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

[User] [Venture Bros] What happens if a villain actually took over the world? Does that break Guilt Law?

[Assistant]
An unspoken part of the guild system is that it acts as a check on unbridled power. Ambitious protagonists are teamed up with ambitious antagonists.

Double crosses are encouraged within the Guild so if someone monopolized the world and had no good guy equal they would face detractors from within.

But its ultimately up to the OSI and the protagonists to stop this from happening. Its probably not against Guild law unless they realize it would lead to a disproportionate response from the OSI, so the Guild might act to stop a gross overreach. Its hard to imagine a Guild member taking over the world without violating a treaty with the OSI so they would at least be forced to try to punish the offender for those violations.

Taking over the world could break the economy of the Guild so they might fight it on a bureaucratic level.

But its probably ultimately self correcting. If someone takes over the world this would make plenty of guild personalities envious and they would act to bring the person down.


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

[User]
[general vampires] Would a 21st century vampire still hunt humans by night, or would it instead try and rob a blood bank or hospital for blood products?

If a vampire could steal and store a bunch of platelets, FFP, RBC's and just raw blood like from a red cross blood drive, they could probably live a long time without hunting I bet.

[Assistant]
Some lores do admit vampires living of stored blood or even artificial blood, while others don't. Usually in the second case it is hinted that the blood is just a conduit for the victims lifeforce and stored blood will soon lose that.

Even in the lores that do admit vampires feeding on stored blood, though, usually that's described as not the same thing as feeding directly from the victim. One has to keep in mind that the contact of the vampire with the victim is almost sexual (sometimes *literally* sexual, and for both) and drinking stored blood from a bag will sound and taste quite bland in comparison.


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

[User]
eli5: Why is 70 degree F water so much colder than 70 degree F air?

I can hang out buck naked in 70 degree F outside all day but not touching 70 degree F water.

[Assistant] It's because of the efficiency of heat transfer--when thermal energy moves from something warm to something cooler.  In this case, from your 98.7 degree (F) body to the 70 degree air or water.  Water is a better conductor than air, so when you get into the water heat escapes/is transferred out of your body at a much faster rate, leaving you feeling colder, faster than you would if you were just standing in 70 degree air.


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

[User] [Civil War] How might things have turned out differently if Thor had been present during the "Civil War" events?

[Assistant]
Probably relatively similar to how things worked out with Black Panther.

As an alien sovereign, they have no explicit authority over Thor, but they can maneuver things around him to their interests and his.

Thor is short tempered, but he's not about to go to war with most of Earth's governments.  He's also not going to be at their beck and call.  So he can't overtly help Steve's side, but he also isn't going to be a thrall on Tony's side either.  At best, he can cooperate with Tony like T'Challa, which he might do in the interest of keeping the Avengers together for the greater threat he can see forthcoming.

**Ultimately, he doesn't really end up participating.**  Even if he feels the Avengers need to stay together for the greater cosmic threat, you can't beat Steve into submission and arrest him *into* teamwork.  He's not going to upend Earth's own governance and dissolution of the Avengers for the sake of Steve's friend... a warrior's duty is to his people and not just his comrades in the field... but beating Steve up isn't going to do anything either.  He stays out of it and doesn't go to Germany.  He stands as a second voice establishing the unity of the Avengers is more important to the cosmos than petty politics, personal sacrifice, individual loyalty or autonomy or familial division... making Steve even more stubborn and less sympathetic to the audience by putting the fate of one single friend ahead of the safety of the known realms and beyond.

That said, if the matter becomes intractable, he might offer Asgard as a safe haven to preserve what remains of the team until the appointed time... rendering Black Panther somewhat irrelevant.

Basically, the story doesn't work unless Thor is conveniently missing.

If, for some inexplicable reason, Thor participates in Germany, Steve's team is arrested.  End of story.  Too many places where Thor's intervention wrecks Steve.  Giant Man is nothing.  Thor is able to catch the Quinjet in Avengers to get Loki, so Steve's not getting away.  Thor probably can save Rhodey, so Iron Man is still free to catch or stop Steve.  His area-effect attack alone has the potential to stun and drop all of Steve's team.

I don't see Thor motivated to arrest Steve, but if he wanted to, there's little they could do to stop him.


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

[User]
CMV: The Defund-the-Police movement is potentially dangerous and may end up doing more harm than good

A few things to clarify off the bat: (1) I strongly believe that the US has a systemic racism problem, specifically with police and more broadly in our society. (2) There definitely needs to be criminal justice reform in the US. Particularly, the privatized prison system, the "War on Drugs", police militarization, etc. (3) I believe drug use should be de-criminalized, period.

So now that I've gotten those out of the way, I still believe that the Defund-the-Police movement (as it stands right now) has a lot of major issues that could end up being very dangerous. The first is that I don't believe having a well-resourced police force is an inherently bad thing. Police need funding to solve and prevent crimes. They need manhours, equipment, lab-work and technology - especially for major crimes. Reducing funding for police could have two major negative effects. First it will reduce the police's overall ability to solve major crimes. Second, by reducing funding, there will a natural inclination to shift resources to lower-cost and much less effective forms of police work (e.g. instead of resource intensive major investigative police work, more street level cops busting low-level offenses). This last one in particular could actually exacerbate the issues of police brutality.

Furthermore, in order to shift police mentality from the militarized and combative force that we have currently to something that actually serves the needs of the community, we need a lot more police training and reprogramming efforts. The current time an average policeman spends in training is laughable. Those programs also require lots of funding. People talk about police needing to be better at things like de-escalation and community engagement. Guess what, that doesn't happen without more training hours being spent on each rank-and-file police.

CMV

TL'DR. Defunding the police at the moment is dangerous and if anything I think we need more police spending - it should just be spent on different activities within the police force. Taking away funding and pushing it to social welfare programs sounds like a good idea, but it's not going to be for the overall benefit of the public.

[Assistant]
>People talk about police needing to be better at things like de-escalation and community engagement. Guess what, that doesn't happen without more training hours being spent on each rank-and-file police.

One of the ideas is to save money by moving this responsibility away from police entirely. When you have community and mental health professionals responding to minor violations and non-violent incidents, the police can focus on the incidents that actually do need the training and equipment that you mention.

Also, defunding the police is a nebulous term because there isn't a finite goal. But, if you believe that those minor, non-violent incidents are better handled by people other than police, then you might be in alignment with a portion of the defund the police movement.


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

[User]
Why is the air mixed?

Air consists of Nitrogen, CO2 and O2, right?. These molecules have different weight (mass). Why doesn't it stack up layers with the heaviest in the bottom?

[Assistant]
Thermal motion. Gas particles have enough energy to fly around in the air, rather than just being confined to the ground.

Because all the different atoms and molecules collide with each other and exchange energy/momentum, they end up diffusing and mixing together rather than being sorted by mass or type.


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

[User] ELI5: Why can horses and cows eat grass alone yet still pack on muscles while humans need more than just vegetables to bulk up?

[Assistant]
Grass has plenty of proteins. The problem, for humans at least, is that the cell walls are cellulose which the human digestive system can't break down. Cows have several stomachs. One of them called the rumen has a wider variety of bacteria to help break down cellulose. Cows also regurgitate what they eat and then chew it some more, which is called ruminating (animals that do this are called ruminants).

Horses are not ruminants. They have single chambered stomachs, but also an enlarged and specialized cecum in the bowels where plant matter is fermented by bacteria and broken down.


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

[User] [MCU] It seems like the Jarvis AI isn't really around anymore, but why is that? He just agreed to copypaste his entire OS into the Vision body, right? Did that somehow delete the original?

[Assistant]
However Jarvis was designed, it definitely doesn't seem to follow normal computing conventions. He needs to be manually uploaded/downloaded into the suits from the home for the first suits, reinforcing that he can only exist in a single "node" at a time. While we see multiple automated suits/Ultron drones more than once, we actually never see one of the personality AIs in two places at the same time.

This lends proof towards them not being standard electronics. Whatever "pattern" they may be, it doesn't seem to support duplication, only transfer.


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

[User]
ELI5: Where do the rockets that a spacecraft leaves behind go?

If they fall down to earth does that mean they come crashing down on land or sea? And isn't that dangerous threat to people who may be on ground or maybe a ship like a Cruise ship?

[Assistant]
>If they fall down to earth does that mean they come crashing down on land or sea?

Yes

>And isn't that dangerous threat to people who may be on ground or maybe a ship like a Cruise ship?

Not really, no. We can predict the crash zone, and plan the mission to make that zone an empty patch of ocean. The location of launchpads all over the world are influenced by having good options for crash zones.


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

[User]
[MCU][Marvel Comics] Does Ant-man ever help cure a disease? If no, why not?

He can go subatomic, so I assume he can go cellular and just cut out tumors. Or bring back a virus for closer study. Or punch a bacterial infection. Is there anything stopping him from doing this?

[Assistant] I don't see how that would actually accomplish anything, unless the tumor was deep inside and hard to reach. We can cut out most cancers with machines easier than Ant-Man could, we can pretty easily get samples of a virus to study, and there is so much bacteria that him punching lots of them would make no difference.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Was Darth Vader's origin widely known in detail before the prequels?

