, or electromagnetic processes in a transformer) also do not occur instantaneously.

Between the delayed imposed by theoretical physics and the delays imposed by practical engineering, relationship between potential and current in real circuits is considerably more complex than you might think.

Finally, yes, this makes a huge difference in circuitry.

One the one end of the spectrum, CPU design these days is partially limited by speed-of-light constraints on propagation.

On the other end of the spectrum, power supply design is hard due to various engineering and theoretical constraints. Noisy output from power supplies can cause all sorts of weird problems (for example, if you plug a touch phone into a crappy charger, fluctuations in the current and voltage supplied by the charger can cause your touchscreen to be unusable while charging).


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

[User] [HP] What is the wizarding worlds thoughts on things like the atomic bomb or the moon landing?

[Assistant]
Spoilers for *The Crimes of Grindelwald.*

Thanks to divination, wizards can know about future technological innovations before Muggles make them. In the case of the atomic bomb, Gellert Grindelwald was able to foretell its use at the end of World War II by using a magical skull. He showed this future to a host of wizards sympathetic to his cause in Paris and successfully convinced them that Muggles would destroy themselves and the world if left alone to their own devices. The visions of another world war are even enough to make one of the protagonists of the first *Fantastic Beasts* film leave her friends and join Grindelwald's cause.


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

[User]
[Venom] Why does Venom need to eat brains?

I know in the Movies and the Comics it is explained that he needs Phenylalanine to stay alive.

But Phenylalanine is just one essential amino acid. Humans need it to stay healthy as well.

OK maybe he needs crazy high ammounts of that specific amino acid.

That still does not make brain the only viable source. Every Part of an Animal like humans or chickens has roughly the same ammount of Phenylalanine.

And animal Protein is not even the best source of Phenylalanine. Peas and Soybeans have way more of that amino acid. Since Venom can extract it even from chocolate there should be no problem to get the Amino Acid from Tofu.

[Assistant] His anatomy makes processing certain foods impossible. He could eat soy but it's not going to digest the same way in his body. And he absolutely loves eating brains. Just because a lion can eat kibble doesn't mean it's gonna stop hunting when given the chance.


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

[User]
[Toy Story] What are the "rules" of being a toy?

In Toy Story 1, while Woody is making the plan to save Buzz from Sid, he says in order to do so "they are going to have to break a few rules." What exactly are the rules? Who made them? And to follow up, let's say they get "caught" by people. Are there any consequences?

[Assistant]
They're Woody's rules.  Toys don't have an overarching society; places like Andy's House or Sid's House or Sunnyside Daycare handle their own affairs differently.

Here, Woody's referring to his house's own set of rules, which can be loosely shown to be the following (rules broken at Sid's House are marked):

1. Don't be seen as being alive.  This seems to be less a rule and more like an compulsion as even Buzz follows this automatically despite believing he's real. **(Broken)**
2. Don't break continuity; be the same place you were when the Kid last saw you.  **(Broken)**
3. Do not hurt your Kid.
4. Do not scare your Kid.  **(Broken)**
5. Play the way your Kid wants to play to the best of your ability.  **(Broken)**
6. Keep your Kid safe.
7. Make sure your Kid is loved.
8. Do not abandon your Kid, even if they've abandoned you. **(Broken)**


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

[User] ELI5: How does Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly makes your hands or skin much smoother and softer even if it has no moisturizer content?

[Assistant]
Because it's basically grease.

Grease makes sure moisture doesn't escape the skin.

Thick grease smooths stuff out by covering imperfections.

Grease helps the skin be protected from other things and grow new healthy layers a bit faster.

And since it's not organic grease in the sense that it's not stuff living beings make now, most lifeforms have a tough time digesting and absorbing it, hence why it lasts so long on skin.


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

[User] I know that Hawking radiation has never been detected, but if we were to attempt to detect it, what would we expect it to look like?

[Assistant] We would expect it to look like thermal radiation, the same spectrum that comes from any hot thing (minus the spectral absorption lines). The temperature that the spectrum corresponds is inversely proportional to the mass of the black hole, and anything stellar mass would be extremely cold.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does Wal-Mart only have one register open when there's 40 people in line?

[Assistant] People go to Wal-mart for low prices, not good customer service. One way to keep prices low is to keep the stores staffed to the minimum possible level. Unless the line is so long that people are abandoning their carts and leaving without buying anything, they don't care.


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

[User]
[Lilo & Stitch] If the animal shelter Stitch was brought to thought he was dead, whyd they put him in the same kennel as the other dogs?

