Split (3)

train · 273k rows

title stringlengths 0 299	text list
What is the difference between oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) as well as the difference between the methods used?	[ "Fracking: imagine that the oil you want is soaked in a sponge. But this sponge isn't squishy (it's hard), but it's also easy to break, like glass. If you drilled a hole through this \"sponge\" you will only be able to reach the oil in the pockets really close to the hole you're drilling. But imagine drilling a...
how did the very first life forms develop?	[ "Well we have some idea. Infact, you could create life in you own kitchen! its very simple:\n\ntake a tank, fill it halfway with purified water (we want water that is already devoid of life.)\nthen, get a canister of pressurized carbon-dioxide. spray some into the tank, then quickly cover and seal the tank.\n\nNow,...
The Great Awakening	[ "I assume your textbook is referring to the Great Awakening that happend in the early 1800s in the US. It was basically a religious revival among Protestants.\n\nPeople got a lot more interested in religion, spurred on by evangelical ministers. Some of them were called \"circuit riders\", and they would ride from...
Does FLAC compression have different bitrates?	[ "FLAC has different levels of compression but they relate to how much CPU/RAM is used in the compression rather than the target bitrate. Since FLAC is lossless, it's not really possible to target a bitrate.\n\nAs far as file quality goes, FLAC is limited by the quality of the input. If you have a CD, the quality ...
Why did people think Beanie Babies would be so valuable?	[ "Collector items tend to be valuable as they become rare. These where made almost solely to have this kind of economy where they can be traded and collected. Unfortunately for them though the economy wasn't handled correctly and they quickly became over populated and/or people moved on from them.", "Things have v...
Why does gas mileage take a nose dive during cold temperature? Is there an agreed upon temp where warming up the car is required?	[ "There are a few things.\n\n\n1) the above \n2) The engine has an optimal temperature below that temperature it runs rich to warm up faster.\n3) cold air has a higher oxygen content so you need more fuel to create a good burn. More fuel means worse mileage. This only really translate to 5-10 percent difference but ...
Why are many manholes placed right in the path of a car's tire on roads?	[ "I don't know for sure but I'd guess it's because the tunnel is under the road and the ladder down is on the side of the tunnel. Which more or less places the ladder under your tire, apparently.", "Why is the worst possible location or even a bad position. Have you notice a lot of manhole coverts that breaks or g...
Do caterpillars know that they are going to become a butterfly? If so, how?	[ "It's a common mistake that people sometimes make to try to apply human levels of intelligence to insects.\n\nInsects are not self-aware. A caterpillar does not even know that it is a caterpillar. It is aware of the general shape of the surface it's on, and it feels hungry around things it can eat. \n\nThat's reall...
What's the difference between a street, Avenue, way, run, road etc. When used with street names?	[ "Avenues are often major roadways, courts circles closes and lanes are almost always dead ends, boulevards and parkways are multiple lanes roads." ]
Why is Africa the least developed continent if humanity started there?	[ "Well, you can contrast Northern Africa from Southern Africa. For most of history, Northern Africa wasn't any less developed than the most developed parts of Europe or the Near East (although it fell behind in the early industrial period).\n\nIn fact, Carthage and Egypt were among the wealthiest, most advanced civi...
Explain To Me Like I'm Five- The difference between Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian party.	[ "This has been asked [many](_URL_6_), [many](_URL_4_), [many](_URL_5_), [many](_URL_3_), [many](_URL_0_), [many](_URL_1_) [times](_URL_1_) [here](_URL_2_). You may find a lot of help browsing through these links.\n\nNonetheless, here's the short version. Republicans generally value individual freedom and independen...
"State Police Aircraft Used in Speed Enforcement"	[ "A few ways, the easiest is, sometimes you'll see white horizontal stripes on the side of the highway. Each one of those stripes are a mile apart. If you cross 2 white stripes in 1 minute, you are going 60 miles an hour. Under 1 minute, and you might be speeding.\n\nSome other aircraft are fairly slow, and can fly ...
