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

[User]
Probably a repost, but: Assuming rights-based moral theory is a good way to make decisions, I think that most animals have the right to life. Consequently, eating meat is wrong. CMV.

First, I should specify that I'm not a utilitarian. I follow rights-based moral theory - that living things have rights, and it is wrong to violate them. What rights they have depends on what they are capable of. For example, adult humans have the right to free agency, and it's wrong to control their behavior, assuming they do not violate someone else's "stronger" right, such as right to life. So it's okay to send murderers to jail to prevent them from murdering more people, but it's not okay to enslave adults. Children and mentally handicapped people have a limited version of this right - it's still wrong to enslave them, but it's not wrong to stop them from running out into the street since they don't know any better. Please don't try to change my view on this, that's an entirely different conversation than the one I want to have.

With that out of the way, I think that the desire to live is sufficient to qualify for a right to life. It seems blatantly clear to me that *many* animals demonstrate the desire to live. When posed with a threat, they run away or try to defend themselves. It's certainly possible (although I personally think improbable) that in many cases, this behavior is mindless, and they run away from harm not because they don't want to die, but because of instincts, or because they grew up seeing their parents run away from danger and mindlessly copy this behavior.

However, I think it's very clear that some animals (apes, dogs, dolphins, and pigs, for example) function at a much higher level, closer to ours. I'm not saying that they're as intelligent as we are, but they are aware of their own existence, have emotions, and presumably, a will to live. Therefore, it's obviously wrong to kill them for any reason except self-defense. Killing an animal for food does not count as self defense because humans are perfectly capable of being healthy and vegetarian.

[Assistant]
I think you're engaging in a weird reverse form of the naturalistic fallacy.

"Rights" don't exist objectively. The concept is an evolved trait that we developed in order to make it possible for our intellectually advanced species to continue to exist and continue to take advantage of our being a social species.

Empathy is another such trait. Indeed, rights come, ultimately, from empathy.

But the thing is, that trait's purpose is to allow *humans* to live together. Empathy among animals evolves to allow *them* to live together.

Trying to take a trait that evolved in order to benefit our species and apply it to other species fails on so many levels.

If animals have "rights" its because people want them to have rights, and the reason we would respect those rights is so that we can get along with those people.

That's it.

Also, morality, even if it had any objective basis, really is only capable of applying to moral actors. Some animals show some signs of being moral actors to some degree. If rights apply, they apply to the degree that animals respect them.

Dogs, for example, seem to have a pretty good grasp on certain aspects of morality. Chimps too, as do dolphins. Cows... not so much.


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

[User] ELI5: How does "turning it off and back on again" fix such an array of different problems?

[Assistant] Programs work by following really long lists of instructions. When something goes wrong it's often because programs get stuck in little loops, or several programs conflict, or something failed to load, etc. By turning it off and back on again, you start over. It's a bit like if you were counting sheep and suddenly got really confused. If you took a deep breath and started over, you could try again.


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

[User]
Do fish eating birds have to understand refraction in order to catch fish?

Its fascinating humans have to understand refraction on the most basic scale to catch fish when looking into the water. Is it an inherent ability in other animals or a trial by error as they grow into an adult?

[Assistant]
I think the question itself is kind of silly. We didn't have any understanding of refraction until optics were invented 1200 years ago. However, people still perceived and accounted for it. Similarly, most of us have no physical understanding of the gyroscopics that keeps a bike from falling over, yet anyone can learn to ride.

The brains of birds are plastic, learning neural networks. They would 'teach' themselves how to catch fish based on past successes or failures, without 'understanding' refraction in any non-intuitive sense. Otherwise, they would starve.


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

[User]
[LOTR] What is up with the Witch King and Gandalf?

In the extended edition of Return of the King, why and by what means does the Witch King break Gandalf's staff? Where does that come from? What does it imply?

[Assistant]
The Witch King, as a wearer of one of the nine rings of power, has some of Sauron's own power, his malice and will to dominate, flowing through him. He is empowered by it and by Sauron.

As such, the Witch King was able to use sorcerous means to break Gandalf's staff.

Gandalf, remember, had most of his power locked up by his mortal form. He was charged not to directly fight Sauron and his evil, but only advise. This was why he could fight the Balrog at full strength. It was not a servant of Sauron.

The Witch King, obviously, is not under such restraints, and does not have his full power limited.

It implies that the Witch King may be equal, or greater, in power to Gandalf. While breaking the staff does not limit Gandalf's power, it is a symbolic gesture on behalf of the Witch King that he can break Gandalf as easily as he broke his staff.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is so special about kobe beef, and why european or american herds can't produce it?

A cow is a cow?

[Assistant]
Just like there are different breeds of dogs, there are different breeds of cows.  Kobe beef comes from a Wagyu cow.  European or American farms can't produce it because Kobe beef comes from Kobe.  If it doesn't come from Kobe, it's not Kobe beef.  Same thing applies to Champagne.  Champagne is a region in France.  Sparkling wine from other regions is simply called "sparkling wine".  Also similar is Scotch.  If it's not from Scotland, it can't be called scotch.  Other places produce the exact same thing, but they call it whiskey or bourbon.

American and European farms DO produce beef from Wagyu cows.  But they can't call it Kobe beef because it's not from Kobe, so they call it Wagyu beef.

Wagyu cows are known for high amount of marbling on the meat.


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

[User]
[Marvel] If a normal man piggybacked on the Flash, would they die from how fast Flash goes?

Im thinking if flash used his powers with someone attached to him who DOESNT have the same powers he has, they would die from the speed of it, or possibly burn to bits.

[SORRY MY DUMBASS SAID MARVEL LMAO]

[Assistant] No, the flash picks up people all the time to move them out of danger. The speed force projects a field around the flash's body and anything he is touching, which is why the flash himself does not burn up from friction with the air.


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

[User]
Grading standards in the US

I'm a post-doc teaching a humanities class at an R-1 in the U.S. I'm originally from Europe and this is my first time teaching in the States. Where I'm originally from, grading is generally tough. Typically most students would get a D or a C, there might be a couple of A's and never A+'s. I know the system is quite different in the U.S., I just don't know exactly by how much.

I've asked colleagues and people in the administration about this, and everyone's answer boiled down to basically "just do whatever you want", which isn't really helping.

I've split the grade between attendance, participation, homework (40%) and a final paper (60%). I have the students work on their papers throughout the class and they can ask me for feedback whenever they want. That way they can always know if they're on the right track and can get a sense of what they should be improving. This is because, for the class I am teaching, I think it's more important for them to be able to do good research on their own and to produce a good quality paper in the end than to just memorize a bunch of facts and dates for a test and then forget everything.

Now of course the issue with this is that since I expect almost all students to hand in a decent paper in the end, almost all of them will get grades in the range of B to A+ and I'm not sure if that is acceptable here. What is your grade distribution generally like?

[Assistant] Wait until they turn in their first assignment. Read through all of the papers without grading them. You'll have a sense of what you'll consider an A-F. Go back through them and give them a score. Every professor in the United States is different when it comes to grading. Tell them what you expect from them, and they'll figure it out.


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

[User]
ELI5: what is a parallax?

I've came up with an explanation myself from those amazing comments (thanks yall).
Imagine you're in your father's car and you see the clouds and you say "papa the clouds are moving"
The clouds that you see that are moving are moving because of parallax even though they don't move that fast but they move because you focused on them and you're in motion yourself.

[Assistant]
Hold one arm out and point an index finger up.  Now close one eye and notice the background behind that finger.  Now open that eye and close the other one and notice the background behind the finger.  Notice that it's different.

There.  That's parallax.  Knowing how far apart your eyes are and measuring the angle to your finger from each eye you can work out how far away your finger is from your eyes.

The same thing is done for stars at "short" distances from the Solar System.  They measure the angle to the star 6 months apart and knowing how far apart the Earth is those 6 months apart you can work out how far away those "close" stars are.


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

[User]
[Spider-Man 3] What kind of experiment were they doing on the sand that created Sandman and why didn't they go check on it to see the results?

Also, when he reformed he picked up his locket, why didn't the locket turn to sand or didn't he become part metal?

Oh yea, and the scientists said they heard something fall into the test, and said it could have just been a bird or something. That raises at least two questions for me.

Why are they doing this experiment in an environment with potentially so many open variables, and if it were a bird, would their be a Sand Bird flying around?

[Assistant]
"Huh. That's odd. The weight of the sand in the experiment is off."

"Probably just a bird."

"How about you check it's a goddamn bird before you invalidate the results of a multimillion dollar experiment?"

"Fine, fine, spoilsport... ... good god, it's a man!"

But in all seriousness, It was reaching the end of the budget year, and we were under budget. If we don't spend all our budget, they won't give us as much when the re-evaluate it because we "clearly don't need it". If we overspend, sometimes they raise the budget because it "clearly wasn't enough". So we were just dicking around to spend tons of money before the fiscal year was up.

That Ionised Particle Agitator costs a couple mil' every time we use it, so that's one good way. Dr Morbus bought a bunch of exotic pets as "test animals", and Dr Lewis even managed to convince the finance department that 2 litre bottles of cola made better human analogues than our usual "gel full of saline solution". Between those and the "high definition test monitors" we got, the break room is starting to look pretty swingin'.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why no Front Wheel Drive Pickups??

