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

[User]
[Marvel/DC] If Rogue touches another superhero, can she use their unique equipment too?

The top three examples that come to mind:

If it's Charles Xavier, can she use Cerebro?

If it's Thor, is she worthy to use Mjolnir?

If it's Hal Jordan, can she use the Green Lantern ring?

I realize these are very different situations with their own context. I'm just curious to know what you guys think.

[Assistant]
Cerebro, yes as Jean, Emma, and Betty had used in in various canons

Mjolnir, no. Thors worthiness comes from himself as a person, not his powers.

The ring, no. Hals powers come from the ring. If Rouge touches him, it just her touching a regular human man and she is going to get fuckboy powers over women. The ring will stay with Hal unless he dies and Rouge is the closest person with great willpower.


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

[User]
What makes Kierkegaard different from other Existentialists?

 Being the father of existentialism, how does he stand against the other philosophers?

[Assistant] The main difference is his Christianity. Out of all the other Big Existentialists (TM) he's the only one who was a person of faith. His faith drives his thought in a very significant manner, and that leads him towards a variety of different conclusions than the others often reach. He's also interested in a somewhat different set of questions from the others for the same reason.


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

[User] Does applying ice or cold water to a superficial burn make any impact on the actual injury? Or does it just soothe the pain for a moment?

[Assistant]
The initial effect would be to lower the temperature. This will decrease the amount of damage at the cellular level.

Second effect would be to cause the constriction of the blood vessels in the area. This will decrease the amplitude of the immune response,  and therefore inflammation, in the area that was burned.

I am sure there are other benefits and maybe other can chime in.


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

[User]
Why is it that children generally learn certain things much faster than adults? (Second language, sports, etc)

I remember as a kid, learning another language was much easier than one learning now. Spatial judgment (soccer, tennis) and other things were also comparatively easier to pick up, iirc. Any explanations?

Thanks :)

[Assistant] As a young child your neural pathways are still in heavy flux, with neural connections being added and removed constantly. Because of this, if the brain is exposed to meaningful stimuli it can rapidly adjust the brain quickly to learn it better. In addition most of the changes to form your set neural pathways are removal of connections because your brain is removing unstimulated connections, it is much harder to re-establish these later.


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

[User]
[Kingsman] What would have been the largest possible favour Eggsy could have requested of the Kingsman?

Eggsy makes use of his phone call to request help in the face of a prison sentence and a lasting criminal record. This is obviously no trivial circumstance and yet with just one call, the situation is diffused and he gets to walk free.

This raises a few questions. I'll start by asking what's the worst crime the Kingsman would have helped get him off the hook for?

Could he on a whim have asked a favour that would have been illegal?

Would the Kingsman have responded if he'd asked for something stupid like a take out meal from somewhere across the globe? If not, how about take out from somewhere local?

Bonus question, what favour would you have requested from the Kingsman?

[Assistant]
Assuming the Statesmen were the ones nurturing Galahad to health, it can be assumed they can bypass local governments and murder investigations without trouble. Considering they're a spy force, this probably works on a national level as well.

It's probable that the Kingsmen have a similar level of authority, so there's probably a fair bit of strings Eggsy can pull, probably some very interesting data he can access. However, they won't let him get away with murder, which falls outside their code.

If Eggsy asked for international takeout, Merlin would wait a day or so and send him some Teriyaki Rice & Chicken from the Chinese place next door.

Bonus round I'd totally just ask for a shitload of monnaaaayyyyyyy.


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

[User] How would a person standing on the North Pole feel the effects of the earth's rotation?

[Assistant]
Standing on the equator, you are moving at a whopping 1670 km/h around the center of the Earth. You don't feel this.

Standing on either pole, you are stationary relative to the center of the earth. You are merely rotating very very slowly (0.0007 rpm). You are absolutely guaranteed not to feel this.


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

[User] ELI5 when your pour a liquid over flour, why does some of the flour remain dry?

[Assistant] Flour molecules have a hydrophilic end (water-loving) and a hydrophobic end (water hating). When the water drops into the flour it is immediately surrounded by flour molecules with their water loving ends pointed into the droplet, entirely surrounding it, and thereby keeping it away from the dry flour.


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

[User]
ELI5: What is in hot chocolate powder that makes it effectively unstir-able when its at a cold temperature??

Always wanted to know why it cant be a cold chocolate packet too...

[Assistant] The main reason is that cocoa powder is fatty and fat does not mix well with water. What needs to happen is the water molecules need to get in between the cocoa grains. When water is hot, the water molecules move faster which increases their ability to get in between. When cold, fatty material just sticks together in clumps. Applying shear force (by stirring) helps the water get in between the powder grains. Mixing also works better when it's a small amount of water. The reason for that is the shear force of the spoon is more effective in forcing the molecules to mix. Because it thickens, the clumps can't escape the spoon so easily which also helps. In a full cup, the clumps of fatty material just stick together and just float away from the spoon.


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

[User] ELI5 how did banks clear checks and get funds from other banks before computerization?

[Assistant]
Every night after the close of business, there were scores of airplanes carrying paper checks from one city to the other.  Had to spend the night once at a small hotel at the Greenville, NC airport and was shocked at the number of planes taking off and landing at night.  Turns out Greenville was a regional center for check clearing.

Thanks for the awards.  Makes not getting any sleep that night worth it.


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

[User] How can an earthworm (or nightcrawler) dig underground when it's super soft?

[Assistant]
Hi!
Earthworms are oligochaetes wich means they have a couple of queta (like little spines or needles) coming on each side of the body on every segment.
So they use the prostomium (or "face" that is thinner) to get into the soil, anchor the bristles into the ground and pull on their muscles to propell themselves deeper. They also eat a lot of dirt so it creates tunnels.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why is it so controversial to display rape in media (movies, television, etc.) moreso than equally horrific crimes such as murder or torture?

There was a rape scene in Game of Thrones that caused a pretty big controversy a while ago.  The scene was extremely unpleasant, as a rape scene should be, (she's being *raped*, you're not supposed to like it) and didn't show rape as being exciting or sexy.

Game of Thrones is a show which portrays characters who the audiences see as "good guys" (a few of whom are children) participating in warfare, murder as a means of revenge, and summary execution.   Dark comedy has been derived from murder, sexual blackmail, and torture.  Why has the single rape scene caused so much more controversy than any of these? (for the record, I honestly don't give a shit about how the show portrays any of these, I'm not offended by much of anything)

The latest Metal Gear Solid game portrayed two characters, one a young woman and one a teenage boy, being sexually violated by the main villain.  The consensus is that the scenes were extremely disturbing but handled the subject of war rape in a tasteful manner.  However, a few people argued that showing a character committing rape is a cheap way to demonstrate that they're evil.  How is that more "cheap" than showing them murdering or torturing people?  Why is it wrong to show an evil character doing evil things?

I can't think of any work of fiction in any form of media which showed rape as something other than awful.

[Assistant]
The easy answer is that TV viewers have long been de-sensitized to violence, but not so with rape. Furthermore, we've long idolized the violent (war heroes, superheroes, etc.), but we don't lionize rapists (although Genghis Khan was pretty impressive on both fronts).

Likely, the root of this comes from the fact that violence has a practical, sometimes beneficial function for society as a whole, as in the defeat of the Nazis, or in the countless tribal skirmishes that resulted in new hunting grounds for the victors. Rape, conversely, whether on a small or large scale, doesn't bring many social benefits.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Family Relations

I think an *almost* universally agreed upon fact in the fandom is that Luke is most like Padm (his kindness and compassion) and Leia (her determination and sheer force of will) is most like Anakin. My question is this: Had Anakin been around to raise the twins what would the relationship be like between Anakin and Luke and Leia and Padm? How would they be together?

[Assistant]
The biggest issue Im seeing is that Anakin still has the mindset he does and has the most raw psychic power of anybody in the galaxy.  Even at his best, Anakin Skywalker was prone to violent outbursts and giving in to more base urges at odds with  - and perhaps exacerbated by - the strict lifestyle of a Jedi Knight.  And just because he was happy about parenthood does not by any means make him father material.  If his head is in the same place as it was in the final days of the Clone Wars, things go south.

Fast.


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

[User] [Fnaf] why hire nightguards when the animatronics can't leave the property and any break ins would just result in dead robbers?

[Assistant] FNAF lore is convoluted as hell, but the gist of it is that many of the electronics *are* capable of leaving the property; the fazbear cast was designed by a malicious serial killer who deliberately built them to be violent and dangerous, and several of them are haunted by the ghosts of people who died on the premises.  It's strongly implied >!and in one of the later games outright confirmed!< that the guard is actually *bait* to keep them occupied during the night.


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

[User] [Dishonored 2] One of my neighbours just up and left their apartment thanks to a bloodfly infestation and they haven't done anything to remove the nests. What should I do?

[Assistant] You should contact your local member of the Grand Guard and see if they can put through a request for an exterminator, if they haven't already. You might need to make plans to stay somewhere else in the meantime if it's too bad though.


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

[User] [Man of Steel] Could anything be done against Zod if Superman hadn't beaten him or would people just have to hide and hope he'd eventually tire of tearing them in half, frying them with heat vision, or just dropping buildings on them?

