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

[User]
[Marvel/Preacher] Would Kilgrave of Jesse Custers power work against someone who doesn't speak english?

And has anyone ever misinterpreted or misunderstood what was said by either of them?

[Assistant]
Jesse Custer's power only works on English speakers.

He can be misunderstood, but mostly only because the hearer is compelled to follow the exact words. You can't get away from the Word by finding some eye-rollingly technical language quibble.


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

[User]
CMV: art critics are full of shit

Dont get me wrong, I love art. Im an artist myself. However, every time I hear art critics talk about a piece and how it invokes feelings of _____ or how the artist was expressing ______, I think they are full of it and making that stuff up. Yes, obviously art can have deeper meanings, however for most art (which is someone trying to copy something they see or abstract), they are reading into something that isnt there. The prime example being abstract art. You cant look at a Jackson Pollock splatter painting and tell how the artist was feeling, he just threw paint at the paper. And better yet, every expert will have a different opinion on his emotion, but claim theirs is factually correct. Likewise, you cant pull deeper meaning from a portrait because its just a portrait of a person. So in summary, I think art critics are full of shit for trying to pull meaning from splattered paint that is no different from if a 3 year old did it, and likewise full of shit for trying to pull deeper meaning from other forms of art that are simply a natural representation of what the artist sees.

[Assistant]
Art critics arent making grand objective statements about what a particular piece is factually conveying or what the artist was expressing. Its to provide, well, a critical look at the art and try and get the ball rolling on a conversation about it.

All art has deeper meaning, even if the artist didnt intend on that meaning. Critical analysis is what makes art important and interesting, at least to a lot of people.


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

[User]
[vampires/catholicism]Can a Vampire survive on the blood of christ?

so according to the miracle of transubstantiation wine blessed by a priest turns into the blood of christ upon consumption.  Vampires need blood to eat, does this work for them?

[Assistant] Gonna go with a no on this one.  Blessed wine is still blessed, so it's going to be like drinking holy water.  If it transubstantiated to the Blood of Christ, that's straight holy man juju right there.  Not healthy for a hungry vampire.


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

[User] ELI5: What is dandruff and why does it only appear on my head?

[Assistant]
People often confuse little white flakes on the shoulder as dandruff. Thats not. Thats just dry skin. Dry skin falls off of all of your body. Your head and shoulders are visible and your shoulders provide a nice landing spot to show case some dead skin cells.

Dandruff is a totally different animal. Large yellow greasy flakes fall off. The hair is greasier than normal.

Shampoo likes to play off normal skin flakes as dandruff to sell product.


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

[User] [Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire] Does the Wizarding World have no way to stop Rita Skeeter telling lies? Could Harry have gotten her banned from Hogwarts during the tournament?

[Assistant]
The only institutions with that authority would be the Ministry of Magic, or the Daily Prophet, neither of which have any political incentive to 'restrict' Rita Skeeter.

The Ministry of Magic uses the Daily Prophet to syndicate pro-government propaganda, and organize (dis)information campaigns. As such, the Ministry of Magic isn't about to politically damage one of its most important allies.

The Daily Prophet itself, also has no incentive to censure Rita Skeeter. Despite her damage to social discourse, there is no doubt that she is *popular*. If the Daily Prophet censured/fired her, that would upset a non-trivial portion of their readership, for no gain. What's worse, she might join a competitive newspaper, and take her readership with her.

**Tl:DR;**

They could, but nobody really wants to.


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

[User]
How can there be enough photons released from distant objects e.g. stars and galaxies to form a constant image for an observer on Earth? Does wave-particle duality explain it?

Say you are looking at a star in the night sky, and you keep your eye focused on it while you step 1 metre to the left.
While you move, the star would remain constant in your vision, surely meaning a stream of photons from that star was impacting your retina the entire time in every position while your head moved.

Wouldnt this would mean there are a near-infinite amount of photons being released at all times from all sources of light in order for them to impact every position in space like this? Is that possible?

Or is this explained by the fact light acts as both a wave and a particle?

I feel I must be massively misunderstanding how light works/travels.

[Assistant] Consider the star Sirius. It is 25 times as luminous as the sun, has 1.7 times the diameter, 8.6 lightyears from Earth, and has its peak emission around the blue spectrum at around 300 nm. If we just make a simplified assumption that it is constantly emitting photons at that wavelength and spewing them out in all directions, we can calculate how many should reach a given area of Earth in a given second. That calculation is (Luminosity / (Planck's constant x speed of light/ wavelength) x (1 square meter/4pi x distance to Earth^2 )=about 170 billion photons per square meter per second. That is so many as to be essentially continuous. However, if we consider a part of the spectrum that is not at its peak, or a source that is much farther away, or not nearly as bright as Sirius, then the photon flux will be much less, to the point where only a few are detected every once in a while. That for example is the reality of most gamma ray astronomy, just collecting the occasional blip.


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

[User]
If light is a constantly shifting electric/magnetic field, why does it not interact with other external electromagnetic fields?

I understand that photons themselves lack charge, and light  interacts with things like other photons and electrons etc. but why don't the electric and magnetic field interact with, say the magnetic field around a magnet?

[Assistant] Maxwell's equations are linear, which means that EM fields obey the superposition principle. If you bring together two sources of electromagnetic fields, the net field at any point in space is simply the sum of the two individual fields.


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

[User]
ELI5: What happens to your stuff when you die if you don't have a will?

To cover all the bases:

1. If you have a spouse? If you have no spouse? (What is the order? If your parents are alive, do they trump your siblings? What if you only have one distant cousin, etc. is an effort made to find them? By whom?)

2. If you have a mortgage? If you have other debts?

3. If you have wholly-owned property? Partially-owned (i.e. there are other co-owners) property?

4. What happens to your bank accounts?

5. Who is in charge of doling everything out if you haven't declared anyone? The government?

6. Are there taxes involved?

[Assistant]
>If you have a spouse? If you have no spouse? (What is the order? If your parents are alive, do they trump your siblings? What if you only have one distant cousin, etc. is an effort made to find them? By whom?)

It depends on jurisdiction.  Since 16 states have adopted the Uniform Probate Code, let's look at that.

Under the UPC:

1.  If no parent or descendant (child or grandchild) of the dead guy survives, the spouse gets the whole thing.
2.  If the only surviving relatives are children of the dead guy and the spouse, the spouse gets the whole thing *if the spouse has no kids who aren't from the dead guy*
3.  If a parent of the dead guy is alive (and no kids), the spouse gets the first $200,000, and 75% of whatever's left over.
4.  If the dead guy has no parents or kids alive, but the spouse *does* have kids alive not from the dead guy, the spouse gets the first $150,000 an 50% of the remainder
5.  If the dead guy has surviving kids who are not from the spouse, the spouse gets $100,000 and 50% of the remainder.

For the part the spouse doesn't get (or the entire thing if there is no spouse), it goes:

1.  To the kids of the dead guy.
2.  If there are no kids, equally to his parents (if they're both alive), or all to the surviving one
3.  If no surviving parents or kids, then to brothers or sisters (including half-brothers and sisters) in equal share
4.  If no parents, kids, or brothers or sisters: half to the paternal grandparents, half to the maternal grandparents.  If no grandparents on one side, it goes fully to the other.  If no grandparents either, then to the grandparent's descendants.

>If you have a mortgage? If you have other debts?

Debts are always paid out of the estate before it goes to the heirs, even if you have a will.

>If you have wholly-owned property? Partially-owned (i.e. there are other co-owners) property?

That depends on how the property is owned (joint tenancy versus tenancy in common versus tenancy by the entirety).  Here's the short version:

1.  Tenancy in common: if you die, your share becomes part of your estate.
2.  Joint Tenancy: If you die, your share goes to the other owners (note that joint tenancy doesn't happen often).  This is called the right of survivorship
3.  Tenancy by the entirety.  It's only for marriages.  There's a right of survivorship, it goes to the spouse.

>What happens to your bank accounts?

They become part of the estate.

>Who is in charge of doling everything out if you haven't declared anyone? The government?

The state will appoint an administrator (called in some jurisdictions, including Colorado, a Personal Representative) whose job it is to sort this stuff out.  It's a gigantic mess, and plenty of probate lawyers make their entire living working on these kinds of cases.

>Are there taxes involved?

It depends on the size of the estate.  But, AFAIK there are no more taxes than if you had a will.

And if you have literally no one who can inherit it, it may go to the state.


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

[User] The USPS is struggling financially and therefore eliminating Saturday deliveries, while UPS and FEDEX are doing just fine. Why doesn't the USPS try and model itself after them?

[Assistant]
Got it backwards, kind of. UPS, Fedex and other carriers were modeled after the USPS.

As for why the USPS is struggling, the answer is that the USPS has an albatross around its neck that nobody else has: In 2006, the Congress  *God* knows why passed a law requiring the USPS to shovel *vast* sums of money into a fund set aside for paying retirement benefits to workers who haven't yet retired. This is the *only* reason why the USPS is losing money. If it weren't required by law to stuff all this cash under its mattress a requirement no other enterprise *on the planet* has, and which no sane person would ever choose to do the USPS would be back to operating close to break-even, as is appropriate for a publicly owned enterprise.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is my microwave doing differently when I set it to defrost mode instead of regular heating?