I've been in the auto business my whole life.  I've never been able to figure out why small trucks aren't front wheel drive.

[Assistant]
There have been some mini-trucks and what not that were front wheel drive, but it's not something that's done with full sized pickups. The situation where you need maximum traction in a full sized pickup truck is when you're towing something or have a bunch of stuff in the bed, which is a situation where there's plenty of weight on the rear wheels. About the only situation where you'd see a noticeable improvement in a FWD pickup would be in the snow, and if you're in an environment that's snowy enough that for this to matter they make plenty of four wheel drive pickups.

There are some other practical problems:

* It'd be really difficult to fit a big V8 and a pickup truck sized transaxle under the hood of a pickup truck that wasn't like 8 feet wide or 10 feet tall.

* The solid rear axle that most pickups have is antiquated technology in a certain sense, but it's monstrously tough. It'd be pretty difficult to engineer a FWD pickup that wouldn't constantly be eating CV joints and what not.

* Pickup trucks handle like shit with an empty bed in large part because of their unequal weight distribution. Taking the transmission and rear axle and moving them up to the front of the truck would make this worse.


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

[User] [Warhammer40k]What kind of reform/series of reforms would need to happen so that the Imperium of Man was a genuinely enjoyable place to live in for common citizens? And not "well relatively speaking it's not bad considering / if x." I mean "a genuinely enjoyable place to live in for common citizens"

[Assistant]
They just need to change what they enjoy.  Nurgle worshippers seem a fairly chill bunch, so just have the imperium convert to Nurgle and spread a few horrible diseases everywhere and they'll all be fine.

Or more seriously, a program of planetary government reform to make everywhere more like ultramar.


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

[User]
[Batman general/The Batman] Did Alfred serve in the Falkland Islands? What conflicts did he take part in?

So, one thing I liked about the new Batman movie is how grizzled it made Alfred look. In most versions of Batman, Alfred has a military past; typically either in MI6 or the SAS. With that in mind, what conflicts did Alfred (in Batman versions that take place in the modern era) canonically take part in?

[Assistant]
So it varies, when Alfred served and where he served. Most stories go with the actor fulfilling the wishes of his dying father with a bit of James Bond special forces training thrown in for Alfred's background. Others make him a SAS soldier that was hired by the Wayne family.

Either way he's often said to have participated in an armed military conflict but which one is vague. Basically it could be any armed conflict the British took part in from WW 1 on.


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

[User] ELI5: What is the most common cause of big projects over running on their estimated budget? For example, I recently learned that the HS2 train line in the UK will be nearly 75bn over the estimated budget! How was the estimate so wrong?

[Assistant]
When a job is bid and an estimate is given, thats all it is, it is an estimate on material and labor and some wiggle room for profit and mishaps, not much though. The bigger the job the more problems can arise and bigger the problems can be, for example, you can look at a topographical map to plot the train line but maybe the map hasnt been updated in awhile so you throw a good number at it and turns out someone threw a house right where you want your line, or what is more than likely the case as it happens most often here in the US, they plan on buying the owned property along where they want the line and the owners of said property refuse, so they keep offering more and more until either they sell or the company decides to just go around, both are very expensive as they cost both time and labor.

Ive had a $20,000 job that tanked to $500,000 job, and the company just had to eat that loss, its not often a big loss like that happens but its rough when it does.


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

[User] ELI5 - How does a fire extinguisher go bad if it has never been used and the gauge shows it to be charges & ready to go?

[Assistant]
Fire Extinguishers expire for three main reasons -

1) they are not perfect containers and small gas leaks overtime will empty them.

2) the chemical agents inside the container can degrade/decompose/solidify over time meaning they're function as intended in an emergency.

3) the gauge is a point of failure, the dial can break/get stuck and you might not know it's 'gone bad' until you really need to use it.

You don't want to make assumptions or "take a risk" if you need to put our a fire at that very moment, so we have policies and expiration dates that take the above into account and simply say, even if you *think* the extinguisher is still good, it's reached it's end of life and should be replaced.


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

[User]
Do women in matrilineal societies experience the elevated rates of neuroticism that women in patrilineal societies experience?

My question stems partly from all the discussion about sexual objectification and misogyny lately, and in general the topics of gender roles and sexual identity.

From past research, I already knew that many studies have shown considerably higher levels of neuroticism in women than men across cultures and countries, and I assumed it might have been biological difference. But after recently listening to a podcast (Freakonomics, iirc) about a study that involved an Indian matrilineal culture where basic edicts about gender and aggression, competitiveness, and risk taking were shattered when tested in that culture it really started me thinking about a lot of basic tenets of gender and it's associated roles. Women who lived in societies with higher rates of oppression had much lower levels of competitiveness and risk taking, whereas women in the matrilineal society where women had equal say and control over societal and personal decisions had higher levels of competitiveness and took more risks than men did even in the oppressive societies. It showed that at least one facet of gender, competition and risk taking, was almost entirely dictated by the culture surrounding it, so it stands to reason that there could be more, much more that are.

I did a bit of googling about, but found nothing substantial relating directly to my question, and even a search in scholar turned up not much, mostly because scholarly article results are packed with articles about neuroses in women, and I would be wading through articles for weeks possibly.

At the root of it all, I suppose my interest in the topic comes down to the question of the origin of the neuroses: Is it an inborn trait that trends towards over-expression in female brains, or is it a trait that largely is inscribed onto women by society and culture around us? Are there cultures where women do not experience elevated levels of neuroticism, and if so, what is unique about those cultures might contribute to that?

[Assistant]
What studies do you have to support that women in patrilineal societies have "elevated rates of neuroticism"? How are you defining "patrilineal", "elevated rates", and "neuroticism" for the context of this discussion?

Before answering your question you must first examine if your assumptions within the question are substantially supported by recent studies. Also know that it's extremely difficult, likely impossible, to separate environment (culture, upbringing, etc) from genetics when studying behavior.


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

[User] ELI5 Why does certain types of pain (e.g. stretching/massaging a sore muscles) feel good?

[Assistant]
A form of pain can come in the form of lactic acid build up.  When you massage the muscle affected it encourages blood flow which increases the rate of lactic acid break down which feels soothing.

Another form of pain can come from increased tension on the tendons.  When you stretch you elongate your muscles so they become more elastic with reduces the tension on your tendons and ligaments which feels soothing.

Another form of pain can come from muscle tear where the muscle fibres are torn.  When you massage the muscle this increase blood flow so the building blocks and repair blocks circulate to your muscles sooner.  This also reduces inflammation gradually which soon after feels soothing.

These are a few forms of pain which arise from muscles and how massaging/stretching works depending on how specific you wish to get it's more or less a similar process to the examples above.


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

[User]
[MCU] How powerful or devastating are those portals, made by Strange or Wong, when they are closed?

I'm talking about those portals used for fast travel or teleportation.

They effectively cut off Cull Obsidian's hand when a portal closed.

Could they not have done this to decapitate Thanos or cut off his glove?

[Assistant]
Yes, Strange should have been able to cut off Thanos' hand using the portal. However, there are three caveats.

One, Strange might have simply not thought of it. When Wong cut off Cull's hand, it was kind of an accident. The Sorcerers of Kahmer Taj don't seem to use portals offensively like that.

Two, it's possible the Power Stone amped Thanos to the point where he is invulnerable to that kind of attack. Improbable, maybe, but possible.

Three, Strange viewed 14 million plus iterations of that battle. It's possible he tried just cutting off Thanos' hand in one (or more) of those iterations, and knew it would (for some reason) fail.


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

[User] Why when we photograph the sky from earth do we see millions of stars that are lightyears away but every picture I have seen taken by astronauts in space the sky is black and starless?

[Assistant]
It's purely incidental. You can find plenty of photos taken by astronauts where the stars are quite visible. You just don't see very many, because most photos are taken while a well-lit object is in the foreground of the shot, like the Earth, a spacewalking astronaut, or a piece of the ISS.

Under these conditions, taking a long exposure to also capture the stars would just white or blur out the shot.

I'll use an example. Stand under a street lamp, point your camera towards the sky, and try to capture both the light from the lamp and the stars. In all likelihood, the best you'll be able to do is a short exposure that captures the lamp and blackens the sky.


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

[User] ELI5: What is Munchasen by Proxy, and how does it work?

[Assistant]
Munchausen syndrome is the colloquial name for factitious disorder, where someone habitually lies about some kind of suffering (a disease, injury, trauma, etc.) to get sympathy and attention from others. Some may go as far as elaborately imitating the symptoms in order to fool medical doctors. It's often comorbid with cluster b personality disorders (borderline, narcissistic, etc.)

Munchausen by proxy is essentially making someone else pretend to suffer, usually a child or some other dependent, in order to get sympathy, e.g., a mother making people think her kid has cancer. It can sometimes turn into full-blown abuse in order to maintain symptoms.


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

[User] [Star Wars] Could Jedi block bullets with their Lightsabers? Are they faster than blaster bolts? Could the saber melt the bullets?

[Assistant] Jedi can block bullets but with far less success than blaster bolts. Any bullet that glances or isn't directly into the saber blade will become fragmented or molten and cause injury to the Jedi. This is why in legends mandalorians and jedi hunters often employed slug throwers against Jedi to better combat their sabers at range.


