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

[User]
ELI5: How does adapting to high altitudes work in the body?

Today is my first day in Bogota, Colombia. Elevation of 2.6km. I don't have altitude sickness like some, but I'm very short on breath after even minor exertion (walking one flight of stairs).

I know this goes away after 1 - 3 days, but what is actually happening in a person's body to adapt so quickly?

[Assistant] At high altitudes, the body needs to produce more red blood cells to be able to carry the little oxygen available throughout the body. A similar situation happens with the Badjao tribe, Phillipines, which are regarded as the best freedivers in the world, with spleens 50% larger than normal, and thus can store more blood when the need arises and the ability to stay underwater far longer than average, because they also use the oxygen more efficiently, and they also see clearer underwater than the average human, because they spend so much time in the water hunting fish, IIRC.


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

[User] [Batman] How often does Bruce Wayne go to an actual doctor?

[Assistant]
When he needs something resembling actual medical advice or insight, he'll go to Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

Between her and Alfred's military ~~surgeon~~ medic expertise, and the mirad of medical equipment occasionly shown to be in the Batcave, that usually keeps him covered.

Once in a blue moon he'll be shown to go to an outside doctor because of some company mandated physical or exam and then has to b.s. his way around some of their questions.


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

[User]
How can Colorado and Washington effectively sustain a marijuana industry if it's illegal on a federal level?

I'm talking enforcement on both production and consumption, I'm not really sure on how it's even possible considering it is technically unconstitutional, right?

[Assistant] That doesn't really matter much. If there are regulated stores, they will be raided by the DEA. But the DEA will not be around arresting people who are holding it or more importantly, people who are simply growing some in their own home. It will be impossible to repress casual use, as it is now, but with the difference that state and local police will not arrest upstanding citizens just because they smoke a plant.


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

[User]
[Diablo 3 - Reaper of Souls] So by the end of the game, how much of mankind is left? How many people have died? Is it regional or global?

I had the impression by the end of the game that most of mankind had been killed, there were references in the game to things just as terrible going on elsewhere, am I mistaken?  How bad was it?

[Assistant] The Reapers weren't that bad. They primarily only attacked Westmarch, which while large, wasn't even the largest city. There are problems outside the major settlements with monsters and some minor demons, but for the most part, things are stable.


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

[User]
CMV: Multinational corporations uses LGTB propaganda for profit and only for profit

I know its past pride month but its a serious issue so... change my view.

I have always thought that corporations only use propaganda for profit and that they never support any real movement by their own will. I believe that as being part of the LGTB group is now a kind of trending and as saying positive things about LGTB is in the politically correct group corporations just take advantage of that to get more and different kind of customers and to keep an image of a progressive corporation.

[Assistant]
A character in the wonderful film Toni Erdmann calls it "business nail varnish".

You may be right. But how could you tell the difference between a corporation who genuinely supports the movement and a corporation that supports it just for profit? Surely they'll all profit from it whether or not they genuinely support it? The idea of 'genuine support' is a bit hazy.

Also: corporations are collections of individuals. Surely in most major corporations some people working in them will support the movement? Are you saying that *all* of the people working for, say, Apple or Nestle or whatever do not actually support the Pride movement?


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

[User] ELI5: Why does meat become much more tender and taste better when cooked low and slow vs over higher heat?

[Assistant]
It gives all the fat and connective tissue in the meat time to melt and soak through the meat.

Obviously, this only works for things with lots of connective tissue.  Something like a steak, well marbled with fat but not having connective tissue, is perfectly tender when cooked more quickly.


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

[User]
How do aeroplane black boxes withstand crashes which otherwise destroy the plane and everything inside of it?

I get that they are built to a higher specification, but not how that is achieved.

[Assistant] Flight recorders are usually built with a compound casing of aluminium, steel and insulating material that can protect the electronics from high Impact and extrem temperatures. Compared to that aircrafts are built with the lightest possible materials, like alumium-carbon alloys. They can withstand the pressure of flight, but certainly not the extrem forces on impact. An airplane made out of blackbox material wouldnt be able to fly very far.


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

[User]
If machine language is so unreadable by humans, how did humans make it?

Someone must understand it.

[Assistant]
Bit (ha) by bit.

Ultimately computers only understand 1 or 0, but through hardware instruction sets that standardise small combinations of 1s and 0s into instructions like "put value in memory" or "get value from memory" and "if true do this, else do this", we can then use compilers to combine and compose those simple instructions into code that does all the things you know computers can do.


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

[User] [Captain America The First Avenger] Were the people hit by Hydras space stone guns teleported like Red Skull or were they just straight up vaporized?

[Assistant]
Both, simultaneously. Non-wormhole based teleportation relies on disintigration and analysis (also simultaneously), and reconstruction at a seperate location.

When the Tesseract/Space Stone are manipulated by entities actually capable, such as Thanos or Loki, they don't need to worry about this because they can access its "higher functions" in a sense, its wormhole-based teleportation.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why have we found so many more dinosaur bones from hundreds of millions of years ago than our ancestors from over 40,000 years ago?

Ancestor's bones***

I'm not asking why we have found more than our ancestors found.

This is really interesting! Thanks for giving more than just the obvious answers and also points as to why it's not even really a factual question necessarily!

[Assistant]
Dinosaurs were around for about 165 million years, and a lot of them were *huge*.

The genus *Homo* is only a few million years old, and *Homo Sapiens* have only been kicking around for about 200,000 years. Compared to dinosaurs we are tiny, and haven't been around for very long at all. Which makes our fossils a lot scarcer than theirs.


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

[User] How many Kilograms all the DNA inside a medium human body weight on the whole?

[Assistant]
We have roughly 4 billion base pairs per cell, a base pair is about 650 atomic mass units, and we have about 100 trillion cells. This puts our total DNA at about a pound.

We also have roughly quadrillion E. coli cells. Their genome is about 1000 times smaller than ours, so we have a few grams of their DNA in us.

This doesn't include all the histones and whatnot that are embedded within the DNA's folds.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do tired eyes look sunken and dark?

Like the skin under our eyes sometimes look sunken in and dark or purple when we are very tired.

[Assistant] When you get tired, certain hormones that restrict blood, and keep you awake, like epinephrine and cortisol are reduced in your blood, and that can cause blood to accumulate in the eye area, the skin on/around your eyelids is much thinner than most of the rest of your body, so the blood can cause puffiness and show up dark in that area.


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

[User]
ELI5 : How does a Thermal Camera work and know the temperature by just seeing the object ?

 I am fascinated by how a Thermal Camera works. It is used for many scientific applications too like measuring a Hot iron rod. As a significant number of people rely on it, I believe it is accurate. How does it make sure what temperature a body is at by just looking at it ? Does the object emit different kind of waves when the degree of temperature is different?

[Assistant]
Yes, all objects emit electromagnetic radiation (waves). Sufficiently hot objects - like the Sun, or a hot iron - emit visible light. Colder objects - like human bodies - emit infrared light, which is a longer wavelength then visible light but still the same kind of physical phenomena. The hotter the object is, the shorter is the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation it emits. So an infrared camera can translate the wavelengths of infrared radiation its seeing into the surface temperature of the object emitting that radiation.

Edit: the Sun and a hot iron actually still emit infrared light along with visible light too.


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

[User] ELI5: How animals seems to have the sense from birth that fire is bad but humans often have to get burned before realising?

[Assistant] Humans have made a sort of evolutionary tradeoff: we are born with our brains much less-thoroughly developed compared to their adult state than other animals, with the result that we are more adaptable, but must learn all sorts of things that most animals are born knowing, such as how to walk.


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

[User] [General] Does becoming a vampire cure mental ailments as well as physical?

[Assistant]
No. Why else do you think there are so many vampires around that are outright insane? Preexisting human personalities combined with eternal life do that to you.

To be clear: If the brain has been damaged in some way due to an accident, that will be cured. But vampirism does not change much in the brain chemistry itself and it certainly does not work you through past traumatic experiences or anything like that. Otherwise we'd all be very different personalities after becoming a vampire. Would be nice though.


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

[User] ELI5: How does attorney-client privilege work? And how is it not perjury to defend the innocence of someone who admitted their guilt to you?

[Assistant]
First, the attorney themselves is not testifying, so they arent committing perjury.  Theres another offense though, suborning perjury.  A defense lawyer actually has to be careful there.

If his client insists on taking the stand, the lawyer cannot knowingly elicit false statements.  There are various ways that lawyers handle that, but mostly they pray their client isnt that much of an idiot.

Outside of that, a legal defense is not actually an assertion of innocence.  There are various actual defenses (like a claim of self defense) but a basic not guilty plea and defense presentation is an assertion that the State cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt and within the law, that the offense was committed.

IOW, the defense doesnt have to assert innocence, its presumed, so there is no actual false assertion necessary in defending a client.


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

[User]
What happens when a person contracts COVID between doses of the vaccine?

This was removed by the mods for being hypothetical but I imagine this has happened during trials or we wouldnt have the statistics we have. So Im reposting it with less hypothetical language.

