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

[User] If our bodies can produce more blood, what stops it producing too much? How does it know when we have enough blood?

[Assistant]
Erythropetin (EPO) is the primary regulator for the production of red blood cells (RBCs), and it's regulated by feedback loops.

EPO is produced in response to ow tissue oxygen. A protein called HIF is expressed in all cells, but it is degraded when oxygen levels are above a certain level. When oxygen drops, however, HIF forms a dimer and is moved into the nucleus. There, it binds to DNA and stimulates the expression of certain genes. One of those genes is EPO.

Additionally, EPO is kind of "soaked up" by healthy RBCs. If there are lots of RBCs, EPO gets soaked up and has less effect.


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

[User]
ELI5 Why are different musical instruments tuned to different notes?

Why is an C on a piano tuned to a D on a trumpet?

[Assistant]
It has to do with (1) the history of these instruments and (2) their register.

Trumpets for instance used to only be able to play in a single key. There was an F Trumpet and a D trumpet, a C trumpet, etc. You had to literally switch horns to play in other keys. But to make it easier for the player to read, they would write the music in such a way that the player could always read the music the same way regardless of the key. And the instrument would do the transposing.

Today typical trumpets are usually in Bb, although classical players often play C trumpets. When the part is written for the instrument in hand, and there is a written F, its always first valve. Regardless of the actual sounding pitch. If the parts werent transposed, it would be very very confusing to have to learn a whole new set of fingerings.

On a related but different note, there are other instruments that use odd clefs. Thats mostly for the sake of saving ledger lines and having easy to read parts. Viola is written in alto clef because its sort of in between bass clef and treble clef. Too low for treble clef and often too high for bass clef. Trombones are sometimes written in tenor clef, because there would be so many ledger lines it would be a little ridiculous when playing in the high register.

Anyway this is some of the reasoning.


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

[User] [James Bond] Were all 00 agents regarded as similar in skills and expertise compared to 007 or was 007 extraordinary compared to the others?

[Assistant] 007 was extraordinary. Other agents were equally qualified for the position but 7 was the best and most experienced of the lot. By the end of his career 007 was head and shoulders the best agent they had but at the beginning he was equal to the others more or less.


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

[User]
CMV: People who wish to carry guns in public should have to attend a mandatory training session to learn/practice how to handle real-life situations (active shooter, being held up, etc).

In the US, people are just going to have guns. No matter what kind of bills get passed, it's just a culture that is very attached to guns. People who would use them for ill purposes will usually be able to find a way to get them. And people who wish to protect themselves from those people will arm themselves no matter what they're told.

But a gun in the hands of an ill-informed, poorly educated, jittery, person who has never in their life been in a high-pressure, life-threatening situation where they had to act fast and decisively can make a bad situation more chaotic and dangerous. So I'm putting forth the idea that anyone who wants to get a concealed carry license (or even anyone who wants to own a gun) should have to attend a training course to learn how to do just that (as well as gun safety). And if they don't pass it, they aren't able to get that gun/concealed carry license. Just like a driving test.

**Edit: Woah thanks for all the very informative comments! I think we've pretty much covered the basic major reasons why this would not be effective and even make the problem worse in reality, even if it seems like a good idea on paper.**

Additionally I'd like to add that it turns out most states DO require a bit of training to get a CW permit but I happen to live in a state which does not.

**1)** It would de facto violate/hinder the 2nd amendment right. Beyond the argument some people have that ANY hurdles to owning a gun is actually a violation of this, requiring people to pay  for the class, get to the class, buy the material to practice/take the class, would all create barriers to obtaining an CW permit that would effectively be socioeconomically driven. IE, you could only get one if you had the means to take the test.

Also, if the legislation wasn't done right, some states could make taking and passing the test so prohibitive that it would essentially enact a gun ban. At least to all except a certain class of people, which would be even worse than no on having guns in my opinion.

**2)** Having training doesn't mean that a person with a gun would improve ANY situation. In fact, having only SOME training might make a person without real-world experience think they were capable of handling a situation which in reality they were not. And if they hadn't had that little-bit-of-training-confidence-boost, they probably would have just had the sense to stay out of it, even if they were carrying a gun.

A very good example of this is all the police out there who have drawn their weapon out of sheer fear and killed an innocent person. Honestly, when someone made that point it alone was enough to make me realize that this training wouldn't change ANY statistics.

There were a lot of other good points and I learned a lot, but I think those are basically the two major reasons that pretty much made this argument a moot point. At this point it seems like there's a lot of restating of these same points.

But I thank you again for all your opinions and information you gave. I really do not believe that the US should or can be a gun-free place. I actually started thinking more about responsible gun ownership after my boyfriend got into them and made me start training some with them. I realized through this discussion that I am actually carrying around some bias towards the stereotypical Bible Belt gun fanatic, but that in actuality the majority of gun owners are responsible people who know their limits.

So if you thought I was just trying to get on a preachy liberal soapbox then I hate to disappoint you. Know that your smart-allecky comments did not add much to the conversation.

Thanks and keep having a great discussion!

[Assistant]
The problem with testing is that it's probably left to the states to implement, and they can make it *de facto* impossible to pass (or possibly even sit the exam), or worse, allow preferential treatment/make it prohibitively expensive to accomplish and therefore accomplish a gun ban.

For example, let's say there's a class, but there's 10 people in the entire state (Let's say, California) that are allowed to teach the class, it takes two weeks, and you can't teach more than 50 people at time. Also, it costs $800 to take, meaning you lock out a lot of people that can't afford.

EDIT: Like has been done with voting in the past (particularly to disenfranchise minorities), and abortions in the present day. States will follow the letter but not the spirit of the law if given the opportunity.


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

[User]
What did they demand of you in your first junior job or what do you expect from a junior developer you want to hire?

Hello, I want to start work, I am in the fourth year of my degree in computer engineering and I do not know what a boss or a company can expect from me.

I have very good grades, but I feel like I will never know enough for a job, hahahaha. So I want to work and add experience, I handle some programming languages like c / c ++, java, kotlin, I know data structures, but not databases for example.

If anyone could help me or give me any advice on this, I would appreciate it.

[Assistant] As a junior dev straight out of college, the expectation is that you're smart and a quick learner. That's honestly about it. If you have some particular experience, that can be helpful to get you a little head start, but if a company is looking for fresh graduates to be some kind of expert in anything, they're woefully misguided.


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

[User]
CMV: Religion hinders development/progress in societies

In my opinion religion and culture is one of the big reasons a lot of countries in the world are behind and it is also the cause for many problems. Religion also is an excuse for many corrupt leaders in the world to not give their people freedom and to not focus on social progress.

A good example is Turkey. Turkey is a Muslim country with good potential for economic growth and progress. If Turkey got rid of islam and instead adopted a secular culture they would become much more advanced and prosperous. Lets say they got rid of islam and suddenly everyone there was non religious/atheist. There would be a lot more progress in their economy, technological innovation etc.

I think if they did this they would be on par with many prosperous European countries like Germany. What is holding Turkey back is its backwards religion and culture. If many underdeveloped countries in the world got rid of their religion and culture they would have the potential to improve.

This is not true only for Turkey but many other countries in the world. What is holding them back is their religion, culture and corrupt governments.

[Assistant] It's interesting you chose Turkey as your example, because the Turkish Constitution literally states that it's a secular Republic to be governed by the people of Turkey, and sovereignty can only be derived through said people, not any religion.


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

[User]
Are there evidence based ways to increase empathy for others? What does the literature say on this?

Are there evidence based ways to increase empathy for others? What does the literature say on this?

[Assistant]
You could rather easily do what most people here are going to do and ask Dr. Google.

Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT) comes to mind. It was introduced to me as a way to work with people diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, but was originally developed for use with borderline-presenting patients. The idea behind this approach is that increasing awareness of ones own mental states helps to create understanding of others mental states.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are most circuitboards green? Does it make a difference if its any other color?

[Assistant] The green is the colour of the solder mask, which is a layer on top of the yellowish fiberglass base and the copper traces. Green is a nice contrasting colour with the traditional white of the silkscreen, which makes text easy to read. Solder mask without many or any pigments added will look a little greenish because of the fiberglass beneath it, it's cheapest to not add any pigments. Other colours are used only for aesthetics.


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

[User] [Star Trek] If society is post scarcity, how are the rich rich?

[Assistant]
First, it's not completely post scarcity. There are things that are scarce. One example is the Aldebaran whiskey that Guinan keeps behind the bar. Or Picard's saddle.

That being said, who in the federation is rich and or poor?


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

[User]
[MCU] Are the Guardians of the Galaxy superhumanly strong and durable?

EDIT:  They appear to do some pretty fantastic things - powerful leaps, lifting apparently heavy objects, soaking massive impacts with no visible effects, etc.

But is this due to them being tougher than a human or is it due to technological enhancement, being on low-gravity worlds, etc.?  I seriously can't tell.

[Assistant] Personal shield emitters and flexible body armor is standard equipment for galactic adventurers.  Starlord's average quality Ravager coat alone provides substantially better protection than you might expect, and his gear under that is designed to cushion his body on impact and retain heat within the vacuum of space.  Just because it looks like he's wearing nothing more protective than a leather coat doesn't mean he's actually going out there in one.  Don't underestimate Gamorra or Rocket's numerous cybernetic implants and what those can do to improve their strength and hardiness either.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why is it difficult to maintain focus for long periods of time but very easy to spend a whole day doing essentially nothing (video-games, watching videos etc)?

edit: if possible, could you explain the science behind it?