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

[User]
[A nightmare before christmas] Why did Ooogie Boogie hate Jack and Santa?

In the movie, we're never really given context as to why Oogie hates Jack and Sandy Clawz, though it is made clear from how Jack talks about him when asking the three to not bring him that they have a history. In the movie, it almost just seems like they dropped santa off at Oogie's house and he was just like, "Well...I guess I'm doing this now"

[Assistant]
Oggie Boogie, the notorious Bogeyman is a remnant of a holiday called Bug Day or Crawloween but this had been forgotten in the human world and he was forced to take refuge in the world of Halloweentown after his native Bug Town was destroyed.

In the Game Boy Advance game *The Pumpkin King*, he had attempted to hijack Jack's role as the Town's King and failed miserably only a year before the events of the film.

Edit: Also, the reason the townsfolk of Halloweentown hate him so much is because while they love to scare humans and get a fright out of them, they are not malicious and see everything as a fun joke. Boogie is expressly violent and malicious, often described as causing physical harm to those who he targets. He's also a notorious cheat who often gambles in deadly games to get people killed - his first boss fight in Kingdom Hearts is in his main lair and has him trying to use a rigged dice game/roulette table to kill Sora and his friends.


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

[User]
If somebody has a virus, but has very mild symptoms, is it because they have a weaker form of the virus, the person's specific immune system, or some other reason I'm not thinking of?

I know that back before vaccines people would say "Oh Jimmy has very mild X, go catch it from him so you'll get a mild case instead of waiting to get a bad case." Is that true at all?

[Assistant]
Viruses reproduce by injecting their genetic material into a cell, which then does the work of making more viruses. There is no sexual shuffling of genes. So every virus produced by a cell is a clone. But errors do creep in and thus new strains are created. So there can be strains that are more or less virulent than the original. If the virus is really strong it will kill the host before it can spread, thus removing itself from circulation. If it isnt contagious it will remove itself from circulation. So there is natural selection for contagiousness, and selective pressure for not being too deadly.

The response of the person infected is the job of the immune system. So if yours is compromised, like you are already sick, or immunosuppressed, or old, you wont respond well and might succumb.

Thus there can be multiple strains with varying virulence in a population with variable response potential.


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

[User]
Dealing with student haggling for grades

I'll admit, I'm relatively new to the profession (yay, pun, moving on), but I am increasingly (in a relatively short term) seeing emails from students after grades are posted hoping to bargain for an increased grade. They use lots of strategies, but the overall bent is always "won't you reconsider my grade due to these special circumstances?" My consistent response is that they have been subjected to the same grading criteria as all other students in the class, and I haven't had any blowback from that (although it is something that raises my general concern level, mainly the possibility of a substantial amount of unnecessary work on my part if a grade is disputed).

Those who've been in the game longer, do you notice a similar trend in increased requests to increase final grades? Any suggestions on preempting this wave of nagging?

[Assistant]
>Any suggestions on preempting this wave of nagging?

I'd say that your best argument is just to remind them that the end of the semester is not the time to worry about their grades. They had the same opportunities as any student to come to your office for help, to attend / participate in any extra credit you offered, to attend study sessions (if you or your TAs did those), and could earn the same number of exam / homework points.


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

[User]
If we all descend from the same common ancestor (Mitochondrial Eve), why are we not all horribly inbred?

I'm going to be honest - Biology isn't exactly my forte, which lies more in the physics department. If this is a really simple question, then I'm sorry, but it would be great to get an answer or two.

[Assistant]
The term "mitochondrial Eve" can be a bit misleading when devoid of context or explanation.  No biologist or geneticist would suggest that all humans sprung forth from a SINGLE organism.  Rather, we look at mutation rates and patterns and extrapolate backward towards the "origin".  In real terms--as in, if we could time-travel back to the time of "Eve"-- we'd probably find either A) a pretty stressed, early hominid species struggling to survive "something" which caused a population bottle-neck and reduced the gene-pool (maybe it was predators, maybe it was famine, draught, violence, disease, etc.), or B) a relatively small group of early hominids that won the natural-selection jackpot and became markedly more successful than their neighbors, eventually out-competing and out-breeding the other tribes/groups.  Most likely, it was a bit of both.  As it pertains to your question, there was either A) already sufficient diversity within that group to sustain the species and avoid deleterious inbreeding, or B) enough of the "others" hanging around to keep the gene-pool sufficiently diverse.  Again, probably a bit of both.

TLDR; there was not ONE true, genetic Eve... a population bottle-neck and natural selection will do a real good job at purifying the genome enough to give the appearance of an "origin" when we extrapolate our data.


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

[User]
Considering an antimatter black hole, what do you think would happen if that black hole collided with a matter black hole?

So, pretty straightforward and inspired by the ligo discovery. Obviously, this question requires the assumption that antimatter does exhibit traditional gravitation and exist(ed) in large enough quantities to create a black hole. The lack of antimatter in the known universe makes this situation impossible, but theoretically should be physically possible as far as I know.

[Assistant]
"Black holes have no hair" - it's a theorem stating that a black hole is fully described by 3 numbers, the mass, angular momentum, and charge (not too different from a fundamental particle in that respect :D).

This means that black holes lose memory of the things that made them. Matter, antimatter, photons, whatever, it's all the same to a black hole. Once it goes in it just makes the black hole bigger. If two black holes merge, the stuff that was used to make them doesn't make a difference, it's a black hole merger like any other.


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

[User] ELI5: How come every few months I hear of Chicago PD's "alleged" secret detention center? If I already know about it, why is it just alleged? And why does it keep getting "discovered"?

[Assistant]
It was only discovered once. You are probably wondering why it keeps getting *mentioned,* and the answer is that they keep coming up with more details and also debating what to do about it.

They say "alleged" because some of the actions described might be criminal, and since no one has been convicted of anything, the media want to be careful about saying otherwise.


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

[User]
[SPOILER][GOT][ASOIAF] What would have happened if Drogo stepped a few centimeters to the side, avoiding the cut that led to his eventual death?

I can't remeber exactly what the plan was between Daenarys and Drogo, because I watched it a long time ago. Did Drogo say he would sail across the Narrow Sea with Daenarys and their child to take the Seven Kingdoms for themselves?

Assuming everything is Westeros happened as it does in the show(/books too I guess), but Drogo doesn't die in Essos would he and Dany be able to cross the sea eventually and would they rally the other Khalisaars to follow them?

[Assistant] Yes imo but it'd be almost certainly a) Drogo leading, and b) A disaster. One of the biggest advantages Dany had when it came to battles was her dragons and the fear it inspired/sheer chaos. If Drogo hadn't died, she'd never have stepped into the fire, never hatched her dragons, never recruited the Unsullied/gathered the ships necessary to move all of them over. Either they would get to the coast and some of the Khalisaars would recant and leave, or they would have to pay out the nose for enough ships and they'd end up having a close ish battle way earlier when the battle of the Bastards was still happening; interestingly, Targaeryen showing up would put Stannis in an interesting spot, as his only reason to fight was he believed in rightful lineage/his duty/right to have the throne. Given that the original line showed up, he would either stay with his current course and prove himself a hypocrite or align himself with Daenarys and become in many's view a traitor to his father.


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

[User]
[Marvel] Why does Iron Man always land in the "Iron Man pose"?

It's been shown that he has good control over his repulsors, and can hover comfortably inches from the ground. You'd think that he can land without cracking the cement.

Is it just that Stark has a flair for the dramatic entrance?

[Assistant]
Pretty much. It's dramatic, it's attention grabbing, it assures that all attention is on him.

He can land standing. He's done so before. But it doesn't look as impressive. Besides, he's practically trademarked the landing by now. Note that you even identified it as the Iron Man Pose and not a three point landing.

It was common enough in various forms of fiction before, but he's pretty much totally taken it over. That's the Stark charisma for you.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why hasn't Germany suffered a loss of a manufacturing sector like other Western nations?

It seems like a large number of western nations have suffered losses in manufacturing jobs since the 1950s, the majority of which seem to have been moved to areas with lower wage costs/slave labour such as China, Taiwan, India etc. Why have the German manufacturers not moved also? How have they not suffered a drain in jobs also?

[Assistant] Germany has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs. Mostly in the heavy, car and consumer goods industry. Which are all industries that are relatively easy to export to cheaper countries. What remains is a very strong specialized machine building industry that has survived on stagnating wages and increased demand from all those cheap labor countries building modern factories. There is barely any demand for unskilled or low-skilled labor anymore.


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

[User]
[Star Wars: ESB] Why didn't Luke just switch on his lightsaber to free it from the ice?

He's hanging there upside down in the Wampa cave and struggling to pull it from where it's frozen in place. If he just switched the damn thing on it would melt the ice right away and no longer be trapped.

I can think of two possible explanations:

1) He didn't have the finesse to operate the switch with the force at that point in his training.

2) He didn't want to pull the lightsaber towards himself while it was on in case he accidentally decapitated himself or something. However, once he does get a hold of it, he has no trouble sweeping it at his feet to free himself while neatly avoiding injury.

What do you think?