Its my understanding that the first dose (of the Pfizer vaccine) is 52% effective at preventing COVID and the second is 95% effective. So what happens if you are exposed to COVID and contract it in the 21/28 days between doses? In the trials, did those participants get the second dose? Did they get it while infectious or after recovering? Or were they removed from the study?

Asking because I just received the Moderna vaccine a few days ago and I want to know what would happen if I were to get it from one of my patients during the limbo period between doses. Thanks!

[Assistant]
This is actually happening quite a bit out there, though many had the exposure prior to their first dose but were not aware until afterwards. In practice, we will be giving the 2nd dose once they have completed isolation and cleared the acute infection. However, in general, we are trying to wait 90 days from a positive to start the vaccine. Both because you generally don't vaccinate people who are acutely ill and because people are immune for at least 90 days anyway. Here's what CDC said 4 days ago about the timing of 2nd doses:

"Second doses administered within a grace period of 4 days from the recommended date for the second dose are considered valid; however, doses administered earlier do not need to be repeated. The second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible. However, there is no maximum interval between the first and second dose for either vaccine."


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

[User] [Firefly]does anyone still live on Earth?

[Assistant]
Officially, Earth was evacuated.

Practically? There are always people who slip through the cracks. Maybe they were overlooked by accident; maybe the people with the power to choose who got on the ships didn't want them; maybe they were too attached to this rock to ever willingly leave.

Some people will have stayed behind. Depending on how used up Earth-That-Was truly is, their descendants might even have survived to scratch out a living in the ruins. Their lives probably aren't that comfortable, though - it's probably basically Mad Max out there.


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

[User]
[The Dark Knight] How does Gordon keep his job?

Before The Dark Knight, he was already walking a fine line with all these rumors that he was working with a vigilante (it was more like the world's worst kept secret since all the cops and even the district attorney knew that he was working with Batman).

Then, at the end of the dark Knight, Batman is held accountable as the assassin of Harvey Dent and murderer of 5 others. As in, this is the guy gothams police commissioner was working with.

So, how does Gordon keep his job as a commissioner if he has been known to be working with someone who turned out to be a mass murderer and an assassin the whole time? He's even the one to personally destroy the bat signal in front of the press and everyone, as if to tell everyone, "oops, my bad, I've been working with a mass murderer this whole time and this is literally what I used to communicate with him!"

Let's go one further. Let's forget that he's commissioner, and let's ask why he's not prosecuted.

Hell, how is he not even implicated in Harvey Dent's assassination?  He was at the scene of the murder, and he has been working with batman. Then, he does things like allowing Batman to take over cop duties (scene investigations, interrogations, bank stings), and on top of that he also allows Batman to do the fighting (shouldn't the SWAT team be furious that Gordon held off the SWAT snipers just to allow batman to get in the building only to attack and incapacitate other SWAT members?!)

He not only comes out unscathed by public scrutiny (especially by other cops, SWAT, and the DA office), **but he also keeps his job after all that?!**

Like I said, Gordon was already walking a fine line working with a vigilante, but then it turns out that he was working with a mass murdering/assassinating vigilante the whole time.  **How does the neither the public nor the new DA call for his head? Or the mayor -- how does he not fire Gordon?**

Also, I don't understand how Harvey Dent's death influenced the passing of a bill that made the laws for against organized crime -- ironically, he was murdered by a single criminal with zero ties to any other known criminals. Batman's "crimes" as a single unconnected vigilante are the complete opposite of organized crime. Even the Joker, to a degree, wasn't part of organized crime, not in a mafia sort of way; he didn't have ranks, partners, outsourced jobs (like money launderers), and he didn't have any sort of regular criminal activity on record (like running a drug trade or gambling rings).

Even the dealings he had with the mobs, he ended up killing them; the Joker, like Batman, is his own entity, he has no *organization*.

If they passed the law because that's what he wanted, then that makes sense -- but laws don't get passed on sentimentality. But if the only reason they passed it was due to his murder, then it doesn't make sense. It's not like his death was proof that organized crime was a problem.

**TLDR -- Gordon shouldn't even be a cop, let alone commissioner, since the whole city knows that he was working with a mass murderer and assassin the entire time. The Dent Act passage makes zero sense if it's based on his murder, since it fights organized crime yet Dent was "killed" by Batman, literally the opposite of organized crime (one man criminal).**

[Assistant]
Think about all the cases in the news recently where cops did terrible things and faced no repercussions.

Then realize that a police commissioner would be an order of magnitude harder to prosecute than an officer.

*Then* realize that every part of Gotham is vastly more corrupt than the real world.

As far as the Dent Act, that's just politics. Very realistic politics. The Dent Act had nothing to do with Harvey Dent other than his name being used to drum up popular support for it.  Kind of like the "Patriot Act". You give it a name with such strong positive emotional connotations that anyone speaking out against it automatically looks bad.


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

[User] When ants drink water, do they have to bite it off because of surface tension?

[Assistant] I am a masters student of Engineering specialising in microfluidics.  - / The mouth or jaws of the ant are composed of a rough surface together with very small hairs. This surface is thus hydrophobic at that small scale. The scale influences the surface/volume ratio which causes surface forces to dominate. The jaws, when clamped shut, will most definitely be able to "cut" off a droplet from a bigger drop.


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

[User] Why does segmented downloading cause such an immense improvement in download speed?

[Assistant]
It's because it allows you to max out your bandwidth more easily.

Let's say you have an empty pool that you want to fill with water. Someone else has a tank full of water, but the tank has a flow restrictor, so it would take, say, 10 hours to move all the water into your pool, even though you have a powerful pump that could do it faster, if the restrictor could be removed.

Now imagine that there are 10 other people with tanks, and you can fill your pool from all of them simultaneously. You only need 1/10th of the water from each tank, so you can do it in one hour. On top of that, some of the tanks might have lesser restrictors, so your pump can get the water through faster, bringing the time down even further.


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

[User] ELI5: what is a sovereign wealth fund(SWF), and how do they work?

[Assistant] Country has spare money.  Country sets up Sovereign Wealth Fund that uses the spare money to invest in stock markets and such in general, so they can make a profit off of the spare money that government had.  So essentially, it's countries that are investing.


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

[User]
ELI5 : Why am I tired when I wake up from 8+ hours of sleeping ?

Title. I need to know please. Thanks ! :)

[Assistant]
Think of your sleep cycle as a roller coaster. You go up, you go down, you go up, you do gown, and you do that many many times during the night. Deep sleep, light sleep, deep sleep, light sleep, etc...

 Think of waking up like getting off the roller coaster. If you get off the roller coaster on the bottom near the ground, it's easy, safe, and you feel rejuvenated and fresh. If you try to get off at the top, you'll end up falling a long distance, hit the ground, and you will feel awful.

It's important to try and time your alarm clock to wake you up at the proper point on the roller coaster. Each "up and down" takes about 90 minutes, so try to schedule your wake up time so it's in an interval of 90 minutes from when you fell asleep. That should place you near the ground when you wake up.


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

[User] eli5 why is burning pine in a fireplace considered dangerous?

[Assistant] It is generally recommended to avoid soft woods, such as pine or cedar, which tend to burn fast with excessive smoke. While you can use these woods in your fireplace, you will end up going through a lot more wood and you will likely have more creosote buildup.


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

[User] How early in life does a child recognize themself in a picture or mirror?

[Assistant]
What you're asking is related to the mirror test, used to test development in children (theory of mind). Children usually recognize themselves with 65% accuracy at around age 2+, 50% at age 1. So yes, children recognize themselves around ages 1-2 in a mirror.

Lewis, M.; Brooks-Gunn, J. (1979). Social cognition and the acquisition of self. New York: Plenum Press.
Beulah Amsterdam (1972). "Mirror self-image reactions before age two". Developmental Psychobiology 5 (4): 297305.


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

[User]
Is COVID-19 transmissible through mosquitoes?

If the weather warms up and we start seeing mosquitoes come back into season, would it be possible for mosquitoes to carry COVID-19?

[Assistant] The virus appears to reside purely within the respiratory tract, and perhaps the GI tract. It does not appear to be found in the bloodstream. As such it will likely not be transmissible via mosquitos. (Im a surgeon who recently had to look up the risk of infection while operating on a COVID patient)


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do engineers use I-beams when the triangle is the strongest shape.

I am confused at why engineers would use an I-beam instead of a triangle shaped beam. If you were to put a point load in the middle of a beam, intuition seems as if the triangle shaped beam would be able to withstand much more weight. Also using a triangle, the beam would be less likely to twist. The I-beam I feel has a greater potential for it to sort of collapse on itself due to welds, material imperfections, etc. The only downside I can think of to the triangle shape beam is that the top would only be a point, instead of a flat surface.

[Assistant] I-beams are intended to span between columns, so they specifically need to be optimised to handle *bending*. When a beam (any beam) is loaded, it bends in the middle, and its internal stress varies between max tension at the bottom and max compression at the top. It turns out that the most efficient way of handling that is to have essentially all the steel at the top and bottom, and reduce the webbing (the bit in between) to the minimum necessary to hold it together. If the webbing is overstressed, it gives a little and transfers the stress to the top or bottom anyway.


