title stringlengths 3 300 | subreddit stringclasses 1
value | post_id stringlengths 5 7 | score int64 0 47.9k | link_flair_text stringlengths 0 63 | is_self bool 1
class | over_18 bool 2
classes | upvote_ratio float64 0 1 | post_content stringlengths 0 29.7k | C1 dict | C2 dict | C3 dict | C4 dict | C5 dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ELI5: Why is 'Jello' spelled with a J? | explainlikeimfive | 1s40wp | 1 | true | false | 0.6 | Jell-O: The name of a brand of gelatin desserts. Jelly: A jam-like spread. Gelatin: The substance Since Jell-O is not a jam-like product, shouldn't it be spelled like 'Gell-O'? There should be a 'G', not 'J' since Jell-O is a gelatin product! Jelly and Jell-O seem too alike, almost as if they got the name from 'jelly'. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtowln",
"comment_text": [
"In the US, jelly and jam basically mean the same thing, fruit preserves. Gelatin desserts were created in the UK and were named \"jelly.\" The name follows the standard diminutive form in English (i.e. Gerald -> Jerry).",
"When powdered gelatin was invented... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtomrz",
"comment_text": [
"Because that's not how English works. And also its a brand name so there is no obligation for it to follow any of the rules of phonetics, especially considering how crazy the rules are anyway. "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtovmr",
"comment_text": [
"This. Also, gelatin desserts are called \"jelly\" in British English."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtoteh",
"comment_text": [
"Brand names are often purposely \"misspelled\" to seem fun and appeal to the children that they are trying to market to. Like \"Froot Loops\" and \"Bratz.\""
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtouqw",
"comment_text": [
"Gelatin, including Jell-O, is a type of jelly."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5 - How do we evolve? | explainlikeimfive | 1s41fr | 2 | true | false | 0.6 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtpapu",
"comment_text": [
"Animals don't evolve over time. ",
" evolve over time. An individual animal does not change in a genetic sense. But it's children, and it's grandchildren and so on and so forth will contain tiny genetic differences from the parent. If any one of these genetic... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtoq62",
"comment_text": [
"You can just Google this."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtotjr",
"comment_text": [
"So imagine that you're some animal. Let's say that you're a predator of some sort. You have lots of offspring, and then you die.",
"Now, among your offspring, one of them is better at hunting that the others. It turns out that he has a genetic mutation tha... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtura3",
"comment_text": [
"Isn't that said for every ELI5?",
"We're here for when OP doesn't get a satisfactory answer."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtp0y7",
"comment_text": [
"animals change a little between generations and when they change in a way that works that trait gets passed on, while ones that don't work die off and don't pass on the trait. "
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: Why do certain spots of my beard NOT grow hair? | explainlikeimfive | 1s437i | 3 | true | false | 0.71 | I'm just about to turn 23 and I can't grow an even beard. Don't get me wrong, I look good with a few days of scruff but when it starts getting longer the Bald spots show through. There is one spot on my cheek that won't grow hair and one by the left of my mouth. Why is this? can it change as I get older? One of the spo... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtp8yg",
"comment_text": [
"I am not 5 years old. Can confirm. "
],
"score": 5
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtp8yg",
"comment_text": [
"I am not 5 years old. Can confirm. "
],
"score": 5
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtpbma",
"comment_text": [
"Just some random Internet guy. ",
"Can also confirm. "
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtp6k2",
"comment_text": [
"Genetics. Doubtful it will change."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtp77p",
"comment_text": [
"Well that'a lame. So is my ",
" half grown beard. "
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELi5: Why do we pee if the only thing we drink is water? | explainlikeimfive | 1s45il | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | If our bodies need 8-11 glasses of water a day, why do we pee when we drink water? If it's something we need why doesn't our bodies just absorb all of it, and when we get an excess amount of water water, we pee it out? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtpwxl",
"comment_text": [
"We pee because it gets rid of urea, which is a byproduct of digestion, and the way we do that is by making urine and excreting it."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtqjzk",
"comment_text": [
"You body needs water because it USES water. ",
"Water is used by your excretory system to carry wastes from your blood out of your kidney into your bladder, and poisons from your liver into your bladder. ",
"The idea that the body needs \"8 glasses of wat... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtq2u7",
"comment_text": [
"First of all, the 8 glasses a day thing is rubbish. The average human drinks about a liter of water a day, with this obviously varying based on the climate.",
"On to your actual question though, urine carries with it more than just water. It contains many was... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cduadas",
"comment_text": [
"Peeing is like getting an oil change. Garbage builds up inside you, and you have to get rid of it. ",
"You need water operate effective, so you drink it. ",
"Endless circle."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtpw9v",
"comment_text": [
"If our bodies need 8-11 glasses of water a day",
"They don't. You need ",
" water, but 8-11 glasses is overkill. Plus, water in foods like soup or rice, and dissolved in things like coffee or soda, still count.",
"why do we pee when we drink water?"... | |
ELI5:Why does high fat foods (beef/bacon) need oil in a pan before cooking so it doesn't stick? | explainlikeimfive | 1s45ql | 3 | true | false | 0.66 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtpxp6",
"comment_text": [
"They do not need oil."
],
"score": 5
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtpxr1",
"comment_text": [
"They don't... "
],
"score": 4
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtq0zv",
"comment_text": [
"Say Im using a steel pan and I heat it up to a hot temperature but I don't put oil in the pan and just drop the beef onto it - It always sticks to the steel pan",
"Mind you its not a non-stick pan"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtq42s",
"comment_text": [
"My bacon package always says put it on cold pan and then turn the heat on."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtq7gz",
"comment_text": [
"I use cast iron, and it does not stick. "
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: | explainlikeimfive | 1ryaa2 | 0 | true | false | 0.4 | Renewable Energy Credits | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds7mgc",
"comment_text": [
"A government issues renewable energy credits for when companies source power from renewable energy sources rather than fossil fuels. This makes those renewables cheaper AMD encourages more people to use it."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds8yjz",
"comment_text": [
"But what can the credits be used for? If I were to purchase an REC from an energy company, what can I do with it? "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds90th",
"comment_text": [
"Nothing - its used to offset emissions liability for those companies that generate emissions. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsbkhg",
"comment_text": [
"So if I were a company that generated GHGs, I could purchase RECs to offset my emissions? Sorry, it seems as though I'm just re-stating what you said...I just want to make sure I'm understanding this properly."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsbnlx",
"comment_text": [
"That's basically it. The details depend on the particular REC regime in place in your jurisdiction."
],
"score": 1
} | |
Eli5: quantum entanglement | explainlikeimfive | 1ryaeu | 2 | true | false | 1 | I know basically no matter the distance, an entangled pair will mirror each other in its state... But that's it. Not sure why... But... Eli5? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4z9g",
"comment_text": [
"A spin-0 particle decays to an electron and a position. One (and only one) of the following sentences must be true:",
"1.) The electron has spin up and the positron has spin down.",
"\n2.) The electron is spin down and the positron is spin up.",
"Pri... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdw9rjm",
"comment_text": [
"no information is passed along",
"Are you sure? Keep in mind, I know very little about quantum entanglement.",
"What if sisters both have identical dresses, one blue, one red, and one twin lived on Mars. Suppose every century, that sister travelled to ear... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdwakcr",
"comment_text": [
"Information in this context means that you ",
" Yes- you know that your particle being spin-down implies that the other is spin-up, but that didn't send information. You are using your knowledge of the laws of physics to infer it.",
"In your scenario, c... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdwaq9r",
"comment_text": [
"No. You're right.",
"I did think of something though. You know those \"one-time use pads\" spies used to send secret messages? ...Okay I just googled it and someone else already thought of it ",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_key_distribution",
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsiaj3",
"comment_text": [
"I know a lot of people would disagree with that claim. Proof?",
"Conservation of angular momentum.",
"Again, that's not universally accepted.",
"Again, conservation of angular momentum.",
"But feel free to explain your disagreement."
],
"score... | |
ELI5: Hardware vs. Software | explainlikeimfive | 1ryc45 | 1 | true | false | 0.6 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4fv8",
"comment_text": [
"?"
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4fv8",
"comment_text": [
"?"
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4fv8",
"comment_text": [
"?"
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4fv8",
"comment_text": [
"?"
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4trw",
"comment_text": [
"If you can hold something in your hand, it's hardware. It may be able to ",
" software, but if it's a physical device it's hardware. The arrangement of switches (transistors) inside of the physical device is software, and in the case of a USB stick (... | |
ELI5: What would happen on our planet if we had no moon? | explainlikeimfive | 1rycgo | 6 | true | false | 0.76 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds707o",
"comment_text": [
"Pi = 3.14159265359...Am I doing it right? More decimals? less?"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds46c4",
"comment_text": [
"Tides would be a lot smaller without a close gravitational source. ",
"It's possible that the \"wobbles\" in the Earth, such as tilt (which slowly change over time), could become more pronounced and change suddenly on an astronomical scale. This could lead t... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4942",
"comment_text": [
"... possible... improbably though, right?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4a1a",
"comment_text": [
"No, apparently pretty likely."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4e62",
"comment_text": [
"Math me, baby!"
],
"score": 1
} | |
Although probably expensive, why not put a parachute on every seat in an airplane for safety? | explainlikeimfive | 1rydk7 | 1 | true | false | 0.67 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4es0",
"comment_text": [
"This gets asked quite often. "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4tyn",
"comment_text": [
"Why not just put a giant parachute onto the plane itself and then it can open up and gently float to safety and I do not know physics."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4l89",
"comment_text": [
"How would those seats then get clear of the fuselage of the plane?"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4fmj",
"comment_text": [
"When there are 200+ people on a plane, getting everyone strapped into a parachute and safely jumping from altitude isn't going to happen. Plus, nobody is trained in skydiving.",
"It's safer for passengers to be strapped in and to try to ride out a rough land... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds4h2s",
"comment_text": [
"I should have been more clear, I guess I was thinking to have the parachute strapped to each seat on the plane."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: Why do businesses offer senior discounts to the elderly? | explainlikeimfive | 1ryrey | 3 | true | false | 0.67 | Since the elderly seem to have more wealth than younger Americans, why are senior citizens often offered discounts by businesses for services and entertainment events? Is it out of respect for our elders, do seniors actually have less money, or is there a more compelling reason? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds8ftm",
"comment_text": [
"Many seniors live on a fixed income, like social security or a pension, so they feel the need to scrimp and save. Offering a senior discount is an easy way to get their business.",
"Source: Work in a grocery store. Senior discount day is by far our busiest we... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds9jwq",
"comment_text": [
"If you want to capture a market that is unlikely to buy your product/use your service, you offer them a special discount to create an incentive for them to come in. ",
"Seniors have limited means. Senior discounts get those people in the door. Students have... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds8m0z",
"comment_text": [
"If you've ever had grandparents, you'll know they're cheap. They will eat up elderly deals."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds8u6s",
"comment_text": [
"Seniors live on fixed incomes and tend to be poorer than younger Americans. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds8h5l",
"comment_text": [
"Since the elderly seem to have more wealth than younger Americans,",
"No, some may have a lot, but most do not have enough. They will often use the services on off hours so it brings in business that they wouldn't have."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: how can 2+2=5? | explainlikeimfive | 1rysvw | 3 | true | false | 0.64 | I've been told by a lot of my friends that mathematicians have proven that it can. How is this possible. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds8uc5",
"comment_text": [
"They lied to you?"
],
"score": 11
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds94cm",
"comment_text": [
"It's one of several things:",
"1) There's a joke that 2+2=5* ",
"*For very large values of 2.",
"2) ",
"It's a reference to 1984",
". Similar to the infamous scene from ",
"Chain of Command from Star Trek: The Next Generation",
", it... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds909v",
"comment_text": [
"There are multiple ways of \"proving\" it. It involves a number of math statements which end in 2 + 2 = 5. However, one of the steps will have a subtle error that is easily missed when hidden in the large number of steps / terms."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds929f",
"comment_text": [
"This is the answer. One of the most common ones has you divide by something that evaluates to 0 near the end. This is invalid, even though it looks right, and is the reason you can end up with such an answer."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds97gv",
"comment_text": [
"An example of this:",
"x = y",
"x",
" = xy (multiply both sides by x)",
"x",
" - y",
" = xy - y",
" (subtract both sides by y",
"x + y = y (divide by x - y)",
"2y = y (recall x = y)",
"2 = 1 (divide by y)",
"1 = 0 (subt... | |
ELI5: How does this glacial phenomena happen? See vid. http://youtu.be/s97tcE6Az5Q | explainlikeimfive | 1rz169 | 0 | true | false | 0.33 | I am baffled by this video and want to know how this happens. This is a fresh water lake in Minnesota called Mille Lacs Lake. I will apologize in advance for any Reddit Etiquette that I may have screwed up. FNG here! | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsbbfc",
"comment_text": [
"There is a strong wind blowing over the lake. It pushes the sheet of ice, forcing it on land. It breaks up as it is pushed along."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsc2h3",
"comment_text": [
"The wind is blowing along the ENTIRE surface of the lake. That's a lot of area for it to push. So even though there isn't a lot of drag on any individual part of the ice, it adds up over the entire lake.",
"Also, that is really strong wind."