[Assistant]
No, you pretty much called it.

It's possible humans could have done damage to him, given a big enough sustained assault.   For example, maybe several nukes hitting him at once.  But that would have been nearly impossible.  We see how strong he is, how fast he is.  How could you launch a nuclear assault on him?  He could see and hear missles coming miles away. He isnt going to stand still and wait for them.  Launch them from jets but he can outfly a jet.  Send a hundred jets or a thousand tanks his way, he can take them all out with heat vision and never even move.

There's literally no way human beings, not even an entire army, could have stopped him.  We saw how powerful he was and sitting on earth under our yellow sun he was only going to get stronger and faster and crazier.  He would have destroyed earth and wiped out every last human being on this planet and there wouldn't have been a single thing we could so about it.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Why didn't Obi Wan attempt to have Palpatine executed when he learned that he was a Sith Lord.

in episode 2.  Why did Count Dooku tell Obi Wan that the senate was controlled by Darth Sidious?

[Assistant]
It's believed that Master Kenobi did not connect Darth Sidious with then Chancellor Palpatine. There are many methods of "control" and mind control is one most readily associated with the Sith.

Another factor would be that Kenobi simply did not believe Count Dooku as Dooku was an enemy of the Republic and would have simply wanted Kenobi more uncertain in the organization he faithfully served.


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

[User]
ELIF.Why does it feel so good to take a great big shit?

Besides the basic overall good feeling of no longer having to poop, why does it feel so fucking good to take a big dump?  The kind where you stretch it out because you have the place all to yourself.

[Assistant]
This thread already has a pretty obviously awesome answer, but to throw something in the mix.

When you got poop up your butt, it is putting pressure on some special butt sensors.

Those butt sensors are sending signals to you to get that poop out of there so you can make room for more activities and such.

So they cause you intestinal distress. Sometimes in the form of pressure, or even in the form of your digestive system cramping up by undergoing rhythmic contractions to push the shit out.

All that stops it from succeeding is the semi penetrable barrier that is your anus. And you good sir are its master.

As soon as your poops out, your butt sensors got no more signals, and you are now free of the constant waves of pressure.


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

[User] Why is it that some scents (cigarette smoke) cling to our clothes or other objects, and others do not?

[Assistant] Tobacco is a carbon ash particle. It lands and binds on your clothes and skin. Other scents like citrus or vapes or aerosols evaporate quickly. They are liquid, not solid, so there is nothing to retain the chemicals.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do people censor their eyes when they post pictures of themselves when you can still pretty much tell it's them if you knew the person originally?

[Assistant] There is a lot of facial detail in and around your eyes.  If you know the person, then your brain will fill in the blanks and help you recognize them, but if you don't know the person, then you have no idea what that area should look like, and that conceals their identity.


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

[User] [Marvel/DC] Which heroes are on the autism spectrum?

[Assistant]
Apparently reed richards is actually autistic. Not only does his wife think he is, he himself identifies it. It kinda makes sense since he has trouble relating to others, and understanding others emotions. Its not referenced directly a lot, but is confirmed.

Also legion, or David Haller, is autistic, but he shows absolutely zero symptoms of it.


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

[User] ELI5: Why is it uncomfortable to walk slower (e.g., stuck behind a group on a sidewalk) even if I'm not in a hurry?

[Assistant] because it requires you to alter your natural gait and pace. You have a specific stride and when someone is walking slowly in front of you you have to shorten your stride, which disrupts the fluidity of the automatic coordination that allows you to walk without thinking.


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

[User] ELI5: Why are TVs, radios, etc designed so that the volume can go high enough to blow out their own speakers?

[Assistant]
Speakers are often blown not just by sending too much power to a unit, but by sending too much **low quality power** to the speakers. It can spike, it is dirty, etc., low quality amplifiers do not send clean power to speakers.

I once listened to a pair of $10,000 speakers pushed by a $15,000 amp. The guy said he could not blow the speakers with that amp if he tried.


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

[User] China has used "fireworks" to break up cloud formations and bring blue skies. Could this technique be used to dissipate a tornado, to save lives and reduce damage?

[Assistant] Clouds exist figuratively and literally at the boundary between being vapor and liquid water.   Small variations in wind, pressure, and temperature can cause large scale changes quickly (often by causing a cascade of rain that clears the suspended droplets).  Tornadoes are relatively local and energetic phenomenon where an enormous amount of angular momentum has been concentrated in one location.  Disrupting an active tornado would probably take a lot more energy applied in more interesting ways than just a transient fireworks explosion nearby.  Preventing a tornado would similarly require a lot of energy to redirect the large scale movement of the air volume and prevent it from collapsing. Either way it seems unlikely.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do dogs want to play fetch, but never let go of the ball?

I've wondered this since I've had my golden retriever, who's almost 10.

[Assistant]
They want to play 'chase the ball' *and* play 'fight for the ball'. It's like sex with your gf. She might assume that you just want to play 'fondle the tits', but you really want to play 'fondle the tits' *and* 'hide the salami'.

edit: please tell me this isn't actually being asked by a five year old.


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

[User]
ELI5: What exactly are the Freemasons?

I've seen a few cars lately sporting a Freemason decal. I basically am just curious to know everything about it.

ninja edit: I've tried reading Wikipedia to try to understand it but there is just too much information to handle.

[Assistant]
Freemasons are members a of social club.  They gather once or twice a month and hang out.  Outside the meeting hall, Freemason try to improve society and themselves.  They do so by volunteering or doing other charitable acts.  Freemasons consider one another as brothers, and like real brothers, they will help eachother out.

There is a secretive element to the Freemasons.  They have a lot of historical knowledge and rituals that they do not reveal to the public.  The secrets are not world changing.  A Freemason did an AMA once, and he said that the secrets of Freemasonry are similar to the secrets of a good book or movie.  They stay quiet because they do not want to ruin to story for others.

EDIT: Freemasonry is open to most people: you must be a man, must be older than 21 (that might vary in different regions), must be born a free man, and must believe in a higher power.  If you ask a Freemason to join, it is their duty to help you do so.


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

[User] ELI5= how come when youre emotionally burnt out you feel physically exhausted?

[Assistant] Your brain doesn't run on magic. It shares the same infrastructure  and energy with the rest of your body. If your body is tired, your mind is also tired because there's less energy to go around. A tired brain cannot handle complex tasks like emotional management.


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

[User]
[MCU- Iron Fist/Dr. Strange] Why hasn't Strange approached Iron Fist? Their seems to be a lot of magic happening in Strange's city and he does nothing

Dr. Strange is supposed to be protecting the world from mystical threats. Yet Both seasons of Iron Fist, The Defenders and half of S2 of Daredevil involved mystical threats. Was The Hand so insignificant that Strange couldn't be bothered to respond? Does he just really dislike Iron Fist?

[Assistant]
Strange is dealing with threats to the very fabric of reality. The Hand think too small to be his issue.

He also knows if the Iron Fist really did leave K'un-Lun to fight them there isn't much to worry about, he's there to fight the Hand.


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

[User] [Marvel] What does Latvaria do better than America and Britain?

[Assistant]
1. They treat the Roma pretty good, of course that has to do with some slight bias by Doom.

2. Science!

3. International fear per square mile is FAR higher, no one wants to fuck with it, even though it's tiny.

4. The leader is 113% badass with a 10 percent margin of error, so 123%


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

[User] ELI5: Why is white flour so much more common in bread/baked goods/processed foods than whole wheat flour? Isn't the latter easier and cheaper to make?

[Assistant]
Most of the oils in wheat are found in the germ and the bran which are the parts that are removed in the process of milling white flour.

Over time, the oils oxidize (rancidity) producing stale  flavors. The germ and bran oils also result in a more "wheaty" flavor in general, which some people don't like.

So, items produced with white flour such as pasta generally have a longer storage life without going stale, as does white flour itself. This is one major advantage. Most boxed/packaged snack foods are made with white flour for this reason.

Moreover,  most of the plant fiber (cellulose and lignin) is found in the bran and germ.

Milling/grinding converts these parts to small, clumpy fibrous particles. The fiber modifies the gluten structure of breads and other products This results in products made with whole flour having a a coarser, more crumbly texture because the fiber destabilizes gas bubbles produced in the rising/leavening process.

In breads, it's usually considered desirable to have a light, chewy, spongy texture. Creating a spongier texture in whole wheat breads generally requires adding extra gluten (wheat protein) or other dough amendments and that increases the cost.


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

[User]
In the Tv series "Chernobyl" how realisticaly depicted are the effects of intense radiation exposure?

After the explosion they depict an enormous light projecting from, presumably, the exposed nuclear core, it's depicted like a huge cone of light going up in the sky till the eye can see, would an exposed nuclear core in meltdown emit such a huge amount of light?

Also a man is depicted looking directly into the exposed nuclear core, I presume in full meltdown, right after the explosion, immediately his face turns orange reddish and after a couple of seconds he's seriously sick and vomiting blood, is this accurate?

In general this is how it is depicted all the time, as soon as people get in contact with very high dosages of radiation their skin immediately starts to look red/orange and after a while it bleeds.

A firefighter that is in the middle of the rubble of the building is depicted picking up a piece of what presumably is a central part of the core, a piece of graphite, after seconds the hands from his skin looks burned, is this what would happen in such circumstances? would it be that quick?