[Assistant]
Luke turns on the lightsaber, it instantly vaporizes the ice around the blade...where does that instantly created vapor go with a lightsaber blade plugging the only escape route?

It shoots out the lightsaber at explosive speed, and Luke has just created an unpredictable plasma bladed projectile, weighted on one end so it spins and gyrates as well, moving so fast he can barely predict it's movements, in a limited space where he is unable to move.

I don't think a wise Jedi would want to unleash a lightsaber buzzsaw inside a chamber he's trapped in.

Also? Even if he doesn't cleave himself into pieces by this action, wherever the lightsaber lands, it's likely not going to be closer than it was, so now he's got to summon up even more reserves to get it into his hand. It looks like he was barely able to summon up the energy or the concentration to make that first attempt.

Your explanations work too, but you should check out how powerful expanding water becomes when you do a rapid phase change from even liquid to vapor. Ice to vapor would be even more violent.

Not something you try in an enclosed space and without being able to dodge or take cover.


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

[User]
ELI5: How exactly did celebs like Jennifer Lawrence get their phones hacked and their photos stolen? Is anyone with a smartphone vulnerable?

One of the celebs that were hacked along with Lawrence was Mary E. Winstead who tweeted: "Knowing those photos were deleted long ago, I can only imagine the creepy effort that went into this. Feeling for everyone who got hacked."

Is it possible for the photos to be taken after they're deleted?

How are Android users and iOS users affected?  Android doesn't have cloud storage like iCloud.  Does this affect iphone users more heavily?

[Assistant]
I read that someone hacked their cloud storage accounts. If that is the case then "hacked" probably isn't the right term. Someone correctly guessed their password.

As for if we're all vulnerable.....anything you store online behind a password is susceptible to exposure like this.

Sleep tight!


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

[User] ELI5: What neurologically is happening when a song "gets old" from hearing it too often?

[Assistant] This is not the answer you are looking for but it may be as simple as being able to predict the pattern of song and therefore no longer be as interesting because there are no surprises. Same thing occurs when you watch the same movie over and over.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] When the twins were born, why was C3PO's memory wiped, but not R2-D2's?

I can't really come up with a good reason, other than C3PO talks too much. But then, we don't know that R2-D2 is any better, we just don't understand him.

[Assistant]
Because nobody gives a shit about astromechs.

Keep in mind that, at the time of that film, pretty much only Anakin and Padme really interacted with him.

As far as the 3 making the decision were concerned it was just a mindless maintenance droid.


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

[User]
[Teen Titans 2003] When Trigon attacked where the hell were the Justice league?!

It's made very clear in this series that at the very least Batman is still in action, so what about the others?

[Assistant]
>It's made very clear in this series that at the every least Batman is still in action, so what about the others?

But is there any indication that there's even a Justice League in this Universe? Like Batman being there doesn't mean the rest is also active even less than they have formed a team.

Also even if they exist they might have missed it, it's sounds ridiculous at first, but Trigons attack was pretty isolated in the area where the Teen Titans live and it was over pretty shortly.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why did the US throw Osama bin Laden's body into the ocean

Was it a sign of disrespect or what?

[Assistant]
The US interred bin Laden's body at sea respectfully and in accordance with Muslim religious views.

The reason the US chose to do so was to prevent his burial site from becoming a focus of terrorist activity. Basically they didn't want to accidentally create a shrine to a mass murderer.


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

[User]
When a group of women cohabit, their menstrual cycles sync up. Is this true and, if so, why would evolution result in this feature?

Wouldn't a clan with all the women having their period at the same time be vulnerable?

[Assistant]
There is not a single piece of evidence, or a single study that has shown the McClintock effect to be true.

Here's why it seems so true:

If you take two girls, with say a 28 day cycle that is randomly distributed, then the maximum difference between their periods is just 14 days, which means the average difference is only *7 days* between any of their periods.

If you have 3 girls at 28 day cycles, the average difference is only 4.6 days.

4 girls, average difference 3.5 days.

And so on, until you realize that with say, 6, and average difference of 2.3 days if they have random 28 day cycles it really does seem as if they are syncing up.

Also, this only accounts for periods start time, take into account the fact that periods last 3-7 days and you see that 3 girls living together are mathematically almost sure to be "having" their period at the same time.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are toilet seats in public restrooms different than the ones in your house?

[Assistant]
The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials' Uniform Plumbing Code, section 409.2.2, requires that "all water closet seats, except those within dwelling units or for private use, shall be of the open front type". There is an exception for toilets with an automatic toilet-seat cover dispenser. The code has no legal force, but because it is followed by many public authorities, many public toilets feature open front toilet seats (also called "split seats").[4]

The purpose for this seat design is to allow women to wipe the perineal area after using the toilet without contacting the seat. It also omits an area of the seat that could be contaminated with urine, and avoids contact between the seat and the user's genitals.[4]


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

[User]
[IT chapters 1 & 2] The first film makes it seem like only children can see this clown, chapter 2, its apparent that adults can indeed see pennywise. But then theres parts where other adults dont notice him. Why are the losers seemingly the grown ups who can see the clown?

And why does pennywise *only* target the kids?

[Assistant]
Generally It arranges things so that adults don't notice (or actively ignore) It's activities. This means It's targets are more isolated and easy to nab. The Losers can still perceive It because they've all been marked by It's activities personally; even then, they have difficulty remembering anything about the encounter, so their perceptions are still disrupted.

Pennywise targets kids because it's easier to manifest a kid's fears. Adult fears are usually lame stuff like mortgage payments, not so much with the rending claws and gnashing teeth.


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

[User] [General Video Games] How can bandages and first aid kits heal me when I'm starving to death or drowning?

[Assistant]
There's candy bars and asthma-inhaler-sized oxygen doses in there too.

Alternatively a first-aid kit is shorthand for all the other supplies you can find in a well-stocked bunker. If you have access to medical supplies you have access to food and scuba tanks.


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

[User]
[LOTR] and other fantasy . Why do humans use such ineffective weapons against monstrous creatures?

It seems like they are geared to fight other men instead of orks, goblins, trolls etc. Wouldn't they evolve better methods like pikes, halberds, crossbows etc? There has to be a better way than trying to kill them with a thousand papercuts.

[Assistant]
The Doylist answer is that we're just now getting a clear picture of how people fought in medieval times, which most fantasy settings are based on. Many writers are strongly influenced by Hollywood, which in turn was influenced by older pop culture going all the way back to Victorian times.

Medieval swords being heavy and clumsy? Victorian trope.

Plate armor being unrealistically cumbersome? Victorian trope.

Medieval fighting just a lot of banging and hacking? Victorian trope!

There's various reasons for this. Medieval swords do seem clumsy -- if you try to fence with them the way you would a foil or epee. Plate armor would seem cumbersome, if all the examples you saw were cheap Victorian knockoffs. And Historical European Martial Arts were pretty much lost by that time -- the old masters were long dead and their manuals forgotten in a hundred dusty libraries.

So yes, pikes, halberds, and anything that gives a reach advantage *would* be appreciated by a medieval soldier facing much stronger opponents.


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

[User] ELI5: If cars cant barely stay on the lot justifying MSRP increases due to supply and demand, why arent all car dealer lots a zombie movie-like wasteland right now?

[Assistant] Almost all dealerships are empty. A little secret though dont let dealerships make you think they are struggling. They are making more money than ever. 1. They dont have as many salesmen anymore to pay. 2. They dont have inventory on the lot that they need to carry insurance for. 3. They are asking over MSRP for many models and getting it. 4. Many manufacturers are prioritizing customer orders over standard builds so when a vehicle does get delivered its usually a customer order thats already sold so the dealership is getting vehicles that are spoken for.


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

[User]
I believe that "justice" just for the sake of it is bad for society. Subreddits like "justiceporn" tap into a part of human nature that kind of scares me. CMV

First of all, note that society tries to avoid hating someone for anything other than their conscious decisions. For example, increased violent behavior as a result of a brain tumor is a documented occurrence. Society HATES the murderer up until the point it's discovered it is the tumor that was causing the behavior, not the natural brain of the person. Society has somewhat forgiven this person because they did not truly "choose" the actions they ended up taking.

Next, I should say that based on a long period of examining the evidence, I've come to the conclusion that free-will is an illusion. Every "decision" we make is a product of our mind's makeup at that time interacting with our environment at that time. The makeup of our brain depends on our genetics and our past experiences, **NEITHER of which we chose.** For me, consciousness is just the experience of things that are happening; we don't have the ability to do things not in our nature.

Following those two premises, in the same way that the tumor victim did not "choose" to get a tumor causing him to murder people no murderer "chose" to have the natural mind of a murderer, no rapist "chose" to have the natural mind of a rapist. Therefore, I can't see how it's even moral, let alone helpful, to inflict pain on them JUST for the sake of it. An eye for an eye is only helpful in that it could be a deterrent in some cases. What we should be doing is **the course of action that benefits society as a whole the most.** Whether it be rehab, prison, or maybe even the death penalty in cases where it's necessary, the punishment that does the most good should be the answer.

The masturbation that is "justice" is not good for society. All it does is make us feel good, while inflicting pain on a human for no reason. Pain inflicted on a person is a tragedy no matter who it happens to.

