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

[User]
Is there any conceivable way one could isolate a quark?

In a money/resources no object scenario, you have all the energy in all the stars in the observable universe at your disposal etc. Is there any way one might be able to completely isolate a quark?

[Assistant]
Quarks are held together by the Strong Force. Unlike all other forces (electromagnetic, weak, and gravitational), the strong force does not diminish in strength with increasing distance. After a limiting distance (about the size of a hadron) has been reached, it remains at a strength of about **10,000 newtons**, no matter how much farther the distance between the quarks. *And, it is inherently 100 times more powerful than electromagnetic force*

The amount of work done against a force of 10,000 newtons (about the weight of a one-metric ton mass on the surface of the Earth) is enough **to create particle-antiparticle pairs** within a very short distance of an interaction. In simple terms, the very energy applied to pull two quarks apart will turn into new quarks that pair up again with the original ones. The failure of all experiments that have searched for free quarks is considered to be evidence for this phenomenon.


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

[User]
There is no legitimate reason for NJ to prevent Tesla from selling directly to consumers. CMV.

I feel like car dealerships should not have a protected market. A manufacturer ought to have the right to sell their cars directly to consumers.

Forcing consumers and companies to go through dealers simply drives up costs for little reason at all. It doesn't benefit anyone except for the car dealers.

If consumers don't like a manufacturer's direct sales, then they can just go back to a dealer. If consumers do like direct sales, then they one more choice for buying their car. The dealer should be forced to compete by providing extra value.

And if dealers wouldn't be able to survive in an environment where car manufacturers are directly selling their products, then they are basically unnecessary and shouldn't exist in the first place.

[Assistant]
If we were making new regulations today, I'd completely agree with you.  But, changing the existing rules in place could have significant effects on a number of local businesses, most of which would not be beneficial to the states in the short term.  In the long run it might be better, but most politicians can't see past the short term costs it would impose.

From a state's perspective, selling a car through a dealership means that 5-10% of that purchase goes into the state economy. It funds a local business, which creates local jobs, etc.  When the car is sold direct to the consumer, that 5-10% usually leaves the state, heading back to Detroit or California (in Tesla's case).

These laws have also been on the books for a number of years, and lots of existing businesses depend on those rules.  If direct to consumer marketing becomes the norm, then the local Ford dealer could find his supply cut off, at the same time a Ford direct dealer opens down the street with lower prices.


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

[User] Are you more genetically similar to your parents or your siblings?

[Assistant]
Statistically, you are equally closely related to both, sharing half of your DNA.  However, this works slightly differently for the two cases.  You're guaranteed to have exactly half of your DNA from each parent (not counting X vs. Y chromosomes in males), since they each contributed a haploid gamete to create you.  But, in the case of siblings, you're only expected to share 50% of your DNA *on average*.  Theoretically, you could share no DNA, or 100% of your DNA with a sibling.

For example, imagine if your father produced one sperm with only your paternal grandfather's DNA, and one with only your paternal grandmother's, and your mother did the same with two eggs and her parents' DNA.  In that case, it would be possible for you and a sibling to share no DNA by descent, though in reality recombination and the sheer unlikelihood of the two of you receiving non-matching copies of all 23 chromosomes from each parent makes this effectively impossible.  Conversely, you could also imagine the case where your parents make two identical sperm and two identical eggs that happen to meet each other twice to create you and your sibling, but again it's pretty clear that this is ridiculously unlikely.

So, the distribution of amount of DNA shared with your siblings is really more of a bell curve centred on 50%, but in practice it's a very tall and narrow one.


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

[User]
China has limited its population for several decades to one child per couple. Their current numbers are still in the range of 1.3 billion. Why?

Looking at the world population, I am curious on why China's population is so much especially when they have had a child limit for years.

[Assistant]
Because people are living longer, the existing population is not being reduced as fast.

Let say you buy two bags of candy everyday and eat only one bag a day (that represents the old birth rate and death rate), soon you will have a lot of uneaten candy. So you decided to buy only one bag a day instead, but at the same time you only eat half a bag a day (the new birth rate and death rate). You don't accumulate as many bags of candy as before, but you still have a lot of candy left.


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

[User] How do transplanted organs communicate with the brain after surgery?

[Assistant]
Most organs aren't directly communicating with the brain (ie have no neurons synapsing in them) - they tend to be controlled more by feedback loops and endocrine signalling.  For example, your kidneys control how much salt is excreted based on its sensation of the blood pressure within it (via the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system).  However, this can also be modulated centrally via hormones such as ADH.  The other commonly tranplanted organs such as livers and lungs similarly rely on mostly non-neuronal mechanisms for control.

With that said, there are some important connections between organs and the central nervous system that can be disrupted due to a transplant.  For example, heart rate is partially controlled by the tone through the vagus nerve, which provides parasympathetic innervation and slows the heart.  Because this connection is not present in transplanted hearts, they tend to have a much higher resting rate.  On the afferent side of things, transplanted lungs have trouble with sensation to trigger cough reflexes since the ascending fibers are lost - this can lead to increased rates of aspiration and pneumonia.


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

[User]
As an average heterosexual male I believe that courting/chasing modern women is a waste of time CMV

So i'll probably get slaughtered for some of the things i'm about to say and called a hypocrite. Before I begin I should state that I know men can be big assholes too, I am aware of this.

I'm a 20 year old guy, not particularly attractive, with a dark sense of humor, not in the greatest of shapes and with a terrible dress sense. So I know that there are a lot of things I would have to fix to be considered "presentable" to females. I take full responsibility for the physical aspect as that is laziness and comfort eating on the most part however I cannot change my personality.

My attitude to women hasn't really changed but hardened over the last few years. I have seen too many things to suggest that in fact trying to date one would be a total waste of time including people posting screenshots of fake profiles with average guys on dating sites and comparing them with reactions by the same women to ones with male models. Now my issue isn't that these women are attracted to male models, its the surreptitious way they do it, pretending to be all for serendipity and presenting themselves as quite well adjusted people only to drop their panties for the first incredibly hot guy who comes along. Men are just as bad I agree but i'm not attracted to men so it doesn't affect me.

Then there's the fact that an average female at age 22 will have had many more sexual partners than her male counterpart, lost her virginity earlier and can get with guys who are on higher social standings than them and more physically attractive very easily. For a guy to do the same thing takes too much effort. I know the counter argument to this is "women can get sex easily but struggle to get committed relationships" I call BS for two reasons, many guys will go into a relationship just so they can have regular sex and also on the flipside many women like having sex with no strings.

Now for the part that will probably get me slammed but whatever. My disdain grew as I found out about the various seduction/PUA communities online. Now personally I feel too sleazy to use canned lines and using manipulation techniques however I do like using some of the tips on there as it has shown me the true nature of women. I have seen far too many examples on those sites where women will completely drop their principles if a guy conveys enough "alpha chemistry". My personality isn't really that of an "alpha" guy, I have odd interests and a weird sense of humor, so I can't really do that.

Part of me really wants to believe that there are decent, well adjusted, quirky women who can make me laugh as much as I make her laugh and enjoy each others company whilst both being attracted to each other but I don't think I can trust women knowing what I know now.

So can anyone change my view without simply stating that men are just as bad?

[Assistant]
just a quick point, Why aren't you going for women who are 20 years old, not particularly attractive, with a dark sense of humour, not in the greatest of shapes and with a terrible dress sense?

rather than decent, well adjusted, quirky women who can make you laugh.

you may just be looking for someone you would never get on with.


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

[User] [Star Wars] Why did the the blaster color change from "Blue" for the Republic's Clone Troopers to "Red" for the Empire's Storm Troopers?

[Assistant] To expand on what others have said The DC series (The blasters the clones used) were a plasma based blaster design that was more effective against droids while still being fairly lethal to organics. However most blasters, like the E-11  Storm Troopers had, used particle beams. Particle beams were strong enough to reliably take down battle droids, were even more effective against biological targets and used less gas.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Why did Rey get to be the pilot? (spoilers)

At the end of TFA, we see Rey in the pilot's seat of the Falcon. Why would she get to be the pilot? Chewie had been Han's friend and copilot for decades. Wouldn't Chewie be far more appropriate to pilot the Falcon?

[Assistant]
Chewie has been copilot for his entire life. He's really good in a supporting role. Of course he can fly the falcon, but he prefers sitting in the copilots seat.

Rey on the other hand is unto her own right a fucking amazing pilot - as evidenced by the dogfight through the star destroyer wreckage on Jakku.

Han himself was obviously impressed with both her piloting abilities and her knowledge and philosophy with regards to how she thinks the falcon should run.

Chewie likes her too, so it's natural that Chewie would want her in the pilots seat as Han's spiritual successor.


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

[User]
with all this growth in the wind energy field, i have to ask. don't all these wind generators take energy out of the wind?

will our pressure fronts slow down and become more extreme? or will weather become more homogenized? I know the question sounds stupid but i also don't mean as it stands now but as it will stand if the whole world goes wind in the future. isnt the wind as it is now quite important to simply screw with in this fashion?

