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is there a scientific explanation for homosexuality?
[ "Not really. There have been various hypothesis but none of them has stood the test of time.\n\nAt this point in time (Western) society has accepted homosexuality as a \"you are what you are\", just like your skin colour and the colour of your hair.\n\nAccording to _URL_0_, searching for the cause of it is not a pa...
What causes that feeling in joints that makes you want to crack your neck? Why is cracking your neck so satisfying and addicting?
[ "Yo ho ho! Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained:\n\n1. [Why does cracking / popping your back feel so good? ](_URL_4_) ^(_47 comments_)\n1. [ELI5: Why does cracking your knuckles/back/neck feel good? ](_URL_7_) ^(_29 comments_)\n1. [ELI5: why does cracking your neck and fingers feel so good? ]...
How did eunuchs urinate?
[ "Castration generally only removes the testicles, not the penis. So they would urinate the same way as any other man.\n\nIn the odd case that the penis was removed, there would still be urethral opening that they'd pee out of sort of like a woman pees.", "Also in some cases after the genitals were removed a meta...
Why do we get bored?
[ "The ability to get bored is evolutionarily advantageous. To be bored often means to be unmotivated, unstimulated, and our brains need constant stimulation, so we are used to the fact of being constantly stimulated\n\nThere's [a great video by Vsauce](_URL_0_) on the topic that will probably make it easier to under...
Why doesn't reddit utilize 'search internet for this image' functionality to prevent numerous reposts of the same image?
[ "A) A lot of people like or don't mind reposts, as is evidenced by the shitload of upvotes they get.\n\nB) The people posting them often know that they're reposts.\n\nC) If you really think this needs to be done, you should be posting in /r/ideasfortheadmins/", "see the people who've been here for 6+ years? Ever...
Why is there not an anonymous bit-torrent protocol?
[ "There is, sort of. It's called [Freenet](_URL_0_), but it can only be accessed using their client software (not your regular torrent client), and it is extremely, extremely slow. Proper anonymity is extremely difficult to achieve, especially in a peer-to-peer context like bittorrent." ]
What would it feel like to not be able to experience any form of sensory stimulation?
[ "Well, if you were born this way, you would essentially be brain dead. If you were alive and had experiences you can recall, I'm guessing it would be like having a dream. It would probably induce some kind of dementia or delirium." ]
Why does a punch hurt even after I've been hit?
[ "Your body releases chemicals that cause your ions to discharge in your nerves, there are still residual effects and chemicals along side your nerves are still discharging ions basically waves of reaction after the hit." ]
Why do we "speed up" when falling until we hit terminal velocity? If gravity isn't getting any stronger, why wouldn't my speed remain constant when jumping out of an airplane?
[ "Gravity is a force acting upon you. It doesn't just 'yank you' once and then quit. It continues to pull the entire time you are falling. So there is a net force downwards for the entire period of your descent, which causes you to accelerate.\n\nIt's only when you reach terminal velocity that there is a counter for...
Do submerged submarines rock or bob? Why, why not?
[ "Most of the wave action is on the surface. So the bobbing and rolling that surface ships experience is minimal.\n\nThere are still some currents under the surface that can push the sub around, plus as water is pumped into and out of the sub to cool various equipment the trim of the sub changes.\n\nPlus a perfectly...
How do theatres get movies?
[ "These days, it's (almost) all digital. For the most production companies, they use \"DCP\" or Digital Cinema Package. This is a specially prepared / packaged harddrive (in a fancy plastic enclosure) that is shipped/couriered to the theatre. The content on the drive is encrypted. It is transferred to the theatre...
Why do cats love seafood so much?
[ "For cats, protein is essential to their diets. They're carnivores, afterall. \n\nFish is a great source of protein and cats are attracted to foods high in protein. In fact, cats can't even taste \"sweetness\" - only \"savory\" flavors. This helps them avoid fruit and berries." ]
Why is it that when I'm trying to sleep, and someone has left the window in the room next door open, that the draft slams the door closed, opens it again, then slams it again, ad infinitum until I get up and close the bloody window.
