Split (3)

train · 273k rows

title stringlengths 0 299	text list
Why does 76 F/24 C with the heat running feel different from the same temperature with air conditioning?	[ "There are lots of things going on with how you think a temperature feels but the basic idea is that we don't really sense the absolute temperature. We sense differences in temperature. \n\nThe simplest way to see that is being outside on a hot day vs. coming inside from a cold day. When you come in from a hot d...
How does sleep restore energy and what causes your brain to signal you to become exhausted?	[ "Sleep doesn't really restore energy, your body is actually kind of tricking you into resting by producing chemicals that make you feel exhausted. \n\nMake no mistake, you need sleep to avoid long term damage to most of your systems; feeling tired is an illusion though.", "Sleep is governed by 2 internal forces: ...
Why do some companies have different names for different countries? Like Lynx/Axe or Asda/Walmart	[ "In the case of Asda/Walmart, Asda was already an established chain of stores - Walmart buys it to a) gain presence in the UK where it has none... and quickly b) instantly gain Asda's customer loyalty and logistics (instead of establishing its own stores, its own infrastructure and THEN trying to win customers over...
How come people can use quotes in movies without citing the source and it's fine, but if you don't do it in writing it's plagiarism?	[ "It depends on the type of writing. If you're writing a novel you can use quotes as see fit. In academic writing you need to cite anything that isn't your own original work which includes quote.", "Plagiarism is implying you created it. You can use quotes in whatever you want as long as you aren't pretending you ...
Why is there an obvious difference between girl and boy handwriting?	[ "Handwriting style is formed during penmanship practice in grade-school homework assignments. Girls are not just more fastidious about their penmanship homework, they are notably more fastidious about all graded assignments in grade school than boys are. There are lots of different explanations for why this is......
How did we get from the "Golden Age" of Air Travel to the current state of air travel?	[ "The golden age of air travel was also the golden age of family road trip vacations. The services were caused by minimum price regulations that placed a very high minimum price for a flight (a low priced flight across the country cost the equivalent of about $1500 today). Because it costs far less than $1500 to f...
How does sleep debt/build up work?	[ "The first question to answer is, what is the point of sleep? \n\nAmong some other functions, the primary purpose of sleep is for the brain to enter into a maintenance mode. Think of it as that 2am hard drive defragging that runs when you wouldn't otherwise be on your computer. Instead of space reallocation, howeve...
When you create a new object in Java, why do you have to say what kind of object it is and then repeat it as new?	[ "Because you're first defining the object. You're telling the computer that 'Hey, there's a thing, and it looks like this.'\n\nBut that thing doesn't exist yet.\n\nThat's what the new keyword is for. You're allocating memory by telling the computer 'Hey, you remember that thing I told you about? Make room for one...
Myspace came first, but Facebook is more successful. What happened and why?	[ "People thought Facebook was better, then everyone switched over almost at once. MySpace wasn't first either; before that there was something called Friendster, and before that I personally used something called AsianAvenue, which was social networking for Asians. Each time, everyone switched almost at once. \n\...
How come we can't change the volume of the voice in our head?	[ "Because they are thoughts; it’s not a literal voice that is creating vibrations against our eardrums." ]
Going along with the trash to energy question - Why arent we using the methane produced from decommissioned, sealed landfills as energy?	[ "we are. some outfits do this already. however this is a SMALL SMALL portion of total power output of the nation." ]
Why are states on the east coast so much smaller than the states on the west coast?	[ "The states on the east coast were populated first (European population that is...). State lines (colony lines initially) were devised in various ways, but all dependent on much of the east coast being populated very early. In other words, there were lots of people clumped up into various areas on the east coast an...
How can gorillas and other herbavores get so big and muscular from a diet of essentially leaves and plants, while vegan humans tend to loose muscle mass on plant based diets?	[ "Nobody here has addressed the genetic basis and control of muscle mass and buildup in response to testosterone levels. One reason for example that a male gorilla simply builds muscle easily is because their muscles do not atrophy as easily and \"build\" with much less limitation for little exercise.", "Do people...