[Assistant]
In order for a wind turbine to work, it cannot take more than 59% of the power out of wind. If a turbine took all of the kinetic energy out of the wind, the air would effectively stop and the incoming wind would use all of its energy pushing the static air out of the way. This is called Betz's Law.

This means that when wind blows through a turbine, there is always some wind that comes out the other side. Yes, it is slowed somewhat, but it always has *some* remaining velocity.

That's the first part. The second part is you have to consider how tiny a wind turbine is. For us, they're huge. But if you get in a plane and fly over a wind farm, you realize how small they are. We would have to build a *lot* of wind turbines if we were going to affect the wind currents at all.

I hope this answers your question. If you have any follow-ups feel free to ask.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is widespread use of antibiotics breeding antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but widespread use of refrigerators isn't breeding cold-resistant bacteria?

[Assistant]
Cold doesn't kill the bacteria. Chemical reactions generally occur much more slowly in colder temperatures, and this includes the reactions that bacteria run to generate energy to reproduce and make toxins. Your fridge basically just slows down machinery of bacteria so that food that would normally spoil in a day will now last 4-5. Food still does spoil, and bacteria still grow in the cold.

Additionally, bacteria that evolved to survive better at colder temperatures would be worse at surviving in warm temperatures, and wouldn't survive outside the fridge. Similarly, antibiotic resistant bacteria are typically wiped out by normal bacteria once you stop using the antibiotic.


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

[User] ELI5: Why am I sleepy and tired during the day but hyperactive and exited during the night?

[Assistant]
Because your body is off schedule.  Until you are on schedule, it will be like this.

Here is how you fix it:

* Wake up at 6:00AM every morning (including weekends)

* Do not nap during the day

* Get a decent amount of exercise each week

After you do this for a few weeks, you will magically have lots of energy during the day and magically be dead tired by 10PM.


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

[User] [Star Trek] Why didn't The Federation/Starfleet ships incorporate design elements from their member races? Why did they all follow the Earth style progression and aesthetic?

[Assistant]
The saucer + nacelles design is part of the functionality of the human-designed warp drive. You can make some alterations to it, but generally speaking, that's the best shape for your ship for that particular warp configuration. As humans seemed to have a good grasp on warp technology (warp 1 to warp 5 in a few decades), their warp systems quickly became the standard for Starfleet, and with it, the hull configuration that best suited it.

Other races did contribute to the design of ships. The Columbia-class, the first proper ships developed out of the NX program, had Andorian shields, Vulcan tractor beams, and Rigelian impulse engines and deflector dishes. It may not be as obvious just by looking at the silhouette, but Federation Starfleet ships were far different to Earth Starfleet ships.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why, in both providing housing and places of business, is there so much new building instead of restoring all the empty and boarded up ones?

UK based but it may be an international trend, so all answers are interesting :)

[Assistant]
In general it is much easier, faster, and cheaper to knockdown an abandoned building and rebuild it than it is to refurbish it.

When a building is abandoned, there will usually be a cascade of problems, leaks, water damage, mold, structural weakening, etc. Rather than have to individually repair these costly problems, it's usually much more cost effective to bulldoze and rebuild.


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

[User] ELI5: How do we know animals are not as self-conscious as humans?

[Assistant]
Consciousness tests.

Things like setting up a mirror and watching to see if the critter figures out that they're seeing themselves or if they think they're seeing another critter. There are plenty of others, but that one is basic and persuasive.

And the answer is that several other species are self aware.


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

[User]
Why does orbital radius increase with increased velocity?

So apparently our teacher said that if a spaceship increases its velocity for a short amount of time its orbital radius increases, and as a result it takes longer for the spaceship to finish a circle.

But according to V^2 = GM/R if the velocity increases, r has to decrease. So mathematically it doesn't out and it's bugging me.

[Assistant]
The easiest way to see why the size of your orbit will increase is to think about energy.  The total energy is the sum of two terms, kinetic energy (which depends only on your velocity), and potential energy, which depends only on your current location, and which grows with distance.  For example, the potential energy outside a mass M is PE = -GM/R, which *increases* as R increases.  If you suddenly increase your velocity, you have increased your kinetic energy, which means you've increased your total orbital energy.  This means you have more energy to climb higher up in the gravitational potential, i.e. your orbit can travel to larger distance.

The expression you wrote, v^2 = GM/R, is only true for circular orbits.  If you are on an initially circular orbit and suddenly change your orbital velocity, your orbit will change, becoming non-circular.  In general, orbits around isolated masses are elliptical; circular orbits are only possible when your velocity has a magnitude equal to the expression above, and points exactly 90 degrees away from the radial direction.  You should not use that expression for orbits that are not circular.


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

[User]
[Star wars]Why was the second Death star so much larger?

I just learned that the first Death Star was ~150 kilometers in diameter and the second one was 900(!) kilometers in diameter.
Why was the second Death Star so much larger?

[Assistant]
I think you have mixed up some numbers. It is generally accepted that the first Death Star was around 120km in diameter, while the second one was around 160km in diameter.

As for why the second one was larger, a part of the reason could be that the second Death Star contained three hypermatter-reactors instead of one, two dedicated to powering the superlaser.
This let the superlaser fire every few minutes, as opposed to having a 24 hour recharge time.


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

[User] ELI5: The distinction between someone being made redundant & being dismissed (sacked) from their job?

[Assistant]
If you are terminated (dismissed, sacked, fired, etc.) then you are being fired for a specific reason related to your character, i.e: you did something very wrong. If you are made redundant, then you are no longer required. Maybe that job role has been outsourced to a Philippine sweatshop, or the company is changing hands and that job is already taken, or maybe the economy has crashed and you are too expensive to employ.

Terminated: you've buggered something up and they're getting rid of you.

Redundant: your job no longer exists for whatever reason.


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

[User]
[The Martian] What kind of medical issues might Mark Watney develop?

I just finished rewatching the film, and I'm wondering what Watney's medical state might be after he got back to Earth. Long-term malnourishment, lots of physical labour, lengthy period spent in low gravity, the high velocity MAV launch, the psychological effects, etc... all of those seem like they'd have a huge effect on him long-term.

Obviously, these questions are a bit hard to answer because nobody has ever spent time in that kind of state IRL, but what kind of educated assumptions could we make about him post-Mars?

[Assistant]
Relatively young and healthy with the best doctors on Earth?

Think of it this way, John McCain went through much worse as a POW and was able to bounce back and live a pretty full life.

I think Mark would be fine.


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

[User] How non-real-time OSes like Windows or Linux generate video frames with such high timing accuracy during video/game playback?

[Assistant]
They don't.

The frame rate of videos and games on a non-RTOS can vary quite a bit. If the frame rate is consistent, it's because there's something limiting the maximum frame rate, and the computer has enough brute force power to keep the minimum frame rate from dropping.


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

[User]
ELI5: How can the Sentinelese people, who number ~250, and been living on the same island uncontacted for 60000 years, not number higher in population or be inbred to the point of severe consequence

Looking at the exponential growth that the human population has showed, would we not expect more than ~250 people to be living where there has been undisturbed existence for more than 60000 years?

Also, would they not be so imbred that there would be severe genetic deficiencies?

[Assistant]
* We don't actually know how long the Sentinelese have been on their island, only that it's more than 300 years.  We know anatomically modern humans reached the *general area* about 60,000 years ago, but that doesn't tell us when they reached that particular island.
* We don't know that they've been undisturbed the whole time they've been on the island.  If one group of people managed to find it, a few others could easily have, particularly if we're talking about 60,000 years.  For all we know there could have been a new group of people arriving every 500 years to add to the gene pool.
* If the island can't produce enough food for more than ~250 people, then there can't be more than ~250 people living there at any time.  So a lot of them just die at an early age.


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

[User] ELI5:What makes the US dollar an international currency?

[Assistant]
Traditionally, governments aligned their currency to the gold standard. That meant that all these countries had to keep stockpiles of gold securing their economy, so anyone could redeem their currency for gold upon demand.

In 1944 the leaders of may other countries met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire and agreed to drop the gold standard and instead peg their currency to the value of the US Dollar.  At that time, the dollar was backed by its value in gold, and the United States held the largest gold reserves. This allowed other countries to back their currencies with dollars, rather than gold.

It was this way until the 1970's, when Nixon decoupled the US Dollar from gold values, but by then the USD was already the standard used for foreign transactions, and the USD was very stable.

The Euro has crept into the market (aprox 31% of international reserves) but primarily in the European block, and China has been making moves to convince other countries to switch to the CNY, but outside of traditionally anti-US countries it has not really caught on.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do we sing in key when our voices sound different in our heads?

So I know that our own voices sound different to us because they resonate differently to our ears then to someone elses, but how does this affect singing?  My voice sounds a lot deeper in my head so when I listen to a recording of talking I sound higher, so when I sing along wouldn't I be singing in a higher key then I think I am?

TL DR; How can singers sing to music when they are singing to a key they hear in the head, which might be slightly different from the actual sound they are producing?