[Assistant] Because video games and movies are tuned to be as easy to consume by the brain as possible. Theres movement, sound, light, language so theres always something to grab (and keep) your attention. And they all reinforce each other. Proof of how easy it is for our brains to consume movies is how easy it is for you to remember and tell the plot and many details of a movie many weeks later even if you see it only once. If you have trouble focusing on a task, it is either too easy or too difficult for your brain to process at peak efficiency. Simple, repetitive tasks are too easy to process and once you start resorting to using muscle memory, the brains attention will slip.


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

[User]
First faculty interview this week - what to wear, bring?

I'm interviewing for a full time position at a community college this week, and while I've adjuncted before, this is my first interview for a full time teaching job. I'm 30F, and have long dark hair. How should I present myself, and what should I wear? I'm thinking a suit, but I'm not sure if there are different for academic positions (I've had admin positions before, and suits were the norm).

Also, is there anything I can bring to the interview (previous evaluations, for example) to increase my chances? Thanks!!

[Assistant]
Yes, suit. Maybe a blouse with an interesting print. Something that is professional but neither flashy not starchy. And comfortable shoes.

Bring two copies of all your materials: syllabi, CV, evals, teaching statement, etc.

Carry snacks and a water container in your bag.


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

[User]
I think Superman would beat Batman in a fight every time. CMV.

I know comics, and am well informed on both.

When taken straight up, Batman will always lose. Regardless of planning or gadgets or whatever, he's fighting SUPERMAN.

Red Son, DKR, and Hush (especially) are extenuating circumstances for the following reasons

Red Son was a version of Superman that instantly lost his power under a red sun. Not the way it normally works.

DKR had Superman hit by a nuclear weapon point blank, which nearly killed him on it's own and blocked out the sun, and he still had the fight won before the assist from Green Arrow.

And in Hush Batman just plain didn't win. He survived long enough to almost be greased with a car before his desperate gamble of throwing Lois Lane off a building paid off.

CMV.

[Assistant]
There's a joke:

>"Who would win in a fight - Batman or Superman?"

>"Well, Batman, if he had kryptonite."

>"And if he didn't have kryptonite?"

>"Superman then."

>"Wrong, still Batman. He would use the kryptonite."

>"But you said he didn't have kryptonite..."

>"Batman *always* has kryptonite."

If you're going to pit Batman vs Superman, you can't limit the discussion to what they *can* do. It's much more a question of what they *would* do. Sure, it's valid to say that Batman would loose if he didn't have time to prepare, but that's just it - Batman is *always* prepared. He's a paranoid lunatic with near unlimited resources. Superman is, on the other hand, fairly predictable, or, at the very least, consistent. He wouldn't suckerpunch Bats out of nowhere. He would either have to have lost his mind, or Bats would have had to do something to piss him off, and in both cases, Batman would see that coming and get ready. Preparation is the man's true superpower.


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

[User]
[ATLA] why did the Fire nation not revolt once Zuko became Firelord?

Why did the Fire nation(citizens and generals) not revolt once Zuko became firelord? And why did the colonies not revolt and try to establish a independent state when Zuko decided to withdraw from the colonies?

[Assistant]
There were assassination attempts and an attempted coup.  There wasn't a large scale revolt in the colonies mainly because Zuko actually listened to the colonists and withdrew his support for the Harmony Restoration Movement and then gave his support to the formation of the United Republic.  That action itself garnered a lot of goodwill, both at home and internationally, demonstrating that this new Fire Lord would listen to the needs and concerns of the people and support them.

On the mainland, Zuko actually enjoyed some benefit from his predecessors' propaganda apparatus.  For a hundred years loyalty to the Fire Lord had been equated to loyalty to the Fire Nation and both had been taught as a universal good.  While Zuko eventually dismantled that apparatus, those attitudes didn't disappear overnight.  Enough people were convinced of his legitimacy as Fire Lord, and convinced that legitimacy was enough to justify his reign, that it wasn't feasible to mobilize a large scale resistance to his ascension.

As it happened, ending the War and withdrawing troops from the Earth Kingdom *didn't* result in the destruction or impoverishment of the Fire Nation.  As time went on, opposition to Zuko's reign fell off and he became extremely popular.  Zuko's reformed public education and independent press brought to light the atrocities committed by previous Fire Lords and, though the War became a source of national shame, the story of the exiled prince who ended it became a beloved folk-tale.

Also, he started riding around on a motherfucking dragon.  Everyone agreed that was awesome and they didn't want to piss that guy off.


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

[User] When describing an amount of space, we call it an "area" or "volume." When describing an amount of time, we call it a "duration." What would we call an amount of spacetime, and what would that imply?

[Assistant]
It's just called spacetime volume, or just volume when it's clear from context. In an n-dimensional manifold, the n-dimensional volume is generally just called "volume".

It's a very important object to consider in physics. In special relativity, spacetime volume is preserved by transformations between inertial reference frames. In SR or GR in general it's relevant for example for the definition of a few essential quantities which are defined "per unit of spacetime volume".


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

[User] [Star Wars] Had Thrawn been given the position of Tarkin or a similarily high one, would the events between the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Endor have played out differently?

[Assistant]
The war would have been much shorter, that's for sure.  Alderaan would not have been destroyed and instead infiltrated to gather all possible Rebel-related intelligence, particularly the location of other key senatorial collaborators, notably Mon Mothma.

Assuming the Corellian YT-1300 transport piloted by the infamous smuggler Han Solo was still brought aboard the Death Star, things would have been played out in a similar fashion, though Thrawn would have encouraged the rescue and escape of the party and the Senator-turned-Rebel-leader Leia Organa.  They would lead him right to Yavin IV.

The Death Star would be used as bait for the pitiful shield of Rebel snubfighters.  Once within range, all TIE squadrons would be launched and the Rebel force utterly destroyed.  The Imperial fleet lying in wait behind the gas giant Yavin would then make its appearance and blockade the planet.  A general ground invasion would begin and all Rebels captured alive if possible.  They would then be interrogated at length for all sensitive information.

With the core of the Alliance leadership dead or in custody, any remaining Rebel cells would be hunted down ruthlessly and destroyed.  The planet of Mon Calamari would be blockaded and their civilian fleet scuttled to prevent any attempts to use it for the Rebel cause.

Though embers of the Rebel effort would continue to smolder for many years after, no subsequent organization would have the resources to oppose the Empire in a significant way, and most would be discouraged by the brutal repression of what came to be known as the Last Uprising of the Jedi.


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

[User] ELI5:If water boils and creates steam at 100 degrees Celsius, why is steam generated when we take hot showers?

[Assistant]
What you see is not steam, it is water vapor.

Warm air can hold much more water than cool air. When warm air full of water touches cold air, the air cools, and cannot hold the water anymore. The water condenses and you see vapor.

This is the same reason you can see your breath in the winter.


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

[User] ELI5 how do a small ant find its way to a sweet food on top of the shelfs and manage to call his fellow ants and invade the whole area in manner of 24hrs?

[Assistant] Ants leave a trail of chemical signals called pheremone wherever they go. There are a few different types of pheremone including one that tells other ants "this way to yummy food", so when an ant finds a food source, she will eat her fill and head back to the colony, leaving a chemical "road" for her sisters to follow back to the food.


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

[User]
Hypothetical question about gravity.

Years ago when I was in high school I asked my science teacher this question. He quickly ignored the *hypothetical* portion and shooed me away with, "this is impossible child, now sit down".

I understand this is impossible, but hear me out and if anyone knows the answer, you'll have solved a 10 year old mystery to me.

Question:
Say I went to the north pole, drilled a large tube all the way through the earth and have it sticking out the south pole. And inside this tube, I drop a ball. Now, gravity will make it fall right? ... But what will happen once it crosses the median?

Will gravity from the other side keep it directly stuck, floating, in the center of the earth? Or ... will it just keep flying back and forth?

Any insight to this would be appreciated, and hopefully some day I can run into Mr. Duncan and slap some knowledge on him.

[Assistant]
Mr. Duncan is disappointing.  This is a classical mechanics problem that is assigned to every undergrad in physics, if not earlier in high school.

The ball will speed up due to the gravitational force as it goes down toward the center of the Earth.  Once it crosses the center, gravity will pull it in the opposite direction, but it will have enough kinetic energy to make it to the other side at the same velocity you released the ball with.

Then, you simply start the problem over again and find your ball oscillating back and forth between the two poles.

(I am, of course, assuming that the Earth is a perfect sphere and that there are no frictional effects... if there were frictional effects, energy would be lost during each trip, and the ball would eventually end up sitting in the center, motionless, after a number of oscillations.)


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

[User] eli5 if horses can breed with donkeys and goats can mate with sheep why can't we make human / ape cross overs?

[Assistant]
Horses and donkeys are very close relatives, close enough that the chromosomal mismatch isnt catastrophic.

Humans have no sufficiently close relatives, the other hominid lineages died out or got hybridized back in a long time ago.