Why can't game streamers have music playing in their videos, but there are countless music videos and songs on youtube already?	[ "If you post a Youtube video of somebody elses song, an advertisement will pop up on the video and the ad money would go to the artist/company, not you. So basically they are claiming your video as soon as it's posted to Youtube. A stream is harder to monitor like that considering it's live and the people who own t...
Does the start/stop feature in modern cars actually save fuel or is it just a gimmick?	[ "Modern cars with direct injection are very easy to start up. They require less RPM and are much more reliable than they used to, so it takes far less energy to start up the car, especially once it's already warmed up. This means that it only takes a couple of seconds of idling to be worth it, even though it's not ...
How come when we look at something bright, we can see the image burned into our eyelids when we close our eyes?	[ "The way we see is that photons (light particles) from objects stimulate cells in the back of our eyes. This stimulation takes the form of light-sensitive molecules changing their shape as a photon hits them. When they are in this changed shape, they send a message to the brain saying \"I'm activated\", which the b...
why do we have (driving) wheels in four wheelers and (handle) bars on two wheelers only?	[ "4 wheel ATVs have handlebars and not steering wheels... so I'm confused by this question.", "In a two wheeler, you need very little movement of the bar to change the direction you're turning. Actually, most of the time you don't even consciously turn the bar, you just lean in the direction you want to go and the...
Why do some humans feel lonely, despite having people around them such as friends and family?	[ "Having people around is not the same as connecting with them. Lonely is an emotional response; proximity is physical.", "Well, it's kind of complicated, but an ELI5 would sort of be like :\n\nSome people have a few very good toys, but sometimes, they just don't like to play with those toys, or they just don't fi...
What is the US Gun Lobby and how does it have such a large political influence?	[ "The gun lobby is just a group of organizations and activists who believe in protecting and expanding legal access to firearms. The largest and most powerful organization is the National Rifle Association (NRA). The reason they're so powerful is because they're incredibly well-funded, which gives them deep pocket...
I am not an American and don't know why John F Kennedy was/is so highly thought of	[ "Honestly, mostly because he was young (by politician standards), handsome, charismatic, and he was assassinated before his time. In short, he was perfect martyr material.\n\nAlso, people looked to the young president as the symbol of hope for a better future. After his death, we instead got the Vietnam War and the...
What is Discordianism?	[ "It's a joke. It's a religion. It's a joke about religion. It's a religion about jokes.\n\nYou can learn everything you need to know by [reading the Principia Discordia](_URL_0_)." ]
how does drinking water coming into NYC not get dirty from the pipes?	[ "Why would the pipes be dirty?\n\nWater utility workers will occasionally open valves and hydrants to blow sediment out of the mains, but for the most part they stay pretty clean unless there's a major break.", "They are very sealed and tested regularly. Furthermore, they put components in the water to help keep...
How can the law restrict us to so many work breaks but smokers can take how ever many they'd like?	[ "> Why is it that if I were a smoker I would have no problem taking several breaks throughout the shift?\n\nBecause your employer is treating people unfairly. There's no law about smoke breaks. This is entirely an issue with your employer's break policy.", "technically, the same rules apply to smokers as non. ...
Why do humans scream when scared?	[ "To signal others about the danger. It's typical for social species to instinctively let out cries or other ways of warning the others of the tribe about approaching predators or enemies. Such collective defense makes both the group and its individual members safer." ]
What does music sound like to animals?	[ "I actually think this is a really good question. I enjoy some pretty heavy music and I've played it around animals before. It seems to me that if you had an actual person in the room screaming his lungs out a dog or cat would respond to it, but they seem pretty indifferent toward that kind of thing coming out of a...
Corporate & Top 5% Tax Loopholes.	[ "They're not loopholes. That's just a propaganda word people use to confuse things.\n\nThere are basically two different things that people sometimes erroneously call loopholes: There are tax deductions, and then there are standard accounting practices.\n\nA tax deduction is anything that you can spend money on t...