[Assistant] Your head isn't thick enough to have an effect on the frequency that you hear.  When you listen to a recording of your own voice, what's missing is the deeper harmonics that result from the sound travelling through you skull to the bones in your ear, but it doesn't really affect the accuracy with which you can judge the pitch of your voice.


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

[User] If every multicellular life form suddenly disappeared, would singled celled life forms eventually re-evolve into multicellular ones again?

[Assistant]
Probably yes. The removal of multicellular life would not be a "reset to zero" event. There is still complex single cellular life, some of which is actually very closely related to multicellular life. A really good example would be baker's yeast.

There's at least three origins of multicellularity across eukaryotes between animals, plants and fungi, so if any Eukaryote survived it's actually quite reasonable to assume it could happen again. Since there's plenty of single celled eukaryotes there's pretty good odds that multicellular life would reemerge from them.

The reset to zero event would be the loss of all eukaryotic life. Whether multicellular life could recover from that is far less likely.


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

[User]
Is it conceivable that there are human-borne organisms now living on the moon?

I've read about bacteria being able to survive vacuums and some are able to persist as memnospores.

So is it possible that on our missions to the moon, we transported organisms to the moon that are, in some way,
still alive? What sort of organisms would we be likely to find?

How about Mars? Could some have come off the rovers sent there?

[Assistant] I recall Apollo 12 recovering the remains of the Surveyor 3 probe and finding that a small colony of bacteria that had been placed in it had survived 3 years on the moon. So yeah, they can survive, apparently. For 40 years? We won't find out until we go back.


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

[User] ELI5: Will everyone on Earth eventually have the same/similar skin hair colour?

[Assistant]
Different skin colors came about in the first place because of natural selection.

People who lived in deserts and other places with continuous, harsh sun gained extra protection against the excessive UV that hit their skin by growing extra melanin.

People who lived in climates where the sun shined less than the optimal amount required for their skin to create vitamin D with sunlight, lost pigment in an attempt to compensate.

Neither of these pressures have gone away. There's still way too much UV hitting the skin of people who live in the Sahara desert, and way too little hitting the skin of people who live in Siberia.

Unless the entire earth is somehow drastically changed to eliminate all differences in sunlight, there will always be differences in skin color.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do we know so much about the sun?

I was watching a video the other day that happened to include measurements of the sun's various layers, and I was thinking "Mhmm, right sure", when a bigger thought struck me- "Wait, what?". I don't doubt that the information is genuine, but I hear all the time that we can't even begin to approach the sun because of how hot it is. So how do we know the various depths of the sun's layers? How did we get a probe close enough? Is it done through estimation and educated guesses alone?

[Assistant]
>How did we get a probe close enough? Is it done through estimation and educated guesses alone?

Well although we have sent satelites to study the sun, none have got particularly close. Estimation and educated guesses are certainly part of it, but it's really a case of being able to infer greater and greater information through observing it's behaviour, and coming up with testable theories that explain that behaviour.

For example we can measure the size and mass of the sun through a combination of geometry for it's size, and careful measurement of the movements of the planets let's us work out its mass. Spectroscopy tells us what it's made of, and an understsnding of how gases behave in different circumstances let's us extrapolate how hot, and how much pressure the gases must be under at the core.


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

[User]
Big academic opportunity - need advice

Hey everyone,

About 6 months ago I received a call for proposals for a huge International Relations Congress, and thinking I had nothing to lose, I applied.

Last month I was basically told that my abstract was accepted and that I was invited as a discussant as part of a research panel. I thought "hey, why not, that sounds cool, I'll be discussing with other graduate students!"...well not really.

I just got a first look at those who will be discussant in my panel, and to be honest they're all far more qualified than I am. All of the discussants are either professors, Phds or PhDs candidates and I'm here, the little first year grad student...

The presentation I will make is on a rather serious topic (terrorism), and on a specific aspect of it that I truly feel has been underexploited, but at the same time, I feel a bit inadequate in the sense that I fear to not be able to actually communicate my ideas adequately.

I wanted to know if anyone had a similar experience or tips so that I can prepare myself better.

Thank you all,

Cheers!

[Assistant]
Been there, done that, it is a great opportunity, go for it.  Your job is to find nuance and interest in their papers, not to be a hard line critic.

As for your own work, give a few practice presentations to your peers and you should be fine.


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

[User]
Serious dilemma.  Four slots open for students, but will be leaving the University in one year.

So I'm in an ethical position I am unsure how to handle.  The situation with my university has become so terrible, I've decided to leave in one year, but of course haven't announced this to my department.

Basically my department is incompetent, terrible, and demoralizing.  I'm being blocked and thwarted at every turn, despite bringing in $2.3M in grants this year (making me account for 35% of our entire College's research funding).  The situation is affecting my ability to make progress, our staff is fleeing the sinking ship, and I've already had two important collaborations killed by an incompetent purchasing department.

To make matters worse, my Dean is sabotaging me, and our admissions office still hasn't managed to get their act together.

My issue is this.  I need to make progress on my grant, and I need to hire no less than four students this semester.  I don't want to strand some poor students here, however, when I jump ship.

I'd love to just say I'll take them with me, but what if I can't find a job in academia?  In that case, I'm still leaving because I am done with this place.  So under the circumstances I feel bringing in new PhDs is unethical.

Really looking for advice, Reddit.

[Assistant] It seems very unethical to bring on students to a department you yourself don't want to be a part of. Is it possible to hire lab techs? Maybe you couldn't hire as many, since you actually have to pay them a living wage, but they might be more efficient.


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

[User]
CMV: Telling people that their weight is determined by "Genetics" doesn't help them lose weight, it only gives them an excuse to stop trying.

Carbs turn into fat if its not burned off. Your body is at a standard metabolic rate. You gain weight when you eat more carbs then you can burn off.

People don't lose weight because they binge sugar and carbs. Stop drinking soda. Stop eating candy. Stop Eating Rice, and stop eating pastries.

The exact order is, Rice, Candy, Pastries, Soda  from worst to least worse.

The carb count.

1 cup of white rice uncooked is 144 grams (according to the label)

1 cup of candy is 135 carbs

8 ounces of bread is 112 carbs

1 cup of soda is about 24 carbs

Genetics has nothing to do with it. I've been able to drop 30 pounds when I stop eating those things and gain 30 when I do.

[Assistant] Congratulations, OP. You've lost a bunch of weight on an unsustainable diet. Instead of encouraging people to shed pounds as fast and as possible, perhaps we should encourage people to start actually eating healthier and leading healthier lifestyles. If weight loss is the byproduct of a healthy lifestyle, then great; but let's not make improving physical appearance the goal in and of itself.


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

[User]
ELI5: How does PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) work?

Im looking to get into Arduino and frequently see the term PWM used in projects that use Arduino but with an extremely basic knowledge of electronics i'm finding online explanations difficult to understand.

[Assistant]
It's like playing with a ceiling fan switch: the speed of the fan is not going to drop instantly down to zero the instant you turn the switch off, nor is it going to get to max speed the second you turn it on. So, using this delay, you can switch it on and off, on and off, making it faster or slower, to make it go the speed you want at the time you want. (Dammit, driving was a much better example but oh, well.)

Suppose you want the current delivered to a component to be in the form of a particular signal (maybe a sine-wave of so-and-so frequency, or going up then down, etc.)

But the only control you have is to switch the power supply on and off.

You can switch the supply on and off very fast, in a pattern, rapidly sometimes and slower other times, to effectively controlledly 'push' the average signal higher and lower in discrete steps as needed.

The switching on-and-off is the pulse. The duration for which is the pulse is held is the pulse-width. And modulation is the function of all this: to end up with the signal you want.


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

[User] [Sins of a Solar Empire]What wiped out the Vasari empire? What was chasing them?

[Assistant]
Two hints:

- The sole Vasari warship that returned from their initial campaign against the foe had its crew "driven mad" by fear of what they encountered. Not merely despairing or terrified, but insane.

- The Vasari are by far the most advanced in Phase Space technology, including holding permanent portal-like stabilized nodes open for their ships to use.

Conclusion: *Something* came in from phase space, perhaps attracted by the stabilized nodes the Vasari created. *Something* so alien to even the Vasari, perhaps even to reality itself, that it just broke whoever perceived it. They never even had a chance to fight - they were lost as soon as they saw it.


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

[User]
Why are fathers more protective of daughters, and mothers more protective of sons?

Typically, that is.  From a psychological standpoint, why is there such a paradigm?  Why are there normally "momma's boys" and "daddy's girls" but not the opposite?

[Assistant]
I don't think there is. The social norm though is for mother / daughter and father / son relationships, usually. (Not in time spent, but more in who you take after / do activities with etc)

This means it stands out more when a boy spends time with his mother or a daughter and her father. The negative connotations associated especially with being a "mummy's boy" are because you're seen as doing feminine things, and becoming more effeminate regardless of that being true or false.

Another point would be understanding.

A mother understands more what a daughter might be feeling, but a father...not so much. Similarly father's know what a son might be going through but won't about their daughter.


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

[User]
[DC] What does the Keystone/Central City general populace think of the "friendship" between Flash and the Rogues?

