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

[User]
ELI5: Why does San Fransisco want to get rid of Harbaugh?

Why would they get rid of the guy that took them back from the brink of complete irrelevance to a legitimate contender?  This year's poor record is likely due in part to the distraction created by the situation.

[Assistant] He is an extremely intense coach. He burns people around him out with his intensity. It is passion driving him, but apparently it takes a toll on the staff and players more importantly. Him and their staff tried to mold kaepernick into a pocket passer and it's been a disaster. Kaepernick is a good QB when he has an offense built around his talents.. which isn't necessarily a pocket passer. Statistically the 49ers have been the best football team of the past 3 years, but this season was pretty darn bad. If you get a new coach, you might give Kap a new chance at being a dominating force like he was in recent years.


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

[User] [40K] What is the Imperium of Man's overall attitude towards homosexuality?

[Assistant]
The Imperium as a whole doesn't give a shit about small issues like that. You pray to the the Emperor (how you name him or how you honor him is up to you even), you pay the Tithe, provide some regiments of IG and you are good.

The whole rest of governmental work is left to the individual worlds. On one world homosexuality might be persecuted on others openly practiced. Despite looking like a homogeneous Empire from the outside the Imperium is culturally very diverse.


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

[User]
[WH40K] What are some intergalactic threats to Holy Terra?

I hope I'm using that word right.

I mean, are there any known threats/anomalies/races/anythings outside the Milky Way galaxy that we are aware of?

I'm already aware of Tyranids, I mean anything else?

[Assistant]
Depends on your definition of 'intergalactic', which you did use right but extragalactic (outside the galaxy, as opposed to between galaxies) might be a better fit.

If you consider the Warp to be outside of the galaxy, then yes, there's also the many, many facets of Chaos to contend with. If you don't, then no, it's just the Tyranids.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] I'm planning the attack on the first Death Star. How many starfighters can I send on the attack run before Tarkin considers it a viable threat and properly defends the Death Star?

Let's assume a significant portion of the rebel fleet happens to be in nearby systems to Yavin and can be used for the mission.

[Assistant] Pfft, starfighters? Against the Death Star? Maybe a million. The DS-1 Orbital Battlestation is 160km in diameter, and it boasts more than twenty thousand varying laser batteries, cannons, and turrets. Attacking such a structure with *starfighters* is absurd; any such move by the rebels could only be a feint designed to pull resources away from a plausible attack, or perhaps a hopeless suicide attack born of justifiable despair. Either way, the turbolaser batteries are more than capable of fending off starfighters.


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

[User]
CMV: I bear no responsibility for the sins of my predecessors, such as slavery and Native American displacement.

I am a white male born in the late 80's and of American nationality. A Navajo "friend" recently came out and admitted she hated white people for the displacement of Native Americans and constantly spoke accusingly of what "we" did. I said I could not apologize nor feel guilt, having been born into this world less than 30 years ago and that for more than half this time I've either been a baby, toddler, child, adolescent or unthinking college student. She promptly cut off contact. In brief: I am not responsible for the sins of my predecessors, and all that entails. CMV!

[Assistant]
You aren't responsible for the action, but you do have to live in the reality the action created.  A reality in which you reap the benefits from those past crimes.

If you believe in equality and fairness, then you should be trying to level the playing field, and that starts by acknowledging the fact that Native Americans are born with the short end of the stick.


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

[User]
[Mars Attacks!] It's been 20 years since Mars attacked. How's the planet Earth doing?

Have the cities been rebuilt? Are the survivors barely scratching a living in the ruins, or has cannibalised Martian technology brought them to a new golden age? How's Tom Jones' career doing? How long did Acting President Taffy Dale stay in office? Are doves still regarded as a symbol of peace? How long did Slim Whitman stay at the top of the global music charts?

And are the Martians likely to try again?

[Assistant]
After broadcasting music to Mars there has yet to be a response or much activity from the red planet. Many of the cities are still ruins but new ones are now forming. Much of the technology used by the Martians is still not understood but thanks to our brave folks in R&D we are learning more every year. We've made a few advancements in regards some hand held weapons and transmuting extreme energy into other forms but replicating much of that tech is still beyond us.

Tom Jones saw a few good years before fading into obscurity and running a large chain of casinos in New Vegas.

Taffy Dale was decidedly a disaster as a president and lasted only one term.

Slim Whitman stayed at the top of the charts for awhile but slowly faded from popularity. His songs are still however used by politicians hoping to capitalize on the Martian attack to help with their career, the same goes for releasing doves.


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

[User]
Is there a 'fantastic planet' out there? Could there be a terrestrial planet thousands of times the size of Earth, orbiting a Sun thousands of times as big as ours, inhabited by giant humanoids?

Theoretically, could there be a terrestrial planet thousands of times the size of Earth, orbiting a Sun thousands of times as big as ours, inhabited by giant humanoids? I was reading about geometric scaling of animal life on Earth due to the increased difficulty of absorbing oxygen with bigger organism size. I'm curious if the size of oxygen atoms would limit such massive life from occurring somewhere out there.

EDIT Well to open up the question...What about a smaller planet with less gravity? I guess I'm ultimately interested in what science can tell us about the potential range and scope of alien life - intelligent life.

[Assistant] There are other scaling problems than just oxygen absorption. Strength is approximately related to the cross-sectional area of a muscle, but mass is proportional to volume. If you double in height your muscle cross section, and thus strength, go up by a factor of 4 but your weight goes up by a factor of 8. If you scale things up too much, you become too heavy to move. This is one reason why terrestrial animals are limited in size and why aquatic life can be bigger. A large planet would have higher gravity and would only make this problem worse.


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

[User]
CMV: The European Union has no chance of fighting off Chinese and American influence unless it merges into a European Republic

I'm fully aware that there are hundreds of problems with forming a true European Republic:

a) Most Europeans are against it

b) The languages are different

c) The local politicans are afraid of external oversight

d) Minor countries will have zero power to change anything

e) The bureaucracy needed to sustain a European Republic will be truly enormous

I could go on and on, but that's really besides the point. My point is that unless the Europeans form a single and cohesive political entity with a unified army and government, they stand zero chance in the global competition of superpowers. It's a lot easier for the Chinese to buy off individual European countries (directly or indirectly) than it is for them to buy off a united country such as America. Even Russia is often having an easy time manipulating European politics for their own profit, despite them having a tiny GDP in comparison.

A single country with a single leader will have the world's highest GDP, the world's third largest population and the world's second largest army. It will be able to negotiate *hard* with their opponents, force down favorable agreements and completely ignore minor threats such as Russia.

I fail to see how Europe could do this otherwise and don't believe it will have a succesful future in our hyper-competitive world. CMV.

[Assistant]
There is one major thing that hurts this idea. The UN. If the EU were to form into a European republic then all the member nations would lose representation in the UN and they would then get a single representative.

That means that the 5 permanent members of the UN security council (USA, UK, Russia, China, and France) would be reduced to 4 permanent members (USA, EU, Russia, China) effectively cutting the strength that the EU currently has politically in half.


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

[User] ELI5: How do spiders get a single strand of their web across a 5 foot gap?

[Assistant]
They can release a dragline of silk, and will stand in one spot until the wind picks up the silk, and carries them away. There have been a ton of recent studies on this method of transportation, and this attributes to how some spiders are found on solitary islands, or high mountains.

Often when you're walking in an open area and feel a spider web hit your face there is a spider attached, floating in the wind!


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

[User] [The Matrix] Would the supernatural killers we see in other movies (eg, Freddy, Jason, Chucky) exist in the matrix as errant programs? What would happen if an Agent encountered one of them?

[Assistant]
Those specific characters? Probably not. A program masquerading as a near unkillable masked man, a virus that affects humans in their sleep and software that glitched and appears as a small, violent doll could exist, however.

What would an Agent do? Probably ignore them unless they pose a credible threat to The Matrix.


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

[User]
What is energy?

I'm a kinesiology major so the energy I learn about comes from ATP. When the terminal phosphate breaks off from the rest of the phosphates, the bond breaks and energy is released. But what *is* that energy? Is it actually something, or is just a term used to describe something with no physical qualities?

Also, I suck at categorizing my posts so sorry if I should have chosen something else.

[Assistant]
Energy is a conserved mathematical property in time-invariant systems. It lets us quantify how much work can be done. It is no more or less physical than any other measurement - say, height of a table.

So let's say a book sits on a shelf. We can say it has gravitational potential energy because once it falls off that shelf, it will gain kinetic energy. The _system_ of "book on shelf" therefore has energy - more energy than the system of "book on floor".

I will just add that the breaking of a bond does not release energy - it's a very common but incorrect short-hand taught, especially in biology. In all chemical systems, the breaking of a chemical bond _requires_ energy, since a chemical bond is by definition an energetically favourable configuration of electrons - think bottom of a valley if the valley is the energy landscape. Therefore to break the bonds requires input of energy.

When you say that the phosphoester bond in ATP is broken and energy is released, what's meant is that the bond is broken _and new, more stable bonds are formed_, and that total reaction releases energy. It is akin to pushing a ball out of the aforementioned valley, only to have to roll down to a even deeper valley.