Was the woman who worked there expecting Lilo to walk in and just nonchalantly pass a rotting blue dog corpse? Because the ironic thing is, shed probably still choose him.

[Assistant] Look, its 430pm on a Friday, the paperwork forms for disposing of a dead animal are much longer than the ones for entering a new likely still alive one, so she put it in the cage and planned to let the next shift deal with it.


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

[User] eli5: why do teeth have to fall off once and grow back? like whats the point?

[Assistant] Adult teeth won't fit inside a kid's mouth. Conversely, kid's teeth are going to be horribly inefficient when you're an adult. So it's better for people to have small teeth when they are children and then get adult teeth when they're growing up.


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

[User]
[Supergirl] how are Supergirls ears pierced

Just started watching it and how can her ears be pierced?

[Assistant]
Three possible ways.

1) She got her ears pierced on Krypton. Even though she wasn't wearing earrings in the pod... well, she's about to go flying through space in a rocket pod. Standard roller coaster rules may apply.

2) She got them pierced soon after arriving on Earth, before her powers fully developed.

3) She had her cousin help her, and he found something in the Fortress of Solitude that could do the trick.


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

[User]
[MCU] Was Lokis knife at the beginning of IW sharp enough to slice Thanoss neck?

Because it may be made out of some Asgardian metal (aside from Uru, it didnt look like it but maybe?) Normally I wouldnt ask but since Thanos stopped the knife with the Space stone could it be that it wouldve wounded him?

[Assistant] It's an Asgardian knife wielded by the god of trickery who happens to also be pretty good with magic. It's probably nowhere near as powerful as Stormbreaker, but why risk it having some weird enchantment or poison that could actually hurt Thanos?


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

[User] [DCEU] About how big is Themyscira, and how many Amazons are living there?

[Assistant]
well, on screen, a horse can gallop for quite a ways and the opposite shore isn't even visible, so at least a couple miles across.

Population-wise, the flashback shows probably a thousand and that looks like it gets winnowed down to a few hundred after Steppenwolf gets done with them.


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

[User] [SCP] What's the difference between data being expunged, redacted and blacked out?

[Assistant]
To expunge is the removal of the data. Either the data was not appropriate for the document or the information was a danger in itself.

To redact is to censor a text for publication. It's mostly used for files that can be spread a tad liberally, possibly to class-D's that really have no possibility of leaking the information, but don't really need the complete picture to do their jobs.

Blacked out words means the file is above your clearance. Work your way up and you might come across that file again without black bars.


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

[User] [Warhammer 40K] Does the Imperium have GI Joe/Power Rangers style shows starring Space Marines?

[Assistant]
Yes and no. Because of how fractured the Imperium, you won't see the Harriers winning the Cup broadcasted live over a dozen worlds (if the Harriers even get to the finals). Each world will have its own culture, and thus entertainment, but you won't have any constants because if how absurdly diverse the Imperium is.

Some worlds, like Catachan or Krieg, will have no culture beyond surviving and venerating the Emperor because of their status as a Death World, while Pleasure worlds or upper class hive spires will have things like plays or circuses.

As for specific shows staring Space Marines, it would be unlikely. They are the Emperor's holy warriors and venerated as such. You will get massive parades and celebrations to commemorate their glorious victories, not the latest installment of CSI: Ultramarine staring Uriel Ventris.


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

[User]
Please explain: "Hard disks are reported as having a mean time to failure of about 10-50 years. Thus, on a storage cluster with 10,000 disks, we should expect on average one disk to die per day." - Designing Data-Intensive Applications Ch. 1

Will someone explain why "we should expect on average one disk to die per day"?

If you told me a car engine lasts on average 10 years, and I bought 10,000 cars (and gave them to others to drive), should I expect on average one car engine to die per day? That seems weird to me - in my head I would have thought around the 10-year mark, I'd just have a bunch of the cars dying at once.

Will someone please help with my misunderstanding?

[Assistant]
It's probably because the failure rate is assumed random.  It's not, but it makes the math easier...which is probably why you're having problems cause cars fail more the older they get.

10,000 / 365 / ((50-10)/2)  =  0.913 disks a day failing.

Another way of looking at it.  Is each day you're running 10k disks, you're generating 10k days of disk use.


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

[User]
[Marvel] How does The Punisher feel about gun control?

Is he for it or against it?