[ "Air from outside strikes the window. Since it's not locked, it can move, and thus opens. This is like blowing air out of your mouth against a napkin: it moves away.\n\nOnce the window or door is open, air travels through it, and the [Bernoulli effect](_URL_0_) (\"the faster a liquid or gas flows, the lower the pre...
What is the difference between a soundtrack and a score?
[ "A soundtrack is the compilation of all the sounds in a movie: the dialogue, the sound effects, and the music. The music includes original music made for the movie, or the songs chosen from existing material.\n\nThe score is the original or adapted music made for the movie. The film's composer creates the music t...
How does my body clear alcohol out of my system, and what actually is a hangover?
[ "First off, hope your hangover gets better.\n\nNow, on to the explanation. When you drink alcohol, a good portion of it (15% or more) is absorbed directly through your stomach wall into your bloodstream and starts to affect you brain. The rest of it hits a few minutes later, when it passes through your small intest...
Why are there "old, abandoned castles"? If I was rich, I would kill to refurbish one and live in it. But it seems nobody wants them
[ "Because if you were rich and decided to refurbish and live in an old abandoned castle you would find yourself becoming considerably less rich with the amount of money it would cost you to do so. It would cost a LOT of money to refurbish most of those castles, and then you would constantly be spending money on it's...
Why aren't antibiotic-resistant bacteria taking over the world?
[ "Well, they are in some cases, but slowly. When I started out, MRSA was caught only in hospitals, and was very rare. Now, it's in the general population, and it's very common. KPC and XD-TB are real problems that we should be very worried about.\n\nSo, as to the resistance. \n\nImagine you're going to have a race. ...
Why can't aircraft manufacturers make a fly-by-wire system so pilots could fly a plane/helicopter the same way gamers fly them in video games (which is really easy)?
[ "There are some UAVs that do it. But they're flying themselves and you're making suggestions. If something goes wrong, you may lose the UAV, but the damage and loss of life will be minimal (other than the loss of the UAV, which is kind of their purpose anyway, to take risks so soldiers/people don't have to).\n\nBut...
Why is the Filibuster still legal? Are there any actual redeeming factors to it?
[ "The problem isn't the Filibuster, it's that the filibuster is being abused. What you're seeing with Rand Paul is EXACTLY what the Filibuster is supposed to be. You hold up Senate business because there is an issue you feel extremely strong about and want to draw attention to it.\n\nThe problem is that the filibu...
Why can my internet easily load a 1080p YouTube video but then struggle to load a _URL_0_ stream on low quality?
[ "When you download or stream something off of the internet, you have your own connection line and you are connecting to a server with its own connection line, the maximum speed of this connection is as fast as the slowest line. In most cases, you have the slowest line, because most websites are hosted in dedicated ...
Why do towels absorb the water
[ "It is caused by Capillary action (sometimes capillarity, capillary motion, or wicking). Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the assistance of, and in opposition to, external forces like gravity. The effect can be seen in the drawing up of liquids between the hairs of a pain...
How do you get from 1s and 0s to actual meaning?
[ "Simple answer:\n\nThere are different levels of COMPLEXITY in computers. You want us to explain how to go from complex to less complex. But let's start fron the begging.\nAs a highest level of complexity in computers we consider the electric pulses, that go through the wires in a computer (we can go even deeper to...
What mechanism of action gives marijuana it's psychedelic effects?
[ "I don't have quite the answer you want, but it's worth noting that THC is only one of more than 20 cannabinoids found in weed. Acetylcholine and serotonin are also affected.", "THC binds to receptors that respond normally to an essential fatty acid called [anandamide](_URL_0_). This particular fatty acid creates...
Why does video on my HD TV always look awesome and flawless, but video on my HD laptop is always buffering and looks crappy?
[ "The quality of video isn't determined by the quality of the screen you view it on. It's based on the quality of the original video file. For example, you might watch a Blu-Ray on your TV, which has a bitrate of around 35Mbps. However, if you're watching Netflix in HD on your computer, it has a maximum bitrate of a...
What does it mean, and what challenges does one face when one has a CYP2D6 deficiency/defect?