When you're drinking from a bottle, what stops more water from flowing down through your throat until you swallow?	[ "It's the back of the tongue. If you are taking consecutive swallows (fill mouth, swallow, fill mouth, swallow) it is the base of your tongue. See this swallow study link. The liquid shows up black, and the person drinking holds the liquid in their oral cavity with the back of the tongue. \n\n_URL_0_\n\nIt's not th...
Why do we add salt at various stages of the cooking process. Why not just add the seasoning all at once at the end? Does this have an affect on overall taste?	[ "It can have an effect on moisture and toughness of meats, salting too early can draw out moisture from the meat." ]
How are mAh (and amps in general) and voltage related in terms of batteries?	[ "You can think of voltage as a measure of electrical \"pressure\". Amperes are a measure of the number of electrons, and voltage is the concentration or \"pressure\" of electrons.\n\nImagine water in a pipe. if you increase the size of the pipe, the \"voltage\" drops and the \"amperage\" stays the same. if you dec...
What are the differences between a 12MP DSLR camera and a 12MP point and shoot camera in terms of quality of shots?	[ "Alright so there are a few things going on here. \n\nFirst, megapixels is no what determines the quality of a photo, but rather the clarity it will up to a certain size. For example, if you find a picture online you want to use as your computer wallpaper that is 800x600, but your resolution is 1440x900, the image ...
why are mattresses so expensive?	[ "Middlemen.\n\nLet's say I make a pillow, and I want to sell it, but I don't know who I would get it to.\n\nSo I tell my friend, Mr. Middleman, \"Hey, find someone to sell this to. I require that I get $8 out of it. Okay?\"\n\nHe says \"Okay.\" But he thinks to himself, \"If I'm gonna be the one to find someo...
Why did Microsoft stop supporting/updating Internet Explorer for awhile, but then later decided to resume updates?	[ "Microsoft never stopped supporting Internet Explorer. There was a period from 2001-2006 where Microsoft didn't release a new version of Internet Explorer (and they released basically nothing from 2003-2006) but that was because they were doing a security audit of all of their software after things like the Blaster...
How does sharing a facebook post help the person who posted it?	[ "Er...people like to think that others care about the stuff that they post. The fact that people like/share it shows that I guess? It's validation from others and adds to their self-esteem. Very toxic in nature though, when people rely on it to fuel their self confidence.\n\nIMO I find it really really pointless an...
Why, when presented with information contrary to their belief, do people tend to become more steadfast in their belief?	[ "What you believe is a major part of what makes you who you are. When certain core beliefs are threatened your identity is threatened and that is a terrifying thing that has destroyed many people throughout history. As such, when you are presented with highly contrary information, rather than finding it on your own...
how do companies like Amazon buy consumer products to resell and still make profit?	[ "They most likely make a deal with say Sony to sell a TV.\n\n We'll say the TV only really costs Sony $500/unit to produce. Sony will say that they will sell that TV to Best Buy (The _URL_0_ showroom) for $800/unit. Best Buy retails that TV for $1,200/unit.\n\nBest Buy gets that price from Sony because they will te...
why can't I donate blood if I had hepatitis B	[ "While this happened a long time ago, and in all likelihood, you are now free of Hepatitis B, blood banks don't want to take the risk that they may infect someone else with hepatitis B. The nature of viruses is that they are very hardy. Just because you don't have symptoms doesn't mean that you aren't still infecte...
What's the difference between regular gas and premium gas?	[ "The difference is the octane ratings. Premium gas has a higher octane rating. The higher the octane rating the less likely the fuel is to ignite under heat and pressure. When your engine is running very hot and hard sometimes the fuel ignites before the spark lights, this is very bad because the fuel is burning...
The concept of cardinal numbers; accessible, inaccessible, and beyond	[ "Cardinal numbers are what you get when you put red paint under someone's shoes and ask them to walk forever in the same direction, on a plane. They have a starting point, 0, and no ending point, as we assume our walker does not stop.\nThen, you take whatever set of objects you wish to know how many of you have, an...
How does what we eat and drink eventually become so much different stuff like skin, brain cells, hormones etc.? Are our fingernails really just remnants of dinners gone by?	[ "What we eat is essentially building blocks for our body. When we digest the food, our body breaks the pieces apart into individual blocks. Our body then reassembles the building blocks in a different order to create the parts it needs. Some of the food is used as energy for this reassembly to occur. But yes, you a...