What does it mean to be an offside player in soccer?	[ "A player has crossed the other teams defensive line, past the last defender before the ball has. So there is an unfair advantage, it prevents goal camping from the offense.", "A player is in an offside position if they are past (towards the oppositions goal) all of these lines:\n\n1. Half way line\n2. Line of t...
Why does earthquake depth matter	[ "AHA! I knew my oceanography could help someone!\n\nThe Earth is unique among a lot of planets due to our plate tectonics. This is basically stating that Earth is like a giant puzzle, with HUGE pieces (like the North American plate) constantly being moved, where they are pulling apart/sub-ducting under/grinding...
How does calorie counting make you lose weight if you eat the extra calories gained by exercising?	[ "Wow - you seem confused.\n\nFirst of all: Check out _URL_1_\n\nSecond: Work out your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) here: _URL_0_\n\nIf you want to lose weight, then eat 500kcal below this value CONSISTENTLY.\n\nNote that the TDEE calculation takes exercise into account.\n\nYou can absolutely lose weight wi...
What is the internet?	[ "At first glance, that might look like a stupid question, but it's actually very good, and the answer has varied over time.\n\nIn the beginning, the internet consisted of relatively few computers, more or less directly connected to other computers on the network, passing messages between them so they reached the co...
Why does cheese taste so much better when it's melted?	[ "It doesn't. You just like it better.\n\nAlso, 'cheese' is not all the same, there are probably hundreds of varieties...", "Matter of opinion my friend.\n\nMy opinion is melting cheese makes it oily, almost plastic in texture. Not something I wish to put in my belly. :D", "I'm guessing for you it is more textur...
Why does my 21 inch LED monitor support 1080p but my 32 inch LED tv only does 720p?	[ "You are meant to sit closer to your monitor than you are to your TV, therefore resolution matters more on a monitor than it does on a TV.\n\nThat being said, there are several models of 32\" TVs that support 1080p perfectly fine. One that only goes up to 720p is a cheaper model, or several years old.", "It has ...
Why do all artificial flavors taste the same, e.g. watermelon, but nothing like the actual fruit?	[ "Not a complete answer by any means, but banana flavor is actually super interesting. The current banana we are all familiar with has zero genetic diversity. In fact they are pretty much all genetically the same plant. They can't even be grown from seeds any more since, well, when was the last time you found a seed...
What gives milk its white colour?	[ "The white stuff it contains:\n\n* [Butterfat](_URL_0_), which is a bright yellow color\n* [Lactose](_URL_2_) (sugar), which is white.\n* Proteins, mainly [casein](_URL_1_) which is rich in calcium.", "The white color of milk is because milk contains particles of a protein called casein. These casein particles ar...
How was hydrofluoric acid contained or used before plastic was invented if it eats glass containers?	[ "It was held in glass bottles that had a coating of wax inside. \n\n*”And, like many other acids, it also reacts with metals, so storing it is a bit tricky. Where do you put something that eats through its container? Well, these days it’s stored in special plastic bottles, but in the 17th century when it was first...
Amanda Knox trial	[ "Since this is a dupe, I'll repost my comment from [here](_URL_0_):\n\n---\n\nAmanda Knox was an American studying in Italy. She lived with a British roommate, Meredith Kercher, and was dating an Italian man, Raffaele Sollecito. In November 2007, while Knox and Sollecito were out together, a man named Rudy Guede br...
Why is it that so much fundraising is targeted at cancer related diseases while heart disease is continually the leading cause of death in Western cultures?	[ "Isn’t it because generally, a healthy lifestyle prevents heart diseases whereas cancer is unpredictable." ]
Role of Food preservative. How do some processed food claims 0% preservative added, and yet they could be used for a whole year?	[ "That food might naturally be that shelf-stable; the only claim is that they don't add preservatives. It's like how fruit juices advertise \"no sugar added\" because all the sugar came from the fruit themselves.\n\nOf course, without a specific example this is just guesswork." ]
How does someone with the name 'Jose Torres' become a white supremacist?	[ "I know, right? I was wondering that, too. I guess we're products of our environment. Throw a Jose in a pack of white supremacists, and he can turn out racist too (sometimes)" ]
Why do i dream more when i sleep after I have been reading?	[ "Actually, you dream about the same amount every night (REM is your brain organizing your memories); it just depends on how much of the dream you remember. Memories are kept more often if they're important, vivid, or recent. Considering books are only successful if they satisfy both former characteristics, then you...