Just occurred to me today I've been using the defrost button for 20-something years to quickly thaw meats, but have absolutely no idea how it makes a difference.

[Assistant]
Depends on the microwave, but most of them basically turn the microwave on and off, more off time than on time, to reduce the amount of heating taking place over time.  The intent is to allow the item your cooking to warm up more slowly, otherwise you'd end up with a burnt exterior with a frozen center.  The outside of whatever you're thawing is where the microwave has its greatest effect while the center doesn't get much direct heat and instead relies on heat to be conducted through the food.  So it zaps the outside just enough for it to be warm, takes a break which allows that heat to pass on to the colder parts of the food and then zaps it again and repeats this pattern.

Some higher end microwaves instead decrease the intensity of the radiation used; Panasonic "Inverter" microwaves are an example.


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

[User]
why don't wages just increase with inflation?

If prices double because we printed 2x as much money why don't don't wages double with it so everything is the same? Like if money is just a representation of value. If a table cost 100$ but now there is 2x as much money so the money is half as valuable but the table still has the same value as before the money just became less valuable so now it's 200$. Why don't wages do the same thing?

[Assistant] You are asking the important question. They do but they do often more slowly than prices, which is one of the main sources of pain during inflationary periods. Wages are said to be sticky relative to prices. Wage stickiness has been proven in multiple contexts beyond inflation.


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

[User]
Thoughts on cheating students

I'm an instructor who works in a department of a university that will remain nameless. Essentially I have caught two students cheating and I feel my department is not handling the situation in the right way. I caught the two students looking at each others papers and talking prior to both of them turning in their exams. I relayed what had occurred in my class to my supervisor, but he/she has decided that nothing can be done, won't take my word for it, would like to sweep it under the rug, and has decided that I should be fired for bringing the matter forward.

I would like your thoughts on the matter.

[Assistant] Document everything and go to the chair of the department.  The cheating students aren't as big of a concern now that your job itself is on the line.  If the chair doesn't quietly resolve the situation, go to the Human Resources department.  At this stage, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.


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

[User]
[DC Comics] How do I get connected to the Speed Force?

The Speed Force sounds like the most amazing power source for a superhero, ever. It laughs in the face of all laws of physics and all I have to do to use it, is some innovative thinking and believe I can do it!

So how do I get connected to it? Just drench myself in heavy water and wait for a lighting storm?

[Assistant]
You can't really force a connection with the SpeedForce, at least not on your own.

The SpeedForce itself is sometimes said to be sentient, and deliberately chooses people to become speedsters. Whether or not this is true, the fact of the matter is that overwhelmingly, people either discover or access it by accident or through the involvement of somebody already granted access to the SpeedForce.

That said, there are a few exceptions. It is shown that, with the combined efforts of several speedsters, one can be "pushed into" the SpeedForce, though this can cause people involved to vanish for a time and even damage the SpeedForce itself, and there is no guarantee the person entering the SpeedForce will be able to use its power in any way.

Another counter-example is that Eobard Thawne and a few others have been able to artificially create connections to the SpeedForce in the past, though these various method tend to have severe consequences, still require the involvement of an existing speedster, and are generally not recommended. While replicating the "struck by lightning" incident worked for Wally West, there's no guarantee that it'll do anything for you except put you in a hospital.


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

[User]
CMV: The death penalty is *never* okay.

If we look to the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote: "...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The very first right is Life. We have been given a life to live, and taking it away for an illegal act is unjustified. The government wrote that to oppose Britain. Why are we now doing it to ourselves? It's hypocritical that we put Life as the first and more important, but we're legally allowed to convict one of our fellow men, with the same rights as us, to death.

[Assistant]
After a conviction you lose many of your rights. Your right to vote, right to bare arms & the right against certain searches ( depending on the conviction).

Those who have shown the utmost disregard to human life and have undoubtedly committed the most heinous crimes should not draw breath any longer.

So should a person who committed an armed robbery be able to buy a gun again? It is a right!


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

[User] [Wizard of Oz] Is the Lollipop Guild some kind of Munchkin organized crime group? What were they up to in the sewers?

[Assistant]
The Lollipop Guild is an entirely legal, law abiding, noncriminal fraternal order of confectionery professionals.  Rumors and urban legends about "The Sugar Scalding" as a form of retribution or the use of molten chocolate for the disposal of corpses is a form of height bigotry and highly offensive.

And you *don't* wanna offend the Guild.


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

[User]
[Potterverse] Does the wizarding world have instantaneous/light-speed communications?

The Weazleys have a clock-like object which tells you where people are at any time. Does it update instantaneously or at least at the speed of light?

At some points it seems they need to wait for newspapers to find out what was going on, but at other times it seems they have a form of radio. Also speaking to people through fireplaces is a form of real-time communication.

TL;DR: I'm confused.

[Assistant]
Yes.

Wizards do have radio (although only a few stations, and it seems like there's more music than news on). IIRC we never see wizarding radios in Hogwarts itself - perhaps the ambient magic messes them up, just like mundane radio? Radio-based news was important post-Voldemort takeover, because it's harder to censor than print, and there's a spell that "password-protects" radio broadcasts so you can only tune in if you know the code word.

The floo network is used much like a phone in addition to the full-body teleport, by sending only your head through to talk to someone.

Portraits are also used as a form of communication in the series, primarily the portrait of Phineus Nigellus in the Black house and an unnamed portrait in the Muggle Prime Minister's office that arranges meetings with the Minister for Magic with him (and watches him.) This isn't *quite* instant, since you talk to the portrait and then they talk to the recipient, but it's fairly quick.

Paired objects that can be used for instant communication - magic mirrors and coins with coded numbers worked into the design are the only ones we see, but presumably others are possible. These require difficult spellwork to make, though not *that* hard, Hermione and Draco both do it.

There are also several rarer methods shown:

* The Dark Mark, although it can only send one "message" as far as we see - a summons to (or from) the Dark Lord.

* Patronuses can teleport to anyone's location and deliver (verbal) messages, although it's not their primary function. Of course, most people can't cast the spell. The Order of the Phoenix used this, most notably to spread word of Voldemort's coup before the Death Eaters arrived.

* We see Dumbledore send letters and signal instantly using Fawkes, although obviously pet phoenixes are incredibly rare.

EDIT:

>At some points it seems they need to wait for newspapers to find out what was going on

What they *don't* have is an equivalent of the Internet. If they want to read the day's headlines all in one place, rather than hope a relevant story comes on the radio or hope someone they know personally heard a story and tells them about it, then they have to use newspapers and magazines.


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

[User] ELI5: In MLB baseball they have technology to show if the ball was inside or outside the strike zone, so why do they still have home plate umpires making subjective calls?

[Assistant] Tradition, and what people like. A ref's judgment is part of the game. Consulting a replay or computer to see if a ball was in or out of the strike zone every time there's a dispute changes the flow of the game.


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

[User]
ELI5: Can someone explain to me why they dont recommend putting car jumper cables on the working battery black terminal to the dead battery black terminal but rather to an unpainted metal surface on the donor car?

Also, how does electricity flow from one car to the other if there isnt a loop?

[Assistant]
Non-perfectly sealed car batteries will slowly leak flammable gas, and an active spark would light it on fire. So the proper procedure has you connecting the last time (which is most likely to produce sparks) far away from this potential fire source.

Cars are wired so that 'ground' connects to the negative terminal, and 'ground' is basically the metal chassis of the car. So connecting to the metal frame of the car *will* connect the batteries in a loop.


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

[User] ELI5: "Scratch a pessimist and you find often a defender of privilege. -William Beveridge"

[Assistant]
A pessimist is someone who has a gloomy outlook on what will happen in the future. People who are societally hopeful hope for good things for those in need, but a pessimist doesn't share that hope.

You say to the pessimist: "Hey, let's do this thing to make society better!" and the pessimist says "No, let's not do it, it won't work." Then the status quo is kept as it is and everyone keeps their privilege.


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

[User]
[Spider-man] How is the relationship between the Green Goblin and Norman Osborn?

Green goblin, is his sole purpose in life to keep Norman safe or he only cares about him because they have to share the same body?

If he could get rid of Norman like, deleting his mind forever or jump into a new body just for himself and then kill him, would he do it?

Harry is what Norman loves most, would the Green Goblin allow Norman to sacrifice himself to save Harry?

[Assistant] Green Goblin isn't Two Face. The dual sides of his personality aren't at war with each other. Goblin is Norman's id and they generally want the same things. Goblin is just ruthless and rigorous in his pursuit of goals, whereas Norman is broken and dysfunctional.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why is it that TV shows which make profit require release forms, whereas news broadcasts do not; yet they also make profit?

It bothers me a little bit.

[Assistant]
The two things you describe are Commercial and Editorial.

Commercial works require a release from the person on the screen. These can be works of fiction. Their main goal is to provide entertainment in a fictional manner.

Editorial works do not require a release and are generally for telling the "facts", like reporting the news.


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

[User] [Lord of the Rings films] Could Saruman have shot fireballs down at all the Ents that were invading Isengard?

