question stringlengths 3 301 | answer stringlengths 9 26.1k | context list |
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market capitalization when it comes to purchasing a company. | Often the buying company must pay a premium to the traded price, to acquire the company, but usually this premium is 20-50% of the pre-offer share price.
One thing that isn't in the market cap but is usually part of the purchase price is the assumption of debt. If Kindred owed roughly $3.3 billion to its creditors,... | [
"Market capitalization equals the number of a company's shares outstanding multiplied by the market price of the stock. Market capitalization is an indication of the size of a company. Typical ranges of market capitalizations are:\n",
"If a company's stock price (which is a measure of the company's capital market... |
If everyone had a self-driving Google car, would there be a problem with interference between all the radars and lasers? | Probably not. Google “phase-sensitive detection” and you'll see how it's actually quite easy to recover your own signal from a sea of noise. | [
"Other systems similar to radar make use of other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. One example is LIDAR, which uses predominantly infrared light from lasers rather than radio waves. With the emergence of driverless vehicles, radar is expected to assist the automated platform to monitor its environment, thus p... |
the difference between interpreted and compiled computer languages? | Compiled languages are translated directly into the machine code that the processor can execute. It would be like taking a cookbook written in Greek, and getting it translated to a cookbook written in English. Once you have the translated cookbook, you can then follow the recipes (as can everyone else that reads Engl... | [
"The difference in code density between various computer languages is so great that often less memory is needed to hold both a program written in a \"compact\" language (such as a domain-specific programming language, Microsoft P-Code, or threaded code), plus an interpreter for that compact language (written in nat... |
why do manufacturers print "best before: see bottom" instead of the actual date? | It could be a case where the label is printed well before the product actually gets canned/boxed, so you cant put a date on the label as you don't know when it will actually be put on a product. So it directs you to where the date will be put during the final canning/boxing process. | [
"Sometimes the packaging process involves using pre-printed labels, making it impractical to write the \"best before\" date in a clearly visible location. In this case, wording like \"best before see bottom\" or \"best before see lid\" might be printed on the label and the date marked in a different location as ind... |
Have humans/organisms caused an increase on the overall mass of Earth? ie man made objects or birth of organisms? | Since all organisms on earth are created from the earth, (air, water, minerals) it is simply a redistribution of mass. We actually have reduced the mass by sending probes away from earth. Some is replaced by the constant in fall of inter solar dust and meteors but organisms do not add mass. | [
"The spread of the large and increasing population of humans has profoundly affected much of the biosphere and millions of species worldwide. Advantages that explain this evolutionary success include a larger brain with a well-developed neocortex, prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes, which enable advanced abstract... |
why in most us universities do they make you share a room with a roomate? | It's cheaper, and uses less space. I'm getting shafted enough already on rent in this two-person dorm room, I can't imagine what it would cost for everyone to have their own room. | [
"All of the rooms are rectangular double rooms. They do not have stackable or bunkable furniture, therefore if students want to loft their beds, they have to build or rent their own loft. Every room comes equipped with beds, dressers, desks with chairs, and closet space. They also include an Ethernet outlet and a p... |
Possibly the defining characteristic of Julius Caesar's legendary status as a general was the speed with which his army was able to operate- what accounted for this? What was he doing that other Roman generals weren't? Do we know how he was able to pull this off? | This has been asked before:
_URL_0_ | [
"The army of Julius Caesar focused on swift movements, celeritas, over spending time on full preparations. His approach to strategy is known to be one of great daring and risk. He subjected his men to dangerous winter marches and relied heavily on the crafting skill of Romans in quickly building siege weapons and f... |
why is devil's food cake not just called devil's cake? | there's two kinds of cake.
the first one along was called "[angel food cake](_URL_0_)".
then someone added chocolate to it, and made it into "[devils food cake](_URL_1_)".
because the second one was "devilishly good"
| [
"Devil's food cake is a moist, airy, rich chocolate layer cake. It is considered a counterpart to the white or yellow angel food cake. Because of differing recipes and changing ingredient availability over the course of the 20th century, it is difficult to precisely qualify what distinguishes devil's food from the ... |
why does alaska have so many lakes? | Glaciers receded during the ice age and tore up the land. Check out what most of the Canadian landscape looks like vs the lower 48 for a clearer example. Tons of tiny (and not so tiny) lakes everywhere. | [
"Alaska contains abundant natural resources which include ground and surface water. The southwestern part of Alaska is drained by the Yukon River and its tributaries that include the Porcupine, Tanana, and Koyukuk Rivers. The Yukon River is the third longest river and fourth largest drainage basin in North America ... |
Ancient Rome, Marriage, Sex | I'm on my phone so I'm just going to answer your last question here, and come back later for the rest.
In Roman law and morality adultery is defined only as sexuality relations between a married woman and a man who is not her husband. Therefore, a married man can have sex with anyone - male or female - except women m... | [
"Ancient Rome distinguished between two forms of marriage: the \"matrimonium non iustum\" and the \"iustae nuptiae\" (or \"iustum matrimonium\"). The former concerned a relationship between one man and one woman who intended to marry but could not do so in terms of Roman law; the latter dealt with formally recognis... |
Is there any consensus among historians on why Britain, in particular, became the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution? | This is a difficult question and my reasoning could be subjective in many aspects, I will cite my sources to justify my reasoning. For the industrial revolution to occur, people such as land and business owners had to be incentivised to invest in newer technology, otherwise there would be no reason to invent.
**Starti... | [
"British economic historian Gregory Clark has controversially claimed, in his book \"A Farewell to Alms\", on the basis of extensive research, that Britain may have been where the Industrial Revolution began because the British people had a head start in \"evolving\"through a combination of cultural and possibly ev... |
what are farm subsidies and how do they work? | Okay, so for years the United States produced more cotton than any other country. So anyone in other countries who wanted cotton would end importing it from the United States.
All was well, and the cotton farmers had a great time, since everyone was paying top dollar for their cotton.