The great apes are our closest living relatives, but theyre not *that* close anymore.  Its been at least 7 million years since the common ancestor.


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

[User]
ELI5: If I mix 20 ml of 40 degree Celsius water and we 20 ml of 60 degree water, do I get 40 ml of 50 degree water?

I don't know why, but I can't help but think the answer is a little more complicated than I initially thought.

EDIT: Thanks for all the answers, smart people. Now I feel ready to finally prepare a cup of green tea correctly. Cheers!

[Assistant] If you're mixing two of the same substance in the same phase, then yes, it is that simple. If you're mixing different things, then it gets more complicated, and you have to take things like specific heat capacity into account.


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

[User] ELI5: What exactly does the word 'kike' explicitly mean and, as a Jew, why should I be offended?

[Assistant] "Kike" is short for the Yiddish word for circle.  Illiterate Jewish immigrants used to sign with a circle instead of an X.  Like most of the words bigots like to use for others, few actually know the meaning, they just use them to be hurtful.


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

[User] How does Texas Instruments (TI) maintain such a monopoly over the graphing calculator market? In other words, why aren't there more competitors to undercut TI on price when so many people find TI calculators overpriced?

[Assistant]
Are they overpriced? The TI-83 was released in 1996 and retailed for about $125, the same today for a TI-84. That same calculator should cost around $200 adjusted for inflation. Texas Instruments has kept the price the same.

Why can't competitors undercut TI? Well, they can try. But starting in the 1980s, Texas Instruments began a truly innovative marketing campaign targeting teachers and schools. Teaching Teaching with Technology educates teachers and administrators using their calculators. This is an in-person workshop and online training. Teachers become comfortable with that piece of tech and are reluctant to use other brands because they are not perfect substitutes.

There is also the problem of who actually uses the product. Parents buy them because they have to. The kids actually use it. If the parent buys a Casio and the kid complains he/she can't follow along in class because the teacher uses a TI-84, who wins?


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

[User]
ELI5: If incest is shunned due to the risk of birth defects, why isn't elderly procreation, which has the same problems?

Seems like a bit of a double standard. The only thing I can think of is that incest limits genetic variation, which is apparently problematic, but procreation of the "golden aged" (40+) demonstrates a massive rise in birth defects as well, further increasing with age, so why isn't there a similar stigma? If you told someone you messed around with your sister/brother/cousin, even without intent to create life, jaws would drop, but I've never heard of negative reactions following a 40+ couple having a kid. If anything, I would expect that to be rationalized as "good for the couple for taking the time to live it up first."

[Assistant]
Nature kind of solves that problem.  Not many women popping out kids at 50+.  The window from 40 -50 is an overlap, but as age and potential defect rates increase in that window, the number of candidates also decreases.

However the incest stigma is more than just a medically driven custom, it also places a social control on those of the younger end of the reproductive spectrum where impulsivity, and access to only relatives, would be more pertinent.


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

[User]
[Knives Out] Can anyone explain Marta's medical condition of projectile vomiting whenever she lies?

Is there any kind of medical explanation for how Marta can get violently ill to the point where she immediately pukes whenever she lies?

[Assistant]
Probably a psychosomatic condition, possibly associated with a traumatic experience in her past.

For instance, supposing perhaps as a child she told a little white lie about the freshness of an ingredient in a meal she cooked for her family. This meal then made everyone (including Marta) violently sick for days, perhaps even resulting in death for an elderly person.

Such an emotionally and physically devastating event might result in a permanent association in her mind between even an innocuous lie and the illness she experienced, compounded by the emotional trauma of it resulting in greater suffering to her family. The link between lying and nausea becomes so strong in her psyche that whenever she even contemplates falsehoods she feels ill, and actually telling a lie causes her to vomit.

With therapy and treatment she could probably be alleviated from this affliction, but until recently she was pretty broke and such help was out of reach. And perhaps shes felt such guilt that its better, perhaps even righteous, to be forced into honesty by a curse of her own making.


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

[User]
[Monkey's Paw] What would happen if I wished for relatively harmless things?

Wish #1: "I wish that *Kevin Can Wait* will be cancelled and not get renewed for season 2."

Wish #2: "I wish that the struggling Barnes & Noble across town will see a resurgence in business so that it doesn't close down."

Wish #3: "I wish that Jack-In-The-Box would add five new choices to their Munchie Meals menu."

All of these are pretty harmless and mundane. How could the Monkey's Paw possibly twist these into something bad?

[Assistant]
Wish 1 - Kevin Can Wait gets cancelled because a freak accident on set kills half the cast.

Wish 2 - The Barnes and Noble gets a resurgence in business after the internet shuts down so people are forced to read books.

Wish 3 - Jack-In-The-Box adds five new choices, none of which you like. No more Curly Fries/Regular Fries!


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

[User]
Economists: Is wealth a finite resource?

I have no training in economics outside of Micro/Macro 100 level classes I took 15 years ago.  But I've been pondering this for a while and I'm sure there is an answer (or two).

Here's what I'm thinking, tell me where I'm wrong:

* money is essentially a representation of work.
* There are a finite amount of people to do said work.
* if we want to raise the standing of the poor, more affluent people must necessarily be less affluent, or productivity must increase accordingly.

I've been mulling this over in the context of the US presidential election and wanted to get my ideas checked. Is this correct or can we just "Grow the economy" and have everyone do better?

Thanks.

[Assistant]
Well, let's start with the easy stuff.

1. In 1800, everyone was poor.
2. Now, in 2012, about a billion people are extremely rich, five billion are in economies that are growing, and one billion are still around 1800 levels.

Clearly, something happened. If wealth were strictly finite, then there's no way we could have gotten here from there.

Incomes rise over time, due to the accumulation of knowledge, capital, technology, innovation, and education. Economies grow over time due to the accumulation of knowledge.  "Wealth" is only as finite as our engineers make it to be.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do Jews get so much discrimination throughout human history?

Why is it that Jewish people throughout history have gotten their rights and lives violated wherever they reside in? What is it about Judaism that a lot of humans seem to resent so much? Why is it that this resentment seems to get justified by so many people?

Why do they deserve this much abuse?

[Assistant]
Traditional Jewish laws make it impossible to assimilate very well into a different culture; lots of things are required or prohibited, in a way that makes people following the laws stand out. Modern Jews aren't generally too strict about following all that stuff, but in the past they were more so.

And because they were an easily visible minority population, it was easy to point a finger at them.


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

[User] ELI5: If you and a sound travelled at the same speed, what would you hear?

[Assistant]
**TL;DR**: *You won't hear it because you're perfectly riding its pressure wave, just like a perfectly timed motorboat can ride ocean swells without going up and down.*

A soundwave is a difference in pressure that moves through the air at a certain speed. You "hear" it when the difference in pressure contacts your eardrum and your brain interprets it as a sound.

Say you're standing still and someone nearby cracks a whip. That whipcrack creates a very sharp "bump" in pressure that launches outward in a wave. That wave passes over you and contacts your eardrum, and KERACKK.

Now say you're travelling away from the whipcrack at the exact same speed that its pressure wave does. What's going to happen is that you're "Stuck" in the exact same pressure since you're in the middle of that soundwave, effectively riding it just like a motorboat can ride the top of a wave on a windy ocean. In the same way the motorboat can stay exactly level, even in giant waves, as long as it's speed is exactly right, your eardrum will stay still because the pressure it's experiencing is not changing.

You'll still hear other sounds coming at your from other directions, assuming your ears are protected from the MASSIVE amount of air that's flowing over them at super-high speed. But you won't hear that whipcrack.


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

[User]
Why are so many basic Physics formulas in the form of 0.5ab^2?

The title pretty much sums up my question. To be more specific however, why are so many of the basic mechanics physics formulas all in the same general form of 0.5ab2. For example, Kinetic Energy is 0.5mv2, and spring potential is 0.5kx2. In the kinematic equation x=xit+0.5at2, the 0.5at2 shows up again. In the formula for energy of a particle in simple harmonic motion, the energy formula is once again 0.5kA2. It even shows up sometimes in some of the most basic electricity and magnetism formulas for potential energy.
Obviously some constant times x, when integrated, gives 0.5cx2, but I was curious is there is some other reason this form for equations shows up so often, or if it just a product of integration.
My apologies if this is a very basic question, or a meaningless one. I am still in high school physics and haven't reached anywhere close to a high level of understanding with regards to physics.
Thanks!

[Assistant]
You've more or less answered your own question. The form 0.5 c x^2 is obtained by integrating the expression y =  c x. And "y = c x" expresses that one variable (y) is proportional to the other (x). Two variables being proportional to eachother is rather common, so the relation y = c x appears often and by extension the integrated expression 0.5 c x^2 also shows up regularly.

As an example, the force of a spring is given by F = k x (k the spring constant, x the length difference from the equillibrium position). We know that the potential of a compressed (or extended) spring is equal to work performed to compress (or extend) the spring. This work is determined by integral of the force (as function of distance), so the integral of F = k x, which gives us W = 0.5 k x^(2).

The other relations of this form have a similar derivation, based on the notion of two variables being proportional to eachother.


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

[User]
ELI5: If so much money is raised for Cancer research, why have there been no breakthroughs in a long time?