],
"score": 2... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsbczl",
"comment_text": [
"I thought you were going to refer to this:",
"http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/28/5154240/north-dakota-river-ice-circle-is-50-foot-wide",
"But, instead you brought up old news."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsbw6d",
"comment_text": [
"How is the ice creating the drag necessary to push it that hard?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsbo9j",
"comment_text": [
"Both are eerily creepy nonetheless. "
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: Inoculation/Vaccination. If you purposely infect me with a disease you're trying to prevent me from succumbing to, why don't I get sick/die? | explainlikeimfive | 1rz6xc | 3 | true | false | 1 | First off, this has NOTHING to do with the whole "vaccines cause autism" lie. So let's blow that bullshit out of the water from the get go. Additionally, can we focus the explanation in regards specifically to inoculation since there is some sort of difference between that and vaccination? I know I included vaccination... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdscy2t",
"comment_text": [
"Because it's either a related virus that's not deadly, but still gives you immunity, or it's a weakened strain that isn't capable of causing a full blown infection. "
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdscyf8",
"comment_text": [
"They inject you with a disabled/dead/imitation version of the virus, not the full fledged harmful one.",
"In some cases you might even get a little sick, but the stuff you were injected with was weakened and in a relatively low dosage.",
"The point is to ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsdgew",
"comment_text": [
"I've re-written this like eight times, because it's actually kind of hard to explain something as complex as the immune system to a five-year-old.",
"I guess the simplest way of explaining it is that your body is very good at fighting off infection, usually. ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsde4u",
"comment_text": [
"They were given a low dosage of a less violent strain of the virus. So they got a bit sick, but got over it relatively easier. Basically like you said, suck it up, get over it, be immune later.",
"For us it's either a synthesized virus/imitation or a killed/w... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsd7mx",
"comment_text": [
"To add to the correct responses about weakened or dead viruses being used, in some cases it's also possible to just use a particular protein from the outside of the virus, so you don't wind up with any viral DNA from the vaccination at all. ",
"Your immune sy... | |
What do dreams involving physical weakness mean? | explainlikeimfive | 1rzkek | 2 | true | false | 1 | I often have dreams in which my legs are incredibly weak so I can barely walk. In most cases I'm trying to get somewhere important or escape something. What could this mean? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsgd6j",
"comment_text": [
"While you are asleep, your body is paralysed so that you don't move your arms and legs around in your sleep. (You may have noticed sometimes that when you wake up, you are unable to move your arms or legs for a moment.) In your dreams, this translates to not bein... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsie9v",
"comment_text": [
"I've experienced sleep paralysis a few times and it was terrifying. Halfway between a dream and reality without being able to move is pretty freaky."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsgb3x",
"comment_text": [
"nothing"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsgclu",
"comment_text": [
"Even though they occur regularly? Surely a pattern means something however insignificant it may be. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdskhvs",
"comment_text": [
"They represent your own doubts and insecurity in yourself. I've studied Jungian theory and dreams in general. It has a lot to do with the unconscious mind."
],
"score": 1
} | |
Why is reddit nsfw one of the top suggestions from Google? | explainlikeimfive | 1rzy1i | 0 | true | true | 0.33 | Typing reddit on Google automatically suggests nsfw subreddit. Can this not be fixed? I would hate for the average person to click on this by mistake and be disgusted with what they see and then never revisit the website thinking that is what the site is all about. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsk0cu",
"comment_text": [
"Because the people if Reddit like porn. Simple as that. There is nothing you can do about it, that is tracked by Google. "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdskqby",
"comment_text": [
"At one point in the early days of reddit, nsfw reddit was receiving more traffic than sfw reddit. This pushed for the yes/no age verification system to be implemented. A foolproof system, if you ask me."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsktud",
"comment_text": [
"Why are you so arrogant that you believe you know exactly what the average person likes and is disgusted by?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqnyj",
"comment_text": [
"Subtract out the population that doesn't regularly go on the internet and see what that gives you."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdskxf6",
"comment_text": [
"No I'm not arrogent. What I mean is I would hate for a person such as my dad or a relative to go on the site by reccomendation by me, to stumble upon nsfw on accident and disprove of the site and think that is what I view on reddit. No need to comment if you are ... | |
ELI5: If I run in the summer my lungs are fine, but if I run in the winter, I get asthmatic and my lungs burn horribly. | explainlikeimfive | 1rzrax | 13 | true | false | 0.83 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdspqms",
"comment_text": [
"Cold air dries out the inside of your lungs. Even when you're running through fog. It doesn't dry in the sense we think of, but more like with bread, it crystallizes it slightly.",
"The only reason this doesn't persist is that eventually, we warm up and melt ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsia4c",
"comment_text": [
"Cold, dry air does that to you."
],
"score": 4
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdspsev",
"comment_text": [
"Cold air is often dry, it causes your airways to narrow, making it harder to breathe."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsnwxd",
"comment_text": [
"I live in Ohio. I'm not exactly used to cold air, but the majority of the year is around 55-60 degrees (spring and fall). Summer is usually 70-100 (which I hate running in when it gets to the 80s) and winter is usually 0-30 (which is perfect weather for me to run... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdszsoz",
"comment_text": [
"This is also why figure skaters are more prone to get asthma than an average person on the street.",
"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8620698"
],
"score": 1
} | ||
In the USA...Why do I pay more taxes as an individual, than I would if I was married? | explainlikeimfive | 1rzrnt | 16 | true | false | 0.83 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsiabl",
"comment_text": [
"The tax code in the U.S. is often used to support larger social objectives, like home ownership, caring for children and/or elderly parents, and to support certain nascent technologies (e.g., giving tax credits for installing solar panels). Marriage is one of tho... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsi4i6",
"comment_text": [
"You don't, necessarily. If you're married and your spouse is a stay-at-home wife/husband, then your joint taxes will be less, because you're one person supporting a family. However, if you're married and your spouse works, too, you'll end up paying ",
" in ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsi9x8",
"comment_text": [
"Government gives tax breaks to married couples to encourage starting families in a somewhat stable institution. Government wants to keep the birth rate from shrinking as it is in many other Developed countries. "
],
"score": 6
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsj1dk",
"comment_text": [
"Mostly you don't. Here are some edge cases because of how the brackets align, but individuals and married couples mostly pay the same tax rates. "
],
"score": 5
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsiopo",
"comment_text": [
"OK, so my math might be wrong, hopefully someone can step in to correct if I'm thinking of this the wrong way:",
"So the way this works is that you are taxed on the income in each bracket, up to your top gross income.",
"So lets do a quick comparison:",
... | ||
ELI5: What are conservative critics actually implying about Benghazi? | explainlikeimfive | 1s02uf | 6 | true | false | 1 | I've been wondering trying to figure this out for more than a year. What exactly are conservatives implying about Benghazi? It's never been clear. I'm not sure I understand. They seem to be implying...something. Maybe one of these things: COVER-UP: Someone is covering up....something. What? We're never told. They just ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsljt6",
"comment_text": [
"Mostly accusations that the administration either actively or passively developed a false media narrative that the attack was because of a video in order to deflect blame ahead of the election.",
"Tinfoil hat answer: There have been rumors that the mission wa... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdslkcu",
"comment_text": [
"I don't know that much about the situation, but since there are no answers yet I'll add a little feedback. I believe it's pretty well documented at this point that the Obama administration knew from day one that it was a terrorist attack and not a response to a v... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsm1sj",
"comment_text": [
"What is JSOC?"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtrrdt",
"comment_text": [
"At the time that it happened, it seemed like this was a protest that got out of hand or was joined by extremists. Romney latched onto this as a campaign issue, ratcheted up the rhetoric, and this made it politically charged. ",
"When issues become politically... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsohf4",
"comment_text": [
"Joint Special Operations Command. The President's private army/air force/navy/etc, basically."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: How can I find out which classes I need to take for my major? | explainlikeimfive | 1s04lz | 1 | true | false | 0.67 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdslr3p",
"comment_text": [
"The first thing that you should probably look into is scheduling an appointment with your academic advisor. If you go to your department's website, they will usually have a way to schedule an appointment with your advisor, who will give you some guidance as to wh... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsljyh",
"comment_text": [
"your college will have a list of the classes you need in order to complete the major"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdslkk8",
"comment_text": [
"Most universities gave you a book when you enrolled, its in the book. Or go talk to your faculty advisor, its his job to read the book."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsltiv",
"comment_text": [
"Im just kidding college isnt that bad... worst part about it is financing it...which is why i am on a \"hiatus\" from it right now...but dont be freaked out, youll do fine"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdslvak",
"comment_text": [
"Because your post isn't asking a simplified conceptual explanation, but rather for an answer, its been removed. ",
"You should try ",
"/r/answers",
", ",
"/r/askreddit",
" or even one of the more specialized answers subreddits like ",
"/... | ||
ELI5: Would a compass work on the moon? | explainlikeimfive | 1s084k | 5 | true | false | 0.73 | I assume probably not as I believe compass' work through Earths gravity or magnetic pull or something. But what would happen to the compass on the moon? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsmvdv",
"comment_text": [
"So to start this off, lets talk about Earth's magnetic field. If you have every played with magnets, you know that every magnet has a \"positive\" and a \"negative\" side, and these opposite polarities attract each other - i.e. if you put the negative side next t... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsn2y0",
"comment_text": [
"Makes sense to me! Thank you! That's the best thing I've learned today."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsmlwt",
"comment_text": [
"I believe compass' work through Earths gravity or magnetic pull or something.",
"A compass works by aligning itself with the Earth's magnetic field. The Moon has no appreciable magnetic field, so a compass would align itself with what ever transient magnetic... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsolwr",
"comment_text": [
"Bipolar?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsov7v",
"comment_text": [
"\"Bipolar\" typically refers to bipolar disorder, which is a mental disorder that causes sudden mood swings and the like.",
"The term I used was \"dipolar,\" which refers to having two poles. In the context of my answer, what I meant to say is that the moon d... | |
ELI: Why are American ISPs so bad compared to those of many other countries? | explainlikeimfive | 1s0b2l | 1 | true | false | 0.67 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsne4o",
"comment_text": [
"There is little competition between ISPs, so there is little reason for ISPs to provide a better service."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsnj1k",
"comment_text": [
"Have they just decided not to compete?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdso3gh",
"comment_text": [
"deleted ",
" ",
" "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdso9bt",
"comment_text": [
"In part, but we also have a lot more area to cover than virtually any other country. Many of our States are larger than European countries, and Russia and Canada are bigger land wise but they are less populated, and less spread out in their populations. "
],
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsnr0f",
"comment_text": [
"Keep in mind that if you are European you are likely comparing against areas with a much higher population density than the US. Needing to cover less ground with networks and the ability to sink money into a smaller area makes a big difference. "
],
"score": ... | |
ELI5: Why is Detroit filing for bankruptcy a good thing for the city? | explainlikeimfive | 1s0coe | 8 | true | false | 0.9 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdss7yb",
"comment_text": [
"Its a sad state of affairs for sure, but then shit happens when benefits are overextended and fudged far past what would have otherwise been reasonable.",
"Hopefully it serves as a lesson to people to not rely so heavily on govt, and to vote in wiser politici... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsnx9r",
"comment_text": [
"Simple answers?",
"\nCleans away existing obligations (or greatly reduces them). Instead of owing millions they'll get to pay out pennies on the dollar and be done.",
"It will also help reset some funds/programs from the sense of re-establishment and app... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdspo2e",
"comment_text": [
"Before anything else, I want to compliment you on your excellent use of 'to whom'. It is greatly appreciated. ",
"The creditors are anyone to whom the city of Detroit made promises to pay in the future. Here is a ",
"list",
" of the organizations that... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqzis",
"comment_text": [
"\"re-establishment and appointing of new personnel\"",
"The ability to clear house and hopefully rebuild from near-scratch with fresh people would probably be the most beneficial thing that they can hope to attain."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdss011",
"comment_text": [
"generally agree with this, but there will be consequences: an awful lot of retirees are going to be in big trouble when their pensions vanish or are drastically cut.",
"I'm sure the bankruptcy judge will ",
" to preserve as much of that as possible, but t... | |
ELI5: Historically, people have worked together in mass to wage war and do terrible things.....how come I never hear of people in the scale of a large military campaign to work together for something positive? | explainlikeimfive | 1s0e76 | 1 | true | false | 0.67 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdso6q8",
"comment_text": [
"Because you have been taught to view anything the military does as negative. Heck, you heard about WWII? We stopped Hitler, isn't that positive?",
"On that same scale is the simple functioning of society. I think that counts as positive."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdso745",
"comment_text": [
"There is. It's called humanitarian relief or military civil engineering."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdso747",
"comment_text": [
"Society is this example. Also war can be seen as such as well. "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsoaea",
"comment_text": [
"Peace Corps?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdspit4",
"comment_text": [
"Recent example: During the people's protests in Egypt, the military took over and overthrew their \"elected\" dictator. "
],
"score": 1
} | |
Why do bridges and overpasses freeze before roads? | explainlikeimfive | 1s0gmu | 3 | true | false | 1 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsotid",
"comment_text": [
"Bridges and overpasses are exposed to the cold air both above and below it, while regular roads are only exposed to cold air above it."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsotfx",
"comment_text": [
"Because the ground is warmer below the surface. Bridges and overpasses are thinner and cold is all around it. Not the best scientific explanation but I hope that helps. "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsovee",
"comment_text": [
"The ground below the surface holds a fairly stable and slower changing temperature, so roads built into that layer of ground are surrounded by warmer ground.",
"Elevated roadways are surrounded by the air and cold wind, which gives them no such protection so ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsovnx",
"comment_text": [
"Roads have a lot more mass below them, ie, the earth. Believe it or not the ground will stay warmer than the Ambiant air above it for quite some time. A bridge however, does not have that mass below it and will drop in temperature much faster, it will also mel... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsovzr",
"comment_text": [
"Bridges have air both above and below them. When temperature of the air drops it takes significantly longer for the ground to become cold, so in freezing temperatures bridges will freeze before roads."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: What is the purpose of r/ShitRedditSays? Is it a joke, like r/circlejerk? Excuse my naiveté. | explainlikeimfive | 1s0hix | 9 | true | false | 0.66 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqx1v",
"comment_text": [
"Oh, thank you. I searched for ShitRedditSays, not \"SRS.\" "
],
"score": 15
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdt2o0a",
"comment_text": [
"r/ShitRedditSays",
"—the main subreddit—documents shitty comments on reddit. In the case of SRS, they are particularly looking for comments that tick off the \"-ism\" boxes: racism, sexism, ableism, as well as other -ism's you may be unfamiliar with.",
"T... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtbje9",
"comment_text": [
"THANK YOU!!"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqv0z",
"comment_text": [
"here: ",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1jxzpa/eli5_whats_srs_and_why_does_everyone_hate_them/",
". please use the search function next time. "
],
"score": -4
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdswsvt",
"comment_text": [
"Who the fuck are you?"