[Assistant]
I don't think he's ever brought it up.  It's not like he's obeying the law anyway so even there was more gun control he'd keep doing what he was doing.  And most of the people he's going up against would probably still be able to get guns even with stricter gun laws.

I feel like gun control wouldn't be as much of a big deal in the marvel universe anyway.    When there are people out there that can shoot death rays from their eyes, control your mind, and blow up small cities just by thinking about it guns probably don't see like that big an issue.


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

[User]
How do gas pumps know how much gas your car needs?

I have always wondered this and I never understand the articles when I google it.

[Assistant] air flows through the tube while you're filling and the gas keeps flowing as long as you hold down on the trigger. When that hole gets covered by gasoline (when your tank is full), a vacuum forms inside the nozzle and an automatic shutoff switch gets tripped, turning off the flow of gas.


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

[User]
[Discworld] Are there wizard schools?

I know there's UU but is how do younger wizards get education before they reach that age? Is there a unseen high school, or are wizards sent off to apprentice like young witches?

[Assistant] It's a semi-medieval setting so education is much less formal. (Note how most everybody has a relaxed approach to spelling.) There are tutors, and traveling teachers, and just generally hanging around people with learning. Most folks (and witches) become apprentices to learn some kind of trade. Wizards go to Unseen University to begin the long process of turning them into mostly-harmless old men.


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

[User] [Peanuts] What would you do to make Charlie Browns life better?

[Assistant]
Be a good friend to him.

His only real friend is Snoopy, which is great, but he's his dog. Charlie could really use someone that treats him with respect.

Lucy bullies him, his sister dislikes him, the other kids ignore him, even his "best friend" Linus is always condescending to him.

Imagine being a timid kid whose only emotional support is his bully and their brother who basically calls you stupid and ignorant for skipping a rock!


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

[User]
[Meta] Doylist posts, comments, and replies still banned.

This most basic policy of the sub, the thing that makes it what it is, is still in force and will not change. If you see any post, comment, or reply that uses real life for it's basis feel obligated to report it.

There are limited exceptions for extrapolating from RLscience where the source material provides no information and WOG dealing directly with the source material not any RL elements.

Being a few posts in, just wanting to give a little bit of trivia, and feeling like there is no other answer are not exceptions and should be reported immediately. That last excuse is particularly not allowed, it is when it seems like there is no other answer that the best in universe answers are made and that is the entire point of the sub.

[Assistant] I feel like this is pushing the sub from ***Ask Science: Fiction*** towards ***Ask ~~Science~~ Fiction***. Sure, Completely Doylist answers suck, but Doylist trivia and context can take an average answer and make it excellent. For example, there was an old Marvel comic about a speedster race across the universe, one of the characters was an amnesiac named Buried Alien, and was intended to be Barry Allen, the Flash who was exiled from DC continuity at the time. The Flash reference is relevant Doylist information, which can improve the quality of the answer.


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

[User] ELI5: How does a roomba work without damaging itself, such as falling down stairs etc?

[Assistant]
The roomba has proximity sensors and spends its time mapping the room. It knows where hazards are and can avoid them. Just don't pick them up, or they might accidentally fall down stairs if it's not where they expect itself to be.

And yes, they do actually clean, although not as well as a traditional vacuum. It's good for a daily cleaning so that dirt doesn't accumulate, but it won't get rid of deeply embedded dirt.


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

[User]
CMV: It is not objectification to choose to watch a movie because the actress in it is pretty

A movie is a visual art form. The actor's looks and mannerisms are part of the aesthetic choices that a movie makes. Choosing to watch a movie because of the artistic choices that were made in its production is not wrong whether those are casting or setting choices. It may not be a morally praiseworthy action but it is not morally required to never choose a movie based on attraction to the people in it. Additionally, an actor in a movie is not a person they are a character. How can you objectify someone that doesn't exist. That question I think gives us a pass via de minimus because objectification is about human beings, not characters.

[Assistant]
If youre just watching it because they are pretty, then you arent watching it for the character.  You are watching it because they are a pretty object.   Youre totally right that their visual appearance is the same as other aesthetic choices, which is to say that its the same as purely inanimate aspects like setting, lighting, composition, etc.   Treating a person the same way you treat a well lit prop is literally objectification.

I think the crux of your view is really that its not inherently morally wrong to occasionally objectify someone based purely on their looks.  That is pretty naturally human.   The problem is when that is the dominant way of treating someone, either when thats the main way an individual views them or the main way society views them.