Now, for a number of reasons tha... | [
"An agricultural subsidy is a governmental subsidy paid to farmers and agribusinesses to manage the agricultural industry as one part of the various methods a government uses in a mixed economy. The conditions for payment and the reasons for the individual specific subsidies varies with farm product, size of farm, ... |
Do we know anything about siege weapons and siege warfare in Native American societies? | While waiting for further comments, check out [this earlier thread](_URL_0_) on warfare and sieges in the New World. | [
"In the 1990s and early 2000s an influential group of archaeologists, led by Steven A. LeBlanc of Harvard, popularized the notion that warfare was endemic among all prehistoric peoples. Koblitz analyzed the writings of this group, compared them to other sources, and concluded that the claim of pervasive warfare amo... |
How long would it take for Earth's orbit to be affected if the sun were to suddenly blink out? | The effect of gravity does travel at the speed of light, so the earth would cease to orbit, and travel in a straight line after 8 minutes 20 seconds. | [
"In December 2012, a research team in China announced that it had produced measurements of the phase lag of Earth tides during full and new moons which seem to prove that the speed of gravity is equal to the speed of light. This means that if the Sun suddenly disappeared, the Earth would keep orbiting it normally f... |
What is the biochemical mechanism by which smoking reduces bone density? | From the national institute of health, "Analyzing the impact of cigarette smoking on bone health is complicated. It is hard to determine whether a decrease in bone density is due to smoking itself or to other risk factors common among smokers. For example, in many cases smokers are thinner than nonsmokers, tend to drin... | [
"BULLET::::- Tobacco smoking: Many studies have associated smoking with decreased bone health, but the mechanisms are unclear. Tobacco smoking has been proposed to inhibit the activity of osteoblasts, and is an independent risk factor for osteoporosis. Smoking also results in increased breakdown of exogenous estrog... |
Do human skeletons retain their death pose? | Rigor mortis would likely change the position, and as tendons dry up they would pull the skeletal structure into different positions; you've almost certainly seen this in fossil imprints where a creature's head is bent backwards. Consider [this](_URL_0_) image.
| [
"Animated human skeletons have been used as a personification of death in Western culture since the Middle Ages, a personification perhaps influenced by the valley of the dry bones in the Book of Ezekiel. The Grim Reaper is often depicted as a hooded skeleton holding a scythe (and occasionally an hourglass), which ... |
why do media organizations ask for user permission before sharing submitted content from twitter but not reddit? | If you submit a link to Reddit, it's from an external source/site. Just because you shared it doesn't mean it's yours so there is no reason to ask permission from anyone on Reddit. You'd ask the owner of the original source of the link.
Text posts and comments are easier to use under fair use - especially since you ca... | [
"This campaign’s goal is to urge Internet users to join organizations by signing a petition in regards to Internet surveillance and censorship. OpenMedia claims that individuals should have their rights to embrace anything online.\n",
"BULLET::::- Twitter: The Twitter Terms of Service state: \"We reserve the righ... |
A good source for causes WWI? | Definitely make sure to check out the /r/AskHistorians Booklist, [which has an extensive section on this!](_URL_0_) If you find yourself better suited to listening, many of those books should be available as Audiobooks. | [
"Sidney Bradshaw Fay (13 April 1876 in Washington, D.C. – 29 August 1967 in Lexington, Massachusetts) was an American historian, whose examination of the causes of World War I, \"The Origins of the World War \" (1928; revised edition 1930) remains a classic study. In this book, which won him the 1928 George Louis B... |
How did the vacation practices of Western Europeans differ from Eastern Europeans during the Cold War? | Not sure about the rest of Eastern Europe, but in the Soviet Union, you couldn't easily travel abroad without a special permission or a work assignment. Especially to non-communist countries. However the USSR was a large enough country that there were still plenty of places to vacation within the country. The Black Sea... | [
"Varna became a popular resort for Eastern Europeans, who were barred from travelling to the west until 1989. One of them, the veteran German Communist Otto Braun died while on a vacation in Varna in 1974.\n",
"During the post-World War I period ski-lifts were built in Swiss and Austrian towns to accommodate wint... |
the difference between gaelic, welsh, breton, and manx | Since you are five, let's pretend that English, [Gibberish the language game](_URL_1_), and Pig Latin were all languages you knew. They are all pretty closely related, but you can pretty much immediately understand Pig Latin and English since there really isn't much difference. Gibberish on the otherhand is still based... | [
"Although Irish and Manx are often referred to as Irish Gaelic and Manx Gaelic (as they are Goidelic or Gaelic languages), the use of the word \"Gaelic\" is unnecessary because the terms Irish and Manx, to refer to language (as in, \"to speak Irish\"), always refer to these languages, but Scots has come to refer to... |
Why do pigeons walk the way they do? | [The head bob allows them to hold their head still (relative to their surroundings\) for as much time as possible](_URL_0_). This probably makes them better able to observe their surroundings. | [
"Pigeons are meek and gentle with soft feathers which follow humans well. They symbolize the peace and security of mankind, and they mean to desire the unification of the Korean Peninsula and the well-being of citizens.\n",
"Other research indicates that homing pigeons also navigate through visual landmarks by fo... |
how come native americans never built empires like cultures on other continents? | Near St Louis is Cahokia. There are Mounds several stories high that were built by a large civilization. Several thousand Indians thrived there.
_URL_0_
More information : apparently it was one of the largest civilizations between 600-1400AD | [
"Each colonial power has certain bonuses that make them unique and different from each other. Aside from European colonial powers, the NPC powers include eight Native American tribes, in four main categories. Each Native American settlement can convert one regular colonist into a specialist. More advanced tribes (I... |
In evolution, why do certain traits develop that seem helpful but not essential to survival? | It can sometimes be deeper than this.
For example Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder that shortens life span significantly. Why then do 1 in 25 people in Britain carry the recessive allele? Surely evolution would have killed it off?
The answer is that Not so long ago (in the evolutionary time scale) Britain was ... | [
"The dictionary definition of Evolution is any process of formation, growth or development. In biological evolution the main principle behind this development is survival, we evolved to become stronger and quicker, we also evolved to become intelligent. But as we became intelligent biological evolution subsided to ... |
When the brain receives a nerve signal from the skin, how does it differentiate between a heat signal, a cold signal, a pain signal, a pressure signal etc? | Different neurons in the skin are used to detect different sensations, and the frequency of the signals they send determines the intensity of the sensation. Different parts of the brain take in different signals so we can distinguish different sensations from each other | [
"The auditory nerve carries the signal generated by the hair cells away from the inner ear and towards the auditory receiving area in the cortex. The signal then travels through fibers to several subcortical structures and then to the primary auditory receiving area in the temporal lobe\n",
"These neurons have se... |
Skim, 1%, 2%, whole milk? Soy milk? Almond milk? Coconut milk? Nutritionally speaking, what's the best kind of milk to drink? | In relation to Calcium I can tell you that you require 1500-2000 mg (1.5-2 grams) a day, making Calcium the highest requirement micronutrient/mineral required. All types of milk generally have the same amount of Calcium in them.
However, this is due to the addition of Calcium in Soy/Almond/Rice/Coconut milk, as non-da... | [
"Coconut milk is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of manganese (44% DV) and an adequate source (10–19% DV) of phosphorus, iron, and magnesium, with no other nutrients in significant content (see table).\n",
"In 2016 in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended food additi... |
Is the lack of snow in North America an effect of Global Warming? | Two things.
1) The lack of snow, if anything, would be a symptom of global warming not a cause. AKA more heat = less snow.
2) The local weather is influenced far more by local meteorological trends (highs, lows, fronts, etc.) than by global warming. It's like dipping a cup into the ocean trying to find a specific f... | [
"Shorter winters and longer growing seasons may appear to be a benefit to society from global warming, but the effects of advanced phenophases may also have serious consequences for human populations. Modeling of snowmelt predicted that warming of 3 to 5 °C in the Western United States could cause snowmelt-driven r... |
How big is the area of sky we look at during the day? | **It depends on your height and how far into the sky you are looking.** I assume you mean "Due to the atmosphere we can only look so far", this I'll not be able to clarify for you. Part of your question can be answered with math though.