],
"score": -9
} | |
ELI5: What is the colour grey? | explainlikeimfive | 1s0kcc | 1 | true | false | 0.67 | If is all the colours,
and is none of the colours. Then what is ? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdspvi0",
"comment_text": [
"Grey is not a color, its a shade."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdspws7",
"comment_text": [
"Grey or gray is an intermediate color between black and white, a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally a color \"without color.\""
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsq791",
"comment_text": [
"incorrect sir, ",
"IF we are going to get technical with the art terms, you are wrong. A shade is a hue mixed with black, and a hue is any primary color (red, blue, ect). The mixture of both white and black is called a tone. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqbzj",
"comment_text": [
"White is all colors of the spectrum combined. \nBlack is the absence of color \nand grey is black and white mixed together and is a lighter shade of black. so it is a shade more or less and not a tone.",
"In the field of design, every color has what are calle... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqjaf",
"comment_text": [
"definition of grey: Grey or gray is an intermediate color between black and white, a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally a color \"without color.\"",
"source:",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey",
" ",
"Hue: The color \nTint: Hue+whit... | |
ELI5: Is it true that the amount of volts do not matter when you are shocked, only amps? And while we're at it, what's the difference? | explainlikeimfive | 1s0mrz | 3 | true | false | 1 | I've always heard (maybe Mythbusters?) that it doesn't matter how many volts are in an electric shock, that you can only die if the amps are high enough. I always wondered if this was true. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsr0iz",
"comment_text": [
"Yes and no. Yes in the sense that current is the actual thing that kills you (without getting too technical about it), but no in the (more important) sense that voltage is extremely important in determining how much current will flow through your body. Classica... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsr5vo",
"comment_text": [
"Thanks!"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsrpyo",
"comment_text": [
"That was excellently written!"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdtaxhs",
"comment_text": [
"So to truly explain like I'm five. Would I be correct in saying the volts are like a tap. The diameter of the tap determines the maximum potential amount of water that can go through it. And that the amps/current is the water, and that the amount of water running... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsxbq3",
"comment_text": [
"dafuq"
],
"score": 1
} | |
How did Le Chiffre make any money off his scheme in Casino Royale? How do you profit from buying stock, selling it and then sabotaging the company? | explainlikeimfive | 1s0l9l | 3 | true | false | 1 | Bear in mind that producers changed the game from the Ian Fleming novel to Texas Hold 'Em because they didn't think audiences were smart enough to understand baccarat... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsq6l4",
"comment_text": [
"I haven't seen the movie, but it sounds like a short sell.",
"In Short selling, you essentially borrow the stock from someone, then sell it. You then plan on buying it back cheaper, returning the stock you borrowed, and keeping the difference. ",
"So if... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqr6z",
"comment_text": [
"Wouldn't Le Chiffre's broker be a little suspicious, especially after he specifically advised Le Chiffre that everyone else was buying while he was selling?"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqab8",
"comment_text": [
"Yeah it's a short sell."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqb38",
"comment_text": [
"In Short selling, you essentially borrow the stock from someone, then sell it. You then plan on buying it back cheaper, returning the stock you borrowed, and keeping the difference. ",
"This, more or less. There are actually a ",
" of different ways you c... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsqgrk",
"comment_text": [
"From shortselling wikipedia page : 'is the practice of selling securities or other financial instruments that are not currently owned, and subsequently repurchasing them'. ",
"So if the value falls then you make a profit. It's the promise to sell it in the fu... | |
ELI5:Why is the damage to a car crashing into a single tree still so devastating? | explainlikeimfive | 1s0ufg | 1 | true | false | 1 | hey guys, so I've been wondering (especially because of the recent tragic accident of Paul Walker but also in general) why a modern car still get's obliterated when it is crashing against a tree, shouldn't modern, secure cars be able to withstand such an impact at least at moderate speed? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsta4o",
"comment_text": [
"The car could be made to withstand the impact. Unfortunately, that would do no good whatsoever for the occupants. When a car hits an obstacle like a wall or a tree, its (typical) velocity gets reduced to zero in thousandths of a second. The result is incredibly h... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsthg5",
"comment_text": [
"Hmm thanks that's a good reply. It's just so weird how slow a car may be and yet the impact is devastating.."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdswdzw",
"comment_text": [
"It should also be noted that cars like the Carrera GT, with a carbon-fiber tub, react differently than other cars with standard, steel frames. The car is designed to shear away, as carbon fiber shatters on impact. That's why most mid-engined supercar crashes you ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdssuwp",
"comment_text": [
"Cars, Walls,.. are also hard and if a car crashes into them it is usually way less bad as it is when a car crashes into a tree.\nAt least from my perspective."
],
"score": 0
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsspa2",
"comment_text": [
"TREES ARE HARD LOL"
],
"score": -2
} | |
ELI5: The differences between propellers with 2, 3, 4, or more blades | explainlikeimfive | 1s1635 | 18 | true | false | 0.85 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsxjdu",
"comment_text": [
"Three blade propellers produce more thrust than two blade propellers of the same diameter however at the cost of reduced efficiency. The wake effects at the tip of each blade effects the flow around the blade that follows it. On a two blade propeller the distance... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdt1wkj",
"comment_text": [
"It's all about propeller efficiency. Ideally, you want your propeller to be as big as possible (in diameter) and move as slowly as possible. In addition, you want your propeller to see nice undisturbed air.",
"If efficiency is all that you're after, then you... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdszmva",
"comment_text": [
"Are we talking about air or water?"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdt7p1s",
"comment_text": [
"Why is air considered non-compressible?"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdt8cyo",
"comment_text": [
"Seems legit. "
],
"score": 2
} | |
ELI5: I want to cure hunger. Where do I start? | explainlikeimfive | 1s17ok | 3 | true | false | 0.8 | Yeah, pretty ambitious. Tell me about it. But has anyone ever developed a protocol or methodology for effectively getting rid of hunger? This could be statewide, countrywide, or planetwide, but what would be the first few steps to ending hunger? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdswp28",
"comment_text": [
"Locally, volunteer at soup kitchens and donate to charity groups which feed the homeless. As you move further out in scale, you can start your own charity to help address groups which other may have missed or are under-served. Every little bit helps."
],
"sco... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdswwoi",
"comment_text": [
"The costs, both in resources and distribution would be astronomical. I dont think entire countries have the money required for feed the hungry for more than a few months. ",
"However imagining you have infinite funds and distribution has no cost, you can set ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdswy6m",
"comment_text": [
"There's this guy named Rob Rhinehart who's trying to make cheap, mass-produced total nutrition shakes. It is called ",
"Soylent",
", and he wants to try to use it to end world hunger. ",
"Soylent could be made much more cheaply and efficiently than ac... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdswi3m",
"comment_text": [
"I read that as hangover. I was about to say buy a greasy burger..."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdt59x7",
"comment_text": [
"Same here. I was wondering why someone was recommending to go volunteer at a soup kitchen... The last thing I want to do when I'm hungover is stand up all day over hot soup...."
],
"score": 1
} | |
Who is Julian Assange and what did he do? | explainlikeimfive | 1rvpmu | 1 | true | false | 0.57 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdre2oi",
"comment_text": [
"Go on Netflix and watch \"We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks\"",
"Next time, google it."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdre1sp",
"comment_text": [
"He's an Australian activist who runs wikileaks, a media group (which the US government and others have decided isn't actually a media group to denounce what he does) who publish documents from whistleblowers. This pissed off a number of governments, especially t... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsiui2",
"comment_text": [
"give Cypherpunks a read"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdv9ibl",
"comment_text": [
"I don't believe this is a stupid question. While it is easier to get all information about Assange on google, wiki and stuff, this person decided to come on reddit and question him, because he must trust that Reddit is far better involved in and better to explain... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrfp3k",
"comment_text": [
"this really is stupid"
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: Our bladder is roughly 15-20 ounces( I read) so where does the excess liquid go when drink way more than 20 ounces? | explainlikeimfive | 1rvpvy | 10 | true | false | 0.69 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdre22j",
"comment_text": [
"Water doesn't go directly from your stomach into your bladder. Water goes from your stomach, to your intestines, at which point its absorbed directly into your bloodstream. From there, the kidneys use excess water to help filter waste products out of your blood... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrdydi",
"comment_text": [
"Feces and evaporation from our skin, mucus membranes, and lungs."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrlewl",
"comment_text": [
"First of all hydrocortisone is a type of medicine. What you seem to be referring to is called hydronefrosis. ",
"Secondly, the bladder has a valve mechanism to prevent the return flow of urine, which, given a normal anatomy, will prevent this almost perfectly... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdro6d0",
"comment_text": [
"like ",
"u/AnteChronos",
" already said, liquids you drink don't go straight to your bladder. They are absorbed and go into your bloodstream. Your kidneys are then filtering your blood to get out the \"bad stuff\" you don't need anymore.",
"It's actua... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cf6xumn",
"comment_text": [
"Not on my pillies!!!"
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: Why don't I see the moon every night? | explainlikeimfive | 1rvt4l | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrezfm",
"comment_text": [
"Because the Moon orbits the Earth. This means there are times when it's only visible during the day. "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrf04r",
"comment_text": [
"The moon orbits the Earth every 27.32 days. Thus, sometimes it will be out primarily during the daytime."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrfda6",
"comment_text": [
"Are you talking about a lunar eclipse? You can still see the moon during an eclipse, because of light diffusing through the atmosphere on the \"edges\" of the earth (as viewed by the moon).",
"The reason that you sometimes can't see the moon at night is beca... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrfda6",
"comment_text": [
"Are you talking about a lunar eclipse? You can still see the moon during an eclipse, because of light diffusing through the atmosphere on the \"edges\" of the earth (as viewed by the moon).",
"The reason that you sometimes can't see the moon at night is beca... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrfh9l",
"comment_text": [
"No I was referring to a \"New Moon\" "
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: When and how is it appropriate to perform a citizen's arrest? | explainlikeimfive | 1rvva5 | 6 | true | false | 0.63 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrganp",
"comment_text": [
"It's almost never appropriate.",
"Law enforcement officers cannot be held personally liable for anything that happens during an arrest, assuming they've followed their departmental rules and protocols. You as a regular citizen, however, can be held civilly o... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrfmyi",
"comment_text": [
"I also have wondered this.",
"\"Hey you! I'm performing a citizen's arrest!\"",
"...at least that's how the concept appears to me in my head."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrfq99",
"comment_text": [
"Never. Do not put yourself in the situation were:",
"A) you put your life in danger by trying to contain a criminal. ",
"B) you did not follow the very specific 'regulations and rule' of doing a citizens arrest and now you are being sued despite trying to... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrone5",
"comment_text": [
"When you're 100% certain that something happened, when you're 100% certain that whatever happened was against the law, when you're 100% certain that the person you want to arrest did it, when you're 100% certain you have proof for your actions, because, if you ge... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrflr6",
"comment_text": [
"Going to depend on your location. "
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: Why does Ford only have one car brand but GM has like 15 brands that all seem to compete against each other? | explainlikeimfive | 1rvxsy | 1 | true | false | 0.67 | It's weird to me that Ford and GM are supposed to be competitors, but Ford only has its "Ford" brand but GM has Buick, Chevy, Pontiac, GMC, etc. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrgcsx",
"comment_text": [
"Ford also has the brands Lincoln and Mercury."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrgd4h",
"comment_text": [
"It's because they have different marketing strategies. The way they approach the market is simply not the same, despite the fact that the industry they partake in is the same."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrgnlm",
"comment_text": [
"Gm doesn't compete against itself that much anymore since they ditched Oldsmobile about 10 years ago and Pontiac a year or two ago.",
"Chevrolet is the everyday car and the camaro/corvette, Buick is the mid range classier cars and Cadillac is the high end. GM... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrgrr5",
"comment_text": [
"Lincoln is still active. ",
"Mercury",
" has been retired. A list of Ford owned brands is ",
"here",
"."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrgcz3",
"comment_text": [
"GM bought a lot of companies. Maybe one day it'll buy Ford. "
],
"score": 0
} | |
My friend asked "My question is if god is not real, Where did dinosaurs come from? or should i say what did they evolve from?" This is a friendly discussion, so please help me explain it fully to him. | explainlikeimfive | 1rvy8y | 2 | true | false | 0.75 | He also just posted the question "What started the big bang? What created the big bang?" | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrgjfp",
"comment_text": [
"Dinosaurs came from their parents. ",
"What started the Big Ba..........",
"Oh wait, he's playing the God of the Gaps fallacy. Tell him that just because you can't answer a question that it doesn't mean that is evidence for, \"God did it.\" He would ne... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrgmqq",
"comment_text": [
"The various members of the dinosaur groups evolved from even earlier archosaurs after the synapsids suffered a mass extinction.",
"You can follow the lineage back to crude cells in the ancient seas, which presumably formed from simple self replicating protein... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrhdx3",
"comment_text": [
"\"What do any of these questions do to actually prove that God does exist?\"",
"Hint: the answer is nothing"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrm4rk",
"comment_text": [
"A better question would be \"why shouldn't there still be fish?\"",
"Like every other creature on the planet, fish are the result of billions of years of evolution, resulting in creatures that are supremely adapted for their environment. The only reason they ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrpfmp",
"comment_text": [
"which presumably formed from simple self replicating proteins encased in a protective lipid bilayer, both of which form naturally under the right conditions.",
"I think it would be fair to add \"probably\" to the end of this."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: How do extra points in football work? | explainlikeimfive | 1rw0rj | 1 | true | false | 1 | At the end of the Alabama and Auburn game there was no time left. Normally Auburn would be allowed to kick the extra point if they were behind, but after they scored there was no use since they already would win. Does this mean that going for an extra point is optional or required and nobody cared? Wouldn't this mess u... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrhfuh",
"comment_text": [
"In college, the team is not required to do an extra point if it cannot affect the outcome of the game but are allowed to if they want to.",
"In the NFL it is required to conduct an extra point after every touchdown, even if no time is left, except in sudden d... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrj9ae",
"comment_text": [
"I'd imagine, though, that there's a chance of messing up the extra point, resulting in a turnover and the other team scoring a touchdown? ",
"Actually, no.",
"In college, the defense can recover and score on an extra point, but they would only get 2 point... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrjdp8",
"comment_text": [
"Ahh just found the rule. Actually as of now, colleges are not allowed to try for an extra point if it cannot affect the outcome of the game (they have already won by the TD), its not optional, its not allowed at all. It seems there is a loophole you pointed out... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrj3hx",
"comment_text": [
"British man here, so I know very little about American sport.",
"I'd imagine, though, that there's a chance of messing up the extra point, resulting in a turnover and the other team scoring a touchdown? Which could lose you the game that you thought you'd won... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrl7ji",
"comment_text": [
"Didn't know any of that before. Thanks!"