The Rogues aren't your typical supervillains -- they have a strict code of conduct: e.g. no killing children. At times, they even help The Flash. As a result, it seems as though The Flash has a sense of camaraderie with most of his Rogues gallery, so long as they continue to abide by their code.

But how do the citizens of Central/Keystone City feel about their "friendship"? Surely, a lot of people have suffered as a consequence of the Rogues' crimes.

[Assistant]
While there's a sense that they can trust one another to act honorably, Flash and the Rogues hate one another (well, they hate Barry. They don't mind Wally as much.). The Rogues will kill the Flash, he'll put them in jail.

The Flash respects their code of honor, and the fact that they don't go full Gotham is a major reason why he doesn't go full Batman and damn near kill them whenever they throw down. Barry Allen's murdered one of his villains before and Wally West has shown a willingness to consign truly 'bad' foes to fates worse than death. They just *choose* to obey the law and not go to extremes because the Rogues follow their code.

And the citizens get that. The Flash Family follows the rules. Yeah, the Rogues make things dangerous, but their rules also mean that they try to minimize collateral damage. They know that if one side or the other dropped the pretense, they'd be in the middle of a war that could easily level the city. So they don't mind the odd feud between the Flash and his felonious foes as much as you'd think. And, really, it's not the Flash's fault that the Rogues can get out of jail so easily.


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

[User] [Batman Forever] How old was Dick? Was Bruce taking in a man in his mid 20s?

[Assistant]
I think he was supposed to be 17 going on 18 in Batman Forever.

1. Barbara in Batman & Robin was in still young enough to be in a boarding school but nobody bats an eye at their flirtations, and not that much time seems to have passed between then and Forever.

2. Bruce makes a crack in Forever about sending him straight to college.

3. After the tragedy at Haley's circus, Alfred mentions that Bruce 'took him in' and that there were some interactions with social services which makes it sound he's still not legally an adult.


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

[User]
[MCU] Is F.R.I.D.A.Y. just J.A.R.V.I.S. with a different voice?

Did Stark really make two completely different AI's?  Didn't he have backup copies of Jarvis on a disk somewhere?

[Assistant]
Probably extremely similar to J.A.R.V.I.S. in code, but Tony would have changed the personality profile and the voice for each different AI.

Also F.R.I.D.A.Y. wouldn't have any of the "personal experiences" that J.A.R.V.I.S. has, but could connect up to Tony's database and access any information stored there by Tony or J.A.R.V.I.S. when needed.

Besides that? Can't really think of why Tony would want to make more changes to the template AI software. And as it seems, no, Tony didn't backup J.A.R.V.I.S. on hard drives. Probably down to Tony's trust in technology like network based storage.


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

[User]
How did early humans figure out the planets were actually planets, and not stars, before the the invention of the telescope?

I was wondering how humans figured out how Jupiter/Saturn/ etc were different than the hundreds of stars in the night sky. Thanks.

[Assistant]
The word Planet is derived from the Greek word Planan, which means 'wander'.
They didn't really know what they were, but they knew these dots on the sky moved in an irregular pattern (e.x. Mars looked like it went backwards at times as our orbit overtook Mars).
The stars, by contrast, moved in more of a regular pattern.


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

[User]
ELI5:why do many former drug addicts become religious after rehabilitation?

As the title says, i've been wondering about this for some time now.

[Assistant] Most 12 step programs have a significant religious aspect to them.  They use the fact that these are people who, when they choose to live for themselves, make poor decisions.  Getting them to live for "A higher power" is one of the more successful ways to rehabilitate them.


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

[User]
Does dissonant music sound dissonant to other animals?

Are the frequencies we find pleasing pleasing to other species? Is there an evolutionary reason that we find certain combinations of frequencies pleasant while others are grating that would extend beyond our species?

[Assistant] A great deal of music is cultural. What one person calls dissonant another may call beautiful. As such, the question is hard to answer, because there's no clear definition of musical dissonance that isn't itself highly subjective.


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

[User] [MCU] How does one get themselves psychoanalyzed by Captain America? The guy could sell out stadiums yet he's talking to like 6 people in an empty cafeteria. Who are those people, are they rich or do they know someone who can pull strings?

[Assistant] Why do you think that Cap is psychoanalyzing these people? It's just a weekly support group for people who survived the Snap. Cap probably wants to be there because he's lived through the weirdest aspects of WWII, has been frozen, lost his girlfriend, AND lived through the Snap. So he's probably got a LOT of issues he'd like to get off of his chest. In fact, he probably needs this support group more than everyone else in the room, combined.


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

[User] ELI5: why aren't traffic lights made with one light that changes color instead of three. Wouldn't they be easier to manufacture and install?

[Assistant] Several reasons. Technology has only recently evolved to where this would actually work. Prior to LEDs, all bulbs were white with colored filters in front of them and having the filters change mechanically would be a huge failure point. Our eyesight notices movement much quicker than color changes and the change in location of the light acts like motion. And what about all of our color blind friends? The position of the light helps them to know which one is on.


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

[User]
[X-Men 616] If she completely let loose and didnt care about casualties, whats the most amount of damage Storm could do?

Like what is the upper extreme of her powers? Could she destroy the planet if she wanted to? Or at least make it uninhabitable?

[Assistant] She could wipe out most of the life on the planet. Shes an omega level mutant.  It could be as slow as creating droughts and starving ecosystems or as fast as flashflooding, creating powerful hurricanes, etc.


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

[User]
[Doctor Who] Peter Capaldis Twelfth Doctor says that purple is the colour of death and gold as the light of immortality.

What does this even mean?

How is color a fundamental part of reality if its just changing wavelength in light?

Why does it matter?

What are some of the other fundamental colors of the universe?

[Assistant]
He's just being poetic. Remember, regeneration energy is gold.

For some people, purple would be the color of royalty. For some cultures in Asia, white is the color of death, while in other, European cultures, it's the color of purity and light. In some cultures, yellow stands for cowardice. In some cultures, green is for life and nature. For Japan, purple is shorthand for darkness or evil.

He's not being *literal*, he's just, y'know. Being poetic.


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

[User] [Tolkien]I am eccentric billionaire with vast financial resources. Since Middle Earth is the distant history of our world, there must be corpses or artifacts somewhere? What would be the best place to search and best way to go about finding some?

[Assistant]
All this happend atleast 10000 years ago, possibly further back, considering how much The land has changed. (most likely before The ice ages) which means that there wont be many corpses, but maybe fossiles. However, elvish swords does not degrade, meaning they Will still be around. And, your best bet to find those would probably be either in the old Belerand, where there are many massgraves from The first age, (my guess is that it would be somewhere in the northen atlantic) or around mordor, which most likely was situated around where The middle East is today, or maybe where turkey is, Southeast europ. However, its very unlikely that anything from The first age due to The reshaping of The world, which might have pushed a lot of stuff far too deep into The earth.

You will most likely not find any cities, since it was so far ago that they Will have most likely fallen. However, The walls of minas tirith, and The tower of isengard was absurdly durable, and was considered indistructable, so its possible they are still around somewhere. (However, baradur was also considered indistructable but was mostly destroyed in the second age and only survived by saurons magic, buts its possible that the first tower was not built in Adamant, or numenorians knew how to destroy it.) If these are still around, they are most likely burried considering how much The land has changed. Since its very hard to compare maps from that age with The modern ones, we simply doesnt know where to look. Middle earth was most likely europ, but beyond that we dont know much.


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

[User]
Were does the inertia of a playground swing come from?

EDIT: Forget inertia, I meant momentum.

I just noticed I don't understand playground swing sets:

A kid sits on a playground swing set at rest. The system has zero net momentum.

The child starts swinging by pumping its legs and throwing its body forward and backward. The system still has zero net momentum, as the child tries to shifts its center of gravity, the seat of the swing set accelerates forward and backward, keeping the center of gravity in place and total net momentum zero.

The child kept pumping its legs and due to its intuitive understanding of resonance, the net energy of the system increases (potential + kinetic, of course the child burns calories) with every swing and every pump. Once the swing really gets going, the child stops pumping and just sits in the seat.

As the child passes the lowest point of the pendulum motion, its momentum is obviously not zero. Were did that momentum come from? What balances it?

Do swing sets work in vacuum and with perfectly friction less bearings?

PS: The child never touched the ground with its legs. That would make it much easier.

[Assistant]
Swings with children pumping their legs to increase their peak height have actually quite complicated physics that many people confuse with the simpler case of a pendulum with constant peak height and constant total energy.

Where does the extra energy come from to increase the child's total energy (gravitational potential energy plus kinetic energy)? The energy ultimately comes from the child's muscles. How does energy get transferred from the muscles to the swing? The same way that muscles always create kinetic energy: by pushing off something or pulling towards something. If a child were floating in an empty vacuum with nothing to push, pull, or throw, she could not increase her linear kinetic energy, because of conservation of energy. So what is the child pushing off of or pulling against? The only thing that the child is connected to which is not moving with her is the bar to which the swing chains are attached on the top. Therefore, the child's pumping of her legs must effectively allow her to push off from or pull towards the bar. And this is indeed what happens.