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

[User] ELI5: why cant truffles be farmed like other mushrooms?

[Assistant]
They can be farmed, but it's extremely difficult since they can only grow in very specific conditions that are extremely hard to replicate in any kind of controlled environment.

Truffles are essentially the fruits of a certain type of fungus, which "bloom" underground, and only is specific conditions. The fungus needs to grow in soils among the roots of specific types of trees, including oak, hazel, poplar, beech and pine. The soils need to have a certain level of acidity, and certain kinds of microbes, and must be near the roots of living trees, because the tree roots provide the fungus with sugars, and the fungus provide the tree with certain essential nutrients.

In order to farm this fungus, you need to create a setup where you have specific species of live trees, specific types of soil with specific acidity and microbes, in an environment where you can prevent changes in the soil's acidity and microbe community, AND try to prevent other types of fungus from getting into the soil and competing with or even killing your truffles.

One way that people try farming is by planting seedlings of specific kinds of trees in just the right kind of soil, and, before planting, seeding the roots of the baby tree with truffle fungus so that the truffle fungus gets an early start in establishing a healthy colony, which then makes it harder for competing fungi to come in and get a foothold. And even then, if you have the right trees and right soils and right fungus, an unusually heavy rainy season or severe drought can completely sicken or even wipe out your entire truffle crop.

So yes, it can be done, but the time and effort and resources and risk involved make it not worth even trying for most hopeful growers.


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

[User]
We hear about how oil take millions of years to form but what about intermediaries? When does it become useful?

What does a deposit that isn't proper oil or from relatively recently deceased organisms look like and at what stage does it become useful for the petroleum industry?

[Assistant]
There is such an intermediate stage, called *kerogen*. Kerogen is a varying mix of long-chain and complex organic molecules. It's generally not found by itself but rather mixed in with inorganic minerals in sedimentary rocks.

Rocks rich in kerogen are known as *oil shale*. They may burn directly, or by heating the kerogen will be decomposed into usable oil and gas. That's been done industrially since the 19th century, but use of oil shale has really increased in recent years as supplies of "traditional" oil dwindle.


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

[User]
[Joker] Why isnt Arthur Fleck in

prison? At the end of the movie, we see him in an mental institute after committing a series of horrific murders. One of which was broadcasted on live television. Would he even be classified as legally insane? Hes too aware that his actions are morally and legally wrong.

[Assistant]
Something to keep in mind when it comes to Joker (2019): it is *very* unclear how much of what we see on screen is real. One of the first scenes in the film starts with Arthur hallucinating/imagining that he's on stage while Murray Franklin calls him the son he never had. Later on he imagines beating his boss to death behind a dumpster. He also imagines an entire relationship with Sophie Dumond.

So the question you need to ask is: how many of those murders did Arthur actually commit? Did he really smother his mom and just walk out of the hospital? Did he really stab Randall and make it to Murray's show before Gary could call the cops? Did he really shoot Murray in the face on live television after delivering a perfect speech? Or did he just invent the perfect revenge scenario in his head while waiting to be arrested for a triple homicide?


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

[User] [Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood] If Alphonse lost his entire body to the Gate of Truth, then why wasn't his alchemy any stronger than Edward's, who only lost a leg?

[Assistant] I don't think it was that kind of relationship. Like Ed got 1 limb worth and so Al must have gotten 3 times as much. The thing that is taken is based on what you want most. A leg was taken so Ed could never stand with his family because Ed considered himself the man of the family. An arm was taken so that he could never hold his brother's hand because he felt protective of his younger brother. Al's body was taken so he could never feel the warmth of his family, because that's what he wanted. Thus, they gave the same amount (ie. their greatest desire) and received the same amount of knowledge through equivalent exchange.


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

[User]
ELI5 the difference between Existentialism and Nihilism.

What exactly is the difference? Is it a grander sense of optimism vs. pessimism applied to a basic concept that led to these two philosophies or are they entirely different?

[Assistant] Nihilists would say that there is no objective truth in the world and therefore there can be no "meaning" or "purpose" in life. Existentialists accept that there is no objective truth, but instead of saying that there is no purpose and no point, they make up their own goal/purpose to do whatever the hell they want. Existentialists are generally more fun at parties.


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

[User] [Shrek 2] In Shrek 2, King Harold mentions 'the old Crusade wound' is acting up. What kind of Crusade would Far Far Away partake in?

[Assistant] "Good" creatures like men and "Evil" creatures like ogres dislike each other for a reason. They've fought before, so much so that people would be willing to kick out every "unaligned" magical being in their area just in case they might sympathize with the ogres and their ilk.


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

[User]
[MCU] Questions about variants, timelines, dimensions, and multiverses.

Okay theres gonna be a lot of questions in this one.

Whats the difference between timelines, dimensions and multiverses. Like how are the timelines they mention in Loki different from the timelines created in time travel in endgame and from the dimensions in doctor strange, and the multiverses in No Way Home and Multiverse of Madness?

How are variant timelines created? Like at a decision point do two separate versions of the person and world get created? How do they decide what a decision point to create a variant timeline is?

What exactly is the sacred timeline and is that a separate thing from the multiverses?

Were the different multiverses created only when Loki and Sylvia killed He Who Remains? And if yes, did those multiverses come into reality fully fledged, like was Peter 1 already at his point past spider man 3?

When the Avengers time traveled in Endgame and altered the past, they say it created a new timeline. How does this relate to the variant timelines in Loki and the multiverses/dimensions? And how are they able to revisit those timelines?

[Assistant]
The timelines created in Loki are no different than the time travel shenanigans in Endgame, except according to the TVA, the Avengers were *supposed* to do that.  Basically in that version of Kang's history, the Avengers traveled through time to stop Thanos.  So he made sure that what they did was okay.  But otherwise there's no real distinction.

Apparently really small changes (like what somebody had for breakfast one day) aren't significant enough to cause a branched timeline.  But there's debate about that.

The sacred timeline is the one that leads to the creation of that particular Kang who they met at the end of Loki.  There's nothing sacred about it except that he's in charge, and he wants to stay in charge, and doesn't want other Kangs appearing.

The Multiverse is different.  The Multiverse takes into account all different possibilities, including ones that are completely different.  There's no amount of time travel you can do that results in a universe made out of paint, or one where we're all cartoon characters.

The Multiverse goes well beyond the scope of anything Kang can control.  It existed before the events of Loki (it was mentioned in the original Dr Strange movie).  In a sense, Kang and the TVA were fooling themselves thinking they had control of all reality.


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

[User] Can medicine really be injected into the body as shown in the movies, just stab the syringe into a fleshy area and inject the medicine, instead of searching for a vein like how the regular doctors do it ?

[Assistant] Many medications are given intramuscularly, meaning they are injected directly into muscle tissue. Most vaccines are given this way. More care is taken than just stabbing the patient because the proper location and depth reduces pain at the injection site, but in principle it could just be a fast stick. This is what epipens do, you press them firmly against a fleshy part of your leg and they push the needle in for you.


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

[User]
[Pikmin] What happens to enemies once they are in the Onion?

Are they ground to a pulp or are their bodies themselves turned into pikmin Such a A spectralid or a skitterleaf which only give 1 Pikmin.

[Assistant]
Neither!

See, the onion already has Pikmin seeds available for release. However, unless food is brought back to the onion for energy, the Onion will keep the seeds inside of it. It will not expend the energy to release the seeds unless food is brought. This is why larger enemies and pellets typically give more seeds: The onion will be able to recover more energy and can shoot out more seeds.

Edit: This is also why seeds are able to be produced when there is a Pikmin Extinction. The onion knows it will die unless more Pikmin are created, so it will expend the necessary energy for 3 seeds.


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

[User] [Star Wars] How much did the betrayal of Ahsoka by the council contribute to Anakin's fall to the dark side?

[Assistant]
Well she was a rock of his, someone that understood many of his plights. She abandoned him at his darkest hours.

According to Legends Jedi Masters are permitted access to holocrons that can teach more esoteric powers of the force. Nigh unnatural. Preserving life, for example.

Had Ahsoka stayed in the Jedi Order, she'd have been knighted. And Anakin promoted to master. Her abandonment prevented this.

Her leaving is key to his downfall.


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

[User]
[Batman] What would happen if the Panama Papers were leaked and Bruce Wayne was implicated?

One of Batman's great assets is the Wayne family's massive wealth. Now, obviously it wouldn't do for the public to know that Bruce Wayne funded the Justice League Watchtower and is providing financial assistance for a number of victims of Batman's enemies, among other things that would tie him to the Batman. He has to be moving it around through people who aren't connected to him, so it makes sense that Bruce Wayne must have a few methods for anonymously moving large amounts of money around.

Once all this is leaked, what does he do?

[Assistant]
Every Batman-victim related Wealth fare is directed through one of the many Wayne Foundations, this are charity organization and as such complete legal and tax deductible.