So a chemical bond stores energy in the sense that there can be alternate configurations of atoms that are even more stable, thereby releasing energy to do work on something else.


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

[User] [Jumper] If David Rice saw a picture of a galaxy far, far away, and he wore a space suit, could he teleport there?

[Assistant] David doesn't just need a picture, he needs to remember the smell, the sound, how it made him feel. Jumpers can't go to places that they've never been before. In the books Davey uses a handheld video camera to keep track of his jump sites.


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

[User]
ELI5: How can anyone estimate dinosaur intelligence?

Like I get the basic physiological things that we can figure out, but how did Dr Grant know the Velociraptors were so smart and hunted in packs?

Is it just that they were medium sized predators? The pincer formation seems oddly specific in that case.

[Assistant]
They do a cat-scan of the skull and can find the size/shape of the brain based on that. Then they compare the size/shape of the brain to other animals (example: the T-Rex's brain shape was really similar to an alligator) or the creature's brain-to-body ratio. The size of a brain doesn't determine intelligence. What matters is how big the brain is compared to the body of that animal. Human shave a brain six times the size that it should be for their bodies, thus we're really smart.

Because of this, we know that raptors were actually pretty intelligent. Not geniuses like they're portrayed in Jurassic Park but still clever and with incredible eye sight to help. We also know they hunted in packs due to their size being a weakness back then, how they designed (heavy, fast damage) and the number of different bite marks we find on herbivore bones.

We also know that ecosystems have similar animals regardless of time period and animals today have filled the roll of animals from the ice age, which filled the rolls of animals from the dinosaur-days. A T-Rex is basically doing the same thing for the ecosystem that a bear does, as do raptors fill the same roll as wolves.


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

[User] ELI5 How does Impeachment actually work in the US?

[Assistant] The House of Representatives begins impeachment proceedings. If a majority votes for impeachment, the President is now impeached, and the U.S. Senate is now responsible for holding a trial. The House of Representatives acts as the prosecution, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court acts as the presiding Judge. Two thirds(currently 67) of the Senate have to vote for conviction in order for the President to be removed. Any elected or appointed official in the executive or Judicial Branches of Government can be impeached by Congress. For any impeachment not involving the President or Vice President, the Vice President serves as the presiding judge. For those two positions the Chief Justice handles it.


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

[User] [Toy Story] Are sex toys sentient since they are still technically toys?

[Assistant] Toys are given life and personality by the children that imagine them. Sex toys won't and shouldn't have enough imaginary power to come alive like a toy seen in a commercial every 12 and a half minutes on a kids channel. That said some people out there probably have an extremely active imagination as adults and probably some quagmire personality toys hidden away.


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

[User] The tap water is not drinkable here, so to save money on bottled water my girlfriend suggested we'd boil the water and store that. But the water contains high doses of Chloride, doesn't boiling just make this worse?

[Assistant]
Do you mean chlorine (smells like s swimming pool) or chloride (one half of salt water)?

Chloride is not bad for you, if you consume a lot of it (like sea water) it can lead to dehydration. So don't do that.

If the government is dumping a lot of chlorine into the water, it is probably an attempt to help keep the water pipes microbe free.  If they are doing that, then **FOR GOD'S SAKE JUST TURN ON THE RADIO/GO TO A LOCAL GOV WEBSITE AND SEE IF THERE IS A BOIL-WATER/DO NOT DRINK ADVISORY**.  If there is, follow it.  If there isn't, you should be ok.  If you want to boil the water anyway (as uusuzanne says) it will help get rid of the chlorine smell.  If you arent' sure err on the side of caution and drink bottled water for as long as you can hold out/confirm the water is ok.


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

[User] Are eyes like telescopes? The bigger they are the more light they can detect? If so how big would they have to be in order to see nebulae unassisted?

[Assistant]
Yes, this is why your pupils dilate when it's dark, they're letting more light in. How much you can see varies a lot from person to person and from object to object so it's hard to say, but for faint objects like nebulae you would typically use a telescope with an aperture at least 6" in diameter. Since you have 2 eyes you'd need pupils that are about 4.25" wide to have the same light-collecting area.

However, the image wouldn't be magnified, so you could see more but you wouldn't see detail in small objects (most nebulae).


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

[User]
[Marvel/DC]What distinction is there between magic and other superpowers?

Examples: Thor controls the storms. He's magic. Storm is even more versatile, but she's just a mutant.

Magik, Colossus' sister, is a mutant who can open portals to limbo, among other things, and is considered a sorceress. Nightcrawler teleports himself through Hell on a regular basis, but he's just a mutant.

Scarlet Witch is a mutant who is magic. Phoenix is a cosmic entity often bound to a mutant.

Cyttorak is a cosmic entity who is magic, thus Juggernaut's powers are also magic. Galactus is a cosmic entity but is not considered magic, thus Silver Surfer's powers are "cosmic".

I could go on, and you guys could probably come up with ten times more examples still (and I didn't even mention DC properties). How do their universes distinguish between which powers are magic versus which are mutations, cosmic, alien biology, lab accidents, etc., beyond just the writers declaring, "he's magic" or "she isn't"?

[Assistant]
Mutants and mutates are born with their powers or develop them naturally in response to a stimulus. It's an innate ability. Also, many superheroes in this category are non-human and their powers are just normal for their race.

Magic is learned or bestowed (although you might have been born with an affinity or talent for it), which makes it a skill instead of a trait. Magic also tends to be a bit more fiddly about its rules and limits.

> Scarlet Witch is a mutant who is magic.

Yes, she's both. Her mutant power is reality warping by altering probabilities. That power also gives her an intuitive grasp of magic, which she was taught (among other things, it varies from universe to universe).


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

[User] [Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior] Lord Humungous rides through the Australian desert in an uncovered car with barely any skin covered. Yet he is neither very tanned nor bright pink. What are his skincare secrets?

[Assistant] Whatever accident or condition disfigured his face so badly that it had to be covered with a mask, also rendered every inch of skin beneath his face impervious to sunburn. It sounds crazy, but the series isn't called "Rational Max."


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

[User] ELI5 why do we get a random itch at a certain point on our skin, and why does it go away completely from scratching it?

[Assistant] simply put, it is a trigger from your body to remove dead skin cells- assuming there is nothing there. If there's something there, say a bug, a bug bite, crabs, etc. then it's a trigger to remove that.


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

[User]
[Shrek] What's the distance between Shrek's swamp and Far Far Away?

Obviously there is quite a distance considering the passage of time portrayed. Yet near the end of the seco d film, Shrek's buddies were able to travel to Far Far Away and rescue Shrek, Donkey and Puss from the prison in less than a day.

[Assistant]
The kingdom of Far Far away is exactly as the name entails. Far....*FAR* away. But that's most likely with a regular carriage that would have to take multiple stops to get there. What you're forgetting is that they have access to a god damn dragon. A trip that could take a number of weeks by carriage wouldn't take THAT long if you're flying with a dragon.

I don't see any huge reason why Dragon couldn't have just bolted them down to the land of Far Far away. She seemed to have been able to casually strolled up in the span of a few minutes by the very end of the movie with her children.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is the advantage of different wheel sizes on a car?

Is there a technical reason why you'd want bigger wheels on the back than the front of a car? Does it make any difference to the way it drives?

[Assistant]
Let's use a top fuel dragster as an example. Those rear wheels are huge! But the front tires look like they belong on a motorcycle, not a car. The back tires need to be able to put all that power to the ground. The car isn't going to turn any corners at speed, so this design works. The skinny front tires decrease drag, while the huge rear tires lay down that power.

Now when you move to oval track or circuit racing, the tires are usually the same size all around. You need to be able to turn at speed, so you need your front tires to have the same amount of traction as the rear. In this case, the front tires might be shorter (to help save weight), but they're usually as wide as the rear tires.

When you make the rim bigger, you take the flex out the tire and make the vehicle more responsive on the road. You also sacrifice ride quality. It's common to choose a rim a size or two larger when fitting larger brakes, though most of the time, larger rims are used purely for cosmetic reasons.

I hope this explains things for you. Feel free to ask any follow up questions.


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

[User] Could We Vape the Vaccine?

[Assistant] Actually maybe, but not really vape since the heating element would destroy any vaccine. However, there is a live attenuated flu vaccine that is given as a nasal spray. The virus has been modified to only replicate slowly at the temperature of the nasal cavity, but not the lungs (so you dont actually get sick). Its probably possible to make a live attenuated coronavirus vaccine in a similar way. This type of vaccine has the advantage of not being a shot, which is great for people who hate needles.


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

[User] [The Meg] I've just been swallowed whole by this massive shark. How quickly do I die in its stomach and what kills me? Do I suffocate first or am I dissolved by stomach acid?

[Assistant]
Sharks take a very long time to digest food, with undigested food inside them up to 18 hours later. Given the size of a Meg, you probably wont suffocate until your tank runs out of air. (Im assuming youre in a dive suit.)

Your biggest problem is youre likely to be eaten by a normal sized shark swimming around in the Megs belly with you.


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

[User]
ELI5: How are underwater tunnels built?

Seriously HOW? Underwater tunnels are the one thing that convince me we are living in a simulation. It seems impossible to build one. And they always look so perfect. HOW?

[Assistant]
Some tunnels are drained before the drilling.