But it gets more complicated. The chains of the swing are typically connected to the bar so that force can only be transmitted between bar and chain in the radial direction and not in the tangential direction (this is, after all, what allows the swing to swing freely in the angular direction). Also, chains can only be pulled and not pushed. The only option to exert a force on the bar is therefore to pull the chain radially away from the bar. How can a child gain net momentum tangentially if she can only pull radially away from the bar?

The key is that a force can be redirected by an intervening agent (e.g. a ramp can redirect a downwards force into a sideways force). The intervening agent in this case is the child's body itself and how it is stuck by friction in the chair of the swing. When pumping, the child is effectively pulling radially away against the bar through the chains and diverting this radial force to a tangential force using her body and its connection to the swing seat and chains. Therefore, a force that is radially away from the bar becomes a tangential force that is able to angularly accelerate the child and increase her peak height.

If the seat of the swing were large, flat and frictionless, and the child was careful not to hold or touch the chains, then there would be no way to divert the radial pull on the chains to a forwards push. The child would not able to increase her peak height. She would just slide around on the chair (or fall off) when she pumped her legs, but would not get it swinging.

> Do swing sets work in vacuum and with perfectly friction less bearings?

Yes. The child is not pushing off the air and is not directly pushing tangentially off the bar through the chains. She is pulling radially away from the bar.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is happening when you're almost asleep and you suddenly get that strange falling sensation?

It freaks me out! Why do our brains do that?

[Assistant]
No one knows for sure. It's called a hypnogogic jerk.

Best theory I've heard is that, as you fall asleep, your brain starts to ignore outside sensations (sight, sound, touch). But another part of your brain notices that there is no input coming in (especially touch input) and interprets that as falling.


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

[User]
ELI5: How are sociopaths able to have such magnetic personalities and appear likable when they have no empathy?

Isn't empathy neccissary in order to relate/connect with someone? I've hear sociopaths are excellent at getting people to like them initially. The two seem to contradict eachother.

[Assistant] They can pick and choose which traits to demonstrate. A typical person has conflicting emotions that influence how they interact with people. The fact that typical people can't "choose" which traits to show at different times means that they often show negative traits to people. A sociopath is able to look at which traits are favorable to other people, and because they lack empathy or the ability to mirror the emotions of others, they can choose exactly how they portray themselves.


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

[User]
Is it pretentious to give a presentation at a academic workshop where I will be the only speaker without a PhD? All other speakers are professors.

Hello! I just finished an M.Sc. in quantitative finance and I'm starting an M.in Canada. A few months ago, I was saying to a friend how I desperately need to get comfortable with presentations, so she kindly referred me to an acquaintance of hers (a professor in another university). The idea (at least in my head) was to organize a presentation for a small group of M.Sc./PhD students or professors, and if things didn't go perfectly, I probably would never see them again, so it wouldn't matter. It turns out that I'm invited to present my master's thesis at an academic workshop where invited guests pay 150$ to hear me speak about my research, along with others (all professors/researchers). It feels like a nightmare. I feel incredibly out of my league, and even pretentious for daring presenting my first ever research project in front of a room of experienced researchers. I agreed to it before knowing what I was getting into. I'm wondering if I should go through with it and take it as a learning experience or cancel it. What's your opinion on this situation? Thanks!

[Assistant]
Pretentious seems like the completely wrong word. Why on earth would this be pretentious?

>  an academic workshop where invited guests pay 150$ to hear me speak

no, they pay $150 to attend an academic workshop. you speaking at the workshop is far from its most significant part.

it sounds like you're trying to come up with reasons to not go because this experience makes you nervous. this is not a big deal. even undergrads present their research to faculty at these things. i think it would help you to realize that getting up to present a piece of research isn't a mark of your superiority to your audience or testament that you are a very important person - it's just a routine part of knowledge exchange. if you come from a hierarchical culture, it can feel weird to be "telling" things to your betters, but in the west, this is a normal part of your professional development.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is reading good for the brain?

[Assistant] I can think of two important reasons. First reading and comprehension increases vocabulary and your understanding of language. Second is what you learn from the material. Even fiction can train your brain to make connections or think in ways that you hadn't before.


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

[User] ELI5: What makes the value of a stock go up or down?

[Assistant]
Supply and demand.

There is a limited quantity of each stock.  When there are a lot of people selling but only a few buying, the buyers have more control of the price, so it goes down.  Conversely, when there are a few people selling and a lot buying, the buyers control the price so it goes up.


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

[User]
What color is the emitted light when the picture on my TV screen is totally black?

When my tv is totally black, it's still emitting enough light to see around the room. What color is that 'black' light?

[Assistant]
White, assuming it's a typical LCD. They have a white backlight. This is filtered through colored pixels. These pixels, filled with liquid crystalls, have the ability to open/close. In case of "black", all are closed, but a rest of light is still coming through these pixels - as well as on the sides of the screen. The backlight is always on (in case of OLED displays, where each pixel is its own light source, you can shut off each pixel. No backlight, black is off, so, truly black and not greyish white).
Assuming every pixel leaks the same amount, the light is white. Assuming, blue pixels are closed better than red, the light might have a different hue.


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

[User]
[DC Comics] Why didn't the Green Lantern Corps help the people of Krypton?

You'd think they would have assisted in evacuation or something.

[Assistant]
In fact, they did! They sent Tomar-Re to aid Krypton. However, he was injured by a supernova on his way there and didn't recover in time to put his plan to save Krypton into motion. When he arrived, the planet was already exploding.

It was a failure that would haunt him for decades.


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

[User]
ELI5: Is there a reason why it's so hard to run in dreams?

For a few days I've been having dreams that involve a lot of running. Sometimes for sport sometimes away from something and almost every single time it feels like my legs weigh 200 pounds each and I'm trying to drag them through water.

So I was wondering if there's a specific reason why it's so difficult to run in dreams? I can understand things like clocks and mirrors being messed up but if you can walk why can't you run?

[Assistant] When you go to sleep, your brain chemistry changes to prevent you from moving much in your sleep. So when you run in a dream, your legs don't move. Without that feedback, you brain conveys to you that you're not moving. So it feels like you're, as you say, running with 200 pound weights on your leg.


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

[User]
ELI5 What is a voice crack?

I was wondering what a voice crack is and how it happens.

[Assistant]
An uncontrolled switch of vocal registers, unless you're someone like SIA or Mariah Carey, which are known for using voice-cracks as a way to color their singing.

Too much force going up, you're going to crack because your "chest-voice" (the darker and deeper part of your voice) can't go that high without switching gears. Too breathy or light when going down from your head-voice (the brighter and higher part of your voice) and you're going to crack as well because it's quite difficult to have a breathy and bright lower register, specially without switching back to your lower-gear.

Yodelers, for example, have mastered this switch and use it stylistically for their singing.

A vocal crack is not unhealthy either, which means that if you crack, it's simply your voice choosing the best mechanism to produce whatever sound it was that you tried to make. It's also quite common for teenage boys because our voices start to get deeper, (most of us that is) due to puberty, which means that whatever note you could hit with your chest-voice before puberty, you're probably not going to be able after puberty finishes unless you have a solid-grasp of how your voice works. The cracks go away after puberty (usually) because you' eventually and subconsciously adjust your entire speaking-range to your new post-puberty range.

Hopefully all this answers your question.


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

[User] During a full eclipse, the moon and sun have the same apparent size in the sky (roughly). Is this just a coincidence, or did some natural combination of factors cause the distance and size of the moon to work out that way?

[Assistant] It's a coincidence. Both the sun and the moon vary by a few percent in apparent size, and they have a range that overlaps. Over very, very long times the sun will become bigger and the moon farther away, so eventually this will no longer be the case.


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

[User]
are there clocks on Curiosity and/or Voyager so we can measure gravitational time dilation?

if so how much difference is there between time in space and time on Earth?

[Assistant] We don't need to go as far as Curiosity or Voyager for that. The GPS satellites are affected by both special relativity (because they're moving quite fast relative to us) and general relativity (because they're farther away from a massive body than we are). The net result is that a clock on board the satellites would tick faster by 38 microseconds per day.


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

[User] ELI5: why haven't consoles offered the option for multi-monitor gaming? Hardware limitations?

[Assistant]
Less hardware limitations, more interest limitations.

Like any device, consoles are going to be developed to meet the needs / wishes of most of the target market. And most of the people playing consoles do not care for multi-monitor gaming. Half of the advantage of a console is that you can easily plug it into your tv (a device nearly everybody has anyway) and there you go, you are ready to game. Multi-monitor gaming already takes a slightly more complicated set-up, more TVs and so on, and most people just aren't interested in it.

And, as with any device you are making, you are going to aim for the least amount of costs when producing, and putting in extra hardware/software that most of your target market won't use will only make your device more expensive without really leading to more sales.


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

[User]
Where does all the heat go?