If we assume you are at sea (the most uniform horizon) and your elevation is 0, ... | [
"The location of α Andromedae in the sky is shown on the left. It can be seen by the naked eye and is theoretically visible at all latitudes north of 60° S. During evening from August to October, it will be high in the sky as seen from the northern midlatitudes.\n",
"It is planned to survey the entire accessible ... |
If humans can see ants at our current sizes, would we be able to see germs, cells, etc. if we were ant size? | When we say we "see" something, we mean that we can "[resolve](_URL_0_)" the object, i.e., we can clearly identify the object as being at that position with that brightness etc. If the object is not resolved, then depending on how poor our resolution is compared to the object's size, it will range anywhere from appeari... | [
"\"Myrmecia\" ants are easily noticeable, due to their large mandibles, and large compound eyes that provide excellent vision, and a powerful sting that they use to kill prey. Each of their eyes contains 3,000 facets, making them the second largest in the ant world. Size varies widely, ranging from in length. The l... |
why is it illegal to use milk crates for other things aside milk? | I didnt know that. At my job we go into the dairy cooler and grab milk crates for other purposes every day. | [
"It was held that (1) the ban on plastic nonreturnable milk containers was rationally related to the achievement of legitimate state purposes and thus did not violate the equal protection or due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment, since the state legislature could rationally have decided that its ban on pl... |
What is the evolutionary advantage of the poppy plant to produce morphine? | Alkaloids like morphine, nicotine, caffeine, and many more act as [insecticides](_URL_0_) for the plant in nature. Their effects on us are a bit of a natural accident. | [
"The opium poppy was cultivated in lower Mesopotamia as long ago as 3400 BC. The chemical analysis of opium in the 19th century revealed that most of its activity could be ascribed to the alkaloids codeine and morphine.\n",
"Today, morphine and codeine are common alkaloids found in several poppy varieties, and ar... |
why do companies pay ceo's so much money? | 1) CEOs spend a lot of time working, so they need to be compensated. They are held responsible for the company, so 24/7 they are on the hook and often answer calls in the middle of the night, skip weddings and kid's soccer games, and don't have meaningful time off.
2) There are only so many experienced CEOs. There ar... | [
"Economist Krugman argues that while in theory differences in quality of a CEO can be worth millions of dollars to a company and therefore justify millions in dollars of pay, in practice it is very hard to set pay according to performance because of:\n",
"Management's desire to be paid more and to influence pay c... |
Could a diamond be considered a massive molecule? | I's technically not considered a massive molecule, as it doesn't have an identifyable shape or size. They tend to be better described by how other crystalline structures form: in "cells" that are repeating patterns of with the same structure that can be joined together and repeated.
It does depend on your definition... | [
"Diamonds may exist in carbon-rich stars, particularly white dwarfs. One theory for the origin of carbonado, the toughest form of diamond, is that it originated in a white dwarf or supernova. Diamonds formed in stars may have been the first minerals.\n",
"Although diamonds on Earth are rare, extraterrestrial diam... |
so what exactly is the connection between nazism and the composer richard wagner? | Wagner wasn’t a Nazi, because he died in 1883, before Hitler was even born. But in his time, Wagner was a virulent anti-Semite.
Hitler and the Nazi Party loved Wagner, however, and the composer and his beliefs conflated with Nazism and anti-Semitism.
[BBC source ](_URL_0_) | [
"The German composer Richard Wagner was a controversial figure during his lifetime, and has continued to be so after his death. Even today he is associated in the minds of many with Nazism and his operas are often thought to extol the virtues of German nationalism. The writer and Wagner scholar Bryan Magee has writ... |
Do we know exactly what would've been hit had the cold war gone hot? | Not exactly. First of all, the targets, strategies, and capabilities varied by time period. So the answer for 1962 is not going to be the same for 1983, for example. Second, the exact targets have tended to be classified. Occasionally there are ways to glance at that information, e.g., a list of possible targets in the... | [
"BULLET::::- 1947–89 – Cold War, an era of high tension and hostility—but no major \"hot\" war—between the US and its allies (Western Europe, Canada, Japan, etc.) and the Soviet Union and its satellite states.\n",
"Cold War — An examination of the strategic conflict between the United States and the USSR in the s... |
why does certain bacteria cause food poisoning that makes you expel basically everything in your digestive system? | Some bacteria, as a byproduct of their metabolism, produce a toxin. This toxin and its source, when detected by our bodies is *gotten rid of* as quickly as possible via explosive bowel movements. | [
"In the foregoing, there was mention of bacteria contaminating foods that cause infection in or from the digestive tract. Other food-borne bacteria can cause disease by producing toxins. It is no longer about infection, but toxication. Among these bacteria, some synthesize a toxin only when their concentration in t... |
Where would you have to be standing on Earth such that you were furthest away from the Earths centre? | The summit of [Chimborazo](_URL_0_), Ecuador. | [
"On a completely flat Earth with no visual interference (such as trees, hills, or atmospheric haze) the ground itself would never obscure distant objects; one would be able to see all the way to the edge of the surface. A spherical surface has a horizon which is closer when viewed from a lower altitude. In theory, ... |
why is identifying as another gender ok but identifying as another race crazy? | _URL_0_
_URL_1_
_URL_3_
_URL_2_
| [
"Some researchers believe that the difference in scores for both race and gender is closely related to psychological phenomenon known as stereotype threat. Stereotype threat happens when an individual who identifies themselves within a subgroup of people, is taking a test and comes across a stereotype (usually of A... |
What force balances gravity when I spin a belt/cord/rope above my head in a circular motion? | Good question. This is a problem often addressed in a first year mechanics class. It is the tension in the string which balances the force of gravity, and that tension is determined by the string's weight and how fast the string is spinning - spinning faster means more tension, according to the centripetal force law. F... | [
"Precession can be demonstrated by placing a spinning top with its axis horizontal and supported loosely (frictionless toward precession) at one end. Instead of falling, as might be expected, the top appears to defy gravity by remaining with its axis horizontal, when the other end of the axis is left unsupported an... |
why objects smaller than the wavelength of visible light can't be seen by a regular microscope | Imagine that you are tasked with building a realistic statue of a man. The only materials allowed are Legos. Done well, the statue will look fairly realistic. Now, build the same statue with concrete blocks. Can it even resemble a man? No, the pieces are too big. It's the same with light. If you are trying to resolve a... | [
"Optical microscopes can focus on objects the size of a wavelength or larger, giving restrictions still to advancement in discoveries with objects smaller than the wavelengths of visible light. Later in the 1920s, the electron microscope was developed, making it possible to view objects that are smaller than optica... |
how do they count all those bees when news headlines say 37 billion dead bees? | They send people out to count them all
Just playing, Basically, they (whoever released the information) judge how many bees died by what they know about bees, and what they can observe. Bees act a certain way, weigh around a certain amount, etc. They would most likely find the rough area of where the bees died, and ho... | [
"According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), in 2007, the United Kingdom had 274,000 hives, Italy had 1,091,630, and France 1,283,810. In 2008, the British Beekeepers Association reported the bee population in the United Kingdom dropped by around 30% between 2007 and 2008, and an EFSA study revealed tha... |
Do magnetic and/or electric field have any influence on time and space? | As other people have pointed out, the answer is yes, but there’s something in the way you phrased the question I want to focus on. You said that gravity curves spacetime, and wondered if other forces do as well.