The nuclear core in full meltdown is depicted as a glowing mass on fire, is that accurate? how would it actually look? what would be the temperature of it?

[Assistant]
The beam of light is ionised air from the radiation of the core. It's gamma radiation from the exposed reactor core knocking electrons out of air molecules and that process, along with the deionisation, emits light.

Yes, the immediate reaction is very similar to extreme sunburn, burning the cells throughout the mans body. The soft tissues inside the body, the throat / mouth are broken faster than tougher skin. The guy is going to be going into shock from all the pain and cell death (which is toxic), looking sick and vomiting are to be expected.

The graphite pieces are going to be emitting a large amount of radiation. The glove will have protected the hand from alpha radiation but effectively all the beta radiation coming out of that graphite would all end up inside that guys hand. All the gamma going through his hand and then his body isn't going to have helped much either. He doesn't hold it for very long but it's going to have caused significant damage, though I've no idea if it would "erode" his hand like depicted.

When the core is on fire it is not melted down. The initial explosion vaporised all the water but the fuel is not hot enough to melt down yet. The graphite is pure carbon, and that carbon is burning with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. When they later put the fire out with the boron and sand the remains of the core and the surrounding material melts down. This is because the sand layer has insulated the core from the outside world heat is unable to escape. The heat from the uranium builds up until eventually it forms a molten lava or "corium".

EDIT: Overstated the effect of beta radiation on ionisation of the air. Beta radiation would definitely affected the guy's hand though, the range of beta particles in flesh is ~1cm.


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

[User]
Do we need inflation?

In my understanding, inflation has **only** negative sideffects, mostly in terms of understandability of the economy. Sure in the old times with gold standard it might have been unavoidable, but nowadays, is there any good in keeping it?

[Assistant]
This isn't really a valid question since inflation isn't a binary toggle but rather a range which goes (theoretically) from negative infinity to positive infinity.

If we reinterpret the question as "is absolute 0 inflation the most ideal for the economy", the answer is probably not. A small amount of inflation (\~2% or lower) is generally considered a good target. This (1) incentivizes people to invest in new companies/ventures/technologies rather than keep money sitting in a bank account and (2) makes it easier to borrow money for the same.

The last part of the question ("is there any good in keeping it") is similarly misguided since inflation isn't controlled by a single entity but rather is a natural consequence of the economic system. The government has a single (large) input into the equation by way of currency supply and interest rates, but that's it.


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

[User]
ELI5: How do clay tennis courts stay flat?

I have been watching lots of tennis videos lately, and I have always been curious how the heck clay courts stay flat after so much use. Even after just 1 match, I'd expect the surface to be full of divots where players ran, and where the ball hits the surface. If you've ever played tennis on an old court, you'll know that even the slightest deformations can cause the ball to bounce all over the place. It seems like this would be an issue for consistency, but it never is. Why is this?

[Assistant] The clay is compacted hard before it is playable. This is needed to allow the ball to bounce and to give the players grip on the clay surface. If you do not compact the ground then a lot of the energy in the ball will be used to deform the clay to create divots rather then to make the ball bounce up again. And it would be very hard for the players to get traction when they kick off to get to where the ball ends up. The compacted clay surface does stay together for several matches, likely for an entire tournament. If there is some unevenness in the surface then it is equal for both players and they can use it to their advantage or disadvantage.


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

[User]
How far back do infectious diseases go in prehistory?

Not as in, prehistoric human history. What I mean is, how far back do diseases like influenza go? Did dinosaurs have something similar to bird flu, for example? Were multicellular creatures always being attacked by diseases?

[Assistant]
Eugene Koonin, one of the leading evolutionary biologists of our time, in his recent book "The logic of chance" clearly depicts that such "infectious parasites" as viruses were abundant as far back as pre-cellular stage.

Even the cells themselves were not evolved yet, the "pre-cells" -- ensembles of self-replicating macromolecules -- shared their warm pools with viral "selfish replicators" who were actively exploiting their easily accessible biochemical apparatus.

Seems like the cheating is a legit strategy in some cases.

So these infectious diseases seem to be a) older then the life itself, and b), its inevitable condition.


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

[User]
[Superman] Could Superman hold a chunk of Kryptonite while floating in front of the sun and have it balance out?

What I mean to ask is, would the healing/positive effects from the sun cancel out the negative/lethal effects from holding a chunk of Kryptonite that was, say, the size of his head?

[Assistant] Essentially no. The kryptonite's radiation works partially by blocking absorption of sunlight, so the only protection he would have would come basically by being in extremely close proximity to the sun, close enough to probably destroy the kryptonite.


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

[User] When we say that space is expanding, is that different from saying that light is slowing down?

[Assistant]
Yes, it's very different! When we say space is expanding, we know this because Galaxies and other objects in the Universe are moving away from us. The light still travels at the speed of light, however it is red-shifted ("stretched") because of the relative movement of its origin and the Earth.

We know light *isn't* slowing down, because although space is expanding, the objects within it are not, and we therefore still have a scale by which to measure the speed of light, which appears constant to us (at least at the moment!)


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

[User]
[Warhammer 40k]So how durable is power armor actually?

So what i'm reading is wildly inconsistent texts. Sometimes these things can fall from orbit without a dent. Other times it looks like a single well placed shot from your average gun will break it down. Can someone give tell me what it would take to consistently pierce the armor?

[Assistant]
They're slightly more durable than your average tank. Standard Power Armour is generally proof against anything up to a Krak Missile (a shaped, armour piercing anti-vehicular missile) and was designed in part to withstand fire from the Astarte's chief weapon, the Bolter.

There are few standard issue weapons in the galaxy which can reliably penetrate it (flukes do happen though) and it often requires dedicated heavy weapons to bring down Space Marines.


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

[User] [X-Com] How does the Sky Ranger go completely unnoticed Into an area swarming with aliens?, And if it really goes unnoticed, why not use it in a close air support role?

[Assistant]
The Skyranger does not go unnoticed by aliens when making an insertion, but the craft has adequate armor to prevent aliens from downing the craft while it is inserting a team. In situations where the Ranger would be in danger from aliens, it will hover briefly to insert a team, but refrain from landing until an area has been cleared by the team. Even then, the engines remain prepped and ready to have the Ranger take off in a moments notice if it comes under fire.

The aliens are alerted to the Ranger's and Team's presence upon entry, which leads to them patrolling the area searching for the team or rushing their work to collect their data before the team reaches them.

As for CAS roles, the Skyranger lacks offensive armaments, given that it was built specifically to transport strike teams long distances in short amounts of time. If CAS is needed in battle, Ravens can be dispatched from nearby airbases or XCOM HQ(depending on what continent the conflict is occurring on), or local military forces can provide limited assistance.


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

[User]
[Dragon Ball Z] So if Cell actually did get rung out, would he have respected the rules?

The way Cell advertised the Cell Games made it seem like he would concede peacefully if he were defeated by any means, including a ring-out. But this is Cell we're talking about. Whose to say he wouldn't just throw a temper tantrum or up the stakes and blow up the ring anyway?

[Assistant]
Depends on who and when Cell gets knocked out. Had Hercule KO'd Cell out of the ring, then and there, during the opening rounds Cell would have honoured the rules and ended the games there. (As a Vegeta, Cell has **pride** after all).

However by the time he was in the midst of fighting Goku, Cell was having so much fun that he didn't want the games to end, which is why he ended up blowing up the ring (With Goku's concent). Thereby eliminating the ring-out rule.


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

[User]
EL5 the differences in blood types?

I'm a blood donor, and found out that I'm O+. Idk what that means and Wikipedia isn't helping.

[Assistant]
Basically there are 8 blood types, defined by the presence of specific antigens on the surface of red blood cells. There are 4 main types separated by letter: A(has the A antigen), B(has the B antigen), AB(has both A and B), and O(has neither A nor B). Additionally, there is a 3rd antigen called the Rh factor which determines the + or -.

As far as Blood donations go, put simply, a given type of blood can be given only to people who have at least that level of antigens. For example, type B+ can only be given to people with either B+ or AB+ because those are the only blood types with both the B antigen and Rh factor.

This means that O- (which has none of the 3 antigens) can be given to all blood types, which is why it's called the universal donor. Similarly, AB+ (which has all 3 antigens) can receive all blood types, which is why it's called the universal recipient.

Of course there are additional factors such as ethnicity that can play a role in the choice of blood to reduce the likelihood of a bad reaction, but this is the basic idea.


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

[User] Is a Hurricane just a giant tornado?

[Assistant]
No. The simplest way to put it is that hurricanes and tropical systems drive themselves by creating heat which increases wind. This requires large areas of water to occur. Tornadoes happen over plains and require a a wedge of cold and warm air to create spiraling motion, which eventually reaches the ground.

Though funnel clouds are often associated with hurricanes, the process by which they occur are very different.


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

[User]
ELI5: why do racing cars have so many sponsors - what's the point or benefit to the companies?

I'm trying to understand this, even though cynical part of me says "tax writeoff". Why do racing cars have so many sponsorship decals on them. You might say "it's a great promotion if the car has T-Mobile livery" - that's fine, but what's with dozens and dozens small, almost invisible stickers and logos plastered all over the car.