[Assistant]
Justice doesn't exist for its own sake. It exists because as a species, humans are defined by what they do as a social animal. Our methods of socialization are based upon trust. When we see someone violate trust placed upon them by an individual or society at large, we cooperate less and ultimately accomplish less.

Justice doesn't just exist to comfort a victim or to punish an offender. It exists to keep individuals from pulling away from society, from abandoning cooperation as a means of moving forward.


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

[User]
[MCU] What sort of chemical was it that blinded Daredevil? What was its purpose?

In the modern superhero movies, there is a push to make the origins of most of the heroes more "realistic" as opposed to their comicbooky counterparts. The spider that bites Peter Parker is genetically altered rather than radioactive is TASM, Asgardians are aliens with advanced tech rather than real magic gods, the Infinity Stones are super advanced alien tech rather than pure magic, etc.

So what is a somewhat realistic answer to what the chemicals Matt was exposed to were and what was the purpose of their existence? What causes them to change a person's biology?

[Assistant]
a failed batch from oscorps attempts to recreate the super soldier formula.

Richard Parker, Norman Osborn and Curtis Conners where attempting to create the super soldier serum for years before ideological problems arose forcing them to go their separate ways. while Richard and Curtis both believed that the answer lied in genetic manipulation Norman Osborn pushed for a more universal chemical option because he wanted to sell the formula as a weapon.

as a rich, amoral, genius, business man Norman Osborn was not unaware of the existence of a kingpin. they engaged in a mutually beneficial arrangement where the kingpin helped him off load dangerous and caustic mutagens from his labs. Norman saved money on proper disposal, was seen doing business with the kingpin by the more powerful criminal forces in the city (ensuring that they never bothered him) and the kingpin had a steady substantial income from a powerful weapons and tech manufacturer.

when the Daredevil got blinded as a child he was exposed to a toxic recreation of the super soldier serum. entering through the eye ducts the chemicals burned out his optical nerves but went to work changing his physiology. it was a low enough dosage that he was able to survive with only disfigurement but a high enough dosage that he was able to benefit from it's positive effects.


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

[User]
ELI5: If a rocket launched into space streams continuous video back to the earth, what will happen once the rocket gets so far away that we don't receive the broadcast signal instantaneously any more?

I can't grasp my head on this problem.

If we want to reach a sattelite far away, it can take up to 10 minutes for our command to reach the sattelite. Then it takes another 10 for the sattelite's response to reach us.

If we would launch a rocket livestreaming onboard video, what happens once the rocket starts to get so far away it would take 10 minutes for the broadcast to reach Earth?

We'd be watching from Earth constantly, but the rocket at one point can't reach us instantly. Would we see slow motion video or something?

[Assistant]
Well there's not a *point* it will reach where it won't be live. It will *never* be footage of what the spacecraft is seeing at that exact instant. The spacecraft could be 10 feet away from you sitting still and if your buddy was watching the footage in the next room over there would be an *extremely* small delay. Like what he saw on his scree would be like 0.0000000001 seconds behind what was really happening.

As you move the camera farther and farther away this delay would simply increase over time. There's no *point* where it suddenly stops being live, it's never live. This is due to the fact that light has a speed and it takes (a very small amount of) time for light or signals to go anywhere.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do pull-up bars not break the doorframe?

I'm guessing it has something to do with leverage, but wouldn't enough weight just crack the doorjamb off?

[Assistant]
Enough weight would, yes.

Doorframes are typically made strong enough to handle this for reasons not related to pull-up bars.

Security is the most obvious - but it is at some point hard to construct a house that is fragile enough for it to be a problem without it actually costing more.

Commonly used construction practices mean most doorframes can handle the load, without being specifically designed for it.


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

[User]
ELI5:How can Wim Hof raise his blood pH through the use of a breathing technique, directly influencing the immune system?

^

[Assistant]
I have no idea who/what Wim Hof is, but breathing absolutely influences your blood pH. When carbon dioxide is in your blood, it is converted to H+ (protons) and HCO3 (bicarbonate), which are both dissolved in your blood. H+ (protons) is what determines pH (more H+=lower pH, less H+=higher pH). When the bicarbonate reaches your lungs, it is converted back into CO2, which can be exhaled.

Therefore, if you increase your breathing rate (hyperventilate), you will blow off more CO2, which will decrease the amount of HCO3 and H+ in your blood, which will increase your blood pH. If you decrease your breathing rate (hypoventilate), you will retain CO2, which will increase the amount of HCO3 and H+ in your blood, and decrease your blood pH.

This is a well documented phenomenon in diseases that involve acidosis (decreased blood pH). One of the best examples of this is Diabetic Ketoacidosis, in which the low insulin levels result in a low blood pH. One of the classic clinical presentations of Diabetic Ketoacidosis is hyperventillation, because the body is trying to blow off extra CO2 in order to raise the blood pH.


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

[User] ELI5: If clouds are water vapor, how are there clouds in the arctic? Wouldn't all clouds just freeze almost immediately?

[Assistant]
A cloud is made of droplets which condense out from water that's "dissolved" in the air (water vapour) into a visible form of clouds. Clouds that are higher in the atmosphere or that are found in already-cold climates are made of ice crystals.

Even on hot sunny days sometimes, and depending on where you live, if you look up and see "wispy" clouds, those ones are tiny ice crystals. In warmer climates you see them at the very top of massive thunderclouds as well, where water is pushed up into thinner and colder layers by the rising action within the growing cloud (which also explains hail).

As to why clouds even form in the arctic when it's below freezing, that's because colder air can hold less invisible water than warmer air. When air that contains some water vapour chills down, such as if a wind moves moist air into a colder place or an updraft pushes warm moist air at the earth's surface upwards, it'll condense out just like other clouds do, forming ice crystals rather than water droplets.


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

[User] [Rick and Morty] How long can a Meeseeks live before it starts flipping out?

[Assistant] As long as it sees an end it will be fine. If you set one as an alarm clock for one year from now it won't mind, it still has point to existing. Jerry just gave it something impossible on some divide by zero shit.


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

[User]
[Bioshock Infinite] Why didn't Booker and Elizabeth just use one of the transport barges to get out of rapture?

Late into the game when all Booker wants to do is book it out of Rapture, he suggests to Elizabeth that they just use the barge that they're on to fly off to Paris. Why didn't they just do this early on? When Elizabeth wanted to leave? Sure it would fuck up the ending, but wouldn't that be a logical thing to do? Considering the fact you see one such barge taking refugees out of Rapture early on.

[Assistant]
The Founders and police would've figured out that the transport was flying away from Columbia and sent security forces to capture the vessel or shoot it down, presumably the former when they realized that Elizabeth was onboard. Most worryingly, *Songbird* would've figured out that Elizabeth was on the transport barge and would've torn it apart, killing Booker and getting her captured again.

And don't think that you're not the first person to figure this out. Booker had already tried it... in a timeline where he fought Songbird. In every timeline where Booker fights Songbird, Booker *dies*. Also, should they try and get onto a refugee barge then they'd have to deal with the angry civilians against Booker who's trying to take their lamb away. In the timeline where the citizens are evacuating the Booker of that timeline has *already caused a rebellion* - he's the reason they're abandoning Columbia to begin with! He's also easily recognizable because of his AD scar. Also, Songbird would murder the innocent civilians so... there's that.

And don't just say, 'Hey - why shouldn't Booker and Elizabeth just dive bomb out of the transport before Songbird figures it out? They could easily make a good distance on the ground?' Well, except for one thing - Songbird is *smart*. He'd figure out their little trick and would still capture Elizabeth / murder Booker.

There's also the problem as to *how* they'd dive bomb out. While the theory as to how parachutes work has been theorized since the Renaissance period and had been proven in 1797, the first example of a person - and this is important - parachuting out of a flying vehicle, was when two pilots had to abandon their aeroplane in flight in 1911 with the first free-fall jump being performed in 1914. Since the game is set in 1912 the former would be possible in the timeline but not the latter... except that since Columbia became isolationist some time before Elizabeth was born / brought to Rapture the city was not accustomed to the rest of the world's technological breakthroughs, which could work in its favor... or against it.

Also, remember that Columbia is 25,000 feet above sea level. While modern day skydiving is a popular form of recreational extreme sport this was unthinkable until 1960 which was when the first HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) and HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) jumps were performed by the US Air Force after years of research and experimentation dating back to the 1940's, with the biggest difficulty being motion and decompression sickness. From 25,000ft it takes about 2 minutes without a parachute to free fall, so it'd be slightly longer for Elizabeth and Booker to fly downward... which is still long enough for Songbird to see them, catch up and snatch up Elizabeth.


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

[User]
[Marvel] How does the Egyptian and Norse pantheon interact with each other if at all?

With moon knight releasing it made me notice that not only does the Norse mythology exist but the Egyptian one too in the marvel universe. Now we aren't that far into moon knight or its potential to be added to the mcu. BUT in the comics do we ever see these pantheons interact? If they do how is it like? Do they have alliances? Fueds? Do they even interact at all or talk to each other? Do they even know the other exists? What's going on here?

[Assistant] They know about each other , Odin , Zeus , Yhwh and Ra are all part of of a group called "skyfathers" composed of many gods . They do meet up when there is a good reason to like when thanos had the IG .


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

[User] ELI5:how exactly does an EMP destroy electronics?