The equipment and gadget for his nightly activities is hidden in the budget of the R&D department of Wayne Industries, there is nothing illegal in developing a prototype and never releasing it, maybe not the best business practice but not illegal, especially if you are the majority share holder.

The Justice League Watchtower was funded under the umbrella of Wayne Aerospace which also has a big budget for its R&D, the components were build by Wayne Construction, Wayne Electronics and Wayne Technologies. The final montage and transport in to orbit was done by Justice League members like Superman or Green Lantern. Again, maybe not the best business practice, to build a space station off charge but nothing illegal if you use your own wealth and companies to do it.


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

[User]
Is earth's rotation slowing down (even incredibly slowly) due to dust particles or comets etc.?

Was just wondering if earth's rotation was slowing because I read a thing about the ISS needing a boost every couple years because of tiny particles.

[Assistant] It is slowing, but mainly due to tidal friction from the moon's orbit. The average day has increased by about 1.7 milliseconds in the last century. Eventually, one day will be the same as one month, and the Earth will only have one side facing the moon, like the moon does with the Earth. However, the sun will die before that happens.


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

[User] If Planck length is the smallest length possible, then isn't the smallest volume possible 1 cubic Planck length? Does this mean that the universe is made of tiny cubes?

[Assistant]
Contrary to what you often read or hear, the Planck length is not the smallest length possible.

The Planck length is part of a system of units called Planck units or natural units. In this system, a number of commonly used constants of nature are set to 1, for ease of calculations (the constants drop out of equations when they're rescaled to Planck units, making equations easier to read and manipulate).

In the system of Planck units, the base unit for length is the Planck length, just like the meter is the base unit for length in the SI (Systme International, the default set of units we all know and love (except Americans)).

The Planck length is, in some theories in physics, close in value (within a factor 10) to notions such as the shortest measurable length, but there is no indication that space is discretized in Planck-length-sized blocks.


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

[User] ELI5: What prevents banks and other institutions that hold money electronically from just digitally changing the amount that they have?

[Assistant] There are audit trails.  Every time money is added to an account, there **must** be a corresponding removal from another account somewhere, and every step has to be recorded.  If government auditors find that there was fraud committed, and money just materialized out of nowhere, someone is going to federal prison for a very long time.


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

[User]
[DC MOVIES] How long did it take for Wonder Woman to grow up, where she barely aged after 80 years?

In the movie she is a child then is again Gal Gadot. How long passed since then? Because 80 years didnt age her at all.

[Assistant]
The movies don't say so there is no way we can say precisely.  It could be thousands of years given their greek influences.  Plus we don't know a whole ton about their aging in general.  They could mature to adulthood in a shorter period of time and then have their aging slow down dramatically afterward.

Diana also is a child of the gods and is unique as well.


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

[User]
[Skyrim] What compels bandits to try and rob the dragonborn of all people?

Last week, my buddy and i were hiding out in our base when suddenly the dragonborn came strolling by dressed like he was the overlord of Hell and carrying around the soul of a dragon he just slaughtered in 3 hits. naturally, my friend thought he was easy pickings and grabbed his rusty sword before heading out to mug him. I'm currently finding a good burial spot for em and have just discovered that almost every other bandit had tried something similar so there's not much space left in the area. that got me thinking, is there any particular reason as to why anybody would try to rob the dragonborn? there's much weaker people out and about that I tend to stick to so it just baffles me.

[Assistant]
Nobody turns to a life of banditry because their life is going great. Bandits are desperate, never knowing how long they'll survive before they starve to death in the wilderness or some guards or bounty hunters find them. A passing adventure is dangerous, yes, but also a chance for big payout, one that could set them up for life and let them retire to a more peaceful life.

There are easier marks than the Dragonborn, but they are less lucrative, and often travel in groups or stay within the safety of the hold walls. Also, very few people even believe the dragonborn is real, let alone recognize them on sight. Most bandits probably thing the Dragonborn is some well geared mercenary or something.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does reddit some times hide the scores of comments?

[Assistant]
It prevents groupthink. We have a natural tendency to agree with our peers and are impressed by early success.

If you see three comments all at +1 and then one comment at +3, you may subconsciously think "the one at +3 must have more merit since it's higher", so you're more likely to upvote it yourself. Hiding scores for the first hour or so dramatically reduces this form of groupthink and promotes comment success more based on merit than whatever the first person to read it though.


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

[User]
By what method do humans generate random numbers?

I mean attempt to generate random numbers, since what they generate isn't very random.

[Assistant]
With numbers in general (not necessarily random numbers), we remember numbers based on availability. If you're around a certain number more often you're more likely to think of them first. The numbers that would pop into your head are numbers that are more available to you at the time.

This follows a general pattern in retrieval of information from long-term memory into working memory, in that we retrieve information based on their associations with other information. You are more likely to remember information you learned in the same surroundings you learned it; you are more likely to remember something if you are primed with something related to it.

[Speculation warning] Perhaps we associate certain numbers with being "random". Given that we are primed to think of random numbers, we remember those numbers associated with being random (rather than creating a novel set of numbers from scratch.)


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

[User]
Fission in reactors and bombs

Hi, part of my syllabus is on nuclear fission, and nuclear reactors. It talks about the moderator, and how neutrons from fission reactions are too fast to cause other fissions, hence the need for a moderator. So In a bomb, how is a chain reaction sustained if the neutrons are travelling too fast?

[Assistant]
It's not so much that they are literally too fast to cause fissions, it is that when they are going that speed, the cross-section of the U-235 nucleus is much smaller. (This is because of the De Broglie relation  the faster the neutron goes, the smaller its wavelength is, so the harder it is to hit a given target.) As a result, in reactor-grade uranium, which is not very enriched (e.g. <1% for natural uranium fuel, upwards to 5% for power fuel), this means the chances of the neutron hitting U-235 and not something else (e.g. U-238 or just escaping) pretty low.

In a bomb, you are using ~80-93% U-235, and so it doesn't matter quite as much. A fast-neutron fission chain reaction is still not super easy to maintain, so actual bomb designs always include things like tampers, neutron reflectors, and neutron initiators all of which work to try and make sure the neutron economy is very high.


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

[User] How do psychologists distinguish between a patient who suffers from Body Dysmorphic Disorder and someone who is simply depressed from being unattractive?

[Assistant]
To answer that question, you must know that Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a compulsive disorder, in the same family as OCD. A diagnosis of BDD features a prominent obsession with appearance or perceived defects, and related compulsive behaviors such as excessive grooming/mirror-checking and seeking reassurance. Keep in mind, these behaviors occur at a clinical level, meaning it is not the same as simply posting a 'fishing' status on Facebook; it's markedly more frequent and severe behavior.

The differential diagnosis between BDD and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) focuses on the prominence of preoccupation with appearance and the presence of compulsive behaviors. While appearance can be a factor in MDD, an individual with BDD will be markedly more concerned with appearance and will exhibit the aforementioned compulsions.

It should also be noted that MDD is commonly comorbid with BDD, meaning that they are often diagnosed together. BDD often causes individuals to develop depression. In these cases, however, the diagnostic criteria for *both* disorders are met.

*Source: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)*


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

[User]
ElI5: When loading a page with bad internet connection, how come the ads are always fully loaded while the rest of the page is struggling to load in?

For example: when watching a YouTube video on a bad internet connection, the video stops every 2 seconds to load/render. But suddenly there is a 30sec ad, and it isn't affected by the bad connection.

[Assistant]
World wide sides like Youtube use an algorithm where the video you are trying to load is uploaded to the nearest server to the uploader then as viewers go, it gets uploaded to servers that are the closest to the majority of previous viewers.

So if you are have issues with the video, chances are you are one of the firsts to wan to see it in your area (or some connection issues).

On the other side, the ads are only local ads: so 100 ads are uploaded to the closest server, your video from a random country asks for an ad and the server randomly sends an ad first because they are located in the same servers that sent you the youtube homepage.


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

[User]
ELI5: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

The court case and the outcome from the ruling.

[Assistant]
It used to be that corporations were allowed to run things called **Issue Ads**, but were not allowed to support actual candidates.  So they could run an ad saying, "Support Solar Energy" but not "Support Candidate 'A.'"

Citizens United decided that this was an unreasonable restraint on a corporation's and union's rights and that they should be able to spend money in support of candidates.  This has angered a lot of people who feel that the decision opened yet another door by which corporations can influence elections and buy favor with candidates.  An influence that individuals can't match.

However, direct contributions from Corporations and Unions direct to candidates' campaigns were not in question and are still banned under current law.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do electrons know which path is least resistant?

In a ciruit, electrons will predominantly choose the path of least resistance. How do they determine which path that is?

[Assistant]
I think there is a misconception hidden in your question. In a cricuit not all electrons choose the path of least resistance. Only more electrons take that path.

Imagine this as a river which splits up into several arms (with the same volume). in some arms the river flows very slow (this corresponds to high restiance) and in others very fast (which corresponds to low restiance). At the splitting point always the same amount of water flows in. The water (the electrons) is pressed into all possible arms.

Now, go further downstream to a point where all arms are combined again. From which arm is most of the water coming over a given time period?