I always hear of fundraisers and marathons but I have yet to see any kind on cancer cure. I realize there are different types and no silver bullet, by why not at least have one curable by now?

[Assistant]
We have a vaccine against cervical cancer. We have non-Hodgkins lymphoma treatment.

What is it you're looking for? Breakthroughs in cancer treatment ate happening. As you said, there's never going to be a panacea magic bullet.


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

[User]
[Rapunzel] Is Rapunzel immortal?

At the end of the movie she said that she and mother Gothel would be together forever. It seems that her hair can keep you alive forever, but does it do the same for her?

[Assistant]
I would assume so. Anyone touching the hair when it does the Immortal Thing reverts back to youth. This presumably includes her.

Now it's cut off, she's mortal, but until then as long as she kept doing the Immortal Hair Thing she'd be unaging at least.


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

[User]
[Batman] Does Batman have a contingency plan in case Alfred betrays him?

Batman has plans for taking down the rest of the League but what happens if Alfred decides to go to the press and expose Bruce's secret identity? What if Alfred leads a CNN camera crew into the Batcave under Wayne Manor?

Would Batman try to smear Alfred's reputation? Has he even considered such a scenario or is Alfred the one person in the whole world that Bruce Wayne trusts completely and totally?

What about the rest of the core Batfamily like Dick, Tim, Damian, Babs, or Commissioner Gordon?

[Assistant]
Alfred *is* a contingency plan. Batman trusts him absolutely, and knows that if Alfred ever turned against him for reasons other than mind control (for which he has multiple contingencies), he'd deserve it.

Alfred is Batman's contingency against himself. As such, he tries to avoid coming up with a counter to it. Although he's probably had a few ideas...


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

[User] ELI5: what is Millennials ?

[Assistant]
We tend to refer to a whole generation of people by a name, because their fashion and internet memes / fads change from generation to generation.

Millennials are people born in the 1980's and 90's; unlike previous generations, they grew up with computers and internet and phones, and are quite active with social media.  They were also just about out of college when the recession of 2001 hit the computer industry and caused a lot of them to be unable to get jobs.


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

[User]
(Batman) How can there be a Batlight on the top of the Gotham police department?

Why fund it? Who funded it?
How is the local government (let alone federal government) OK with there being a light to call a vigilante to do tax pay employees jobs?

[Assistant]
Technically, Batman gave it to them in most continuities, and when he was considered an Urban Legend, it was just there to 'frighten' criminals.

That said, on New Earth, the government being involved with it was a large concern. So the Gotham City Police Department solved the problem by having a civilian hang out in Police HQ just to flick the switch. As long as an officer wasn't summoning Batman, there wasn't (as much) of a problem.

Also in New Earth, relying on a vigilante like Batman has given Commissioner Gordon a reputation as a complete joke in other cities. During the time Gotham was declared a No Man's Land, he was trying to get a job as a cop out of the city and cops basically started laughing at him as soon as he turned his back. Perhaps the only place that would accept him that wasn't Gotham would be Hub City. And you'd only go to Hub if you wanted to die.

And before you ask: Most other capes aren't vigilantes, but they're deputies. For example, Superman has special authority to arrest any criminal in Metropolis, provided he has evidence, and he can deputize other crime fighters to do the same. The Flash has a semi-official relationship with Keystone and Central City police departments, and he was paid to be an official superhero in California for a time. And the Justice Society technically still has the authority given to them by the President of the United States of America.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does a car tire require around 30 - 35 PSI while a road bike tire can require up to 100+ PSI?

[Assistant]
The average car weighs over a ton, not including passengers. Its main purpose is safe and enjoyable comfortable transportation. So you put a small amount of air in the tires so they'll grab the road for traction, not pop the minute you hit anything like a pebble, and cushion you when you hit a bump. The fatter, less-filled tire has more contact with the ground and therefore loses more energy to friction, but it's powered by gas so that's acceptable.

The average road bike's purpose is EFFICIENT transportation, and it's powered by humans. They will want to go as far as possible with as little effort as possible, and will actively steer to avoid bumps and objects on the road so comfort is not as critical. So they pump the tires up very high to minimize the amount of contact between tire and ground and cut down on friction as much as possible so they don't have to work as hard to pedal it.


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

[User]
The USA should drop the charges against Edward Snowden. CMV

The American government has charged Snowden with 3 charges: Theft of government property, and 2 charges under the 1917 Espionage Act.

While he did in fact break the law, I believe that the prosecution should drop the charges for a few main reasons:

1. Snowden was clearly acting in the public interest. Such was demonstrated by the blatant infringment of the 4th amendment of the constitution, infringment of privacy, coerced and non consensual data retrieval. The public, judicial and congressional uproar are evidence of this. Congressional committees were not even aware of some of the NSAs actions, and dozens of bills are in debate to limit the NSA powers.

2. Leaking was his last resort. Those who tried to blow the whistle through the appropriate channels simply failed. See: Thomas Drake, William Binney, J. Kirk Wiebe, and Ed Loomis

3. Charging Snowden will discourage future whistleblowers from exposing infringements and abuse of the system

4. The public opinion is vastly in favour of Snowdens actions, and these actions have done no harm to the public or to "national security". THe light on the issue has brought a benefit to the people, and an embarassment to the abusers of power.

CMV!

Edit: I awarded the delta on a very strong refutation to my second idea. I would love some more discussion though, this is a very interesting case.

[Assistant] Since when does the public opinion matter in terms of justice? That would be a terrible society to live in. If he broke the law (which he did) and potentially endangered people (which he did), he should be punished. He made the leaks knowing he was breaking the law. That comes with consequences. He will have to face them.


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

[User]
My employer has offered to pay for me to take a course to develop software skills. Im leaning towards learning C++. Any advice as to which I should take?

I hope that the title isnt too vague or the question isnt too overasked (I promised I searched the sub history before posting). Im in my first potential career job so Ive never really had an opportunity like this. We primarily use C++, and my programming knowledge and education in general has been very informal (mostly self-taught) so refining foundational computer architecture skills would be valuable too. Do you all have any recommendations for an online course that I could really get a lot out of? Cost is relevant of course, but Im not on a super tight budget.

Thanks!

[Assistant]
What's the end game? What is your employer looking to gain? Does he want web app? firmware for hardware? websites? data analysis?
The answers to these questions should give you an idea of which languages you should consider.


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

[User] ELI5: why can you eat duck rare but not chicken?

[Assistant] As mentioned by the other responders, there is nothing inherent in ducks or chickens that preclude you from eating either rare. The issue is directly tied to the conditions in which chickens in the US are raised, slaughtered and packed, which result in a level of salmonella risk is astronomically higher than in ducks.


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

[User]
Do bigger/brighter stars have bigger Goldilocks zones and therefore more space for more planets within the zone? eg Antares is 65000 x brighter than Sun, could it hold over 65k planets?

If a star is much bigger, could many more planets theoretically fall into its goldilocks zone? How many planets could fit into Suns goldilocks zone anyway?

[Assistant] Yes, but larger stars burn out more quickly, so life would not have the long time scales to develop like they have had on Earth. On the other side, smaller stars have very close and small Goldilocks zones, but last much longer and are much more stable.


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

[User] [General] How would your favourite characters, regardless of universe , react to finding out their entire life was a work of fiction?

[Assistant] Superman would probably be a bit shocked at first, but he'd smile and just accept it. Even if it's technically a relief nothing "real" is at stake, helping people, fictional or not is his duty and he's happy to keep it up. Plus, he's got to set a good example for the reader, that's why they keep reading, right?


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

[User] [Star Wars] What are all of the Clone Trooper battalions and their respective colors?

[Assistant]
The legendary 501st lead by Skywalker with their distinct blue prints. Of which Torrent Company was some of the most active and heroic groups in the war.

The mobile armed unit 104th was lead by Plo Koon with black markings.

The fierce 212th Attack Batallion lead by Kenobi was known for their orange marks.

The 327th Star Corps was a batallion lead by Aayla Secura with no major markings but we do see one clone with yellow markings.


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

[User]
[Dragon Ball] What does Bulma see in Vegeta?

When Vegeta first showed up, he was a mass-murdering space mercenary that treated her and everyone else like shit. He never apologized for it, and over the years he seems to have settled into one single mood of "grumpy asshole" with varying degrees. I'm not even sure the guy has ever legitimately smiled, and it's pretty much impossible to imagine him ever saying something like "I love you". So why does Bulma stick with him?

[Assistant]
While not explicitly shown, his arc in the Buu saga heavily implies that he sacrifices training time to help Bulma take care of the kids while she runs Capsule Corp. This was further shown in the Universe Survival Saga, where he would rather be with his pregnant wife and new kid than train. When Bulla is born, he is shown to be skilled at holding babies, changing diapers, and general childcare.

In summation: he loves his wife, supports her career, and helps with the kids. When the two hotheads clash, he usually defers to what Bulma wants, even when it's something as important as naming their daughter. Even though he's not very romantic, he has a lot of traits that make him desirable to women; his devotion and commitment to his family is unmatched and a crucial part of his character development. He is an infinitely more responsible husband and father than Goku.


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

[User] [Marvel/DC] What impact would the Norse Pantheon of Gods from the Marvel Universe have if they existed in the same form in the DC universe?