You can also use explosives to blow a hole and then use rocks/bricks to make everything look nice

You can also use pressure cannons to tunnel through things under water.

Is there a specific tunnel that you're trying to figure out?


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

[User]
How is the universe ~ 78 billion light years in radius, when the universe is only 13.7 billion years old?

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, matter can not move faster than the speed of light. So, if the universe is 78 billion light years in radius, and the universe is 13.7 billion years old, wouldn't matter have to break the light barrier? If Einstein's theory of relativity was always constant, why isn't the universe a little bit less than 13.7 billion light years in diameter (to account for the matter not being able to move faster than the speed of light).Is this simply not matter (such as neutrinos) that is 78 billion light years from the "center" of the universe? Is that why it can break the so-called light barrier?
EDIT: Why all the downvotes?

[Assistant]
1.  Because the matter isn't moving that fast.  Space itself is expanding.  The gaps between stars and galaxies are expanding.  Some bits are moving away from us faster than the speed of light.  The important thing to note here is that matter isn't exceeding that speed, space is.

3.  There's no center, either.  Redshift increases no matter which direction you look, which implies that everything is getting farther away from everything else.

3.  Your figures are focused on the observable universe.  Those things that have had time to reach us at lightspeed within the age of the universe.  This distance is actually larger than a 13.7b ly radius, because some of the stuff we see was within that radius way back when the light was emitted, but is now much more distant due to the aforementioned expansion of space itself.


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

[User]
[Marvel] How is it that heroes have always managed to keep Galactus from eating the Earth?

He's come multiple times, right? How do you even begin to reason with or repel him? What's keeping him from devouring the earth regardless of whatever testimony us earthlings present?

[Assistant]
Every time is different. One time it was because Uatu the Watcher explicitly intervened on behalf of humanity and told Fantastic Four about Ultimate Nullifier.

Other time Franklin Richards made Galactus his bitch.

Some other time Blue Marvel actually ended his eternal hunger, transforming him from World Eater into Lifegiver.

Ultimately humanity is very well connected with higher echelons of cosmic entities, that would allow exactly to just come up and speak to Galactus.


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

[User] ELI5: If it took 13.3 billion years for light to reach Earth from the furthest known Galaxy, could it be possible that there are other galaxies further away than 13.3bly, but we just haven't been able to see yet because its light hasn't reached us yet?

[Assistant] What you've described is the case, according to the standard big bang model. The (potentially terrifying) thing is that we will never see beyond this 'horizon' because space itself is expanding, meaning that everything beyond that horizon is moving away from us faster than the speed of light. So we will actually only be able to see less in the future.


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

[User] Black holes affect light; thus light is pulled by gravity. Does light exert its own pull in return?

[Assistant]
Yep, light definitely does gravitate - everything does! In Einstein's gravity it's not just mass that gravitates, but mass and *energy* - and everything has energy.

When it comes to a black hole, the gravity of the light it pulls in is pretty much always negligible by comparison. But there are instances where the gravitational pull of light is significant. The most important of these is the *radiation-dominated era* of the early Universe, for about the first 80,000 years after the Big Bang, when light was actually denser than normal matter and so was the dominant gravitational influence in the entire Universe. As a result, the Universe expanded at a different rate than later on, when matter was dominant.


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

[User] [Star Trek] If you're living on Earth and want to replicate something hugely indulgent, like a personal yacht, how do you go about it? Is there a "replication committee" that you have to petition to justify using all that energy? Would they likely say yes, no, or just guilt trip you?

[Assistant]
When people say "money doesn't exist" it's more of a euphemism. While Earth managed to eliminate need, and philosophically blunt want, wealth still existed and in a lot of cases was still traded.

The Federation was one of the parties bidding on the Barzan wormhole. They are prohibited from exchanging significant technology with the Barzans, so they would have had to offer something else.

And it wasn't just the Federation government that used credits.

When Dr. Crusher wanted an item at Farpoint Station she had her account on the *Enterprise-D* charged for it, and a lot of crew are seen returning from other shore leave trips with souvenirs of one sort or another.

It's easy to assume that they are employees of the Federation, and not all Federation planets have a "moneyless" economy, so something special was given to them as payment which they were able to use when they needed to.

But that special thing had to be limited. If every Starfleet employee got everything they wanted anywhere in the galaxy, the inflation would be tremendous. There would have to be a limit imposed upon their requests, a value imposed on their contributions to others.

*Deep Space Nine* had no shortage of power, and we see people constantly exchanging goods and services. If everything was all just given freely, Quark would have gone out of business with the number of Starfleet personnel he serves.

Even if we assume he'd be willing to participate in it, his suppliers wouldn't. And the Promenade would just be an empty series of hallways.

So we can safely assume that Starfleet employees draw a salary. Starfleet has a significant presence on Earth, so we can assume that a lot of the people on Earth are drawing a salary.

Two examples from Earth itself, when Kirk sees his old home, he mentions that he'd sold it years ago. And *something* would have to have been exchanged for the fine wine grown on Picard's family estate. They simply couldn't give that away freely, it's a finite supply and can not be replicated.

So if you decided that you wanted a large personal yacht, or some other luxury, or anything beyond the resources of the normal supply chain, then you'd either have to accumulate credits to purchase it or find some means of convincing others to trade their replicator allotments to you.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do people cut themselves?

I'm not trying to trivialize depression; im just curious what the psychology behind it is. I can't imagine why I would inflict harm upon myself to cope with problems. If anything, why don't people turn to, for example, alcohol instead?

______

Edit: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who took the time to give me an explanation, whether it be through their own experiences, the experiences of others, or just things they've researched; all of them have been interesting and helpful.

So, from what I've gathered from the comments, self-harm is the result of a variety of things: disorders/depression, stress, general unhappiness, a desire for penance, low self-esteem, etc. In some cases, it's a way to feel in control of at least one aspect of life; in others, it's to feel some sort of happiness through an endorphin rush. Some do it as an act of self-destruction with low self-esteem being the catalyst; others do it to keep themselves from doing worse to themselves, i.e. suicide.

As for choosing self-harm over substance abuse, cutting is free, easy to do, and doesn't (temporarily) mentally impair those who are looking to regain control over some part of their lives.

I hope I didn't misinterpret any of the comments when compiling them; please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, and again, I really appreciate the answers. Thanks!

[Assistant]
A feature of depression is feeling numb and unable to experience pleasure. Some people describe cutting as allowing them to "feel something", it can produce positive chemical signals in a similar fashion to exercise (endorphins, as another comment put it).

Other factors include elements of self-hatred which can be seen in depression as well as a syndrome called borderline personality disorder which is strongly associated with self-harm.

Self harm can sometimes also be used to try and communicate with others or alter their behaviour, for instance to try and show how much emotional pain the person is in.


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

[User]
[Transformers] Why do the Autobots put themselves at such a disadvantage.

It's a common theme across almost all the incarnations of the story for the Decepticons to take Altmodes related to military tech (Tanks, Jets, warships etc) whereas the Autobots consistently take mostly civilian forms. Surely this puts them at a massive disadvantage since they're mostly cars, motorcycles, trucks etc. I know that there's exceptions for both sides, but what resulted in such a dimorphism?

[Assistant]
Imagine having two groups of people, one of whom are obese and the other group have athletic bodies and they are to train for a race. The athletic group obviously have the advantage, their bodies are already prepared for such exercise. The obese group cannot easily complete this race because obviously their bodies are not suited to it.

So on Cybertron you have the military/police force of whom their bodies are designed for warfare and are capable of using them as weapons. The Autobots naturally were the rest of the civillian population where their tasks did not require weapons.

It's a simple matter of not having the hardware to run the software.


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

[User]
Nothing against Magic Johnson, and I hope he lives to be a hundred and twenty, but excluding an accident will he likely still die from AIDS related complications? Will his death probably be easier and with less suffering since he is a healthy person otherwise?

Just wondering.

**EDIT:** hopefully this is allowed here since i'm not asking for medical advice.

[Assistant]
You would have to know more about his health before you can say. And of course you couldnt really comment with any certainty even if you did.

 HIV+ patients can still die of boring causes like heart attacks too you know.


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

[User]
What do PhD graduates who get jobs in industry do differently in their PhD program than their peers who get academic jobs?

Options post-graduation basically boil down to academia and industry. I personally would like to go into industry. So what traits, experiences, etc do students tend to display during their PhD program that allows them to jump into industry afterwards? Was previous industry experience a factor or had they gone straight from BS to PhD?

[Assistant] Joining a research group that has placed people into industry. Usually the first position for a newly minted graduate is due to getting one's CV in the hiring manager's hand from someone inside of the company. I've seen this time and time again. Otherwise, you're battling extremely poor signal-to-noise ratios.


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

[User] ELI5: If adrenaline boosts our mental quickness and physical strengths, how come it isn't always pumping through our veins?

[Assistant]
Its unsustainable, basically.   This is kinda like asking why you dont sprint everywhere - its faster, isnt it?   Because its *exhausting*, and you wouldnt be able to keep it up.

Our bodies arent designed to be running at absolute maximum capacity like that.   The adrenaline surge is an emergency measure, designed to get us out of trouble if we need it.  Very useful if you need a burst of speed to avoid a lion, or extra strength to wrestle a fallen tree off your toddler, but you dont need that when youre playing video games or hanging out at the pool.