[ "CYP2D6 is a member of a large class of proteins called cytochrome p450s (AKA CYPs, pronounced \"sips\") that are very important in the metabolism of drugs. In some cases, CYPs modify drugs so that they are inactive and don't work anymore while in others they modify drugs so that they do work. Not all CYPs act on e...
Brianne Altice was just sentenced to "two to thirty" years in prison for sexually abusing students in Utah. How is such a wide range of sentencing possible?
[ "She plead guilty to [Forcible Sexual Assault](_URL_0_), which carries a sentence of 1 to 15 years per violation. \"Judge Kay gave Altice three 1 to 15 year sentences, two to be served consecutively and one concurrently for a total of 2 to 30 years.\" [Source](_URL_1_). Since she's serving one of the charges concur...
Why do we celebrate with our fists clenched?
[ "It's a show of power. Clenched fists, loud voices, arms held above your head, maybe even stomping the ground with your feet.\n\nCelebratory shows of power have been with humanity for an extremely long time. Blind people will celebrate in the same way, despite having never seen another person." ]
Why are the disposable batteries cannot be recharged? And what makes the difference between disposable and rechargeable batteries?
[ "Yo ho ho! Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained:\n\n1. [ELI5: Why can't you recharge a disposable battery? ](_URL_4_)\n1. [ELI5: Why can't you recharge regular batteries? ](_URL_2_)\n1. [ELI5: How do rechargeable batteries work? ](_URL_6_)\n1. [ELI5: The difference between Normal, and Recharge...
How did it come to be that beer cans and bottles in Europe are typically 500ml, and in the US/Canada they're 355ml and 341ml, respectively?
[ "America is dumb and hasn't switched to the correct measurement system like they should have 50 years ago. Source, am American", "The US uses the imperial system and not the metric system. Beer cans and bottles are usually 12 or 11.5 fluid ounces which are 355 or 341 ml.\n\nIn Europe there are two standard can si...
How do computers generate colours without reflection?
[ "> How do computers generate colours without reflection?\n\nThe standard computer screen these days is the LCD, or Liquid Crystal Diode. These screens use tiny crystals suspended in a somewhat fluid matrix which allows the crystals to be oriented using an electric field. In one orientation they allow light to pass...
Why do Magic the Gathering cards have different prices and why do they change so often?
[ "I don't play Magic so I could be completely wrong, but from what I understand there are new sets of cards/rules released every 3 months or so. With each release the strength and value of all the existing cards change. \n\nAlso, particular deck builds sometimes rise and fall in popularity. So if a certain deck be...
Why can I search the whole internet in 0.58 sec but it takes over a minute to search a folder on my hard drive?
[ "Google doesn't search the whole internet for you when you enter a query. It searches a massive high-availability database stored on Google servers. The database is created by webcrawling, an automated process that goes out and *actually* searches the web, but takes a lot longer than a regular Google search.\n\nOn ...
When MMA fighters do choke holds people pass out but strangulation is silent way to kill someone. Where is the threshold between making someone pass out and killing someone by physically cutting of their air supply.
[ "Most martial arts chokes work by restricting blood flow, not air. The result is the same though, the victim passes out because the brain isn't getting oxygen. The brain can survive up to ten minutes without oxygen, but after 3-4 severe damage is likely. Luckily for sport purposes unconsciousness usually occurs in...
Why doesn't ground beef need to be cooked well done anymore?
[ "The process of industrially grinding meat introduces bacteria, hence the need to cook it. The middle of steak hasn't been exposed to bacteria, so you don't need to cook it. Restaurants that serve burgers medium grind the meat themselves in sanitary conditions, so there is no need to cook it the entire way through....
How would raising the minimum wage to $10.10 affect workers who already make $10-13 an hour?
[ "When my girlfriend had been working at pizza hut for approximately 4 years. she had earned a $2 raise putting her at $10/h (this was due to her being promoted to a manager position. Then the minimum wage went up from $8/h to $10/h. Suddenly she was making the same amount as the brand new employees. Pizza hut ...
How come you can tell someone's height without any point of reference?