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: Does ice really help speed up the healing process? Why? How? | explainlikeimfive | 1rw8fu | 4 | true | false | 0.83 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrjtek",
"comment_text": [
"It normally keeps inflammation down, but I've never heard of it speeding up any healing process."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrjwya",
"comment_text": [
"I'm assuming you've heard of the mnemonic RICE for first aid:\nRest\nIce\nCompression\nElevation",
"Rest helps with the healing process because by resting it, you're not subjecting the area to further injury. The other 3 are usually for symptomatic relief - u... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdt53sy",
"comment_text": [
"You are right, circulation is an important part of the inflammation process, because its the route among which water and stuff travels through, the thing is there are other ways for fluid to gather around the area. ",
"How? When cells get damaged they release... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrjyb5",
"comment_text": [
"No. Ice slows down the inflammation process. It all has to do with chemistry. When you chill something you slow down and steal energy that's required for the chemical reactions in inflammation to occur. ",
"The healing rate of something is more a genetic fact... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrm9y4",
"comment_text": [
"I think the anti-inflammatory effect of a cold object is mainly due to the body closing off blood circulation to cold body parts. Less blood, less swelling. I have a hard time believing that you could cool a body part down enough to slow chemical interactions wit... | ||
ELI5: Why does my brain think cats are cute? | explainlikeimfive | 1rwagt | 4 | true | false | 0.71 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrlf6z",
"comment_text": [
"Big eyes! They remind us of babies. Evolutionarily, we like babies and want to make babies. Babies."
],
"score": 8
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrkbd4",
"comment_text": [
"https://www.google.com/search?q=toxoplasmos+women+mental+illness"
],
"score": 6
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrki3n",
"comment_text": [
"I know ",
" what you mean. Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrlx1g",
"comment_text": [
"Yes and due to the unique self-domestication of the felis catus species (i.e, they forced us to domesticate them), they also evolved to be more baby like and baby sized. "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrl6ui",
"comment_text": [
"Their main function is to be cute, we selected cuter ones and they survived."
],
"score": 2
} | |
ELI5: Why does it take just a pair of jeans to keep my legs warm, but it takes multiple layers to keep my upper body warm? | explainlikeimfive | 1rwefp | 5 | true | false | 0.63 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrlgq0",
"comment_text": [
"Big muscles in your legs generate heat.",
"Also chest has a much higher priority. Gotta keep your vitals warm!"
],
"score": 12
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrm7vv",
"comment_text": [
"deleted ",
" ",
" "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrnkaz",
"comment_text": [
"Also body hair? Maybe?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdro6d8",
"comment_text": [
"because your organs are not in your legs."
],
"score": 0
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrmsca",
"comment_text": [
"there is air between your leg and jeans to keep you warm, after all air is best insulator."
],
"score": -5
} | |
ELI5: Event Horizon (Physics) | explainlikeimfive | 1rwr8z | 2 | true | false | 0.63 | I want to know about Event Horizons and then, how they relate to the possibility of time travel or "bending time". Thanks! | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrp9ju",
"comment_text": [
"An event horizon is a spherical area around a black hole. Once anything (including light) moves inside this horizon, it can never escape. It's sort of like the sound barrier, in that it is not a physical entity, but defines a spatial boundary."
],
"score": ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrphn5",
"comment_text": [
"First of all, let me tell you that black holes are not completely understood by scientists. In fact, we have no idea what's inside the event horizon and how black holes function at all. However, we do have some basic knowledge and information on black holes.",
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdruerz",
"comment_text": [
"In fact, we have no idea what's inside the event horizon and how black holes function at all.",
"That's not quite fair. It isn't that we don't know what's inside a black hole – it's just not an important question from an empirical standpoint. Since we can't s... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdryubh",
"comment_text": [
"Sort of. Some parts of physics work fine, some a a bit weird, and some don't work at all. But I'm not sure in what sense \"we dont have a slightest clue what singularity is\". Like I said, the reason we don't worry too much about the inside of a black hole is bec... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds0oet",
"comment_text": [
"The singularity is the point where all rules and laws break down.",
"No, it isn't.",
"Ideally, the laws of physics are impossible to break and the Universe should go by those rules. But it doesnt",
"It is axiomatic that the Universe obeys the laws of ... | |
ELI5:Whats the best way to create a website? | explainlikeimfive | 1rwtyo | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrpdlt",
"comment_text": [
"With some very basic knowledge, I'd recommend Wordpress.",
"It's a simple CMS (Content Management System) that can be deployed to almost the very cheapest and basic of web servers.",
"You can then use somewhere like ThemeForest or TemplateMonster to choos... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrpjhd",
"comment_text": [
"My knowledge is very limited, like playing around with codes in my old Myspace profile. Which I explained, but she wanted me to at least look into it for her probably because I'm the youngest in the office and type with more than my two index fingers unlike half ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrq7fn",
"comment_text": [
"Well, here's what you do then!",
"Hunt around on ThemeForest for Wordpress themes. Find a number of designs that you like. For each design, say ",
" you like it and why you think it will work for your company/department.",
"Present these to your super... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrq9t3",
"comment_text": [
"Thank you so much for the guidance, I really appreciate it! This is why I love Reddit!"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrpgyy",
"comment_text": [
"The benefit between a hosting site and website software is basically the amount of creativity capable of being put into your website. Websites that provide hosting and themes for you to choose online typically have a very generic look and don't allow for a lot of... | ||
ELI5: Why is "school" pronounced "skool" but some people pronounce "schedule" like "shedule"? | explainlikeimfive | 1rx5d8 | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrzjm7",
"comment_text": [
"The modern British pronunciation (\"shed-yul\") is from French influence, while the U.S. pronunciation (\"sked-yul\") is from the practice of Webster, and is based on the Greek original."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrx26k",
"comment_text": [
"Written by ",
"Tass237",
":",
"I'm not going to argue on semantics here. Go troll somewhere else.",
"You're the one claiming there is one \"proper\" pronunciation. No one can possibly see how I'm trolling when I'm just trying to understand the dis... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrx26k",
"comment_text": [
"Written by ",
"Tass237",
":",
"I'm not going to argue on semantics here. Go troll somewhere else.",
"You're the one claiming there is one \"proper\" pronunciation. No one can possibly see how I'm trolling when I'm just trying to understand the dis... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrsk8z",
"comment_text": [
"Prestension."
],
"score": 0
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrwywu",
"comment_text": [
"Written by ",
"Tass237",
":",
"The modern British pronunciation (\"shed-yul\") is from French influence, while the U.S. pronunciation (\"sked-yul\") is from the practice of Webster, and is based on the Greek original.",
"And what makes the former ... | ||
ELI5: How hard is it to actually shoot someone | explainlikeimfive | 1rwuh5 | 1 | true | false | 0.55 | Just watched a certain scene of a tv show, won't name it cos it only just aired, and there is a big firefight, lots of sub-machine guns and assault rifle type weapons. For the amount of lead these guys churn through these guys do they rarely hit anything.
For anyone who's been in a firefight, how difficult is it too ac... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrpkod",
"comment_text": [
"It depends on your level of training. For a novice it can be very hard and depend almost completely on luck depending on what kind of gun you are using. To a trained army / police officer, it can still be challenging, but you shouldn't have a hard time hitting a ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds3qn0",
"comment_text": [
"If you are truly interested, read a book called, ",
"On Combat",
" by LTC Grossman. He explains, throughout history, why so many rounds get fired, or not fired in a combat situation. It is a very easy read with a lot of anecdotes and personal experiences ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrpna5",
"comment_text": [
"You say that star wars is unrealistic, but I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrtvmp",
"comment_text": [
"Storm Trooper marksmanship supports the idea of it being difficult to hit a moving target. I'd say Star Wars is batting 1.000 so far."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrsmk0",
"comment_text": [
"While there's a lot of the \"Stormtrooper Effect\" in movies and television, people are just as often portrayed as insanely accurate. The Walking Dead for instance tends to feature perfectly centered head shots on moving targets from 15+ yards away while shootin... | |
What happens when a poor person steals/damages your property? | explainlikeimfive | 1rx7dz | 2 | true | false | 0.63 | What if a very poor person steals or damages something expensive that's yours? What does the police do? Is there any way you can get that money back? Also, does the government give you money or do they take from the person's bank account? What happens if he literally has $0 to his name? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdru25h",
"comment_text": [
"I think they have to become your butler."
],
"score": 5
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrsvqe",
"comment_text": [
"Basically, aside from the criminal penalties (assuming they get caught), you would sue. ",
"You could win a judgement, the judge might order wage garnishment, but if that person is dirt broke, then you aren't getting shit. You can only be given what the perso... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrsvcc",
"comment_text": [
"You get your property back if it still exists, but otherwise you don't get anything. You could try to sue them but if they don't have any money then it's pointless."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrsx8v",
"comment_text": [
"Depending on the damages and if the item is insured, you might get an insurance payout to cover the cost if it's damaged or stolen.",
"The police will obviously help you get the item back if it's stolen regardless of who stole it.",
"Why do you think the ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrt4id",
"comment_text": [
"So if they're dirt broke, can the judge still order that IF they ever get a job or get enough money, to pay me back then?"
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: How come there are certain people we first meet, that we just flat out don't like, even if they say something as little as "Hi."? | explainlikeimfive | 1rx5eh | 3 | true | false | 0.67 | I can't be the only person who's had an experience like this. Have you ever met someone at a party or some social gathering that's tried to talk to you or your friend, and before they open their mouth you just judge them on the spot like, "Oh this guys a total douche bag." | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrsk9j",
"comment_text": [
"Your brain makes a lot of snap judgments that are borderline unconcious. On top of the body language ",
"/u/Niarendan",
" mentioned, you might not like somebody because they have physical features similar to somebody you don't like. You meet a guy who has... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrseln",
"comment_text": [
"The strongest form of communication is body language. A strong component to likeability is the manner of speaking. With someone who you immediately don't like, he/she probably holds the qualities of everything which you don't like in a person. When they speak, it... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrvx6t",
"comment_text": [
"Transference.",
"You will have heard people say things like, \"you are just like my dad\" or similar. We can unconsciously identify a look or voice etc. to an unrelated person, and then associate the feeling we had about the original person. We may transfer p... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrsk6n",
"comment_text": [
"To expand on this, our brains categorize everything in a way that is beneficial to our survival and understanding of the world around us and this unconscious cataloging allows us to make decisions on a person or thing before we have gotten into potentially \"dang... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrswv3",
"comment_text": [
"Makes a disturbing amount of sense..."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: How does my brain know when my alarm is going off? | explainlikeimfive | 1rxa4b | 2 | true | false | 0.6 | When sleeping, how does our brain know right when our alarm is going to go off? I woke up this morning right at the end of a dream where someone shouted at me "Begone" and right at that instant my alarm went off. How did my mind know to do this? Why can't we use that ability consciously to tell time without clocks. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrtv5x",
"comment_text": [
"But i have woken up moments before my alarm went off",
"You ",
" that you woke up moments before your alarm went off. This is similar to the ",
"stopped-clock illusion",
". In short, your brain kind of back-fills your memories, so that you ",
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrtmkk",
"comment_text": [
"When sleeping, how does our brain know right when our alarm is going to go off?",
"It doesn't. Instead, your brain fills in that last part of the dream ",
". "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrtw5a",
"comment_text": [
"scumbag brain"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrtpd0",
"comment_text": [
"But i have woken up moments before my alarm went off, is that not the same thing?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrub5w",
"comment_text": [
"Because ears."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5:Why do stores discount their merchandise during the holiday season? That is, why is it advantageous to decrease prices as demand increases, rather than increase prices? | explainlikeimfive | 1rx5jb | 21 | true | false | 0.76 | economics is my weak point, but I always thought that prices should increase as demand increases? I'm sure supply also factors in to that equation .. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrsgyt",
"comment_text": [
"It is similar, in a way, to how gas stations will alter the prices of their gas when travel is on the rise in order to increase traffic inside of the store. Essentially the stores are accepting a loss on, sometimes, cheaper merchandise in order to get heavier foo... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrv11u",
"comment_text": [
"Don't forget about geek squad services and extended warranty "
],
"score": 7
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrtpu7",
"comment_text": [
"To provide an example, I knew someone who worked at Best Buy. They used to get a discount based on the cost of the good rather than a % off. The big ticket door buster items like monitors, computers, graphics cards, and TVs are all priced pretty close to what the... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrshpx",
"comment_text": [
"Without going into detail on supply/demand, its because of two things, in my experience:",
"So, lets say I want to sell a laptop for 250$. It might cost me 230$ to buy in the first place, and MSRP is 350$. In a normal week I might sell 3-4 of them. during a h... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdry25w",
"comment_text": [
"I remember selling computers at ExtinctAmericanComputer retailer years ago- the profit margin for the service plan is about 60% while the Pc profit margin was barely 10%.",
"Service plans are sometimes useful, but usually overpriced."