[Assistant] An EMP creates a huge, rapid change in electric and magnetic fields. Any closed circuits, when exposed to a changing magnetic field, will have some current induced in them. If the change in the magnetic field is strong and fast enough, the current generated could be enough to fry components of the circuit, which essentially destroys the circuit.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do governments bail out their banks instead of just letting them go under?

With everything that has been going on in Greece lately I was just wondering why governments would go bailing out banks that have a lot to do with the problem. After the financial crisis of 2008, the U.S. also bailed out its banks even though again they were the ones to blame for the housing bubble.

[Assistant]
Because when a company goes bankrupt, that means it doesn't/can't pay its obligations. What obligations does a bank have? Well it owes money to all the people who have deposited money there.

By bailing out the bank you are indirectly bailing out the people who have deposited money there. And by letting the bank fail, you leave those people in trouble.


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

[User]
ELI5: What's happening when actors in movies and TV shows are snorting lines of cocaine?

It looks like they're legitimately snorting something, obviously it's not real drugs, but is snorting anything safe? Are they actually snorting anything at all? Is snorting even the word we use anymore?

[Assistant] Its typically lactose powder, or vitamin b powder for those who are lactose intolerant. These powders are harmless even if snorted. If they are snorting a lot of "coke" the straw is typically coated on the inside with vaseline, which will cause most of the powder to stick to the straw, instead of going into the actors nose.


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

[User]
ELI5:Do expensive sunglasses like Oakleys actually provide better protection from the sun compared to dollar store glasses?

...or are you just paying for the name/marketing?

[Assistant]
The answers here are all over the place.

Yes, you are paying for name/marketing, but you are also paying for correctly oriented polarized lenses.  There is also UV protection, but you can find that on cheap pairs too.

What makes Oakleys preferable is that the polarized lenses (which reduce glare) are oriented in the same direction.  If they are not oriented the same direction, your brain will have difficulty correcting the slight distortions, which will eventually make it uncomfortable to wear them.


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

[User] ELI5: In open world games like GTA V, is the entire world constantly running the simulation, or is it just the parts where the playable character resides?

[Assistant] To be efficient with resources, the game only loads in the chunks where the player is present, or where a relevant event to the player may be occurring. If the entire simulation were running at all times, it would be far too taxing on the computer.


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

[User]
CMV: Flat head screws should never be used

Not the most intellectual CMV ever, but a strong view nonetheless.

Flat head screws are the bane of my life. I live in an old house and whenever I do repairs I run into flat head screws. I appreciate, at the time, they may have been more common due to manufacturing capabilities. But I still see people using them for non-aeathetic reasons and come across them on newer projects.

I can't use a drill driver, as the bit slips out. I have similar problems manually if I need to apply high torque. When that doesn't happen, the screw head warps and becomes near impossible to remove. I've spent 30+ mins on individual screws before and have reverted to angle grinding them away at times.

They are the only screw head that is essentially two dimensional, a third dimension is necessary for grip of the bit and to apply torque evenly. They are also the only screwhead with open ends that further allow this slipping out. Each of those facts is a sin and both combined are an atrocity.

They are inferior to all other screw heads.

[Assistant]
Flat screw heads can be screwed or unscrewed with a knife or any flat thin object.

It isn't the best screw (robertson for the win), but it is a useful one in some cases.

Screws on glasses are flat so people don't need a screwdriver to fix their own.


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

[User] [Star Wars] My name is Phil Skywalker (no relation). I'm planning on applying to the Imperial Academy. Will my name by an issue? Could it be flagged or something?

[Assistant] No. The galaxy is huge and tons of people have that last name. Luke's family didn't even bother changing his name when they took him into hiding. Or when he decided his best bet of ever leaving the planet was through the Imperial Academy.


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

[User]
ELI5 how does my internet know to delegate speed between my devices?

im downloading a game rn and its going at full speed. then when i open my phone and go on social media, the download speed slows down. how does my router or internet understand this and figure out how to divide the speed? as well as how would this work for more devices?

[Assistant] Your router does not know. The router just processes the demands made on it. If there is just one thing happening all resources (bandwidth and processing) are dedicated to the one thing happening. If multiple requests are made, the resources are shared. Sharing means each process is slower than if it was running alone. The more processes running, the longer each takes to complete.


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

[User] ELI5: One of the qualifications for a drug to be listed as Schedule 1 is that is has no currently accepted medical use. So why is marijuana still Schedule 1?

[Assistant] The number one qualification for a drug to be listed as Schedule 1 is a congressional mandate to do so. No other criteria matter - if Congress decides Cupcakes are schedule 1, and we keep re-electing them, then Cupcakes are schedule 1.


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

[User] If you donate blood with low levels of cholestorol into a body with previously high levels of cholesterol, would there be any discernible effects?

[Assistant]
It depends on the amount of blood given and amount in the body.

Say you have 4 pints of blood with HDLs at 100.  Add in 1 pint with HDLs at 20,you wind up with an end point of 5 pints with HDLs at 84.  So, in that case you'd see a drop in HDL levels.

However, various lipoprotein levels are primarily influenced by diet and activity, so after the initial change, lipoprotein levels would drift back to baseline unless significant lifestyle changes also occur.


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

[User]
[ST:Voyager/BSG] Voyager and Galactica switch places how do things turn out?

OK so let's say that Q is being a dick and decided to which places with the Re-imagined Galactica and the USS Voyager. Now Voyager is in the BSG Universe and has to defend the fleet from the Cylons, and Galactica is now in the Star Trek Universe stuck in the Delta Quadrant and has to make its way back to earth.
How are the shows different now, How do these ships and crews fair. Can they successfully make it to the series finales or do they die trying?

[Assistant] Galactica gets its ass handed to it by whoever they have the misfortune of running into.  Voyager puts the fear of God into the Cylons in their first major engagement and forces them to abandon the pursuit of the Fleet.


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

[User] Why is sleeping reffered to sometimes as "catching some Z's" or spelled out as Zzzzzzzz?

[Assistant]
It's from comics where they needed to phonetically spell the sound of someone snoring. They would show the character saying "zzzz". Try saying it out loud in a sleepy way, it works!

Catching some Z's is a derivative of that.


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

[User]
I feel bad for my cat spending his entire potential 15+ year long life inside of my house, I'm pretty sure he's miserable this way. CMV

I know this is pathetic and I couldn't find a better way of phrasing it, but my cat must feel awful being confined to my house. He's only just under 2 years old and he must feel imprisoned in my house. I'm pretty sure that walking him would be a good idea, I mean, people do it with dogs, right? How could any creature possibly be content with spending their entire 10-20 year life confined to such a tiny little space (2200 sq ft in my house's case) when the world is 510 million square kilometres or so? I want someone to convince me that I'm wrong and that I shouldn't feel bad for my cat for having to live indoors for his entire life.

P.S. You guys, I know this is a terrible post and that I'm pretty much BEGGING for someone to change my point of view for me, but I didn't really know where else to take it.

[Assistant]
Assuming he has plenty of toys and a view of the outside to bird watch your cat should be fine.

1. Cats are domesticated. Meaning they have evolved to be emotionally codependent on humans. So they do enjoy being around people ( obviously not as extreme as dogs). So being able to be in a safe place near people is also satisfying to him.
2. Cats are extremely territorial. So having his own home where no other cats he doesn't know are around is probably deeply satisfying to him. Meaning he isn't stressed about protecting his territory and is probably content and satisfied about it.
3. Cats are pretty damn lazy creatures that spend a lot of time sleeping. So to him its probably a moot point because he's sleeping a big portion of his time and when he is awake, he is keeping over his territory.

I think taking him for walks might be an interesting idea and some cats do like to explore but remember this. When he goes outside has the potential to either be stressed about defending his new territory or being in another cat's. And for him to be inside provides safe, emotional stability.

Hope that helps.


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

[User]
What makes something microwave safe and another similar material not safe?

I know some heat up and that makes them unsafe, but why do some materials heat up in a microwave and others dont?

[Assistant]
Well, metals are an issue as the microwaves induce electrical currents in them. Same idea as an antenna. This means that any metal will get quite hot in a microwave. In addition, if there is any points to the metal the currents can build up high voltages that arc, and can start fires.

As for ceramics that aren't microwave safe, it has to do with the permittivity of the material. A lot of molecular structures are slightly polar, that is one side of the structure has more density of the electron cloud making it negatively charged. The other end positively charged. This makes a dipole. While this charge is bound together and not free to move as monopole charge carriers (like in metals), it can rotate. As an alternating electric field (microwaves) passes through, the dipole will rotate in response to it. The permittivity of the material, the dielectric, is how much the dipoles response to the external electric field being applied. The permittivity has both a real and imaginary strength, the real value is simply how much it responds but contributes back to the electric field. For example, in capacitors we want the dielectric to magnify the electric field strength, but not lose any energy. In a microwave oven, we care about the imaginary value which is how much of the response takes energy out of the electric field and converts to heat.