To what extent was the origin of Darth Vader known? Are there any comics that were retconned by the prequels?

[Assistant]
Lucas had said "final battle with Obi-won on a volcano planet" in interviews before the original trilogy. Now, the prequel era was purposefully left vague by the comics and novels after the original trilogy concluded.

Some comics and novels got rewritten, mainly the really early ones that had Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker as two separate people who Obi-Wan was training.


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

[User]
Taking a year out from academia? Pros/cons

Brief summary. At the end of a three year postdoc, I don't have a job lined up for the fall. I'm waiting to hear back for several positions so this question may be redundant but I'm exploring all options. I am in a physical science.

My PhD advisor has offered me a temporary postdoc if I don't end up with anything. Probably for less than 9 months. Just enough to get me through another round of tenure track/fellowship applications.

Alternatively I am likely to be offered a job outside of academia. It would basically be sales - selling the lab equipment that I currently use to academia and industry. Probably no conference attendance, definitely no publications. I would stay for a year while applying for academic jobs.

So. Which would you advise? Why? I'm torn. Going back to advisor means staying in the academic world, and another chance at getting a job. Other job means I don't run back to advisor, but I might not get back into academia.

[Assistant]
You're considering a academic-career ending decision. If you want to stay in, now is the time to fight.

God damn it! Fight and submit another round of applications. Also, be willing to move anywhere globally.


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

[User] If we applied the same selective breeding to humans, that we use for dogs,  for 10 000 years or more, could we achieve comparable variety of shape and sizes while keeping them as one species?

[Assistant] Yes, but possibly not to the same extent that dogs do. Its believed that humans went through a genetic bottleneck resulting a major decrease in genetic diversity when we left Africa so we might have less to work with. But you could definitely amplify pre-existing traits to the point that there would be clear "breeds".


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

[User] ELI5: Why do car doors have those checkpoints when you open them that causes the door to swing back if you dont get it just right?

[Assistant] There is a spring-loaded wheel with notches at specific points. It is good at holding the door steady with no effort by you, but the side effect is that it pushes the door *away from* spots between the steady spots.


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

[User] Does a condition in which the human body produces too much/more blood exist?

[Assistant]
It depends on what you mean by blood. There are a number of components of blood, like red cells, white cells, proteins, and water, among others.

Overproduction of red cells is called polycythemia vera. If, however, you are discussing the total volume of blood, an overall increase in total volume is most usually caused by a number of disorders that result in over-retention of water by the kidneys.


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

[User]
[Discworld] How did (alternate) Ankh-Morpork lose the war so quickly?

Partway through _Jingo_, Vimes grabs a dis-Organizer belonging to a version from him from a different pants leg of time, one where he didn't go to Klatch to stop the war from happening. As a result, we're treated to a terrifying view into what would happen - Klatch invading Ankh-Morpork and killing him and everybody...

Except... at the time he gets that view of the alternate present, the two armies are only about to clash... in Klatch. There's little doubt the A-M army is about to be soundly trounced, but it's still a long while before the Klatchians can cross the sea the other way and get their murder on.

So... if Vimes' decision is the only thing that differs between the pants legs, how did it prevent the invasion happening so soon?

[Assistant]
Klatch Army and Navy is probably prepared and just around the corner. Its the actions of men like Vimes and Ahmed that prevented a massacre of An-Mo...and in a few years down the road, complete conquest of Klatch by AM merchants from within.

Klatch was ready to annihilate Ankhmorporkian military, but was woefully unprepared for being ankhmorporked from within. Ankh-Morpork is not a city, it is a *state of mind* a viral tumour of urban cynicism that would subvert them.

It was in the interests of both nations NOT to fight, but both were 100% prepared to win.


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

[User]
[The Lord Of The Rings] Who is the Mouth of Sauron?

Is he a some sort of ringwrath?... a Nazgul?.... why is his name "Mouth Of Sauron"?... and why is Gandalf so concerned about him watching the hobbits in sorrow?

[Assistant]
He's a Numenorean who speaks for Sauron and is the steward of Barad-Dur.

As far as Gandalf is concerned, he got told that the Hobbits were being tortured to death, that Sauron has the Ring and he doesn't know if it's the truth.


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

[User]
ELI5: How can people ejaculate twice in quick succession?

How do people do this? The second time someone ejaculates there is still cum left. Why wasn't that shot out in the 1st time?

[Assistant] The majority of semen is secreted by several different glands in the male reproductive tract during arousal/stimulation. It's not stored. Sperm cells are the only part that gets depleted and needs to be replenished, but even those won't all be gone after just one ejaculation. The quality of sperm does deteriorate with consecutive ejaculations though.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do some helicopters have two rotors on top of one another while others do not?

[Assistant]
The main rotor of a helicopter also causes the body of the helicopter to rotate in the opposite direction.  Normally, this force is countered by a rotor on the tail.  However, you can accomplish the same task by having another rotor on top that is rotating in the opposite direction.

At low speeds, two top rotors are a more efficient configuration.  However, they're less effective at high speeds.  So when you see multiple top rotors, it's normally on cargo helicopters or drones that don't expect to operate at high speed.


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

[User]
[Star War] What was the difference between Anakin becoming a Sith instead of a Dark Jedi?

I've always wondered why it was that when Anakin turned he became a Sith when we have seen other dark side user's such as Kylo Ren [](#s "who was originally a jedi but was turned by Snoke yet didn't become a Sith.")

[Assistant]
To become a Sith, you require training either directly from a Sith, or from a Sith holocron.

Kylo had neither.

The Sith are a specific group of dark side users who have their own knowledge, techniques, rituals, and beliefs that were unique to the Sith.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is the difference between dubstep, house, progressive, trance, electro, and techno?

I need to know.

[Assistant]
Without sounding biased, here goes:

--Dubstep: usually around 140/70 BPM and more emphasis on the bass rhythm than actual melody.

 --Progressive House: Around 120-130 BPM, primarily focused on having an evolving melody that builds and releases tension.

--Electro House: Usually between 125-130 BPM and is generally more "dirty" sounding than its progressive house cousin in regards to the instruments, samples, and over all composition.

--Techno: between 110-125 BPM. Usually centered around one hook that grows and expands throughout the track. Its build ups are very lengthy and its drops are usually very minimal but they maintain the mass amount of energy gained in the build.

--Trance: 130-140 BPM usually. Pounding beats, pure melodies, and euphoria. Generally characterized by its massive, expansive breakdowns in the middle of the tracks. Also usually built around a hook that appears early on and is maintained through the majority of the track.

All of this is very general and is nowhere near as technical as it should be, but it'll get the idea across.


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

[User]
Is is possible for an asteroid to enter Earth's atmosphere, not land at all, then just leave Earth's atmosphere?

I know it would have to be going very fast and that it would definitely get sling-shotted by the Earth with the possibility of hitting the Moon. But is it still possible and what would the conditions have to be like for something like this to be possible?

[Assistant] Yep. It depends a lot on the angle of entry, it can just skip back out. A Chinese space probe did just that late last year, it dropped off a lander to Earth, then it skipped back out, and is now up orbiting the Moon.


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

[User]
[Transformers G1] Why didn't Soundwave stop Starscream from throwing Megatron out of Astrotrain?

In the Cartoon Soundwave was made out to be one of Megatrons most loyal Decepticons. So much so that he retained his position under Galvatron, and Galvatron even had Soundwave rebuilt after Blaster destroyed him in the Headmasters series.

Yet Soundwave didnt do anything when Starscream threw out Megatron. Why is this?

[Assistant]
Decepticons are survival-of-the-fittest. If Megatron couldn't stop Starscream himself, Soundwave wasn't going to help him. Soundwave is loyal to the Decepticon ideal, not to Megatron alone.

Look how fast he tried to take over. If he wasn't such an uncharismatic boor he probably would've.


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

[User] [Assassin's Creed] How come Haytham Kenway wears the same outfit every time we see him?

[Assistant]
Because he makes it look good.

Alternatively, he didn't always wear the same outfit, but he's portrayed that way to save storage space. (Assassin's Creed is one of the only fictional settings where that can be a Watsonian *and* a Doylist answer.)


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

[User]
ELI5: why do digital thermostats have both heat and cool settings, as opposed to a singular temperature control

(e.g why does 70 degrees on cool feel colder than 70 degrees on heat)?

[Assistant] Depends on the thermostat, but generally cool is connected to an AC unit while heat is connected to a furnace. When heat is on the temperature might go above the selected temperature and when cool is on it might go below the selected temperature. It would be extremely inefficient to make the temperature be exact since a house has a pretty large volume. Thus the heating/cooling system is more of a greater than/less than system.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why can airlines have the movie rights to recently released movies so quickly, but it takes a lot longer for Netflix and other streaming services to add new movies to their catalogs?

Sometimes they even have movies that are still in the theaters of the country they are flying to/from. The question is, how can they get it so fast and why does it seem easier for them to get the rights to stream those new movies if Netflix seems to have a larger public?