What do climate change deniers feel the motivation is behind the claim of man-made climate change?	[ "> In other words, what's the perceived motive? \n\nThe assignment of motives doesn't start until you propose to do something about human caused climate change. Even deniers accept that the scientists are making measurements, most just don't share the conclusion that Government needs to do something.\n\nO...
What is the no true scotsman theory?	[ "It's where you make a statement, and someone finds an exception to what you just said, and so you come up with a non-reason why the exception doesn't count.\n\n[Wikipedia](_URL_0_) gives this example:\n\nPerson A: \"No Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge.\" \nPerson B: \"But my uncle Angus likes sugar with his po...
Why doesn't the ocean's water leak out the bottom and into the earth's crust/mantle? The ocean bottom can't be completely free of fissures, can it?	[ "* the water doesn't have anywhere to go. There aren't gaping holes for stuff to fall into. Any holes there are has stuff coming out (lava), not stuff going in.\n* any water that does actually make it to a hole gets turned to steam pretty quickly (by the lava), and starts going right back up.\n* rock is more dens...
Why are my USA made Craftsman tools better than my neighbors China made Craftsman tools?	[ "Because of higher quality standards and price. But if you are willing to pay same price for the Chinese counterparts, they'll be better.But the first thing we think about Chinese stuff is that it got to be less expensive and that is where the problem stands.we go so cheap that the thing aren't really worth buying....
Why can diesel engines not rev as highly as petrol engines?	[ "In a petrol engine, the fuel is designed to ignite smoothly and burn in a controlled manner. This causes even, smooth heating in the combustion chamber, and produces a smooth force on the piston.\n\nIn a diesel engine, the fuel ignites spontaneously and explodes as soon as it is injected. This explosion causes a s...
Where do nuclear power plants get their nuclear materials from?	[ "Similar to gold, it is in the ground. People dig it up, crush the rocks it is found in and collect it. Only a few countries do it. Once it has been collected, some other guys make sure it is pure enough and that it has the right amounts of the right isotope. Once that is done, they form it into pellets and ship it...
How is it that rich kids in can get into the best and presumably most exclusive (e.g. Ivy League) colleges, despite having average or poor grades in high school?	[ "Give an example of a rich kid getting into an Ivy League with poor High School grades... I think you will be hard pressed to find one. Sounds like you are trying to say that rich people don't have to have good grades to get into college, which is a not true generalization. \n\nThat being said, many private schools...
how do two brown haired people create a blonde baby?	[ "Could be that you carry the gene, as does the father. \n\nGenes can be determined using Punnett squares, specific gene combinations are given letters, either capital or lowercase. Capital letters denote a dominant trait that will mask a recessive trait, marked with a lowercase letter.\n\nIn this example I’ll say t...
How come you can put your finger in a bubble if your finger is wet, but not if it is dry?	[ "Water is made up of many tiny molecules.\nThese molecules are too small to be seen with our unaided eyes.\n\nOne drop of water is made up of thousands of water molecules.\n\nThese molecules are attracted to each other (polar molecules) and they stick together creating a force called surface tension.\n\nSurface ten...
How are dead bodies brought back overseas?	[ "Effectively any boat or plane capable of carrying a coffin can be used to bring a body back to a country. The process of moving a body overseas is called \"repatriation\"\n\nWhen someone dies overseas, the death must be registered with the local authorities, and they must give permission for the body to be repatr...
How can you time travel if you are going faster than the speed of light?	[ "Ok. From what I understand, here goes:\n\nFirst, imagine that time is a road on which you can only move forward at certain speed.\n\nNow, Imagine you have two number lines. One number line is labeled \"Speed through Time\" and the other is labeled \"Speed through Space\". Each line goes from 0 to the speed of ligh...