[Assistant]
They did exist in the exact same form in the DC universe, but were wiped out.

Kirby brought them with him when he left Marvel then promptly killed them off.  Thats why the New Gods are called "new".  You can actually see things likes Thor's helmet in the rubble.  The New Gods made contact with the DC universe in 1971, so that makes it that Ragnarok happened in the 1920's at the latest.  Mostly because Darksied an High Father needed time to set up their planets.  If it happened much before that then the new gods wouldn't be very new.

  Its a good thing - if Darksied would have found earth in the 10th centuty, there wouldn't be an Earth today.  The bad news is that he mastered the anti-life equasion and lost control of it, that is why time seems to be on a loop in the DCU, every few years the equasion sloves itself and the universe gets reformatted and different version of the same years of equation get executed even faster.  In another decade they will be living same 2 days over and over, a decade later the same 2 seconds.


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

[User] [The Blacklist] I am a criminal who requires the services of Raymond Reddington. How do I contact him?

[Assistant] You don't. If you are some what notable he would already know what kind of help your looking for and if you had something he needed or wanted leverage over would just show up. He would say he's there to help you and possibly would, but actually he is just helping himself.


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

[User] ELI5 How do painkillers kill the pain without specifically being linked to a body part?

[Assistant]
Painkillers are a broad term. There are different classifications.

Steroids can act as painkillers by slowing and reversing inflammation, which reduces pressure in the affected area, and thereby pain.

NSAIDs work in a different way to do the same thing

Opioids work in the brain by changing the pathways which process the sensation of pain.

Topical painkillers like novocaine block pain signals in the local nerves from getting to the brain at all.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Who are those red guards Palpatine? How competent are they?

Those red hooded guards always interested. They seemed very intimidating and I don't remember if they had any role in the films aside from just being there at his side.

That being said, who ARE they? Are the human or droids? If human, how do you get to that position? I'm assuming it is a great honor to be so close to the emperor himself always. Also, are their skills in protecting the emperor actually ever tested? Surely Palps wouldn't need their protection, so they come off as more of an intimidation factor to me, but still, I assume they should be his personal guards for a reason right?

[Assistant] They're the Royal Guards.  They're well ahead of Stormtroopers in terms of effectiveness and loyalty, but quite a ways behind Vader.  Royal Guards are expected to give their life for the Emperor and any failure in that regard is met with a swift end, often by Vader.  They're not Force Sensitive, but have an intimidating presence and combat training that is probably even better than the Death Troopers in Rogue One.


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

[User]
HackerRank: Thoughts? Any other similar platforms?

I recently started doing some exercises on HackerRank but am struggling with python3 even though I like to believe that I am fairly comfortable with it (Since I have done several projects and Kaggle competitions with it). Is it just me then? I have a data science background and not a cs background but am trying to be better at coding. Are there any other websites out there like HackerRank that prepare you for coding interviews?

[Assistant]
HR isn't going to teach you to be a better software engineer. It's going to teach you to be a better problem solver. The language you're using shouldn't matter that much as long as you are comfortable with it.

Maybe for your next problem you should write out a paragraph about how someone could get the solution with a pencil and paper.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Was Anakin ever truly a hero or just a selfish asshole that happened to be on Team Good because they found him first?

On the one hand, people, specifically Leia and Padme talk about the good they sense in him, on the other hand he's shown to be arrogant as hell, resentful of his peers, and incredibly self-centered. To the point that even in The Clone Wars where he's portrayed more softly he still has the audacity to caution Ahsoka against revenge, rebelliousness, and attachment while having slaughtered an entire village in revenge, constantly undermining authority, and being involved in a secret fucking marriage.

Was he ever truly good or just benign?

[Assistant]
I don't think it's that simple.

Anakin was the son of a single mother who never knew a father (or had a father figure) and was chattel - he was a slave without rights and whose future was bereft of dignity or hope. One day a magical supermonk tells him he's special, and he's thrown into this galactic conflict he knows basically nothing about - he's still just as a kid.
The supermonk's sidekick decides that after gaining his freedom, Anakin should join a special boarding school to learn magic. So far in the story, he's been given very little choice in any life decisions

He grows up indoctrinated into this religion of supermonks, and often finds himself in life-threatening situations, all while being told (in hushed tones) that he's the Chosen One. The years go by, he grows up, and the psychological trauma of his routine near-death experiences combined with the transition from slave to Chosen One are beginning to take their toll - he wants to do what *he* wants, for a change.

Suddenly, he falls in love - head over heels - with an older woman with a burgeoning political career, and he realizes it's forbidden by his teachers, friends, and colleagues. This is a critical moment -- as a slave he could not make decisions for himself,  then as a Padawan he could not make decisions for himself, and now as a Jedi Knight he's told he cannot make *certain* decisions for himself.

Then, his mother dies in a cruel and horrible manner. The murder of the Tusken Raiders is more than just an emotional response of a grieving soldier, it's also the culmination of years of frustration, anger, and confusion, combined with poor mental health and a lack of proper discipline. He's not *evil*, but he's certainly not good, either. He's flawed, like everyone else. Only in his line of work, he's not allowed to be flawed. That kind of pressure takes its toll, and the death of his mother broke him, mentally and emotionally.

Anakin tells himself it's not fair, and comes to realize *life* in the galaxy isn't fair. Despite his abilities, his fame, his prowess, and his skill, he is denied fundamental access to life's joys - a wife, a mother, a family. Everyone in his life has basically told him that, no, he can't do as he pleases. He is not free. He cannot do or have certain things. And, like a petulant child, he instantly rebels by marrying the woman he loves in secret. He forms an intimate, emotional bond to help him cope.

Then, a galactic war breaks out, putting his life in constant danger. His new wife is being put in danger as well. He desperately wants to control the situation. Wants to protect her, and himself, in the vain hope that one day, when it's all over, they can be free together. She falls pregnant, and he is elated. But in his mind, the risk has now grown, too. He has so much to lose, having gained so much since his early life as a child slave on a backwater planet.

A powerful man and potential father figure steps into the scene. He offers advice, friendship, opportunity, and choice. Anakin never stood a chance.


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

[User] ELI5:Why can my computer make beeping noises, but I still need speakers to listen to sounds from it?

[Assistant]
Your motherboard has a dedicated speaker that is utilized to give beep codes. Different patterns mean different errors.

Edit: A single beep at boot generally means it passed its POST (power-on self test) and there are no hardware problems related to the board or directly connected components.


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

[User]
CMV: Camping in video games is OK

I think that camping in (shooter) games is perfectly OK. For some reason its considered to be an unholy sin to lay in wait for another player. I think its absurd for a few reasons;

1) gameplay balances almost everything out. There are trade offs for most elements of games. If you pick a long range weapon youre not going to have rapid fire. If you pick a strong character you might move more slowly. etc. These calculated trade offs are incorporated into the fabric of the game.

Likewise there is a cost/benefit with camping. Perhaps you get fewer absolute kills but a better K/D ratio, which brings me to the next point

2) Different games have different tactics. Camping may be appropriate for certain games/certain conditions. For example, having 2 of 3 locations in Domination. The effective tactic is to hunker down and hold the 2 locations (ie Camp). Let the opposing team come to you, get killed, and you maintain advantage by maintaining position. Its akin to having a large lead in football and running the ball....its situational. Under those conditions the way you play likely (should) change.

3) which relates to a larger point....your job is to frustrate/surprise your opponent. Why in goodness name should you run out to meet your opponent on a fair battleground? If they want/expect a battle in open field, you fight them in the trees, if they want to battle on horseback, you run them into a marsh, and so on. Come fight me where I expect in the way I expect doesnt hold much weight with me.

(Perhaps that last point undermines the notion that camping is considered wrong in video games. Perhaps the vocal minority complaining about it are simply expressing their frustration at being outwitted).

Edit: apologies for delay...came in Monday to see lots of (smart) replicas. Thanks!!!

[Assistant]
This strikes me as a similar argument that you sometimes get with pick-up sports, and it all centers on how competitive everyone is treating the game.

There is a very much informal code of conduct regarding behavior/etiquette in any game you play.  If you play a pick-up basketball game and are boxing people out, throwing double  teams at people, and calling touch fouls, you're not technically doing anything wrong but you're also not going to make any friends.  All of those strategies/techniques are things that are regularly employed in competitive versions of the same game.

Camping is very much in the same vein.  It can certainly be an effective strategy, but it is also a profoundly unfun strategy to play against, particularly if you're an inexperienced player and don't know the strategies to combat it.  So if you're in a casual queue and looking to screw around with some friends, it can suck to go up against someone who is being super competitive.  But if you're in a competitive queue, then by all means use any strategy that is within the scope of the rules.


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

[User]
With such a small window of observation, how do we know how stars evolve and age?

We've been here for such a small amount of time. How can we possibly know how things work having been exposed to such a tiny fraction of the process?

[Assistant]
We've been exposed to quite a lot of the process because we can see so very many stars at various points along their life-cycle. Consider a five-year-old child attending a reunion of their very large family. This child will see many people of all ages, ranging from the newest crop of infants to the grandparents that probably won't be at next year's reunion. More importantly, because the family is so large, the child will see many instances of people in a given age group. From this, the child will be able to get a sense of how humans change as they age.