It’s much more accurate to think of matter and energy as curving spacetime, and this effect is *itself* gra... | [
"According to Maxwell's equations, a spatially varying electric field is always associated with a magnetic field that changes over time. Likewise, a spatially varying magnetic field is associated with specific changes over time in the electric field. In an electromagnetic wave, the changes in the electric field are... |
Can rocks evaporate? | Sulfur does. In thermal vents around volcanoes, you can find deposits of sulfur that has sublimed from below and been deposited in the cooler upper regions of the vent.
Here's a [picture](_URL_0_) of it. | [
"BULLET::::- Evaporite sedimentary rocks are composed of minerals formed from the evaporation of water. The most common evaporite minerals are carbonates (calcite and others based on ), chlorides (halite and others built on ), and sulfates (gypsum and others built on ). Evaporite rocks commonly include abundant hal... |
Is there significant risk of infection from fecal
bacteria if there is an open cut on the anus? | While this isn't the exact area of my research, I searched around on pubmed to see if this appears to be a well studied problem, and I found very little information, suggesting that infection with fecal bacteria of these kinds of wounds is not a common concern, or it is understudied or possibly irrelevant to treatment.... | [
"Abscesses are caused by a high-density infection of (usually) common bacteria which collect in one place or another for any variety of reasons. Anal abscesses, without treatment, are likely to spread and affect other parts of the body, particularly the groin and rectal lumen. All abscesses can progress to serious ... |
Did dinosaurs, like reptiles of today, molt or shed their skin? | It depends on the dominant integument (body covering) of the dinosaur in question.
**Feathers:** There is good evidence to indicate that feathered theropods with pennaceous (vaned) feathers molted as they grew, much in the same way that birds do today. Although hatchlings of the oviraptorosaur *Similicaudipteryx* bor... | [
"The dinosaurs were constructed out of 2 inch (5.08 centimeters) black iron pipe, with a wire mesh frame and a concrete skin. Originally they were gray in color, but by the 1950s the statues were painted bright green with white undersides. Being constructed in the 1930s, the dinosaurs reflect the thinking of the ti... |
Ants and bees have queens that are physically very different and serve very different roles than the rest of their group...how genetically different are they? | Queens are genetically identical to their sister workers. I am not entirely sure about ants but bees are fed a special substance called royal jelly which causes them to develop the way they do.
The trick is that while they are genetically identical they are *epigenetically* very different. Epigenetics strictly speaki... | [
"Queens look similar to workers, but several morphological features distinguish the two castes from each other. The queen's body is usually larger. Ocelli are highly developed, but the eyes on the queen are not enlarged. The structure of the pterothorax (the wing-bearing area of the thorax) is consistent with other... |
how do countries divide payments for sending mail by post? | They are not, as the countries themself have little to do with it (unless we are dealing with state-postal-service - but they usually are still another entity).
Lets stay within your canada- > australia example.
You buy stamps from the Canada Post Corporation. put them on your evenlope to australia and give it one ... | [
"In many developed countries, direct mail represents such a significant amount of the total volume of mail that special rate classes have been established. In the United States and United Kingdom, for example, there are bulk mail rates that enable marketers to send mail at rates that are substantially lower than re... |
why do cucumbers taste so mild while you're eating them, but taste so strongly when you burp afterward? | It's the cucurbitacin in them. It's a chemical that they have to help prevent certain animals from eating them (too much and there wouldn't be any to make more-hey nature!)
It's mostly in the stem end so if you don't eat that part it will cut down on it too. Also can deseed them and they will help prevent excess gas f... | [
"Depending on variety, cucumbers may have a mild melon aroma and flavor, in part resulting from unsaturated aldehydes, such as , and the \"cis\"- and \"trans\"- isomers of 2-nonenal. The slightly bitter taste of cucumber rind results from cucurbitacins.\n",
"Burpless cucumbers are sweeter and have a thinner skin ... |
how do password hashes work? | > Also, what's to stop someone from essential 'brute-forcing' hashes by starting with a and going through all the alpha-numerical symbols for 12 characters or so, and then have a just compare any given password to the compiled list of hashes?
This is called a [rainbow table](_URL_1_). And if you just did something si... | [
"Hash functions can be used to verify digital signatures, so that when signing documents via the Internet, the signature is applied to one particular individual. Much like a hand-written signature, these signatures are verified by assigning their exact hash code to a person. Furthermore, hashing is applied to passw... |
In WWII were there any reports of either military or civilian injuries or deaths caused by anti-aircraft weaponry, or any type of air based weaponry, missing a target and falling back to the ground? | hi! there's always room for more input on this, but you'll be interested in several previous posts on the impacts of anti-aircraft weapons and dogfights...
Anti-aircraft
* [What happened to all the stray bullets fired in the skies during WWII? (Or any war for that matter)](_URL_4_) - featuring /u/defrost
* [Are ther... | [
"There were other casualties after the war, mostly due to land mines. During the war, the alliance reported the loss of the first US stealth aeroplane (an F-117 Nighthawk) ever shot down by enemy fire. Furthermore, an F-16 fighter was lost near Šabac and 32 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from different nations wer... |
airport economics | Couple things:
- Retail space. Airports generate a ton of money from retail. Renting space to specific stores/shops, selling products directly, etc. I would not be shocked to learn that franchise set ups inside airports are also owned by the airport directly (like burger king and mcdonalds)
- Flowage fees for fuel p... | [
"The airport city model considers the idea that an airport can do more than perform its traditional aeronautical services, evolving new non-aeronautical commercial facilities, services and revenue streams. Airports are now routinely targeting non-aeronautical revenue streams amounting to 40–60% of their total reven... |
the falcon9 landing. why is it cool? what does it get us closer to doing? | As you can probably imagine, one of the most expensive aspects of space travel is building a rocket to get there. SpaceX has been working to make re-usable rocket technology at an unprecedented scale, and the Falcon 9 landing tests are part of that goal.