Second Quality Idealism (Epistemology, Philosophy)	[ "I'm not a philosopher, but maybe I can help. I'm not sure about Descartes, but with regards to Kant, could you be talking about his Transcendental Idealism (see Critique of Pure Reason) with the Secondary Quality Analogy? I found this article, maybe it will be of use: _URL_0_ \n\nHope this helps!\n-Nibblelard" ]
How do you just lose a Boeing 777?	[ "Satellites and radar are notoriously poor at seeing under the surface of the ocean. Which is where that jet undoubtably is, unless a James Bond villain has it in his secret volcano lair. \n \nPlus there's a pretty large area to cover. There are special radars that can be deployed by ship (and sonar), but they ...
In chess, why do players resign when it seems like there is alot more of the game to play? Why not play to the end in case the opponent makes a mistake?	[ "Either you're in a situation (like king and rook vs king) where it would be an insult to imagine your opponent making the kind of mistake that would result in a draw, or you're in a situation where you can salvage a little bit of grace by recognizing an inescapable trap before it's completely obvious. It's saying,...
The difference between taking a good corner and a bad corner in Motorsport	[ "Changing the direction of any moving object is always a difficult thing. So as a car approaches a corner it does so with quite a bit of speed and momentum. \n\nTires grip the road via friction, but there's a limited amount of force those tires are able to exert to keep the car moving in the direction it intends. ...
How and when did capital letters become associated with screaming and loudness?	[ "Pretty sure that's inherited from comic books. \nThe bigger the text, the louder the character is speaking.\n\n_URL_0_" ]
Why are remote lock controls so common in cars, but not on buildings?	[ "well there are electronic locks now, some that can unlock by cell phone/wifi. some use bluetooth in close proximity.\n\nnot sure why its taken so long though..." ]
Why do voters have to register their party affiliation, and what does that mean?	[ "IIRC: you only have to register your party affiliation if you want to vote in the primary. If you want to vote in the actual presidential election, you are not required to do this. \n \nThe primary itself wants only their own people to vote in the primary, so people from across the political aisle won't be invol...
What are the actual jobs of high ranking people in the armed forces? Generals, majors, colonels, etc.	[ "They are managers. Money, manpower, etc. The higher the rank, the more you become a politician and the further you are away from the reality of \"boots on ground\" or \"bombs on target\", just like the civilian world.", "Think about a trade/function you are familiar with. A company with 1,500 employees has unsk...
Why do many doctors work in crazy 24-36 hours shifts?	[ "The most common answer that was given to me during my training was that working an extended shift allows one to see and understand the evolution of an acute disease process through the patient's initial presentation and progression through therapy. The more of that illness you are physically present for and parti...
If there is a past image of our world being projected through space, could we use technology to intercept those images and see what our world looked like millions of years ago?	[ "The only way we could see an image of the past earth would be if it were reflected back to us. If there was some gigantic mirror out in space then we could look at it to see what the Earth looked like in the distant past. But, for many reasons, this isn't practical.\n\nBut, we can't directly catch up with the imag...
Why do far Eastern people generally have thin eyes? As in the genetic reason if there is one.	[ "I have read it is thoughts be an adaptation to extreme cold. Eskimo use snow goggles that have no lenses but have thin slits to prevent snow blindness...similar to squinting all the time. Also, Asians have the epicanthic fold, which is like an extra eyelid over to top one, possibly adding some insulation from c...
Can someone explain the Story of Classic Doctor Who and the history of the Great Time War?	[ "The time war is not explained during the classic series. It was something that happened between the classic series and the new one, and has only been elaborated on in brief mentions and a flashback or two. \n\nThere's been a lot of speculation that this will be the subject of this year's Christmas special, which i...
Why do people upload torrents?	[ "On private trackers it's important to seed as much as, or more than, you download, both for the community contribution and to simply be allowed to continue using that tracker.\n\nOn public trackers it's probably either a sense of community, or people just don't realize that they're also seeding when they finish a ...
Why do electronics get ruined by water?	[ "Non purified water is a wonderful conductor of electricity. electricity will follow the path of least resistance. In devices electricity is only supposed to go where it is designed to go. the water lets the electricity go places it shouldnt and the magic smoke escapes.", "The water basically creates circuits a...