Now, in the case of stars, we also have a whole lot of other information that we can draw on. We understand how chemistry works on Earth. We understand quite a bit about how nuclear processes occur and how fundamental particles interact on Earth. It's not unreasonable to think that chemistry and particle interactions don't depend on your planet, so we think those processes probably work the same elsewhere in the universe (like in stars). And we see a lot of stuff out there that *matches* what we know about the results of chemical and nuclear processes, so we figure those processes are probably the source. Similarly, we understand quite a bit about how gravity works on Earth, and our models appear to be quite good at describing the behavior of other planets and stars, so again we expect them to be relevant throughout the universe. Combining these models with the vast array of stars we see, we can put together a rather impressively detailed model for the life-cycle of a star.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] Why is Imperio an unforgivable curse but Memory Charms are standard practice?

It seems like altering memories is almost if not just as bad as controlling someone. You could do all sorts of things to a person by convincing them they'd already agreed to it.

[Assistant]
The unforgivable curses are unforgivable not simply because of what they do, but also what is required in order to do them.

From OoTP:
Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy? she yelled. She had abandoned her baby voice now. You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain  to enjoy it  righteous anger wont hurt me for long  Ill show you how it is done, shall I? Ill give you a lesson  - Bellatrix.

The killing curse works because the person casting it wants to kill, wants to commit murder.

The cruciatus curse works because the caster wants to cause pain. They revel in it. They want their victim to feel pure agony to the point where they would rather die than endure another second of it.

The imperius curse works in the same vein. The caster enjoys the total dominance that comes with it. A well cast imperius curse is incredibly difficult to break by anyone. In the instances where Harry does break free of it, he knows it's coming or is on high alert already.

To sum up, it's not so much the effect of the spell that is unforgivable, but the addition of the mindset required in order to properly cast them that earns you a life sentence in Azkaban.


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

[User] Are humans the only species that can get a tan?

[Assistant] Veterinarian here. Dogs will routinely get a tan or darkened skin from sunbathing. In general, the more sun exposure the skin gets, the more melanin is produced, causing darker skin. For many dogs with white skin or thin coats, their skin does get darker with prolonged sun exposure.


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

[User]
[Warhammer 40K] Whats the Best way to Stop the Tyranids?

The Tyranids continuously Evolve and Adapt to there enemies and overwhelm them. The 40K lore Sugests that the Tyrineds are so OP that they Wiped out all Galaxies near the Milkyway and have surrounded it. This is because there are 3 Differant Hive Fleets Kracken, Bohemith, and Laviathin attacking our Galexy from 3 different angles. I was wondering if there is actually any real way to Fight and Win against the Tyranids? Some have suggested that the only way to stop them is to make the Orks attack them because they both have large numbers and a never ending will to Fight. Others have said that the Necrons are the ideal enemy for the Neds because they have Anti-Biomass weapons. What do you guys think? Whats the best way to stop the Tyrinids or is ot even Possible???

[Assistant]
Construct a series of terraformed, ring-shaped superweapons to cleanse the galaxy of all life. This will starve the Tyranids.

Make sure to "seed" various planets with alien species such as humans and Eldar, that they may thrive once again, now that the Tyranid threat is extinguished.


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

[User]
Today I saw the equation "PV=nRT". Why do the variables all match exactly? Why don't we have to multiply R by 1.25? Or P by 0.5?

It boggles my mind that everything is so.... perfect.  Did n and R only come about because of this equation, and so were given arbitrary values that caught on?

[Assistant]
The gas-constant, R, was chosen in such a way that this equation would hold.

In discovering a equation like this, people will first discover relations between various observables. For example "keeping other factors fixed, pressure is proportional to tempature" or "pressure is inversely proportional to volume". This gives rise to a propotionality relation: PV ~ nT (~ denotes "is proportional to"), which is already very useful in describing physical phenomena. However, for calculations, an exact equality is preferable, so a proportionality constant has to be introduced.

In this case, this is the gas constant R. It's value can be obtained by carefully measuring the other variables (P, V, n & T) and plugging them into the equation.

Note that the value of R is completely dependent on the choice of units. Pressures are normally measured in Pascal (Pa, or Newton per square meter), but if you were to measure pressures in pounds per square inch (psi), the value of R that you'd need to balance the equation would change.

However, the underlying proportionality relation, PV ~ nT, which is what actually describes what is happening, remains unchanged. R is just there to balance the books.


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

[User]
ELI5: How are corn kernels separated from cobs inside a combine harvester?

I've been searching everywhere, I found nothing, all i find is combines harvesting other grains(not corn)

[Assistant] All the combine harvesters work on the same basic principle. The entire plant is sucked into the machine and violently thrown around some kind of roll drum causing the plant to break down into small pieces and the dry kernels to separate from the cob. The entire mixture goes through a series of air blowers and wire meshes where the heavier kernels fall down but the light plant pieces are blown away.


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

[User]
ELI5: How it went from the Greeks being a huge power, conquering large parts of the world to then being a 'barbarian people' and the rise of the Roman empire?

I may have worded it wrong. But I'm curious how the ancient Greeks, which as far as I know were a huge civilisation, conquering lots of land (Alexander) to then being essentially a slave nation to the Romans? How did the Greeks fall and the Romans become so large?

Is there like a brief ELI5 time line you could give?

[Assistant] Alexander was Macedonean and not Greek. In fact Greece as a nation didn't exist until Alexander's death and the rise of the so called Hellenic period. Before that the people we call ancient Greeks consistet of multiple citystates like the polis of Athens or Corinthia. Ancient Greece was a very sophisticated place, but definitely no major military power like Rome. The rise of Rome is an entire different story and very complicated to explain. In short one major advantage the Romans had was their ability to adapt and assimilate technology and aspects from other cultures (like greek philosophy) and the structure and organisation of their warmachine.


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

[User]
CMV: The editors who write headlines need to take more responsibility for the state of media and disinformation

1. Most people interact with far more headlines/thumbnails for news articles than they do actual articles--the headline and thumbnail is what you see of an article on twitter, facebook, reddit, slack, discord, etc.

2. Headlines do not always lead to the same conclusion that the article does. Just look at a significant portion of the comments on any article posted on any of the platforms I mentioned.

3. While it might be nice for people to always read the article before commenting, the presence of paywalls and general short attention spans of most of the public means that's probably never going to happen

4. Therefore, people responsible for developing headlines--if they care about misinformation--have a responsibility for ensuring that a reader who interacts with only a headline, subhead, and thumbnail do not come away with an incorrect impression of the overall content of the article. Whether that's because the headline provides an accurate impression or because it provides no impression whatsoever, either would be fine for me.

[Assistant] It's like saying that the people who manage grocery stores need to take a stand on food insecurity. Yeah, it is true that those people have the most direct control over what misinformation is spread and who has access to food. But all the systemic incentives here force them to do what they do currently.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why people need to be raised and schooled to live well as a person, but my cat, who's not around other cats, knows how to live well like a cat?

Hard to explain. Pets have their instincts that help them survive, why do humans need help in order to live a good life?

[Assistant] One of the trade offs we made in our evolution for more powerful brains that take up a quarter of our blood supply was that it takes us longer to come online. Our brain starts as a plastic bin of parts that grow together and adapt to our culture as well as the tasks we demand of it to live in a society. As our society progresses, this changes and we need to change how the brain is programmed to keep up with those changes to be successful.


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

[User]
ELI5:The rule of thirds, when it comes to photography.

Having a difficult time grasping the technique. Any help?

[Assistant]
Very simple.

Mentally draw a tic-tac-toe grid over your viewfinder. Place interesting objects or subjects at the places where the lines intersect. If the 'interesting thing' is a line itself, like a river, cloud formation, mountain range, etc, align the object with one of the lines.

Some cameras will project the grid for you, or often DSLR cameras have autofocus points at the "thirds" locations.


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

[User] ELI5: Can cancer naturally cure on it's own without the person ever knowing they had it?

[Assistant] Cancer is caused by a mutation in cell replication. Our cells go through checkpoints to make sure everything is replicating right. If something is wrong, the process is usually shut down. If it makes it past this point without being shut down, the immune cells typically will destroy the mutated cells before they can spread. Your body basically is constantly making and killing cancer cells. The problem occurs when these cells get past these protective mechanisms and are able to duplicate.


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

[User]
ELIF: How a tachyon can travel faster than light.

In fact, explain like I'm four.

[Assistant]
They can't. Tachyons are pure sci-fi nonsense.

If you start with the theory of relativity, there are some basic equations that describe how things move around. What those equations are aren't important right now, but suffice to say that they exist. What they say, in a nutshell, is that nothing can ever move faster than a speed called *c*, which is the speed at which light propagates, so we call *c* the speed of light.

But somebody noticed, years and years ago, that if you turn one of the numbers in one of those equations from positive to negative, those equations appear to imply that there could exist particles that can never move *slower* than the speed of light! These hypothetical particles got dubbed "tachyons," after the Greek word meaning "speedy."

Sci-fi writers, unsurprisingly, latched on to this like drowning men clinging to a log. It's jargonny and fantastical, but it's at least *vaguely related to* real science, so it became a very popular idea.

The problem, though, is that the people who've read those sci-fi books latched on to the idea of tachyons and thought it was a real thing. "They're just particles with negative mass," they think to themselves, and then they go on about their lives unaware that they've actually been grossly misinformed.