It is also pretty damaging to be in that state.   Adrenaline is not good for you, not long-term.   There is actually a maximum amount of time you can sustain the heightened state of adrenaline before it tapers off - even if the situation hasnt changed.   This is because you run out of adrenaline, and also because your body literally cannot maintain the high alert state for more than a few hours *max*.   There is a longer-term, less extreme stress hormone called cortisol that takes over if the stressful situation is lasting longer than that.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why did the greek economy collapse?

Hello everyone. I am a journalism student, currently working on a project about Greece. I want to explain the greek economic crisis as simple as possible. I am finding it hard to understand it, thus I can't explain it properly. I would greatly appreciate if someone could help me out!

I also want to challenge your creativity a bit: Is it possible explain the greek economic crisis using a simple analogy? i.e "Tony has 10 apples, and borrows 10 more from a friend".

Edit: The question is regarding modern Greece, and the crisis they are currently in.

[Assistant]
Very simply:

The Greek banks had borrowed large amounts of money during the economic boom years, which was used to finance a huge construction boom in Greece. Like many other banks all over the world, their collateral for the debts included large numbers of repackaged sub-prime mortgage debts from the USA.

When the sub-prime bubble burst and the credit crunch set in, many of the Greek banks (along with many other banks all over the world) suddenly found themselves unable to borrow enough money to finance their day-to-day outgoings. In plain simple terms, they were bankrupt.

The government of Greece decided it couldn't afford to allow many of its biggest banks to go under, so loaned them the money to keep trading. As a comparatively small economy the Greek government could only do this by borrowing money itself. Presumably they expected the recession to last only a short time, and then once economic growth returned they could afford to pay back the loans.

However as we know the recession wasn't short-lived, and the organisations which had lent money to the Greek government started wanting to be repaid. But the global economic situation, together with a traditionally large and generous public-sector employee count and a widespread culture of tax evasion, meant the Greek government didn't have enough money to pay back the people it owed.

So effectively the Greek government bailed out its banks and in the process bankrupted itself.

Greece's creditors have agreed to write off large amounts of the loans, and to defer repayment on much of the rest, but the penalty they've imposed on Greece for doing this is for it to make its economy much more competitive. Effectively the Greek government has been ordered to reduce public pensions, reduce salaries and increase taxation, and the result of this "shock treatment" has been to cause a huge increase in unemployment and a huge contraction of the Greek economy.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is the temperature usually less cold when it's snowing?

[Assistant] If it's snowing that means there is cloud cover. Cloud cover acts as a blanket over the land and holds in heat. When there are no clouds the heat from the ground can radiate directly out into space. That's why it tends to be colder with no clouds.


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

[User] [Star Wars] When Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber in the Mos Eisley cantina, did the bar patrons realize he was a Jedi? Or did they just assume he was a bounty hunter/violent maniac?

[Assistant] They likely thought he was just some guy who had gotten his hands on some black market weaponry and some idiot was stupid enough to pick a fight. And since its Mos Eisley, no one really cared and just went back to their drinks.


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

[User] ELI5: If eyesight is not treated it gets worse and worse over time. Can it heal itself? If there are people with bad foresight and myopia why cannot it turn back?

[Assistant]
If you have poor eyesight, it gets worse over time whether you treat it or not.  Usually, it stabilizes once you reach adulthood*.  Again, regardless of whether or not you treat it .  And no, it can't heal itself.

It's caused by your eyeball not being quite the right shape as it grows, which causes images to be projected slightly in front of or behind your retina instead of directly on the retina like they're supposed to be.

***

\* Until you reach your 40s, and then you start suffering from presbyopia, where the flexible lens in your eye begins to harden, and you begin to lose the ability to focus on close-up objects.


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

[User]
CMV: To remain logically consistent, a vegan who believes it is unethical to kill sentient animals unnecessarily must also believe it is unethical to unnecessarily abort human fetuses once they have become sentient.

This is not to suggest that vegans cant rationally be pro-choice, indeed they can (bodily autonomy), but to remain consistent with the moral motivations of veganism, they must at least concede that killing a sentient fetus is unethical if the procedure is medically unnecessary. Just as they believe killing animals for meat is unethical when it is dietarily unnecessary.

Bear in mind this is only about the ethical, not legal, considerations of abortion as it relates to the vegan philosophy.

To use a comparative example, a person can be opposed to marital infidelity on ethical grounds without also thinking it should be made illegal.

Basically, you can rationally justify being a pro choice ethical vegan, but only up to a point (I.e. the 20-25 week mark when sentience is established). Beyond this point you cannot consider unnecessary abortions to be ethical without being logically inconsistent.

Again to surmise, if you think it is unethical to unnecessarily kill sentient animals for food you must likewise think unnecessary abortions of sentient fetuses are also unethical.

[Assistant]
>but to remain consistent with the moral motivations of veganism, they must at least concede that killing a sentient fetus is unethical if the procedure is medically unnecessary.

"The right of subjects-of-a-life not to be harmed can be overridden by other moral principles". Ethical veganism does allow for other morals to take precedence over preserving something's life. Many are fine with mercy killing a wounded animal so as not to prolong its suffering. Most seem fine with prioritizing a woman's right to bodily autonomy over the fetus's right to life.

So it is demonstrably logically consistent to be both pro-choice and an ethical vegan.


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

[User]
How are the harmful levels of toxicity in cigarettes regulated today compared to the 40's, 50's, etc.. Have cigarettes gotten more or less dangerous at all?

Just wondering how companies decide what and how many dangerous chemical materials they are allowed to use in cigarettes. Do they generally just put whatever they want in them?

[Assistant]
In the fifties cigarette companies started experimenting with chemicals that would make cigarettes more addictive and more 'satisfying' like flavours etc.
The most successful additive in terms of addiction was ammonia, which increased the bioavailability of nicotine. Since this addition, cigarettes have become more pathogenic... This is reflected in the comments people make about their great- grandfather who smoked 40 cigarettes a day and died of old age at 97 or something. This doesn't tend to happen today- we know now that smoking kills up to 50% of smokers from all kinds of disease, with some studies suggesting more.

The level of carbon monoxide and particulate pollution inhaled is entirely dependent on the smoker's individual smoking style which renders filters of any kind useless. A person who is heavily addicted to nicotine will self titrate from whatever delivery mechanism they are using regardless of filters (depth and frequency of 'puff')

Edit: death rate amended by request (credit to Mfukar)


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

[User] ELI5: Why if a fever is our bodies natural way of fighting sickness am I always told the moment I get a fever to take medicine to reduce it?

[Assistant]
Typically the medicine is *not* trying to destroy the fever, but to counteract some *side effects* of the fever that are unpleasant (the aches and pains) without effecting the temperature, which is what is dangerous both to you and the bacteria.

Trying to lower someone's temperature because the fever is damaging their brain is a rare, last-ditch defense.  Note that with modern medicine, we can abort the fever and still hope to fight the disease, whereas on the savannah if you stop fighting the disease because the fever is too risky, you just die from the disease.


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

[User] Why are modern locomotives powered by diesel generators that power electric motors? How can this be more efficient/powerful than a direct mechanical connection or hydraulic?

[Assistant] Electric motors have full torque at zero RPM.  That's necessary to get a bazillion-ton train moving.  To directly couple an ICE to the wheels, you'd have to have the world's largest clutch or an infinitely/continuously-variable transmission, neither of which could be easily sized to take the strain of a loaded freight train.


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

[User]
If I was downloading something on my cell phone in the middle of a field somewhere and a bolt of lightning shoots down a couple hundred yards away. Would the lightning bolt disrupt the information stream?

Obviously avoiding the possibility of any harm coming to me from the lightning or reaching me in any way. Would the lightning inhibit the data stream for a second or two?

[Assistant]
Probably for less than a second (assuming the nearby lightning bolt didn't fry your phone or the cell tower or whatever). The radio protocols between the phone and the cell tower are designed to be able to recover from brief interference like that, and the internet protocols between your phone's web browser and the remote web site are designed to recover from the occasional lost packet and silently retransmit it.

But the RF noise from the lightning bolt would disrupt the transmission briefly, yes. If you were on a voice call you might hear a brief dropout or garble, since voice usually trades off occasional errors for lower latency.


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

[User]
What causes the sound of thunder in a lightning storm?

I know what cause lightning.

[Assistant] The sound is caused by the rapid increase in air pressure and air temperature around a lightning bolt. As the bolt strikes it causes the surrounding air to expand at a high rate and become really hot. This super heated air starts expanding at a high rate of speed and creates a sound, this is thunder.


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

[User] [Harry Potter] Does the wizarding community watch muggle fantasy shows and movies? If so, what do they think of them?

[Assistant] I wouldn't imagine they'd generally consume muggle media. But if they did watch fantasy films as you suggested then I'd imagine they would interpret them we interpret old movies depicting what was then the future but is now the present.


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

[User]
ELI5 the difference between single phase and three phase power

I hear these terms thrown around a lot and just not sure what the difference is.