Why can't recovering drug addicts have alcohol?	[ "Some recovering drug addicts do drink alcohol without abusing it. Though, the statistics seem to say that most recovering addicts cannot drink alcohol without also abusing it.\n\nMost recovery programs teach that if you are an addict to once substance, you have the increased likelihood to abuse other addictive su...
How/Why does the NBA's poison pill contract, like the one offered by Houston to Asik and by Toronto to Fields, work?	[ "Some teams cannot go over the cap or wish not to hurt themselves in the long run with a contract that is \"poisoned\". Using Asik's example, his contract I believe is made to go 5m/5m/15m in '13, '14, and '15. But when an opposing team offers this kind of contract to a restricted free agent, it is counted evenly a...
Yeti Coolers in Southern Culture	[ "It's not really an explainable thing. It is just like any other luxury item. There may be better cheaper options but people want the brand. It is like buying a store brand cereal vs a name brand cereal. There really is no difference and the taste is virtually identical but people have an idea in there head that t...
why there is so much "US Only" content on the internet	[ "You mean TV shows, like how we can't get on the Daily Show YouTube channel in the UK?\n\nIt's largely because once you've made your programme in your native country, you can then sell the broadcast rights to channels in other countries.\n\nWhen you've got a show to sell, the price will be much higher if you can go...
Where does the 420 in '420 Blaze It' come from?	[ "The true birth of 420 dates back to the early 1970s, when it became the hour of cannabis consumption among high school students in San Rafael. Even in mellow Marin County, stronghold of the Grateful Dead, no concessions were made to allow puffing during school hours.\n\nSo a group of stoners calling themselves \"t...
What are penny stocks as mentioned in The Wolf of Wall Street?	[ "The simplification is that penny stocks are stocks worth less than a certain amount. Every country defines them differently, but in the US the SEC considers any stock trading under 5$ as penny stocks.\n\nMany of these are from smaller companies and the reason people invest in them is because it has possibilities o...
Where does the energy for the rotation of the earth come from?	[ "Gravity and conservation of angular momentum. The planets and the solar system all started out as a big ball of gas/dust. As this ball collapsed inwards due to gravity, it gained rotation. The more it collapses in, the more the rotation increases to conserve angular momentum. The energy for this increased rotation...
How did "zzz" become associated with sleeping?	[ "It appears to be trying to communicate the sound of snoring in letter form. The first use of the letter 'z' to indicate snoring seems to be from the 'American Dialect Society's Dialect notes, Volume 5, 1918'. It was then used in a 1919 book titled 'Boy's Life'. Then Life Magazine described it in 1922.\n\n > Snori...
How the hell does gravity pull things through a vacuum?	[ "It doesn't pull, exactly. It may be easier to think of space as tablecloth pulled taut; if you put something on it, it makes a dent. The \"dent\" is the deformation of space by the mass of the object. \n\nThis deformation literally bends space and results in the object still going in a straight line that has been ...
Why do my joints crack and click during random movements?	[ "Your joints or ligaments are filled with fluid and when you move it can create a partial vacuum. It expands and then rapidly collapses, creating a popping sound.\n\nReduce the amount? Don't crack your knuckles. But there's no evidence that this can lead to arthritis or any other harm." ]
Why are 'geniuses' always good at math?	[ "It honestly depends how you view geniuses.\n\nIf like a lot of people you think geniuses dont simply have to be very smart and have a high IQ. For example if you think people can be lyrical geniuses or comedic geniuses etc. Than they likely wont be good at math.\n\nIf you are only talking about smart people they a...
Why is it so hard to grip things tightly right after you wake up?	[ "While you sleep, your body makes a chemical that helps keep you motionless during your active dreaming. In some people this can take a few seconds or minutes to end when you wake up. This can sometimes do things like you are describing.\n\nIn its scariest form, there are people who wake up paralyzed every morning!...
What would happen if the United States stopped paying toward the national debt?	[ "The US defaults on its debt. Several nations with abysmal financial systems have done this in recent years.\n\nIf the US government defaulted and needed to borrow money in the future it would have to pay a significantly higher interest rate, since creditors would no longer see the debt as highly secure.\n\nThe US...