How does a woman's body know to sync menstrual cycles with other women that are frequently around?	[ "This doesn't actually happen, though it is a commonly cited myth. Multiples studies have shown that there isn't much truth to the \"menstrual sync\" hypothesis, though it can seem that way. In any group of adult women, chances are that 1/4 of them will be bleeding at any given time. If they're living in close...
Why is the defense budget in the USA so high?	[ "Several people have talked about corruption and that's certainly a factor, but in ELI5 terms it's important to understand that the military goals of the US are different from the goals of many other countries. \n\nMany countries are interested in protecting themselves from invasion. Even in extreme cases (like Swi...
Why are knives and swords curved?	[ "It gives the blade a point to drive forward, if that makes sense. Imagine you have a big juicy steak in front of you. You grab your fork and knife and get ready to cut a bite. Your knife is perfectly straight from the handle to the tip. As you try to cut your steak, the tip of the knife keeps stabbing at the meat ...
How do planes avoid collisions above the Atlantic where there is no radar?	[ "There are airplane “highways” usually separated by 10 000 ft. East you fly odd (ie 30 000ft) and west you fly even(ie 40 000ft)", "planes have their own radar\n\nplus the pilots have windows\n\nand, as others point out, there are standard flight lanes/rules you follow to prevent collisions", "Any plane that ha...
Why do flies and most flying insects seem to intentionally keep bothering you after swiping at them multiple times?	[ "That's a bit like asking you why when it's hot out three days in a row you don't just move to another UNIVERSE. They aren't smart, their worldview is about 1 bazillionth of a second in front of them and a foot around them. They are running on auto-pilot and the auto-pilot programmer was a mouse, who was in a com...
Why does healthcare in the USA cost so much more than elsewhere, is it better than treatment elsewhere?	[ "In the UK everyone contributes to healthcare via taxes. More people contributing to a communal pool means lower overall costs for everyone.\n\n\nIn the US everyone has to buy their own insurance and many people don't/can't. Smaller amount of people contributing to a communal pool means higher overall prices for ...
Please explain climate change proof like I am 5	[ "In the last 650k years, Earth has gone through 7 periods of glacial advance and retreat. The last was 7k years ago, marking the end of the Ice Age.\n\nCO2 was demonstrated to trap heat in the mid 19th century. In the course of the last 650k years, Earth atmospheric CO2 levels has never been above 300ppm, and we kn...
In the Star Wars Universe, are lightsaber duels decided by whoever is the stronger force user or is it more of a skill based battle?	[ "It is a mixture of the two since the force effects your reflexes, physical strength, focus and predicting your opponents moves. Rey may well have been just as strong in the force as Kylo but she also likely had some skill with physical weapons based off the fact she carried a staff most of the time leading to an e...
Why do we feel sleepy in warm temperature rather than cold temperature ?	[ "I learned at least one of the reasons for this from a professor last semester. He's a kineticist (that's a field of chemistry) and very into endurance running -- and he told us just exactly why the perfect running temperature (high 60s to low 70s) is what it is: Pyruvate kinase\n\nEssentially, the heat outside act...
why do ebooks cost more than paperback?	[ "I have never seen an eBook cost more than a physical version of the same book. What makes you think this is a thing that happens?", "You're absolutely right.\nI think that has more to do with the demand of physical books having gone down.\nMore people find it easier to just download an e-book and so the demand f...