Since it takes longer for water to pass through the slow flowing arms.
Water trying to enter the slow (high restistance) arm might not be able to do that, because the arm is still full with slow flowing water. In the fast arm however, the old water has already moved away and has made space for new water - therefore in the end, more water flows through  this (low resistance) arm.


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

[User]
[Wonder Woman] Why doesn't Wonder Woman wear protective body armour more often?

It is known that Diana actually does wear some kind of Amazonian heavy armor on some occasions, but only during special emergencies it seems. In her regular superhero duties she dresses normally in her regular uniform, but this lighter attire makes her vulnerable, does it not? I mean, just how protective is Wonder Woman's regular costume anyway?

If she is vulnerable to conventional bullets, then why doesn't she just wear either some modern ballistic body armor or her own people's magical body armor, at all times? Aren't blades and sharp projectiles her only major weaknesses? So if body armor can counter these...

It is true that she has her unbreakable Bracers and super speed and reflexes to avoid incoming threats, but despite these boons she has been notably successfully shot and/or stabbed by her adversaries repeatedly throughout her history, and has suffered terrible wounds each time. Each time this has happended she wasn't wearing her heavy armor, so it is suprising that she hasn't adapted to this yet.

[Assistant]
Broadly speaking, heavy armor versus light armor is all about tradeoffs. Assuming they are made from similar resources (i.e. similar levels of magic, technology, etc.), a more protecting suit of armor is going to limit endurance compared to light armor. This is due to the increased weight, but also in how it traps body heat and intereferes with the natural cooling mechanisms: even if you are more than physically strong enough to bear the weight, you're still in danger of overheating. Overheating in heavy armor was a very real hazard to armored knights for instance, and in some cases is believed to be directly responsible for fatalities; for instance, some of the French losses at Agincourt were due to knights having to slog through muddy fields, wearing themselves out from heat and exertion, collapsing or being trampled, and drowning in a few inches of water.

For a more modern comparison, consider the average patrol officer (who wears at most a ballistic or anti-stab vest) versus an armed response/SWAT officer (who shows up in at least a DOJ Class IV vest and combat helmet, likely more). The latter is more heavily protected, but the former has fewer handicaps on their endurance and mobility. For a patrol officer, the trade off isn't worth it, since most of their days are going to be spent patrolling, investigating, or otherwise doing things where fatigue is an issue. SWAT, meanwhile, specifically kits up that way because they are planning for a potential fight, with a fixed duration, a controlled perimeter, and other proper planning; if someone bolts on them, they don't need to run them down, that's what the security cordon is for.

It'll vary from Wonder Woman to Wonder Woman, but for the most part the lightweight armor is considered enough for "day to day" use. When Diana is going around, being the Ambassador to Man's World, hanging out with the Justice League, she considers the one piece and the bracelets enough. When things start getting real (and she has the time to do so), the heavier armor can be hauled out.


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

[User]
ELI5 Why are animals (and our old relatives) so small on the island of Flores?

Been wondering for a while why so many animals and our old relative the homo Floresiensis grew to be so small on this particular island. Is it to do with natural predators or maybe the food? Anyone have any clue?

[Assistant]
The are two phenomena that often affect species that get onto islands - island dwarfism and island giantism.
Small species that get onto islands often leave large descendants. If they can arrive early with little competition and / or few predators then there's an opportunity for them to get much larger. There's a reason you get giant tortoises on multiple different islands.
Large species though often get smaller. Limited resources for a population of large animals means that selection for smaller individuals who need less food etc. means they tend to shrink.
Occasionally these can come together and you get the amazing phenomena on ancient Malta of giant swans with dwarf elephants (there's art online of this).

In the case of Flores, this tended to be dwarfism with things like miniature humans, and also today you can see the anoa (dwarf buffalo) but there are also giant extinct storks that lived alongside H. floresiensis.

TLDR limited resources means evolution selects for smaller individuals who can survive on little.


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

[User] [Mickey Mouse] How do Mickeys ears always face the camera?

[Assistant]
Practice. Just like a stage actor practices to ensure they always are in the best lighting and visible by the audience, Mickey, a performer in Disney Films, practices to ensure that his ears are always facing the camera. It's one of the reasons why he's a star.

Wait, how do they actually move to keep in proper profile? It's sort of like how some people can wiggle their ears, Mickey can have his shift position. It's weird when you see it close up. The editors on the Disney films that Mickey stars in tend to avoid shots that would require Mickey to move his ears on camera.


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

[User]
[Star Trek] Why do we put the flesh melting gas next to the warp core? And why do we make the glass breakable?

This is in First Contact btw.  Seems...... not OSHA compliant in the utopian future.

[Assistant] It's coolant, to keep the massive amount of energy given off by the reactor from incinerating everyone in Engineering. And it's not SUPPOSED to be breakable, but Starfleet doesn't generally safety test against the superhuman strength of Androids.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does my ceiling fan make me feel cool in a hot room? Isn't it just blowing the hot air from the room directly at me?

[Assistant] It mostly comes down to sweat. The moving air allows the sweat on your skin to evaporate faster which cools you down. If the air wasn't moving then the small bit of air that was directly next to your skin would quickly become saturated with water and so couldn't absorb any more of your sweat. By moving the air around you make sure that new air is always coming in contact with your skin.


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

[User]
If space is "expanding" are the ratios of distances conserved?

From my very limited understanding of space I am under the impression that objects in space are not "moving apart" but rather space itself is getting "bigger" (if that makes any sense). My question is that if the latter is true does that mean that ratio of the distances between, let's say, earth and the center of the milky way and from the milky way center to the next nearest galaxy center will remain the same in the next million years or are different parts of space "expanding" at different rates?

[Assistant] If you look at an atom, say, the forces holding the atom together are far far far stronger than the tiny effective force of the space expanding between the electrons an nucleons. So the size of the atom never changes. Same goes for our solar system, and even our galaxy. It is only when we zoom out and start looking at the distances between galaxies that the expansion of space begins  to compete with the gravitational force, and the actual distances between galaxies grows with time. So overall, the ratios are not conserved. But for "small" things actual sizes of objects don't even change at all.


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

[User] [Superman] Humans can bite hard enough to draw blood from humans. Can Superman bite himself hard enough to draw blood too?

[Assistant]
Depends on which Superman we're talking about.

Golden Age Superman: Maybe. The radio version could cut through his own skin, he once donated blood to Jimmy Olsen, but he was also a different Superman.

Silver Age Superman: Absolutely not. He's tougher than he is strong. Not even beings equally as powerful as him can draw blood or even leave bruises.

Post-Crisis Superman: Yes.

New 52/Rebirth Superman: Very likely.


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

[User] [A Nightmare on Elm Street/Marvel] If Freddy Krueger was a Marvel villain, which hero would he typically be up against?

[Assistant]
Dr. Strange has a villain called Nightmare, so it fits.

However, we can say like the Shadow King and Professor X, so maybe a X-Men foe?

But we can see him against Ghost Rider, or even Silver Surfer (like Mephisto) or Fantastic Four (like Psycho-Man).


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

[User]
Eli5 Do fish sleep? if so, then how?

Do they float with their eyes closed? Or like anchor to something?

[Assistant]
Some species do seem to sleep, some dont.

Species without swim bladders typically cant, theyll sink and drown.  They may have periods of inactivity though where theyre lethargic.  Schooling fish and those that live in fast currents cant either.

Species with swim bladders that lurk in still waters do sometimes exhibit more traditional sleep-like behavior.  They go inactive at night and are unresponsive.  Fish dont have eyelids so it can be hard to tell.

I had a tank of cherry barbs for years, and they did sleep at night - floating head-down at about a 45 degree angle all night and not harassing eachother or responding to motion outside the tank.


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

[User]
ELI5:Why is climate change a political issue, even though it is more suited to climatology?

I always here about how mostly republican members of the house are in denial of climate change, while the left seems to beleive it. That is what I am confused on.

[Assistant] Because the implications of accepting climate change means more government regulation of the oil industry and other polluters. Being forced to pay for pollution means less profit for business. Republicans don't like government regulations (unless the regulations are about sex, drugs or other private stuff, but that's for a different eli5) and they like big business.


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

[User]
ELI5: How are Quad-Core Intel processors better than Hexa/Octa-core AMD processors?

I'm a heavy gamer, and when first buying my PC, I was going to go with AMD (higher cores, much higher gHz.) Yet my friends told me to go with Intel processors because they are better. I still don't get how AMD processors have more cores, more gHz, yet remain at a lower price and have less power than a high end Intel processor?

[Assistant]
The frequency (GHz) doesn't tell the whole story, because one processor might be able to accomplish more each cycle than another one, so you can't compare based on that number alone.  The number of cores doesn't tell the whole story because (a) four fast cores might outpace six slow cores and (b) many programs (including/especially games) are not well designed to take advantage of multiple cores.

Think about multiple cores as having four grills and you're trying to grill a steak.  It won't make the process any faster. If you were trying to grill 32 steaks, then yeah, you could do it 4X faster by using all of the grills... but most games are like cooking 1 (or 2) steak(s) and won't get any faster by having more grills.