I might be mistaken in some aspects (the fact that it looks easier  and the public size), but I did see movies in the plane that were in theaters in my country.

[Assistant]
Streaming services are the last to acquire rights to the video because they represent the customer segment with the lowest profit margins.

Why should a customer pay more to see the movie in a cinema/airplane when they can watch it at home anytime they want? The airlines are willing to pay a higher price per customer to capture passengers, and movie theatres are willing to pay even more, which is why they get the rights in that order.


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

[User]
I believe that pay and salary information for every worker should be public and easily accessible for everyone to see. CMV.

There are a few different reasons I believe this.

* Discrimination and pay-inequality would be much more apparent and easily identified.
* It incentivizes a more merit-based employment system.  If everyone can easily see that Bill is making $20k more than me, but I do all the work, employers and managers will have to justify this somehow.  Related to the first point.
* It produces a more competitive and fluid labor market.  If I work at Wal-Mart for minimum wage, but easily see the workers at Costco are making $10+ an hour, it creates pressure on my employer to match that or for me to shop my skills out elsewhere.
* It allows realistic and functional debates over things like wealth inequality, labor prices, minimum wages, etc.  How much does Mcdonald's spend on labor across the entire business?  Who knows!  The data just isn't available for analysis.
* It provides consumers another tool to discriminate among competing companies, increasing competition and thereby improving the market.  It also allows potential investors and shareholders more data on which to evaluate companies.

So really, I can't think of many downsides.  Sure, your neighbor Bob now realizes how much you make, but really, why do we have such a burning desire to keep that private, anyways?

[Assistant]
I think that people have a right to privacy, and this means the ability to not let people know how much you make, benefits to society be damned.

But in terms of drawbacks, I'd be worried that if this info was easily accessible on some website or something, it would lead to price discrimination.  So if Amazon knew your identity, and knew how much you made, they'd charge you more for a toothbrush than someone with less money.


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

[User]
Why does electricity always hum at a B-flat pitch?

Whenever I pass a power plant or hear a lot of electricity running through my house, I always hear that pitch.

Edit: To those asking, I am a musician.

[Assistant] Electricity is run on an alternating current (AC) which reverses voltage in the pattern of a sine wave. In the US, the frequency of this alternating is 60 Hz, which is a B flat (more of a flat B or sharp B flat, really). Sometimes interactions with surroundings, especially at high voltages like in transformers, can cause a hum at the frequency the grid is run on. In most of Europe, as an example, it's run at 50 Hz not 60 Hz, so you would hear a G (a little sharp) instead of a B flat.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is happening when a person rubs their eyelids and momentarily loses vision?

After a person rubs their eyelids, with a bit of force and then re-opens them, their vision appears to come back from total black and then grows in size from a circle of light in the center (this normally only lasts a few seconds). Almost like the vision is re-calibrating or the eyes have some sort of safety measure. Why does this happen?

[Assistant] rubbing your eyes increases the intraocular pressure by quite a lot.  normal intraocular pressure is between 10-21 but rubbing for eyes can make it go up to 80-100.  if the pressure increases enough then it prevents blood flow to the optic nerve and retina thereby causing loss of vision.  once the blood starts flowing the vision returns.


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

[User] ELI5 When a company gets fined $100,000,000 by the FCC, when do they pay out the money, where does it go, and what is it used for?

[Assistant]
**US code Title 47, Section 504(a)**

>The forfeitures provided for in this chapter shall be payable into the Treasury of the United States.

So basically, it goes to the treasury and becomes part of the US Budget.


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

[User] [DC] Why doesn't another hero, without the inhibitions against killing, "take care" of The Joker?

[Assistant]
Let's assume you're one of the handful of good guys in the 'verse that *does* kill and is still allowed to operate (feasible, but rather rare).

Let's then assume that, through some fashion, you're capable of tracking the clown down (for sake of argument we'll narrow it down to Gotham, but that's still a huge city with millions of people and the Joker - theatrical and colorful though he may be - is only one of them).

When you do, let's then assume you're capable of reaching him (even Batman usually has to *react* to the Joker rather than *act*, so best of luck to you if you're kicking down doors) in a reasonable amount of time (such as during one of his televised killing sprees, which would probably be your best bet if it's some big spectacle, like bringing big balloons to the 200th anniversary parade).

So all that's done, now let's think about something else; who is...

* likely also en route
* likely *waaaay* ahead of you
* likely wearing something with a cape and pointy little ears
* likely knows you're in town and is already miffed about that
* and really, really, *really* doesn't like killing?

So there's *that* to contend with...

But most of all, think on this.  The Joker's the guy that other supervillains tell stories about when they want to scare each other.  The Joker's the guy that Lex Luthor *always* invites to his team-ups specifically because he'd rather invite his inherent chaos and deal with it internally rather than face the wrath of a jilted Clown Prince of Crime.  This is a dude with clown makeup, a purple suit, and a friggin' *flower*, and in a world where people can bend steel with their pinky fingers, wear rings that let them do almost anything, and move so fast as to be imperceptible, he is *still.  Friggin'.  Here.*

And you're gonna go and put one in his chest?  Godspeed.


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

[User] Why do some metals rust and some dont?

[Assistant] All metals except precious metals will oxidize when exposed to electrolyte and oxygen. If you are referring to stuff like stainless steel, it has chromium in it which reacts with atmospheric oxygen, forming a protective layer that protects the steel.


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

[User] Is the steam emitted from a nuclear power plant radioactive?

[Assistant]
Nope. It's just regular steam as the water does not come into contact with anything that is radioactive.
Nuclear is one of the cleanest forms of energy we produce with very little waste and a lot more reliable than other clean energy sources and produces much more energy for its footprint size.


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

[User] [Milkshake] Kelis has brought all 3.5 billion boys to the yard. What happens now?

[Assistant]
The sheer mass of so much humanity in one place causes death and denaturing from the heat of compression alone.

All the hydrocarbons are slowly rendered from the now-geographically-classifiable deposit.

Humanity goes extinct, except for a small band that have survived the Kelis Migratory Extinction Event because their male children had been conceived, though not yet born at the time.

Alluvial sediments borne by rising tidal waters bury the formation, and the weight of eons of accumulated dirt press and cook the remains. Civilisation falls and humanity scrabbles and falls and rises once more.

Once-banned literature is rediscovered, and a renaissance flourishes, a second coming of humanity, as they search  mostly in vain  for easily accessible petrol deposits.

Two brothers with inherited adjoining plots of land over the deposit, one directly, one adjacent, fall into conflict over the mineral rights.

In a plot to exact revenge on the more privileged brother, the more conniving one sinks a diagonal shaft into the Kelis formation and pumps it nearly dry.

When confronted, an argument ensues, and at the height of emotion, explaning his doublecross, the conniving brother shouts

"I. DRINK. YOUR. MILKSHAKE. *I DRINK IT UP!*".


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

[User] [LOTR]If only greater divine beings can resist the Ring, if the Ring Wraiths caught Frodo early in his journey and took it, wouldn't one of the Wraith's keep it? What would the wraith do then?

[Assistant]
For all their power, the Nazgul are actually puppets to the will of Sauron.  Sauron seems to have a thing for bending the mighty to his service, and the Nazgul - while individually fearsome and collectively almost unstoppable - are one of Sauron's favourite toys.

He forged the nine rings of power that made them what they are, and consequently he controls them.  Everything the Nazgul do, they do to further Sauron's goals.

The Ring itself wants to return to Sauron.  So if the Nazgul catch up to Frodo early on, they aren't going to kill him and pick up the One Ring themselves.  They're going to take the ringbearer back to Mordor and hand him over, to allow Sauron to reclaim what is his.

Essentially, they don't have a choice in the matter.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is it that when watching a movie at 24 frames per second it seems perfectly normal, but when playing a video game it is almost unbearable?

[Assistant]
Film frames can capture motion blur of fast moving objects, essentially the object is appearing in several places at once.

Video games render a series of still images of objects in a single location at any point in time (for the most part).

When viewed at full speed, the motion blur captured on film is much more pleasing to the eye than a bunch of sharply rendered video game frames.


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

[User]
[X-MEN] How exactly can people discriminate against mutants in a world of superheroes?

They already co-exist alongside people who have gotten their powers through freak accidents, being government lab rats, or even magic for fuck sake. How can the average person tell the difference?

If someone found out I had the ability to transmutate any base metal into gold just by touching it and then I told them I was bitten by a radioactive leprechaun, why wouldn't they put me in the same box as the Avengers?

[Assistant] A hero is created by random happenstance. A twist of fate that's unlikely to be recreated ever again. A mutant is a genetic abnormality that is both capable of reproducing more mutants and thanks to years of propaganda and scientific research the next step in human evolution. Imagine waking up to find out your grandchildren aren't going to be human. Doesn't matter that cultural norms and moral values are still upheld the political will of the world says they're not human and are lesser for it. Your children could unknowingly date a mutant and have non-human children. And because of motivated hate mongers you have this inkling dread that mutants are trying to replace homosapians as the dominant species. Spiderman is a kid messed up by a freak accident but gambit is coming to steal your wives and children away in the minds of anti mutant groups.