Do people really see some miniscule bumper logotype on a photograph and think "wow I should google these guys".

Please explain.

[Assistant]
It's not about the viewers immediately Googling the name. It's about getting viewers subliminally exposed to the name over and over.

It's the same reason they play the same commercial sometimes multiple times an hour, so the first thing you think about when you want oil is "Valvoline".


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

[User]
How does naloxone (Narcan) work so quickly?

Anecdotally, people who've used naloxone on someone who has overdosed on an opiate say that it wakes the patient up immediately.  The same thing was a plot point on [Insert Spoiler Show Name] recently: [Insert Character Name] had been given an overdose of heroin, and [Somebody Else] showed up to administer naloxone (intranasally) and [Character Name] woke up.

I understand that opiate overdoses often kill by depressing respiration and perhaps heart rate, so I wonder:

How does intranasal naloxone get where it needs to be, if respiration and circulation are slowed?  If respiration has stopped (but only recently), will naloxone still work?  What about circulation?

[Assistant]
Naloxone is absorbed through the mucous membranes in your nose, if you give it intranasally. At a basic level, it has a higher affinity for opioid receptors than the opioids themselves, but has no action when it binds - its a classic antagonist. Because of its high affinity, it takes very low concentrations to achieve its effect in the presence of exogenous opioids. You dont have to be breathing to get naloxone *per se,* since circulation is not dependent on respiration, but you do have to have circulation to absorb the drug from the mucosa and perfuse the brain.

If you dont have circulation, you have much larger problems on your hands, and were in the middle of coding you, hopefully. But opiates affect respiratory drive significantly more than they affect cardiac physiology.


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

[User]
[Harry Potter] Do different horcruxes carry different amounts of a person's soul?

For example would my my first horcrux  contain 1/2 of my complete soul, then 1/4? Or do they somehow average out?

[Assistant] We don't know. It's likely nobody knows, since Voldemort was the only person we know of who ever made more than one horcrux. Interestingly, if each one splits the soul in half, then Harry Potter technically has more of Voldemort's soul in him than Voldemort has in himself.


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

[User]
Can a planet be 100% water?

Can a planet be completely made of water, or any other liquid? Or is some land and layers inevitable?

[Assistant]
Liquid at what temperature and pressure? You could construct a planet made entirely of H2O, but it would have an ice core and at least some gaseous atmosphere.  If it were another substance, the same would be true.

If it were a non-metal liquid, it would quickly evaporate into space from sputtering due to the lack of a magnetosphere.

This planet could not survive, and probably wouldn't even ever form naturally.


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

[User] What are the long term consequences of forcing our rivers to stay on the same path?

[Assistant]
The effects vary wildly depending on the location and river and it is a very complicated topic, but here are some basic impacts.

Ecological impacts are almost always involved. Often man-made barriers that prevent river convulsion or migration are much different than the natural river banks, and so it can easily completely disrupt the local riparian ecosystems (which can then impact other nearby ecosystems). There are low-impact ways to keep rivers on the same path, but they tend to require a lot more money, planning, and maintenance, so they are not always used.

Redistribution of sedimentation is another major impact. Rivers will usually be forced to stay on a single path in places where they are depositional, rather than erosional (since erosional portions of rivers are usually highly channelized naturally). In most cases, rivers naturally build up sediment in one location until the channel becomes unstable, at which point they will convulse to a different location on the flood plain and start building up sediment there, and so on. Forcing a river to one location will force the sedimentation to only occur in one place. This can be problematic for a whole slew of reasons, but one famous example is with New Orleans. Naturally, the sediment from the Mississippi would offset the subsidence of the area. But since the river has been constrained, the sediment is all transported offshore. Because the city was built on this subsiding land it is now below sea level and at a huge risk from flooding. Which is why it is the home of the most expensive natural disaster in the United State's history.

Also, forcing a river to follow a single path usually means you make the river "straighter". Such as taking a meandering river, straightening it out, then using the extra land that creates for development. But this effectively increases the gradient of the river, which can have major impacts on upstream and downstream sedimentation and erosion, which can be problematic and expensive. The process of channelizing a river can also change how it transports and processes pollutants.

Of course, forcing a river to a single permanent channel can also do a lot of good for nearby human communities, and in some cases can help with ecological conservation efforts. So it's complicated.


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

[User]
[LOTR] Why is the world of LOTR so technologically stumped?

The ring has existed For thousands of years right? So the technology to mine and mold metals has existed for thousands of years. The time between Sauron losing the ring and Isildur not casting it into Mt. Doom with Elrond to the beginning of the trilogy has been hundreds of years(if not over thousand?).
So we know that actual weapons and armors have existed for that long.
  When you consider how much humanity have advanced over the last 2000 years, it seems wierd that the world of LOTR isnt that advanced. Especially the elves who dont die of old age/ live for a very long time and they can remember things that happened thousands of years ago. Surely there should have been some curious madlad elf who was interested in learning how things work and thus progressing the sciences and technologies. And with the addition of different wars or threats to push developments even further.
  Also we know that some form of gunpowder exists In the world because the armies of Sauron used a bomb to blow a hole in a wall at helms deep. So guns shouldnt be too far fetched here.

[Assistant]
Humanity's advancement isn't linear, it's exponential, with spurts and spikes triggering after some notable invention or discovery. Looking at broad strokes of human technological periods we have:

* Stone Age (lasted 3 million years)
* Metalworking Ages (around 5 thousand years)
* Pre-industrial ages (around 2 thousand years)
* Industrial/Pre-atomic (around 1 hundred years)
* Atomic/Pre-Information (a few decades)

The advancements in each of those ages is equal or or greater than each of the ones that came before it. So it wouldn't make sense to, say, compare the past 10 years of the current era and wonder why they didn't have equivalent advancements in any 10 year period of the Bronze age for example. Advancement begets advancement.

LOTR is Metalworking/Pre-industrial which, in our own history, lasted 6 to 7 thousand years, depending on location. Perhaps not coincidentally, the lengths of the Second and Third Ages combined is 6,460 years.

I start at the Second Age because the First Age is mostly contained within Beleriand which was destroyed and the survivors are either Elves (who begin to wane and separate themselves from Men) or Numenoreans (who are are also distanced from other Men and explicitly more advanced).

So it isn't surprising that, by the end of the Third Age we see the beginnings of Industry after the same duration when we began to see the beginnings of Industry in our own world.

Now, if we go with the explanation that the history of Middle Earth is our own history, and we are currently in the Sixth, Seventh (or even Eight) Ages, then we can only really surmise some sort of catastrophe or period of stagnation due to the departure of magical creatures and beings from the realm.


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

[User]
ELI5: In movies (primarily historical ones), how do they do horses falling and crashing without the horses being hurt? I see these movies and at the end theres always the obligatory No animals were harmed in the making of this film. How do they do it?

Ive just always wondered, really.

[Assistant]
They have trained horses who know how to fall on command

However, it is worth noting that you're probably misremembering the "no animals were harmed in the making of this film" in older movies because horses were harmed.

Back in the day, there were no professional horses and they would deliberately trip horses or straight up crash them into things. The horses were often severely injured or killed outright.

For example, 150 horses died filming the chariot race in *Ben Hur*

In *Jesse James* they had two horses run off a cliff to their deaths.

Wires were attached to the front legs of horses and secured to buried weights in *Stagecoach* to make them look like they got shot once they reached the end of the spool. This device was commonly used for Westerns, but is now banned because it would cripple or kill the horses.

Horses were disposable extras.


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

[User] ELI5: What exactly is amber and how did/does it trap specimens of animals or animal parts?

[Assistant] Amber is fossilized tree resin. Small creatures, plants and animals can get caught in the resin (it's very sticky) as its excreted. They get completely enveloped and preserved. The resin dries and hardens, and gets buried. Over a very long amount of time, the heat and pressure of layers of sediment accumulating causes it to turn into amber.


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

[User] [Star Trek]one of the Klingons that testified against Kirk and McCoy didn't have an arm. Is that because they don't have the tech to give people cybernetic limbs, or is it that doing so would violate their honor code in someway?

[Assistant]
I think a couple of things are at play here:

1. The Klingon witness was participating in a show trial designed to show Kirk and McCoy is as bad a light as possible. So this may be similar to wearing crutches or a neck brace to court in order to signal the severity of injuries to the judge and jury.

2. Klingons have an appreciation for battle wounds and recovered injuries and probably enjoy displaying them as a badge of honor. An example of this would be the missing eyes of Generals Chang and Martok.


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

[User]
Why do the cars in the movie "Cars" have human devices

(Pixar) Why do the cars in the movie "Cars" have human devices...ie seat belts and doors?  It kinda freaks me out that its a world were cars became self-aware and killed off the humans.

[Assistant] They're for vanity and mating.  Much like how many birds will spread their wings high and colorful and make beautiful songs, many cars will spread their doors high and colorful and make beautiful zipping velcro noises to attract other cars.


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

[User]
[Marvel] How powerful is Heimdall ?