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

[User] ELI5: Is it more efficient to put my car heat on 1 and let it heat my car slower or put in on full, 4, and heat my car faster?

[Assistant]
Run it full blast: it's not like you're "conserving" the engine's heat by running the heater on low.

Your car's heater runs off waste engine heat. When the motor burns gasoline, it gets hot, and so your car circulates coolant around the engine block and dumps the excess heat via a radiator behind the grill.

When you turn the heater on, a fan blows across a smaller, alternate radiator called the heater core, and the heated air comes out vents in the cabin.

Go ahead and run it full blast--the engine produces *so much* heat that you literally cannot cool off the heater core while the engine is running. It takes a little while to warm up (ie, for the motor's heat to bring the coolant up to temp), but that little pissant heater core only dissipates a small fraction of the waste heat (most of which is shed through the primary radiator behind the grill).


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

[User] ELI5 why our brains can form arbitrary memories from seemingly random events and recall them perfectly but its hard to memorize something when you are intentionally trying to memorize it?

[Assistant] The brains memory "creator" the hippocampus is literally attached to the emotional center of the brain, the amygdala. The amygdala "tags" the memory in the hippocampus with certain emotions and sensations, so when the memory is stored in the brain it has that tag. When you smell, hear, etc. a sound similar to the tag that the amygdala gave its causes the memory to pop up.


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

[User]
Why do people have different vocal ranges? What's the difference between my older brother and, say, Chris Cornell?

...besides a few tens of millions of dollars, of course.

All kidding aside, though, what's the science behind vocal ranges?

[Assistant] Vocal cord doctor here, basically your voicebox is just like any other part of your body, some people's feet are bigger than other's, etc. The tautness, and distance between your vocal cords will determine the "tone" you speak in, while the elasticity will determine the range. Thanks for the question, ask if you have anymore!


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

[User] ELI5: When I'm on Pandora and have low internet connection it takes several minutes for a song to load. How come advertisements load right up with no problem?

[Assistant] At least some advertisements are cached on your device when you have good service since they will definitely be played, whereas caching songs does not make sense since you might change stations or have an effect on your current station playlist by upvoting/downvoting or skipping songs.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] When Anakin shouts at Obi-Wan that he hates him, is it over getting his limbs amputated or was there something deeper there?

To me its pretty damn ambiguous honestly, sure Anakin resented Obi-Wan as a teenager, but I guess he seemed to get insecure whenever Obi-Wan talked to Padme, but otherwise he didnt seem to resent him in Episode III. So was he just angry about the gruesome amputation? Because honestly if someone cut off three of my limbs Id probably curse them out too if I could gather my wits to say something coherent instead of just screaming in agony.

[Assistant] He blamed obi-wan for Padme and just about everything else. He felt that kenobi had purposefully held him back from his true potential and constantly undermined him at every turn. Not being given the rank of master, not being taught the secrets of the Jedi, being seen as suspicious for his friendship with Palpatine. All things he felt obi-wan either caused or at least didn't stand up in his defense. But at mustafar padme saw how far anakin had fallen and how much of a monster he had become. When she rejected him anakin felt it had been obi-wan who turned her against him not his own actions. He went from resenting obi-wan to hating him in that moment. The only way he could last against obi in their fight was by using the darkside and powering himself with hatred and rage. If he doubted his actions and his own culpability in the downfall of the Jedi he would have lost. So when he's screaming he hates Obi-wan it's as much about trying to keep himself pushing forward than falling into depression and despondency for what he's done. He focuses all his sins and wrongs and mistakes on Obi-wan rather than admit his own failings.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do the States in the US need "Sexual Orientation Hate Crime Laws" when there are Crime laws on the books?

I'm so confused on this: Isn't it simply a crime to beat the shit out of someone? Regardless of someone's sexual orientation, it's a crime to be beaten shitless, for example.

So... Should it be a MORE special crime because someone is gay?

Don't hate... Just sincere and want to know why gays or blacks, whatever... should have additional Hate laws when there are laws on the books!

I'm old enough to know that we can't legislate assholes. Everyone has them. Some are just bigger than others and likely to act out violently on their prejudices...

Hep me unnerstan!!!!!

[Assistant]
the hate crime laws define the **motive** of the act. beat someone up for x,y&z, versus, beating then up for simply being gay.

Chances are if someone's only motivation for committing an assault is that the victim is gay or black, they will repeat this behavior *without any real motivation* making it likely to be repeated and necessitating a harsher deterrent.

>Chief Justice Rehnquist's words, "this conduct is thought to inflict greater individual and societal harm.... bias-motivated crimes are more likely to provoke retaliatory crimes, inflict distinct emotional harms on their victims, and incite community unrest."


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

[User] How did currency backed by gold/silver work? Why was it discontinued?

[Assistant]
At some points in time you could literally trade the notes for metal. Then (often during a war) governments would suspend that because they needed to create a lot of cash.
The reason that nobody does it anymore is because the price of the metal can swing wildly which can absolutely kick your economys butt. Imagine the fed trying to cool off the economy and everyones cash goes up 20 percent in value over the weekend because the price of gold changed. Or the fed is trying to stimulate and the value of everyones cash drops.
Some people say things like we are gonna go back to the gold standard if they actually mean it literally then they are absolutely clueless about economics. We have had some  bank nominees lately who seem to believe it literally smh.


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

[User]
CMV: Politicians, judges, officials etc. should be punished for making decisions based on their faith ie: this law is anti Christian so I will be voting against it Im here as a Christian, a father, and a politician in that order (this goes for ALL faiths not just Christianity)

Because religion and faith is not universal, and everyone is supposed to be free to believe what they believe as well as separation of church and state I believe it should be punishable to make decisions on law based purely upon your religious beliefs. Its not fair to vote for or against legislation because of your religion at all, it should be based on human rights and what every human deserves regardless of their beliefs. Im tired of legislators shooting down gay marriage, or abortion rights or really anything that doesnt directly effect them because their god says its not okay. Because what those people who would benefit from these laws passing dont share those beliefs, it should be a human right and it causes a massive amount of problems and nearly no solutions to make decisions based on antiquated ideas of faith.

[Assistant]
I have no idea how youll ever do these things:

* define what a religious belief is

* prove when someone is making a choice based on that belief

Every single person has a life philosophy which governs our decisions, to ask someone to ignore that and take on  some other philosophy?  doesnt make sense.

This is why we are a democracy where your recourse is to vote someone out of office who doesnt vote in accordance with your life philosophy.


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

[User] [Star Wars] how long does it take for the Death Star to recharge? Can it go pew-pew and shoot down ships?

[Assistant] The first Death Star needed 24 hours between shots due to the technical limitations requiring that the superlaser always be fired at full power. The second Death Star was built with the intention of fixing many technical issues that plagued its predecessor. The most notable fix was including the ability to modulate the superlaser's intensity so that it could fire on both planets and capital ships. The lower power needed for destroying capital ships meant that it could be fired once every few minutes.


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

[User]
[40k] What options are there to seal the eye of terror and whats it face on Earth?

Aside from the Emperor putting his golden skeleton ass on it for 1000 years?

Also, another thought. Whats to stop someone taking the emperors femur to the eye of terror and getting that closed as well? Seems like that would be pretty good for mental health in the imperium.

[Assistant]
The gate on Terra is a manufactured door into the Webway. It's formed a sort of warp-breach because it's made of plas-steel and adamantium, rather than the Psychoactive material of the Webway proper, and as such... kinda sucks. It's like sticking a straw into your arm. Because it's not actually flesh, infections can get in, and bloooood can get out. The Emperor's Webway gate isn't an actual warp-breach, it's just a hole in a sealed system that connects to the Warp, allowing Daemons to get into the material universe because he is teh-dumbz.

But it's closed. All you needed to do was shut the door. And it's shut. No more worry.

The Eye of Terror is a bigger problem though. Not even the Emperor has the power to close it. The only real hope is that the Necrons get their shit together and figure out some technology to repair the damage.


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

[User]
Is there a chemical you can spontaneously inject into the muscle tissue and have someone immediately pass out like Hollywood shows?

I thought for an intravenous injection to work/have rapid onset it had to be... intravenous?

[Assistant] There are medications that can be used for 'rapid tranquilisation'. These can be given IM and, as the term suggests, can cause tranquilisation. Examples are lorazepam, haloperidol and promethazine. Their effect isn't immediate, it can take minutes.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does the cold side of the pillow feel so good?

[Assistant]
Your head has a lot of hot.

But it doesn't like to be so hot!

So your head gives the extra hot to the pillow. But the one side of pillow gets hot then too. It gets filled up with hot and then it can't take any more. So now your head is hot and the pillow is hot, and your head has nowhere to give it's extra hot and it's sad.

Then you flip the pillow and your head is happy again, because it can share it's extra hot stuff with the cool side.


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

[User] [General]Who is the most evil character out there?

[Assistant] Not really a specific character, but the Dark Eldar from Warhammer 40k take the cake for being massive assholes. Their entire existence is fueled by the endless torture and rape of innocents and it's all by choice, since they could live like their more peaceful Craftworld brethren, but choose to be emo space rapists instead.