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

[User] ELI5: If modern chess was invented around the 10th century when women's status was.. not all that high, how come the queen is the strongest piece on the board?

[Assistant] Chess was "westernized" a bit, the queen piece was originally called an advisor for the king who often wielded the true power while the king held a more ceremonial position. Like Jafar from Aladdin.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is the uvula such a sensitive gag reflex point?

[Assistant]
The gag reflex happens due to something in the nervous system known as a reflex arc. In a reflex arc, sensory nerves transmit information to the spinal column. In the spinal column usually information travels upwards towards the brain in order to be interpreted. In a reflex arc, the interneuron in the spinal column immediately send out a signal to motor neurons to do something.

The best example is touching something hot. Once the Interneurons in the spinal column get this signal, they signal to motor neurons to move the hand away. The information is also simultaneously sent to the brain so that the brain can understand why this sudden movement just happened.

The uvula hangs down from the roof of the mouth and can work to prevent large objects from going down the esophagus. If a large object tries to go down our throat it will activate the gag reflex which should hopefully prevent choking.


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

[User] ELI5: If I was in a plane travelling just behind the speed of sound, if I ran forwards at the necessary speed, could I break the sound barrier?

[Assistant] No. Breaking the sound barrier requires you going faster than the air around you. As the air in the plane is travelling at the same speed as the plane you could not break the sound barrier by running down the aisle.


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

[User]
Are there stars in space "Independent" from Galaxies?

Stars, Planets and a bunch of other stuff make up Galaxies, but how common is it that some stars dont belong to any Galaxies at all? Do they even exist? Just there all by themselves millions of lightyears away from anything else? and if they do, is there a possibility of a Blackhole exisiting seperately from a Galaxy?

[Assistant] Yes, they do exist. It's hard to say how many there are, since they're hard to find. Stars can be thrown out of galaxies by gravitational interactions with other stars; it's hard to think of a scenario where a star could form in intergalactic space, though.


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

[User]
Little Boy v Fat Man: why were different cores used?

LB was a uranium bomb and FM was a plutonium bomb.  Why wasn't the same design used for both drops?

[Assistant]
This touches on a core aspect of the Manhattan Project and how exceptional it was as an R&D project. Compare to a more normal R&D project like the Apollo Program where scientists and engineers work together to come up with the best design for a system, build it, and ultimately work towards making it operational. But where there's potential to end up in some blind developmental alley or to have the whole program stall out due to some core aspect of the program being delayed or just plain unsuccessful.

The Manhattan Project didn't work that way, they didn't figure out the best route to the bomb and then pursued that. Instead they pursued *every route to the bomb simultaneously*. They pursued 3 different fissile fuels, 2 of which worked. They pursued 5 different methods of production for weapons grade fissile materials, 4 of which worked, including 3 different techniques for isotopic enrichment, which they ultimately just used as different stages in a pipeline to increase production capacity on a short timescale. They pursued 2 different bomb designs for each fuel (so in total 4 different designs), but ended up finding each fuel had a design more suited to it, at least in the short term.

This is why the end result of the Manhattan Project wasn't just one bomb design with one type of assembly, one type of fuel, and one method of producing that fuel. It ended up being 2 completely different designs using completely different fuels one of which had one method of production and the other of which had 3 different methods of production. It easily could have ended up being more designs/fuels/production methods had things worked out a little differently. Or fewer, had engineering or manufacturing of various facilities lagged behind.

This shotgun approach was a core reason why the program was so successful so rapidly (just 8 years after the discovery of the phenomenon of nuclear fission, in fact). Had they instead used the traditional approach they almost certainly would have gone with Uranium-235 as the fuel using gun assembly and centrifugal isotopic separation for enrichment. These we're all the best and most promising bets beforehand. And centrifugal separation is indeed one of the better methods for enrichment, but it took literally decades to advance the state of the art to the point where it was practical. The Manhattan Project attempted centrifuges, but it ended up not working out, while other methods of isotopic enrichment were easier to achieve with 1940s technology. Pursuing that route would have resulted in the program hitting a roadblock on fissile material production. It also would have resulted in a very slow pace of bomb production due to the sheer amount of material needed in gun assembly devices (about 10x as much as with implosion), it would have taken years after 1945 for the first bombs to become available.

This also helps explain the enormous costs of the Manhattan Project, of course. Because it wasn't just "one" project but effectively several different projects all working in parallel, some of which succeeded some of which failed.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are people more likely to become carsick when riding in the backseat?

[Assistant]
Motion sickness comes about when the brain receives conflicting sensory signals. If you sit in the back of the car and stare at the head rest in front of you, read, play on your phone, whatever, your inner ear is sensing the motion of the car, but your eyes aren't passing that same information on - as far as the eyes are concerned you're staying still.

In evolutionary terms, the only thing that could induce this difference in inputs was some kind of poison, so the body's response is to feel nauseated to try and make you throw up whatever it is you ate.

When you're in the front of the car, you're more likely to look up at where you're going, and even if you don't, your peripheral vision is more likely to pick up the movement of the car with the added view through the windshield.

So if you don't want to get carsick in the back, make sure you look up and out of the window regularly so your brain doesn't get conflicting signals.


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

[User]
[star wars] Coruscant is covered by a single city, Galactic City. What are the municipal politics of Galactic City like?

Washington D.C., Ankara, Mexico City and pretty much every other capital city have all have a municipal structure separate from their national government; each has a mayor along with their country's head of state. How does Galactic City function? Is there a mayor? Does the functioning or the form of municipal administration change much in the transition from republic to empire to new republic?

[Assistant]
Complicated.

The whole planet-city has to be as big as it is to support all the different species from all over the galaxy that come there, either as part of the galactic government or with the hope to find work or riches among the most powerful beings in the known universe.

Because of this complexity and the sensitive nature of dealing with every known sentient species all in one place, the whole planet has to be run by the galactic government. Under the Republic, the Senate had a special committee that oversaw the important decisions and allocated funding for planetary needs, while the day to day operations were run by a typical bureaucracy. Under the Empire's rule, the military eventually took over from the Senate, once it had been dissolved by the emperor, and all non-humans were purged from the bureaucracy, as was standard under the imperial military code. Otherwise, the bureaucracy ran pretty much the same way, just with different priorities. The Empire was more concerned with security and surveillance compared to the Republic's focus on accommodating outsiders and funding religious sects.


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

[User] [DC] Do Batmans villains evolve to counter Batman? If so, what are some examples of this?

[Assistant]
The Penguin countered Batman by....  going mostly legit.  He's still involved in smuggling, information brokering, and various soft crimes, but he has abandoned theft, murder, etc.  All the things Batman actually cares about stopping.

He can't beat the bat, but he can stay off the bat's sonar.  And most of the time he's more useful as an informant rather than a prisoner.


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

[User] Could the rings of a planet like Saturn eventually either all fall into the planet itself or compact themselves into a new moon?

[Assistant]
> Could the rings of a planet like Saturn eventually either all fall into the planet itself...

They can only do that if they lose enough angular momentum, which can only happen via friction. So yeah, over time they may thin out, but it seems there is not much friction between the objects in the ring happening, so it will be a very slow process. Some estimations say that the rings ar as old as the solar system itself, about 4,5 billion years.

> ...or compact themselves into a new moon?

This is almost certainly not happening. The rings are within the Roche limit, where tidal forces prevent the formation of bigger bodies. It is actually believed that the rings were formed from a moon that passed the limit and got completely disrupted by these forces.


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

[User] What's the difference between being knocked out and being unconcscious when you sleep?

[Assistant]
Sleep is a complicated, organized process in which your brain slows down but does not stop working. Many parts of your brain remain active while you sleep.

For example, you might sleep through a quiet conversation in the same room, but then suddenly wake up when someone says your name. The part of your brain that processes sounds is active enough to recognize your name, interpret that it might be important, and send a signal that prompts you to wake up.

Unconsciousness is different because it's an abnormal state. The system controls wakefulness is either not working properly, or is not able to communicate with the rest of the brain. An unconscious person cannot be awakened by any stimulus.

In the hospital, this is one of the quick ways we distinguish true unconsciousness from sleep (or acting). We provide a noxious stimulus, something that a sleeping or wakeful person would be unable to ignore, such as ammonia vapors in the nose or a painful rub on the sternum. A sleeping person would respond by waking up, but an unconscious person cannot wake.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do all animals have natural animal instincts that allow them to nurture a child but humans need parenting classes and support when raising a child?

[Assistant]
In traditional village (or nomadic) living conditions, children frequently see nearby parents raising other children. They learn by watching, andwhen they are asked to helpthey learn by doing. Often they were helping with their own younger siblings, or maybe with cousins, or maybe even the children of their older brothers and sisters.

In modern society, with people having kids much later, and living in their own isolated houses, this kind of learning by doing is much less available.

In other words, modern society has broken the cultural system that allowed earlier humans to successfully raise children, and parenting classes are a poor substitute.


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

[User] [Dragonball]why did Vageta let Bulma cut Trunk's tail off sometime between birth and the Android Saga, in Saiyan culture that's almost analogous to castration?