[Assistant]
Yes, he could have. He didn't follow the rules the Istari were supposed to follow, particularly on not using the full might of his powers unless the situation absolutely demanded it (e.g. Gandalf battling Durin's Bane). Perhaps the fireball was an extremely powerful spell and he couldn't spam it.

Edit: Typo.


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

[User]
[DoctorWho] Did the Time Lords have off world colonies?

If they did, what happened to them?

[Assistant]
The reason is a secret that they never let the "lesser" races in on, but the fact is there for all the galaxy to see. *They never made colonies.* No one knows exactly why. Maybe they wanted to stay close to the Untempered Schism. Maybe their population was so efficiently managed already they felt no need to expand outwards, and in their arrogance they had no fear of a threat that might destroy their one solitary planet.

Their influence could be felt across a thousand universes, but Gallifrey was the only Time Lord planet that ever was. A single monument to the might and pride of a race that viewed the universe not as a wonder to explore, but as a trophy to be held upon a shelf and never touched.


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

[User]
CMV: Fast food joints should be completely automated

Work in fast food places is one of the most mundane and monotonous. It could and should be totally or nearly totally automated. Let's start with cooking, no one will notice if robots will start flipping burgers. Next step should be cashiers. Ideally every fast food place should have 1 on duty operator, that will just oversee things and do stuff that can't be done by robots.

Reasons I think this is good idea is that it would make fast food even more affordable and it will push economies even closer to state of post scarcity.
Also it would promote and popularize wide automation to end consumer.

[Assistant]
>it would make fast food even more affordable

Do you think that McDonald's (etc) isn't ruthlessly profit focused enough to think of that?  The reason they use workers is because it is cheaper than using automation.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why does paper yellow with age?

I was originally going to post something to the cooking subreddit about old recipes on old, yellowed notecards.
But.. I don't know how old they are and assumed they where old because of their yellowed, stiff feeling. Then I realized I didn't know why paper yellows at all.
Is it like wood aging?

[Assistant]
There are two main components to wood. Cellulose structures which make up the cells, which is what most paper makers are after, and lignin which is what makes trees rigid. Lignin basically glues the tree's cells together. Some paper is made by just grinding up trees and bleaching everything. Other types of processes use chemicals to dissolve the lignin to keep only cellulose as the final product.

Anyways, lignin is prone to oxidation, and especially with paper grades like newspapers, yellow over time.


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

[User] [Star Wars Remastered Editions] On Endor, why does Anakin's force ghost look like his young Clone Wars self when Obi Wan's force ghost looks like his old Post Clone Wars Self?

[Assistant]
Obi-Wan: Your father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed.

There's an argument to be made that while Anakin was redeemed in his final moments of life, his connection to the Force was strongest in his younger days, during the Clone Wars, and that self-image is what the Force ghost is represented as.  Obi-wan's connection to the Force remained constant, and strong until he was slain by Vader on the Death Star, so his Force ghost's self image reflects his last physical image.


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

[User]
ELI5:If someone 'Objects' during a wedding ceremony, what happens next?

I've always wanted to know this, and Google is throwing up mixed answers.

[Assistant]
Everyone gasps at the shocking breach of decorum, and the objector is not invited to future weddings.

There is no legal consequence, and the priest/judge/rabbi has no requirement to listen to the disruptor.  A wedding can proceed after any objection or other outburst, provided that the bride and groom and officiator still want the marriage to proceed.  If one of them changes their mind as a result of the objection, obviously it is not going to happen that day.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why does a movie like Suicide Squad have the trailer out now, but a release date in over a year from now?

What happens between now until release?

[Assistant]
> What happens between now until release?

Did you see how many of the scenes had special effects? A lot of them, right? Adding special effects to raw film takes awhile. The raw, effects free, filming has been done. What they're doing now is adding effects, composing and adding music, etc.

Basically, they're turning it from green screen to final film.


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

[User] ELI5: How is it sanitary for doctors and nurses to wear scrubs on their commute to and from work?

[Assistant]
There is *some* evidence that shows that the bioburden (amount of bacteria) on uniforms is higher on scrubs that have been home laundered versus those laundered by a hospital facility. This is a topic that has been going round and round with Infection Control, the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Nurses Association (ANA) and Association of peri-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN) for years.

Scrubs get contaminated at work. They get contaminated on the way home from work. They get contaminated on the way into work by sitting in the car in which you drove home from work the day before in your contaminated scrubs.

Wearing them out and about after work can *potentially* spread bacteria/fungi picked up at the hospital.

Patients in the hospital are there because they're already sick. Getting infected by a hospital acquired "bug" is a huge issue and leads to significant morbidity and mortality. In the interest of decreasing *risk*, it's been recommended by Infection Control, the AMA, the ANA, and the AORN to change into clean, hospital laundered scrubs on arrival to the hospital (usually this is done in the OR suites--restricted and semi-restricted areas) and to leave the dirties behind before you exit the facility.

This does nothing to account for the staff who wear their own uniforms in other areas of the hospital to work and back home. They home launder their uniforms and are commonly seen out and about running errands in their personal scrubs.

One study found that the hospital's laundering facility was spreading a nasty fungus because the equipment was dirty. So, there's another place where contaminants need to be monitored.

The evidence that is available shows that it's probably better to not wear them outside of the hospital.


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

[User]
[The Matrix] How different was The Matrix from the real world?

So, there seems to be an implication that the Matrix program was designed to be similar to the real world, there seems to be some implication that a decent bit of their replication of 1998 was changed to better suit their purposes.

The Zion might be seen as suggesting that the Real World had a lot better technology at that point in time. Additionally, The Oracle said *"Every time you've heard someone say they saw a ghost, or an angel. Every story you've ever heard about vampires, werewolves, or aliens, is the system assimilating some program that's doing something they're not supposed to be doing.", which could mean

A) The Real World didn't have stories of vampires, ghosts, etc.; these were all invented by programs in the Matrix

B) The real world did have these stories, but they never made it into The Matrix

C) The Matrix either took inspiration from Ghost stories or independently made similar programs entirely by coincidence

I personally find the last option to be the least likely, imitation seems uncharacteristic and it seems unlikely that the Matrix would independently create the same creature.

We also get a few other suggestions, like when Mouse Asked if anyone could know whether the sensations in the Matrix were like real life or simply guessed at by the machines.

[Assistant] The Architect used things from the human pyche when he made ghosts and vampires and such. It was part of the effort to force the mind to accept the simlulation to include uncomfortable but familiar things.


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

[User]
[Matrix] Why are all the Zion residents (Zionites?) black?

I noticed that the only white people in that movie were people who were pulled from the matrix. Whats up with that?

[Assistant]
They most likely aren't.

We only see them as being black because of American cultural perception (this goes back to miscegenation laws and something called the one drop rule).

This is similar to how president Barack Obama is considered to be black in America even though his mother is white, and strictly speaking he's as much white as he is black.

However, in America only people who are 100% white are considered white. This means that even if zion started out with a low percentage of black people, within a few generations they would all be black according to the American view.


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

[User] ELI5: What do those massive shoulder mounted TV cameras do that a nice handheld video camera cannot?

[Assistant]
As an operator of one of those big cameras, here's what's going on.

**Enormous lenses and sensors designed to let in a lot of light, plus a mechanical aperture.** This gives the camera the ability to operate in a wide range of lighting conditions. That lens assembly usually extends back into the "body" of the camera quite a ways. Glass is heavy, too.

**Motor-driven and by-hand zoom, focus, aperture etc** - You can twist rings on the outside of the assembly to adjust all of the above by hand, which is sometimes preferable and looks "more natural." But they're also motorized, enabling you to adjust all of those settings by the controls near your hand on the back, by a remote control, or by the onboard computer.

**Onboard computing hardware to process uncompressed video, and to make smart decisions if set to auto**. Most consumer cameras take video and immediately compress it to something like MPEG-4 with very little flexibility in options for that. These bad boys store and process *uncompressed* video, which can hit like a gig a minute. They also have better capability for a wider "palette" of colors to work with than consumer cameras. This footage can hit like a gig a minute easy. And then if you want to leave some or all of the camera's decisions for aperture/color balance/etc up to the hardware itself, there's an enormous expectation that a camera that expensive will have a better auto than a sony HandyCam.

**Large properly shaped microphones and connectors for pro level external mics**. Consumer cameras usually have little mics, and they're often omnidirectional and pick up *everything*, which is often a bad thing. Larger "shotgun" style mics pick up in a conical pattern (think about what a shotgun blast would hit, to paint a dark metaphor) which is preferable to get just your subject. Additionally, the camera has XLR hookups and onboard 48v power for pro-level external mics so you can use both built-in and external. XLR plugs are like the size of your thumb and there's no mini version.

edit: **oh, and the battery is often enormous and goddamn heavy** - with so much more stuff onboard than your average camera, If this thing had a relatively light battery you'd get like an hour tops. So the battery is usually pretty beefy so you can film all day. Sitting it on your shoulder is the most comfortable way to hold that weight. Oh, and **metal frame**, consumer cameras are plastic but these guys are usually significantly metal for durability. Not that you should be throwing a 10k camera, but just in case.