Why do most toilets have handles and not pedals?	[ "I believe this problem has been erradicated with the installation of, the bathroom sink, in which to wash your hands afterwards.", "Handles were designed to be a lever to lift the rubber/silicone stopper that holds the water in the tank. traditionally its placed higher on the tank to facilitate easily being able...
If the House always wins, how come most casinos go broke?	[ "Casinos have tremendous fixed costs. They are in A+ locations that require huge loans for land and building. They have to purchase furniture, televisions etc. They also have to purchase gaming tables, electronics, and systems. They also have to pay more labor than most service industries. There is cleaning staff, ...
What do radical terrorists hope to accomplish? What draws people into such groups as Al Qaeda?	[ "Actually, Al Qaeda had a published 20-year plan. It called for engaging the infidel in countless small conflicts, dividing their forces and wearing them down economically and in public support by attrition. It hoped that the government would become oppressive in the face of the threat, resulting in more Muslims ri...
Why is a recent (less than a year) prescription required to order replacement contact lenses or glasses when it's OK to wear existing lenses or glasses for over a year?	[ "I get my eyes checked every year and because of my health insurance, I only pay a small copay for new glasses/contacts. You should be wearing the best corrective lenses for your eyes so if you have not gone to see your ophthalmologist in over a year, you should. Its not really OK to wear existing ones if your eyes...
if a human embryo isn't viable, by what mechanism does the body decide to terminate? What is it that goes "this isn't working, scrap it"?	[ "A precise answer probably wouldn't be really eli5 but basically there will be some chemical signal if the embryo isn't viable on a cellular level. When cells die they release a lot of different chemicals that signal for other cells to recover and destroy the remnants. Also, when the embryo dies it stops secreting ...
why did detroit fail?	[ "In the 50s and 60s, the United States was the only country producing reliable, quality vehicles meant for a middle class population. BMW existed in Germany, and Rolls Royce in Britain, but neither company made affordable vehicles. In the 70s and 80s, however, this changed as Japan and South Korea finished rebuildi...
How prominent does a person have to be for killing them to be assassination rather than murder?	[ "Assassination is murder but murder is not necessarily assassination.\n\nAssassination is usually connected with killing someone for cause not personal or even necessarily related to the killer in any way. \n\nIt tends to be a job usually done for others. The term \"assassinated\" is usually used with the killing o...
songs getting stuck in your head	[ "You can call it an \"earworm\".\n\nWe don't fully understand that yet, because it's part of the brain and we don't know the brain that well. And there're many theories about those, even others names than \"earworm\".\n\nMy thinks about it (i'm not a expert in the domain, not even am I good at it):\n\nYou can see t...
Why do passengers have to open airplane windows during takeoff and landing?	[ "It's so the flight personnel can see the engines/wings to ensure no issues. \nHowever, I've never heard an attendant say to open windows for landing/takeoff.", "Because if shit goes down, every second will count. They need\n\n- light from outside in case of power loss\n\n- ability to quickly look outside to se...
Why do servers crash during a big launch? Wouldn't the company have countermeasures to prevent that before the launch?	[ "It can be really hard to correctly estimate how much strain a big launch will put on servers. How many people will really be playing? If you could accurately predict that for each major launch, you have a very lucrative skill. Mostly it cannot be done. Oh, companies can get rough figures (part of the reason they l...
Why don't American coins have numbers?	[ "So back in the day a dollar was a silver certificate that you could exchange for a dollar worth of silver. Coins used to be made mostly of silver, so a quarter had 25¢ worth of silver and a dime 10¢. There used to be a half dime, but it was deemed to impractical because of how small it was, so the nickel came out ...
Why did something that costs $45 dollars at Walgreens cost me almost $2000 at a hospital?	[ "You're not just paying for materials. You're paying for a whole host of services. For one thing, a medical professional was available for you. Having a staff of residents, nurses, doctors, etc. isn't cheap. After all, they're not like potential cashiers or janitors where anyone can perform the job. Rather the...