If SpaceX are able to land their rocket boosters for safe retrie... | [
"BULLET::::- SpaceX successfully lands the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a platform at sea, the fourth time it has made such a landing. The landing, made aboard a platform in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida after launching a communications satellite into orbit, is particularly challenging becaus... |
why do some noises produce a physical reaction in people? | Well, your body reacts to sounds by using your brain to resurface earlier instincts. For example, sudden high pitched sounds (such as writing on a chalkboard) will make you feel stressful and "wriggly" because your primal brain tells you to run from the nonexistent predator or natural danger that is suddenly screeching... | [
"For example, those who suffer from misophonia often report that specific human sounds, including those made by eating, breathing, whispering, or repetitive tapping noises, can precipitate feelings of anger and disgust, in the absence of any previously learned associations that might otherwise explain those reactio... |
how does putting food in hot oil fry it (like, how does the actual frying process happen)? also, what are those bubbles, is it water that leaves the food due to the high temperature or something else? | Oil is active as a heat stabilizer and heat transfer fluid. As the oil heats various components begin to break down or evaporate (boiling does this rapidly). This takes energy and holds the temperature relatively even as the oil evaporates or smokes. This means that your food is cooked at a relatively stable high te... | [
"If performed properly, deep-frying does not make food excessively greasy, because the moisture in the food repels the oil. The hot oil heats the water within the food, steaming it from the inside out; oil cannot go against the direction of this powerful flow because (due to its high temperature) the water vapor pu... |
Was lacrosse really used to settle national disputes? Are there other examples of sports settling national disputes? | There are a lot of lacrosse-related metaphors regarding warfare, and warfare-related metaphors regarding lacrosse. Many of the preparations undertaken by ball players have close or identical analogues among wartime preparations. The association between the two has deep roots and grew increasingly stronger in the late-1... | [
"Lacrosse traditionally had many different purposes. Some games were played to settle inter-tribal disputes. This function was essential to keeping the Six Nations of the Iroquois together. Lacrosse was also played to toughen young warriors for combat, for recreation, as part of festivals, and for the bets involved... |
Why do we only look for radio waves in SETI research? | We assume that life is like us, because we have to. We're aware that life could take any form we can or can't imagine, but we don't know how to look for life we can't imagine, and while we might be able to look for life we can imagine but is very different from us, it's smarter to look for life like us. Why? Because we... | [
"BULLET::::- Cognitive radio techniques: each radio measures the spectrum in use and communicates that information to other cooperating radios, so that transmitters can avoid mutual interference by selecting unused frequencies. Alternatively, each radio connects to a geolocation database to obtain information about... |
How did the Mexica (aka Aztecs) deal with the umbilical cord after birth? Was there any cultural significance attached to it or was it merely disposed of? | Aztec births were a highly ritualized affair involving spirituality and midwifery. When the umbilical cord was removed it was preserved and when a son reached adulthood he would bring his to a battle field and bury it. A daughter would bury hers next to the family's hearth. There is an illustrated book called the Flore... | [
"In placental mammals, the umbilical cord (also called the navel string, birth cord or funiculus umbilicalis) is a conduit between the developing embryo or fetus and the placenta. During prenatal development, the umbilical cord is physiologically and genetically part of the fetus and (in humans) normally contains t... |
Interested in the Three Kingdoms | I would suggest you read (assuming your an English speaker) the book itself! There are many translations available, the one I read was the translation by [Robert Moss](_URL_0_). Also there is the actual historical text that the novel was based on, Records of the Three Kingdoms by Chen Shou, for that I would recommend ... | [
"The Legend of Three Kingdoms () is a video game series originally developed by OdinSoft, later by UserJoy Technology. The series includes seven PC-based single-player titles and three online and one mobile titles, which haven been released in China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the United States, and South Asia. It... |
What were preparations like in the dsys/hours/minutes before an attack on a castle or city back in medieval times? | It's useful, I think, to first differentiate fortifications into three basic types. These are the fortified town, the baronial castle, and the ducal/royal castle. The three really only have in common the fact that they are fortified places of strategic importance; the way in which they are constructed, manned, and func... | [
"The most common practice of siege warfare was to lay siege and just wait for the surrender of the enemies inside or, quite commonly, to coerce someone inside to betray the fortification. During the medieval period, negotiations would frequently take place during the early part of the siege. An attacker – aware of ... |
How did Rome get buried? | I didn't know /r/askhistorians did guides (I'd definitely hire some of the mods for private tours!)
It's definitely not a stupid question, how indeed does a city fall to ruin and get buried under the ground when people still occupy it?
This isn't exactly asnwering about Rome but /u/Pachacamac answers why ruins happ... | [
"The Etruscans, who at the time occupied what is now Rome, had placed their dead in early dug-outs, such as the Tomb of the Capitals, and less complex tumuli. The early Roman custom had been cremation, in which burnt remains are placed in a pot, urn, or ash-chest, and then often kept in a columbarium. Around the 2n... |
what does it mean when a drug (cocaine, heroin) is cut? | It means it's been cut *with* something in order to stretch the supply. Kind of like if you have half a can of soda, and you fill it up with water. You now have a full can, but it's much weaker soda. And if you sell it like that, whoever bought it might be pissed.
With drugs, it's not unusual to have them cut with som... | [
"Heroin, also known as diamorphine among other names, is an opioid most commonly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. It is used medically in several countries to relieve pain or in opioid replacement therapy. It is typically injected, usually into a vein, but it can also be smoked, snorted, or inh... |
Do castrated people lose their libido? | Yes. Your testicles are a driving force in testosterone production, which is key to having any sort of sex drive for males. Steroid users often use faux testosterone to get bigger, causing their body to stop making its own. So when they get off a cycle the have to block estrogen production and wait for natural testoste... | [
"Castrations after the onset of puberty will typically reduce the sex drive somewhat or even eliminate it altogether. Castrated people are automatically sterile, because the testes (for males) and ovaries (for females) produce sex cells needed for sexual reproduction. Once removed, the subject is infertile. The voi... |
When will earth lose the moon? | We will not lose the Moon. It will recede as it exchanges energy with the Earth by slowing our rotation. Eventually the recession will stop when the Earth becomes tidally locked to the Moon and one side of the Earth will always face the Moon.
The opposite process has already happened and the same side of the Moon fa... | [
"Currently, the Moon is moving away from Earth at a rate of 4 cm (1.5 inches) per year. In 50 billion years, if the Earth and Moon are not engulfed by the Sun, they will become tidelocked into a larger, stable orbit, with each showing only one face to the other. Thereafter, the tidal action of the Sun will extract ... |
why do so many older people who are otherwise competent struggle to use computer technology (such as copying and pasting or attaching a file to an email)? | Biggest obstacle is they tend to use the computer very rarely. It's just not part of their mindset. They get news and entertainment from the television. Communication is through telephone, postal mail, or a walk down the street.