[ "Because we use the height of their head from chin to top as a means to then calculate roughly how many of their heads will stack up to their height. Depending on how many we count determines roughly how tall they are to us in the picture." ]
why aren't the arrow keys on the left of the keyboard?
[ "Because the current keyboard layout was developed before the mouse, let alone before modern first-person shooters. Lots of people use computers for things other than games as well.\n\nTo add, even if the direction keys *were* on the other side, most gamers would still use WSAD or something similar because of the n...
Why don't cities plant fruitbearing trees on publicly owned streets instead of purely ornamental trees we typically see?
[ "Because the uneaten fruit would fall off and rot. Anything not eaten or removed would bring rodents and pests. Most fruit bearing trees also require a pretty hefty amount of tending to, as well.\nAlso, to be honest, I really wouldn't want to eat a fruit that's grown off of a public tree like that, I imagine it'd n...
Why do the largest US cities have the poorest public school programs?
[ "Cities in the US have the deepest, most concentrated poverty in the country. Poverty is the simple answer to your question, as there is a stronger relationship between poverty rates and educational success than there is between school funding and school quality.\n\nEverything from pre-natal nutrition to the frequ...
Can someone explain XOR to me? It means exclusive OR normally in coding.
[ "To satisfy AND, you have to have both of the criteria. To satisfy OR you need AT LEAST one of the criteria, but for XOR you need to satisfy EXACTLY one of the criteria and can't have both.\n\nA simple example:\n\nJoe is male and 25, Bob is male and 30, Anne is female and 25.\n\nIf we search for people who are \"ma...
How are generations, Baby Boom, Lost, Gen X decided?
[ "It is just pop culture. Gen X came from a Douglas Coupland book that provided a good description of people's attitude at the time. Since then less creative people have tried to use Gen Y, Gen Z, etc. Pepsi tried Generation Next. I have heard the internet generation, saw a camera commercial trying to make it th...
How does plasma get under a blister?
[ "The fluid under the blister isn't plasma, but a fluid called serum. It leaks in from neighboring tissues as a reaction to injured skin. \n\n\nBlood blisters form when subdermal tissues and blood vessels are damaged without piercing the skin." ]
What makes gravity 'go'?
[ "We don't know yet.\n\nScience hasn't worked out the mechanism by which an increase in mass affects other objects. Yet. We know lots about how gravity behaves, obviously, but not enough about how it actually works.\n\n---\n\nedit: this thread has turned into a farce, congrats for shit-posting all over the place /u/...
Where did the southern stereotype of a "hick" or "redneck" come from/start
[ "I read somewhere (I believe it was a TIL) that the term 'Redneck' came from striking coal miners in Appalachian Mountains because they wore red bandanas around their necks as a sign of protest." ]
If the President of the United States wants to barbecue while in office, where does he do it?
[ "Most likely the third floor promenade, outside the Sun Room\n\n[_URL_0_](_URL_0_)", "There are a wide variety of recreational facilities on the White House grounds. And, if they didm;t have a BBQ, he could easily have one set up.", "He goes to a super sercret basement level underneat the whitehouse, this is a...
Why does drinking certain liquids change the colour of urine, but others have no affect?
[ "Some chemicals are processed by your body and others pass right through unchanged. If the coloring in the drink does not get processed by your body, it will just be filtered out by your kidneys and will pass in your urine. If it does get processed by your body, regardless of the organ that processes it, then some ...
Why do we decorate Christmas trees?
[ "Decorating a pine tree with shiny ornaments isnt a Christian thing. It's a Pagan cultural thing to celebrate the winter solstice by decorating the home with evergreen clippings. When the Christians took over, they told the converting Pagans to keep on the traditions but just now it represents Christ." ]
Why does viewing porn tend to make people horny, but watching someone eat doesn't make people really hungry?
[ "Clearly you've never watched *Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives* late at night.", "Speak for yourself. Cooking shows are basically food porn and they make me hungry.", "Now what happens if you're watching porn with food? I sorely need a pizzagasm in my life.", "Watching people eat most certainly makes me hungry."...
Why do we continue drinking alcohol, when it continually causes problems for everyone?