Why does hot water feel significantly hotter on my face than on other parts of my body?	[ "A more sensitive and dense pattern of nerves and minute vascularisation in your face. Your back/thigh/arm doesn't have the same amount or type of nerves as your face.\n\nYour head is highly vascular as well, and is the warmest appendage from the core. You regulate your skull temperature quicker to keep your brain ...
If illicit substances such as drugs were legalised, what would become of the black market? Would there be demand for something else?	[ "If there is way to make a profit the black market will find it. Take cigarettes, they are legal but because of the high taxes placed upon them it is possible to buy them in places that have low or no taxes and then sell them to retailers in areas with high taxes making profit for the black marketeer and a little ...
Different Types of Baseball Pitches	[ "Books have been written. Oversimplified:\n\nFastball: straight off the fingers. Ball rotates downward from 0 degrees to 180 degrees back toward the pitcher, point of view pitcher. Though it drops, as all pitches do because of gravity it can appear (optical illusion) to rise because spin (and resulting air pressure...
In theory, could an object with the mass of a grain of sand hitting the earth cause the same damage as a huge asteroid, if it were traveling at a fast enough velocity?	[ "First of all, \n\n > Energy = Mass times Acceleration\n\n\nThis is wrong. Force=mass\\acceleration. Energy = 1/2 mass\\velocity^2 . \n\nTo answer the question, if you were to ignore the atmosphere, maybe. In real life, earth is surrounded by an oxygen rich atmosphere. As soon as that grain of sand hits the at...
why can company's like U.S. Cellular claim to have 4G coverage everywhere but in reality, only have it in very few places?	[ "They absolutely never claimed that. That would be a complete lie. They always publish maps showing where they have 4G coverage.", "Can you provide a little more evidence of that claim? Verizon/AT & T have been at war over this issue and use slightly different terminology to make their claims, but I've never seen...
Why are so many Americans afraid of having voter id laws?	[ "Some 10% of Americans don't have photo-ID, and that group tends to be the elderly and the poor", "Throughout the country's history local and state governments have introduced rules that didn't explicitly ban certain groups (like african-americans, or poor people) from voting but they did introduce laws that had...
What does a runny nose actually do for recovery, like from a flu?	[ "It prevents additional viruses from entering. As the immune system is busy handling one virus it leaves the body open to attack from another virus. To prevent this there are several other defense mechanisms that turn on like increased mucus production, lack of hunger and tiredness. The flu virus and influenza viru...
Why do we no longer use supersonic commercial flight?	[ "It's not profitable. This has been discussed several times today -- if you want more info, the search bar will help you out." ]
How do DVD players remember where you left off on a movie you haven't had in your DVD player in years?	[ "Some DVD players have storage.\n\nThey basically save a unique identifier that is tied to a specific disc image and time point in the film. If that disc is played again, the player knows what point to resume play from.\n\nIt's not really a matter of how long it's been since you last played the disc, but rather how...
What are sinkholes?	[ "In general a sinkhole is caused by water underground eroding a hole below the surface, and when the surface becomes too heavy, it falls into the hole. The water can come from a number of different sources including underground rivers or aquifers. If the area you're in is known to have sinkholes, this can mean at a...
Is it bad to hold back sneezes? Like pinching your nose to block the sneeze etc.	[ "Every time I hold in a sneeze (like when I'm in a very quiet place and don't want to draw attention) I almost shit my pants. \n\nI literally can picture the sneeze working in reverse and trying to come out the other end.", "Yeap. Air comes at approximately 160km/h!! That's 100 miles per hour if you're in the US...
Positions and Payouts in The Big Short	[ "Michael Burrey ended up walking away with $100 million personally and $700 million for his investors ($800 million total) which worked out to a 490% return on their investment.\n\nThe small guys, Geller and Shipley, turned $15 million into $120 million.\n\nMark Baum (real name is Steve Eisman) and his crew turned ...
How were the lights synchronized in Lady Gaga's halftime show?	[ "The drones use Intel's realsense technology combined with infrared LEDs, allowing the drones to know where each other are and form a sort of wireless mesh network.\n\nOnce the drones know where they are and where they are supposed to be, you can program them.\n\nExample of drone formation from 5 years ago: _URL_0_...