If youre regularly consuming media with a variety of well rounded portrayals of people, then sometimes enjoying one purely because the people are pretty to look at isnt that big a deal.  But its still objectifying them.


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

[User]
Watering with carbonated water?

So let me know if I'm talking madness, but here's the question: If you were to water a garden/lawn/flowers with carbonated water during the daylight photosynthesis phase, would this be better than watering with just plain water? If so, does the mechanism have to do with delivering more CO2 to the soil, which the plants are trying to uptake in this phase, or does CO2 uptake not take place in the roots, but at the leaves? If this is not a beneficial thing for plants, why not?

[Assistant] This is probably not a good idea. Carbonated water is more acidic than regular water because it contains carbonic acid and this will decrease the pH level of the soil. Changing the pH like this could be harmful or deadly for the plant.


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

[User]
[DC/Marvel] Are there any rules excluding the participation of mutants/metahumans/mutates/inhumans in competitive sports? If so, how can this be policed?

Is there an official standpoint in any competitive sports or international games that bar their participation? The answer might be clear cut in cases of augmented or medicated individuals (so no Caps or Banes) but what about those born with their abilities where it is genetic? Where do you draw the line of inclusion/exclusion and if you do exclude certain types of people how do you control it?

[Assistant]
While many professional sporting associations such as the NFL, the NBA, and other institutions would be quick to adopt rulings against mutant players, there may be a market in the more combat oriented sports, such as MMA or even Wrestling. While such events might be morally grey, there's nothing saying a little blood sport wouldn't go a long way to lining someone's pockets.

There are other issues at play though.

1:) Mutants (and by extension Mutates) are viewed by the general public as public safety hazards at best and vile abominations against nature at worst. Even revealing yourself as a costumed identity cab bring a certain level of stigma and hate, even escalating to death threats and acts of violence. Then there's the problem of occasional government sponsored persecutions and the like. While some elect to go out into the world and show their power without fear, most would just be happy learning how to cope with them and live a normal life.

2:) Anything stronger than a mutant/mutate (such as an Inhuman or Adgardian) likely has better things to do than play games with mortals. They might do it once in a while with human friends, but otherwise such activities would likely be beneath them.


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

[User]
[Rick and Morty] How much of Rick's potential is limited by the amount of alcohol he consumes?

Rick drinks an obscene amount of hard liquor.  How does he still function at such an obscenely high mental capacity?  Would he be smarter if he took better care of himself and stopped drinking as much?

[Assistant] I like to think of it more similarly to Bender or Archer. These characters *run on alcohol.* In Bender's case it literally fuels him, while in Archer's case it calms him and allows him to be a cool, suave "secret" agent in the face of intense, panic-inducing danger. Maybe for Rick it helps him to ignore the monstrosities he's witnessed in the Galaxy. Maybe it helps him forget his nihilistic beliefs. Maybe he drinks away crippling pain, and the ability to ignore this suffering is the only thing that permits him to wake up in the morning and go on yet another pointless adventure in a life he hardly believes is worth living.


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

[User]
Eli5- (How) does bacteria suddenly appear in an environment that is suited to it?

Where was it before? How was it surviving before the environment became appropriate for it? For example- anaerobic bacteria multiplying in a dead body once blood stops pumping, but where was it before?

[Assistant] It was already there.  Bacteria are everywhere.  They're all over you.  They're in you.  They're in the air.  They're in the soil.  When you're dead and your immune system thus fails the bacteria can now go to town on you.


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

[User]
If alcohol makes you dehydrated, why is urine clear in colour (while drinking a lot), which indicates that you're hydrated?

During a big night out, most of us guys will know that our urine gets clearer in colour the more we drink. I got taught that clear urine means that you're hydrated. So, how come we get dehydrated from alcohol?

Are we just urinating all the water that's in the alcohol, leaving all the sugars etc. which makes us dehydrated overnight?

[Assistant] Alcohol reduces the production of a hormone called vasopressin, which tells your kidneys to reabsorb water rather than flush it out through the bladder. So once you have drank enough alcohol you stop absorbing the water from what you are drinking and it just goes right through you, which is why your urine is colourless but you are also dehydrated.


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

[User]
[Scooby Doo] What does Velma think of the gang experiencing real supernatural spooks, when they have come across so many fake ones?

Velma is always so logical and relies on science to help the gang solve mysteries. So what does she think when real Supernatural creatures come into play? Does she deny it or see it as some branch of science we dont understand yet?