Why is Russia attacking ISIS a bad thing? Why are not more countries fighting it?	[ "One of the biggest issues is its approach. IS is one of three issues in Syria currently. On one side you have Assad's regime, which Russia supports. On the other, you have the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad's regime, which America supports. This is the main issue between Russia and America. America sees the As...
Why is the standard for songs 3.5-4 minutes?	[ "Because of vinyl. When records were the standard for recorded music, the standard size for a record of a single was just large enough for, at most, four minutes of audio. To make the records much larger would have made them more costly and thus the music industry would not have been able to sell as many due to inc...
How do cops arrest one armed people?	[ "The usual method is to cuff the existing hand to the rear, and then put the other cuff through the prisoner's belt. If they don't have a belt, it's preferable to use a belly chain. In an extreme situation where you needed to immobilize someone briefly, you could cuff the existing wrist to the prisoner's ankle.\n...
Why is self-plagiarism a concept (outside of academia)?	[ "The author might not own their own work. If King had written those words in an essay and sold or given publication rights to a magazine, it would be self-plagiarization.\n\nAlso, the audience generally has the right to know whether they are hearing an original work. A lot depends on what a reasonable expectation...
why are people allowed to make copies of games like minecraft then survival craft or clash of clans to clash of kings- they all follow the same storyline/ objective but they still don't run into copyright troubles, thanks	[ "You can't patent game mechanics, pure and simple. That's why words with friends could be made despite Scrabble being around (though they would probably have issues if they copied the layout of the multipliers). Story archetypes have been around since the start of stories so you can't really make a story that isn...
Since the volume of ash released by the Krakatoa eruption in 1883 lowered the average global temp by ~1.8 degrees Celsius for the following year, what would happen if we did something similar today using a biodegradable substance to combat global warming?	[ "The power of Krakatoa was equivalent to 200 megatons of tnt; or the power of 4 of the most powerful atomic weapons detonated at the same time. 6000 times more powerful than the bombs that destroyed hiroshima and nagasaki. If we replicated this explosion with atomic weapons it would create a fireball 30+ miles wide...
When the Reserve Bank 'makes' money, why does it give it to the banks, and not me?	[ "The Federal Reserve creates money by purchasing things known as Treasury bonds. They aren't just handing it out to banks." ]
Why does a lower value currency have an advantage in international trade?	[ "When you export goods, you usually make the people buying your goods pay you in your domestic currency. If I'm an American company, I want U.S. dollars for my wares; I don't want you to pay me in a foreign currency.\n\nThis means that if the value of the U.S. dollar goes up, it becomes more expensive for people ab...
How animals seems to have the sense from birth that fire is bad but humans often have to get burned before realising?	[ "Humans have made a sort of evolutionary tradeoff: we are born with our brains much less-thoroughly developed compared to their adult state than other animals, with the result that we are more adaptable, but must learn all sorts of things that most animals are born knowing, such as how to walk.", "Regrettably, my...
Quantum Computing and Quantum Mechanics	[ "\"Quantum\" just refers to the idea that you can break up any quantity into small bits, but no smaller. So a \"quantum\" of light is called a photon - you can't have half a photon. Quantum mechanics is just the study of physics when you're dealing with individual quantities like this.\n\nAs for quantum computing, ...
EL5 What exactly is meditation, how does it work, and what are the benefits of it?	[ "Meditation, as a broad topic, simply refers to any kind of focused thought. This can be anything from thinking deeply and critically about something you have learned or experienced to religious reflection to striving for complete absence of conscious thought. \n\nAs for the benefits of such practices, in many wa...
Why do we say "cold doesnt exist - its the absence of heat"? Can I say it backwards? "Heat is the absence of cold"	[ "Heat is a form of energy. Cold is nothing, a lack of energy. You can supply energy to something, but you can't supply a lack of energy--you can only draw energy away to another place. The concepts aren't arbitrary; energy is something measurable that follows physical rules, just like matter.", "It's linked to mo...