Why two signals at different frequencies can coexist?	[ "It's just like sound. If you press two keys on a piano, you hear a sound that is different from the sound either key makes by itself. The combined waveform has components of each note's frequency.\n\nA more selective receiver, the kind that only hear's one note, like the kind your radio uses, works differently t...
How many color combinations are possible with choosing 4 out of 7 colors if colors can be repeated and which formula is applied in this instance?	[ "7^^4 = 2041 of possible combinations\n\nSomeone correct me if I'm wrong, but this should be it\n\nE: Wrong, it's 35, see below" ]
What causes alkaline batteries to leak when mixed with other types of batteries?	[ "All batteries of the same size pretty much always put out the same voltage regardless of what they're made of, so I think it may be a case of the other batteries may leak and they just copy-pasted the same safety warning.\n\nThose cheap \"Heavy Duty\" batteries you see in dollar stores are I believe Carbon-Zinc or...
If I fall asleep at 12:30am and naturally wake up at 6:30am, will I be better or worse off then getting 2 more hours of sleep, but waking up to an alarm?	[ "I heard it's best if you get up the first time you wake up naturally. It's your natural cycle. Majority of people need around 8 hours but there are people who just need 6. some might need 10, it depends. I've noticed myself that I'm less tired if I get up the first time I wake! You should try it :)" ]
How do computers remember the time even after they are shutdown/ plug pulled?	[ "Tiny battery in a component known as an RTC, or real time clock.\n\nThese components use so little power the battery will usually last the lifetime of the computer." ]
How can they tell how many people watched certain TV show?	[ "They use Nielsen ratings. Certain households, called Nielsen families, participate in a program where they log everything they watch. These statistics are extrapolated to the whole country. So the viewership numbers you hear are estimates based off the number of Nielsen families that watched that show." ]
Why can mayo remove water stains from finished wood?	[ "The combination of fat and mild acids penetrates the top layer of the finish to replace the water with nourishing oil.\n\nAt least that's what it says on\n_URL_0_", "The combination of fats and acids in mayonnaise soaks through the top layer of the wood to remove water stains (the upshot being that the oil also ...
Why do red objects and text appear blurrier than other colours in low-quality digital videos?	[ "Digital sensors use what's called a [Bayer Filter](_URL_0_) over the sensor to filter out the colours.\n\nAs you can see in the images on that page, red pixels are only a quarter of the total number of pixels. This actually roughly matches the sensitivity of your eye, providing a more accurate colour balance.\n\nA...
The American transplant system	[ "Well, this is a super broad question but I'll answer where I can.\n\n1. Not all donations are taken from dead people. Those that are require the body to still be technically alive. Back in my surgery days (scrub tech) I was only unfortunate enough to have to assist in one harvest. The patient was a young male that...
It has been a few years since the big boom of the "Occupy" movement. Did any major changes result from those protests? It seemed like every major city had an "Occupy" at one point. Did we ever ever see a shift in wealth (99% vs 1%)?	[ "No, there wasn't a shift of wealth. Occupy never managed to really push a mechanism for changing that. \n\nWhat one can say Occupy did accomplish in a very real way was to shift the national dialogue. Pre-Occupy very few people were talking about the wealth dispairity except in lofty academic circles. The whole 99...
r/KotakuInAction and "Gamergate"	[ "KIA and gamergate is anti SJW.\n\nGamerGate began due to the accusation of a female game developer of sleeping around with game reviewers, which was partially true and partially false. So, the internet rioted and began to demand ethics in game journalism, while some attacked her directly on the internet. She accus...
why do we say aww when we see something cute or feel bad for someone?	[ "Possibly because of social norms, in which we learn from others that we say \"aww\" when we see something cute or feel bad for someone. \n\nPerhaps the origin is that actually, humans react aggressively when we see something cute...perhaps there might be some explanation there..." ]
Why are all videos not available on mobile youtube?	[ "Uploaders can choose for each of their videos whether or not to enable mobile viewing. Google implemented this choice because the mobile Youtube apps used to not be able to display ads, and some uploaders might not want to lose out on that ad revenue. That reasoning is obsolete now, since ads are shown during mobi...