Ok, here's a simple problem that's been bothering me and which i haven't been able to find an answer for:

Things in the world generate heat. Our bodies, most living things, our computers, factories, cars, etc. So where does all this go? Immediately the answer is "dissipated into the air": but then where? The logical assumption would be "vented into space"... but I don't understand how. Does heat just radiate without a problem into a vacuum? Does the earth act like a pot of water: only holding so much heat/water and then discarding the rest?

Really simple problem but I cannot fathom the answer. Also please try to keep this on top (ie no global warming debate).

Thanks!

[Assistant]
Everything gives off light at a frequency distribution and power proportional to their temperature. This is called *blackbody radiation.* So a room-temperature cricket ball in the intergalactic void would radiate light, mostly in the infrared. Each time the cricket ball emits a photon, its temperature will drop slightly, changing the frequency distribution and power of its emitted radiation. Eventually it will come into thermal equilibrium with the vacuum around it, at around three degrees absolute.

So too does the Earth radiate. On the side facing the sun, of course, the Earth absorbs much more light than it emits, but on the night side, the Earth radiates heat away into space.


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

[User]
How do philosophers deal with misogynistic remarks in the core texts of some philosophers?

I am interested in this because for the first time in a class on Nietzsche rather than automatically dismiss his misogynistic remarks as being a product of his time (although that was still a possible explanation, maybe even purposefully done by Nietzsche to prove a point about his own inability to escape from his personal biases) we had to ask why he would choose to say these things.

All the other times we stumbled upon an unsavory remark like this with other philosophers it was always treated as a minor aberration from the philosophers work and dismissed.

I find it hard to accept that in texts that are studied word by word that any philosopher would put something in so lightly, and why something in those texts can be excluded from the writers philosophy.

In a time when misogyny is so obviously unacceptable it seems like it would stick out like a sore thumb and be a possible weak point, previously glossed over, that could be analysed.

So are there any interesting examples of this being done fruitfully? Or on the other hand are there examples of parts of a philosopher's text being obviously dismissible and not part of their philosophy?

[Assistant]
You might like Jacques Derrida's *Spurs* and Kelly Oliver's *Womanizing Nietzsche.* They deal exactly with the problem of Nietzsche's misogyny from different perspectives.

The way a lot of Derridean continental philosophy approaches problems such as this is to ask questions like: what role does "woman" play in the edifice of Nietzsche's work? How is one to understand the appeals to gender? What does it mean to call something a "minor aberration" for one who largely rejects such explanations as fearing the truth?


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

[User] What happens to DNA when someone gets a transplant?

[Assistant]
Nothing.  The DNA in the liver retains Bob's DNA, while the rest of the body retains Alice's DNA.

Which is why Alice will need to take immune system suppressing drugs for the rest of her life - to keep her body from attacking and destroying her/Bob's liver.


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

[User]
[The Wizard of Oz] Where does the Red Brick Road go?

In the movie, after Dorothy arrives in Munchkinland, she is told to follow the Yellow Brick Road. But there is another red road that spirals out with the Yellow Brick Road. Where does the Red Brick Road go? I always thought as a kid that it led off to the Wicked Witch of the West's house.

[Assistant]
Most likely Quadling Country as their dominant color is red.

Edit: This makes even more sense since the quadling country is basically a third world country. The yellow brick road leads to the prosperous and bustling capitol while the opposite direction leads to an undeveloped wasteland.


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

[User] ELI5: When you hold something hot in your hand, and have to let go, why does the pain you get come delayed for like 1 second?

[Assistant]
The movement of the arm away from a hot object is a reflex action, your central nervous system doesn't wait for the message to reach the brain and instead the reflex is entirely handled by nervous system elements in your spine.

The fact that you moved your hand away from the hot object before you 'felt' the pain (in your brain) draws your attention to the phenomena and makes it seem as though you chose to move your hand away before feeling anything hence the perceived delay.


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

[User] [Sword Art Online]My kid is trapped in SAO.Suppose I glue one side of his helmet to a wall & glue other side to the end of a long chain attached to my car. Can I get him out of the game By driving away so fast that when the chain goes taut it'll rip the helmet apart too fast for it to fry his brain?

[Assistant]
Possibly, but so you really want to risk it?

Even if the helmet doesn't fry his brain (still a distinct possibility), this would cause massive, possibly fatal injuries to his neck.

Even if neither of those happen, we don't know what will happen to his brain without the controlled disconnect that logging out offers.

It could cause anything from long term but fairly minor psychological problems, to the far more likely catatonia or massive psycological trauma.

Yes, it's possible that you could rip the helmet off fast enough, but it's almost certainly going to either kill your son, or do massive damage to his body/mind.

If he is still alive, there is a decent chance he will stay that way, probably a better chance of him surviving than trying something like this.


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

[User] Why Moderna half dose and not a full dose for the booster?

[Assistant] Vaccine dosage is based on both laboratory study of how the vaccine works as well as clinical trial data.  Drug makers seek to find the optimal balance between desired effects, in this case COVID protection, unwanted adverse effects, use of resources, and cost.  You might think that giving twice the dose would be twice as effective (or half the dose half as effective) but it doesn't always work that way.  For example, if half the dose gives 90% extra protection but double that gives 95% protection you might go with half because its still very high, but it allows you to double the doses available.  And giving 100 people 90% protection vs. 50 people 95% protection would be better.  So Moderna and the relevant gov't authorities (the FDA in the US) have looked at the data and determined that for most people a 50% booster dose is sufficient.  There are people who can receive a full strength third shot, people who are immunocompromised in some way.  In that case the first two doses would be less effective than in a "normal" person, so its worthwhile to give them a stronger dose to improve their immune response.


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

[User] ELI5: In the US, why is bribery of elected officials illegal, but political contributions are "free speech"?

[Assistant]
Ostensibly, donating money to a campaign does not oblige the politician to do what you tell him to.  A bribe is explicitly quid pro quo.

Put another way: it's illegal to give money to a politician and **demand** he votes a certain way.  It's legal to give money to a politician and **hope** that he votes a certain way.  In reality, there's some gray area where special interests 'hope' very specifically....


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

[User] Why is it that when eating spicey foods, drinking water briefly "cool down" the flavor, only to have it return as soon as you swallow the water?

[Assistant] The reason that the burning sensation returns is that the chemicals (one of which might be capsaicin) that make things spicy are not soluble in water. So water does not wash them away. Water is polar and can only easily dissolve and interact with other polar things. Imagine placing oil and water in the same container. The two liquids will not mix. Milk, on the other hand, is less polar and made of fatty (nonpolar/lipophilic) molecules. Milk would do a better job of washing the nonpolar, spicy chemicals away and will provide more relief than water.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do we get the urge to peel the rough skin off of a healing wound, when it will ultimately make the healing process longer and the resulting scar look worse?

[Assistant] As the skin heals and a scab forms, your brain misinterprets the sensation as an itch.  Scientists arent sure why healing skin can feel like and itch... but youve learned to scratch itches... so you do, despite slowing the healing process.   Youre an animal responding to stimuli.


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

[User] How is a SSN (Social Security Number) generated?

[Assistant]
Area numbers - The first three numbers originally represented the state in which a person first applied for a social security card. Numbers started in the northeast and moved westward. This meant that people on the east coast had the lowest numbers and those on the west coast had the highest. Since 1972, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has assigned numbers and issued cards based on the ZIP code in the mailing address provided on the original application form. Since the applicant's mailing address doesn't have to be the same as his residence, his area number doesn't necessarily represent the state in which he resides. For many of us who received our SSNs as infants, the area number indicates the state we were born in. You can find out which area numbers go with each state here.

Group numbers - These two middle digits, which range from 01 through 99, are simply used to break all the SSNs with the same area number into smaller blocks to make administration easier. (The SSA says that, for administrative reasons, group numbers issued first consist of the odd numbers from 01 through 09, and then even numbers from 10 through 98, within each area number assigned to a state. After all the numbers in group 98 of a specific area have been issued, the even groups 02 through 08 are used, followed by odd groups 11 through 99.)

Serial numbers - Within each group designation, serial numbers -- the last four digits in an SSN -- run consecutively from 0001 through 9999.


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

[User] [Game of Thrones] What if Arya had whispered "Tywin Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon" to Jaqen H'ghar?

[Assistant]
Then A Man would have killed Tywin Lannister, Cersei Lannister, and Joffrey Baratheon.

The problem is - and A Man did made this clear - that there is no telling how long it would take for him to kill those individuals. Maybe it would be days, maybe weeks, maybe years, maybe decades. Tywin may have been quick, but Cersei and Joffrey are nowhere near where they were, and are incredibly high-profile individuals. Arya wanted immediate results, given the precarious situation she was in at Harrenhal, and so chose individuals that would have the quickest and most direct benefit to her at that time.


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

[User] ELI5: If ballet dancers need to mutilate their pointe shoes before they can be danced in, why are they still manufactured the way they are?

[Assistant]
To add to the comments that are already here, professional dancers go through pointe shoes *extremely* quickly (often in a matter of days or weeks depending on things like their role, the rehearsal schedule, and the performance season). Pointe shoes have to be easily manufactured on a wider scale so that they can be available for any dancer to pick up a new pair at a moment's notice (with caveats for things like vamp style (think "toe cleavage"), box length, etc.). It's much faster to make several copies of a "standard" style than for a ballet dancer or their company to order, say, 10 pairs of their custom-made shoe and risk running out before opening night - or risk a shipment being delayed and not having any shoes at all.