],
"score": 2
} | |
ELI5: Why doesn't the US president have a single term limit? | explainlikeimfive | 1rxg6v | 5 | true | false | 0.73 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrvhrn",
"comment_text": [
"The constitutional restriction on number of terms is very recent and was decided on mostly based on tradition. Prior to Franklin Roosavelt, presidents had all only served two or fewer full terms (although several tried to have a third term).",
"Quite a few pe... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrvkf5",
"comment_text": [
"In short: because we decided two terms should be the limit.",
"The longer explanation: The original constitution didn't have term limits. George Washington voluntarily stopped running for president after 2 terms, this set a precedent that (most) other preside... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrvj5u",
"comment_text": [
"Back before term limits on the presidency existed, a bunch of presidents, including George Washington, stopped after 2 terms. In fact, for much of the country's history, people followed Washington's example and, with a few exceptions, drew the line at 2 terms. ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrwbmd",
"comment_text": [
"One counter-argument is that if the voters WANT the same person twice in a row then why force them to choose someone else?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdryse3",
"comment_text": [
"By that logic the two term limit wouldn't make sense either though."
],
"score": 1
} | ||
Eli5: How does electricity work? | explainlikeimfive | 1rxk3u | 2 | true | false | 0.76 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrwlt1",
"comment_text": [
"What do you mean? How does electricity make actions happen, or how does it exist? "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrwpqz",
"comment_text": [
"What is it and how does it work? "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrx421",
"comment_text": [
"Electricity, as it occurs in our house outlets, is a way of moving power (mechanical power) from a source of generation to a place of usage. If you turn a coil of wire that's connected to an electrical load (think blender or dishwasher or something) and that coil... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds0ycf",
"comment_text": [
"Thanks for the responses guys! Is there any way you could explain how it is stored, for example in a battery?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrwr9k",
"comment_text": [
"Electricity is the flow of electrical charges (usually electrons), typically through a conductive material. It is sort of like the flow of water through a pipe (although this is just an analogy; there are important differences). ",
"If you think of electrici... | ||
ELI5 why snowboarding is an Olympic sport and skateboarding is not | explainlikeimfive | 1rxrcm | 1 | true | false | 1 | It seems the cultures behind both sports are analogous and that the athleticism needed is comparable. What is going on? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdryhk0",
"comment_text": [
"The winter Olympics are so desperate for attention that they will do pretty much anything to attract viewers. The Summer Olympics is much more successful, and does not need to pander in this manner. "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds2s1w",
"comment_text": [
"Well, that's better than a ",
"panda ring"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrz6wl",
"comment_text": [
"Potential additions are voted on by the International Olympic Committee and take into account things like global popularity, number of worldwide participants, existing level of competitive leagues, likelihood of one country dominating all others in competition, a... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrzg76",
"comment_text": [
"Okay. The domination potential makes some sense. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrzirh",
"comment_text": [
"Though it does seem many events are not US dominated"
],
"score": 1
} | |
Taken off Lease | explainlikeimfive | 1rxwcu | 1 | true | false | 0.67 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrzp8q",
"comment_text": [
"op here and i am Canadian"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrzrb8",
"comment_text": [
"Depends on your lease, is there a reason stated. You will need to provide more info here for anyone to answer this question."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrzxm6",
"comment_text": [
"Usually if you signed the lease you have to be there to sign yourself off unless you have a violation of the terms of the lease which would allow you to be removed. ",
"You'll have to give some detail as to what happened and what kind of lease it is."
],
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrzxsp",
"comment_text": [
"unless there is a provision in the lease that says he has that power, no, it's not legal. even in canada."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrzz27",
"comment_text": [
"This question is better suited to ",
"/r/legaladvice"
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: What makes a contract legally binding, and do lawyers need to be present during drafting or can an interested party create their own independently? | explainlikeimfive | 1ry66n | 3 | true | false | 0.81 | I realize the second part of this question sounds like a very bad idea, but I'd still like to know.
I've heard plenty of stories of people commissioned to do work swindled out of their fee after the fact because they didn't sign a contract. I just don't know how you would go about writing/acquiring one. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds3o4c",
"comment_text": [
"You don't need a lawyer present for most contracts; two people who agree to do something for each other (e.g pay the other money, paint the others house, give the other a car, work for the other) have a binding contract.",
"Certain laws in certain places req... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds57xn",
"comment_text": [
"A contract is binding because the parties to the contract agree that it is binding. There must be a \"meeting of the minds\" for a contract to be valid and this means that the parties agree to uphold their end of the deal in return for the other party to uphold ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdsmyp0",
"comment_text": [
"You're welcome. Used to practice securities litigation until I went into writing and producing. In this situation one of two things should have happened. 1. Garcia should have been a \"work for hire\" in which Spike's company would have employed him to create de... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds8cxt",
"comment_text": [
"You go into many contracts in your daily life. When you walk into a store and buy something, you've just completed a contract. When you get on a bus or train, that is another contract.",
"What is a contract? the legal definition really depends from place to ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds2z4s",
"comment_text": [
"extreme specificity is pretty much required, because any ambiguity in the terms used favor the party who didn't write the contract (most of the time)."
],
"score": 2
} | |
How do I make a 50GB folder as small as possible with encryption? | explainlikeimfive | 1ry2hm | 3 | true | false | 0.81 | It is video content | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds1f00",
"comment_text": [
"Do you mean compression instead of encryption?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds1kk5",
"comment_text": [
"deleted ",
" ",
" "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds1gu0",
"comment_text": [
"Compress it like you would with any other file and then encrypt it."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds2plr",
"comment_text": [
"Compress it how? I have a Mac, have tried compressing but it goes from 50GB to like 47GB which is not really worth it. Can't I get it to 10 or 20GB??"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cds2r8i",
"comment_text": [
"You might be able to get it a little bit lower with better compression algorithms, but no where near 20GB. Things like video, music and pictures can't normally be compressed much. "
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5:Why is it that we've spent billions, and billions, and billions of dollars on cancer research; and the top scientists from around the world have spent their careers on cancer research, but still have not found a cure for cancer? | explainlikeimfive | 1rt2cm | 32 | true | false | 0.75 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdql0lt",
"comment_text": [
"Countless cures and treatments have been found for cancers. A lot of cancers now are highly treatable and curable with good survival rates. ",
"What hasn't been found is the magical pill that cures all cancers 100% of the time which just won't happen becaus... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdql94u",
"comment_text": [
"People need to stop with this conspiracy theory nonsense.",
"If your position was true we wouldn't have so many vaccines in our lives because they're a once off, or only a once every now and then, instead of being subjected to very expensive treatments when w... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqlcum",
"comment_text": [
" There isn't one type of cancer, there is a cancer for literally every cell in your body with few exceptions."
],
"score": 13
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqpojh",
"comment_text": [
"Looking for \"the cure to cancer\" is like looking for \"the cure to sick.\" You can make a lot of really meaningful progress and still have lots of sick people. "
],
"score": 13
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdql3js",
"comment_text": [
"What we call \"cancer\" is a catch-all name for a large variety of diseases, most of which are caused by cells multiplying in an uncontrolled way.",
"Because different types of cancer cells behave very differently, there is no such thing as \"the\" cure for c... | ||
ELI5: Why does frame rate suffer when recording? | explainlikeimfive | 1rtjbx | 1 | true | false | 0.67 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqsyx1",
"comment_text": [
"Because your computer now has to write what's on the screen to your hard drive as well. This process takes time, so that delay is added onto the time it takes to display each frame."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrel5x",
"comment_text": [
"To further explain why: different parts of your computer are much slower or faster than other parts. A (mechanical) hard drive is pretty much the slowest thing in your computer. The next slowest is your memory, the next slowest is probably your GPU memory, then t... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqqoav",
"comment_text": [
"Jokes aren't allowed as top level replies. This is the second Ive seen you post."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqqoav",
"comment_text": [
"Jokes aren't allowed as top level replies. This is the second Ive seen you post."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqqs2n",
"comment_text": [
"So? "
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: Re: Tesla Motors, Why is the business model of selling cars directly to consumers so vehemently opposed by other car dealerships? | explainlikeimfive | 1rtojj | 12 | true | false | 0.75 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqyfea",
"comment_text": [
"Middlemen want to make their money.",
"Ford's business model is already well-established and they have spent a lot of money on the various aspects involved in selling and long-term maintenance by way of third-party dealers. It would cost a lot (and harm their... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqtx2s",
"comment_text": [
"From the way your question is asked, you answered it yourself.",
"Selling directly to customers = No car dealership required",
"So of course car dealerships are going to try and keep their job"
],
"score": 4
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqsntd",
"comment_text": [
"Car sales are regulated on the state level and new car dealers are much more powerful politically on that level than the manufacturers. Also, manufacturer lobbying is spread between a number of issues (like EPA, labor, and import regulations) while the dealers a... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqtsjf",
"comment_text": [
"Elon Musk came to my state(NC) not too long ago and made a personal appeal to our Republican governor for support in allowing direct manufacture to consumer purchases. In short, after the visit the governor announced he was a convert and would support it."
],
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqtsjf",
"comment_text": [
"Elon Musk came to my state(NC) not too long ago and made a personal appeal to our Republican governor for support in allowing direct manufacture to consumer purchases. In short, after the visit the governor announced he was a convert and would support it."
],
... | |
ELI5: Why can't I control involuntary acts like my heartbeat if I control my mind? | explainlikeimfive | 1rtsfk | 2 | true | false | 0.75 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqzj3l",
"comment_text": [
"You can. There's biofeedback techniques that teach you to control your heart rate and other bodily functions.",
"http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/biofeedback/MY01072",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofeedback"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqt8u2",
"comment_text": [
"The heart isn't made up of voluntary muscle. It's involuntary muscle which means that your conscious mind doesn't have control over it. "
],
"score": 0
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqtefy",
"comment_text": [
"Everyone who could stopped their heart on a lark and died, selectively breeding the capability out of the population."
],
"score": 0
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqtkki",
"comment_text": [
"Why can't I control involuntary acts like my heartbeat if I control my mind?",
"Because \"your mind\" is only ",
" of what your brain does. The part of your brain that makes you conscious and aware is not the part that controls autonomous activities."
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqy9s2",
"comment_text": [
"Because you don't control your mind, your mind controls you. \"You\" are an imaginary construct created by your body to complete it's objectives, ie. Feed me, have sex, continue surviving."
],
"score": 0
} | ||
ELI5: why do men's dress shirts come folded, filled with cardboard and tissue paper, and fastened by so many pins? | explainlikeimfive | 1rtija | 76 | true | false | 0.76 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqt72y",
"comment_text": [
"There are very important selling points on a man's dress shirt. Specifically the cuffs and collar style. Those parts are the main parts a man would look at when selecting a shirt AND the shirts you see all pinned like that are ready to be taken off the shelf and ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqryx5",
"comment_text": [
"Quick and easy? I just bought a couple dress shirts the other day from TJ Maxx. Spent about two minutes removing all 8 tiny pins (can be difficult to remove those suckers with big fingers/clipped fingernails) in each plus the cardboard inserts. ",
"And wouldn... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqryx5",
"comment_text": [
"Quick and easy? I just bought a couple dress shirts the other day from TJ Maxx. Spent about two minutes removing all 8 tiny pins (can be difficult to remove those suckers with big fingers/clipped fingernails) in each plus the cardboard inserts. ",
"And wouldn... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqyrfi",
"comment_text": [
"Next he's going to tell us that he doesn't have a shoemaker."
],
"score": 10
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqs0pm",
"comment_text": [
"A couple times in the store I opened those shirts to try one on. Felt so guilty not buying it. Sorry, I lost all the pins in the dressing room. "
],
"score": 10
} | ||
ELI5: What is Hard drive configuration and controllers? | explainlikeimfive | 1ru99c | 1 | true | false | 1 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqy07d",
"comment_text": [
"The question makes no sense. ",
"It should be \"What are the possible hard drive configurations. What are the controllers?\"",
"And even then, answering that would be difficult because every generation of AMD and Intel architectures has a new HDD controll... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqzcse",
"comment_text": [
"My guess is they are just asking about IDE vs SATA-I vs SATA-II in the controllers bit. But yes, this is a poorly worded question. OP paraphrased his homework poorly"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqzesh",
"comment_text": [
"I assumed they wanted to know about RAID arrays, but yea. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqzfh9",
"comment_text": [
"Ah, fair point. OP will definitely have to qualify (extremely unlikely)"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqzztj",
"comment_text": [
"I'm doing some school work",
"What's the class? What chapter/unit are you studying? What do the rest of the questions around it say?",
"This is probably one those things where 90% of the answer is going to come down to parroting the particular definitio... | |
ELI5: why doesn't the Ukrainian president want to join the EU? | explainlikeimfive | 1ruhjt | 22 | true | false | 0.87 | Bonus points for also being able to tell me why Ukraine should join the EU. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdr1bz8",
"comment_text": [
"Any state that joins the EU eliminates all economic barriers between itself and all other member states, and these states are allowed to trade freely with one another.",
"Since Ukraine's economy is weak and its industries are underdeveloped, elimination of ta... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdr0fjs",
"comment_text": [
"It isn't that the president is specifically against joining the EU. The EU and the Russian controlled trade bloc are both competing for the Ukraine and Russia essentially threatened the Ukraine economically with higher gas, the loans it gave them, etc. Both want ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdr4f9o",
"comment_text": [
"The name \"Ukraine\" itself is old Slavic for \"border region\" or \"frontier\". A \"the\" makes sense in that context."