How can businessmen get prosecuted for things like insider trading and securities fraud when their businesses have limited liability?	[ "Limited liability protects members from debts, liabilities, and tort claims -- not crimes. For example, if you're a member of an LLC that goes bankrupt, you are not responsible for those debts. If someone slips on a puddle of coffee inside your office and sues you, you are not personally responsible for paying tha...
How do clouds stay up in the sky?	[ "Air also has weight. Remember that clouds are totally gigantic. The amount of air that would take up that space actually weighs more than that. Since the cloud is lighter, it floats on top of the air. As the cloud gets denser, it can sink down. As it gets less dense, it can rise up. That's why fog, stratus clouds,...
Why drugs have the stigma that they possess today?	[ "Well... it's obvious there have been enormous negative social impacts from drug use. I think it'd be ridiculous to say it's \"purely\" because of corrupt governments or money. Obviously the War on Drugs didn't help their public image, and some-not-quite-as-bad drugs were caught in the \"drugs are terrible\" cros...
Can some please explain to me how computer programming works?	[ "I learned all of this shit in college but it's been a few years so forgive me if I'm rusty, but I'll break it down as best I can. Let me know if any of this is too complicated, I'm going to avoid trying to use analogies and just explain how it all works as simply as possible.\n\nYou've done some programming so yo...
Why Does My Spoon Taste Metallic After It Touches Aluminum Foil?	[ "Some of the aluminum oxide, which always coats the aluminum, rubs off. It tastes metallic because you are tasting aluminum rust." ]
How can our brains allow us to kill ourselves?	[ "They try really hard to stop us, but sometimes they're too damaged.", "Mental illness or overwhelming emotion that hinders rational thought, and our consciousness is above instinctual behaviour, you can overcome that if you want to. You phrased it as though we are separate from our brain, but if you decide to ki...
Why is a president commenting on a judicial procedure not a violation of the separation of powers?	[ "He is allowed to comment all he likes. He is even allowed (and often expected) to fight judicial procedures in court. What he can't do is order his executive branch to directly violate the court findings.", "The separation of powers refers to the distribution of legal powers between the branches. Making public ...
The inclusion of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance during 1954.	[ "one of the main points of propaganda against the soviet union was that the soviet union was atheist and godless, while the US was strong under the protection and guidence of god. \n\nThe pledge of allegiance was written by a baptist flag salesman to increase sales anyways.", "Religious revival in (southern) Amer...
Why do I often get calls from random numbers with nobody on the other line?	[ "They're likely scammy telemarketing calls. Outbound call centers typically use a \"power dialer\" that calls a bunch of numbers at once, and if the line picks up, instantly connects it to an operator. In legit call centers, they're tuned so that you rarely get enough people picking up at once that there are no o...
How can you have multiple Channels on the same frequency!(e.g. In Walkie-Talkies)?	[ "On the [Family Radio Service](_URL_2_), which is the more common radio band as it does not require an operator's license, you have multiple channels spaced 12.5 kHz apart. On each of those channels, the radio uses something called CDCSS ([Continuous Digital-Coded Squelch System](_URL_1_)) or CTCSS ([Continuous Ton...
Why are most road kill on the side of the road?	[ "State trooper move the carcass to aide of the road if it's blocking or endangering traffic. Later on, animal services comes by and takes the carcass if animals haven't eaten it already. If healthy itll be butchered and donated to local animal shelters", "Animals that get hit and killed instantly are often ...
What are the pros and cons of "right to work" laws?	[ "> A \"right-to-work\" law is a statute in the UnitedStates that prohibits union security agreements, or agreements between labor unions and employers, that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment.\n\nPros: emplo...

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.