This lack of skill makes them nervous about breaking it. They grew up with announcements ... | [
"Because many of the people in the older generation are less likely to have skills on the computer, their technological inabilities also hold them back from being hired. As the years have passed, many companies have begun to focus on using the internet and other programs on the computer, making it more likely they ... |
why do companies doing an ipo need to "secure $x billion from y investors" and need z investment companies to "sponsor" them? | They are sponsors in that they have committed to pay at least some amount of money to buy shares of the company. If there was no secured funding, the private owners of the company might have no bidders at all. The secured funding also sets a floor on the price so that they don't get unlucky and sell the whole company f... | [
"Due to the current economic climate, IPOs have become a rarer occurrence recently, causing venture capital firms to look towards mergers and acquisitions. This is a more realistic scenario, especially when startup companies do not look to function independently. Acquisition financing uses investment funds to acqui... |
why do some electronics not turn on while charging? | Simply put, those things don't have a circuit that diverts power to the device as well as the battery.
Batteries can't charge and discharge at the same time. When you plug something like your phone in, it has a circuit which directs the required power to the phone and the rest to the battery to charge. Some devices... | [
"Due to the electromagnet in the contactor, if power to the machine should fail the contactor will automatically disengage. Unlike machines with an ordinary latching switch (such as a common light switch), when the power is resumed the machine will not operate until being turned on again. As a result, magnetic star... |
Why do things like glue, sticky notes and other adhesives like that become "unsticky" when it's cold? | Most glues conform to the shape of whatever they are bonding to. If there are microscopic ridges on a surface the glue would fill them This increases surface area for chemical bonding and attraction which is the primary way the glue sticks.
When its cold the glue can contract and it may not conform to the surface anym... | [
"The adhesive is largely affected by the temperature as polymeric adhesives are commonly used today. Polymeric materials used today are viscoelastic materials, which enables easy application and quick adherence to the substrate. Adhesive degradation in the bulk is largely due to temperature effects, which reduce ad... |
why are sodas made with such strong acids? | As far as I understand it, the do it to equalize the sweet taste of sugar. Now, you asked why they even add as much sugar in the first place.. sugar sells. Your body reacts to sugar well comparable to how it reacts to heroin, although significantly less drastic. You have the feeling of happiness and being energized. If... | [
"Caustic soda is limited to smaller combustion units because it is more expensive than lime, but it has the advantage that it forms a solution rather than a slurry. This makes it easier to operate. It produces a \"spent caustic\" solution of sodium sulfite/bisulfite (depending on the pH), or sodium sulfate that mus... |
Besides Allied interception of Japanese plans throughout the Pacific theatre, what caused the demise of the Imperial Japanese Navy and its forces? | Allied codebreaking and other SIGINT ultimately had relatively minor impact compared to the sheer quantitative, qualitative, and technological advantages that the US Navy had over the Japanese one.
The authors of Shattered Sword have a [certain webpage](_URL_0_) in reference to just how massive the Allied advantage ... | [
"By 1944, the German Navy no longer presented a major threat and the Royal Navy was able to transfer major units to the Far East. This would fulfil a British wish to become involved in the Pacific War. First, however, experience was required of large-scale naval air operations and of United States procedures. To th... |
how does one secure venture capital funding? | Hype might not be the right word- but there is a significant preference to high-growth companies (usually young ones, since the maturity phase is relatively unlikely to lead to a high (risky) ROI-1). A mere business plan is usually not good enough unless you've discovered an untapped market or |the market is monopolist... | [
"Venture capital (VC) is a type of private equity, a form of financing that is provided by firms or funds to small, early-stage, emerging firms that are deemed to have high growth potential, or which have demonstrated high growth (in terms of number of employees, annual revenue, or both). Venture capital firms or f... |
how can companies like amazon afford to price things at such low margins? | Amazon's margin is ~15%, it's not low. Really what you're seeing is that many manufacturers place their MSRP high enough that the moderate traffic mom and pop shop in a major city can sell it at MSRP and still make rent, and they can afford to mark it down for various sales. [Thus most industries have 30-40% gross prof... | [
"Businesses that want to price competitively will monitor their competitors’ prices and adjust accordingly. Amazon is a market leader in retail that changes prices often, which encourages other retailers to alter their prices to stay competitive. Competitor-based dynamic pricing can increase sales, especially if th... |
why can't we use waste gas to create more energy? | The 'gas' emitted from power stations is the bi product of combustion of their fuel, which could be gas, coal, whatever. A hefty amount of that is water vapour.
For a gas to be able to turn a turbine then it has to be expelled under pressure, which is of course how power stations work, usually by steam turbines. But t... | [
"Using waste as fuel can offer important environmental benefits. It can provide a safe and cost-effective option for wastes that would normally have to be dealt with through disposal. It can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by diverting energy use from fossil fuels, while also generating energy and using waste ... |
why are smartphones vertically oriented screens by default and design, yet all other forms of screens and displays are all designed horizontal? | Have you ever tried holding your phone horizontally with one hand to use it? | [
"Because of the building-block nature of the system, the configuration of the overall screen area and shape is flexible, leading to simple traditional rectangular displays, and more complex non-standard shapes.\n",
"To promote consistency between device classes, Android tablets now use an expanded version of the ... |
Do Religious Scholars Take the Gospel of Judas Seriously? | The Gospel of Judas gets a good deal of action in academic circles devoted to the study of ancient Christianity, as /u/anoldhope mentions. (Take a look around [JSTOR](_URL_2_) or [Google Scholar](_URL_3_), for instance.) In fact, it gets just as much scholarly attention as any of the many [other ancient, non-canonical ... | [
"The Gospel of Judas is another controversial and ancient text that purports to tell the story of the gospel from the perspective of Judas, the disciple who is usually said to have betrayed Jesus. It paints an unusual picture of the relationship between Jesus and Judas, in that it appears to interpret Judas's act n... |
the difference between pressure and compression? | > As I understand it fluid can't be compressed
And that is where you went wrong, any fluid can be compressed. Any material at all can be compressed of course.
Fluids are often said to be incompressible because they take a lot of force to compress even a little bit, but it is a simplification which isn't strictly ac... | [
"In mechanics, compression is the application of balanced inward (\"pushing\") forces to different points on a material or structure, that is, forces with no net sum or torque directed so as to reduce its size in one or more directions. It is contrasted with tension or traction, the application of balanced outward ... |
Did ancient people really get captured by marauding bands of slavers? | Yes, certainly. If you want a good real-life version of the Gladiator scene we have Julius Caesar's capture by pirates. These pirates would capture people and sell them as slaves, often to rich Romans.