],
"score": 8
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdr4f9o",
"comment_text": [
"The name \"Ukraine\" itself is old Slavic for \"border region\" or \"frontier\". A \"the\" makes sense in that context."
],
"score": 8
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdr49fo",
"comment_text": [
"The United Arab Emirates. The Czech Republic. The Bahamas. ",
"In English sometimes naming convention changes because some people think a certain way sounds better and maybe there isn't a word in English that is the name of the country in question. Just becau... | |
ELI5: Why hasn't the constitution been rewritten? | explainlikeimfive | 1rurm7 | 0 | true | false | 0.33 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdr3cj2",
"comment_text": [
"The Constitution is rewritten through Amendments, and those are fairly challenging to pass, requiring 2/3 of the vote in each body of congress, as well as ratification by 38 state legislatures. The Constitution, however, has been amended 27 times.",
"What ki... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdr3m1e",
"comment_text": [
"I'd like to point out something everyone seems to forget. The states, if they wished, could call for a Constitutional Convention to consider all sorts of amendments. Those amendments would still have to be ratified by 3/4 of the state legislatures, but these wo... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdr3c6s",
"comment_text": [
"It's been changed 27 times",
"."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrjrfe",
"comment_text": [
"Has this ever happened? I can't really imagine why there would be a big disconnect between the House of Representatives and state legislatures."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdrk02x",
"comment_text": [
"No, the states have never called a Continental Congress since the adoption of the Constitution, but they could. And people are sufficiently fed up with Congress (moreso than their states' legislatures) that it could happen, if more people know that there was ano... | ||
ELI5: How does selective breeding scale with Intelligence? (Great Apes, language development) | explainlikeimfive | 1rqydq | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpyg4f",
"comment_text": [
"Unknown. Nature doesn't work on a time table like that. In fact, while our species is around 200k years old it's thought that it took well over 100k years for proper language to develop. Before that it was probably more just simple sounds and simple rules."
]... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpykjp",
"comment_text": [
"There wouldn't be a time table. Things like that don't happen at set rates.",
"\nIt'd be like asking how long would it take them to develop atomic power. We don't have atomic power now because there was a time table to follow. Much of what lead to it was d... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpykjp",
"comment_text": [
"There wouldn't be a time table. Things like that don't happen at set rates.",
"\nIt'd be like asking how long would it take them to develop atomic power. We don't have atomic power now because there was a time table to follow. Much of what lead to it was d... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpyq9x",
"comment_text": [
"I'm sorry but just because you can think of a question doesn't mean it's answerable. ",
"An answer to your question is further hampered because to selectively breed other members of the Great Ape family to develop enough intelligence to develop language woul... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpyq9x",
"comment_text": [
"I'm sorry but just because you can think of a question doesn't mean it's answerable. ",
"An answer to your question is further hampered because to selectively breed other members of the Great Ape family to develop enough intelligence to develop language woul... | |
ELI5: How are black people still being oppressed in America | explainlikeimfive | 1rqz6v | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpzbp5",
"comment_text": [
"It is white guilt. People learn about civilations history realizing people have enslaved others. When whites enslaved blacks it can easily be seen today based on the color of our skin. White people feel a need to say sorry. By doing this they automatically raise ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpyu2i",
"comment_text": [
"\"Oppressed\" seems too strong a word to use, but then, I am not black so I suppose I am talking out of my ass. ",
"Racism and sexism are still very much alive, though. Not nearly as bad as they once were, but they are there. All I can give is anecdotal evide... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq1igg",
"comment_text": [
"\"Oppression\" isn't too strong a word to use because oppression would mean it functions at a societal level. It's not an indicator of the the quality or strength of something, just of it's scope and the level at which it operates "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpyuf2",
"comment_text": [
"Just because someone isn't oppressed by the law, doesn't mean they aren't oppressed. Women and black people still face regular discrimination.",
"Specifically, on the subject of race, racial minorities are oppressed in America in a large and diverse number of... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq1g2b",
"comment_text": [
"What? I should my edit my comment to agree with your thinly veiled xenophobia?"
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: why does my pee turn clear when I'm drunk? | explainlikeimfive | 1rqzgo | 3 | true | false | 1 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpykzu",
"comment_text": [
"Because alcohol is a diuretic and it causes you to expel more liquid than you normally would. Since you're drinking a lot of beer (mostly water) your urine is really dilute and is expelled before more of the water absorbs into your system. "
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpyscs",
"comment_text": [
"exactly"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpysug",
"comment_text": [
"But can you ELI5?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq18qp",
"comment_text": [
"If you're five you shouldn't have their problem, and if you're my five year old I'm going to throw a few big words in there anyway. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq1bx5",
"comment_text": [
"Well I was sort of joking. I understood the answer just fine, but being that the subreddit is ",
"/r/ELI5",
" rather than ",
"/r/answers",
" or something, I like to see the answers tailored to a child. It isn't for literal five year olds, but even... | ||
ELI5: Why do Christians eat lamb? | explainlikeimfive | 1rr891 | 0 | true | false | 0.43 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq1drx",
"comment_text": [
"I haven't practiced in a while but if I remember correctly the term lamb in regards to Jesus simply means follower as in \"follower of God\". ",
"So the better question is, why not eat juicy,succulent,tender, mouth watering, lamb... I gotta go buy some lamb."... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq3nhk",
"comment_text": [
"If Jesus is the lamb of God, if he sacrificed himself like a lamb to slaughter.... And Christians ingest a symbolic reminder of him in the form of food at church- why is lamb not at all connected to this religion?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq7zmg",
"comment_text": [
"He was sacrificed like a lamb to slaughter. The metaphor is all over the Bible.\nNothing wrong with eating lamb, just curious as to the motivations of Christians."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq1upc",
"comment_text": [
"Nope. Genuine question. \nRaised Catholic. I've asked my Catholic parents this honest question. They've both read the Bible, agree it's a valid question and expressed some sincere curiosity. \nSo I'm vegetarian (btw I also subscribe to ",
"r/pescetarian",
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq1upc",
"comment_text": [
"Nope. Genuine question. \nRaised Catholic. I've asked my Catholic parents this honest question. They've both read the Bible, agree it's a valid question and expressed some sincere curiosity. \nSo I'm vegetarian (btw I also subscribe to ",
"r/pescetarian",
... | ||
ELI5: Why is it a natural reaction to reach for water or pop when you eat something spicy even though it virtually doesn't help at all? | explainlikeimfive | 1rrahd | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq1z6g",
"comment_text": [
"Fire is hot, water is cool and is useful for putting out fires.",
"\"There's a fire in my mouth, QUICK use water to put it out!\""
],
"score": 6
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq23u7",
"comment_text": [
"The way it helps is to wash the heat juice down out of your mouth. It works, just not as fast as milk."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq259m",
"comment_text": [
"Because you're trying to wash a bad taste out of your mouth."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq44nr",
"comment_text": [
"Pop? Wtf?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq52v4",
"comment_text": [
"OP must be from the north. That's what they call soda. They're strange that way."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5:What are the differences between the Xbox 360 and the new Xbox One? | explainlikeimfive | 1rrhop | 0 | true | false | 0.27 | My 10 year old brother currently has the 360 plus Kinect, and he has been asking for the One for Christmas. My mom is a little apprehensive, understandably so considering the price, so we have been trying to do some research to see exactly what the differences are. I think I have a basic idea based on what I've found o... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq49ri",
"comment_text": [
"The differences are almost a decade of computer development. The XBOX One is many, many, many, many times more powerful than the 360. If we follow the rule that computing power doubles every 12 to 18 months, and the 360 came out in 2005..........."
],
"scor... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq4c6m",
"comment_text": [
"So, for a 10 year old whose favorite games are Minecraft, Call of Duty, and some sort of off-road racing game, what kind of bearing would this have on his experience? I'm looking for a way to explain to him what makes the new one different, and why if he got it, ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq4mxk",
"comment_text": [
"Thanks for the info, very helpful! My next question would be, I suppose, are there any ideas or rumors in the industry about how the games will use the new technology with the consoles to improve? For example, I saw the link ",
"/u/panzerkampfwagen",
" pr... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq4mxk",
"comment_text": [
"Thanks for the info, very helpful! My next question would be, I suppose, are there any ideas or rumors in the industry about how the games will use the new technology with the consoles to improve? For example, I saw the link ",
"/u/panzerkampfwagen",
" pr... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq55ow",
"comment_text": [
"Also, during this change period, the games coming out on both generations of console will look horrible on the last generation compared to the new. "
],
"score": 1
} | |
Why do old time pictures and photos of people look so unattractive? | explainlikeimfive | 1rrm2e | 0 | true | false | 0.22 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq5igx",
"comment_text": [
"Because they didn't smile and didn't know how to look good for the camera. ",
"Lots of people will tell you about how old cameras take a long time to develope the photo and you have to sit still for a long time so people could not smile. This is not true sinc... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq5k3c",
"comment_text": [
"What",
"are",
"you",
"talking",
"about",
"?",
"People have always been attractive. If they seem more attractive today it's probably because of better fitness, more access to makeup, and beauty supplies like blow dryers and flat irons."
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq6bm5",
"comment_text": [
"It was done, but it was far from common. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq6bm5",
"comment_text": [
"It was done, but it was far from common. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq5nv8",
"comment_text": [
"i thought the general opinion was that people looked more actractive in old photos. always lean and classy dressed"
],
"score": 1
} | |
eli5: does a person have the right to take their own life or do they have a responsibility, to the ones that love them, to live. | explainlikeimfive | 1rrl9a | 0 | true | false | 0.33 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq59mk",
"comment_text": [
"Does chocolate taste better than strawberry?"
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq6fiy",
"comment_text": [
"Saying that suicide is selfish due to the responsibility you have to loved ones is extremely selfish in itself. To deny someone the option to end their life is beyond ridiculous.",
"\nI think that refusing the right to suicide simply because you don't want be... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq5n9h",
"comment_text": [
"Well let's switch the context and see what we think. Imagine if he loved to climb mountains; should he leave his family forever to pursue his mountain climbing dreams? I think we would be torn about his duty to his loved ones and the need to fulfill himself. If h... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq5n9h",
"comment_text": [
"Well let's switch the context and see what we think. Imagine if he loved to climb mountains; should he leave his family forever to pursue his mountain climbing dreams? I think we would be torn about his duty to his loved ones and the need to fulfill himself. If h... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq5ks8",
"comment_text": [
"yes, but chocolate covered strawberry tastes better than either alone",
"ELI5, please. "
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: Randomness | explainlikeimfive | 1rrovf | 3 | true | false | 0.81 | What is randomness?
How can you can a dice roll random since it depends on the state of the dice and the way you throw it? And the way you throw it depends on other thousands of variables. I could go on and on and say it depends on the initial state of the universe. Crap, is life all pre-determined but seems random be... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq6umt",
"comment_text": [
"I flipped a coin for you, ",
"/u/gredders",
" The result was: heads!",
"Statistics",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" "
],
... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq69hw",
"comment_text": [
"How can you can a dice roll random since it depends on the state of the dice and the way you throw it?",
"A dice roll is not really random, just unpredictable.",
"Crap, is life all pre-determined but seems random because there are just so many variables y... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdq6ulv",
"comment_text": [
"This is a really interesting question. I hope you'll forgive the wall of text.",
"You're right, rolling a dice is not really random. With enough information about the precise starting conditions, and enough computing power, you could predict where it would la... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqchys",
"comment_text": [
"Flip a coin"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqci6d",
"comment_text": [
"I flipped a coin for you, ",
"/u/ProjectGemini",
" The result was: tails!",
"Statistics",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" ",
" "
... | |
ELI5: Does your Internet provider has access to your browsing history after it's been deleted? If so, how? | explainlikeimfive | 1rsbkv | 1 | true | false | 0.66 | Let's say I browse, browse, browse an immense amount, and then delete cookies, cache, local storage, browsing history - does the provider have a record of this? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqd02t",
"comment_text": [
"Imagine you ask me to go to the library and borrow a book for you. You keep your own records of this, in a private notebook. You record the date I went to the library, the name of the book I borrowed for you, the date you returned it, etc.",
"You do this seve... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqcq35",
"comment_text": [
"Technically, they don't have access to anything that's on your computer. But they do have access to log and save all traffic to and from your computer that is not encrypted. If and what they save depends on what country you live in, what ISP you have, and so fort... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqcu6n",
"comment_text": [
"Yes, they do and it doesn't matter if you delete all your locally stored browsing history and cookies. ",
"It works like driving through a tunnel to a town on the other side. You are in your car and you can turn your GPS off, not tell anyone where you're go... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqcxpr",
"comment_text": [
"Wow, thanks for the awesome response! I learned something today. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqd0x2",
"comment_text": [
"Wait, wait; how come people doing illegal things aren't caught as often in regards to their ISP? Those who sell illegal substances, downloading content that isn't yours - how do those go unseen?"
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: a grenade explosion | explainlikeimfive | 1rsg79 | 9 | true | false | 0.76 | Why can such a small thing do so much damage? Why does it go BOOM like this? Why won't it explode immediately? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqe6em",
"comment_text": [
"Why can such a small thing do so much damage?",
"Explosives are designed to be just that. You stuff explosives into a small, contained space and it makes it even more violent. The case is made of thick steel, so when the explosion ruptures it, it throws shr... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqeb33",
"comment_text": [
"Here's ",
"\"why\" it makes such a mess",
", and here's ",
"how it works",
"."