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

[User]
[Cowboy Bebop] Is Ed transgender? If so what gender does/will he/she identify with?

Ed is female, has a male name, always refers to her/himself in third person, and Ed is not particularly feminine or masculine. Does he/she refer to his/herself in third person intentionality or does he/she just talk funny?

[Assistant]
Ed is just an eccentric, genius, prepubescent girl, with very little concept of, or exposure to "social norms".

She chose her name because she liked it(also remember that her "peers" are largely other net hackers who go by their own strange "handles", so picking random "cool" sounding names would seem normal to her), not because it carries any "gender identity" in her mind.

As to her behavior, personality, third person speech, etc, Ed just behaves like *Ed*.
Look at who her father is (another eccentric genius), look at the world she lives in, a nearly post apocalyptic and very chaotic landscape of an earth bombarded with constant meteor strikes. Look at the cyber-punk-hacker scene she's a part of. Remember that she has spent a LOT of time on her own/by herself. So yeah, how "normal" could you expect her to be?


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

[User]
[Castlevania] Based on SotN and AoS, and aside game mechanics, It's there any reason of why the Dracula's Castle it's so ordered?

The castle always looks like a normal, maybe cyclopean but normal, castle. The locations more or less make sense (subterranean thing underground, aerial things in the top, water runs up to down, etc) and are constants since you enter until you get out or when return. Even the architectonical elements like columns, floors, doors or furniture are logical.

In both games however, is explained that the source of Dracula powers it's not "the evil" but "the chaos". In SotN the constant changes of architecture and location between games are accused to be this an entity of chaos that change every time that respawns. In AoS, the Chaotic Realm itself is a bunch of unrelated and senseless locations mixed together in the middle of a distorted space. Then, there are any explanation of why the Castle, the very symbol of Dracula's power (and by extension of "chaos"), it's anything but chaotic (or at least it's architectonically plausible)?

[Assistant]
Dracula was originally a human, Mathias Cronqvist.  Mathias is not chaos, and is able to impose some amount of order on that primordial force.  Castlevania takes the form of a castle because Mathias was originally a medieval knight and tactician, so Dracula feels most comfortable commanding that power to take the shape of a medieval castle.

After Dracula is permanently defeated, chaos starts breaking free.  By the end of Aria of Sorrow we see what the castle looks like without a dark lord imposing some kind of order on it.  A mishmash of existing architecture bunched together with no real rhyme or reason.  In time, it likely wouldn't even resemble a castle anymore.

This is also why Castlevania tends to collapse after Dracula dies.


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

[User]
(Meta) You've got to create the perfect Super Soldier

You have access to all technology, regardless of origin or rarity. You've access to all foreign DNA including mutants and aliens.

The only catch is whatever host you choose, there must be an abundant of said creatures in order to create an army.

What do you use to create the perfect Super Soldier?

[Assistant]
The base human is insufficient. We will replace it. The limbs, organs, bones, blood, soft tissue, all are faulty, worthless.

We preserve the processing unit, but only part of it. It learns quickly, grasps new concepts quickly. Augment it. Give it a data port. It will learn faster. The optical units are poor. Replace them. Perceive all wavelengths from the very low to the very high. Teach the processing unit how to use new data. Auditory processing is poor. Replace it. A second pair of sensor units on the side of the sensor casing. All wavelengths. Add a secondary data processing core and lower level sensors to manage the new data. Secondary processing and lower level sensors in the lower primary casing. Tertiary processing and lower level sensors in the limb joints. Total dismemberment and vaporization required to cause a unit to cease functioning. Unit limbs may function independently of primary organism for many cycles.

The body is weak. Blood is a poor coolant and transmission medium for power. Bones are insufficient. Give it a reinforcing exoskeleton and internal reinforcement structures. Tension, Torsion stress tolerance increased. Density of internal melee weapons increased. Bladed weapons are optional. If necessary, it may arm itself further. Add secondary and tertiary backup fluid pumps in all limbs and in the primary casing. One pump of nine is necessary to maintain combat effectiveness. Include wavelength modifying polymers in the exoskeleton, reduction in reflected energy, particularly in enemy visual spectrum. Noticeable, but only just.

Refine the in-field refueling mechanism. Additional chemical fuels may not be available. Introduce subcutaneous energy wave convertors. Optimize in the infrared range. Store packets of repair nanodes in the internal structures. Nanodes primarily correct mutations in the fluid producing tissues, but can also induce them. Teach it to breathe methane like oxygen, quickly. Musculature structure comprised of electrically stimulated fluid supported tissues. Improve pressure and accumulator systems, electrical power reserved to drive locomotion of nanodes. Loss of fluid pressure no longer catastrophic, nanodes capable of forming short link fibers to drive unit movement at a reduced rate.

Less than 11% of original unit remains. Increase of combat effectiveness measured in orders of magnitudes. New unit is difficult to terminate and has highly enhanced adaptive abilities.

Suitable for long range strategic disruption of enemy installations if inserted with caution. Do not attempt recovery of unit. It is now a biogenic weapon. Deterioration to safe levels will take between 10\*59 and 10\*92 cycles. No internal safeguards are included. Unit not capable of adaptation to low pressure low temperature environment, and will not leave biospheres unaided. Unit *not* equipped with Interrogator Friend/Foe sensors.

**Do not approach.**


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

[User]
[40k] I'm a space marine and want to kill one of the traitor primarchs. What methods could damage their super-bodies?

Will my bolters even have some effect?

[Assistant] The traitor primarchs? Good luck. Every living traitor primarch(Angron, Mortarion, Lorgar, Magnus, Perturabo, and Fulgrim) has been transformed into a daemon primarch. You can't banish them without immense psychic power. It took 109 Grey Knights to banish Android during the first war for Armageddon, and they got lucky. Even then, only 13 survived. Your bolter will bounce off.


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

[User]
[John Wick] Is seven million dollars a lot of money to these people?

I mean, it's not nothing, clearly.  It's obviously worth taking a stab at the contract.
That said, at the upper echelons, is it really a significant amount?

[Assistant]
It's not meant to attract top-tier players.

Here's the thing. No single person is going to kill John Wick.

So you send hundreds of mid- and low-tier people after him. If all of them jump on him at once, maybe one of them will get lucky.

(Also, didn't the high table double it?)


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

[User] ELI5: Why do we sometimes forget what we were thinking about when walking into a different room?

[Assistant]
Because the original thought was created in one setting (bedroom), and with a transition to a different setting (kitchen) there's a ton of new information that overrides our thoughts.

This is why you remember why you got up and left once you go back to the original setting.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] How did Kylo Ren recognize Anakin's original lightsaber?

The weapon was in it's prime two generations before him. And lost. How would he know that was Anakin's weapon?

[Assistant]
Kylo has a rather strong obsession with Anakin/Vader, and it's not like it's a secret what his weapon looked like.  He also has the skills necessary to find and acquire Vader's helmet.
I'd frankly be more surprised if he didn't know what it looked like.


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

[User]
[Star wars] when did darth vader fully realise that palpatine screwed him over?

As in that He was baited by sidious and was now forced to live his oh so promising life as his slave?

[Assistant] When he realized that Padme had lived long enough to give birth to Vader's children.  That was the moment that all of the lies Palpatine used- that he wanted to help Anakin save Padme, that Anakin had murdered Padme himself- were revealed.  Its not that Vader thought Palps was a nice guy up till then, but he didn't realize before then that Palpatine *wanted* Anakin to lose Padme and be trapped, weaker than ever, inside the suit.


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

[User] ELI5: Machine Learning and Deep Learning and why is so much different than recursion and backtracking (like Deep Blue chess computer)

[Assistant]
When one of the greatest chess players of the time, Jos Ral Capablanca, was asked how many moves ahead he looked when playing a game.  He replied "Only one, but it's always the right one."  This is basically the difference between how deep neural networks differ from recursion and backtracking.

Backtracking algorithms work by searching through millions of different possibilities for what could happen next in the game, trying to find some way to force their opponent into losing.  Deep neural nets don't do this.  Instead they play like Jos Ral Capablanca and don't do any searching at all.  Instead, they look at the entire board and use sophisticated pattern matching to guess if it looks more like the kind of game that's likely to lead to a win vs. a loss.  Often this pattern matching is based on a huge database of professional games, combined with a long pre-computation to fine-tune the patterns by having the computer play itself millions of times and seeing how often the neural net's guess is correct (and slightly modifying the neural net accordingly).

Of course, you can combine these approaches, which is how the program Alphago recently beat the top go professional Lee Sedol.  It did some backtracking search, but a neural net suggested which moves were the most important to try.  After the search played a few moves ahead, it also used another neural net to guess if the board was likely to lead to a win or a loss.  Both of these neural nets cut down on how many moves the search needs to consider, and together make the program much more powerful than it would otherwise be.


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

[User] [Marvel Comics] Was J. Jonah Jameson a good mayor of New York City? I mean I know he gets a little weird about Spider-Man but everyone knew that...what about everything else?