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

[User]
[serenity/firefly] A question about reavers.

How are reavers so organised? If they were that aggressive wouldn't they have turned on each other while floating in space. Not forming a fleet, maintaining space craft and sending out raiders. Also why is no one doing anything about them.

[Assistant]
So, reavers only go full aggro in the presence of outsiders. They're violent assholes in general, but the pure LETS KILL EVERYTHING only comes to surface when they are dealing with non-reavers.

As for why no one is dealing with them, it was believed that they would just die out after a generation or so, and thus the problem would solve itself.


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

[User] ELI5: How did wearing caps and gowns at graduations become a thing?

[Assistant]
Originally, the cap and gown was a practical uniform for medieval university students, much like monk's robes and nun's habits.  The design was meant to be practical and warm while distinguishing scholars and teachers.  There are many traditions of rank and specialty which are actually remeniscent of military uniforms.

Of course people don't wear the cap and gown every day anymore, but it has retained a tradition on formal educational occasions.


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

[User] ELI5: How come we grow large lumps on our heads if we hit it instead of the skin bruising?

[Assistant] It's still bruising.  Bruising is when  broken capillaries cause blood to pool under the skin.  In the case of the scalp the skin is so thin that when the blood wells up it bulges the skin out since there's nowhere for it to pool.


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

[User]
ELI5: How are commercial airplanes supplied with electricity?

To power screens, Air conditioning and lights etc, do they use alternators on the engines or generators inside the plane?

[Assistant] They have two sources of power, and there is a third (ground-power) when on the ground.  The primary source is the engines, through an internal power take-off (PTO) shaft.  When the engines aren't running, the auxiliary power unit (APU) provides starting air and electricity.  The APU is restartable in the air, to recover from loss of engines.


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

[User] [Gundam franchise] What is the most cost-effective strategy the major powers choose when it comes to fighting wars with mobile suits? Do you spend your budget on 100 "meh" pilots flying mass production mobile suits, or train 10 aces piloting very powerful Gundams?

[Assistant]
10 Aces every time.

Always go for high quality highly trained group of hardened soldiers.

100 meh pilots are just cannon fodder.

The problem is at least 3 of those Ace pilots are going to turn coat and become the main villain.


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

[User]
[LotR] Do the Silmarillion and other books exist in the canon of the universe?

The hobbit and the Lord of the Rings were more or less written by Bilbo and Frodo respectively. Do the other books in the Tolkien universe have canonical authors too?

[Assistant]
Bilbo also wrote The Silmarillion.

Tolkien toyed with other explanations, such as having a 10th century Anglo-Saxon mariner (and descendant of Erendil) named lfwine set sail and wind up on the beaches of Tol Eressa where he learned all the tales in The Silmarillion from the Elves there. He eventually returns to England and translates the stories to Old English. These other ideas were never finalized and Tolkien never officially made Bilbo the author of The Silmarillion, but his son has commented that he believes his father intended that the tales were written by Bilbo.

The in-universe title given by Bilbo is "Translations from the Elvish" and they are included in the Red Book of Westmarch together with "There and Back Again. And What Happened After." (The Hobbit) and "The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King" (The Lord of the Rings).


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

[User] ELI5: How does tobacco cause cancer?

[Assistant] Several ways. Nicotine speeds up cell growth, and decreases tumour suppressant chemicals in the body. Then you have all the other stuff they add to the tobacco to control burn rate and so on, like acetone, formaldehyde, lead, arsenic, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and carbon monoxide, none of which are good.


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

[User]
[star wars] Is being a Jedi(Force sensitive) inheritance only? (SPOILERS FOR TFA)

So after seeing TFA, me and my friend were talking about who Rey could be. He basically said she had to be Luke's daughter, because you have to he the child or related to a Jedi to be force sensitive. He claimed mitochondrians were inherited and such. Can anyone help me sort this out?

[Assistant] Name any other Jedi, other than Luke, who had a parent who was Force sensitive. They all talk about being taken to the Jedi Temple as kids. But if their parents were Force-sensitive, wouldn't they have been Jedi, and not allowed to have kids?


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

[User]
How to read complex papers faster

I'm starting a PhD in the fall and I have a problem: I'm a slow reader, and when the material gets even a little complicated, I become *really* slow.

Since my PhD is in physics, this hasn't been a serious handicap so far, but I assume that I will eventually have to start reading a large amount of papers to keep up in my field, and I want to make sure I don't fall behind.

Does anyone here have tips on how to read faster while retaining information? Should I just take basic "speed reading" classes you can find online? Any help would be appreciated.

[Assistant]
it is very simple.

1. read the conclusion first, because introductions usually suck

2. read the first and last paragraph of each section

3. read the full sections that apply to your work or interests

4. read the abstract.

5. skip the rest.


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

[User]
Validity of the Coase theorem?

I am an econ undergrad and just did a unit on the Coase theorem in an environmental econ class that I'm taking. At the end of the unit the professor noted that in order for the Coase theorem to hold, *all* of the following must be true:

* Perfect information.

* Consumers and producers are price takers.

* There is a costless court system for enforcing agreements.

* Profits and utility maximized.

* No income or wealth effects.

* No transactions costs.

Considering that not all of these requirements actually hold true, how valid is the Coase theorem?

[Assistant]
Like all economics, you have to break a few eggs (make some assumptions) to make an omelette (theorem). You will see this a lot over the course of your education - don't get too hung up on it! The aid to understanding a situation that comes from a neat theory can be worth much more than the mind-gunk that comes from iffy assumptions.

The takeaways from learning about coase should be:

*what externalities are

*if we lived in a magical world then markets would lead to efficient outcomes

*we don't live in a magical world - there are transaction costs, there are coordination costs, sometimes property rights are historically mis-assigned, etc

*therefore, there is a place for regulation and the assignation of status quo property rights in order to minimise externalities

Hope that helps - let me know if you have any more specific questions.


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

[User]
why high-speed wind feels colder?

why high-speed wind feels colder?

[Assistant]
There are two potential reasons. One requires the wind to be cooler than the object, which we will assume is you from now on.  The second requires some moisture on the object.

First, the rate of heat loss is what makes you feel cold. This rate increases with wind because the wind reduces the temperature gradient between your skin and the air.  In still air, a thicker layer of warmer air stays near your skin and heat is lost more slowly. Fun fact, the hair on your body stands up a bit "goosebumps" to help trap that insulating layer when you are cold.

Second, any moisture on your skin will evaporate faster as the vapor is blown away by the wind, making you cooler . Fun fact, the reason the wind-chill is less when it is humid is because the more moisture is in the air the less quickly it will evaporate from your skin.

edit: as others have rightly pointed out, neither of the points above capture the increased convective heat loss wind creates.  That is, physically moving the warm air near your skin away from you.


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

[User] [The Matrix] What would happen if some too powerful, important and influential to just ignore and cover up takes the red pill and is unplugged from The Matrix, Say for example the POTUS?

[Assistant]
Not everyone in The Matrix is represented by an actual person in a pod.

People of political power would most assuredly just be part of the program.  "Real" people lead boring mundane lives inside The Matrix.


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

[User]
Why is the sun composed of just hydrogen and helium while the rest of the solar system is made predominantly of heavier elements?

If we (and the planets) are indeed made of stardust from exploded stars, why then isn't also our sun?

[Assistant] In terms of mass, most of the mass of the planets is also hydrogen and helium.  It's just most of that is in Jupiter and Saturn, not Earth.  The reason the inner planets lack hydrogen and helium is that their gravity is unable to hold those lighter elements, with the temperatures of the inner planets, they simply escape into space, and get blown away by the solar wind.  The colder outer planets have a high enough gravity and low enough temperatures that this doesn't happen.


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

[User]
[MCU] Endgame implications

Time travel makes whole new timelines, in some of which thanos is still around in a presumably gets the stones and does the snap.

This is where things can get confusing...

If the avengers in those timelines go back in time to get the stones will they find our avengers already there taking them? (as that what happened in their past?)
Would this keep happening, spawning more and more timelines with more and more avengers all trying to get the stones?

[Assistant]
The way the film presents it, when you go back in-time you create a different timeline from your own. So any Avengers in alternate timelines going back in time, will just spawn a new timeline *based* on their own.

So going by the movies rules, taking Captain America as an example. If CA#2 from alternate timeline went back in time to get time stone, to that exact point he fought CA#1 he would spawn a new timeline. This new timeline would now have CA#1, CA#2 and CA#2 from the future.

If CA#2 from that timeline went back in time to that moment, there would now be 4 (including himself). And so on and so forth. So there really could be an alternate universe now where there are dozens of Captain Americas, at that point in time, fighting for the same (but not same) time stone.


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

[User] [DragonBall] If I die, then get brought back, can I still collect my life insurance?

[Assistant]
I would say yes for a couple reasons:

* Resurrection doesn't appear to be common enough on Earth to cause major legal turmoil for enough people to warrant legal changes
* Being declared dead causes a lot of issues for an individual who has been brought back.  Taxes, employment, contracts, loans, etc... will all need to be sorted out, if they even can be.
* The Insurance company would likely take note of your new situation and deny you coverage in the future.  They've already paid out once, but you won't get that same perk a second time.