To understand why this is the case, we have to talk about what the word "mass" means. We all went to school so we all think we know: mass is related to how heavy a thing is. But the essential truth is a lot more subtle than that. Mass is what's called a "restoring force." It exists in the equations that describe how things move as a term that tends to "push" a particle from an excited state back into its ground state. That's why, for example, inertia exists. Things which are just sitting there not doing anything don't spontaneously fly off into space. That's because those things have mass, which means they must be acted on in order to change their motion.

If you replace a positive mass with a negative mass, yes, the equations of relativity tell you that the particle will move faster than the speed of light but the questions of quantum field theory tell you something different. They tell you that that restoring force we talked about that comes from a particle having positive mass, when you change that positive to a negative, suddenly becomes an *exciting force.* Instead of particles being in their ground state all the time (their state of lowest energy), getting exited into a higher state by some process, then *dropping back* to their ground state again, particles with negative mass would have a ground state that's their *highest* energy state! Such particles would *spontaneously* drop into excited states, because those excited states are actually *lower* energy states, due to the particles having negative mass.

Which means *if it were possible* for negative-mass particles to exist, yes, they would propagate faster than light, and they would be rightly called tachyons but such particles would *also* spontaneously appear in space out of nothing (because it's energetically possible for them to, since their excited states are lower-energy than their ground state). This would be happening *all the time,* in an exploding cascade of more and more particles filling the universe. Since negative-energy particles would *anti-*gravitate (a particle's gravity is related to how massive it is), this would have the effect of pushing every *real* particle in the universe away from every other particle, tearing apart things like planets and stars and galaxies and atoms until nothing existed but a uniform gas of protons and electrons, and that would be happening *everywhere, all the time.*

So the fact that the universe *exists* is conclusive proof that there can be no such thing in the universe as a tachyon. It's just sci-fi nonsense.


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

[User]
Is there an evolutionary reason why scabs start to itch really bad before they fall off naturally? Is it advantageous to pick them off?

>

[Assistant] Histamine causes the itching, but it's also what triggers the body's inflammation response to send blood and other useful things to repair the wound and fight infection. The itching is a side effect, not a suggestion to scratch the scab off. You should try not to because of the risk of reopening the wound and infection.


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

[User] Do dead insects go bad for other insects that eat them such as spiders?

[Assistant] Yes, this could happen in theory. The reason that spoiled food makes us humans sick is because of the growth of harmful microorganisms and the subsequent release of toxins from those microbes. Many of the microorganisms that would grow on our human food would also grow on the soft tissue in insect bodies. However, due to our differing physiology, the things that make humans sick are seldom the same things that make animals sick, and so the insects that feed on other insects wouldnt necessarily get sick from salmonella. It seems very likely that some of the microbes that grow on dead insects might produce toxins that could be harmful to scavengers but most animals that feed on dead things are adapted to handle the bacteria and fungi that grow on this refuse.


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

[User]
ELI5: Supernovae, Neutron stars, and black holes.

What causes each one to happen, How are each possible, and different from each other? It seems like they all occur due to gravity, but how doesn't a neutron star form a black hole?

[Assistant]
* **Supernova**: when a massive star blows up, initiated by the sudden (takes less than a second) collapse of it's core.  The collapse of the core is initiated when the pressure from nuclear fusion can no longer hold up against the immense gravity pushing in.  There are generally two types, Ia and II.
* **Neutron Star**: a super-massive and super-dense star where all the space between the the neutrons and electrons of the atoms of the star has been eliminated.  In other words, the atoms have been crushed so there is virtually no space between the neutrons and electrons.  A teaspoon of neutron star would weight millions and millions of pounds.
* **Black holes**: when a super-massive star's core collapses all the way down to a singularity, an infinitely dense and infinitely small point.  Bends space-time so much that not even light can escape it's gravitational pull.  If you get close enough (called the event-horizon), you will never be able to escape the black hole's pull.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why is the fence Hungary is building along it's southern border considered as controversial and newsworthy as it is?

Judging from the newsstories about this I'm getting the idea that the fence is considered very controversial. I get that it's generally not a nice thing to do, but surely a lot of nations around the world have some sort fence or barrier to stop immigrants. Spain is doing the same with it's enclaves in Northern Africa. Why is the Hungarian fence any different?

Is the fence considered to be a political provocation in the Balkans? Is it rude because Serbia is a candidate member of the EU? Or is it that the Hungarian government is already generally disliked and is this just the next reason to dislike it?

Are there any redditors from the region who can tell me how the fence is perceived in their countries?

EDIT

Is there somebody from Serbia who can give me the general Serbian opinion on the fence?

[Assistant]
Hungary is a member of the European Union, which is based on a set of principles - it's very dedicated to a set of ideals, similar to a great extent to American ideals, but with one (for this situation) notable exception - freedom of movement.

The Schengen Agreement, part of EU law, stipulates that member countries (not all EU countries are in Schengen, and there are some non-EU Schengen countries, but that's beyond ELI5) have open borders - freedom of movement for goods and people.

Hungary building a *physical* border - a wall, no less - between itself and a nation in good standing with Schengen (Serbia is an EU candidate country, and has freedom of access through Schengen, meaning that a Serbian citizen only needs a passport to go to Hungary, not a visa) goes directly counter to EU ideals.

The EU evolved from its predecessor - the European Economic Community - in the early 90s, as a consequence of the fall of the Berlin wall. So for Hungary to build a wall is directly against EU spirit and ideals, and against EU law, as Hungary's border is no longer merely its own, but the border to the wider EU, meaning it's effectively France's, Germany's, Belgium's, etc. border as well, so Hungary can't just go and do something like that without consulting the EU Parliament.

Another issue is that Hungary's leader, Victor Orban, is widely disliked by European heads of state for being a right-wing, populist jerk who's been courting the extreme right-wing and fascist organizations and is openly against Western-style liberalism and democracy, so this is the latest in a long line of grievances of the EU against Orban.

Hope this helps.


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

[User]
What do tiny spiders eat?

Ive got a tiny spider, not more than 1-2cm across, living in the frame of my shower door. My wife hates cobwebs, so removes its newly spun web every few days, but the little fella always spins another. I can never see anything on the web, and I doubt it could hold a fly, even if one flew into it. But Incy is still there, spinning away. So what is it eating and how is it catching it, if not on the web?

[Assistant]
The short answer is tiny bugs.
As for why that spider is still there and surviving despite you never seeing bug carcasses it is because it is drinking the water left behind. Incy can survive a long time on just water.


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

[User]
[Fantasy in general] Can necromancer raise both ghost and corpse, effectively getting two minions from one body?

How necromancy works can obviously differ from one universe to another. I am especially curious about Warhammer, Warcraft or DnD altough any imput is welcome.

It is possible for a skilled necromancer to reanimate dead body in a form of a zombie, a skeleton or something similar consisting of a corporeal body. And then summon a ghost/wraith of the former occupant of said body to serve his will seperatelly of said body?

Alternatively: what form of necromancy leaves a body and soul intact yet still undead and obedient?

[Assistant]
This very much depends on the world, because magic is different. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes no.

Some kinds of zombie-raising is simply hijacking the corpse and using it as a meat-puppet. This kind of raising is relatively rare because it requires a lot more energy on the part of the caster (since they have to actively command the corpse). However, this leaves the soul, or spirit, intact, and perhaps even in the afterlife. It is possible, therefore, for that caster or another caster to bind the soul to themselves and force it back into the mortal realm.

Sometimes, though, it's quite unfeasible to manually puppet every zombie one raises. Ghosts, too, being largely immaterial, are mostly useless for any practical function save being spooky or talking. As a result, many casters decide to instead take both body and soul in the zombie-raising process. Re-bind the soul to the corpse, and bind the soul into doing your bidding. Of course, you're unlikely to ever get a creature as lucid as the original person, but you can get some simulacrum of aliveness this way, as well as a much less intensive way of getting a minion. With a bound soul "piloting" your new abomination, you only have to give it orders and it will figure out the minutae of carrying those orders out on its own. Through this route, of course, no ghost can be summoned until the current soul is freed from its meaty prison.

Often, you'll see people opt to raise zombies in the latter method. After all, if they want a zombie thrall to do their bidding, they likely will not be interested in an immaterial ghost that is not capable of performing many useful tasks. However, some may choose to raise only the ghost - mostly out of a desire to talk to it for one reason or another. There are very few conceivable circumstances where a necromancer would want to or be forced to do both at the same time.


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

[User]
CMV: New Orleans cant be saved and will have to be abandoned

Normally when I see news headlines saying some city will be underwater by 2050 or 2100 due to climate change or rising sea levels I take it with a grain of salt. U.S cities at risk of sea-level rise such as Charleston and New York can build sea walls and pumps to keep themselves dry but this is not the case in New Orleans. About half of the city is currently below sea level and the parts that are above sea level are barely so with the exception of some higher neighborhoods like the French Quarter. Many point to the Dutch as an example of how cities can survive well below sea level and this would work with New Orleans except they suffer from large hurricanes while the Netherlands does not. With hurricane intensity increasing due to climate change and the natural swamp barrier eroding away, New Orleans will eventually have no protection outside the levees for hurricanes. There is practically no solution for New Orleans to survive and the city will have to be abandoned in the near future with the exception of some high ground neighborhoods.