[Assistant]
Both are forms of alternating current (AC)

Alternating current cycles from +120V to -120V, 60 times per second (assuming you live somewhere that uses 120V 60 Hz for mains power)

Single phase power means that all of the power in the wire alternates from +120V to -120V.

Three phase power has three wires, all alternating from +120 to -120, all at the same frequency, but they are offset from each other. Basically, when Phase 1 is at its peak, Phase 2 is in the middle, and Phase 3 is at the bottom. So in 3 phase, there's virtually always a wire at 120V or very close to it. It delivers a steady stream of power, and that makes it much more useful for higher electrical loads.


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

[User]
[Stargate:Atlantis] Why did Lt Colonel Sheppard switch to a G36k?

Why did Lt Colonel Sheppard switch to a H&K G36k carbine from Season 5 onwards?

[Assistant]
Depending on how much pull he has, it's either because A) he thought the K variant G36 was a good compromise between the range of a full sized rifle and the compact form-factor of PDWs like the P90 or B) someone higher-up changed the Table of Equipment, meaning his security teams started getting issued rifles whether they liked it or not. Stargate units seem to operate in a weird niche between more conventional forces (who get what they're given and eat shit if they don't like it) and special operations (who get a lot more leeway in terms of choosing their own hardware, within reason), so either is possible.

If memory serves, that time period also corresponds with when Earth-based Stargate Command teams started using more rifles, so a high-level change seems like a likely cause. The most likely reasons for that would be wanting to get SGC on more common footing with both the rest of the American military and other NATO members coming on board with international initiatives (most of whom don't use 5.7mm PDWs) for logistics reasons. On top of that, the SG teams were originally conceived as an exploration force first, fighters second (with exceptions like the Marine SG teams, who rolled with 5.56mm rifles from the start), so a PDW made sense for armament, but as time went on and SG units got into more and more fights, it would just make sense to switch to something with a bit more range.

(If memory serves, the Doylist reason is that the Canadian military was buying up so much of the available 5.7mm blanks that the producers had to switch people to other guns, like Sheppard's G36, Carter's tricked-out mixmaster M4, and so on.)


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

[User] ELI5:Why Doesn't the government tax churches?

[Assistant]
The idea is that religious institutions (e.g. Buddist temples, Christian churches, Jewish organizations) benefit society, so they should be assisted (or at least not hindered with taxes).

For example, people that attend Christian churches are bombarded with these messages every week:

* You must help the poor, elderly, widows, and sick.

* You must forgive those that have wronged you.

* If you kill, lie, cheat, steal, or provide a false witness you are in serious trouble.


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

[User]
[Encanto] Shouldnt Luisa still be strong, even when her gift was gone?

Luisas gift is superhuman strength, and when she loses her gift, shes super weak.

But, Luisa is still quite muscular, so, shouldnt she still be stronger than the average person? She wouldnt be superhuman, but she should be pretty strong with all those muscles.

So, why is Luisa super weak, when shes still very muscular?

Edit: In hindsight, she wasnt super weak, a better way to ask this question is why did she FEEL super weak if she had all those muscles?

[Assistant] It never seemed to me that she was super weak. She was just weak compared to what she was used to. Things felt heavy and that had never happened to her before. Still, she was moving a piano by herself. You know how heavy those things are?


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

[User]
ELI5: Why don't NFL teams train wide receivers to play cornerbacks?

For example the average cornerback is shorter and doesn't have good catching abilities. I would imagine having a receiver defend a receiver would be the best in 1v1 man situations.

[Assistant]
There are different skill sets. Running backwards, zone defense, watching the qb, tackling, etc.

A receiver would be better at the catching the ball part (which is why sometimes they go stand in the end zone when someone is trying a hail mary, but not as good at the other parts.

Football positions, especially in the NFL are a lot more specialized than when we were playing in the street and everyone was a receiver and a cornerback.


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

[User]
Is a headache where i think it is?

When i feel a headache in a certain part of head is it actually there or could it be happening in another part of my brain?

[Assistant] The brain itself has no pain receptors and cannot feel pain. Rather, headaches are things like blood vessels around your skull hurting. While it's true that you could be imagining pain, most headaches are actual pain receptors, even if their ability to sense pain is heightened from a purely psychological reason like stress.


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

[User]
[40k] Is it possible to build a Tyranid shelter?

There's a tyranid swarm devouring planets a couple of systems over and they're probably 6 months to a year from reaching my planet.

My family owns a lot of mining operations on my planet and I was wondering if it would be possible to construct a Tyranid shelter at the bottom of one of the mines.  Money is no object to us and we could easily provision our shelter to comfortably live for a year or two down there.

Granted there'd be nothing on the surface or even any atmosphere by the end of this, so we'll have to leave instructions for relatives off-system to find and pick us up in a year or two once the swarm fleet has passed.  Nothing would be left on our world, but at least we'd avoid the indignity of packing onto a fleeing ship without our possessions and packed in with reeking poor people.

Would Tyranids be able to detect the vibrations of our generators over 10,000 feet below the surface?

They surely don't crawl down every single well, hole, abandoned mine, and lava vent on a planet scouring for signs of life, right?

[Assistant] Tyranids have powerful psykers coordinating the hive mind of the entire swarm. So yes, unless the bunker is vibration-proof, smell-proof, and lined with telepathy-blocking materials, the Tyranids will know where you are.


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

[User]
[General SF] What would large space ships such as those in the United Federation of Planets or the Galactic Empire look like after a few million years of peaceful drifting in deep space?

Would they accrete interstellar hydrogen to become comets? Would the manufactured interiors be dust? Does titanium or steel react at all to a million years in vacuum?

[Assistant]
Probably depends on where it is.  Close to a star it would decay from the constant bombardment of the solar wind.  Micro-meteors would pit the surface and eventually breach the hull.

I suspect at that timescale metal might act as a liquid and the whole structure would slowly collapse in on itself from gravity.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why are the Hebrew Scriptures ("Old Testament") used by evangelicals to justify their harsh stance on homosexuality, but other parts of those same scriptures are completely ignored (killing adulterers, not eating shellfish, etc.)?

**For Reference**

Leviticus 11:9-12 ESV

These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you. You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is detestable to you."

Deuteronomy 22:22 ESV

If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel."

[Assistant]
I will give you a non-religion hating answer.

Throughout the New Testament Jesus abolishes many of the old testament laws including sacrifice and food constraints. However homosexuality is addressed as being a sin in the New Testament thus the belief still holds today.


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

[User]
[Man of Steel] At the start of the movie, why did Jor-El insist that there was no point evacuating anyone because everyone there was already dead?

He says there are habitable worlds within reach - Why not evacuate as many as possible as well as carrying out his Codex plan?

Also, if they knew Krypton was doomed, why send Zod and his cronies off-world? Why not just lock them up and let them perish too?

[Assistant]
I believe he meant the kryptonians were dead culturally.

 They were over reliant on their technology and unable to observe reality through a perspective different from the one created by millennia of deeply engrained dogma, so much so that they completely ignored irrefutable evidence that their planet was doomed.

 If they were to leave Krypton, they would either whither and die, kill themselves or follow Zod's footsteps.


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

[User]
What are types of bugs that only show up after thousands or millions of times of the code being run.

Hi, I have heard about these types of problems in other types of manufacturing, where there are issues that only show up after a significant number of products have been made.

Is there anything similar in programming?

[Assistant]
Race conditions in multi-threaded code.

Its why you should carefully examine mutex use in code reviews with parallel code, since unit and integration tests rarely catch those issues.

Another common one is date related code where it fails after year switch or dst switch or something like that.

Mature code can also fail unexpectedly when something else in your stack changes, a browser update or OS update on machines running the code for example.

Systems also run out of resources over time, cpu, memory, disk can exceed limits.


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

[User] [WH40K] So some space marines just decided to make my home planet into an outpost in their war against the Tau. How do I tell them to politely leave, and take the city they just dropped from orbit with them?

[Assistant]
You are lucky Imperial Citizen!

Few are those who get to see our glorious Emperor's Angels of Death and not be greeted with righteous fury.

As for your request... it is impossible.  Your planet is needed for the Crusade against the filthy Tau xenos.  You should be thankful that you and your planet has been chosen for such privileged service.


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

[User] ELI5: Can athletes and other people who burn a lot of calories "safely" ingest more saturated fat and sugar than the average person?

[Assistant]
If by "safely" you mean "maintain better health markers and quality of life," then yes.

If you are predisposed to heart disease or diabetes, it might take longer, but a bad diet is going to catch up to you at some point.

Health is complicated. Genetics, stress, diet, exercise, lifestyle all play into your risk for disease.


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

[User]
[Lord of the Rings] How can non Elf kind live forever in the undying lands?

So I could be dead wrong about this but I always pictured the undying lands as a peaceful place were the elfs went. Since elfs already live forever and if there was no violence they would never die. But if a Mortal, such as Frodo or Bilbo were to go, wouldn't they eventually just die of old age? Or does nobody die?

[Assistant] The Undying Lands are not called that because the confer immortality - they are called that because the Undying live there. Mortality is a gift of God, and no power within the bounds of the world can take that away, not even Manw himself. Indeed, mortals age and die *faster* in the Undying Lands, like plants given too much sunlight.


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

[User] In mediums where the speed of light is reduced, are relativistic effects greater at lower speeds?