[Assistant]
Because after his long stint on Earth he learned that the tail wasn't the source of a Saiyain's strength it was a crutch, and in fact their biggest most easily exploited weakness.

He also didn't care much for Trunks since he didn't even look Saiyain from the get go, so it was a lot easier for him to let go of any potential traditions.


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

[User] [The Matrix] Why didn't the machines, with all their technology and power, colonize space?

[Assistant]
Why are we assuming they didn't / haven't?

We know that they honored the accords and kept most of the human population alive and in a simulated reality when we surrendered to them, and that the remainder ran around a small chunk of mostly-underground Earth without any astronomical observational tools.

Quite reasonable to assume they had, but it wasn't an agenda item in the Zion rezoning meetings so never came up in the context of the films.


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

[User]
[GLM] Why is a logit model better than a linear probability model?

I read that the logit model (regression model) doesn't have the same structural problems as a linear probability model.

To be precise a linear probability model is defined as:

(x) =  + xj
it uses the form of ordinary regression, the probability of success changes linearly in x and this is a GLM with binomial random component.

A regression model is said:  is restricted to 0 and 1, but logit() can take any real value. The linear predictors that form the systematic component of a GLM also take any value.

Can someone explain to me why would you choose a regression model against a linear probability model with random component? and the advantages of it?

[Assistant]
Just to be clear, logit models and linear models are both regression. Regression occurs any time we are measuring the mean relationship between a response variable and its explanatory variables.

The major upside of a logistic model is that your explanatory variables are unrestricted. When you graph a probability linearly, certain explanatory variable values are not viable because they would lead to possible values. For example, assume that you have the model p(y)=0.3+0.01x. What happens when x is 100? Suddenly we have p(y)=1.3, which is senseless - you cannot have a probability above 1. The logit configuration prevents this situation from happening.


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

[User] [Garfield][Comic Strip] Who did Nermal belong to? And under what context/circumstance would Jon randomly bring him around without explaining why?

[Assistant] Jon's catsitting for whoever Nermal belongs to. At one point it was his parents' cat but he's never been seen on the farm. It seems like Jon considers him Garfield's "friend' since he bring him around for birthdays.


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

[User]
How can wolverine bend his wrists?

Seems like those claws are in the way...

[Assistant] When his claws are retracted they rest between his wrist and elbow, in between bones in his forearm.  He does have to keep his wrists straight when he unsheathes his claws though, and they may hinder wrist movement once out but not when retracted.


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

[User] [eli5] What happens when someone with healthy hearing wears hearing aids? Is it equivalent to what happens to your eyes when you use binoculars?

[Assistant]
It's what happens when someone with healthy hearing takes a speaker at say, 2/10 which sounds comfortable and cranks it up to 6. Painful and damaging.

Hearing aids nowadays tend to be calibrated to people's range-specific hearing loss though. So if it were properly calibrated, it would... well, just be off if they had perfectly normal hearing.


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

[User] ELI5: why is it that when we put cold feet in hot water it feels like it's burning more, but when we put hot feet in cold water it's relieving?

[Assistant]
The direction of heat transfer.

When you're putting your cold feet in hot water, the hot water is transferring its heat to your feet and trying to reach equilibrium. There's a huge difference in temperature between your feet and the water so a lot of heat is transferred, so it feels extra hot.

The opposite is true when you put hot feet in cold water. The heat in your feet is being dissipated through the cold water.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do we get sick when its' cold? Does it have to do with the temperature or some other factors?

[Assistant]
This question always gets answered with the received wisdom that goes something like. 'It's not because of the cold, it's because we spend more time in the warm indoors with other people....' well that's not actually true, it IS because of the cold AS WELL.

When we're cold, our bodies restrict blood flow to our extremities, including our nose, to protect the vital organs. Less blood flow means less white blood cells reaching the nasal passages so infections which start there are less likely to be fought off in the early stages and so they're more likely to get bad enough for us to notice them.


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

[User]
Does light actually travel at "the speed of light" in a vacuum, or do interactions with virtual particles slow the light down?

I have only a rudimentary understanding of physics, but I gather that photons traveling through matter will be delayed as a result of interactions with the particles that make up the matter, effectively slowing down the light wave.  I also understand that empty space isn't really empty, but is full of virtual particles that constantly snap in and out of existence.  Do photons travelling through empty space interact with these virtual particles?  If so, does a light wave slow down, even when traveling in a vacuum?

[Assistant]
It isn't obvious at all that photons shouldn't acquire an effective mass from quantum corrections.

However, it is found in quantum field theory that the mass of the photon is protected from any quantum correction by gauge invariance. This is a nontrivial result.


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

[User] [General] What is a major glaring weakness to an otherwise OP super hero or villain that people don't consider using?

[Assistant] Batman is extremely vulnerable to blitz attacks by powerful villains. His contingency plans are usually dependent on having some time to implement them, time that he usually has because the people who could take him out immediately tend to go for the Justice League powerhouses instead.


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

[User]
[MCU/Multiverse of Madness] Can this object provide for a solution for this enemy?

Can the Book of Vishanti provide a solution for Kang the Conqueror/He Who Remains? Or is the book only giving solutions for strictly mystical enemies?

[Assistant]
It provided a solution to Thanos in the alternate universe, so it's not just for magical baddies. It would probably work on Kang too.

Fun fact, you get one tiny glimpse of one page of it in the movie. On it you can see the star shape that America's portals form. She was the solution to Wanda all along.


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

[User] ELI5: If drone strikes are cheap and don't put our soldiers at risk, why are they so opposed?

[Assistant] Drone strikes against enemy soldiers are not opposed. It's no different than a piloted plane taking them out. Drone strikes to take out one person while also killing his three wives, 24 children, and and 17 other people are frowned upon.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do we get that "lump" in our throat when we experience deep emotion?

[Assistant]
That lump is actually not a lump at all but a counter-reaction to the bodys automatic nervous system. When humans are exposed to stressful situations  ie, situations that would cause them to cry or get angry  the body, due to the genetic evolutionary fight or flight nature of humans, automatically increases blood flow to vital organs and muscles.

Unfortunately, one of the ways the body achieves this is by opening the glottis (the vocal folds in the throat that humans use to generate vibrational noise) in order to allow your lungs to receive more inhaled oxygen than normal. By doing this, while increasing available oxygen which can be beneficial in stressful moments, it causes any human who wishes to swallow to fight against their bodys automatic nervous system for control of the glottis positioning, causing that distinctive sore pain in the throat.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Were the Clone Wars Palpatine's back up plan?

It took some long chases and mighty fine detective work for Obi find out Kamino existed. Even then, the records were wiped to further obfuscate the location of the system.

Had the Jedi not found out about the clones or decided it wasn't in their code to take them and use them, Dooku and company would have destroyed the Jedi, and presumably taken the galaxy by droid-army force.

Did Palpatine have an alternative plan to introduce the clones? If they weren't discovered by Geonosis, presumably the Jedi would have been finished right then and there. Of course, you could argue Obi wouldn't have found Dooku's plans otherwise, but they were already skeptical of Dooku, and Zam's assassination attempt could have just as easily led directly to Jango, instead of through Kamino.

[Assistant]
I fully expect Palpatine had purged Kamino from the Jedi records specifically to bring attention to it when someone came looking.  Jango taking out Zam with a dart, rather than, say a sniper rifle, also smacks of set-up.

That said, no plan is perfect.  Palpatine likely had "Sifo-Diyas" (who was actually Dooku in disguise, IIRC) instruct the cloners to inform him at the temple when the clones were ready.  That would have instead been routed to the Jedi Council, and the communique would have arrived conveniently in-time to give the Republic an army to fight the Separatists with.

If Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme still end up on Geonosis, there's a good chance that Obi-Wan and Padme don't make it out, and Anakin makes it out on sheer "luck".


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

[User]
CMV: The quality of entertainment has dropped

Over the course of the 21st century we've seen a rapid shift in how we consume media with everything being right at our fingertips with minimal barriers and long unskippable ad breaks. This has lead to a huge uptick in content that is solely made to give you a quick rush of dopamine from a clickbait thumbnail to over edited videos. Of course what is entertaining is subjective I'm not going to tell someone rap isnt as good as classical because it's not as classy or whatever. But when you scroll through Instagram, snapchat, youtube, etc. A lot of what you see is things that were thrown together in an hour yet have millions of views. Much of this content relays on 'relatability' by making "jokes" like haha school bad amiright kids and so on. It feels like what's acceptable as entertaiment has deeply fallen from what it was.

Edit: I should have made it clearer that I was mainly talking about what is mainstream and prevalent online as it is where the majority of people consume entertainment today

Edit 2: Although I still hold the position that on social media the effort being put into some of the most successful content is minimal at best, I now agree that overall we just have a wider selection and even though a lot of the lower quality stuff is pushed to the the top the niche content is more widely available  than ever. Thanks for your opnions everyone!

[Assistant]
As opposed to the past, where comedians made 'haha work bad amiright adults' jokes? Where 'let's laugh at the minorities' was a common theme?