(Some dancers definitely do that, though, depending on their status and sponsorship opportunities.)

Since pointe shoes are mostly paste, cardboard, and satin, it also allows for the shoe to evolve *around* the foot as the dancer's body changes. Imagine if you had a bunion, and your custom shoe no longer fit around it: you'd likely have to get your foot re-measured, with no guarantee that the bunion would stay the same size. Or what if one of your feet is arched a bit lower than the other, and needs a thinner shank (the hard part that supports the arch of the foot)? It would be easier to modify the shank of a standard pair of pointe shoes than to go through several iterations with a maker.

Some dancers prefer "soft" shoes, which is where you'll see the B-roll of dancers banging their shoes on concrete. ("Soft" makes it easer to feel the floor against your toes and makes the foot look more sleek, but often comes at the cost of foot support for sustained, slow movements.) Hot tip: you can microwave your shoe to achieve the same effect on a less localized level! Some dancers who have low arches often also want to break the shank so that the arch of the foot is more pronounced. (You can do this by applying water to the shank in a thin line and bending it. It's very contentious on which way to bend it, though.) Scraping the point / top of the shoe box with a razor or sandpaper is just a way to reduce slippage by adding friction (either by taking the satin off of the tip entirely or just by roughing it up). That depends on what kind of floor you're dancing on - for instance, wood is really slippery, but vinyl Marley floors offer a lot more traction.

tl;dr: pointe shoes are an extremely specialized tool that depend heavily on a person's body and situation, which are always in flux, and any custom-made item is going to be "frozen" at a point(e) in time that may not be compatible with a dancer's body or situation on any given day. Also, standardized shoes cost way less!

Source: semi-professional ballet dancer (18 years)


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

[User] ELI5: Why do French Fries taste bad when you heat them up/eat them later?

[Assistant] Frying in oil boils off surface moisture of the potato allowing it to brown/crisp. When the fry cools it absorbs moisture from the air. This is why rehearing in the oven (to dry them out) is better than in the microwave.


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

[User] [Star Wars] is it possible to train oneself as a Sith? If so, what keeps the Rule of Two in place? What happens if a random force user trains their self as a Sith?

[Assistant]
There is more to being a Dark Lord of the Sith than simply using the Dark Side of the Force.  Certainly, there are plenty of other Dark Side users in the galaxy.  The Witches of Dathomir, the Bando Gora, and even fallen Jedi, all of them used the Dark Side of the Force.

The Sith are a specific sect, one that guards its membership zealously.  They have their own creed, their own history, their own secrets, their own strengths and weaknesses, and their own unique powers.

And, certainly, there were those who were inspired by the power of the Sith, and either started their own copycat organizations, or tried to declare themselves Sith Lords.  They're not "true" members of the Dark Lords of the Sith, however, and generally speaking they are no match for "truth" Sith Lords in power.


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

[User] ELI5:What is the point of a gun barrel? Especially long ones. Wouldn't it be better to make the barrel as short as possible?

[Assistant]
When the bullet leaves the barrel, the expanding gas behind it can expand in all directions, instead of pushing the bullet forward. So the longer the barrel, the more time the bullet spends accelerating (to a point, of course: at some point energy of the gunpowder is used up, and friction with the walls of the barrel starts slowing the bullet more than the hot gas accelerates it).

Also, a longer barrel has more time and distance to make sure the bullet is going in the right direction. If we imagine the opposite case, where there's no barrel at all, just an explosion out in the open with a bullet sitting next to it, it would be extremely hard to make sure the bullet gets thrown in the right direction.


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

[User]
In a democracy all parties should have the same funds and prefab, standardized election campaigns, CMV

It seems to me that already big parties have an unfair advantage in that their financial means enable them to produce election campagns of much higher quality and quantity compared to smaller parties. Therefore, I believe there should be templates for election posters, election video ads and websites for the approved parties in which they can fill-in their statements and views. Also the count of screenings of the ads and reproduction of the posters should be the same for each party.

Basically, the election compaigns should all look the same (except, of course, for the party emblem): no colors, no illustrations, a uniform fontface, uniform photos of the candidates and only grey or black text in standardized sizes.

[Assistant] Would you also ban PACs (political action corporations) from existing?  Because PACs form a lot of political ads.  PACs cannot be in any way connected to the candidates themselves, so the candidates have no control over them.  Would you ban PACs?  Or would you ban them from creating ads?  Under your system, Candidate A can't make an attack ad about Candidate B, and vice versa.  But what's to stop a PAC named something like "American Americans for America's American Americanness" from making an attack ad saying that Candidate A eats babies?  Can "Making A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow" say that Candidate B slept with prostitutes?  Until you force all bodies capable of making campaign ads to adhere to your standards, campaigns will remain pretty much the same.


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

[User]
ELI5: Aerospace has never been this big since Apollo, and rocket launches have never been this frequent,, How do nations not mistake another nation's rocket launches for a hostile action? And also, do nations conceal their "true intent" behind commercial launches?

Question in full in title. This has had me wondering for a while.

Thanks everyone in advance for checking in!

[Assistant]
To answer your last question first, yes, sort of.  Governement space launches often have classified payloads.  It may be a satellite with an unknown or classified mission, or even a classified payload or system on board an otherwise known about satellite.  Your open source example here is GPS, which is owned an operated buy the government but it is well known that there are at least two different location resolutions and many different sensors on board the crafts.

As to your first question, they have to tell someone, so everyone knows.  When a scheduled launch is planned, flight paths have to be closes and the FAA notified.  Other countries must do the same.  So when a civilian or government launch is planned, pretty much everyone knows.  So when a launch outside that area or window occurs, it gets some special attention.  This is not addressing rouge states such as North Korea and the like, who don't typically make pre-launch press releases unless it is to be used for propaganda.  Often times, satellite imagery can simply confirm build up of machinery and launch equipment at known launch sites however, so even without warning, they pretty much know what's going to happen.


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

[User] ELI5 how someone can LOSE money overall from winning a court case?

[Assistant] There is a concern that if the loser always had to pay 100% of the legal costs (for both sides) that it would discourage people from taking legitimate legal action to protect themselves. In other words, the (potential) plaintiff may be too afraid of losing and ending up with a huge amount of debt so he/she may not take the risk and go to court despite the legitimacy of his/her claims and despite how solid his/her case is.


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

[User]
ELI5:Why do I sometimes feel my pulse in random parts of my body?

Last night while laying on my belly trying to get some sleep I noticed that  I could feel my pulse in my butt. Sometimes I can feel it in a leg, an arm, or even my hand as well. What's going on?

[Assistant]
Blood goes through these areas (duh). This expands the blood vessels a bit every time because there's pressure coming from the inside.

This is normal, and your body "knows" this (the biologist inside me is cringing right now). You feel it all the time, but your brain ignores it.

However, sometimes you just don't have a whole lot to keep your mind occupied. That means there's nothing to "down out" the sensation of blood flowing through your body, because there's nothing that is directly more important for your brain to occupy itself with. So you become consciously aware of it.

It can also be that because of the way your body is positioned, a bit more pressure is on that particular artery you're feeling.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do some websites say "Webpage moved: Redirecting in 10 seconds. Click here to redirect now." Why don't they just redirect immediately?

[Assistant]
The actual redirect is being caused by a "tag" that the developer inserts into the code. They can customise it as much as they want, from 0 seconds to 100,000 seconds. But most developers choose 5 or 10 for two reasons:

1. It gives the user time to read the message (if they're interested) so that they *know* what is happening. Otherwise it may look like your browser has been randomly hijacked.

2. If you add an *instant* redirect, your "back button" becomes almost useless. Every time you try to go back, it will just *instantly* throw you forward again.


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

[User] ELI5:How can I avoid sounding like a total prick when I tell people they've been fooled by hoaxes etc.

[Assistant]
Empathy is the way to go, as/u/cleftscout mentionned, don't be *that guy* who likes to prove people wrong. Don't be antagonistic, don't preach. Empathise, get on the same level with them. "Oh yeah, the onion is awesome, they have a lot more satire at URL.com"

Moving a bit further from your exact question, into general sceptical territory. Sociological studies have shown that if someone holds a strong belief (whether it's "homeopathy is medicine",  "There is only one God and Muhammed is his prophet", or "Dave Mathews band rocks"), they're likely to get entrenched in their views and reject any arguments or evidence to the contrary.

We humans are very good at motivated reasoning, that is finding evidence to support our pre-established views. And it takes a lot of work to be a good sceptic, that is finding the evidence and basing your opinion on that evidence. Our brains are still wired in caveman mode.

So the best way to change someone's mind is not to blurt out facts, it's not to prove someone wrong, it's certainly not making fun of them or their beliefs. The best way is to very slowly gnaw away at the edges. Find some common ground with the person and over months and years, show them neat things that may slightly contradict one of their beliefs, but not too much. Send them a link to a cool article, a neat science podcast, etc.