Who are the "famous" redditors, and why are they famous?	[ "They have a LOT of Karma, and normally make good comments.\n\nThey appear everywhere and they're normally at the top of the comments on the top posts on the front page.\n\nAnd as we all know, bitches dig karma = Famous." ]
Why do we get "sand" in the corners of our eyes when we sleep? And why do we not get it during the day when we're awake?	[ "The \"sand\" is actually dried tears.\n\nThat is, tears are similar to salt water -- liquid with salts in them. Overnight, when the tears at the edges of your eyes dry, the salt is left behind as \"sand\".", "To expand on what above said, the reason it doesn't happen we are awake is because we blink which spread...
Does my breastmilk have healthier properties if I eat healthier food?	[ "Regarding healthy and unhealthy fats:\ngenerally speaking: the membranes of your cells always feflect the stuff you eat. Of course the body has its own fattyacid metabolism and can contribute here. but regarding the fats the general rule applies: you are what you eat.\nOn the other hand: the milk you produce conta...
What is a superdelegate?	[ "A superdelegate is a high-ranking official of either the Democratic or the Republican party who is automatically seated to their respective conventions without having to be elected to participate. Usually, these are current or former holders of high-office (governors and US congresspeople / Senators) or high-rank...
If you jumped in a giant hole in the earth that was deep enough to reach the other side of the planet, what would happen to you?	[ "Let's say the earth is cold and there is no wind resistance that can heat you up. Also the earth is not spinning, this would result in you ricocheting of the walls. \n\nYou would accellerate all the way to the center of the earth, there you will be traveling at your fastest speed. When you are past the center you...
what is "Tilt table test"	[ "When people stand up, their blood pressure often goes down (because the blood moves down more into their legs).\n\nWhen this happens, in most people your body senses the drop in pressure and compensates by increasing your heart rate and constricting your blood vessels using whats called your autonomic nervous syst...
When a woman gets pregnant, the present "physiological status" of the parents affect the baby? [read the text]	[ "If the damage doesn't affect either parent's DNA or the baby in the womb (like if mom has a stroke while pregnant) damage to the parents won't affect the baby. For example if your left leg is blown off in an explosion your genes still have the code to grow a left leg - it's just not there anymore. When you have a ...
Why do bubbles appear at the heated area of a boiling kettle?	[ "All matter can have three states: solid, liquid, and gas. Normally we see water as a liquid. When water is heated above 100 degrees C (at sea level), it becomes a gas. This requires a lot of energy to turn the liquid (which is a lower energy state) into a gas (steam). \n\nEnergy comes in many different forms. The ...
Have there ever been attacks on the black cube (Kaaba) in Mecca? It just seems like a bad idea to gather so many followers of one religion in such a small area. Is there a no-fly zone above Mecca?	[ "Not since 1979.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nIs you are an Islamic terrorist groups, seizing Mecca and killing so many Muslims is the exact thing to do if you want to unite both the Western Powers and the the Islamic nations against you.", "Can't link because I'm on mobile, but it looks like the Kaaba was attacked during a rio...
How do Democrats and Republicans rationalize billions of dollars in tax breaks every year to oil companies?	[ "Without commenting on the merits of the argument or where I personally stand on this, the argument goes roughly like this:\n\n- Cheap energy is the cornerstone of a healthy economy.\n- Provide access to national lands and/or tax reduction for exploration and drilling in the US.\n- The more oil we get domestically,...
What is the evolutionary benefit or reason for the Tyrannosaurus' small arms? How did it succeed as a predator with this shortcoming?	[ "It's very unusual for a body part to evolve away completely. All land vertebrates are tetrapods - this means they have four limbs and a head. The only vertebrate I'm aware of to have completely broken that is the snake - other than that, everything has four limbs (although the rear legs fused in marine mammals lik...
For Profit Prisons	[ "Lets say the Townsville government is looking at it's budget - it's spending $50 Million a year on prisons! Well, ACME Prisons, Inc. comes to the Townsville treasure and says: \n\n \"Listen - pay us $40 Million and we will take care of the prisons\"\n\nIt makes complete sense financially to outsource this - they ...