However, if they happened to catch an important person, such as Caesar, they ransomed them instead of forcing them t... | [
"Africans were captured in wars, as retribution for crimes committed or by abduction and marched to the coast in \"coffles\" with their necks yoked to each other. The most common means of enslaving an African was through abduction. They were placed in trading posts or forts to await the horrifying six- to twelve-we... |
how do other countries come to know if a nation has conducted a missile test? | In the case of North Korea, the US probably has a satellite pointed at the country 24/7 to detect missile launches. Maybe some other detection equipment based in Japan and South Korea too | [
"The purpose of the first tests was to determine the feasibility of dropping the 10Kh missile from an aircraft in flight and ignite the pulse jet about below the mother-ship, but only six out of 22 missiles did so correctly. The second, more successful series of tests, achieved a success rate of 12 out of the 22 la... |
Are there any examples of positive cooperation between the Soviet Union and the USA during the Cold War? | There was the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project that led to a joint US-Soviet space mission in 1975. ASTP's value in terms of scientific or engineering progress was extremely questionable, but it certainly qualifies as a "positive, cooperative moment." One could argue that that first instance of working with the Russians in sp... | [
"During the Cold War (1947–1991), when the Soviet Union and the United States were engaged in an arms race, the Soviet Union promoted its foreign policy through the World Peace Council and other front organizations. Some writers have claimed that it also influenced non-aligned peace groups in the West, although the... |
Is it known who shot down the plane that triggered the Rwandan genocide? | I asked a similar question a week ago! If I may ask a follow up question, why was it that so much of the world almost seemingly refused to get involved and even turned blind eye to the Rwandan Genocide?
Why did countries like the U.S. And Europe and even local surrounding countries abstain from trying to stop the vio... | [
"A 2006 French inquiry with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda accused Nyamwasa, Kagame and four other officials of organizing the shooting down the plane of then Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana. The event is cited as the catalyst for the Rwandan genocide. Nyamwasa has also been accused by Spain o... |
What were ancient Roman parties like? Describe the most opulent/crazy one. | You should read the feast of Trimalchio. It's not about orgies and is more satire and mocking of the extravagance of Roman elites.
In this case it is mocking the faux sophistication of Trimalchio (a former slave who has now become quite wealthy) as he hosts a dinner party but repeatedly commits mistakes which actual e... | [
"The youth of Rome had several forms of athletic play and exercise, such as jumping, wrestling, boxing, and racing. In the countryside, pastimes for the wealthy also included fishing and hunting. The Romans also had several forms of ball playing, including one resembling handball. Dice games, board games, and gambl... |
how do thermal optics pick up heat signatures from such large distances away? | if i understand this correctly, its basically just shifting the infra red spectrum so it can be seen. (electronically, with a sensor and a screen)
_URL_0_
its always there, we just are not equipped to see it.
life would be weird if we could see somewhere up to fm frequencies.
_URL_1_
suprisingly eli 5 | [
"The brightness of the image produced by a thermal imager depends on the objects emissivity and temperature. Every material has an infrared signature that aids the identification of the object. These signatures are less pronounced in hyperspectral systems, which work similarly to multispectral but use more bands, ... |
What were the attitudes of Orthodox Russian rulers towards the Crusades and the Crusaders? | As a follow-up, how Christianized was late 11th century Russia? Was Orthodox Christianity the religion of the majority of people west of the Urals? | [
"The Teutonic Order's failed attempts to conquer Orthodox Russia (particularly the Republics of Pskov and Novgorod), an enterprise endorsed by Pope Gregory IX, can also be considered as a part of the Northern Crusades. One of the major blows for the idea of the conquest of Russia was the Battle of the Ice in 1242. ... |
why do i feel depressed at random times for no reason? | You have no history under this name. Are you male, female, have a family history of depression, etc? I don't think any one can say much about you specifically without more info. That and you should see a doctor as "medical"advice really shouldn't be given on redit. | [
"Nearly every day, the person may be indecisive or have trouble thinking or concentrating. These issues cause significant difficulty in functioning for those involved in intellectually demanding activities, such as school and work, especially in difficult fields. Depressed people often describe a slowing of thought... |
why u.s. conservatives are so against abortion but generally the first to gripe about families with multiple children on welfare. | Because they are honoring a set of principles:
1. the fetus deserves protection as a living thing.
2. it's not fair to others to create economic advantage for some without the hard work put in by the rest of us.
You too have principles that result in "tension" - where upholding one leads to pushing against another. ... | [
"The Christian right opposes abortion, believing that life begins at conception and that abortion is murder. Therefore, those in the movement have worked toward the overturning of \"Roe v. Wade\", and have also supported incremental steps to make abortion less available. Such efforts include bans on late-term abort... |
why do certain bugs and glitches appear on seemingly random occations in some programs? | The dont appear at random, but after a series of events / when the game is brought inr a certain state that triggers the bug.
Games and programs are made so complex these days, that its nearly impossible to test each and every permutation / state the game can be in | [
"Errors in computer programs are called \"bugs\". They may be benign and not affect the usefulness of the program, or have only subtle effects. But in some cases, they may cause the program or the entire system to \"hang\", becoming unresponsive to input such as mouse clicks or keystrokes, to completely fail, or to... |
Was the Isthar gate and it's surrounding walls ever used in defence under a siege? | It depends on which Isthar gate you mean. Babylon had eight main gates, that were named after the closest temple to that gate. Babylon also fell to the Kassite and Assyrians after the time of Hammurabi, but before the rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. These attacks on Ba... | [
"These are gates in the walls of the Upper City of the Belgrade Fortress. Gates that are connected to each other are not exactly aligned. This was done to prevent use of siege engines on the inner gate, if the outer gate would be breached.\n",
"The fortifications remained in active use until the 1850s, when the g... |
why is a drone strike considered invariably worse than an f-16 pilot dropping a 500lb jdam? | When the crossbow was first invented, it allowed a grubby peasant to kill a noble knight. For a while people, mostly those who relied on knights, labeled crossbows as "dishonorable", and try to discourage their use. Eventually, warfare adapted and moved on.
That is kind of where we are with drones. People are more ... | [
"With an elevation angle of up to 60 degrees and 12 propellant loads to choose from, the B-4 virtually met all the expectations it was given, capable of crushing its targets via an optimal projectile trajectory.\n",
"This weapon enabled the German pilots to attack their bomber targets from a safer distance of ove... |
What is the Banach-Tarski paradox? | Of course there exists a bijective function from the set of one sphere to the set of two spheres. That is, we can break up a sphere into uncountably many points, and rearrange the points into two sphere. So we're essentially forgetting everything about the first sphere, except how many points it has, and then artificia... | [
"The Banach–Tarski paradox is a theorem in set-theoretic geometry, which states the following: Given a solid ball in 3‑dimensional space, there exists a decomposition of the ball into a finite number of disjoint subsets, which can then be put back together in a different way to yield two identical copies of the ori... |
Why did clock and watch makers decide on only 12 hours instead of 24? How did a 12 hour clock face become standard? | It has to do with the cost of building clocks and clock towers. 12 hour clocks are cheaper.