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

[User] [40k] Dark Apostles are said to be capable of making such persuasive and impassioned sermons whole regiments of Imperial Guards are made to embrace Chaos. What kind of speeches/arguments do they usually make?

[Assistant]
It actually depends. The Imperial Guard number in the hundreds of billions and the Imperium is gigantic and widespread. But the argument can break down into a few things:

* The Imperium sucks, if it didn't why were you forced into being a soldier?

* The God Emperor is a powerless corpse, even if he did have powers why does your military and/or civilian life suck?

* The Chaos Gods are unholy, but you're eventually going to die so you might as well try and gain their favor in life.

* The Chaos Gods are holy, why do you think the might of the entire Imperium, Eldar, Necrons, and possibly Tyranids and Tau can't stop them? They're the good guys and good guys always win.

* They don't actually make a compelling argument of any kind, but given power by Chaos that corrupts anyone within earshot when they speak. (I think only Slaanesh and maybe Tzneentch followers have this power)

EDIT: In greater detail, everyone's life in the Imperium is really terrible. If it isn't, you're either blissfully unaware on an undeveloped world, lucky enough to be born on a developed peaceful world, or by the Grace of the Emperor and unfathomable luck born to a family with immense power and wealth so you're pampered from the day you're born to the day you die. Even then you're subject to invasion, Chaos corruption, an Inquisitor, or just down right bad luck.

There's also the fact the Chaos Gods aren't "evil" in the traditional sense, but positive traits taken to the greatest extreme.

* Slaanesh is when anything "happy" becomes obsession.

* Tzneentch is when knowledge and wisdom consumes the pursuer.

* Nurgle is friendship warped into decay and destruction.

* Khorne is courage, valor, and everything in between becomes bloodlust and war.


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

[User]
Why can I lift a dry glass with no effort, but a glass
with a wetted bottom had some suction/resistance?

I'm sure there must be some simple explanation. There's a significant difference between the two. Thanks in advance!

[Assistant]
The bottom of the glass and the table you put it on do not create an airtight seal.  When you go to lift it, the air can easily get in under the glass and so no vacuum is created to make lifting it more difficult.

Add water, and suddenly the air trying to get in has to pass through the surface tension created by the water.  A seal is created. The pressure of the air all around the glass pushes equally in all directions, so it'll try just as hard to lift the coaster as it would to push in the water ring that made the seal.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why not Thorium?

Seriously, I've seen some youtube videos and articles around preaching up thorium reactors like the messiah of power, but besides blowback from political leaders and fossil fuel vendors, why not thorium?

I perused the old posts on the subject, and I was wondering more about scientific reasons rather than social reasons.

[Assistant] Because despite what those videos claim Thorium is still very untested. Whoever builds the first Thorium reactor is going to be the canary, eating the costs and the dangers. BUT if you just wait to be the second guy you get all the benefits without most of the risks. Also since thorium can't be used to build weapons there's a decreased interest in it.


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

[User]
ELI5 in movies when someone get shot in the chest, but yet blood comes out of their mouth is that realistic of so how does that happen?

.

[Assistant] If they were shot in the lungs then the lung would fill with blood and blood would come up with every breath, however in movies its used as a symbol that this person is going to die in a minute but they might be able to get a few words out to advance the movie plot.


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

[User] ELI5: Can somebody explain RAM for me?

[Assistant]
Computer processors are really, really fast. Hard drives are really, really slow in comparison. If computers handled and processed data by writing and reading directly from the hard drive, computers would be extremely slow too, because the hard drive couldn't keep up with the processor's speed.

RAM is there to address this problem. It's a place where data is temporarly stored that is really really fast to read and write from.


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

[User]
I think the Pride Parade enforces stereotypes and is a hindrance on the Gay Rights movement. CMV

I support gay marriage as much as the next Liberal Canadian, but I think that the Gay Pride Parade does more damage to the LGBTQ community than the community would like.

I think of it this way - people who don't accept homosexuals often believe that gay people are all overly eccentric individuals who prance around acting fabulous. There is a large group of men, often walking around wearing little to no clothing - often times intoxicated - and the event is highly publicized around the world.

If someone was on the fence about supporting the gay community, would attending a pride parade really make them want to support the community? Everything people falsely believe about the gay community is seemingly proven true when people hear about the pride parade.

I understand the whole 'love who you are and we accept you' movement that the pride parade is promoting, but Jesus Christ people. I'm not against old men wearing thongs in public because they are gay, I'm against it because I just don't want to see it. As a heterosexual man, I get equally uncomfortable when an attractive woman walks around in a very revealing outfit in public.

Please, change my view, and convince me that the pride parade does more good than it does harm.

Edit: I think a lot of you are assuming that I'm NOT against women wearing skimpy outfits for other parades. And again, I get equally as uncomfortable. It's just not something that should be shown in a public place in my opinion.

I'm seeing a lot of pro-gay comments and that's fantastic, but please don't forget that I am also for the gay movement. I just think that the pride parade is inhibitating the social movement for worldwide legalization and acceptance.

This is one of those topics that no matter how I word this i am going to seem like an asshole. So i'll just say : why would I want to watch a bunch of mostly naked men and women wander the streets dancing? I'm all for people embracing their sexuality, but I think that your sexuality should be something you keep close to you, whether you are gay or straight. I'm genuinely opposed to men oggling women to express their sexuality as well, so don't think it's just me being against gay expression.

EDIT 2***: Alright alright you win THIS time Reddit. From some what I've read, the pride parade is accepting in the way that a lot of people can say "If that hairy naked dude is comfortable with who he is, then I can be too!" Which  although it sounds a bit ridiculous, I can see how it can have a positive impact in the community. Everyone can be accepted for who they are, and if I ever see someone being overly fabulous, I think in my head I'm just going to assume that this is a one-off thing that they do in order to make other members of the community comfortable in their own skin.

THAT BEING SAID - it still enforces ridiculous stereotypes that I loathe...but the positive impact of the parade seems to outweigh the negativity the community gets from the stereotypes.

TLDR; You have all, slowly convinced me that the Pride Parade can be a positive thing in people's lives because people can think 'If he's comfortable - then I can be too.' But you haven't convinced me that the pride parade DOESN'T push RIDICULOUS stereotypes into the average person's mind.

Also, TIL a lot of people supporting the gay movement are really hateful towards people that don't support every aspect of the gay community.

Oh. And I'm digging all the discussion in the comments. Even though a lot of it is one sided.

[Assistant]
>I think of it this way - people who don't accept homosexuals often believe that gay people are all overly eccentric individuals who prance around acting fabulous. There is a large group of men, often walking around wearing little to no clothing - often times intoxicated - and the event is highly publicized around the world.

The point isn't to change the minds of the people that already don't like homosexuals.

The point of these Parades isn't to assimilate into mainstream culture.  It's meant for people who are targeted by mainstream culture to publicly announce to everyone else that regardless of what they think, they have self-respect and pride, and it won't be taken away from them.

It helps the movement because it shows people that they don't have to assimilate to mainstream culture to be worthy of respect.  If the Parade was about making everyone else like homosexuals, then that inherently degrades homosexuals (you may be different, but you better act like us!)  Being different and celebrating that difference reinforces the idea that it's okay to be different and that you can take pride in it- it forces mainstream culture to acknowledge that it doesn't rule everyone and it shouldn't.


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

[User]
ELI5; Why/ how do our eyes interpret bright light as painful?

For example being used to a dark room, and then walking into another that's much brighter and having a pain response while adjusting to the new lighting.

[Assistant] In a dark room, our pupils dilate to let in more light so we can see better. Pupils also constrict in a bright room to help cut down the amount of light going to the retina. If you go from a dark room to a light room, your dilated pupils let in a large amount of light which damages the retina because of how sensitive they are.


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

[User] ELI5: why does the giant red spot on Jupiter keep on going? If it's a storm why hasn't it just blown its self out/dispersed over time? How long will it last before it does go?

[Assistant] The Hubble observations indicate that the GRS is getting smaller by 580 miles per year along its major axis and its shape is changing from an oval to a circle. At the current rate, the storm is expected to become circular in four years. The vortex could completely disappear or grow larger, since the fate of such storms (even storms on Earth) is difficult to model and predict precisely due to their complexity. (Looked that up on Hubble's website)


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

[User] [MCU/Marvel] When we first see Hulk he behaves like a baby, unable to speak and operating on base instinct. By Ragnarok he behaves more like a toddler. Is his maturity based on the amount of time he has spent cumulatively as the Hulk? If given enough time would be become an adult?

[Assistant]
The Hulk often manifests when Banner is in danger. Think about if you woke up and there were sirens going off and people pointing guns at you. You would probably react badly.

Thats how it is to be the Hulk most of the time.

In *Ragnorok* he got to have plenty of time when he wasnt in real danger, and acclimatize to the situation. Hulk is a dude who has a real short temper and doesnt like being messed with. He stayed as Hulk because he enjoyed the situation, so he was a bit more chill personality wise.