Now i know he defeated half power Thor when using his sword Hofund, and i'm pretty sure i fucked its name,
I know he is same class as Baldur, Tyr  and prime Volstagg,and above Hogun, Fandrall, Sif and Valkirye.
He has extremely sharp senses.
He is extremely brave, charging at both Destroyer and Hulk, and i'm pretty sure his reputation is only bellow Thor and Odin.
I mean he was a temporary king of Asgard.
And that's about it.
Now if you have knowledge about him, feats, statemans and so on, by all means enlighten me.

[Assistant]
In a general sense of Heimdall from Norse religion, Helmdall is pretty damn powerful. He can see past Loki's tricks, has control over movement between realms, is deeply trusted by Odin and is a valiant fighter.

In Marvel, Hofund can wield cosmic power. It can literally take strength from a star and energize itself. It's a sword of magic that allows Heimdall many things like disguise and energy absorption. There is a SHIELD comic where a terrorist somehow came into possession of Hofund and it took a few superheroes to take him down due to how insanely powerful the sword is in general. That guy had no idea how to wield it and it still took superheroes to defeat him. Imagine what Heimdall, who knows the sword extremely well, can do with it.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] Who are the Architects/Celestials?

Reading about them on the Star Wars Wiki i was wondering who they where and if they still exist. Didn't they create Hyperspace drives, as no body knows where FTL came from? (someone on Reddit told this)

[Assistant] We don't know. We know that they enslaved the Rakatan and Killiks, and used a giant space-station they built with slave labor to create the Maw and the Corellia System. That's effectively what we know. The Killiks, being a hive-mind species, retained some of their memories of them... but said that mortals were unable to comprehend them. According to the Killiks , the Celestials were also affiliated with The Ones- a group of strong force entities, basically minor gods.


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

[User]
[Eureka] Why do we have so many near disasters?

Sheriff Carter and ~~Deputy~~ Security Chief Lupo are godsends since we would have died a dozen times over without them but why on Earth do we have so many problems in the first place? We never had these problems a few years ago.

[Assistant]
I think you are missing the Fargo factor.

Since he was the definition of management who fails upwards; its no wonder things got more and more dangerous.  His influence creates chaos in all those under him.


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

[User] [Hitman] How is 47 not notorious when he's a tall bald man with a very unmistakable barcode on the back of his head?

[Assistant]
This is sort-of explained in a novel that serves as a prequel to the story of *Absolution* as well as some of the earlier games - Agent 47 is a boogeyman of sorts, only rumored to exist by federal agencies who aren't aware of him (the CIA knows since they've hired him before). But for everyone else, there's no reason to *believe* he's killing people.

And you want to know why? Because by official canon, all of 47's kills are declared to be *accidents*. There's always a way to kill his targets in-game using a non-obvious means and when taken, nobody bats an eye. In fact, killing people this way as of the game *Blood Money* means that they're not even registered as kills in the game's scoring system.

And going back to Absolution's prequel book, 47's reputation of doing so has actually become legendary in the ICA to the point where some of their agents botched a high-profile contract by attempting to perform their own accident kills and screwing things up.

And going back to Blood Money, it's actually a sort-of example because it's used to measure your overall performance in the game. As you complete each mission, you'll see a newspaper article discussing the events that happened during the level. This actually serves as your overall rating for the game up to that point, and the more obvious your murders are, the more the headlines talk about 47 and will slowly reveal more and more details about him, including better police sketches until they see your face. Later levels will also be harder since the NPCs will recognise you from the papers.

To lower your reputation, you need to replay the older levels and get a better mission rating, with the in-canon reason being that Agent 47 never left any evidence and was always ranked "Silent Assassin".

Also, he's surprisingly good at blending into disguises and fooling people, helped by his face being mixed-race and easily passing for no-one in particular, not helped by his wide range of skills.


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

[User] If we could create a cubic meter of an unstable element with a half life of, let's say, 10 seconds, how would it look like if we watched it? Would it get smaller and smaller, then disappear?

[Assistant]
Let's put something real to this example. We'll choose Carbon-11.

Carbon-11 is a radioactive isotope with a half life of 20 minutes. It decays by positron emission - that is, a proton is converted to a neutron and a positron is ejected from the nucleus. This converts the Carbon-11 to a much more stable Boron-11. So, if you sat and watched a 100 gram pile of Carbon-11 for roughly 5.5 hours, you would be left with only 0.001 grams of Carbon-11

It wouldn't "disappear", though. It is just converted to a different, more stable element.


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

[User] ELI5: What happens to the heart during CPR?

[Assistant]
The compression on the chest squeezes the heart, pushing some blood out of it. When the compression stops the change in pressure allows the blood to fill the heart again, much as it does between heartbeats. The valves in the heart keep everything going in the right direction.

The compressions also ventilate some air in and out of the lungs as the chest size expands and contracts. It is not as good as regular breathing though or having a bag mask, but it should be enough to keep the bare minimum of oxygen circulating.


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

[User] ELI5: Why do flavors like garlic and onion stick around in the taste buds so much longer than others?

[Assistant]
Normally, when you eat food, you taste the flavors when you're chewing it in your mouth. Once you swallow it, it goes into your tummy and gets broken up into tiny pieces and mixed around, and then your body takes those tiny pieces and puts them into your blood to make sure your whole body has the good stuff it needs. Usually, after this happens, the stuff that makes food taste good or bad has been broken up and doesn't have a taste anymore. Some food, like garlic and onion, have special little pieces that don't lose their flavor  after they are broken up and put in your blood, so when the blood takes them from your stomach to your lungs, you taste them again when you breathe out. Also, these same pieces can be sucked up by your skin. To try this out, if you put some cut up garlic in between your toes, you can taste it after a little while.

Edit:  clearing up a bit of how it works.


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

[User]
[Marvel]What are the biggest and/or most interesting differences between the different Marvel-universes?

I know that one world was inhabited by humanoid canines (dog-men if you will) but there wasn't that much info about it on the marvel wiki.

So, ASF what are in your opinion the biggest differences between certain Marvel-verses... And what about the more interesting, but minute ones?

[Assistant]
A few of the more interesting ones.

* Earth-8311 - Home of Peter Porker and other animal based versions of Marvel characters.
*  Earth-311 - A world in which the Marvels of the current day start to appear in Elizabethan times.
* Marvel Zombies Universe (Earth-2049) A universe in which the events of Marvel Zombies occurs.
* Earth-8101 - The Marvel Ape universe, where everyone is an monkey of some kind, from Spider-Monkey, to Dr Doom (a baboon.)
* Earth-10011 Cancerverse - A universe where death is killed and cthulu like entities rule over corrupted Marvel heroes.
* Earth-238 - An reality containing the powerful Mad Jim Jaspers, whose reality warping powers necessitated the destruction of the entire universe to protect the omniverse.
* Ruins Universe - A universe where literally everything went wrong, Peter Parker dies of radiation poisoning from his spider bite, Quicksilver has his limbs removed, Cyclops is purposely blinded.


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

[User]
(Warhammer 40k) Have any of the races around 'today' left the Galaxy?

Barring Nids obviously as they come from outside already.

During the Macharian Crusade the Imperium failed to leave the Galaxy and would have trouble navigating anyway as the astronomican doesnt reach that far out.

However races such as Eldar and Necrons surely have the technology to leave the Galaxy? Are there any reported instances of such?

[Assistant] The Silent King Szarekh left the Galaxy after he destroyed the Old Ones, enslaved the C'tan, and destroyed the command protocols of the entire Necron race while sending them to sleep. He supposedly left to find peace and "penance" for his sins. He returned to the Milky Way about 60 million years later to warn the Necrons about the Tyranid threat he encountered in the intergalactic void.


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

[User]
ELI5: How is Russia able to do all the naughty things they do without much international intervention?

I have a feeling in the last few years, Russia has done quite some things that are frowned upon by the rest of the world, i.e. annexation of Ukrainian land, now the capture of Ukrainian ships and (supposedly) meddling with US elections. Of course nobody wants full-on war, but it still feels strange.

[Assistant]
No country wants a serious fight. Russia would be a actual threat. Because of this you also risk other countries that might not have been a issue becoming one as they join up with Russia or take advantage of others weakened by them.

It's the same reason no one intercedes the US or China as well.


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

[User]
If the minimum wage becomes $15 an hour, what about workers making more than that?

If the minimum wage becomes $15 an hour for someone working in fast food with no higher education, what about some one who is already making $15/hr with a college degrees taking on an entry level job in their field that does require a degree or those who are making just above them like $17 or even $20? Wouldnt they want their wages to be increased too to make it fair, which in turn would increase all of the rest of the wages through like a domino effect?

[Assistant]
Their wages could go up for a variety of reasons.

1.)  The minimum wage increases demand for slightly above minimum wage skill workers.  This increase in demand pushes wages up.

2.)  Workers outside options are better now, so someone who was making $15 is going to need to be paid more or other compensation improvements to keep them around.


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

[User]
[Star Wars] How did Yoda recognise Darth Bane's phantom, how do the Jedi even know of the Rule of Two?

Just having difficulty putting it together in my head is all.

Bane says he was the sole survivor of the Sith infighting, and from there, he reshaped the path of the Sith. But the purpose of the Rule of Two is to be secretive. If the Jedi learned there were two Sith, wouldn't they do everything in their power to track them down and eliminate them once and for all?