[Assistant] No, relativistic effects are determined by c, the unchanging speed limit of the universe (also the natural conversion factor between distances in space and time). Light happens to travel at this speed in vacuum because it's has no mass, and it's known as "the speed of light" because light was the first massless particle discovered.


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

[User]
ELI5: What exactly is the 5th dimension?

Following the 5 dimensional black hole post i am most curious about the 5th dimension.

To my understanding relativity covers the first 3 dimensions + time as the fourth, but does the 5th dimension cause any detectable effects on the every day human life? What exactly is the 5th dimension?

[Assistant]
At this point, extra dimensions are purely hypothetical, and come from mathematical models of physics. Depending on the particular model, extra dimensions can be highly compacted into tiny spaces or can be very large.

As for what these dimensions "are"/ could be, this is probably beyond what we are capable of describing in any meaningful way. Similar to how a 2d creature could not possible understand 3D, we are locked into perceiving the dimensions that we perceive. As such, extra dimensions in mathematical models remain an abstraction that potentially help us explain observed phenomena.


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

[User] [Warhammer 40k] is it even possible to make it to retirement as an imperial guardsman?

[Assistant]
Like most things 40k anything is possible.

The guard is massive, some guardsman never see action, they could very well go 30 years defending a planet and never see an enemy. Other guard units are sent to a meat grinder with a 99% attrition rate.

Some guardsmen see regular combat against humans only, putting down rebellions on human held worlds, where combat is heavy but more than 75% of your unit makes it out.

Some guard units are told to go conquer a feral world, only to be told once they conquer it they are now its first settlers. We will be back in a century for your first tithe!

It truly runs the gamut.


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

[User] ELI5 why are you extraordinarily hungry when you smoke pot?

[Assistant]
Your body has cannabinoid receptors in lots of different regions of the body because it produces cannabinoids aswell, hunger is one of the mechanisms regulatrd by your bodys cannabinoids and their receptors. Your brain has an ancient mechanism to eat as much as you can, if you found a great food source. The optimal ratio per 100g is 35g fat to 50g carbohydrates (check your chips bags fellow stoners they are doing us dirty), if you eat sth like that, your brain shuts off your feeling of fullness. That's why you can eat a whole bag of chips after lunch even if you didn't smoke weed.
Since the cannabinoids from the weed you smoke interact with the receptors all over your body, it can happen that you trigger this mechanism and start shoving everything in your face like a literal caveman.


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

[User] ELI5: how do beans cause so much more gas than other foods?

[Assistant]
Beans have a thin layer of stuff like wax that coats the outside and makes them shiny. This wax isn't food so it goes through your whole system without digesting. The different parts of your stomach and good bacteria in your guts transform it and change it many ways but it's still not absorbed as food and it causes the bacteria to make gas.

You can make beans in a way that washes off the wax but it's not easy and sometimes takes an entire day just for one pot of beans.


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

[User]
Bullying from colleague. What should I do?

I don't want to go into the details, but a colleague is bullying me. Both of us are lecturers in a department. There is no one running our department except an administrator responsible for many programs. Should I go to HR?

[Assistant] Document everything, record if you can. Have as clear and incontrovertible a case as possible before going to the dept head (if possible, go to HR too). A simple "one said, the other said" won't do it. Make it iron clad like you're preparing to sue, because that is the effective standard of proof for harassment claims--and this is one.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] How come the imperius curse is outlawed but not love potions too?

Love potions are the direct reason to the birth of Voldemort. On top of obvious ethical questions raised by their existence.

They are essentially mass-marketed date rape drugs. Just look at what Romilda Vane did to Ron when he ate her spiked chocolate.

[Assistant]
Love potions are mostly considered a childish practical joke in the Wizarding World - there's antidotes for curing it rather easily and it's mostly seen as childish.

However, their usage is *heavily* frowned upon - they're banned outright in Hogwarts and Snape used a single-glance threat to anyone dumb enough to follow Lockhart's suggestion to ask him how to brew it.

And yes, Merope Gaunt used it to make a Muggle her husband... but she was expressly kept away from other Wizards in an extremely screwed up household.


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

[User]
[New Gods] Why does Darkseid hate Kalibak so much?

Don't get me wrong, he hates *both* of his sons. (Unless you count Grayven) But for what specific reasons does he hate Kalibak in particular?

[Assistant] Kalibak's mother was Suli, the only person Darkseid ever loved. On the orders of Darkseid's mother Heggra, who felt this love was a weakness, Desaad had her poisoned. Darkseid cannot look at Kalibak without being reminded of what he lost. Darkseid later had Desaad poison Heggra in retaliation.


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

[User] How does radiation "cause" cancer?

[Assistant]
2nd year UK Medical student here.

Cancer is unregulated cell growth. Normally cell growth and production are regulated by 2 (broad) types of genes- Oncogenes which promote growth, and Tumour Suppressor genes which slow cell growth.

Ionising radiation will break bonds and physically alter the DNA inside cells. Often this will lead to a mutation which will cause the cell either to die, or to be killed by the body in a controlled way.

However, if an oncogene is affected so that it is over-active, or a Tumour Suppressor gene is altered so it is not active enough, then cancer will occur.

References: Wikipedia and Medical school (in that order)


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

[User]
CMV: Valentines Day is unnecessary.

Valentine's day is right around the corner; many restaurants and shops are kicking off their deals and promotions. People are beginning their shopping spree and are making dinner plans with their significant others. Sure some of the seasonal gifts are adorable. Of course, there's nothing wrong with having fun and celebrating with your special one. Still, I don't see the point of dedicating this one day every year to show your love.

If you love somebody, you should love them the same way, at the same intensity every day, every minute of the year. Valentine's day gives people an excuse to make up for the countless days they showed a lack of affection to their partner by going extra grand.

Plus, people's expectations on this day are off the charts; they anticipate their partners to do something extraordinary for them, putting unnecessary pressure on both sides. Your partner might be stressing weeks and months going into Valentine's day thinking of what to get for you. You'd feel grief if your partner doesn't live up to your expectations. Wouldn't it mean something more to do something special for your partner when they don't expect it?

Valentine's day also drives the focus away from love to consumerism. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with buying and giving. It is one's belief that they are obligated to spend endless amounts of money on something extravagant. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans plan to spend an average of $196.31 on Valentine's day. That's a lot of money to spend on an average Friday.

This goes the same for Mother's Day and Father's Day. If you genuinely care for these people, show them gratitude and love in every living moment. Show how enormously you care about them whenever possible, not just this "special day" every year.

Change my view!

[Assistant] Valentine's Day isn't "today is the one day of the year to show your partner you love them". It is "today is the day to do something special with your partner to celebrate your relationship". You point out that people spend $200 on Valentine's Day, and that this is a lot of money to spend on an average Friday, and that's the entire point.  You should be showing your partner you love them all the time, but it's simply not possible to go to a nice restaurant and buy a gift or two every day.


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

[User]
Why are cardiac valves from pigs not rejected by human bodies?

The problem with the body rejecting organs/tissues is huge and mostly entails the usage of pharmaceuticals preventing the rejection. Why can be transplant cardiac valves from pigs without having a rejection (in most cases)?

[Assistant]
Roughly speaking, all tissue in your body has cells (which are alive) and other things (which aren't). Some tissue (like muscles) has a lot of cells and a little of other things. Some tissue (like cartilage) has very few cells and is mostly made of other things.

Immune reactions primarily target living tissue.

Heart valves are made of is almost entirely non-living tissue, and after being harvested from pigs, those valves are treated with chemicals to kill off any residual pig cells. As a result, when they are implanted, they usually do not cause immune reactions because there are no cells within them to cause an immune reaction.

This is similar to receiving ligament grafts from deceased human donors.


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

[User] ELI5: What exactly is gentrification, how is it done, and why is it seen as a negative thing?

[Assistant]
Gentrification is when lower cost, lower income neighborhoods are taken over by those with higher income, which raises real estate prices and rents and forces many of the previous residents out. It often also forces existing businesses out and sees them replaced by higher end and/or chains.

The typical pattern is that low income but trendy people, ie. the cliche starving artists, or unknown musicians, etc. will discover an area's cheap rents, loft spaces, bars with cheap booze. As they move in, so too do the coffee shops, thrift stores, record stores, and edgy restaurants that cater to these types (think vegan diner, no frills ethnic places). Middle income creative types (graphic designers, architects) discover these areas when attending some live music event or restaurant and notice the nice bones of the older, worn real estate. They start buying buildings and rehabbing them. Landlords start fixing up apartments to charge higher rents. Un-savable and ugly buildings get torn down and new buildings go up.

The minority businesses there before the artists can't afford the higher rents, so the ethnic salon or bodega close. Starbucks, cocktail bars, and Dr. Martin open stores. Even longtime home owners have trouble staying as rising home values mean property taxes outpace their income. A farmers market starts up, the local park gets rehabed. Yuppie families who can't afford homes in the upscale areas of town start discovering they can get more space in the gentrifying area, plus it makes them look cooler. Boutiques and baby stores pop up, as well as trendy furniture places. The vegan diner close, and Chipotle opens in its place.