This effect is very similar to refraction with light, actually it's pretty much the same thing other than refraction is in terms of the speed it passed through rather than electric field strength. When light passes through water from air it bends according to the refractive index, which is due to the charge of the water molecules responding to the light's electric field. Part of the repsonce it returns as a slightly offset electric field. This returns the energy to the light while simply slowing it's passage. However, thats not the whole story. There's also an imaginary component to the refractive index too, this component represents the absorbion as light passes through. So the higher the imaginary part of the permittivity, the more the dipoles repaond to the electric field and steal energy from it. Some thing like glass isn't polar and as such has very little response to microwaves. It's permittivity is low, both real and imaginary parts. Some ceramics or glazes are polar, so they heat up a lot. A lot of molecules in food are polar, notably water, and will heat up.

Lastly, plastics. They themselves really don't absorb microwaves. However, they melt easily. If the temperature of the food rises high enough, the plastic will melt making it unsafe.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do muscles hurt the day after they are damaged, by over exercising or injury from a fall, and not at the time of the damage?

If I workout too much, why don't my muscles hurt that day? Why is it not until the next day, or some time after the event that leads to the pain, that the muscles start to ache?

[Assistant]
When you work your muscles, you are causing small amounts of injury that will need to be repaired to be stronger. When an injury occurs in your body, your body releases endorphins which are natural painkillers (the source of runner's high).

In the short term, they allow you to ignore the pain coming from the injury. Why? Because the humans that immediately collapsed in pain from injuries are the ones that get caught by the large animal chasing them or the ones that can't move away from an impending landslide after getting hit with a rock.

The natural painkiller allows us to ignore our pain so we can get ourselves out of danger first and worry about recovery second.


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

[User] Why does sunburnt skin remain hot to the touch even days after the burn has occurred?

[Assistant] Your body is repairing itself. Many cells DNA could have been damaged, so your cells need extra nutrients to repair the damage, make new cells, and make more melanin. That means extra blood goes to the area. The redness itself is capillaries expanding near the surface of the skin. It's not residual heat leftover from the sun.


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

[User]
CMV: Bernie Sanders would make a bad president, despite the fact that I agree with him often

Although I agree with many of his political stances, and hist critiques of the current system, I'm not entirely sure that he'd make a good president.  The way I see it, the job of the president of the United States is to represent the populous of the United States, and many of his more extreme views might appeal widely to a crowd on reddit, but are hardly representative of the entire political sphere of USA.   Even if he were to somehow win a majority vote, he would be as unpopular in the south as Lincoln was.

Furthermore, in order to get anything accomplished as a president, he needs to work fairly closely with Congress, and his current stance of "attack anyone who receives donations from rich people" would prevent him from being able to play nicely.   Finally, I think that as a president, his laser focus on the social problems of America would prevent him from focusing on the other issues that the president must contend with.  The way he presents himself currently, it seems as though he sees it as his mission to attack the current system, which is not the position that the president should occupy.

Finally, as a 74 year old man, who will be 75 at the time of the election, I think the same critiques that applied to John McCain also apply to him - there's a fairly good chance that if he were elected, he would die, or become quite ill while still in office.  For these reasons, I think he'd be better situated trying to solve these social/political problems in a different capacity.

**Edit**:  I've seen a lot of the same points being brought up over and over again trying to refute my points, rather than offering evidence as to why he'd make a good president.   So I think I'll clarify:   I think that a good president is someone that unifies the nation, not someone that divides it, or enforces his will upon it.

[Assistant]
>in order to get anything accomplished you must work with congress.

while that is true to a point, by that logic you should only elect those who could work with them and then how how could anything change?   Possibly electing a very popular antiestablishment President can inspire changing up congress.

Also with the arguments with age.  John McCain is now still very active when he could have been in a second term.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why are cameras on smartphones so slow at taking single frame photos yet can record HD video at many Frames per second.

Why is it that cameras as found on the latest smart phones can only take 1 photo every second or two (in full resolution anyway) while at the same time they have the capability to take HD video at many tens of frames a second?

[Assistant]
Photos are typically much much higher resolution than video (even compared to HD video).

A typical smartphone may have an 8 MP (megapixel) photo resolution. This means photos may comprise a grid of roughly 3,264 x 2,448 pixels (a total of ~8 Million pixels).

In contrast, even full HD (1080p) video recordings comprise a grid of only 1920x1080 pixels (a total of just over 2 Million pixels).

So basically, you're compromising the resolution significantly (i.e. getting only about 1/4 of the resolution your camera is capable of) when you elect to take video over photos. The higher resolution photos take longer to capture and process, and they typically require more light (to form a higher quality image) so the exposure time may be longer than for an individual video frame, especially at night.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why are gasoline powered appliances, such as pressure washers or chainsaws, more powerful than electric?

Edit: Wow, this blew up!  Thanks for all the answers, I actually learned something today on the internet!

[Assistant]
Electric motors aren't inherently weaker than gasoline motors, it's just that there's a limit to how much electricity you can draw from a single wall outlet, or how much you can carry in a battery.

Gasoline motors don't have this problem, because A) gasoline contains a lot more energy for a given mass than batteries, and B) there's no breaker to blow if you try to burn gas too fast.

Electric motors are actually better for providing sudden bursts of torque, as shown by the Tesla Model S.  Also, many permanently installed machines are electric, and are more powerful than any portable gas-powered variant because they can be hard-wired into higher current connections.

Sawmills are usually electric if they aren't portable, and they tear through logs faster than any chainsaw.


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

[User]
[W40K] What is the most likely way the Tau could take over the galaxy?

Forgetting the obvious, they can't here's why kinda replies, how would the Tau actually do it?

[Assistant] As space empires go, they're very conventional; no elder gods to awaken or reincarnate, no ancient tech with an 'i win' button. It'd take slow and steady growth and development over thousands of years. A pretty good PR campaign that inspires a fair portion of the Imperium to accept their governance, or at least alliance. Their technology is still developing and can improve, and if they seized and populated up a few hundred more colony worlds, they could potentially drive away, conquer, integrate, or make peace with most aliens. Chaos would always be a threat, but if they dominate the galaxy's collective unconsciousness with a population that's *pretty calm* it'd be trimmed down to a manageable level.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why does pushing on your closed eyelids gives you weird visions?

I can feel even depth of it (no drugs involved) and it's really weird, because i can see sometimes similar visions.

[Assistant] Increasing the pressure inside the eyeball (eg. by gently pressing on them, raising blood pressure due to coughing or exertion, etc.) directly stimulates the cells of the retina, causing them to signal as if they were detecting light.  These non-light images are called 'phosphenes'.


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

[User]
ELI5: When you're sick, why does your appetite often go away?

 I've noticed that with certain sicknesses, I tend to go most of the day without eating anything; if not all day. Usually just for one day though, then I get my appetite back. Normally (when I'm not sick) if I go a few hours without eating I get "hangry". I'm used to eating quite a lot throughout the day though because I have a fast metabolism. So (for me it happens with tonsillitis or stomach bugs) why is it that when you're sick you don't feel inclined to eat? Doesn't your body need food for energy to fight the sickness? And why does it seem that only certain sicknesses suppress the appetite?

[Assistant] attrition. In a bacterial infection, your body pumps out different hormones to fight it, one of these lowers your glucose levels, which is what the bacteria eat, so your body is trying to starve it out.


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

[User]
Could someone please attempt to explain entropy to me in a fluid dynamics context?

I have recently started a job as an aerothermal engineer and have had trouble understanding exactly what entropy is in a physical sense. I've encountered it in a few cases, for example, viewing entropy plots to locate pressure shocks over aerofoils, but I can't grasp exactly what it is.

[Assistant]
Entropy (both in computer science and physics) is a measure of the number of possible states of a system.

Creating entropy somewhere means you have taken a certain path in reality, out of a great number of others. The greater the entropy increase, the greater the number of possible states your system can have. The sheer number of these new potential other states basically makes it impossible to go back to a point where the number of states were comparatively hugely smaller. Creating entropy means there is no going back in time.

Entropy can also be seen as a measure of disorder: the more the possible states of a system, the more you'll see random behavior appear.

When your fluid is laminar, little entropy is being created: your fluid has a very low number of ways to evolve. When your fluid is not laminar, when there are pressure shocks, a great number of possible states are being created. And you're likely to see turbulences.

When plotting entropy, you are basically viewing where the action takes place (where a single reality is chosen over a great number of potential states).


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

[User] ELI5: Why do flys rub their hands together menacingly whenever they land?

[Assistant]
They get dirty and have flavor receptors (think taste buds) on their legs. They rub themselves off in order to eat and be able to taste it.

**Edit:** Alternate theory - They know something we don't. *Half Life 3 confirmed!*


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

[User]
[Comics General] Who would you say is *the best* unpowered/unenhanced martial artist out there? (both Marvel and DC)

I've been browsing a lot of heroes lately and some of them are denominated as a "master martial artist." I wonder though, who is absolutely *the best* one out there? Obviously, for an even playing field, no mutants or powered people allowed. Just average joe humans.

[Assistant] The Karate Kid (DC) has mastered almost all martial arts styles up to the 31st century. He has no powers other then just knowing every single martial art. He regularly fights kryptonians like Super Girl using nothing more then his skill and a flight ring.


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

[User] [Avatar: giant blue people] Now that the humans know that the Na'vi can put up a competent resistance, won't they be back in 50-100 years with a fleet of warships to wipe them out?