[Assistant]
Nope. Basically every major project he undertook failed. He was notoriously anti-Spider-Man, who is largely liked by the people of New York.

One fun example, early on in his tenure, was the Anti-Spider Squad.^TM Right after Peter learns that Jonah is mayor, Jonah forms this team to capture him. This team is _expensive._ In response to its existence, Peter basically becomes the best Spider-Man he can be and goes massively over-the-top with the heroics, making Jonah look reeeaaallly bad for wasting all this money to capture "a menace." It's using tax payer money for a personal vendetta. This continues for a while before Peter proves to the squad that he's a dope fella.

Another one was when he bailed out the Daily Bugle, clearly using tax payer money to fund his own legacy (despite him technically not being involved anymore).

He eventually resigned and didn't finish his one term.


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

[User]
Can a plane fly north (then south) over the geographical pole and land at the same airport it took off from?

This question really boils down to how much the rotation of the earth continues to effect the planes course (due to winds).

[Assistant]
Airplanes rotate with the surface they took off from for the same reason you don't suddenly fly west when you jump. Objects and the atmosphere both share the same appoximate inertia as the earth's surface itself.

The only way to fly away from a point and end up where you started is to make a full circle around the earth.


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

[User]
[Jurassic world] wouldn't it be easy to get rid of the dinosaurs?

In the trailers for the new movie, there appear to be dinosaurs living all over and the scientists are talking about two dominant species fighting for the world.  Wouldn't it be fairly easy for the military to kill the dinosaurs?  I get if you are stuck on an island with. I resources that it would be tough to survive, but a TRex is not going to stand up to a tank or even a guy with a large machine gun on the back of a pick-up truck. How is this even a fight?

[Assistant]
Yes, easily.

But recall that Malcolms a bit histrionic about dinosaurs, dude seems to have PTSD. Is convinced that they are the doom of humanity. Despite being a handle of animals without a viable breeding population.


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

[User]
Does anyone really take Platonic Forms seriously today?

I mean:the concept of a 'horse-ness" existing in a separate heaven and actual horses being mere phenomenal illusions does seem to be rather odd to modern ears. Confusing words for actual reality.

Hence the question?

[Assistant] Virtually every casual conversation about love or justice or any other big, vague concept reveals that just about everyone is a Platonist (meaning simply that we all implicitly believe in an idealized, perfect version of love or justice that is superior to what we actually encounter in the world).


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

[User]
[LotR:Shadows of Mordor] What effects does Talion's one(two?) man(elf?) rampage have on Sauron's plans?

In the alternate time line where Talion/Celebrimbor wages a solo (duet?) war against Mordor, what are the long term effects of his killing off most of the captains, war chiefs and the Hammer, Tower and Hand?

[Assistant]
There's always another Orc to replace the old.

Sauron is occupied, Talion as of now is hardly a blip on his radar. If he really wants to cause problems go ahead, the Witch King and his wraith will get involved.


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

[User]
What career possibilities are there with a philosophy major?

To start with, at the moment, I am a junior in an American high school. In the past three-four years, I have had a wide variety of interests in liberal arts subjects, specifically history, music, and creative writing. But nowadays, while I am still interested in those aforementioned subjects, I find myself analyzing the reasoning/logic behind ethics, religion, laws, and other fairly abstract matters like them, extremely often. As far as I know, the analysis of those topics tends to fall under the broad "philosophy" brush.

So I was wondering, since I plan on going to college in a year and a half, what job opportunities would one possibly get with a philosophy major? I'm not unopposed to a double major/or a minor, but I would like to know what I could do with just a philosophy major.

I would also like to know if any of them would pay decently, because although that is not a primary concern, I would still like to live a semi-comfortable life.

Thanks in advance.

[Assistant]
You could go into banking, well, any industry, pursue like project manager, analyst, technical writer, lawyer, counselor, process analyst. There's a ton
you can do along with other liberal arts degrees. The world is your oyster.

You might want to take some technical courses like technical writing, or whatnot.

Ethics and all of that are very important and good to have under your belt. It may be good from a conversational use in the workplace, to actually applying it a little here in there in the work you do, no matter what you do.

In addition to a liberal arts degree, you may wish to also look at some kind of certificate program that teaches a hands-on hard skill.


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

[User]
[Warhammer:40K]How powerful is your average Ork?

I'm not the most versed on 40k, but take a bog standard ork that fights en masse against humanity. How powerful is he? More than a match for say, a modern military force?

[Assistant]
Orks were genetically and psychically designed by incredibly powerful, ancient beings called the Old Ones. They were designed, at their most fundamental level, to be unwavering weapons of mass destruction that would fight against the threats they didn't have the time or resources to deal with at the time.

Very little about Orks is "natural"; they didn't evolve into their current form, and as such, none of their genetics are wasted. Virtually every aspect of their being is tailor-made to assist them in any combat scenario they might find themselves in.

So let's compare your average rank-and-file Ork to an average Human. First of all, the Ork is HUGE in comparison. Orks are often a little bigger than your average space marine, so they would tower over a regular person, even with their heavily hunched posture. Their strength is magnitudes higher, and they could probably easily rip your arms from their sockets. Their durability is tank-like; small-arms carried by standard soldiers would be like airsoft guns, and they can lose limbs without being slowed down. They require no training to become effective combat units, they require virtually no supply-train to maintain advancement, and they can essentially "magically" create vehicles and weapons out of garbage.

Every facet of their culture revolves around war. Every one of their loves, aspirations, desires, goals, and most of their "leisure" is singularly focused on something war-related.

A modern military force could deal with a single Ork, but if they weren't initially prepared for it, it would be a brutal learning experience.


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

[User] ELI5: so researchers have observed the radioactive decay of xenon-124 which is extremely rare due to its half-life of 18 sextillion years, so how is it they observed this if the universe isn't even 18 sextillion years old?

[Assistant] A half life of an element doesn't mean an atom can't decay before that amount of time has elapsed, and it doesn't mean exactly half of all atoms of some group will decay after exactly the half-life has elapsed. The half-life is probabilistic for any individual atom. This means there's a 50% chance any single atom will decay *some time* **BEFORE** it's half life, and a 50% chance it will decay after. So if we have a hypothetical element with a half life of exactly 100 years, there's a 50% probability any individual atom will decay before 100 years has elapsed, but this could occur at any point. It could happen in 1 day 7, weeks, or 63 years. Then there's still a 50% chance it won't decay at all in those 100 years.


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

[User] [Star Wars (Legends)] Does Boba Fett know that Darth Vader was one of the people involved in the death of Jango and the man who killed him was only there because of him? Does he know Anakin is Vader? Did they ever bond over mutual hate of Obi-Wan?

[Assistant] Unlikely, and even if he did know he wouldnt care.  Fett is a stoic professional, not much of a talker, and found personal revenge to be an uncomfortable motivator during his attempts at assassinating Mace Windu.


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

[User]
[Batman] Did young Bruce ever go through therapy or something?

I always wondered if he got the proper therapy after witnessing the death of his parents. Do we know anything about his immediate childhood and how it was like after his parents passed? I mean, it must have definitely messed him up if he grew up to become a vigilante in a batsuit. Something tells me the therapy, if any, was not that useful.

[Assistant]
No, he immediately began Training to well not become Batman, but to fight Crime in some Way.

First he learned theoretically from home and later around his teenage years he traveled the World learning Martial Arts, Lock Picking, Profiling etc.


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

[User] Do hurricanes making landfall bring sea water in as rain? How does this affect soil, crops, infrastructure etc compared to normal rain?

[Assistant]
When water evaporates it does not bring the salt with it into the atmosphere in any significant way. This means that the water in the clouds that is precipitating is going to generally be pure water (disregarding pollutants in the atmosphere). The salt does not evaporate because it has a very *very* low vapor pressure and does not easily become gaseous. Water, on the other hand, has a relatively high vapor pressure and evaporates readily.

This is is why salt water is ends up being in the ocean to begin with. The rivers and streams take the runoff with the minerals and bring them into the ocean. The water in the oceans will evaporate and start the cycle again.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do some clovers get more than three leaves? If you find a clover with more than three leaves, is it common to find more in the same area?

[Assistant]
It's a mutation.  It happens basically for the same reason as when a person sometimes ends up with an extra finger or toe: the part of their DNA that determines body shape becomes altered slightly and you get an extra.  It can happen the other way too where you get less as well.

Clover (at least the type you think of for a 4 leaf clover) grows in patches and each patch will share a lot of its genetic makeup among the little individual sprouts.  So yes, if you find one 4 leaf clover, there are in fact likely to be more in the same area.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] When the Sand People come back in greater numbers, are they still easily startled?

Also why are they easily startled in the first place if they are a warrior culture constantly fighting Tatooine's inhabitants?

[Assistant]
They're not the type of warrior culture that relishes combat for its own sake and constantly strives for a glorious death.  They're the pragmatic kind that's forced into a life of fighting for survival in a marginal environment.

Good fighters are the ones who live to fight another day - blind courage is a luxury they can't afford.