I explained it in some detail in this previous thread [here](_URL_0_). | [
"The use of clock faces was part of the European technology received in Japan, and a number of arrangements were made to display Japanese hours on clock faces. Some had movable hours around the rim of a 24-hour clock dial. Others had multiple clock faces that could be changed with the seasons. To make a striking cl... |
To what extent did the Hittites make use of iron? | Iron is first attested in Anatolia in the third millennium BCE. An iron dagger with trace amounts of nickel was found in the "royal" tombs of Alaça Höyük (ca. 2300 BCE). Iron is better known, however, from Old Assyrian texts (2000-1750 BCE). During this time period, Assyrian merchants regularly traveled to Anatolia to ... | [
"The Hittites were also famous for their skill in building and using chariots, as the Battle of Kadesh demonstrates. The Hittites were pioneers of the Iron Age, manufacturing iron artifacts from as early as the 14th century BC, making them possibly even the first to do so. The Hittites passed much knowledge and lor... |
How are mineral seedbeds created? | A mineral seedbed is a growth medium that lacks significant amounts of organic matter.
Wildfire can create seedbeds like this by combusting all of the organic material out of topsoil, leaving behind a "sterile" mineral based layer for things to grow in. Areas with high erosion, desert climates, or limited existing veg... | [
"The purpose of a mineralizer is to facilitate the transport of insoluble “nutrient” to a seed crystal by means of a reversible chemical reaction. Over time, the seed crystal accumulates the material that was once in the nutrient and grows. Mineralizers are additives that aid the solubilization of the nutrient soli... |
who benefits from sending computer viruses out into the world? | Depends on what it does.
Some malware is designed to make the creator money. This includes things like the "scareware" programs that pop up, tell you that you have a virus and need to pay them $30 to clean it up. There are also viruses that try to steal your credit card information when you shop online, so they can se... | [
"Developments in mail systems, such as Microsoft Outlook, without sufficient thought for security implications, made viruses that indeed propagate themselves via email possible. Notable examples include the Melissa worm, the ILOVEYOU virus, and the Anna Kournikova virus. In some cases, a user must open a document o... |
why does the milk at the grocery store expire in 1-2 weeks but the milk at fast food places are good for over one month? | It's a different type of milk. You can get UHT milk/long life milk. It lasts longer and is fine for coffee etc but doesn't have the same taste as fresh milk. | [
"Due to the short shelf life of normal milk, it used to be delivered to households daily in many countries; however, improved refrigeration at home, changing food shopping patterns because of supermarkets, and the higher cost of home delivery mean that daily deliveries by a milkman are no longer available in most c... |
i've deeply cut my finger, what is my body's immediate response to this and what exactly is my skin, muscle and other tissues doing during the healing process? | Well, your immediate response is pain. The All severed blood vessels will constrict as much as possible to stop blood loss while other vessels proximal to the cut will expand, somewhat bypassing the affected area.
During the healing process, as long as everything is bandaged up tightly and in the right place, your bo... | [
"Although nerves tend to lie deep under the skin except in a few places such as the ulnar nerve near the elbow joint, they are still relatively exposed to physical damage, which can cause pain, loss of sensation, or loss of muscle control. Damage to nerves can also be caused by swelling or bruises at places where a... |
why is having netanyahu speak in washington so controversial? | I say this with a neutral point of view, not to make a point:
The Israel/Palestine conflict has led to a number of human rights issues and accusations of war crimes on both sides. Many people are opposed to the state of Israel's existence at all. The majority of foreign leaders who speak in Washington come from stat... | [
"Netanyahu's \"Bar-Ilan speech\" provoked mixed reaction from the international community. The Palestinian National Authority rejected the conditions on a Palestinian State given by Netanyahu. Senior official Saeb Erekat said, \"Netanyahu's speech closed the door to permanent status negotiations\". Hamas spokesman ... |
What sort of influence did the arrival of European settlers have on the style of warfare practiced in the Natal? What did Zulu military technique look like prior to contact? | To answer your first question:
Guns were present in Natal from the time Shaka Zulu created the Zulu Empire - Shaka even hired/conscripted very small numbers of Europeans with muskets to fight for him, although never in decisive or significant numbers.
The primary Zulu weapons from the time of Shaka Zulu until the Ang... | [
"The Zulu are a significant case in African military innovation and change. Their system of war transformed large portions of the continent and their methods spanned both the pre-gunpowder and gunpowder eras. Several innovations appeared as part of the existing indigenous cultural mix, and their adaptation by burge... |
why do older phones (like sony ericsson) not start up without sim-card? | Older phones' main functions were provided over the cellular network. They used the SIM to make and receive calls and send and receive text messages. Older phones did not have the concept of WiFi or Apps used for something other than communicating. Hence there wasn't a point of the phone unless it had a valid SIM.
Cur... | [
"\"SIM cards\" in developed countries today are usually UICCs containing at least a SIM application and a USIM application. This configuration is necessary because older GSM only handsets are solely compatible with the SIM application and some UMTS security enhancements rely on the USIM application.\n",
"Due to t... |
Why is it that there is a (approximately?) 50/50 chance of an offspring being male/female? | [Fisher's principle](_URL_0_):
Imagine there exists a population in which the majority of individuals born are female. In this case, it's in a female's long term reproductive advantage to produce male offspring, because it's easy for males to find females to mate with, but hard for females to find males. The result is... | [
"The ratio of the sex of newborns is improbably 50/50 male/female, according to the frequentist test. Yet 50/50 is a better approximation than most, but not \"all\", other ratios. The hypothesis formula_64 would have fit the observation much better than almost all other ratios, including formula_65.\n",
"Genetica... |
Why did Roosevelt issue so many more executive orders in comparison to other presidents? | First, Roosevelt was in office for 12 years, so the orange bars (number per year) is a more useful measure. And before FDR, executive orders weren't always tracked that carefully.
Second, a lot of the government regulatory agencies that we now take for granted were *invented* as part of the New Deal. A number of FDR... | [
"Most Americans opposed giving the president any more power, as a Gallup poll found in April 1938. Nevertheless, after winning the approval of Congress, Roosevelt signed the Reorganization Act of 1939. Roosevelt then established the Executive Office of the President, which increased the president's control over the... |
Late medieval/early modern urban geography (?) - how was the population spread in a country in the 1500s? | RenlyWHW:
There are a lot of questions here, but here are a few notes that might help.
First, England's population distribution from 1550-1700 was somewhat unusual for Europe, given that London vastly outstripped every other city in size (it became what demographers call a 'primate city,' a city that vastly larger t... | [
"\" also led to a rapid population growth throughout East Central Europe. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the population density in persons per square kilometre increased, for example, from two to 20–25 in the area of present-day Saxony, from 6 to 14 in Bohemia, and from 5 to 8.5 in Poland (30 in the Cracow reg... |
why are computer not used in sports games? for balls/strikes/safe/outofbounds etc... | It's mostly tradition, umpires don't want to be out of a job, and people in general don't like change. But there can also be a deeper meaning.
Take racewalking as an example, an olympic event where one must move as fast as possible without running, aka without ever having both feet off the ground at the same time. Rac... | [
"Expert players are able to win against any computer player without giving a point away, since the AI isn't very well developed (and there are no difficulty options) and it's hard to miss a ball. The most usual tactic is to lure the opponent into the net (by making low shots), and then expect he bounces against a m... |
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