I was under the assumption that the Jedi assumed the Sith were extinct, was there a period of time where the Two Sith were still fighting the Jedi, and then they disappeared? Is that what happened?

[Assistant] A dark Jedi by the name of Kibh Jeen told them about two centuries prior to TPM. They didnt put a whole lot of stock into what he said because they hadnt heard from the Sith in almost a thousand years and Kibh was a gibbering lunatic. Yoda would have been a member of the Order during that time though so once Maul showed up and the Sith were confirmed to be back he probably realized Kibh was telling the truth.


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

[User] ELI5: How we can cool things down to close to absolute zero.

[Assistant] There are devices called cryocoolers, without getting into details, they're really good refrigerators. If you only want to cool down an atom or molecule we can use lasers, since heat is expressed on the atomic scale as motion, we can use lasers to push the atom/molecule in the direction opposite to the direction it's currently going. by doing this to a high precision, we can get down to tiny fractions of a kelvin.


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

[User]
CMV: There is very little reason for most tests/exams to not be open note/calculator

As the internet has become an increasingly more important part of our lives, weve reached a point where rote memorization of facts for most subjects has become more or less unnecessary. Everyone carries what is the equivalent of a calculator, dictionary, atlas, encyclopedia, and any number of other resources in their pocket at all times and sites like Wikipedia that compile knowledge about hundreds of different topics are accessible to everyone. There is almost no situation where either in everyday life or a more specialized career would you have to solve a given problem or otherwise apply knowledge without access to these resources.

At this point, the skills that should be taught and reinforced far more than memorization are application of that knowledge and problem solving. I find it far less important that a student on a math or science exam be able to recite an equation or formula from memory than making sure that theyre able to use that formula to solve a given problem and determine what formulas they would need in a given instance to find the desired result.

As someone whos a college student who is currently attending class online, Ive had several professors, especially in history or social studies courses, allow students to use notes, textbooks, and in some rare instances even google on exams, but to compensate they have asked more questions in a shorter amount of time to discourage people from spending too much time researching, and I think this is a much more sensible approach. My math, physics, and engineering courses have been slow to adopt this kind of policy (aside from one physics course that has allowed access to physical notes and limited digital resources like lecture notes and Wikipedia). The most egregious example is a programming course I took in person before the pandemic that required us to write code with a pencil and paper without access to any other resources whatsoever. From all of my experience writing code outside of classes a major part of it is researching different methods of solving problems and that entire aspect of the skill is completely lost in this type of test environment, forcing students into an extremely contrived situation that they would never be in under normal circumstances.

Aside from exams like the SAT and standardized tests (and perhaps even those too), I see very little reason to continue using this outdated testing methodology as it forces students to waste time memorizing information that they could access within seconds in a realistic situation when that time could be used to further improve their problem solving skills.

EDIT: Added paragraphs to improve clarity.

I also wanted to stress that I dont think students should have unlimited resources and unlimited time. I think the idea should be to make the time limit short enough and have enough questions that students will mostly want to have the information memorized but are allowed to quickly check a few things if they really need it and have the time. I also think that this mostly applies to higher level education, and that for basic skills like arithmetic and basic algebra students should need to learn how to do that by memory. Im mostly referring to more advanced subjects like physics, chemistry, and higher level math like advanced algebra, statistics, and calculus, and for certain things like squares of numbers and unit circle trigonometric calculations students should be encouraged to memorize that information. I remember having quizzes specifically on those two things and I think for that type of quick knowledge that students will want to know offhand they should be tested on that in the traditional way.

[Assistant]
In life you are still going to need to know some things intrinsically.  If you think about a doctor in the middle of a surgery, you'll need be able to calculate of how medication to provide in an IV on the fly.

or think about a meeting at work, poeple are going to want to ask you questions about things you know, and you can't always run back to your computer to look it up.

If anything, kids these days are being coddled by easy access to information and being conned into thinking that they know something.  As a former computer engineer, it was staggering how lost some people could get in a project without there being a tailor made answer on Stackoverflow.


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

[User] ELI5 . why are the double decker buses in the United Kingdom and i believe in some other European countries equipped with only 6 wheels while double deckers in countries have double decker buses with 10 wheels?

[Assistant]
Weight, length, use, and laws.

The basics: Everywhere, vehicles have a maximum allowed gross weight rating (GVWR), and for cargo vehicles, there is a maximum allowable weight per axle, and the number of axles and spacing counts. For example, in the US the maximum weight per axle is 20,000 lb, however, a 2 axle group (like what you see on a semi trailer or on a 6x2/6x4 tractor or truck) is only good for 34,000 combined (17k per axle), and 12,000 for a front steer axle. There are other specifics such as the Federal Bridge Law (used statewide in many states, and countrywide on Interstate highways) that require certain wheelbase to meet the 80,000 max GVWR allowed federally, FBL is what leads to dump trucks and mixer trucks having an axle on a trailing arm, like the aptly named McNeilus Bridgemaster, as well as the dump trailers that are towed about 10-15' behind the truck.

Mexico defines the weights depending on vehicle type, whether it's a bus, truck/trailer combo, semitruck / semitrailer combo, semitruck/semitrailer/trailer combo ("double") and road type, so for certain roads the weights are higher than in the US, and for some are approximately the same. For the highest classification road. it's 6.5t for a steer axle, 17-19t for an 8 tire tandem, cargo. For passenger buses, it's 6.5t for steer and 21t for an 8 tire tandem or 17.5t for a 6 tire tandem.

The 2 axle buses you see in London are urban buses, so the seats are just plastic benches, there are no amenities, and the people aren't carrying luggage. On top of that, they're 10-11m long units.

The 3 axle buses you see elsewhere are longer and therefore heavier. For European city buses, smaller units make more sense for maneuvering, in other countries that's not a concern and 11-14m buses are common. Now, the highway buses are even heavier, as they are at least 12m long and tend to have heavier seats as opposed to plastic benches, amenities, and often carry luggage and cargo. 13.7-14m (40-45') buses are the norm in many places, and in South America, 15m (50') is a common length as well.

In the specific case of Mexico

For roads where a double decker makes sense, a maximum length of 14m is permitted with 2, 3 and 4 axles, however, there is an exception that allows for 15m buses as long as the 3rd axle is steerable. There is a penalty associated with this configuration, as the maximum GVWR is reduced from 3.5 to 4 ton (depending on road type) when going from a 10 wheel, 3 axle config, to an 8 wheel, 3 axle config, where the 2nd rear axle is steerable.

For the highest rated roads (4+ lane highways), the max GVWR for a bus is the following

* 2 axles / 6 tires: 19t
* 3 axles / 8 tires: 24t
* 3 axles / 10 tires: 27.5t
* 4 axles / 10 tires: 30.5t

Only the 24t setup is granted an exemption to go up to 15m, IF the 3rd axle is steerable, all others are 14m. There is no exemption for a 15m, 4 axle setup, which makes 4 axle buses incredibly rare in the country, versus parts of Central or South America where they are practically a staple.

The law makes no distinction between single or double decker.

Other countries require 4 axles to go up to 15m, or the roads require them for better load distribution.


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

[User] [Spider-Man] Eyes closed and using only his spidey-sense, could Pete avoid accidents and people and navigate NYC via car?

[Assistant]
No, Spidey-sense isn't directional.  He'd know he was about to hit something, but not which direction to turn.  At some point he'd make too many wrong guesses in a row.

It's also not at all clear that Spidey-sense would warn him if someone else were in danger, so he might very well plow into a pedestrian.


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

[User]
[Monsterverse] Why does Godzilla protect humans? We literally tried to kill him multiple times with nukes.

I get the "we are his pet" thing but would anyone put up with a pet who tries to kill you over and over again?

[Assistant] Human beings have tried to kill Godzilla, sure. But the message is getting lost in the medium. Nukes aren't dangerous to the big G, quite the opposite in fact. Basically, humans register so low on Godzilla's threat scale that they've actually gone full circle, and become rather helpful. Imagine if your dog brought you chocolate. It would seem like a cute, loving gesture, until you remember chocolate is lethal to dogs. Godzilla doesn't know what the intention behind nuclear weapons was, he just experiences the result.


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

[User] What physical properties make an object sharp?

[Assistant]
There are a few things that contribute to this.

The first is simply how the force is distributed. The reason the blade of a knife cuts better than the side of your hand is because the area over which the force is applied is much smaller. This makes the pressure on that small area very high. (Pressure=Force/Area) This high force over a small area leads to a localized mechanical failure.

Another contributing factor is hardness, which is a way to quantify a material's resistance to persona the deformation at the surface level. If you take 2 different rocks or metals and scrape them against one another, you will notice that one is often scratched and the other no (or significantly less). Knife blades are usually made of harder steel and then either heat-treated or given a surface finish to make them harder (and more scratch resistant). This also means they will scratch other (softer) materials better. When applied in a sawing motion, you can visualize scratches stacked on top of one another which makes the cut deeper with each action.

Is this what you were asking?


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

[User]
[Marvel Comics]Let's say that Scott Summers and Wanda Maximoff are getting married. Just how much of the Marvel Universe would now be connected by that marriage?

Those two have some of the most convoluted family trees around, especially if you count former spouses and ex's. How much of the universe would now be distant relations? And considering all the people they know, they can't bring everyone to the wedding. Who would be left out?