[ "Prohibition caused even more problems so they had to give the booze back. Meanwhile, special interests have been pressuring the government to control alternative intoxicants to protect their various interests for about a century which has led to so many other prohibitions. A lot of these other substances have sm...
When you cut something in half, why can't you simply put it back together? What once held it together that no longer can?
[ "The ELI5 method is that by separating the thing a microscopic barrier forms between the two, allowing them to \"know\" they are separate objects. For example, if you cut a piece of metal, the exposed surfaces oxidize extremely rapidly. This oxide layer prevents the two parts from reintegrating as that layer separa...
What happens to that eyelash that you couldn't get out of your eye?
[ "Your eye is very good at removing foreign objects over time. Every time you blink you push fluid across your eye from both sides. Any bits of dust or solid objects get caught in the motion and eventually work their way to the point where your lids meet. At this point it either falls out or gets stuck to the end of...
Why do downloads often stop at 99% before finishing?
[ "Three possible reasons:\n\n**1. File integrity verification:** Your computer performs an operation on the data you downloaded and compares the result to a checksum. If answer and checksum do not match, the data is corrupt. This is how your computer tells if your file's data is a completely correct copy. \n\n**2. U...
I am a college student, unemployed, uninsured and living at home. How will Obamacare affect me?
[ "It will. Everyone will need an insurance. Don't worry, we alrzady have this in Europe. It works like a charm." ]
A modern GPU has Billions of Transistors, how do they not break at the slightest shake?
[ "For the same reason you can shake a book, or drop it off a 10 story building, and none of the words come loose from the page. The transistors in a CPU (or any solid state device) are printed directly on the substrate.", "They're solid state - that means literally they are solids. There aren't lots of tiny separ...
How YouTube Partnership works
[ "It still works the same way (you upload a video, turn on ads, receive money), but it's open to pretty much anybody now." ]
Why does fire always point up?
[ "Hot air rises because it is less dense than cold air (Like how a helium balloon rises). The air in a flame is hotter than the surrounding air, so tries to rise. The flame rises with it until it cools enough to no longer glow. Then, it is just hot air rising some more!" ]
Why doesn't solid material, when it breaks simply connect back together? What kept it together that is gone now?
[ "As soon as you break molecules apart they immediately want to stick to something, and they'll take anything that fits. For example diamonds are actually covered with a layer of hydrogen atoms, as soon as you break diamond apart the parts will immediately cover themselves with hydrogen from the air (when you touch ...
Microsoft OneNote
[ "OneNote is my best friend working in IT. \n\nBasically think of it like a binder. You open it up, and you have tabs that you can organize stuff by. Each tab you can put different info/documents/attachments. For instance, as a network/systems engineer I manage hundreds of devices each with multiple IP addresses...
How can the entire world be in debt?
[ "Most *governments* are in debt to their *people*. For example, the United States is primarily in debt to American bondholders, from individuals to for-profit corporations and retirement funds. Only a portion of government debt in each country is held by other countries.", "Talk personal debt then can scale up. J...
How are sinkholes repaired?
[ "First they try to block off the route by which material was being eroded away (such as a hole at the bottom), and if possible, block the entry of water flow into the area. Then they literally just fill the hole with stuff, and cover it up.\n\n[Details here.](_URL_0_)" ]
What exactly happens to an cut apple when we leave it on open?
[ "Oxygen gas starts to attack the exposed surface, cutting up proteins and fibers. This turns the exposed surface brown and soft over time.\n\nAlthough we need oxygen to live, it is a fairly corrosive chemical that will chemically attack (oxidize) a wide array of vulnerable materials." ]
How do car keys wirelessly lock/unlock only your car?
[ "They transmit a digital code which only your car responds to.\n\nThey're actually rather more clever than that, because you could record this code and play it back to open a car that isn't yours - codegrabbing - so they change the code each time but in a sequence which the keyfob and the car know but which isn't o...
What exactly is a neutrino?
[ "It's a kind of fundamental particle. Neutrinos are very small, even compared to most other fundamental particles. They have no electrical charge, so they don't *do* much—they kind of just speed through the universe (and your body). Every so often one of them will manage to get close enough to the nucleus of an ato...