],
"score": 5
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqefly",
"comment_text": [
"Sweet GIFs. I like how the second one the pin doesn't go anywhere after the explosion."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqem93",
"comment_text": [
"Haha. I did a quick search and found it. Probably not the best one."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqjlcf",
"comment_text": [
"The explosion occurs because you have a combustion reaction going on with the chemicals inside, which results in releasing large amounts of gaseous components like Carbon di- and monoxide, as well as Nitrogen and Nitrogen oxides. These gases take up more space th... | |
ELI5: What is Meta? | explainlikeimfive | 1rsgpi | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | I see it used countless times on reddit and I hear you used at work and out in some social events and I always laugh and play along as if I know what it means. Please help. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqeidv",
"comment_text": [
"It means ",
", and it can work with genres.",
"If Reddit is a website to discuss websites, then discussing Reddit ",
" would be meta. Or a book about books, would be meta."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqj7oe",
"comment_text": [
"What makes something a word rather than just a sound is the fact that we collectively ascribe meaning to that sound, by consensus. If a person utters that sound with the intention of communicating a meaning other than that which has been agreed on, they are misus... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdql3ey",
"comment_text": [
"what ",
"/u/Nemonobody2092",
" is trying to say, is that if you disagree, he can say what he likes because words don't actually have any meaning. Other than when he/she uses them. Weird, I know - especially on a thread regarding the definition of a word."... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqes6l",
"comment_text": [
"Thank you!!!"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqf66r",
"comment_text": [
"Another common term is 'meta-data' which is essentially data about data. For example, if you send an email, the contents (message body) of the email is data whereas meta-data refers to information like when the email was sent, who it was sent from, who it was sen... | |
ELI5: Why do our capitol buildings look the way they do? Where did this architecture come from? | explainlikeimfive | 1rsh0h | 1 | true | false | 0.67 | Found myself curious after seeing similarities between the Congress building and some state capitols. Obviously the states mimic the federal, but whats the history here? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqeps3",
"comment_text": [
"It's called Greco-Roman architecture, and it comes for the Greek / Roman classical age, (not Europe, as someone else seemed to think). Technically Rome is part of Europe, but architecturally it's much different than the rest of Europe and closer to classical Gree... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqfaez",
"comment_text": [
"That's cool. Is there any documented decision in our country's history of \"hey let's stick with this\"?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqfgbs",
"comment_text": [
"Greece in the classical period of history was actually considered part of the east, not a part of Europe. And sense the style is classically grecco - roman, to call the style European is inaccurate. ",
"Americans of the 1700s and late 1800s were just a little... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqg4hq",
"comment_text": [
"Well the Roman part of Greco-Roman is most assuredly European, at least."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqg6uh",
"comment_text": [
"Well....in terms of ultimate origins, sure, Greece and Rome, that I don't question (not for the moment - maybe I should?) But the point implicit in my last post is that the style of anything does change as it propagates through space (in this case across Europe... | |
ELI5:If I had a rope that was 100 miles long and attached one end to Earth and then took the rest up into space, what would happen with the rope? Would it just kind of float there or fall down to Earth? | explainlikeimfive | 1rslla | 13 | true | false | 0.79 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqg1xm",
"comment_text": [
"Gravity is still acting upon the rope that is 'near' earth. The rope would still fall to Earth, unless something stopped the other end.",
"Quoted from ",
"wikipedia",
"It is a common misconception that astronauts in orbit are weightless because they h... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqgc1m",
"comment_text": [
"100 miles is way too short. It would fall down. OTOH, if you had one that was considerably longer, you could get the centrifugal force to counter gravity, but that would mean it would have to be more than 22,000 miles long (from sea level, shorter if you attach... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqfrhr",
"comment_text": [
"It would fall down onto Earth."
],
"score": 4
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqh8c2",
"comment_text": [
"If you attached the rope to the Earth it would fall to the Earth. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqg6h1",
"comment_text": [
"What you're talking about sounds a bit like the concept behind a ",
"space elevator",
", but it needs to be ",
" longer than 100 miles (and be made of a material not yet invented)."
],
"score": -1
} | |
ELI5: If a singularity in a black hole is infinitely dense, then why doesn't suck the entire universe. | explainlikeimfive | 1rstev | 3 | true | false | 0.67 | Thanks for the explanations | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqi7s2",
"comment_text": [
"Black holes have finite mass and therefore finite gravity.",
"A theoretical singularity would be infinitely dense not because it has infinite mass but because it has zero size. But that just means that it doesn't make sense to describe the density of a singul... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqixf5",
"comment_text": [
"Let's say you have two objects, call them A and B, of the same mass. A is a black hole, B is not. Let's say you're the same distance r from A and from B. (This distance is from one center of mass to the other.) If r is large, you feel the same effects from A as y... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqk0sl",
"comment_text": [
"So, forget about black holes for a minute. Just think about the Sun.",
"The Sun has gravity (like everything else that has mass), so if you were in a spaceship in our solar system, the Sun's gravity would be pulling on your spaceship, pulling you toward the S... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqie40",
"comment_text": [
"Great answer. To add to that:",
"If the sun was replaced (or became) a black hole with the same mass, nothing in our solar system would change. The planets wouldn't be \"sucked in\" or anything like that. Everything would be just as normal. Well, apart from t... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqnpjj",
"comment_text": [
"Your question has been answered by Saftrabitrals, but I think it's also worth noting the difference between the \"singularity\" proposed to be in a black hole, and a true mathematical singularity. General Relativity only ",
" allows for a singularity to exist... | |
ELI5: Why do Japanese women in porn always appear to be crying and screaming...and not in the good way? | explainlikeimfive | 1rsutg | 11 | true | false | 0.72 | I know there is screaming and whatnot in sex....but in Japanese porn, it always seems the bad kind of screaming. Is it just my mis-interpretation of their mannerisms? Or is this a desired trait in women playing the role of submission? | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqjgtn",
"comment_text": [
"this is why I don't watch japanese porn"
],
"score": 7
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqjf0n",
"comment_text": [
"Rape fantasy is really popular in japan. Always has been and likely always will be. \nBe it in comics, anime or live action porn. The majority of the screeching and screaming is just part of the dramatic effect to help get horny guys like you off faster.",
"I... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqokij",
"comment_text": [
"Pornify. I love that word. "
],
"score": 4
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqokij",
"comment_text": [
"Pornify. I love that word. "
],
"score": 4
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdqmtep",
"comment_text": [
"Half Asian/half Caucasian/full stoner."
],
"score": 3
} | |
ELI5: How electrical ground works | explainlikeimfive | 1rokld | 5 | true | false | 1 | In lieu of the planes and lightning question:
Why do we ground things? I've been wiring circuits casually for 3+ years and I've never understood why I'll connect a wire to the chassis, or on a potentiometer why I bother grounding things. Please help! | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdparo5",
"comment_text": [
"Grounding things helps to reduce noise (unwanted interference can flow to the ground). More importantly, grounding things makes them safer to use. By having the chassis of a device connected directly to a local ground, if a dangerous current somehow manages to ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpasvs",
"comment_text": [
"Without grounding if there is a fault somewhere, that piece of equipment could shock someone and will remain \"hot\" if everything is grounded the current with flow to ground and the breaker will trip. (The transformer that supplies your house is grounded as well... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpd4bp",
"comment_text": [
"It is to save your ass, to be frank about it.",
"In the US we have split phase wiring in most/all residential housing. We have center tapped 220V wiring, which has 3 lines coming in, we'll call the A, B, and C. B is tied to ground at the panel. A and C hav... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpdo1y",
"comment_text": [
"You can think of electricity a lot like water with rivers and waterfalls. ",
"Amperage is a lot like how much water is flowing in a river, and voltage is sort of like a waterfall where the higher the voltage the higher the waterfall and the more it hurts when... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpdvct",
"comment_text": [
"In your car, the chassis actually forms a part of the electrical system. Typically the negative terminal of the battery just straps to the chassis, and the positive terminal connects to the devices, which in turn connect to the chassis for the return path. ",
... | |
ELI5: Technologically, what is holding graphic designers back from creating an epically-proportioned 3D-scaled model of the entire world? | explainlikeimfive | 1roulv | 3 | true | false | 0.63 | Imagine being able to turn on your computer and enter another world online, except the world you're in is the same world...you're in. But not like Google Earth. In this world, you create an avatar and have the ability to traverse the entire globe, visiting famous cities drawn out exactly to scale. You can go to Paris... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpg72a",
"comment_text": [
"Sir you just went full retard"
],
"score": 4
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpdsiv",
"comment_text": [
"It would just take an immeasurable amount of time. To gather detailed pictures you would need people to walk through a city, take the images, then stitch them together and then texture them onto 3D models that match buildings. This would take years for even a sin... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpe382",
"comment_text": [
"So what is technologically holding us back from starting this process today?",
"This would take years for even a single city",
"Maybe so, which in my opinion strongly says we should go ahead and get started on the project. Or, perhaps we could use satell... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdplshr",
"comment_text": [
"\"Oh hey, we just bulldozed this forest for which you already have exhaustively reproduced in 3D over the course of five years and put in a new shopping mall, can you update it? There are over 100 stores for you to recreate inside here. Oh, and we might add a few... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpg34j",
"comment_text": [
"I've often thought of this very thing. Usually just before bed and imagining a worldwide computer game where the environment is a replica of the real world. Being able to traverse exact replicas of my neighborhood and city in whatever way I choose (driving, walki... | |
ELI5: What is dark matter and why is it so important? | explainlikeimfive | 1rowmp | 3 | true | false | 0.55 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpghw0",
"comment_text": [
"That's incorrect. Brown dwarfs, black holes and neutrinos are all 'normal' matter. Dark matter is something else entirely."
],
"score": 5
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpplqb",
"comment_text": [
"Yes, it's a problem we Fuckballs have been dealing with for generations."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdphll8",
"comment_text": [
"Actually, the wikipedia page you linked for WIMPs clearly states that WIMPs have similar properties to neutrinos but are far more massive. WIMPs are theorectical, as-yet-unexplained particles while neutrinos are well known. And astronomical bodies such as black h... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpvlcq",
"comment_text": [
"My thoughts on what dark matter & dark energies are : ",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskPhysics/comments/1roos2/questionsthoughts_about_dark_matter_and_dark/"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpjkku",
"comment_text": [
"I find it impossible to take your statement serious with a name like that."
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: Why does America view many foreign nations highly compared to other nations viewing America lowly. | explainlikeimfive | 1rox6a | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | Just seems like we are really supportive of other nations and they are not the same to us. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpeoud",
"comment_text": [
"I actually almost never see this kind of talk irl or without a sarcastic intent over the internet. Might be with location though. And although i am very nationalistic myself ive never said anything like that."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpeind",
"comment_text": [
"We try our best to protect our interests. Sometimes those countries do not feel that the us should. "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpei53",
"comment_text": [
"Yes, \"We're number !\" and, \"We're exceptional and the best!\" isn't really viewing other nations highly. The US actually has an overinflated view of themselves considering how lowly the US ranks in many areas such as health, education, living standards.......... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpgfge",
"comment_text": [
"It's 'you're'. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpgfge",
"comment_text": [
"It's 'you're'. "
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: Who is Vladimir Putin? | explainlikeimfive | 1rp2ft | 0 | true | false | 0.14 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdph660",
"comment_text": [
"It's not a bias, he does not like gays and is the leader of Russia. He is in the news and \"all over the place\" because he doesn't like gays. I also think it would be easier to look on Google and find the information from a credible source. Sorry for offending y... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpr22e",
"comment_text": [
"I'm not offended, informing you of the rules is hardly taking offense. Posting a useless post like \"look at google\" is not what ELI5 is for:",
"No low effort explanations, single sentence replies, or jokes in top-level comments.",
"Pointing out one tin... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdps52i",
"comment_text": [
"Ok I didn't read the rules, now I know so thank you but how is it remotely biased to simply say that he does not like gay people. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpy283",
"comment_text": [
"It's biased because it points out one extremely minor aspect of a massively important world figure, that single aspect picked purely to push a specific bias. (He's bad because of this issue)"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpy6fh",
"comment_text": [
"Okay. It came off as biased, I did not intend it to be that way. Saying that he is bad because of this is not entirely true because if I had the same beliefs, he would be somewhat of a hero. I simply said he was homophobic because that is the reason he is in the ... | |
ELI5: why are US Republicans anti science and common sense? | explainlikeimfive | 1rp5ga | 0 | true | false | 0.33 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdphcmw",
"comment_text": [
"Your statement is ",
" over generalized. If you're referring only to Congress, you're speaking to 200+ people. ",
"People whose job, in part, is to play the role that will get them re-elected. A politician's public face and policy are not necessarily the... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpgtt7",
"comment_text": [
"Or maybe something more polite and specific?"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpip7g",
"comment_text": [
"This question is loaded (presumes a point of view is fact), thus has been removed. ",
"Try rephrasing more objectively, or perhaps posting to ",
"/r/changemyview",
" "
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdphapw",
"comment_text": [
"Because it's easier to just call your opponent a child and walk away than to engage them. Thank the Democrats. Yes the Democrats. The same Democrats that opposed the Civil Rights Act."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdphd6z",
"comment_text": [
"Over generalizations are extremely useful in these dialogues."