It'd both good and bad. It cleans up rough parts of town and expands the amount of nicer areas that people with more income want to live. But it's bad because it displaces others who cannot afford to stay, and who see their community broken up. Often those who helped get the ball rolling by making it somewhat safer (cleaning parks, neighborhood watch) then cannot stay to enjoy the benefits of their efforts. Also, it's most often wealthy whites forcing out poor minorities, so there is the perception of the strong fighting the weak. And too often, independent businesses are put out of business and replaced by generic chains.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do thing that get moved or destroyed in older animated movies have a different colour (ex: you know a rock is gonna get destroyed because it has a different color than other rocks)

[Assistant] It's because objects that were to be animated in some way (as opposed to the backgrounds, which are fixed or just scroll around) were drawn and painted in a separate process, at a different time and by different people to the backgrounds. So their colors, detail level, and sometimes the art style didn't match the backgrounds perfectly - so you end up with that rock that you just know Wile E Coyote is going break with his head.


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

[User]
what happens to the vaccine after the mRNA is processed by the ribosome?

So obviously i understand a bit of how the covid19 vaccine works, but what happens to the strands of mRNA after the ribosome "reads" it? Does it just float around in the cell or does it get broken down, or something else?

[Assistant] It is broken down. Your body is constantly sending mRNA to the ribosomes and there are enzymes in the cytoplasm there ready to catch it and break it down. That way the ribosomes arent forever making the same proteins over and over. This has actually been the biggest hurdle in developing mRNA treatments and vaccines, getting them to stick around long enough to be read by a ribosome before the enzymes break it down!


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

[User] Eli5: why do the lights on planes flash instead of remaining illuminated like car headlights?

[Assistant]
It makes them easier to spot visually.

Planes have several types of lights.  The navigation lights (solid red/green on the left/right wing tips, and a solid white light on the tail) help pilots determine which way an airplane points. The red beacon light is a red rotating or pulsating light to warn people on the ground that the aircraft is running or about to start. Solid taxi/takeoff/landing lights illuminate what's ahead so pilots can taxi/takeoff/land safely. And the white flashing strobe light allows pilots to pick out an airplane at great distances and track it.


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

[User]
CMV: if you support court-packing and it isn't about increasing power, you should advocate for increasing judges slowly over time

So I'm not from the US, but I have a reasonable understanding of how the system works. Biden now wants to add 4 judges to the supreme Court at once, which would swing the court in the Democrat's favor significantly.

I've heard some reasonable arguments for increasing the number of judges, and I'm willing to go along with some of them. However, it not only opens the door to abuse (the next Republican president can just do the same thing) but it's also pretty transparent that this is being done at least partially for the purpose of gaining power.

If that isn't the reason you support increasing the number of judges by 4, you should be happy to accept a slow increase in judges over time, or even-sided nominations.

I would see three choices:

1. Biden is required to nominate 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats. If you think the need to increase the court size is urgent, this seems to satisfy that while also not effecting the balance of power.

2. Biden nominates 1 judge, the next republican president nominates 1, then Democrats, then republicans again. This seems *more* fair as republicans would get their choice, rather than having one of their number picked. But I recognise that this could take 20+ years, so isn't particularly quick.

3. Each presidential term can make one nomination, starting with Biden's current term. This has the potential to still have all 4 judges be democrat, if Biden wins re-election and his successor serves two terms as well. But, you can argue that this would at least best represent the will of the people, and could potentially see republicans nominate 3, if they win all 3 of the next elections. Again, not as urgent as 1, but at least will be done in 12 years approx.

Personally, I'd suggest route 3. But my opinion is that if you're not willing to accept any of the above 3 options, you are clearly only supporting increasing the size of the court in order to swing the balance of power in your favor.

EDIT: Apologies, shouldn't have specified adding judges over time in the title, as I think option 1 is also reasonable. What I mean is:

If you support court packing and it isn't about power, you should support one of these three options.

[Assistant]
Two of the last three SCOTUS nominees were chosen by the GOP with questionable methods including a 180 degree flop of logic as to choosing a SCOTUS in the final moments of a POTUS term, The third candidate was an embarrassing circus that many Americans were ashamed to see.

Biden's reasons to enlarge the SCOTUS are about undoing the harm the last guy caused. This can only be corrected now. All of OP choices avoid the need to correct the injustice in the Justices court.


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

[User] Has Earth always been in the Suns habitable zone? If not, when did it start to occupy the Goldilocks zone?

[Assistant] Earths orbit has not changed since its creation, though that is basically by definition as something is not a planet until it has cleared out everything from its orbit. That said, you may be interested in the faint young sun paradox. The sun was  dim early in earths history, and so liquid water shouldnt have been possible as early as we find evidence for it. So in a way the earth wasnt always in the Goldilocks, but not due to orbits but solar output.


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

[User]
ELI5: how to TV shows like Breaking Bad, The Wire, Walking Dead etc... manage to maintain such a consistent tone/feel despite using different directors and writers?

I understand why shows use different writers/directors (bringing in a new perspective, directing skill sets etc...), but how do these shows maintain their consistency with different people at the creative helm?

[Assistant]
A lot of shows have a "showrunner" -- usually a producer or writer -- who is in charge of the overall tone, style, and direction of a show. This person generally works with the writers and directors to ensure that the material that's written follows their general vision for the show, and that the filming style for individual episodes facilitates that. Individual writers and directors will bring in their own unique styles -- just as the actors do -- but the showrunner can make sure that everything they do is in service to the show. This is similar to how, when a show has a number of different writers, they can work on separate episodes, but coordinate with each other so that the season's story arc progresses the way that they want.

A lot of shows' tones are also set within the first few episodes. In the case of The West Wing, for instance, the first two episodes were directed by Thomas Schlamme. He worked with writer Aaron Sorkin to create a dramatic visual style that suited the quick, intelligent dialog, and helped establish a very cinematic look and feel to the show. Having that sort of tone defined within the first episode or two, from then on it's just a matter of other directors working to match that style and feel. Television writers and directors are largely hired as contract work (in contrast to films where a director might be the one in charge of the entire project) and they wouldn't be hired if they were unwilling or unable to work within the show's established style and tone.


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

[User]
If Earth were the same mass but half as dense, would we weigh the same?

Curious if the increased volume would put us further from the center of mass making gravity less strong at the surface, or if that wouldn't be a factor.

[Assistant]
The "acceleration due to gravity", g, which on the Earth's surface is 9.8 m/s^2 .Is given by GM/R^2  where M is the mass of the object (for the Earth this is about 6x10^24 kg), and R is the distance to the center of mass (about 6,400 km on Earth). G is the gravitational constant 6.67x10^-11 .  If the Earth had half the density but the same volume (i.e. R is the same, M is half), then g is just halfed to 4.9 m/s^2 . So you'd weigh have as much.

If you changed the volume, rather than the mass, then the volume of a sphere is V= (4/3)pi R^3 , which is (3/4pi)V^(2/3) = R^2  so we have g = GM/(3/4pi V^(2/3))   = (4pi/3)GMV^(-2/3)  so it changes proportional to the power of -2/3 with volume (assuming it remains a sphere).


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Why do all pilots try to escape through a blockade, and not attempt to go around it via some other means?

Watch any SW movie or series episode, and if theres a blockade, they try to go through it? Is there a reason for this this?

Think of it like this; Imagine I had to escape earth and there was a blockade positioned above Australia... why go up and straight out through the blockade? Theres a whole sphere of exit points you can adjust for. Head to Greenland and try through there instead... maybe head towards Brazil?

Or lets say youre coming through the atmosphere, and thats when the blockade shows up? if they havent locked a tractor beam on you, just change direction at that moment.  Go .456 instead of 10.765...

Space is super vast and those ships, even the biggest of the super star destroyers, are wicked tiny in comparison to a planet.  Why are they treating it like the only way to go; is coming through a tiny tunnel.

Theres no way that all of the space can blanketed.

[Assistant] Jumping into hyperspace blind is basically suicide. Due to this most systems have few reliable places to jump out system. A blockade simply places the bulk of the opposing force to cover the most well known routes forcing a fleeing opponent to go through the enemy in order to escape.


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

[User]
[Godzilla 2014] Spoiler question, please check inside

Why didn't Godzilla have his atomic breath from the beginning? What caused it to appear? Also, it felt like he got more coordinated in his fighting as time went on.

[Assistant]
Godzilla's atomic breath uses up a great deal of the creature's energy reserves. Using it twice and sustaining it for only a few seconds each time caused the creature to go into what can best be described as metabolic shock and lose consciousness. It's actually being argued now that the higher than average radiation levels brought on by the nearby nuclear explosion are what allowed the creature to wake up so quickly.

As for Godzilla's fighting prowess, we aren't really sure. Early reports are theorizing that the creature has a rudimentary intelligence due to its ability to formulate a defense on the fly that ultimately led to its victory against the two M.U.T.O.s. Also, Godzilla could engage either of them individually without much problem. Their dual efforts were what really gave him difficulty. He was only able to kill the male MUTO after the female had been distracted by the destruction of her eggs.

Another indication of a kind of intelligence is the creature's seemingly benign attitude towards humanity. News reports are calling him "King of the Monsters" and a "savior". People everywhere, and in Japan in particular, are in absolute awe of this creature.