Why Operating Systems are architecture specific (ex. X86 , ARM) but applications are not.	[ "Applications are architecture specific. It's just that you mostly use AMD64 (or x86_64) CPUs with fitting OS and then run x86 applications. Like the name suggests, x86_64 is just an extension of x86 and x86_64 is backwards compatible. \n\nYou just can't mix both in one application. That's why your Windows has a Sy...
How did we discover math?	[ "Math is so pure and simple, facts are facts and concrete rules define all the relationships. Only Barbie thinks \"Math is Hard\", but her head is full of hair.\n\nCounting started before written history, systematic numbers were defined by the Sumerians, number place was invented by the Babylonians. More kinds of...
Why is tap dancing so ubiquitous in old musicals?	[ "Movies were still close to their live theater roots at that time, a genre where microphones could not be used.\n\nTo entertain a large theater, you spoke loudly, sang loudly, and when possible, danced loudly.", "They were made by people from an era where dancing was public performance. Half the actors in old mu...
when you hyperventilate, why do your hands and face (and other parts) go numb?	[ "Well, I'm no doctor, and I didn't look it up real fast so this is just what I think:\n\nHyperventilating makes you breathe faster, making oxygen travel quicker out, right? So maybe the 'numbness' is less oxygen in your body?\n\nJust how I see it, not actually what it may be." ]
Why is growth so important to an economy?	[ "For one thing, the population is growing. If the economy can't keep up than the overall wealth creation will be going down relative to any one person. There is also new industry, new technology and so there's always new things to demand. If a country is not growing than new workers will not have jobs and new produ...
Why do some people go blind after getting eye color change surgery?	[ "I'd say it's Darwins law punishing them for spending their time and money on unnecessary cosmetic eyeball surgery." ]
Why is deafness and blindness fairly common, yet we never hear of people with impaired smelling or taste?	[ "Impaired taste and smell is also fairly common. It however does not prevent you from doing most jobs, and does not hinder your social interactions so it being known publicly is not very important.", "Because they get along in society just fine. Your co-worker or neighbour or cousin might have it, but he doesn't...
why does the knock-off movie market exist? Who is their audience? How do they make money? Example: Transformers had a knock off called Transmorphers. The Day the Earth Stood Still had a knock off called The Day the Earth Stopped.	[ "Grandparents and foreigners who vaguely remeber/understand the original title.", "Why? Money.\n\nWho is their target audience? People/Kids wandering through the video store (back when these were popular) and seeing a movie that looked similar to the commercial they saw on TV. They then think that the film mus...
Why is green poo bad?	[ "Like a lot of medical symptoms, it can be concerning, but isn't necessarily bad. (I am not a doctor. I am not your doctor. If you're concerned talk to a real one.)\n\nIn brief, though, sometimes green colored stool is just the result of eating a lot of dyed food (a lot of people freak out after St. Patrick's day, ...
How come so many people believe that "the _URL_0_" is real?	[ "My guess is that its the same way telemarketers work, they ring heaps of people and maybe only 1% of people will buy, but that 1% is enough to become rich. Since this website is a $100 subscription, all you need is 100 gullible people to scam and you're already $10,000 richer.", "I don't know if its a scam or no...
Why does RAM come in specific sizes (256, 512, 1024, 2048, etc)	[ "When we are managing a large number of things, we like to organize them in groups of some power of 10: I'm gonna buy 1 TV (10^0 ), 10 boxes (10^1 ), 100 apples (10^2 ), 1,000 songs (10^3 ), etc. It's just easier for us to keep track of a large number of things by grouping them this way (what's easi...
Gene therapy and how it works in this article about my disease	[ "So your body's \"blueprint\" is kept in a giant molecule called DNA, and a small section of that DNA is flawed causing your disease. It's like a lengthy instruction manual with a page ripped out or smeared. So that part of your instruction book is now telling your body through a series of indirect steps to produce...
Does weed being in your system have any mental effect on you when sober?	[ "THC has a half-life (the time your body need to remove half of the drug from your system) of 2 to 56 hr. It takes 5 half-lives to clear the drug from your system. So if you are a \"slow metabolizer\" (someone who takes the full 5*56hr to clear the drug), you may be \"high\" for a lot longer than you think (there m...

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