Why is it funny when people fall over?
[ "There is no universally accepted explanation of the role of humour and how it works. One possibility, however, is that humour is one of the possible reactions to mental stress caused by contradictions.\n\nWhen something is troubling, confusing, or strange, it causes some tension. This may lead to fear, anger or ot...
How did cavemen eat fresh meat and fruit, had things such as fire available, knew how to fight, and had even some plant remedies, yet their lifespan was only of about 35 years?
[ "That's the average lifespan, not the actual lifespan of any given person. Back then there was a very high amount of infant mortality - the very young died a lot. This brings down the average considerably.\n\nBut for anyone back then who lived past say, 10 years old, there's a really good chance they'd make it to 5...
What is wireless spectrum and why can't we make more of it?
[ "When we talk about light, we usually think of the thing that comes from the sun and light bulbs and colors.\n\nWe can think of this light as a wave. Each color is a different wavelength of this wave. Blue is a certain wavelength. Green is a different one. With red being the largest (lowest energy) and violet b...
Why can't people just run away from a wildfire?
[ "\"Wildfires have a rapid forward rate of spread (FROS) when burning through dense, uninterrupted fuels. They can move as fast as 10.8 kilometres per hour (6.7 mph) in forests and 22 kilometres per hour (14 mph) in grasslands.\"\n\nThats too fast to maintain for any reasonable amount of time. The fire can simply ca...
Why does my breath smell so bad in the mornings?
[ "You're dehydrated, and mouth bacteria thrive in dryness. When you go to sleep, your salivary glands stop moistening your mouth, and these drier conditions allow bacteria to multiply, and in turn, start crapping everywhere.\n\nThis is also why Mouthwash will make your breath smell nice at first, but make it smell l...
Why are males naturally attractive without make-up?
[ "Because we are conditioned to believe that girls need make up to be attractive, not to mention that women have used make up for a long time creating a \"norm\"", "They aren't. Most men would look better with a bit of makeup. It's just not our cultural norm.", "In. Lot of ways men and women are attractive for d...
So if Einsteins theory of GR toppled Newton's theory of gravity and its effect on matter, making it seem almost incorrect, why is it still being taught at school as basic fundamental physics?
[ "Newton's theory was a very very good approximation. And it still is. It's not like the laws of physics have changed since then.\n\nGeneral Relativity is probably wrong too. But it's an even better approximation than Newton's theory is. It's also more complicated, so if you don't need it then using it is a waste of...
How do I solve the birthday paradox?
[ "The mathematics and the problem are both defined in the wiki article, but i'll try show in a way no degree is needed.\nthe problem is defined as: \"The birthday problem asks whether any of the people in a given group has a birthday matching any of the others\" -Wiki\nSo basically, How big is the chance of two pers...
Why do people (Soldiers, Police, Government Agents) always seem to duck when approaching a helicopter?
[ "Because the rotor disc (plane the main rotors travel in) of a helicopter isn't fixed. How a helicopter maneuvers in the fore and aft, left and right directions is by tilting that disc (plane of rotating blades) in the direction you want to travel.\n\nMost helicopter rotors have a wide range of motion. With the h...
Why do raptors put up with harassment from small territorial birds?
[ "Because it's hard to win a fight 1 vs. many. Especially in the air.\n\nAll the smaller birds need to do is not be near the beak or talons to avoid getting killed. Meanwhile, the raptor needs to avoid all of the smaller birds: birds which are coming in from possibly every direction. They aren't going to be able to ...
Bubbles in my water
[ "First you need to know that the glass has tiny bits of dirt / dust on the inside. \n\nSecondly that atmospheric gasses such as nitrogen and oxygen can dissolve in water.\n\nA glass of cold water can 'hold' more gas than a warm glass. When the water comes out of the tap it is cold so when you leave it in a warm roo...
The Google stock drop. Why it happened, what it means, and what are the consequences.
[ "Google failed to meet expectations for how much money they were going to earn this quarter. \n\nNow the stock has dropped. This could mean two things:\n\n1. If this trend continues and they make even less money next quarter, you'd have a problem. Especially if you bought stock\n\n2. This is a buying opportunity, a...