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

[User]
Is it possible that, in our universe, there are entire galaxies made out of anti-matter?

Most, if not all, universe documentaries that I have seen consistently say that we are the remnants of this great battle between matter and anti-matter. But, isn't it possible that there is still quite a bit left, and it could have formed into an entire galaxy?

[Assistant] The space between the stars in a galaxy is filled with a very thin gas - the "interstellar medium". Even between galaxies there is the "intergalactic medium" too. This means stars and galaxies aren't completely isolated in space - there's gas everywhere. This means you'll have matter and antimatter annihilating each other in the "border regions" between antimatter and matter galaxies. This would produce a constant stream of ~~\~2~~~1 GeV gamma rays in these border regions, which we'd be able to detect with our gamma ray telescopes. However, we don't see this.


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

[User]
[General] What would happen if two zombies from separate infections met.

Something along the lines of a horde of left 4 dead zombies bump into a horde of world war z zombies.

[Assistant]
"Living" zombies, those who are merely infected with some sort of disease, would probably ignore dead zombies.  They might be attracted by the motion, but once they got within range they'd smell the death and then move on.

Dead zombies, those who are of supernatural origin, may attack living zombies if they still considered them human and not brain-dead animals.  A living zombie would probably rise again as a dead zombie, assuming the zombie plague didn't completely destroy the brain.

The zombies who go after souls, like the *Demons* zombies, would probably still try to possess living zombie bodies.


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

[User]
[Fantasy] On the natural magic resistance of dwarves.

How do you explain the common dwarf's natural resistance to magic?

Is it the very stone that the first dwarves were carved from their respective deity that bestowed the resistance to magic on them, passed down to their breaded descendants? Can they use magic despite the magic resistance?

[Assistant]
> breaded descendants

I prefer batter-fried dwarves, honestly.

You could explain the magic resistance a few ways:

- The dwarven deity provides magic resistance.

- Dwarves create enchanted armor and wear some all the time.

- Magical beings are magic-resistant. Dwarves are magical beings and stubborn jerks besides.

- Magic tends to flow into the ground. Dwarves, being closer to the ground, aren't able to stay enchanted as long as other races.

- They're drunk.


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

[User]
I want to create a webapp that takes the ingredients you have in your fridge, and comes up with recipes. Need a bit of guidance.

I understand there's plenty of websites that do this. I'm writing it as an exercise.

I'm currently going through Colt Steele's "Web Developer Boot Camp" on Udemy so I can get the fundamentals of web dev down. My question is: How can I get the app to "browse" the web and return links to recipes that include those ingredients? Is this the job of a web crawler? Can I use googles API to return results? What would be the most appropriate/efficient way of achieving this feature? Am I even asking the right question?

[Assistant]
Your questions are quite broad, so I'll throw one back at you; How do you want it to work?

You could crawl a subset of websites for recipes, parse them into some standard format and display them in your app. A lot of work, but gives the best user experience.

You could use Google, as you suggest, to find recipes with the specified ingredients. In this case, you would rely on google to do the web crawling for you, and you just pull the recipe out of google when requested - this is harder than it sounds, as you need to parse almost any web layout, and if the layout changes then your app is screwed.

Third, you could use either of the above 2 methods, but instead of parsing the destination page and displaying it in a consistent manner, you could push the user to the remote page. You would be acting as an index for other websites to drive traffic to good websites. However, this is a user experience nightmare and is best avoided (unless, of course, you're just playing around with ideas).

You could create 'user authored' recipes, and start from scratch. Maybe input some of your own, pass the app to friends/family and grow the recipes naturally. This is a tough ask, as it needs an existing user base, even before the app exists... chicken and egg and all that.

Finally, you could do a hybrid of these. Create a basic web app that can create and display recipes. Then write a scraper for a specific website/recipe source and bring in a handful of recipes. Then extend to Google searches to find recipes on the fly and parse them into the app. Then finally, try and write the holy grail of web parsers to bring in ANY recipe from ANY website.

That last one is a big project, but if you babystep it by only implementing one small feature at a time, it would be fairly trivial.

Once you choose how you want it to work, that should begin to answer some of your questions. Post back if you have any more specific questions.


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

[User]
If I wake up from sleep, and try to go back to sleep, does my "sleep cycle" reset, or pick up where it left off?

Does it matter what point of the sleep cycle I was in when I woke up, or how long I was asleep to begin with? Does it matter how long it takes me to fall back asleep?

[Assistant] The interesting thing is that our natural sleep cycle includes a period of wakefulness.  Before the advent of electricity and the lightbulb, it was very much natural for people to have a split sleep cycle, called bimodal or segmented sleep.  They would sleep for several hours once the sun went down, wake up in the middle of the night to visit, eat, work, (have sex), and then return to sleep in the pre-dawn hours.  Only with the invention of the lightbulb do we see the push for a "healthy" eight hour sleep pattern, which is actually quite unnatural and may be the cause of many sleep disorders in modern society.  For more on the subject see At Day's Close: Nights in Times Past by Roger Ekirch - it's a very interesting read.


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

[User] ELI5: How does higher quality microphones filter out most of the background noises?

[Assistant]
There are a few things that you should probably look at. Some microphones have different recording patterns. You can choose an optimal recording pattern depending on the setting. Cardioid mode records what is directly in front of the receiver versus say an omni\-directional mic that will pick up in a 360 degree pattern.

You can also apply what is called a pop filter. Pop filters work by reducing air flow towards the mic which effectively removes the popping and white noises often heard.


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

[User]
[Star Trek Into Darkness] What would have happened to the crew that were sucked out of the ship during warp?

What are some of the physiological consequences of a human body?

[Assistant]
The second those people leave the Enterprise's subspace field, they decelerate instantly to a fraction of C without the inertial dampeners to compensate. They are most likely liquified.

Starfleet produces man portable inertial dampeners for the case of an abandon-ship action at warp, but it was unlikely that the crew in this scenario had them equipped.


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

[User]
If you could look through a telescope at the edge of the observable universe in real time would you see new features appear seemingly out of nowhere as new light reaches us for the first time?

Edit: Thank you everyone for your comments so far! Although I am more confused now than when I came in it is only because you have all turned me on to elements of this problem that I was not aware of before and for that I am grateful.

I can never quite believe how utterly fascinating our universe is.

[Assistant] Things at the edge of the observable universe are actually disappearing due to the metric expansion of space, but the general concept of "look into a telescope and see things that happened a really long time ago" is accurate.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does sunburnt skin feel warm to the touch?

[Assistant] Your body opens up capillaries in the burn area and flushes blood there as part of the healing process. Redness and warmth to the touch of sunburnt skin is caused by there just being more blood than usual in the area.


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

[User] Are humans closer in relative size to the planck length or the entire observable universe?

[Assistant] Definitely the latter; the comoving radius of the observable Universe is on the order of 10^(26) m, while the Planck length sits at about 10^(-35) m. The metre is closer to the cosmological scale than the Planck scale.


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

[User]
CMV: If there were a Hell, not even Stalin would deserve it, nor would it be logical to send him there. (Nobody deserves Hell)

First off, I consider myself somewhat agnostic atheist. But when it comes to scripture, I am not that agnostic about it, since it's too selfevidently flawed.

Obviously, this is not only about Stalin.
Yes it's partly about Stalin, but more as an example of how far I'm going with this. It's about nobody deserving it, not even the worst of the worst.
**The main opinion is in the brackets.**

Not only do I think that the concept of "Hell" is inherently flawed and just fearmongering, but even Stalin would not deserve hell. And I always see people rooting for non-believers to rot in hell. Or rooting for God with 100 and/or "100" emojis. I came to think that these are just kids.
And every religious person out there should humble themselves. A LOT.
You don't know what is true and what is not. More importantly, you are not "God". You don't know who deserves what, not in the least. So if anyone reading this ever said someone will go to hell, deserves hell, or tries to speak for something which they're obviously not, stop. It's time to stop and more importantly to humble yourself.

Back to the main point:

Since I don't buy Stalin deserving hell, really no one deserves hell. I guess there are worse people than Stalin, but I figured to take a famous one.
I guess some folks will take incredible offense to that, but let me explain.

No amount of suffering inflicted does equal to eternal torture.
No amount of non-believing or denying does equal to eternal torture.
No amount of murder or torture does equal to eternal torture.

That really sums up my point. It's math, folks.

And If you ask me what should be done with Stalin, I don't know. Since we don't know with 100% certainty if free will even exists, even though the evidence is hardly proving it's existence.

It seems moreso that it doesn't exist. Atleast that's what the evidence suggests.
But since religion inherently states a free will, I would still stand by my statement. It's still basic math. One murder does not equal to eternal torture. Mass murder somehow does equal to heaven, if said murderer accepts Jesus and asks for forgiveness 5 seconds before he dies, amirite?