There were shitty entertainment in the past, it just was either not recorded or not remembered because it was shitty.


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

[User] ELI5:What happens to a photon once it falls on our retina of or eye?Is it consumed or changed into something once it has stimulated the optic nerve?

[Assistant] The photon is absorbed by the chemicals in the eye. The energy that the photon imparts causes the chemical to split. This split creates a bit of electrical energy that is sent down the optic nerve and interpreted by the brain as an image.


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

[User] Is the ISS really at orbital height if it needs routine re-boosting?

[Assistant] It is in low earth orbit. Partial atmosphere actually extends rather far up. Being in orbit means that you have a high enough horizontal velocity such that you "miss the earth" so to speak, when falling, so you circle the planet. This is true in Low Earth Orbit as well, but the partial atmosphere causes what's known as atmospheric drag. This slows the movement in the direction of orbit gradually, and eventually your speed will drop enough that you now fall towards the earth instead of missing it. So they boost their orbital velocity periodically to maintain orbit.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why are there so many Chinese buffets and restaurants in the US with nearly identical menus and decors that don't appear to be franchises? (Super China Buffet, China 1, Super China, etc)

Seriously, there are like 10 of these in my small-ish town. What gives? How can they all be so similar? Even down to the pictures on the menu boards!

[Assistant]
There is not a huge market for chinese restaurant decorations so there are limited manufacturers of decorations and menu photos. Everyone buys from the same supplier and they all end up looking the same.

Similar to the blue greek Anthora cups that are served everywhere in NYC or how every frat party uses red solo cups despite frat parties not being franchises. Hundreds of frat party planners go to hundreds of stores and end up making the same decision. Red solo cups are the right price and size for a party. So everyone looks the same because they are all making the same decision despite being different people.


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

[User] Why has the stock market historically grown by about 10%, while nominal GDP has historically grown by about 6%? I have looked this up, and I haven't found a satisfactory answer.

[Assistant]
I expect you're adding in dividends to get your 10% total return, is that right?

This comes simply from the fact that you're adding them in. On average, over a long-period of time the profit share of GDP is stable. So, business profits make up a fairly fixed proportion of total gross incomes.

That means you have two things going on. Firstly, you have those dividends being paid and rising as GDP grows. Secondly, businesses are growing with the GDP growth rate. So, their capital is becoming worth more at roughly the GDP growth rate too. As a result, if you reinvest the dividends you get a higher growth rate because you have the two together.

So, the real total return is about twice the GDP growth rate (if you reinvest dividends), and the nominal total return is about twice the GDP growth rate plus the rate of inflation.


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

[User]
[The lord of the rings] Did the ring affect everybody the same way?

As we know it, Bilbo vanished when wearing the ring, and Frodo too. But I cannot recall Isildur. In the movie he became invisible, but in the book?

Also. Samwise Gamgee was brave, never wanted to hide. Always heading for the good and to save Frodo. If I remember correctly, when Sam wears the ring and goes to Cirith Ungol, the orcs are fleeing in terror and rumors going around some of them seen an Elf Prince wearing bright silver armor and basically it was Sam wearing the ring, running around, scare away anyone but not really hiding, or I remember wrong?

So, is the Ring affects everybody the same way? Gandalf and Galadriel?

[Assistant]
Not Tom Bombadil

As base it hides as a ring of invisibility, concealing it's greater powers.

As it corrupts someone or is brought closer to Mordor/Sauron more effects appear.  (Like Gollum's mutations, Bilbo's extended vigor, or Sam understanding orc speech)


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

[User]
[Injustice: Gods Among Us] Why didn't Superman kill Harley Quinn?

When Superman went to rescue Lois, he found both Harley and the Joker performing the surgery that would implant the bomb in Lois' body. They were both directly responsible for the death of Superman's family and Metropolis, so why does she get a pass?

[Assistant]
Well, a small part is that when she's not under the Joker's influence, Harley isn't really all that bad (as indeed the next few years show). Everyone knows that Joker is the leader there and she was going along with him.

Mostly though he just didn't know here she was. Batman had Joker in interrogation - Supes flew there and killed Joker right away. Harley was being driven away by cops. As soon as she heard Joker was dead she killed the cops, stole the car and went into hiding. The police radio indicated that Superman was indeed looking for her to kill her.

Then Arrow found her and hid her. By the time Supes saw her again a good amount of time had passed and in most of their meetings she had taken a green pill and so was hard to kill.


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

[User]
What is the faculty environment like at non-R1 institutions? Seeking career advice...

Over the past few months I've increasingly recognized that my chances of getting a tenure track position at a R1 institution are practically zero. I'm hoping that I can stay in academia if possible (background later in the post), so I wanted to get a feel for what the faculty environments are like at non-R1 institutions so I can get a sense of what would fit my interests best. For those who are faculty at non-R1 institutions, I'd like to get a sense for the following topics. For the record, I've experienced that R1 institutions have aspects that I like and also aspects that I dislike on each of these topics, so just wanted to see how different places compare.

1) What is the research environment like if your institution has a research component? What are your views about the support infrastructure for research, available time, integration of students in research, and the difficulty of obtaining extramural funding?

2) What do you think about the students you get to teach / work with? Not just talking about grades or whatnot, but also about attitude in learning and the involvement of the students.

3) How would you describe your work/department culture? Are other faculty good to work with, authority structure, etc...?

4) What is the experience of progressing towards tenure at your institution? What kinds of pressures and criteria weight more heavily on how you're evaluated and your day-to-day activities?

----------------------------
Background on why I'm asking these things:

I'm a full-time non-TT assistant professor at an R1. For the record, I am under no illusions that being tenure track and eventually getting tenure is some sort of magical threshold after which everything will be awesome. But I do enjoy what I do - I like the research I do, the students I work with, most of the people I work with directly have been great, and I've enjoyed teaching (although only 2 classes/year) so far. I'm paid on the same salary scale as the tenure-track professors, which in my field is fairly decent. But at the end of the day: I am 100% extramurally grant funded and this position will not last in the long term. While I've been able to obtain a good amount of funding so far, I've been around long enough to know that funding goes up and down and eventually there will be a time when I won't be able to obtain the funding necessary to support my position.

So if possible, I'd like to move into a more permanent position for the long term. I don't have any specific preference for trying to be at an R1. I don't see it as "higher" or whatnot than other institution types, but I've mostly applied to openings at R1s because I had it in my head for some reason that only those institutions would provide the positive aspects similar to what I have now, and I've slowly started to recognize that that premise isn't true.

The job search at R1 institutions has been frustrating and I'm starting to question whether I really fit in at these kinds of institutions. I've been a finalist (on-campus interviewee) multiple times for openings at R1s but never been selected. When I've gotten feedback on their decision it's often some variation of that my academic record is good and much of the faculty likes me, but I don't have the reputation to attract the "caliber" of students and level of resources that they want to move the department towards meeting their goals.

Personally, I don't really believe in what a lot of people (especially at R1s) make of weird academic metrics and the emphasis on academic reputation along with the attached politics/social dynamics. I just want to focus on doing good useful work, educating students, building good working relationships, saying something when I have something substantial to say, and try to stay out of all of the reputation dynamics. I had always thought that this approach would build a reputation as a byproduct and be enough for me to get a TT position at an R1. But I'm seeing that because of how reputation works in my field and type of institution, I'm always going to be behind the leading up and coming names when it comes to the strength of my academic reputation as it's defined in these contexts. That's a subject for another post.

[Assistant]
Im just going to be very straight about this.  Reputation matters.

Very few Universities provide a positive and fulfilling work environment, and the division isn't R1 vs non-R1.  R1 is about mission, not quality.  There are a number of R1s that are absolute nightmare work environments.

Many R1s are R1 in name only, carried by a few well funded departments (usually tied to big medical programs, like Wayne State).

Many R2s, and SLACs provide excellent work environments, and are quite fulfilling places to people whose values align well with their missions.

But most Universities are terrifying places to make a career.  Most have awful staff, bitter infighting and politics, corrupt administrators, and lack-luster academics.


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

[User] [Harry Potter] What level of functionality would someone kissed by a dementor have?

[Assistant]
Full on, soul eating kiss? "The lights are on, but no one's home." Biologically speaking everything is there, but the actual person is gone. The soul is a known property in the Potterverse, and dementors are capable of harming it directly. When they perform the kiss, the actual immortal essence of the targeted individual is literally snatched out of their body. Mechanically speaking all of their organs work, all of the neural pathways in their brain are still etched with their memories, but there is no more driving force. The body lives, the person is as dead as if you blew their head off with a shotgun.

As far as what the soulless body is capable of, many autonomous functions of the internal organs (blood circulation, breathing, etc.) would continue to run, and some reflex actions (eye dilation, limited pain response, etc.) would still happen. Beyond that, there really isn't much you can do with them. Practically speaking, the best function for a body kissed by a dementor would be as a source of donor organs.


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

[User]
[Marvel] If Venom and other symbiotes need hosts to survive, how did they live on their home planet?

Did they have different host species on their planet too? Or their planet has some kind of different atmosphere that makes them more solid?