Why turbulence on an airplane, even the bigger bumps, aren't something to worry about while flying on an airplane
[ "So long as you're going to a sufficient speed, the wings will create a pressure differential buoying you up. The only danger is if:\n\n1. the turbulence is so strong that it compromises the integrity of the craft (almost impossible to happen without a weather forecast predicting such weather)\n\n2. the air pressu...
What causes someone to lose consciousness when thinking about or seeing blood?
[ "Vasovagal syncope. Your body, well technically your brain, over reacts to a trigger like a needle or blood. It causes your blood pressure to drop and that's what causes you to loose consciousness. \n\nEdit: read this _URL_0_" ]
Why have people freaked out so much that Valve+Bethesda wanted to take 75% of mod revenue, but not that Valve takes 30% from an indie game that someone entirely made themselves?
[ "Honestly, part of it is mass hysteria (we all love to conform in someway) and part of it is this is the first time a lot of otherwise ignorant people have stopped and thought about the fairness of how Steam (and any online publishing company - looking at you, Google) goes abouts its business. Is 30% worth the publ...
What changed in the U.S. between 1820 and 1860 that led to an inability to compromise and the civil war?
[ "The northern states started to develop a somewhat modern industrial sociery, so being paid for their work was all that a lot of people had. They thus became unwilling to *compromise* over slavery; the concept of owning people and not paying them for their work was just horribly offensive.\n\nThe southern states co...
Why is Planned Parenthood allowed to endorse candidates for political office?
[ "The political activities aren't handled by PP itself, but by an affiliated 501(c)4 organization that is permitted to participate in political advocacy.\n\nThe organization doing the political work isn't the organization getting the tax funding.", "Considering one party is hell bent on shutting then down/taking a...
ELI 5: why does my iPhone get slower each time a new iPhone or software update comes out?
[ "Because each new update uses more and more power that your phone does not have. They do this A: to advance technology and compete with other companies and B: to make you feel like your phone is slow so you go buy another" ]
. Why are batteries put into devices facing opposite directions? Why aren't they facing the same direction?
[ "It's easier to make a series circuit when the opposite poles are right next to each other. Less circuitry required." ]
What's inside public commercial electric vehicle DC fast charger (50kW < ) that makes it cost $30k or more?
[ "A rectifier and DC power supply rated for 50+KW. That's a rather high power piece of kit, you can't make it with Radio Shack diodes.\n\nThat device consumes twice the power needed to trip the mains breaker on your house." ]
How did the first person to interact with a new language go about learning / interpreting that language?
[ "To put it simply I imagine it happened through immersion like [this scene from The 13th Warrior](_URL_0_) or the way it's portrayed in any other movie: pick up object and say what it is slowly, then the person whose language you're struggling to learn says their word for it, then mimic what they said, repeat until...
How cutting/slicing works atomically?
[ "...If you split an atom, you'd get a fission bomb. (What blew up Hiroshima).\n\nInterestingly enough though, Atom comes from the Greek meaning 'impossible to cut'...because of people thinking about this question in exactly the same manner.\n\nEasy answer: There are two kinds of cutting, sharp and serrated cuts. Sh...
why no pork in fast food?
[ "Just show up for breakfast.\n\nIn the US, pork absolutely dominates the breakfast meat market. Just go to your favorite fast food restaurant, and see how many pork options there are at breakfast. You'll find few, if any, chicken or beef options.", "There's plenty of fast food pork being sold, you just don't thin...
how do bottle return centers make money when wherever you go, you only get 5 cents for them?
[ "They don't. Customers pay the 5 cent (or 10 cent, if you live in Michigan) deposit when they buy the bottled/canned beverage in the first place. When they return the bottles, they're getting their deposit back.\n\nAlso, it's the law." ]
Why do gummy candies become stale?
[ "The same reason anything else becomes stale. \n\nIt starts to break down chemically. \n\nAll the little bonds holding something together will start to break down.\n\nTypically, there is something breaking down those bonds. It's sometimes bacteria, and sometimes sunlight. \n\nIn the case of gummies, what happens is...