[Assistant]
Hank Pym would be an interesting guest... kinda like the Grandfather of her Children with the android Vision.

Also present would be Cyclop's son who is older than him and possibly a time displaced Cyke.


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

[User]
CMV word counts on essays are stupid and should be gotten rid of.

Whenever I do essays the word count can be ridiculous and I feel can make your paper less interesting. The topic can be something simple, like "what do you feel about *insert topic*", but have a 1500+ word count.

The problem with high word counts is that you can convey your point in way less words. But when you write a paper that's, say 1000 words, if you have 500+ words you have to make up stuff or expand sentences to the max. Just so I can have more words. I've seen people in my college classes who have WAY better, intriguing essays than me, but get marked down because their paper is a page too short. But I get more points for an okay or good paper that's past the minimum amount of words.

The extra words you have to put in your paper is the equivalent to filler in anime to me. Complete bull that doesn't move the story/paper along XD

**I'm not saying that you can write WHATEVER amount you want. I'm saying super long word counts.

**I don't care that you wrote a 4000000 page essay and that it was easy for you. I don't know how that's relevant at all.

[Assistant]
If you've conveyed your point in 500 words, and still have another 500 to go, well, you could use filler words. Then, indeed, it's a waste of time, because you've missed the point.

Instead of filler, you could brainstorm possible objections to the point you've conveyed. You could do some research to discover facts pertinent to the issue, and analyse them to see if they support your view, or oppose it, and argue about how much this new information should be weighed. You could discover and illuminate possible situations where you'd agree that your general feeling is contraindicated.

In the process, your opinion may become more nuanced. You'll have anticipated possible objections to your view, and be able to have more reasoned discussions on the topic. You'll recognise that opponents aren't *completely* wrong. You may even change you view 100%. And more importantly, you'll have learned how to dig into an issue and ferret out facts in ways that most people miss. It will save you from becoming, one day, a codgy old man in your seventies that nobody takes seriously because you're so fixed in your ideas, and refuse to listen to reason.

So, don't use filler. Add more relevant detail. Your problem should be to keep your essay short, trimming all but the essence of your argument, by culling the parts that are just fluff, and keeping only the razor-sharp insights, and even then struggling to confine it to a mere 1000 words.

Don't fill mediocre essays with mediocre fluff. Write brilliant essays that consider every relevant point of view, then sharpen them down to the word limit.


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

[User] [WoW/General] What other universe is comparable in total power and magic to other fantasy universes?

[Assistant]
I'd put Tolkien's world at the lower end of the baseline. Surely, to be fair, we're seeing the shadow of its passing... and great beings still remain... but there aren't any fireballs or teleporters or anything like that. Just relics and ghosts of times long past.

The D&D world varies based on the GM. Some run their campaigns like Oprah. "You get a holy avenger! And you get a holy avenger! Everyone gets a holy avenger!!!" Others are more stingy, where a 7th level mage is ecstatic to find a Scroll of Magic Missile, and has to roll percentage to copy it into his meager spellbook. But the potential is in the rules for true power.

Warcraft's world is fairly powerful, with a lot of summonings and big big magics.

But I'd put EQ1 at the top of the heap, especially post-Luclin/PoP. You have big big magics, teleporters who can save you hours of walking, dragons and even gods to battle ... and player characters who have the potential to rise to the challenges.


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

[User] Why is it acceptable to want to wipe out a virus/bacteria but not any other creature? Don't they all have an environmental niche to fill?

[Assistant] I think the relevant point is that their environment is human. If we don't take the tact that it's ok to do away with bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, then we accept the idea many people may die because of this decision. In the end, we decide humans are more important than pathogens and a natural consequence of that decision is that pathogens must go. This is a utilitarian perspective, right?


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

[User]
Is it possible, consciously and voluntarily, to do something without ever having decided to do so?

In crime & punishment, Raskolnikov never decides to commit his crime. He is fascinated by the hypothetical, i.e. the possibility of it, and rehearses the crime repeatedly -- but, still, he never decides to kill the old woman. In holding onto this potentiality, his mind's climate was perversely affected, and by a peculiar concatenation of events he commits the murder, albeit in a dream state as if it were another rehearsal. And the multiplicity of contradictory ideological explanations advanced throughout the novel derives from this fact. Is Dostoevsky's rejection of the common-sense thesis that actions follow from the last determination of the will apt?

[Assistant] Consider a lot of everyday habitual actions, like getting a coffee in the morning, going to school/work, greeting friends as you see them. Most of this is conscious and voluntary, but you certainly arent deciding to do them in any sense that involves deliberation.


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

[User]
[WH40K] Why not create a new emperor?

The emperor was born from the collective melding of all of earth's shamans who were basically psykers, right?  So why didn't the psykers who survived the horus heresy perform a similar ritual.  With such a large number of psykers they could create a super emperor.

[Assistant]
The shamans who merged to form the Emperor were pure of spirit and purpose.

The mutants of our age can hardly be called that.  At best, their union would result in a demon incursion.  At worst, they could spawn some new chaos entity.

However, there are rumours that the Emperor's spirit is slowly coalescing in the souls of his genetic descendants.  After all, while the Space Marines may be the chosen sons of the Emperor, the Emperor has had many children through the ages.

Who is to say that his Holiness did not predict even Horus's foolish uprising?


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

[User]
[Men in Black] What is the actual nature of the bug's disguise?

How does it fit inside Edgar's skin without bursting? When it tightens its skin why does it have human gums and teeth? How is it capable of fine motor movements of the face?

[Assistant]
- It's boneless and can squeeze into tight spaces like an Earth cockroach.
- Not only was it wearing Edgar's skin, it was also using his teeth and gums like dentures.
- It used its mandibles to manipulate Edgar's face from underneath.


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

[User]
[Lord of the Rings] If the One Ring was never taken to Mordor, would it erupt into a second War of Wrath?

Since Sauron will persist in corporeal form as long as the Ring exists due to its binding, this would mean he could eventually conquer the world if the ring was never taken to Mordor or Frodo somehow failed (The Free People's only hope lied in its destruction)? If Sauron managed to conquer Middle Earth, would the Valar make another return to fight just as they did to banish Melkor?

[Assistant] Nope, Sauron was exclusively a *Man* problem once Isildur decided to take the One Ring. If *Man* would not or could not stop Sauron, the Valar would not send anyone else but the Wizards already present on Middle-earth.


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

[User]
CMV: Everyone should be supplied the barest minimum to survive.

Once someone turns 18, they should have access to basically a dorm room styled studio apartment complex.
Basically studio apartments, but everything I'd shut off if you don't pay for the commodity.

What this means is if you don't work or pay for anything, if you are just totally lazy and accept the barest minimum, you will have:
- A place to sleep where you won't freeze to death (pretty much just a cot in a dark room)
- Access to a public bathroom area (like a dorm room bathroom)
- Access to a public food area that supplies three school lunch/prison styled meals a day
- access to a job search center
- a mailing address if people need to send you stuff
- at this stage, you're basically living in a storage unit, just surviving

And that's pretty much it. Not pleasant. This would not reward laziness because of how low quality things would be.

If you got a job and wanted to pay for commodities/stuff, you can have:
- electricity, internet, heat, running water, house keeping (kind of like with motels), cable, a phone, [each would be paid for seperstly, so if you didn't want something, you don't have to have it]
- you could buy your own food to cook and whatnot
- you'd have access to your own bathroom
- you could buy actual stuff to enjoy life a little, like games or a cellphone or other normal stuff people might buy.
- at this point it's basically like having your own studio apartment

Of course, this is not a prison. You could have friends over or spend the night somewhere or whatever.
It is pretty much just a space for yourself. The more you put onto it, the better it will be. And you can always move out once you save up enough money. You of course do not have to live here. This is more just an option for those who may need it. You never have to worry about having nowhere to go.

This would eliminate homelessness and would create some of jobs in A] building these places, B] maitnence, C] things like the building staff (lunch people, security, reception, cleaning)

It would also encourage a work ethic because no one wants to live in a dark box. People would probably at least work enough to afford electricity or water or something.

For anyone curious, this is inspired by:
A] my ex, whose parents abused her, but she couldn't move out at 18 because she had nowhere to go. This would have helped her a lot.
B] I have a friend who split with her boyfriend and she ended up homeless with their daughter.
C] I grew up in a 3 bedroom house with 5 adults. They just couldn't afford their own places. They would try sometimes, but would have to move back within a few months. Real cramped situation.

I just know it would help a lot of people get on their feet.

[Assistant]
How much do you expect this would cost?

There is an opportunity cost here. For every dollar you spend here, you have to not spend one on another social service, like education or healthcare, that may have a larger impact.

And to actually house the homeless here, you would need a massive staff. Most chronically homeless people have sever mental issues. Without intense supervision they will trash it.

And how do you deal with alcohol and drugs. Either you let them bring them in and end up with the problems of drunk, high, mentally ill people everywhere making this service unusable to normal people, or you ban those and they just sleep on the street.


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

[User] [Marvel] Im given a choice between being granted the Odin Force, the Power Cosmic, or the Phoenix Force. Whats the distinction of each and which should I choose.