But if there were free will, I don't know what a man like Stalin would deserve. But in my view, not eternal torture. And even less so, since there is most likely no free will. And if there is, it's not even close to unlimited. Since we have enough cases of brain-tumors literally making people extremely violent and leading to murder. So yeah. The game is rigged, religious.
God gives you a brain tumor, which leads to you murdering you family and yourself, which are both sins, and continues to send you to hell for his action. What a goof.

And on top of that, Stalin didn't cause all the suffering himself. So what's with the people executing his will? How do you divide it up? To what amount does it go on Stalin's bank of caused suffering? How much is it the fault of the people executing his will? We could try to be precise about this, but it's obvious that it doesn't matter for my point too much. Because either way, it will never equal eternity. Never.

If there were a single being that deserves hell, it would be the god of scripture.
And just to clarify my first statement. I am an agnostic atheist. But if there were a god, it would be far off from the god presented in scripture. That's why I'm a agnostic atheist when it comes to a creator, or higher being, but not agnostic when it comes to scripture.

[Assistant]
You're simply putting words in god's mouth. You - absolutely, beyond a doubt - do not get to decide what someone "deserves".  The seriousness of a sin and whether you are forgiven or not is the determination of god, not you.

To accept the envelope for your argument that is god's existence, but then reject the information that sits right next to the source of one's ideas of gods doesn't make much sense. You're not supposed to _agree_ with god, you're supposed to accept him and what he tells you.  In this context, you DO deserve hell if you commit sin and don't repent _because that is what god says_.  Can't take one without the other.


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

[User]
[War of the Worlds] Did the Martians land anywhere but England?

Supposedly so, but I don't think it's mentioned anywhere; How do you think the rest of the world would have dealt with a Victorian era invasion of the Martians from HG wells book?

[Assistant] I believe that in the original book it was an issue localized to England; there's a comic book out there about the British Government using their newfound monopoly on scavenged Martian tech from the invasion to redouble their grip on the empire.


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

[User]
With the huge cost of space travel, how can is be economically feasible to mine astroids? What is so valuable on astroids?

I know we have gotten a probe onto an astroid. I know this brought up talks of astroid mining, but this confuses me. What sort of minerals are so valuable that they could actually offset the cost the the transport of those goods?

[Assistant]
**Short answer:** One of the biggest costs of space travel is getting stuff into orbit and asteroids are already in orbit. Depending on the composition the asteroid, a single asteroid could contain a volume of valuable metals greater than what's extracted from the earth each year.

**Longer answer:** Potentially the biggest cost in space travel is simply getting stuff off the ground and into orbit. Currently, the cost to get something to low earth orbit is something like $20,000 per kilogram of payload.

A single asteroid, one mile in size, could contain over a trillion dollars in precious metals, depending on its composition. Even a small asteroid could contain billions of tons of metals, greatly exceeding the annual production from earth's mines. The key point is that this isn't metal that would need to be launched into space- it's metal that we just need to kick into a better orbit around the earth so that it can be easily accessed- this would be a much cheaper maneuver than the other way around.

But of course, the thing about asteroid mining is that it's hypothetical, we don't really know if there are asteroids rich in valuable metals like platinum out there, but if there are, they can considerably increase the amount we have on earth. With the appropriate space-mining infrastructure, such an asteroid could have much higher yields than sifting through tons of ore on earth just to get a few kilograms of the pure stuff. This provides all the financial incentive you'd need, and again it's a little bit easier to get something out of space than it is to get something into space.

Imagine walking on a rock where you could reach down and pick up a rock that's half platinum. It's this outrageous (and hypothetical) availability that makes it such a (hypothetically) lucrative venture. Imagine a world where blocks of nearly pure platinum literally fall out of the sky like clockwork. This could bring the cost of these elements down to the point where conventional mining becomes economically unfeasible. Wouldn't that be a great world to live in; it would be an environmentalists wet dream.

Additionally, water. Imagine paying $20,000 for a fresh gallon of water in space- there's a reason they recycle urine on the ISS. If you have an asteroid rich in ice that would be brought into low earth orbit, you now have ample water supply for people to live off of. Additionally, you can make rocket fuel: melt the ice into water, run an electric current through it to split it into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, and condense them into liquids to fill your boosters. Combine them and the hydrogen will combust with the oxygen- rocket fuel!

Readily available raw materials, already in orbit, opens up space to massive construction projects, which can allow for human colonization of space (beyond the handful of people on the ISS). This kind of infrastructure would grow exponentially if profitable- one asteroid mine becomes two becomes ten pretty quickly.


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

[User]
How do spiders survive inside people's homes?

I just don't see how there is enough food inside a clean house vs. outdoors, yet so many spiders still set up shop inside attics, basements, and living spaces. How do they not only survive with such a lack of food available, but also seem to grow and thrive?

[Assistant]
Quite simply because no house is as clean as you think it is. Spiders are carnivores, but they dont need full sized flies every day, they can live on mites, fleas, and other things that you wouldnt normally consider viable food sources. And those things are in abundance under fridges, in tight spaces in pantrys, under sofas (particularly if the house has a pet).

They are also very efficient animals, and can go a while without food if they require.


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

[User]
[Avengers Endgame] Why does running out of fuel in space matter?

Now this might be a two part question. I guess the important question is, does the fuel power the life support? If so then there is the answer, but as Tony stated, they ran out of fuel and they have been dead in the water since then. But if a space ship was traveling at max speed and the engines shut off, wouldn't it just continue to travel at that speed since there is no gravity to slow it down?

[Assistant] Their ship is not FTL. It uses that weird jump gate hex thing grid to travel. They could fly on inertia all they want, if they can't access the jump gate they won't get anywhere any time soon. Besides, as you can see, low fuel means powerplant goes down, and when it goes down, life support goes down, and when life support goes down, squishy meatbags go down.


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

[User]
[Star Wars: Rogue One] If stormtroopers are an elite assault unit, what are they doing guarding prisoners?

Patrolling a cell block full of gangsters and insurgents and riding in prison transports seems like a waste of elite troops. Should there be non-stormtrooper auxillaries doing those details?

[Assistant] You don't want to feed your best troops into a grinder 24/7. Even the most hardened vet will start to lose focus with a constant high operations tempo like that. That will turn an elite unit of killers into a group corpses broken headcases. You want to rotate some assault troops here and there when you need them. When you don't need then, you rotate them to other lighter duties. Guarding a base, light recon on a moon, VIP/prisoner transport duty. It gives your best some time to rest, brush up on critical skills they don't use often, and if you do get attacked you already have your most experienced killers on hand, usually itching to get back in the action. Win/Win.


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

[User]
[Matrix] In the 'Matrix' universe, what measures can be taken to ensure that people living in it don't question their reality?

So, I'm beyond stoned watching the Matrix Revolutions fight scene on the busy freeway ft. Neo & co + Smithy. This freeway is like rush hour traffic packed with people just trying to get home and make dinner, when suddenly stuff starts getting blown up and dudes are fighting on top of the moving truck performing physical maneuvers that defying laws of "reality". So... how do agents do Matrix damage control for the hundreds of witnesses whose minds are shattered from seeing all this going down in real time? In the first movie, the homeless train station guy sees trinity get "beamed up" through the phone and is immediately infected by Smith. Would this then be the solution to the countless people that witnessed the freeway shenanigans? Or are agents able to do a collective memory wipe? My mind is churning and I've paused the movie until I find some answers to this.

Mods, I'm praying to god I've formatted the title for this post right on my 7th try.

[Assistant]
The current matrix was designed so that people had a subconscious choice to stay or leave the matrix. It doesn't particularly matter what people see or what they remember, as long as you don't get mass numbers of people rejecting the matrix.

There's also the cycle. So, when the one shows up, lots of crazy stuff starts happening and a lot more people start leaving the matrix. That's when the machines invade Zion, and the one meets with the architect and makes a deal. Normally, Zion gets destroyed and the one will rebuild Zion with a handful of people, and the cycle continues. Obviously Neo made a different choice.

So, why does there need to be the one? Well, that's part of the deal with subconscious choice that everyone has. It might be rare, but some people can choose to ignore the rules of the matrix world, and the one is an extreme example of that.

And finally, why do people need to have a subconscious choice to stay or leave the matrix? Well, the machines tried not giving people a choice quite a few times, and it was a colossal failure every time, causing mass deaths. Only by giving people a choice could they create a matrix that was stable enough for people to live in.

So, to sum up, everybody in the matrix subconsciously chooses to stay or leave the matrix. This eventually results in a person that can choose to bend and break the rules of the matrix, known as the one. The one causes havoc in the matrix and an increased number of people leaving the matrix. The machines respond by invading Zion, and sending the one to the architect. The one will then normally choose to rebuild Zion with a handful of humans. This resets the matrix and all the craziness dies down until the next one shows up.


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

[User]
I have a random integer generator between 1 and N. To what precision can I deduce N if I generate M numbers?

Basically, if I take 100 numbers in this particular case:
9	10	3	5	2	8	7	6	1	5	1	2	1	4	10	9	6	9	2	3	10	4	2	9	1	6	8	6	5	7	5	1	2	6	4	6	1	8	10	1	1	8	6	7	6	6	5	6	7	7	5	3	3	7	1	7	5	10	2	4	9	1	1	4	10	9	4	2	8	2	6	2	5	8	4	1	6	7	10	7	3	2	8	2	3	1	3	1	2	5	8	5	2	10	10	6	10	5	7	5

I know with reasonable accuracy that the numbers are between 1 and 10.