[Assistant] If you've ever visited somewhere like coastal Florida and talked to people who have evacuated and rebuilt time and time again after hurricanes brought floods and destroyed their homes, you realize how attached people are to impractical build sites. It's likely this will be the case with New Orleans.


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

[User]
[Marvel] Adamantium vs. Vibranium

Which is the better metal?

[Assistant]
Adamantium is the strongest material out there. Can't be scratched, can't be broken, etc. Makes some pretty good swords.

Vibranium can. However, vibranium absorbs pretty much all physical force, which makes for good armor.

So it depends on how you use it.


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

[User]
[40K] Are there any Space Marine chapters that specialize in ranged combat?

Most Space Marine units/traditions lean toward either close combat, with the heroes and leaders having swords or other melee weapons, or fast attack, with the signature units having bikes, jump packs or some other fast vehicle. Or occasionally in fluff some kind of intel or unconventional warfare specialty.

I know a big part of being a Space Marine in the first place is that you don't *have* to shoot all the time because you can survive up close, but humor me. Surely there's at least *one* Space Marine chapter somewhere that focuses on guns first. Where the most awesome and unique unit carries a sniper rifle or beam weapon instead of a special sword or lightning claws.

Tried looking this up on 40K game boards, but any simple answers were drowned in gameplay concerns like points/dollar ratio and "just play Guard/Tau instead" comments. So I come to you.

[Assistant]
The Imperial Fists are siege masters, adept at fortifying and destroying said fortifications. They make extensive use of heavy ordinance, such as Whirlwind battle tanks and Vindicators, and typically rely heavily on their Devistator squads.

The Salamanders are heavily focused on mid ranged combat, making extensive use of flamers and melta weapons. They don't make particular use of assault units in compensation, but prefer to just incinerate their enemies from a distance.

The Iron Hands love expressing their superiority through firepower. Again, while they do HAVE Assault Squads, they would much rather just annihilate the foe through ordinance, such as Lascannon and Plasma Cannons.


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

[User]
How reliable is a handwriting match test?

I was watching the Zodiac movie and, although I'm not sure how truthful the movie is, I'd say it's extremely likely that Arthur Leigh Allen was the Zodiac killer.
However, throughout the movie they could not pin it on him since the handwriting didn't match. It also mentions that he's ambidextrous, but handwriting samples from both hands did not match.

What I'm asking is, how reliable is the non-match in proving that it was not this man who wrote the letters? And is it possible to forge your handwriting, in a sense, so that they do not match?

[Assistant]
Reliability of handwriting match tests can vary greatly. It depends on :
- the length and quality of the questioned document : is it a 4 pages long will or 3 words scribbled on a napkin ?
- the quality of the comparison material : did you collect reference material from the natural writing of the "suspect" or did you make them write something for you ? If so, how long are the dictated samples ?
- what is the time frame between the creation of the questioned document and the production of the comparison material ? The handwriting changes over time, especially for people writing a lot. Illness (e.g. Alzheimer) can also alter one's hanwriting.

Finally, it is possible to change you handwriting for a short period of time. So, if the writing was changed for a questioned document, how can you bring the suspect to reproduce it instead of his natural writing. You might get one or two characteristics from the natural writing that are reproduced in the altered writing, but will this be enough to positively identify him ? In some cases yes, in others no.

Handwriting match tests work best for wills that are questioned, because you might show differences between the will and other writing samples from the alleged author of the document. Given you have enough good reference material from this person....

**TL:DR :** quality of the questioned document and quality and availability of comparison material are paramount.


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

[User] ELI5: How do dogs communicate with each other?

[Assistant]
Body language mostly, like many animals on this planet.

Some of the stuff is obvious and we all recognize: bearing teeth and ears back is aggression, wagging tails and "bowing" (head down, butt up) is happy or playful, while exposing the belly is a sign of submission, and a tail between the legs is a sign of fear.

There are other things that are less obvious-licking the face/mouth is a sign of submission to the leader. Staring is a sign of distrust, while "ignoring" is a sign of trust (no need to watch you, they know you won't hurt them).

Smelling eachother's butts is more of a greeting than communication. Barks/growls/whimpers/howls communicate as well, but those are almost always associated with body language.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do only some displays display HDR? Isn't a display just a series of pixels that display different color values? What makes an HDR display different?

To clarify, if my normal LCD display does not display HDR, what makes it different, hardware wise, from an HDR compatible one? I understand the HDR process when taking a picture, and the layering of differently exposed images, but then how can I view the HDR image on my non-HDR phone?

[Assistant]
An HDR screen is a different concept to taking HDR photos. Although both relate to using a wider range of colours.

A non-HDR screen only has 256 different levels of red, green and blue. So there's only a certain range of colours and brightness it can display.

HDR screens increase this so there is a wider range of colours/brightness levels. True HDR screens are supposed to be capable of more brightness, but it's not just the maximum brightness that matters, it's how many levels of brightness each colour channel has.

So for example you could have a movie in HDR which for the most part looks the same as the non-HDR version, except explosions are brighter. If you just turned the brightness up on the non-HDR version, everything would just look washed out because the brightness goes up for everything. The HDR version has more brightness levels to work with.


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

[User]
[MCU] I am a leader of a smaller space realm and am planning some old fashioned conquest. Should I hire some "super" beings to fight the inevitable hero, or are superheroes rare enough I can cut that from the budget?

Beings of exceptional power are really expensive and keep trying to overthrow me. However, a single superhero can wipe out large parts of my fleet/ army on their own. Would I be better off trying my luck and hoping the heroes are away, or do I expect a hero to show up every time? I heard a rumor of a woman who can destroy a dreadnought in 2-3 hits, and those are really expensive and take a while to build.
I guess what I'm asking is: What are the odds I'll be attacked by a being/ group that is powerful enough to stop me?
...There can't be THAT many heroes running around... can there?

[Assistant]
The best option to me would be to favor a strong military, specifically looking to have a strong Space Navy that can support ground incursions with superior firepower, excellent dogfighters, and quick troop transports.

Heroes have one major flaw across all units, and that is they can only be in one space at a time. A few people, like Multiple Man can beat that flaw, but his powers make him ill-suited to stand up to a galactic force. To capitalize on this, a multi-pronged attack might be effective. Spreading hero teams thin means enhancing your chance of killing them or capturing them.

Militaries should be uniform, arm your minions with the means to dispatch foes of all sorts. The infantry need to capture valuable assets ground side, otherwise you'll be beset by a scorched earth tactic, or fall victim to your own aggressive tactics.

Next, to protect your fleet, begin kidnapping noncombatants and placing them near the hull, as well as in places near stuff like the core of your ship, the helm etc. This will make destroying your ships costly to goody two-shoe heroes. Be ruthless, but calculating.


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

[User] [Percy Jackson] what powers would Hera children have?

[Assistant]
Hera is always coming up with plots and shit, her kids would probably good at scheming, and setting up plans. Not battle plans exactly but like traps and stuff. Like what she did to Hercules a shit ton.

 She is also the goddess of marriage and children so they would probably be really good with kids and have strong relationships with people. But be really cold to those outside of their circle of friends. Also probably really faithful to what they believe in.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Why do major events seem to start on Tatooine? Is Tatooine somehow connected to the force in some special way?

Anakin was born there, The jedi are drawn to the planet by a defective hyperdrive, they land and meet Anakin which sets the prophecy in motion. He returns there to save his mother which is a pivotal turning point in his path to the dark side. Luke is born, and he is taken to Tatooine where he will grow up. He then meets Ben, who just happens to meet Han Solo, who will also play a major role in the Rebellion. A lot of stuff seems to happen on Tatooine.

[Assistant] It's all really just a chain of events that begins with Anakin's birth. At least, if you believe the prophecy and all that. The Chosen One was born there, so of course he had to be found; he couldn't well be chosen if he lived in obscurity as a slave, now could he? Everything else after that is because of Anakin. If Anakin had been born on Dantooine or Nar Shadaa or wherever then *that* would have been the planet where things happened. Tatooine is really just a backwater planet where a couple of important things happened over a very brief period of Galactic History.


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

[User]
What are some examples of two philosophers arriving at the same conclusions based on different methods, arguments, premises and means?

 I've always found this idea interesting, that two people can agree on the same conclusion yet arrive at the said conclusion by completely different means. Moreover, not only can the conclusions be the same despite different premises, but at times the interpretation of the conclusion, that is to say, the significance of it and what we should learn from it, can be different.

[Assistant]
Schopenhauer showed that the whole world was essentially one through Kantian (and Western Philosophy) means independently of how Eastern Thought arrived at the solution.

It is a clever little argument saying that if there is a phenomenal (world of appearances) and noumenal (world as it is) realm, and there exist different entities in the noumenal realm (say, noumenal_1, noumenal_2, ...), then how could it be possible for noumenal_1, noumenal_2, etc. to be different?

Would they be different in space? No, space only exists in the phenomenal realm, different in time? No for the same reason. Different in causality? Same reasoning. And since individuation of phenomena only exists in space time and causality is thus follows that if there is a noumenal realm it must be in some sense "one".