[Assistant] Power Cosmic and the Phoenix force both have very documented drawbacks, the Odin force probably falls between the two power-wise with basically no weaknesses(besides having to have a nap every now and then).


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

[User]
At what speed does glass break?

 If I were the throw a rock through a window, how fast would the glass break from the point of contact (with the rock) to the outer edge of the windowpane?

Also, what defines what path the fracture will take from the contactpoint to the outer edge of the window?

[Assistant]
The speed at which waves travel through a material is the same as the speed of sound in that material.  The speed of sound in a material can be estimated by knowing that material's density and bulk modulus.  The formula is

c=(K/p)^(1/2)

where c is speed of propagation, K is the modulus of elasticity, and p is the material's density.  One may also use a materials shear modulus in place of the modulus of elasticity.  The type of breaking that occurs likely dictates how fast the break will propagate and hence, which modulus should be used in the above formula.

If one applies the above formula to glass, (taking the shear modulus of 26.2 GPa and a density of 2.5*10^3 kg/m^3) we get a speed of sound of ~3200 m/s.


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

[User] ELI5: What's required of a NASCAR driver to succeed, aside from turning left? How does one overtake another driver instead of being doomed to last place or second place?

[Assistant] The driver who can draft off the other cars in the pack to save fuel and can get around the track without scrubbing a lot of rubber off his tires has a huge advantage over a driver who might be able to drive just as fast but needs to pit more often or under worse conditions.  This ability to drive efficiently combined with the instincts and aggression needed to take risks when they have a good chance of paying off are what separates a good NASCAR driver from an average one.


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

[User]
ELI5: Why do people only go bald on their head?

Its not like peoples legs or something go bald only the head.

[Assistant] Testosterone gets converted by 5-alpha reductase to DHT. DHT causes hair to fall out through its effects on the hair follicle. Because 5-alpha reductase is found in only a few places in the body (scalp for one), DHT is only present there are as well and its effects are localized.


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

[User]
What dose the R [Random] in RAM [Randomly Accessible Memory] mean?

Dose it mean, that it can be accesed at any [Random] moment, or that the any [Random] part can be accesed?

Couldn't it have been AM [Accessible Memory] or FAM [Freely Accessible Memory]? What was the reason for the *"Random"* choice.

[Assistant]
It means you can read any memory location at any time without passing through other memory locations on the way there.

A record, for example, would be completely non-random access memory. To access the last track on a record (using the designated needle landing zone) you need to play all the previous tracks. A hard drive is also non-random - the read armatures needs to physically move to the location to be read, and depending on its prior position this may occur quickly or slowly.

The random is simply that if you were to access locations based on a random number generator the access time would not suffer - you need no prior knowledge of the information to be accessed to get optimal seek times.


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

[User] I was just diagnosed with the first stage of Lyme's Disease for the third time in five years.  Each is from an independent tick bite, but why didn't my immune system catch on after the first time?

[Assistant]
Bacteria are covered with proteins which the immune system can recognize. Within a strain, the bacteria tend to have the same surface proteins--meaning that once you have been exposed, your immune system makes antibodies, and you are often immune.

Bacteria have evolved mechanisms to evade the immune system. These mechanisms allow them to reinfect you even though you have antibodies to some of their surface proteins. Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, undergoes a process called 'antigenic variation'. This means that the bacteria is constantly changing its surface protein. Basically, it started with protein A and your immune system now makes antibodies against A; the bacteria mutates its surface proteins just enough to make them type B, which your immune system hasn't made antibodies to yet. So, by changing its surface proteins, the bacteria is able to escape detection by the immune system, and you can get Lyme disease multiple times.


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

[User] ELI5: If antibacterial soaps are banned, what is hand soap actually doing?

[Assistant]
You've got a field filled with rabbits, and they're eating your crops.

Antibacterial agents and hand sanitizers are like poisoning the rabbits.  The problem is that dead rabbit bodies are still strewn about, and some of the rabbits survive the poisoning, and their kids will also be good at surviving poisoning.  And rabbits hold a grudge.

Scrubbing your hands with soap is like flooding the rabbit holes, and physically washing them off of your field.  The advantage is that rabbits don't blame you for floods, and their kids don't grow up flood-resistant.

That is the strangest analogy I've ever thought of.


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

[User]
My MCAT bio book says that glucagon stimulates glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in the liver. Why does it stimulate two seemingly opposing processes?

First off, I apologize for the poorly worded question. I know the overall result of glucagon is to increase blood glucose levels, but what I don't understand is how it accomplishes this by stimulating both glycogenolysis (the breakdown glycogen to glucose) and gluconeogenesis (creation of glucose and **GLYCOGEN**). Wouldn't gluconeogenesis just counteract the glycogenolysis and accomplish nothing? Or am I missing something?

[Assistant]
Your MCAT bio book is correct.

Glucagon is released to maintain adequate blood glucose levels.

Glycogenolysis is stimulated to break down glycogen into glucose (as you said). Gluconeogenesis is not the same thing as glycogen synthesis (glycogenesis - the creation of glycogen). We can make glucose out of pyruvate or other metabolic intermediates in order to maintain adequate blood glucose levels.

So gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis are not two counteracting pathways - they result in the same thing, which is an increase of glucose in our bloodstream.

BTW: these two processes (glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis) are happening primarily in the liver. Those newly synthesized glucose molecules are then released from the liver and into the bloodstream.


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

[User]
CMV: The DC movie universe needs an Iron Man

I've put a lot of thought into what separates the Marvel movies from the DC movies. Obviously, the Marvel movies are just better made in general and taking the time to create the Universe pretty much from scratch has really paid off. I wanted to take it a step further and really analyze if DC can create a Universe as enthralling and engaging as what Marvel has done. Unfortunately from the groundwork now I don't think it's possible, for one main reason they don't have an Iron Man. What Infinity Wars showcased the best is the true evolution as Tony Stark as a character. This all began with Tony in a cave making a suit, and then expanded gradually from there. He was such a strong, kind of simple character to build this crazy Universe of aliens, wizards, and gods around. Cap also served this purpose. DC just doesn't really have anyone to build around.

Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Superman are just too powerful to serve this purpose. Flash and Cyborg are too young. Batman would be the obvious choice here. The only problem is they went with an old worn down Batman. I like this portrayal and they should really stick with it though. It brings some freshness to an overplayed character. What I think would be the best decision is to hand the reigns over to Nightwing.

Nightwing could very easily fit into the Iron Man/Cap/Batman role of ground the group of aliens and gods. There is so much depth to play around with his character. As a relative unknown to you average movie goer, it could bring so much life and originality. Since you can easily just set solo movies in the past. He could have such a great origin story, coming from a time before superheroes and supervillains were flying around cities.

[Assistant] I think your argument centers around recent movies and does not take into account the extremely successful Dark Knight movies as well as the decades of Superman movies. Marvel and DC are just different and so their movies are different as well. Also you seem to miss the similarities to Iron Man and Batman.


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

[User] [General Horror] So I was just killed by a malevolent ghost. What's to stop me, now a ghost myself, from kicking it's ass?

[Assistant]
Most people, when they die, tend not to hang around as ghosts and instead move on to whatever comes next. When you're dead it's difficult to care about the living all that much. The worst that can happen to them is that they die -which you've already done and now know it isn't a big deal- and everyone dies eventually.

It's only in very rare, very particular cases that a spirit is able to anchor itself to the world of the living and manifest as a malevolent ghost. Usually after some event so traumatic and harrowing (often a betrayal of some kind) that it leaves the spirit unable to let go of the hate, pain, and anger that drive it to do such terrible things.

Chances are you're going to be one of the former. Death by ghost, while a terrible thing, isn't the kind of thing that would rend your soul apart.

If, however, the stars are right and you *do* find yourself anchored to the world with a bunch of nifty ghost powers only with the other ghost the target of your undying hatred rather than the living, you can most definitely go and kick it's ass. Or you can try, anyway. In all likelihood that ghost has been around for decades if not centuries and has had quite a bit more time to practice using those same abilities.


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

[User] How are we able to see the Milky Way from inside of it? (Middle school student here)

[Assistant] The Milky Way is mostly transparent. It's just like if you were inside a glass house ... you could still see all the tiny stickers on the glass walls, even if most of the stickers were on the far side of the house.


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

[User]
ELI5: What use are coaches of top tier athletes like Federer or Tiger Woods?

What can the coach say or do to improve their game?

[Assistant]
You don't always need to be better than someone (do you think Coach K at Duke can beat any of his players 1 on 1) at a sport to coach them, you observe them to see flaws in their game (amateurs watching TV--especially with slow motion replays can usually spot areas that require improvement).

Also, a coach can focus on competition reconnaissance and strategy, allowing the athlete to focus purely on practice.


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

[User]
How are drinks like tea and coffee decaffeinated?

I bought decaf green tea for the first time to add to my evening tea selection. I'm also wondering how else the tea is different from its "caffeinated" counterpart.

[Assistant]
With chemicals. Used to be with some semi-toxic stuff - dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. Theoretically they "wash" the solvents out of the final product, but residues occur to some degree.

Now the industry is moving towards the supercritical CO2 process, which leaves behind less residues.

There are some other methods which use just water, but they aren't typically used in larger production operations.