[Assistant]
They need hosts to survive in many environments. The symbiote homeworld Klyntar is not one of them, because Klyntar is most made of symbiotes. You would have to go miles deep to find actual dirt ground. They created the planet out of their biomass at the command of their god Knull, then reformed it from his throneworld into a prison for him.

Though many symbiotes spend their entire lives never going to the homeworld, since it is controlled by one of the factions, which would wipe the mind of any symbiote of the expansionist faction.


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

[User] ELI5: What happens when i empty my trash on my computer? Are those files gone forever?

[Assistant] Erasing a file is like putting White-Out over someone's name and picture in a yearbook. You can't see them anymore, but they're technically still there. If someone was so inclined and skilled enough at removing the White-Out, they could find that person again.


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

[User]
[Discworld] How can a normal person take advantage of Discworld's Theory of Narrative Causality to bring maximum benefit to their life?

What tropes, genre staples, conventions and cliches can an average Ankh-Morporkian take advantage of to improve their lot in life, the most?

[Assistant] The problem with attempting to use narrative causality to improve your life is that your particular narrative has an alarming tendency to turn into the one about That Bugger Who Was Too Clever By Half And Got What Was Coming To Him.


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

[User]
[Transformers] when multiple robots form one robot (like Devestator), do all of the individual personalities mesh into a collective, or is one personality dominate?

As default leader of the Constructicons, does Scrappers personality shine through or does the Combiner come with a new AI when the collective programming of all is merged?

If its the collective, what happens if a part of Devastator is destroyed during battle? Lets say Devestator loses his right arm, Scavenger, does that break the AI?

[Assistant]
All of the individual personalities mesh into a collective that decide the actions of the combined form. This generally results in a unique emergent personality with significant flaws.

Devastator is dull-witted, despite the engineering genius of the Constructicons, and can only really do what they all agree on.

Superion is shows that the emergent personality is a sentient mind of its own, of a sort. In this case it shuts down the competing minds of the individual Aerialbots, limiting its actions to just those that serve its mission: destruction of the Decepticons.

Bruticus (Combaticons) is a stronger, stupider version of Devastator.

Abominus (Terrorcons) - Is basically just a whirling dervish of destruction.

Computron (Technobots) - technically solve the problem of limited intelligence, but at the cost of reaction time. Basically, Computron takes the time to resolve any conflict between tis components before taking any action. So no conflict that impedes intelligence, but at the cost of taking a long time to do it.

Notable exceptions include:

Menasor - While Menasor technically suffers from the same ailment (that it's emergent mind is a result of competing individual minds) in this case the dominant personality trait of the Stunticons: insanity, is amplified.

Defensor - Likewise, the desire to protect human life of the Protectobots is amplified in Defensor, but almost to a fault.

Predaking (the Predacons) - This is one of the few cases where the gestalt mind is almost without flaws, perhaps because the Predacons are so agreeable and similar in their own personalities.


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

[User]
ELI5: Differences among Broiling, Roasting, and Baking

I just call all of those "sticking it into an oven"

[Assistant]
I just learned about broiling recently, but let's talk about baking first.

When you bake, you cook the food by surrounding it with hot air. Because the hot air is all around the food, the food cooks from all the sides. If you use a toaster oven, you'll notice that the heating elements are not really on when you bake. They only turn on to keep the air at the temperature you set. Heat transfer occur from the hot air inside and the hot walls of the oven. In short, **baking happens from all directions via convection and radiation.**

According to JOY OF COOKING, roasting and baking are the same. I'd say the difference is that baking is for bread stuffs, and roasting is for meat stuffs.

When you broil something, you cook it from one direction with radiant heat. If you set your toaster oven to broil, only the top elements turn on. And they stay on, full strength, to brown your food. You're also supposed to put the food as close to the elements as possible and leave the door slightly open. It should be designed to stay slightly open for broiling. If you use your big oven, broiling happens beneath the heater elements in the smaller lower tray (not the bigger compartment). Same thing here with the door, you leave it slightly open. The result is similar to that of grilling. You get very nice browning on your food. (Excellent way of cooking meat if you don't want to grill outside). So broiling is **directional cooking mostly via radiant heat.**

**When broiling, if you don't leave the door open, you end up with a pseudo baking situation and you cook the other side of the food before you can brown the food on both sides. This is undesireable.*

Edit: word choice.

**Bonus generic broiling recipe:**

1. Preheat broiler.
1. Take meat and pat dry.
1. Add lots of seasoning of your choice.
1. Broil one side until browned.
1. Flip over and broil until brown.
1. Enjoy.


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

[User] ELI5: If I do (for example) 10 squats 5 times over the space of the day, is that just as good as going 50 squats once a day? Why or why not?

[Assistant]
Your body is very clever. When it notices that a muscle has been damaged by intensive usage, it doesn't just repair it, but also makes it a little bit stronger so it doesn't get damaged again in the future. The idea of working out is to "damage" your muscles a little bit, so your body is going to work on it.

This needs basically two things:

First, you need to actually go far enough to cause some damage. You feel this when your muscles tire or get sore doing something. If you don't feel this, it means your muscles are still fine and your body has no reason to do anything.

Second, you need to rest so your body can repair. That's why many workout programs don't target all the same muscles every day: you would just be damaging them more and more without getting them fully repaired again. If at some point there is too much damage, you have an actual injury.

Looking at these things, you can get your answer. If you use your muscles enough with the smaller sets, then it's fine for growth. But as your muscles grow it will get easier and easier, so the amount of "damage" decreases, exactly as your body intended. To keep growing, you either have to go to longer sets so there isn't time for your body to rest in between, or increase the intensity so it gets damaged quicker.


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

[User] If stars use up their hydrogen before exploding and then a new system forms (like ours) where does the hydrogen in that system come from?

[Assistant] Stars don't use up *all* their hydrogen, just the hydrogen in the core. There's plenty of hydrogen elsewhere in the star which doesn't get fused into helium. When a star sloughs off its outer layers at the end of its life, the discarded hydrogen can form (part of?) a new star and be used for fusion.


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

[User]
Why is it that Europeans have many colours of hair, when everywhere else, (Africa, Australia, Americas, Asia) have only black?

Clearly I am talking the genetic ancestry of these places. I realize there can be a blonde in any of these places and that genetic mixing is far more common now. However, in evolution terms, these non-European places span huge ranges of latitude, climates, and environmental conditions.

[Assistant]
Here's a simplified version.

There was one mutation thousands of years ago, among the ancestors of present-day Europeans, that caused lighter colored hair. As the years went by, sub-mutations of this one ancient mutation diversified that into several different shades. All these sub mutations are dependent on the first one having occurred.

Ultimately, it all goes back to having lighter pigmentation. All these mutations are dependent on the one that codes for less pigment.

I hope that was understandable and accurate. Feel free to correct me.


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

[User] [MCU] Did pregnant women snapped away by Thanos were counted as two persons?

[Assistant]
There is no definitive answer. There is nothing in the source material that even discusses pregnant women. However, we could guess about what Thanos would have thought.

I think Thanos would have been 'pro-life' in the sense that he saw a pregnant woman as two people, because his ideology was all about population and how it consumes resources as it grows beyond that which the universe can support. So, as far as the Snap is concerned, a future human is more or less the same as a current human.


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

[User]
I feel no moral responsibility to be vegetarian or vegan. CMV.

I understand that others choose to be vegetarian or vegan for moral reasons. In many cases, the animals being raised are mistreated horribly. In many cases, they are subjected to awful living conditions and exposed to chemicals that we still do not fully know the effects of (or, worse, we do).

I respect people who choose to become vegetarian or vegan for moral reasons, as I see that they have done research on a subject that is important to them, come to a certain conclusion regarding ethics, and changed their lifestyle accordingly. I recognize and commend this. I simply don't share the conclusion.

I believe that there are other ways to face the ethical issues raised by so many of these farms. I believe there are sources of meat or animal products that are not unnecessarily cruel to the animals.

Edit: In response to some of the most common arguments I'm seeing.

* *"Why should the lives of these animals be worth less to you than those of humans or your pets?"* To settle the "humans" bit, I will simplify matters a bit by saying that my religious beliefs place human life above the lives of other animals and requesting that we leave it at that, to prevent this turning into a different conversation altogether (and one I've read on this sub recently). As for pets, I've kept the pets I've kept because doing so enriches my life and/or the lives of those I care for and has a positive effect on our mental health. I am not innately opposed to eating other animals, even very similar ones, because of this.

* *"Eating meat supports an immoral industry."* Only if I buy my meat from those immoral sources. There are other ways to come by meat or animal products and places to buy it that do not torture the creatures while they're alive.

Also, I'm seeing a lot of unsupported claims on here. I would appreciate it if you could cite your sources.

[Assistant] Consider a broader argument, not about cruelty, but about waste.  It takes about ten times the resources to produce meat than it does to make grain or vegetables.  It's often asked why it is anybody in the world is going hungry when we here in the US grow enough food to presumably feed everybody on Earth.  Trouble is, most of that food is fed to food at a considerable loss of consumable calories.  With our population ever growing and our arable lands stressed from overuse, it's arguable that broad acceptance of a vegetarian/vegan diet could help make the world a better place for everybody.