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

[User]
[Quantum Leap] Are the evil leapers actually evil?

The only plausible thing I can think of regarding them is that they are leapers from a point further in the future than the original Project QL (1995) and have different (or even unrecognizable) motivations than Sam, Al and Ziggy. Otherwise, how could they even have a parallel PQL program? It also would make more sense that the barkeeper in the finale is an extremely advanced AI from the future and not really God, he only appears that way to Sam.

[Assistant]
Or from that perspective, is Sam even doing good?

From each case it seems like he is but we never see the further reaching consequences of his actions. They might cause worse in the long run.

Maybe changing a thing for the better makes it so that a human rights movement doesnt gain traction.

(It has been ages since Ive seen an episode so take with salt)


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

[User]
How long does the criticality reaction last in a nuclear weapon?

The energy of a nuclear weapon is released in the critical chain reaction of whatever fissile material is in it. From the first nucleus fissioning to the last nucleus fissioning how long is the reaction?

Similarly for hydrogen bombs how long is the hydrogen fusion chain reaction?

Do they last milliseconds or is it longer?

[Assistant]
~10 ns per fission generation, of the order of 100 generations, or 1 microsecond. Most of the energy is released in the last ~10 generations. A properly detonated nuclear weapon becomes subcritical because of a lack of fission material, not because the material flies apart.

I didn't find numbers for fusion weapons but they shouldn't be too different.


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

[User] ELI5: If you go to sleep hungry, why do you wake up significantly less hungry than you were before?

[Assistant]
The amount of sugar in your blood stream has a big impact on how hungry you are. When you eat something with sugar your blood sugar immediately rises. As time passes your body uses that sugar for energy and your blood sugar levels get low. This causes you to feel hungry, however if you wait long enough your liver will process stored fat to increase your blood sugar levels. That's why if you ignore your hunger(or sleep through it) you will feel less hungry.

Edit:

Unless you're diabetic. Then you should probably not go to bed hungry.


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

[User] Water is clear. Why is snow white?

[Assistant]
Water is clear, why are frothy waves white?

Glass windows are clear, why is a pile of shattered safety glass white?

All for the same essential reason. Something clear is clear because its structure is well aligned to allow light to pass through with**out** lots of refraction or absorption. Snow flakes (and bubbly water, and glass shards) provide millions of surfaces, all pointing different directions, sending light bouncing and bending and absorbing in all sorts of ways. The light gets diffused into what you see as white.


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

[User] ELI5: Why does the United States react so quickly to terrorist activity in the middle east, as a humanitarian effort, but has ignored numerous genocides?

[Assistant]
This almost seems like a violation of Rule 7...

"Loaded questions are not allowed. A loaded question presumes a controversial opinion is fact, usually to provoke an argument. "ELI5: Why is Obama the president when he wasn't born in the US?" is loaded. "ELI5: The controversy about where Obama was born" is a non loaded way to ask about the same topic."


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

[User]
CMV: No one earns a billion dollars.

Although it is possible to possess a billion dollars, the fact that you posses it means that you have exploited other humans in a way detrimental to the public good, continuing to posses it drives the velocity of that money to zero, causing real harm, and being part of any system so integral that it can generate a billion dollars means that you have subverted a necessary system as a tyrant, causing harm to your fellow humans.

If it cant be earned, and its directly harmful, by what right do we allow this enormity to continue.

[Assistant]
People do earn a billion. Ill provide you with an example Ive used recently.

J.K. Rowling

According to Forbes, she became the first author billionaire.

She exploited nobody.

She was poor, she wrote a story that the public liked and wanted more of. She wrote 7 books, got film deals and merchandising rights and acquired her wealth that way. She didnt exploit anyone.

A mass consumer market who liked what she had to offer and were willing to pay money to read/watch or buy whatever else was on offer gave her that wealth. What she was offering was not a necessity. Nobody HAD to read her books. Nobody HAD to watch the films. Nobody HAD to buy the merchandise.

Life would have carried on just fine without Harry Potter but the market was prepared to pay a lot of money for a part of her fantasy story.


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

[User]
Why do plants never get cancer?

All humans and most other animals are at risk of getting cancer during their lifetime.But why plants have the privilege of not getting this disease?

I'm really impressed by most of your responses,but their is a question in my mind that is still bugging me.

When a person gets really old,cancer cells would form in a certain part of his body since his DNA becomes "weaker"as he got older ,but let's say just in this case that the cancer cells can not move to other parts of his body(Metastasis )to make the situation similar to plants where cancer cells are locked in this position since they have cell walls that surround the cells. Cancer cells would still originate from different parts of his body as he gets older until tumor covers all of  him and he dies.

This case is theoretically possible for a human,but some trees live for thousands of years and it doesn't seem that tumors are covering all of their parts...Why?

[Assistant]
Plants have a decentralized anatomy. No organs that are explicitly vital to survival, and no circulatory system that allows cells from one place to another. They do get tumors from time to time, but since there's no means for them to metastasize they stay in one place and it's unbelievably unlikely for them to damage anything the plant actually needs to survive.

Because of that, plants are much more tolerant of genetic weirdness than animals are.


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

[User] ELI5: What a circlejerk is and why it's bad.

[Assistant]
Let's say your class had a debate on which was better, kitties or puppies. Maybe not even a debate. Maybe even just a show of hands.

And let's pretend that puppies won.

People might start noticing that puppies were popular, and that a good way to get attention or approval would be to enjoy puppies. Wearing t-shirts with a puppy on it to get compliments, for instance. Over time, the classroom might seem like home to an unofficial, unspoken Puppy Club, where the more you agreed with the Puppy Club the more accepted you were.

Here are some common games the Puppy Club might play:

 Make it sound like liking puppies was something new, or special, or unique, or even the oppressed minority opinion you know, sitting down at a table where it was well-known that all the kids liked puppies, and saying, "Does anyone else think puppies are great and kitties aren't?"

 Bringing up puppies even when no one was talking about pets at all, just to get some cheap approval.

 Purposely making people who preferred kitties sound bad, or stupid, or crazy, or brainwashed; purposely turning pet conversations into puppies-versus-kitties talk, with no regard for birds or fish or turtles.

 Congratulating each other on how brave and special and smart they were to like puppies. Telling each other over and over again that their Puppy Club was how it ought to be and everyone else was making school a worse place. They would say this in places the Puppy Club had already staked out, of course, so they could say all that stuff without anyone challenging them.

 Making sure during class discussions that people praising puppies got a lot of attention and applause, and that people praising kitties didn't get to talk as much. (Grownups call this upvotes and downvotes: kids, ask your parents!)

 Shouting "Woof!" or "Roll over!" or a puppy-related catchphrase to win people's approval, while someone else is trying to give a worthwhile presentation to the class. (Whether it was even about puppies, or pets, or something different at all.)

All in all, the discussion would just start skewing toward what people would think would make the Puppy Club happy, with the result that no one really learns about other points of view, or even (sometimes) gets a full understanding of puppies.

--------------

We call it a circlejerk because of something adults like to do. You could think of it as circle-gold-stars. Do you like to get gold stars on your work at school? Well, imagine if everyone sat in a circle with a sheet of gold stars and gave gold stars to the person on their right. It wouldn't really be the same as getting gold stars from the teacher, 'cause they just made this little circle to make each other feel good, but it would still feel good.

It's okay to feel good when your friends give you a gold star. But it's much better to have different opinions, that make good points about puppies and kitties, than about who comes away feeding the circle-gold-star mentality the most. That way we all learn something!


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

[User]
[Iron Man] In a friendly game of HORSE, Tony decides to go for a distance shot. Using only his suit and knowledge of physics, what's the longest distance from which he can make a basket?

For those who don't know, HORSE is basically a shooting competition. The rules don't really matter for this question other than to say you can try to make whatever shot you want.

[Assistant]
It depends on the conditions at the time.  In an ideal environment, perfect ball, no wind, that sort of thing, the limiting factor is how fast you can throw a basketball without it being destroyed by the initial acceleration or the air friction.

That said, conditions won't be that ideal, so there will come a point where random factors won't be able to be accounted for.  He can sink it from anywhere on the court, but probably not from everywhere on the block.


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

[User]
[harry potter] why was Voldemort afraid of Dumbledore?

 what was the real reason why voldemort was afraid of dumbledore?

[Assistant]
1. Dumbledore wasn't afraid of Voldemort.

2. Dumbledore defeated Grindlewald in single combat, who was probably the most powerful dark wizard of all time until Voldemort stepped into the ring.

3. Dumbledore had the Elder Wand, a near-mythic legendary weapon of power, which he won from Grindlewald.

4. Dumbledore was, once upon a time, Tom Riddle's Headmaster. There is a psychological effect to dealing with someone who was Big when you were Small.

5. Tom Riddle is terrified of death - thus, if he considers Dumbledore to have a fair chance at putting him there, he is terrified of him.


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

[User] [Greek Mythology] What happens if you die and don't have a coin with which to pay Charon, the ferryman of the River Styx?

[Assistant] Nothing really, you're just stuck on the wrong side of the river for the rest of eternity. IIRC, there is one legend where a crowd of coin-less people try to get onto the ferry, and Charon beats them back with an oar.