Why do a movie theater employees enter a movie a few minutes after it begins with a clip board, stands to the side for a few minutes, then leaves again?
[ "It may actually be the projectionist, I used to work in projection and (when we had time) we would often nip into the screen to check the audio as the feature starts.\n\nEdit: I forgot, we had loads of time.", "Perhaps just to take note of how many seats are filled in proportion to ticket sales." ]
What are these "magic numbers" that people are talking about for post-season baseball?
[ "The team in each division with the best record is guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, so if a team can guarantee that they'll finish with the best record before the season's over, they've already clinched their spot. Magic numbers tell us how far away they are from hitting that point where they mathematically can'...
What is the difference between 2.4ghz and 5ghz on a dual-band wifi router?
[ "I used to be a service technician, and I´m a radio amateur as my hobby and radio signals are sort of my area so I will try to explain the more obvious details rather than going into the extreme technical details of how each packet gets sent, hope you´re okay with that?!\n\nRadio signals work that way that the lowe...
"Save water, Save life?." How my saving little bit of water going to help, people in drought stricken area?
[ "It isn't. If you live in an area with abundant water, you can use as much as you like.\n\nBut you might not realize that you do live in an area without abundant water. Scientists and government officials monitor the 'water table', or how far you have to dig down to find water underground. In a lot of places, the w...
Why are the majority late night shows left leaning?
[ "Because that's how humor works. Political satire is about poking fun at the people at the top, about questioning the status quo.\n\nAnd that is inherently a left-wing thing to do.\n\nHumor is, and has always been, a way to question authority and ridicule the rich and powerful. And those are the *last* things you w...
Do we have enough food to feed everyone in the world?
[ "There are a lot of different reasons. \n\nOne is we can't get there in time. By the time the food arrives to its destination, it would have already expired. \n\nOne is that some areas of the world just can't grow crops too well or are not growing enough to feed everyone. \n\nThere is also the issue of money. It co...
Why is Russia being considered a major threat to the west today?
[ "Russia remains very large and very powerful (and with nukes) and a leadership that, as examplified by the incidents in Ukraine, is willing to use its military to expand and won't submit to international pressure. It's a very dangerous combination to western nations.", "Because the old heads are getting senile an...
Why do some people feel carsickness? How does it occur?
[ "Motion Sickness: \nInner Ear: Guys, we're moving! \nEyes: No, we're not. \nSkin: I'm not feeling any air motion. \nInner Ear: Yes, we are. \nEyes: You're a moron; we're not moving. \nInner Ear: What are you, blind? We're totally moving. \nEyes: WTF dude, we're clearly not moving. \nInner Ear: YES, WE ARE. ...
Why dont cameras with circular lenses take circular photos?
[ "Because the sensor is rectangular, the fact that the lens is due to manufacturing costs, the sensor inside is what determines the aspect ratio of the image, usually 4:3 or 3:2.", "Very simply because it's not the lens that's actually taking the picture. \n\nOn old film cameras it was the rectangular strip of [35...
how to use brush my teeth without getting the toothpaste+saliva dripping all over the place.
[ "I was going to say \"use less toothpaste\" because that worked for me (I went from \"spitting a lot\" to \"not spitting until I'm done\") but I see you're already doing it, so I don't know. You might be salivating a lot.\n\nFor anyone else who might have the same problem: every toothpaste ad will make you think y...
How is it cheaper to lobby a foreign government, permit and build 1400 miles of pipeline and assume risk and liability of it than for Canada to refine their own crude?
[ "Because Canada has little to no refining capacity as it is. Also, the tar sands where they extract their oil is in Northern Alberta which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. For Canada to develop their capacity they would need to build their own pipeline to a coast and then build their own refineries. So w...
How did the FBI find the silk roads owner when it's anonymous?
[ "Many reasons.\n\n1. When Silk Road first came round, in order to drum up business, he posted to a few forums that did a similar thing and started advertising the site in it's early days. \n\n2. In these posts, he then further asked for assistance from someone who \"knew\" Bitcoin. He needed a good way for funds to...