[Assistant]
Well per definition, almost anything that isn't totally subjective can be a science, so ghosts and magic being unexplored science isn't really hard to rationalise. Only thing that matters is how much you need to imply exists Becasue ghosts exist and how much that shakes your worldview.

Any scientist that instantly rejects something on the basis of "That goes against physics" without looking more into it is a pisspoor scientist, since that's what's its all about.

The laws of physics aren't immutable rules of the universe after all, just our currently best way to describe it. It's not like the existence of warewolfs disprove gravity. If ghosts are proven to be real, then that's just a part of phsyics we need to explore. Are they creatures made from dark matter, a literal soul, or just natural holograms from another dimension? Well, that's what we have particle accelerators for, fire it up!


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

[User]
How can I quickly tell the reputation/quality of the journals that come up in a Google Scholar search?

So I love Google Scholar, but I hate that with some searches it's full of rubbish sources that I can't use in my reviews. And even nesting in a results page of quality journals there's some terrible sources, like The Journal of Foregone Conclusion who only publishes biased results about some controversial therapy. And often I just can't tell the quality of the journal because it looks just as good as the other journals to my naive eyes. It would be nice to know what the reputation of any particular is just by searching the journal name or even a browser extension that shows journal reviews within Google Scholar results.

[Assistant] I think every research paper should be judged on its own quality.  Sometime excellent research is published in lower tier journals and sometimes crap is published in top journals.  We should not rely on the name of a journal give give us an indication of the quality of the article.


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

[User]
CMV: Plastic surgery shouldnt be as stigmatized as it currently is in the US

As a Korean American, where the former (Korea) exists on the other end of the spectrum in terms of acceptance of cosmetic surgery in relation to the latter (America), I think that cosmetic enhancements serve society well in net satisfaction. People who suffer from crippling self-remorse or receive backlash from inevitable societal judgments should have the freedom to undergo treatments to improve their quality of life. Seeing as society will certainly continue to make judgments regarding physical appearance, it is only fair, or equitable, that people have access to cosmetic surgery to improve their chances at a better life to even the playing field, and it seems backwards to judge those who partake in these surgeries to fulfill societys (and their own) standards. It is easier to uncover the ongoing popular phenomena in the United States of cosmetic surgery (often under the guise of new makeup techniques or weight loss programs) and change the societal perception of this just one self-enhancement mechanism as opposed to changing the social climate as a whole. Its a lose-lose situation to judge those who dont adhere to conventional beauty standards while also judging those who try to conform to these very same standards.

[Assistant]
The problem is, that which becomes common becomes mandatory.

Two generations ago no-one had braces, so people whose teeth were crooked were not stigmatized because they were most of the population.

One generation ago, most people got braces, and those that didn't were stigmatized.

Now, essentially everyone gets braces, even for very minor cosmetic flaws. We're in a cultural equilibrium where every child goes through ~1 year of painful mouth realignment, even though for most children it's not necessary for any medical reason.


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

[User]
CMV:I think you don't need to go to college in order to have a good career and or job

I was born in Khartoum,Sudan.My family and I moved to the US about 5 years ago, I'm currently 15 years old.My dad has a degree in engineering and my mom in accounting.I personally think that people have been brainwashed to believe that you need to go to college in order to be successful in life, which I think isn't true at all.I don't think that college isn't good but I believe it isn't worth all the debt that most students have to pay off after graduating and also most of the people I know that have gone to college don't even have a job in their field of study or at least not as soon as they graduate.CMV about college.

[Assistant] Highly depends on what you want to do.  If it's anything STEM then you're going to need a degree and advanced education in order to be successful.  However if you're satisfied doing low-tech or low-skill jobs or go into the trades then no, you don't need a traditional degree.  Plenty of people go into business for themselves and ascend through the ranks with very little education and become successful.


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

[User]
Is there a non-geometric equivalent to Einstein's theory of general relativity?

If I understand correctly, the geometric approach is what makes this theory so elegant. I wonder if there exists a theory that takes a non-geometric approach and agrees with the general theory of relativity on all (or most) findings at the expense of simplicity.

*EDIT: a bit more clarification after a deleted comment:*

> Define "non-geometric" in specific terms?

*GR abandons the idea of gravity as a force instead treating it as space-time curvature. I suppose related to this is the formulation of the theory with the help of tensor analysis. So my question can be broken down into the following:*

*(1) is there a way to use some sort of heavily modified Newton's force approach on flat space-time to arrive at the same conclusions, and*

*(2) is there a way to formulate the theory in terms of something different than tensors (similar to how geometric vectors can be treated purely algebraically by creating a coordinate system).*

[Assistant]
The short answer is yes. In the first half of the 20th century, we came to understand all the non-gravitational forces in terms of *fields*, with the quintessential example being the electric and magnetic forces. In fact, it wasn't just the forces that came to be described this way, but the matter. Field theory came to underlie all of particle physics.