How do we generalize to N and M?

Edit: Thanks for all the responses! You've given some very interesting food for thought.

[Assistant]
It depends on whether you're interested in figuring out N exactly or approximately.  If as a result of your experiment your maximum is wrong, do you automatically consider it a failure or does it matter if you were 'close'

In order to get N exactly, at least one of your M values must be N, the probability of which is 1 - (1 - 1/N)^M which, as N increases to infinity, is asymptotically 1 - e^(-M/N).  So your probability of making a mistake in your estimate of N is e^(-M/N) or about 0.366 when N=M and decays exponentially.

If you're happy with your estimate being within K of N, your probability of being wrong is 1 - (1-(K+1)/N)^M.  By the same logic as above, this as asymptotically 1 - e^(-M(K+1)/N).

Alternatively, you may be interested in a confidence interval: given that you've observed N numbers each less than or equal to X, what's the range of values that M could take such that your observations aren't too unlikely.  Select a cutoff probability and call that p.  You know that the lower bound of your confidence interval is X (since M can't possibly be smaller than X).  The upper bound is the largest U such that  (1-(1+U-X)/N)^M >= p since if M was bigger than that number, the probability of observing a maximum number of X or smaller would be less than p.

I may have gotten some signs or Z vs 1-Z messed up since it's really late here ...


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

[User] [John Wick] If Marcus had shot John through his window in the Continental, would he have been killed for conducting "business" on their premises?

[Assistant]
No blood is to be spilt on or from Continental grounds, not under any circumstance. The hotel is a place people put aside their business to rest and gear up.

Also firing from a Continental safe haven is a huge no no, probably even worse. Not only do you have the lack of respect to murder someone on neutral grounds but lack of balls to walk in and do it yourself.


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

[User]
ELI5: Where does light go?

So if you have a completely dark room, you turn on a lamp and turn it off again, where does that light go?

Does it get sucked back into the lamp or does it fizzle out into nothing?

[Assistant]
Light moves at 186,000 miles per *second*. When you turn the lamp off, the light that it previously emitted continues to zoom away at that ridiculous speed.

Within a room, it bounces off of every surface, being partially absorbed and partially reflected on every bounce until it's either been completely absorbed or has escaped the room. Since it bounces around faster than you can imagine, it reaches that point of "completely absorbed" so quickly that it's essentially instant as you see it, so the room becomes dark "immediately".


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

[User]
CMV: The Axis could not have beat the Allies in WW2.

In this scenario, the Allies include the US, UK, France, Soviets, Nationalist China, and other historically aligned nations, while the Axis includes Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania and other historically aligned nations. As WW2 was a war of unconditional surrender, that is the victory condition.

My arguments are as follows...

1) Industry. The Axis Powers simply couldnt match the Allies in production of war materials, foodstuffs, and other goods. Some industries also lacked sufficient material to operate at maximum capacity. For example, tungsten shortages in Germany, as well as POL(Petroleum, Oil, Lubricants) shortages. These chronic shortages of certain war materials hurt the already smaller industry of the Axis Powers to a point that they could never hope to match the Allies.

2) Manpower. The Axis Powers did not have enough people to defeat the Allies. WW2 was very much a war of attrition, and the larger populations of the USSR and USA would eventually lead to the complete collapse of the Axis armies. Even by the Autumn of 1941, Germany was experiencing shortages of manpower in over 20% of their divisions. If I recall correctly, Germany assumed the USSR could raise 150 divisions during WW2, but the USSR ended up raising over 500 divisions. By the time the Western theater was opened up again, the Soviets has crippled the German army.

3) Resources. As mentioned in Industry, Germany suffered from chronic shortages of metals and POLs. One major shortage was that of fuel. Fuel was an especially relevant issue in the Eastern theater. The supply lines were long, and traversed harsh terrain with little to no infrastructure. This meant that the Axis armored and motorized divisions had to slow their advance, and wait for more supplies to slowly come in before pushing again. Even if the Axis has taken the Baku oil fields, its likely the Soviets would set them on fire and destroy a large amount of production.

Those are my 3 main points, and while I could elaborate further, Id rather see the desire path of this conversation and engage arguments as they come.

[Assistant]
Let's get a little bit of alternate history here. Let's say hypothetically that Winston Churchill was not elected prime minister, and that someone a little more malleable was elected and sued for Peace with Germany rather than war. This totally could have happened. Were this to have happened, the Germans would not have to protect their North-Western front from bomber attack... or anything.

At the same time, this would have freed up resources for their attack on Russia... which nearly succeeded on its own.

The Russians actually sued for peace numerous times early in the German invasion even without the alternate history mentioned above. A Nazi Germany with huge land resources of most of Europe (as client states at the least) with no war with England or Russia would have left little opposition.

With the European powers out of the war... Japan would have faced little resistance outside of the United States. They could have made their own colonial empire and pretty much done little more than defend against the U.S. until the U.S. was worn down. They wouldn't have to have troops on the Soviet border if the Germans had already taken them out of the war.

Could the Axis have won WW2? Yes. Could they have ruled the world at the end of WW2? No. But they could be in a position to essentially fight the entire Western hemisphere after a few decades of ramping up for the next war.


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

[User]
Why do professors allow group peer evals to influence a student's grade if they can't see it?

It makes no sense to have a peer evaluation at the end of term where a student can't see the feedback given to them by their classmates. It also makes no sense to give evaluations at the end of term when the student can't change their behavior or learn from their mistakes. Why aren't evals given at midterm, and then a student has the rest of the term to correct their behavior?

In 2 of my classes this spring, I had to fill out an eval for a group or a partner. One of my project partners ditched our work on the last day of finals (yes, I know), but the other group went well. I filled out an honest, yet respectful and professional eval for the partner. That's when I realized, if we never see these evals, how is she supposed to know how to change her behavior? Perhaps she knows what she did was wrong, but I had other feedback in the eval she wouldn't know about.

In the other class, I was the one to receive a poorer than expected eval. I did ask the teacher for the feedback, and he refused to give it. I never received any notice from my classmates that they were less than satisfied with my work-- I attended all meetings and had my work prepared. Now that I think of it, I think a reason why they gave me a lower score is because I struggled with Excel and needed a little more help. That's my guess, I don't know.

It's frustrating to deal with as a student. Since I'm a non-traditional student, I'd expect these things to be handled the way adults should handle disagreements or giving constructive feedback.

ETA: I received a final grade of an A- in this class, so I'm not some slacker looking for excuses.

UPDATE: The teacher did email me back and said he wouldn't share the feedback because it was considered confidential information.

[Assistant]
The answer is because a professor has no way of knowing (aside from these evals) how much of a group project was done by each member. Assuming the groups are larger than 2, the professor gets multiple reviews for each student and the professor then makes the judgement of whether to knock off a portion of the group's overall project grade for any individual.

I can understand wanting mid-point reviews, but the purpose of this exercise is to hand you the percent of the final grade that you earned (according to the people who worked closely with you for 4 months). If there's no mid-point grade, this exercise doesn't make sense for a professor to make you go through. If you want feedback from your group on your performance, you'll just have to ask.


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

[User] [ELI5] Why are men's shirt buttons on the right and women's on the left?

[Assistant]
Not at all.

But women did not (typically) dress themselves.  Or at least noble ladies didn't.  They had servants for that.  So the buttons being on the other side makes it easier for the servants to work.

Men would dress themselves. So their buttons would be on the right.


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

[User] What is the difference between a polymer composite and polymer blend??

[Assistant] In brief, a polymer blend is multiple types of polymeric materials literally blended together with heat and screws. They aren't always single thermodynamic phases afterwards, but they usually are.  A polymer composite is usually a non-polymeric material mixed with or embedded into a polymeric material.  A good example of this is any so-called "carbon fiber" composite, where it is carbon threads weaved into a sheet of fabric, then soaked in glue. Another one is fiberglass composite which you might find in boats or light aircraft: fiberglass threads slathered in epoxy.


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

[User]
Why does China artificially inflate its currency and what exactly does inflation do to and for an economy, in a local, national, and global perspective?

[ANSWERED]

[Assistant] The goal isn't really inflation, rather, the Chinese government attempts to keep the value of the yuan low relative to the US dollar. Let's do a thought experiment: suppose it costs you 100 yuan to make your widget. If a yuan is worth 50 cents you can sell your widget in America for anything more than $50 and profit. If the yuan is worth 75 cents you would have to sell your widget for at least $75 to profit. China manipulates it's currency to give themselves a competitive advantage to sell goods in America.


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

[User]
What did Adam Smith mean when he said: "As soon as the land of any country has all become private property, the landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed, and demand a rent even for its natural produce" (Chapter VI, p. 60)?

What did Adam Smith mean when he said: "As soon as the land of any country has all become private property, the landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed, and demand a rent even for its natural produce" (Chapter VI, p. 60)?

I am very new to economics and have seen this quote brought up frequently on the internet and it results in confusion for me. Was Smith opposed to landlords?