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

[User]
[Star Trek] What does it mean that "Shields are at 22%" when the opponent is already blowing actual holes in the Enterprise? Aren't shields doing nothing at that point?

As seen in multiple TNG episodes, movies, etc.

EDIT: I appreciate the responses so far, but I don't think anyone's adequately addressed the scenario where the ship is ACTUALLY BEING SHOT UP. Even if the shields are deflecting a certain percentage of the weapons' energy in some way, it's all for naught if the hull is being breached. "Shields useless" would be a better and more appropriate thing to say in that instance than "Shields at X percent."

(As a side note, I assume that the bridge and warp nacelles are protected by sterner stuff, since otherwise the enemy would immediately blow them up.)

[Assistant] Federation shields diffuse the energy from attacks.  As they get more and more attacks, their ability to diffuse the energy falls.  In your example, they are only able to eliminate 22% of the energy that's hitting them leaving 78% of the energy remaining to "blow actual holes" in the ship.


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

[User] ELI5: How will finding new particles at CERN effect my everyday life in the future?

[Assistant]
That's the thing with fundamental research. Nobody knows. If you were born 100 years ago, you'd be asking why are we wasting time on this quantum mechanic nonsense. That turned out to enable the existence of a computer.

Once we understand how the world works, we might be able to create ways to influence it, and design applications for it. Take for example the famous Higgs boson. For a long time, it has been puzzling why some particles have mass, while others do not. A solution for this was proposed in a form of Higgs field and a Higgs particle. It's important to note that they don't just guess that some particle exists, but it is calculated that it also has certain properties. They then did the tests, and what do you know, a particle was found with the properties they calculated, so it was announced that the Higgs particle indeed exists. And this is where we can start going all scifi. What if at some point in the future, somebody discovers a method to manipulate this particle? It could essentially mean an anti-gravity device.


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

[User] [Jojo's Bizarre Adventure] Has it ever been commented on in-universe that Stands tend to have music-based names?

[Assistant]
It's possible that most, if not all, the characters haven't made the connection. Music is a vast field, with so many bands that nobody has heard of all of them. How many Jojo fans have listened to all of the bands and got the references without having to look up the bands, albums, and song names?

To make matters more complicated, the Jojo universe is littered with music references to such an extent that the references sometimes predate what they reference, making them non-references from the characters' POVs. Fore example, Joseph probably shrugs off the three 80s bands that share names with the Pillar Men as mere coincidence, as the Pillar Men predate them by decades - and Joseph is the closest to an avid music fan that we see in the series. And this happens not just with stands, but people's names, locations, organizations, and whatever could possibly have a name. For the characters, the "references" are so everyday that they might as well not be anything out of the ordinary.

And many of the references in modern times are kind of dated for the people that use them. How many young people in the early 2000s do you think would recognize Moody Blues or Stone Free? (A lot of fans don't even get that Jojo itself is a reference.) Add in the fact that most of the characters live in countries other than the US/UK, and you've got a lower chance that they are that well acquainted with western rock music.


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

[User]
[Pacific Rim] Why did people think that the Kaiju were just stupid animals?

Newt says that "we thought they were dumb animals" or something to that effect, just mindless, violent beasts that blundered their way through the breach.

Why? Didn't people find it strange that these dumb animals were all deliberately attacking cities instead of just wandering around and bumping into a city occasionally?

[Assistant]
Because they *were* dumb. At first.

After the initial attack on San Francisco, the USGS was able to backtrack Tresspasser's path to its origin at the Breach using seismic records. Turns out  it had been wandering around for weeks in a kind of drunkard's walk pattern until it reach the US West Coast.

Hundun, Kaiceph, and Scissure all were shown to have followed the same pattern when their routes were backtracked. In the onslaught that followed, it was observed that Kaiju only went straight for population centers after another had first stumbled into it.

That in and off itself didn't necessarily prove they were intelligent. It seemed more likely that the Kaiju were attracted to the  scent of spilled Kaiju-blue. The thinking was that they followed it because it meant the Kaiju that had lost it was dead or weakened, and therefore its territory was now up for grabs.

That's why the city walls seemed like such a good idea at the time construction started. The more we fought the Kaiju, the faster they came, and the bigger they got. A more passive approach would mean less Kaiju-blue spilled, and that would hopefully stop this exponential spiral of bigger Kaiju showing up faster.

Jaegers, though effective, were expensive to produce and maintain, and we were just about at the limit of our production capacity. It was only towards the very end, once the walls were almost up and the jaegers decommissioned, that the apparent intelligence of the Kaiju started increasing exponentially along with their size and frequency.


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

[User] ELI5: Why can we listen to songs over and over again, but only watch an episode or movie once and move on to the next one?

[Assistant]
Because, movies are telling stories, and if you know how it's ends you'll less interested in the story, (similar with jokes). With music you don't wait for the end to find out "who's the murderer". You enjoy composition, melody, rhythm etc. So if you hear it again it's still there.
There are some movies where visuals are more important than story. For example some action movies where explosions, car chases, and fine chicks are more important than story, and you can watch them again, and again, (or at least sequels which are very often the same only more).


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

[User]
Why do we blush when we're embarrassed?

From an evolutionary biological standpoint, why does blood rush into our faces when we're embarrassed?

[Assistant] The most common theory is that blushing allows others to observe that you are embarrassed. Embarrassment is a mechanism to enforce social rules, and blushing indicates to others that the rule has been enforced and no further action is necessary.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is the chirping noise that computers make.

I always just assumed that its coming from hdd, optical drive or fan. But recently I got a new ultrabook that has none of them and I can still hear that chirping, sounds like diskette drive but higher pitched. However I cannot hear that sound on a phone or tablet, only on computers.

[Assistant]
It's most likely "Coil whine"

There are small coils in your computer that are used to "smooth out" the current (and capacitors that do the same for the voltage) - electricity isn't perfectly regular, it has little bumps and waves that can damage your components inside the computer: the coils help make it "smoother" so that your computer lives longer and works better/more efficiently.

When the current passes through these coils, though, they vibrate quickly and rub together, creating a high-pitched chirp.


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

[User]
[WH40K] Could the Tyranids invade Commorragh? Would it be worthwhile for them to do so?

Is it possible for the Tyranids to traverse the Webway? If so, are there any notable instances of this occurring?

Also, if the 'Nids can traverse that labyrinthine dimension, could they end up in the sprawling, dark city-state which the Dark Eldar call home? I know that the 'Nids are all about obtaining biomass, usually by devouring the entire biosphere of a planet, but there's supposedly trillions of organisms within Commorragh, along with that tower of living flesh thing that Fabius Bile helped create, so I assume that trying to eat that place wouldn't be too bad of an idea for them.

Would a single splinter fleet be able to do it? How about an entire Hive Fleet? What about every Hive Fleet simultaneously?

[Assistant] Yes, it's possible. They could totally file in and eat everyone and everything in there. Thing is, there's so much more 'low hanging fruit' (easily accessible, poorly defended) planets full of tasty life that they probably wouldn't bother. It's harder to access, harder to access in force due to the narrower webway portals, quite thin on biomass compared to any Imperium or Ork world, and very *prickly* with elfdars.


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

[User]
[Batman] Has the Joker ever broke character?

The "Clown Prince of Crime" always seems to carry himself either with an uncaring mad aloofness or with the idea that he's just going to head to prison for a bit and then escape... but with all the crossovers and other anti-heroes and stuff that has happened in the Batman comics/games/etc, I can't help but wonder... has the Joker ever broke character? Like, has he ever faced someone that legit scared the hell out of him, or made him realize he bit off FAR more than he could chew?

[Assistant]
Frank Castle AKA The Punisher.

Apparently, during a 90s crossover, The Joker came face-to-face with Castle. What he didnt realize was that this was decidedly *not* Batman, and Castle was *not* afraid to simply put a bullet in Jokers brain. Batman had to save Joker, and Joker, for once in his life, took the situation seriously and ran. No laughing or quips, just pure terror. Its probably the only time Joker was actually afraid for his life.


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

[User]
How do insects heal? I think we've all accidentally pulled a leg off a grasshopper at one point.

Also curious about arachnids, especially spiders, since they're effectively hydraulic.

[Assistant]
Many insects have a life cycle of egg > larva > pupa > adult.  Basically, once it hits the pupa stage, there isn't much that can be done to heal any damage.  The cuticle (or exoskeleton) cannot be repaired as molting only happens during the egg/larval stages, so any damage to that lasts the rest of the insect's life.

As an example, Stigmatomma pallipes, AKA the dracula ant, feasts on the hemolymph (insect "blood") of their own larvae.  They do this by using the teeth lining their mandible to puncture the larva.  After happening several times, they develop scar tissue (trying to find a picture), but after molting and pupation, the adult ant has no signs of any physical trauma.

In the case of spiders, they molt as they grow and can regrow part or all of their limbs, or heal traumatic injuries.  After adulthood, time between molts increases dramatically and their ability to heal tapers off because of it.