Not long after, people figured out that general relativity could be formulated in much the same way. In this picture, spacetime is flat, and gravity is carried by a *tensor field*. That just means that, much the way that the electromagnetic field is described by a vector, the gravitational field is a matrix. And while it's not a geometrical theory, this particle-physics view of gravity is also very elegant: it turns out that, as long as you demand a few reasonable conditions (like special relativity), the *only* consistent theory for a tensor field which describes gravity is general relativity!

Now this approach agrees with all the findings of GR for a very simple reason - it's the exact same theory, just in a different mathematical language. Instead of looking at things in terms of geometry, you look at fields and particles, just like in the rest of particle physics. Particles, in particular, come in when you introduce quantum mechanics - then each field comes with an associated particle, and the type of field (vector, tensor, etc.) turns out to correspond to how much spin that particle has. In natural units, vector fields have spin 1, tensors have spin 2, and so on. So the statement is that GR is the unique theory of a massless spin-2 field. The associated particle is called a graviton, analogous to the photon in electromagnetism.


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

[User] [Iron Chef] What is the source of Chairman Kaga's fabulous wealth?

[Assistant]
Look at how he dresses. He's obviously a Count, or Baron of some sort. Inherited wealth. The dude doesn't seem to hold a job and the shit he gets for the chefs to cook is ridiculously expensive. They had trays full of foie gras, edible birds nests and God knows what else to play with. The Chairman probably never balked at the price of anything on his life, which makes it unlikely that he's a businessman.

I thus propose that he's just a really rich noble of some sort.


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

[User]
What is the difference between gravitational fields and electric fields?

Currently studying electric fields and I see a lot of relationships between gravity and the forces due to electric fields. What theories exist that say gravity is NOT due to electric fields?

[Assistant]
If you compare classical gravity to the classical electrostatic force, the only difference is that electric fields can be sourced by positive or negative charges, whereas mass is only positive, so there is no repulsive gravity. There is also the fact that a moving charge creates a magnetic field, but there is no Newtonian gravitational analogue of that. When you start to compare general relativity to quantum electrodynamics they aren't really that similar.

> What theories exist that say gravity is NOT due to electric fields?

Like...there's no theory that says that. If that were the case then if you had one object orbiting around another, they'd have to have opposite charges, and then a third object would be attracted to one but repelled by the other...so the Earth-Moon-Sun system wouldn't exist.


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

[User] ELI5: how will self driving cars deal with inaccurate GPS maps or area is under construction?

[Assistant]
Same way as humans; only trust the GPS so far, and look for the markers signifying construction areas.

The huge sensor suite can, with sufficient software, actually make the car more aware than a human driver and many choices can be made faster than a human would need to even realize there was a problem.


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

[User] ELI5: How does the baby breath in the womb?

[Assistant] They practice the motions for breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. That practice makes sure the body is strong enough to breathe air after birth. Hiccups are also a workout for the diaphragm and happen frequently in utero. All oxygen recieved before birth comes through the umbilical cord, just in case that's what you're asking.


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

[User]
[Jumper] Could a jumper teleport to the inside of a vehicle that they've been in before, if the vehicle has moved and they don't know where it is?

It may be different for the novels and the movie, but I'm interested in answers for both.

[Assistant]
New York is rotating around the north-south axis of the planet at 776mph. So if someone jumped from New York to the other side of the world, they would immediately be travelling at 1552mph, if they could not adjust to the local speed.

Since jumpers can do that, it seems sensible that they could also adjust their momentum for a moving vehicle.


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

[User]
[Marvel comics] Why are superheroes so easily forgiven for their window breaking shenanigans?

I'm reading the old Marvel comics from the 40s and it seems that Human Torch and others use any opportunity they get to melt through or smash through a window of a figure of authority like chief of police when coming in with news or rushing away after a briefing and not getting reprimanded for it. I'd get if they are just too intimidated by their powers to say anything, but then why do they keep turning to those superheroes again and again?

[Assistant] I dont really think that when Galactus is bearing down on Earth once more, too many people will give AF that Human Torch broke through a window. Plus, they probably can just charge it to insurance agencies.