[Assistant]
It means people want money for what theyve got if you want it, and that property owners are in a great position because they have an inexhaustible resource.

If someone wants your labour they pay for it, you dont receive the fruits of your labour, they do and you get paid. If someone wants the fruits of your labour they pay for it, they get it, you have money.

The unimproved value of land is special because the owner didnt make it but he still wants payment for it. Thats a thing with property generally but most property is improved out of recognition from the natural state, whether its crop land that should be a swamp or a jet engine that is ultimately made out of highly processed and refined dirt.

I wouldnt say Smith was opposed to landlords. He was just describing what they do.


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

[User] [Frostpunk] Why don't they just build things underground?

[Assistant]
That would almost certainly be the long term plan if the frost doesnt lift.  Once the mines have been dug out enough, there will be plenty of empty space available for people to curl up into.  But, during the time of the game everyone is still assuming this will be a temporary winter, so they may as well make their settlement on the surface.  In most of the scenarios the cold does indeed start to let up after a few months.

In the short term though, mineshafts generally arent suitable for human habitation.  They still need to be heated (if you get deep enough this isnt true, but the ones in game need to be heated), and you still need people topside to collect wood, food, explore the wastes looking for survivors, etc.  You also need to make sure the air intake and venting is clear otherwise everyone would just suffocate.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why doesn't the wetness of your eyeballs freeze in such negative degree temperatures?

I was greeted with -12 this morning. My nostril hairs stuck together, lost my breath, and a tear running down my cheek just stopped in place.

[Assistant] They're largely encapsulated in your nice, warm head, and receive a pretty continuous supply of blood from your core, which provides them heat. As well, your tears, being salty, are somewhat more resistant to freezing.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Darth Vader survives the Battle of Endor with Luke. What are the options for Vader's future?

What would the former Sith do with his time?

[Assistant] Probably help his son bring down the remnants of the Empire. As the former second in command of the Empire Vader might even be able to command the remaining Imperials to surrender to the Rebel Alliance. After that, Vader probably shows Luke all the surviving Jedi lore and artifacts to help him rebuild the Order. Of course this is all assuming the Rebels don't try to execute Vader on the spot. Luke would probably be able to dissuade them though.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] Can I get a transfer?

So my parents have sent me to magical school which is cool but I don't want to do anything magical. I want to be a scientist. What do I do?

[Assistant]
If you want to do anything magical, then you should at least make some wizard friends and get a passing familiarity with the system so you can get magic items and hire wizards when magic is useful. Then figure out what you really want to do and start learning that.

If you want to be a scientist, transfer to another magical school (Hogwarts is way too dangerous) learn magic, and then work out the fundamental principles behind it. You should probably get an independent study class, or at least try to learn what you can online as well. You'll need to learn how science is done, as well as some interesting stuff that works well with magic. Your transfiguration will be a lot better once you know about carbon nanotubes and that sort of thing.

But pick one. You can't not care about magic and also be a scientist.


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

[User] Is the blood moving in a pulsing manner (i.e. move - stop-move, in sync with the heart), or is it constantly flowing?

[Assistant]
Yes and yes.

The amount of fluctuation in blood pressure (and therefore also the amount of fluctuation in the rate at which blood is flowing) diminishes steadily as you go from the heart (where fluctuation is greatest) and towards peripheral tissues (where fluctuation is smallest). By the time blood returns to the heart, it's flowing very smoothly.


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

[User]
ELI5: How is it possible that UK police don't carry guns?

I live in Canada and I would absolutely feel it necessary to have a gun as a police officer. Are there less guns on the street in the UK?

[Assistant] Because of the United Kingdom's strict restrictions on firearms, and the relative lack of their popularity even when they were less restricted, most criminals don't carry firearms. It's not a common worry for UK police officers, so ordinary beat cops don't need a weapon to match. Bladed weapons are a serious concern, though, which is why police normally wear anti-stab vests, in addition of course to various non-lethal weapons.


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

[User]
[40K] What happens to the souls of the deceased?

I know that those who give themselves/are devoured by Chaos have an eternity as the playthings of daemons ahead of them, but what of those who die with faith in the Emperor?  What is is store for them?

Also, what happened to those who died believing in the Imperial Truth, or ancient humans who lived long before the emperor revealed himself, or humans living on worlds not part of the Imperium?

[Assistant]
Their souls fade and disperse into the background noise of the immaterium. Then, when something new is born, whatever soul-stuff is in the area seeps back in, reincarnation-style.

Or they fall into the holy cosmic bonfire of the Astronomican and are annihilated.

Or they're eaten by chaos gods.


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

[User]
[General] Do superheros retire?

We know Bruce Wayne stopped being Batman, but are there any mutant-type superheros who just decided not to do it anymore? There's plenty of mutants who have powers that aren't superheros, but are there any superheros who just got tired of saving the world day after day?

Does it generally go like The Incredibles, where they try to fit in to society, do they generally go off on their own like Wolverine, or do they seek other mutants for companionship?

[Assistant]
IIRC for a while superman retired. He went home to Kansas and was a farmer. When shit hit the fan and the new, young, edgy superheroes couldn't handle it, Supes showed up with forty years worth of working out in the sun, soaking up the yellow rays, and was even more OP than normal.

EDIT: In Justice League Unlimited, J'onn J'onzz "retires" and runs off to live among humans for a minute in disguise, but comes back because, you know...the world is ending and he's a good guy. Which is kind of the problem with superheroes "retiring". When you have the power to save people and no one else can do it, a good guy is going to step in and help. And superheroes are known for being good guys.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do magnets lose their magnetivity over time?

[Assistant]
There are afew ways a permanent magnet will lose its magnetism.

The most common one is heat.  If you raise a magnet above its "Curie temperature" then its atoms will lose the order that they need to have their magnetic fields aligned. Once the alignment is randomized, virtually every atom has another opposing it and the overall net effect is no magnetic field.

Even low heat will eventually do the same thing, but it can take a very long time. Over time the randomizing effect of the heat will slowly reduce the magnetism.

Another way to demagnetize a permanent magnet is to provide a mechanical shock (whack it with/against something hard).  Like heat, this can de-orient the atomic structure needed to keep the atom's fields aligned.

The third way to do it is to simply apply an opposing magnetic field. The most effective way to do this is to run another magnet along the length of the one you want to demagnetize, over and over.


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

[User] ELI5: How did Super Mario Bros on the NES look blocky, have no detail, and lack a bunch of features; yet Super Mario Bros 3, also on the NES, with the same hardware, have a fully fledged world map, Siginificantly higher quality sprites, and more content? While on the same cartridge?

[Assistant] Memory hardware inside of cartridges advanced precipitously in the five years between the release of Super Mario Bros. & Super Mario Bros. 3. The limitations on the quality of graphics were almost entirely based on the amount of available storage in the carts.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do people still urinate even if they are dehydrated?

[Assistant]
The cells in your body create small amounts of waste that get dumped into your blood stream. Your kidneys filter that out and that creates your pee. That process continues during mild dehydration.

Dehydration has stages. Signs that things are getting really serious include stopping sweating then stopping peeing. If you stop urinating then your body has decided its worth letting your body become toxic to hold onto moisture.


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

[User]
As a whole, is the Earth gaining or losing heat energy?

When taking into account all sources of heat (solar radiation, radioactive decay, burning of fossil fuels, etc) and all heat loss from radiation into space, is the entire planet (including surface and interior) gaining or losing heat energy?

Edit (quick sub-question): When heat is radiated into space, what is the physical mechanism that is in action? It was my impression that heat can only be transferred by physical interaction between molecules. But since space is literally the absence of molecules (in any significant density), how does heat escape the atmosphere?

[Assistant]
We are overall losing heat. There are a few sources of Earth's internal energy (We'll ignore the processes at the surface here, since compared to the heat of the core, they mean next to nothing):

-Accretion: This is the heat that built up while the planet was forming. It's a result of the collisions of progressively larger particles until planetesimals started smashing into each other. Obviously, this is a pretty significant source of heat hat isn't around today.
-Differentiation: When we first started out, the Earth was not divided into core, mantle, and crust. The heavier elements sank to the bottom, and this falling motion caused a conversion of potential energy partially into heat energy. This isn't happening today either.
-Short-term radioactivity: some radioactive elements with relatively short half-lives on the order of 10^5-6 years like ^26 Al create an immense amount of heat, and then shut off. We don't have this heating process today either.
-Long-term radioactivity: This is the only kind of heating still occurring today, and is considerably less effective than the other three heating methods above. Things like ^238 U have half lives on the order of 10^9 which means that they are still decomposing and heating the planet. However, this process happens so much more slowly that it has a relatively small effect on the overall heat of the planet.

The end result of a lack of heating sources is that the planet is cooling down. The vast majority of this heat is lost as a result of tectonic processes-- the formation of basalts at mid-ocean ridges, and more catastrophic stratovolcanoes like Krakatoa and mount St. Helens. As heat is lost, the lithosphere (the brittle part of the mantle) extends downwards and the mantle "freezes". After a certain amount of time, it will reach the core, and Earth will in essence shut down like Mars and the Moon.