[Assistant] Keep in mind that even the most angry and aggressive of the humans was going for a shock and awe strategy of a single strike against a single high cultural value target and was not trying to wipe out the Navi.  The Navi resisted successfuly.  Sure, given the value of the unobtanium it's possible the humans will be back, but it's far more likely for them to just try to find a softer target.


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

[User] [LOTR ROTK] Movie, maybe book as well: Why did King Theoden order the Rhohhimrim to charge the Mumakkel head on, would it not have been smarter to attack then from behind or leave them alone entirely since they couldn't really do any damage to the city?

[Assistant]
Just thought you might be interested:

* The spelling "Mumakkel" is so unique that it has only 4 results on Google, and only two are in English.

* The spelling "Rhohhimrim" is so unique that it has exactly 1 result on Google; this page.


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

[User]
[Wh40k] Chaos rituals, what are they?

What are some examples of chaos rituals and what they are supposed to do. How do people get the literature/knowledge of chaos' existence in the first place let alone the rituals?

[Assistant]
Most chaos cults get their ideas of what a cult is/supposedly is from bad holos, and as such does a whole lot of useless mumbo jumbo that achieves nothing (you're welcome). Hell, some actually create summoning circles, the sweet gullible heretics.

Now real chaos cults, the ones that actually attract the attentions of a chaos entity, do so through human sacrifice mostly. Self mutilation, torture, as well as defacement of the Holy Sigils and images of the God-Emperor. Sometimes they begin as simple societies that enjoy the things the Ruinous Powers enjoy. For example, a Slaaneshi cult sometimes just begins as a bunch of bored nobles fucking a lot. One of them comes across a book that details some sexual rituals, next thing you know a Slaaneshi daemon has appeared in the middle of the blood orgy.

Or a group of Imperial Guard that finds combat more and more appealing, they start loving combat for combat's sake not the glory that is Purging the enemies of the Emperor.

Unfortunately for you, this knowledge is completely forbidden. In the Name of the Emperor, as his pious servant, I, Jalapenyobuisness, Lord Inquisitor of the Ordos Hereticus, hereby sentence you to death.

***BLAM***


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

[User] Were the Sith and Jedi ever in the same room and NOT try to kill each other?

[Assistant] For a specific example, The Handmaiden Brianna and Sith Apprentice Visas Marr once worked together serving in the retinue of the Jedi Exile. They weren't exactly *friendly*, to be honest, but the at least had a working relationship.


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

[User] [MCU] Why did Hitler let the Red Skull and the Howling Commandoes go apeshit during the war?

[Assistant] I think it was pretty clearly established that Red Skull was going to do what he wanted, regardless of how Hitler felt. Hitler simply lacked the ability to control him, and it was easier to allow him to do his thing than march his own army in to take Hydra down.


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

[User] Why are galaxies disc-shaped and not spherical?

[Assistant] When the galaxy is formed by mutual attraction of primordial mass the particles are moving and orbit around the center. As there are more particles there are many collisions between the particles that have an angle between their plane of orbit. As they collide their orbits are aligned - and after a long period of collisions most of the galaxy's orbit is aligned on a single plane.


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

[User]
CMV: Vegetarians/vegans are perceived as annoying, not because they are pushy, but because they cause cognitive dissonance.

I found it really hard to summarize this thought in a single sentence in the title.

There are a lot of jokes like "How do you recognize a vegan? They will tell you" etc, with the general gist that people who do not eat meat are annoying and have a holier than thou attitude.

However, personally I never met someone who brought up their beliefs about whether to eat meat or not completely unprovoked. Of course you will know whether someone is vegetarian if you invite them for dinner or something, but thats reasonable. Or if you are talking about food or animal welfare or whatever. But I never had someone tell me (IRL) "you are eating meat, that makes you a murderer" or implying something like that.

So, a few years ago I did magic mushrooms for the first time and as I was tripping I realized that the leather couch I was lying on used to be a cow. A cow that had to be killed to make this couch. I realized itbwas the same for meat and from then on meat grossed me out. Not only morally, but just the thought of having to slaughter this animal and the whole shebang. But I do not judge people that eat meat, because I know it is pretty easy to not think the source if you buy it in a supermarket or something. I also respect hunters as they know where the meat comes from and have respect for the animal they kill.

Anyways, when I informed people of my dietary preferences if we were eating together, or if I answered why I did not order the meat dish or something, I would occasionally get hostile responses. It is not that I explained the complete motivation above (you know, telling how you were tripping balls is not an acceptable topic when dining with your inlaws or w/e), I just said "no meat for me please".

But I would get things like:

"Well you are wearing clothes that were made in some third world sweatshop, so aren't you being hypocritical?"

"Don't you know that the Amazon is being destroyed to produce the soybeans used to make your vegetarian hamburger?"

It felt like they were trying to prove that I was also flawed (which I am of course, but it is not relevant at all), because deep down they felt that eating meat is wrong but they had to ease that cognitive dissonance by arguing that the person not eating meat had to be hypocrite.

So: most vegetarians are not pushy about their dietary preferences, but people feel like that because they feel some guilt aboutbeating meat, CMV.

I realize I created a post for this which in a way disproves a part of my point, but I figure reddit is the place to spout your opininion even though no one asked.

EDIT: for clarification, the point is not whether telling people what to eat is pushy or not, and if it is justified although it is pushy. It is about how vegetarians sometimes are experienced as pushy by just stating their dietary preferences.

[Assistant]
>"Well you are wearing clothes that were made in some third world sweatshop, so aren't you being hypocritical?"

>"Don't you know that the Amazon is being destroyed to produce the soybeans used to make your vegetarian hamburger?"

Out of curiosity do you find these things annoying because they are being pushy? Or because they are inducing cognitive dissonance?

I imagine its a little bit of both. There are definitely overly pushy vegetarians out there, just like there are overly pushy meat eaters. And these people give a bad name to those who aren't. Just look at some of peta's extremism for an outlying but undeniable example of asshole vegetarians.


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

[User]
Do animals enjoy music to any extent?

Does it annoy them? Do they like it? Do they even care or notice?

[Assistant]
Not what we as humans define as music, no. Our music typically falls into a similar sound range that a human voice is able to replicate, and it's definitely within the human range of hearing (20Hz-20kHz). Animals don't share the same "fondness" for human vocal ranges and definitely don't have the same hearing range.

There actually is music out there for animals, but it's more or less specific to each animal. Cats listening to music designed for cats can actually have certain emotions invoked similar to what our music can do to us. A cat listening to music designed for dogs, however, will likely feel indifferent as they do listening to human music.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do longer Ethernet cables not have any loss or drop off in data transmission?

For example, the longer a fiber optic cable the more insertion loss it experiences which affects its transmission of data.

Why do Ethernet cables not experience this, and on the contrary seem to be just as strong at 500ft than it is at 5 ft?

[Assistant]
The key is in your last line. "seem"

I did this type of cabling for years.  The rule of thumb was about 300 ft+- before r transmission loss.  That was from the manufacturer and industry standards.  Typically most cables are designed with enough headroom that going beyond the recommended length does not result in a noticeable loss right away. But with enough length it will become noticeable if you test it with the right equipment .  Also, usually the equipment sending or receiving the data has more effect on speed than the cable itself, but loss does occur.


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

[User] ELI5: How do laptops not get horribly undervolted as their battery loses its charge?

[Assistant] So, first off, eg. li-ion has a pretty flat voltage graph during discharge. Also laptops have voltage regulators which prevent the fluctuations in battery voltage actually affecting the system - at least until you drop below the voltage you actually require, but that typically means the battery is lower than what is considered "0%" (because thats just some semi-arbitrary point which is based on many factors).


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Were snowspeeders given the harpoon as a tactic to directly counter AT-ATs?

In Episode 5, the only successful rebel tactic to counter the AT-ATs is to trip them via the snowspeeders cable. Was this equipment a standard item on the speeder? Why was there even a harpoon on a fast moving aircraft? Were there other planets where this model of speeder was used and the harpoon was then likely more of a conventional tool?

[Assistant]
The snow-speeders were originally civilian cargo-hauling aircraft that the Rebellion converted into bargain-basement fighters by adding guns and a targeting system. They're basically flying tugboats with a pair of blaster cannons strapped on.

The magnetic harpoon and tow-cable were originally intended to be attached to large cargo pallets suspended on repulsorlift platforms, so that they could be towed from one location to another. Luke had the idea to use them as a makeshift lasso because he grew up on a farm.

Uncle Owen didn't own any herd animals (or at least we aren't given any indication that he did), but Luke did have friends, and some of their families most likely did. Luke may have seen them lasso a nerf (or some other herd animal) at one point or another, or even helped them to do it.


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

[User]
[ELI5] Why does water extinguish the fire ?

It's in the title.

[Assistant]
there's 3 key elements to a Fire: 1) Heat, 2) Fuel, 3) Oxygen.  The Fire Triangle.

Water is great at cooling down the fire and then turned into steam/smoke (surface cooling).  The steam/smoke acts as a blanket to smother the fire (smoke cooling).  With less heat, wet fuel and less oxygen the fire will most likely extinguish with enough water.

however, you shouldn't put out all fires with Water.  IIRC, kitchen grease fires should be put out by Milk/Salt/Baking Soda/etc.