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: Why people in the US Judicial system receive sentences of 100+ years instead of just a life sentence. | explainlikeimfive | 1rp8wm | 0 | true | false | 0.44 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdphrp6",
"comment_text": [
"First result in Google:\n",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zmpbw/eli5_why_do_people_get_sentenced_to_over_100/"
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdphqpo",
"comment_text": [
"It's either symbolic or they account for things the prisoner might do to decrease her sentence.",
"Does a life sentence actually mean just that? Because in some countries it can be like 25 years iirc."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdphrmr",
"comment_text": [
"It's basically consecutive vs. concurrent sentencing",
"In Canada \"Life imprisonment\" basically equals 25 years then you can apply for parole.",
"I'm guessing for the US the term stacking makes it so that you cannot apply for parole until that extremely... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdphtfm",
"comment_text": [
"Partly; at least, because sentences are not always concrete. A single \"life\" sentence can still include the possibilty of parole, and a person charged with multiple crimes may not always have one single crime that would qualify for life ",
" parole. By sent... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdphus9",
"comment_text": [
"Not too sure on this, but I think for each charge you are found guilty for, you will also receive however many years associated to that particular charge. For example, if you're found guilty on 5 counts of murder, and murder in your location carries a term of 20 ... | ||
ELI5: How come in WWII, People just pretended to NOT be Jewish so they weren't prosecuted? | explainlikeimfive | 1rpdzf | 1 | true | false | 0.52 | Like ovbiously if your last name was goldstein, it wouldn't work. But couldn't you just pretend to be Christian or Atheist? Or did they just decide to kill everyone in France or Poland. Or was it somthing to do with the Jewish persona, like brown hair, larger nose, ect.. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpipb8",
"comment_text": [
"Some times, Nazi soldiers would pull down the pants of a suspected Jewish person. If they had been circumcised, then that 'proved' they were Jewish"
],
"score": 8
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpjgsl",
"comment_text": [
"But couldn't you just pretend to be Christian or Atheist?",
"The religious beliefs of the Jews weren't what the Nazis despised - it was their ethnic identity. A non-practicing Jew was still a Jew, a convert to Christianity was still a Jew. It was your ethnici... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpko5z",
"comment_text": [
"It was a slow process too. The Nazis didn't just start with the death camps and zyklon b. At first they started registering people. Then making them identify themselves with badges, corralling them into different zones in the city. This took the better part o... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpiuok",
"comment_text": [
"They also started making lists of Jews before the violence started in preparation and threatened non-Jewish people to give up who their Jewish neighbors were. This guy is spot on, though, German Gentiles aren't usually circumcised."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpjwfh",
"comment_text": [
"Depending on your % of Jewishness you could convert to Christianity and be safe by being classified as a Mischling (mongrel, half caste, half breed) as long as you did by a certain date. After that date it was no longer possible to stop being a Jew by conversion... | |
ELI5: Why don't stores sell the same deals online on black Friday as they do in stores? | explainlikeimfive | 1rprvd | 4 | true | false | 0.7 | Wouldn't they make more money that way? I bought several things last night, but only from stores that gave me the same deals online as were available in the store. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpm2sa",
"comment_text": [
"One of the main reasons for a sale is to get you into the store, which makes you also look at the stuff that ",
" on sale. The same isn't really true of a website. "
],
"score": 6
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpmat8",
"comment_text": [
"Old navy has 50% off everything in their stores today. I don't think they'll do that on cyber Monday."
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpm4gp",
"comment_text": [
"Majorly this.",
"Buying a laptop on sale? Hey, we have this ",
" Lets toss ",
" in your cart. Oh, and you'll need a laptop fan, a laptop desk, a screen protector, these Monster branded screen wipes! Oh, and don't forget your ",
"Online you just cl... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpn07h",
"comment_text": [
"Honestly if you have the right resources you can get many of the BF deals online, every day. eBay and Amazon have saved me so much money, and add-ons for Chrome/Firefox like \"Invisible Hand\" and \"Coupons at Checkout\" are great for saving also."
],
"score"... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdprj12",
"comment_text": [
"Saving this for later because no gold "
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: How come it smells poop in the bathroom hours after i flushed it away, and why is the smell so hard to get rid off? | explainlikeimfive | 1rpp80 | 0 | true | false | 0.43 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdplgkq",
"comment_text": [
"Lite a candle. Done"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdplh0q",
"comment_text": [
"Small shit particles float through the air. This is how you can smell it befor you flush. After you flush, that doesn't get rid of the shit particles in the air."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpo9z6",
"comment_text": [
"Is poop particles heavier then any other particle? If i open a orange in there, it will smell orange but not nearly as long, is it the same thing? "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdplkro",
"comment_text": [
"Hours? That's not good. I presume there is a window or some sort of ventilation. It sounds like it could be a plumbing problem. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpobsp",
"comment_text": [
"Your diet may contribute to particularly stinky shits. Also, aside from ventilation, there may be a plumbing issue with your toilet where gases are escaping from it after the matter has been flushed. Spray some febreeze next time and if that doesn't help eliminat... | |
ELI5: Why did Canada and the USA never merge to become one nation? | explainlikeimfive | 1rpk5t | 12 | true | false | 0.63 | I am from the UK but fins it strange that 2 (ex)British colonies never merged at any point. | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpk3rd",
"comment_text": [
"Canada remained loyal....... and had British troops............and fought a war against a US invasion which the US has pretended ever since to have won even though Canada isn't a US state. "
],
"score": 36
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpk5ev",
"comment_text": [
"The War of 1812. It was a British territory at the time. The US invaded with the intention of annexation. Instead they got the White House all burnt down and the war ended like the Korean War."
],
"score": 27
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdprwsk",
"comment_text": [
"As an aside - I think that's changing. ",
"I always think of countries like people:",
"The US is our older brother. When we were young we fought a lot. But every time we were out in public people told us how much we were like them: 'You're just like Ameri... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdprwsk",
"comment_text": [
"As an aside - I think that's changing. ",
"I always think of countries like people:",
"The US is our older brother. When we were young we fought a lot. But every time we were out in public people told us how much we were like them: 'You're just like Ameri... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpk9e0",
"comment_text": [
"Here's an easy to digest ",
"crash course",
" on it."
],
"score": 9
} | |
ELI5-What do we know about cross-species "friendships"? | explainlikeimfive | 1rpz24 | 25 | true | false | 0.73 | I think this is too general a question for askscience, in fact I'm not even sure what my question is. But this video is a good example of what I mean- So the magpie and dog are both pets, which would explain their comfort with each other. But corvid play behavior seems so different from canine- i wish i knew how they "... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpswsy",
"comment_text": [
"There was a fantastic documentary on the BBC recently about this very topic. There were was a guy who befriended a group of hyenas, a man who lived with a large bison (who was recently featured on ",
"/r/wtf",
"), a rhino which had befriended a sheep and ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpq8ko",
"comment_text": [
"Thanks for the link. It's interesting, the bearded man describes the lioness as a controlling jailor, whereas the charming british woman views her more as a needy, loving parent figure. I guess we'll never know exactly what's going on in an animal's brain in thes... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpyhg7",
"comment_text": [
"Looking forward to watching that, thanks! "
],
"score": 3
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpowiv",
"comment_text": [
"Another great example of a cross-species friendship is when a lioness adopted a baby antelope.",
"Here is a video showing this unusual \"friendship\" -",
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZw-1BfHFKM",
" - (7 minutes)\nThe video also vaguely explains wh... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpw391",
"comment_text": [
"Honestly I don't know, but I've always found inter species friendships fascinating, specially when it's a mammal and a bird or reptile. I guess it does show how little we know about what goes on in their heads.",
"Oh, and you might like ",
"/r/AnimalsBein... | |
ELI5: How did the projected and actual enrollments under the Affordable Care Act turn out to be so different? | explainlikeimfive | 1rq0pn | 0 | true | false | 0.5 | Before healthcare.gov launched, there were projections of enrollments in the millions within the first month. However, actual enrollments were reported by news outlets to be in the tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands (tens of thousands a few weeks ago, I haven't heard updated numbers since). That's an order of magnit... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpoqcv",
"comment_text": [
"A few notes:",
"Looking at this chart",
"If you look at the ",
"actual numbers",
" , 1.5 million people completed an application in the first month - 1 million were eligible for a plan, and 100K chose a plan. So people ",
" interested, but the... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdppub1",
"comment_text": [
"Nice, thorough answer. Just to add a little bit...",
"MA implemented health reform very similar to the ACA several years ago. Unlike national reform, MA's implementation had far fewer technical failures at launch. Likewise politically, there was far less cont... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpr2k8",
"comment_text": [
"the national signup rate is already out-pacing MA's signup rate during its first two months.",
"Ok, this starts to make some sense. If it is indeed true that you can use MA as an accurate model for the national program, then this speaks more to performance th... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdprngz",
"comment_text": [
"If it is indeed true that you can use MA as an accurate model for the national program",
"That's the question, but no one can know until March. For now, media hype!",
"Also, the MA model is considered a success by most metrics (availability/access to heal... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpqyma",
"comment_text": [
"Looking at this chart within the first month states on their own exchanges did pretty well as far as signups",
"Ok, looking at say Colorado, for example, who implemented their own exchange. According everyone's favourite, wikipedia, the states' population is ... | |
ELI5: Why do people treat this subreddit as Google search engine? | explainlikeimfive | 1rqkpi | 0 | true | false | 0.41 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpu825",
"comment_text": [
"Sometimes it's hard to find very simple and concise answers to odd questions. Sometimes it's faster for a person to sit down and explain everything in layman's terms rather than wiki chain-linking to more and more definitions of more and more concepts and articl... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpumsi",
"comment_text": [
"What's the big issue? Sometimes people need things explained to them in different ways or don't realize there's an obvious answer. If people weren't allowed to ask questions that could already be answered by google, well, there would be nothing to ask. This is a ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpumox",
"comment_text": [
"Which is the whole purpose of the voting system. Stop browsing the new ones and just look at the hot/top posts...those end up being the best questions with the best discussions.",
"You see dumb posts on every sub...just downvote and move on, some people are ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpup9g",
"comment_text": [
"Exactly, send a message to the stupid posts by downvoting them to hell and just avoid the new section and stick to top and hot.",
"And even on the threads that ask the really repetitive questions like on Bitcoins I see people go in and not only downvote but c... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpyg2k",
"comment_text": [
"None of your explanations are helpful. Faggots are still asking stupid questions."
],
"score": -1
} | ||
ELI5:How exactly does genetics play into weightlifting? | explainlikeimfive | 1rqow0 | 1 | true | false | 0.66 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpvghu",
"comment_text": [
"Body fat has little to do with the weight you can lift",
"Big muscles aren't always strong muscles. Generally, fewer reps at a heavier weight is beneficial for strength while more reps at a slightly lower weight is beneficial for hypertrophy (muscle growth)."... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpvvpv",
"comment_text": [
"Wanted to add on here:",
"Lots of factors affect muscle growth, including your body's natural ability to produce steroids like testosterone. I would also invite you to look up an image of the ",
"Belgian blue",
" cattle breed here, which shares a gene... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpzkdw",
"comment_text": [
"To my knowledge, the only difference in length of muscle fibers is caused by muscle insertions and the overall length of the muscle itself."
],
"score": 2
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpw86l",
"comment_text": [
"That condition is rare in humans, is it not? Don't those animals have to eat a massive amount of food to support themselves too?"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdpx7c2",
"comment_text": [
"I believe you are correct on all accounts."
],
"score": 1
} | |
ELI5: If the goal of credit card companies is to get me into as much debt as possible, so I have to pay a ton of interest, why do I need good credit to get a card from them? | explainlikeimfive | 1rlza7 | 1 | true | false | 0.57 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdokb9o",
"comment_text": [
"Risks and rewards. they want you in debt, but they don't want you to default (then they lose their money). the ideal customer is somebody who maxes out their credit card and makes the minimum payment indefinitely. BUT if you already have a maxed out credit card... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdok8y9",
"comment_text": [
"They check your credit to be sure that you're good to pay back the money eventually. There's not much point in trusting you to pay the extra interest if in the past you haven't."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdokbc0",
"comment_text": [
"A credit score is a measurement of how well you pay back debts. They want people with good scores so they can know they will be paid back."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdokvds",
"comment_text": [
"Because \"as much debt as possible\" in your case is $0.",
"They want to loan money to people who they believe are likely to pay them back. If you have no credit history or a bad credit history, then they don't want to lend you money because you may not pay ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdokyc7",
"comment_text": [
"You don't need a good credit score to get a credit card. You need a good credit score to get a good (low) interest rate. Because a good score means you're less of a risk, the CC companies are willing to make less money off of you if they know for sure you'll pay ... | ||
ELI5: Why does gasoline smell good to many (maybe most) people? | explainlikeimfive | 1rm19q | 3 | true | false | 0.61 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdomknj",
"comment_text": [
"It honestly just smells pleasant to me. Different people have different olfactory pleasures. Some enjoy the smell of rubber. Hell there's even perfumeries dedicated to producing weird scents for people. You like the smell of play doh? You can buy play doh perfume... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdowwxz",
"comment_text": [
"Does it?",
"Can't say I like the smell of gasoline. But I do like the smell of burning wood which has no noticeable accelerants. Such as bonfires, scrub fires as well as wood fireplaces.",
"Disclaimer: Not a pyromaniac"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdp05mg",
"comment_text": [
"I can attest that it isn't pleasant because it brings back memories. I like the smell of it and I'm only 18. When I smell it it's not like a \"tasty\" smell; it's just sort of intoxicating almost. But I'm not reminded of anything when I smell it. And I'm not gett... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdokt6t",
"comment_text": [
"To me it gives me fond memories of working on cars and other projects in my grandfather's garage. I think it also reminds me of fuel stops on long-distance road trips with friends and/or family, enduring the highs and lows of such a journey together is bonding."... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdol3rd",
"comment_text": [
"This is news to me. I can't stand the smell of gasoline and hate getting it on my hands when I pump it and then smelling it when I get back in the car. ",
"I had no idea people liked it."
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: Why wouldn't all the fishes die if I dropped my blowdryer in the ocean? | explainlikeimfive | 1rmjv8 | 0 | true | false | 0.33 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdoqcn1",
"comment_text": [
"Same reason all terrestrial life doesn't die just because there's lightning in the area.",
"Electricity takes the lowest resistance path to ground. That's a single path usually to whatever ground is closest."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdoqdi2",
"comment_text": [
"Water isn't a perfect conductor. It \"absorbs\" electricity. The bigger the water-mass, the more electricity it can \"absorb.\"",
"This is another reason old copper telephone wires have powered repeaters, the wires \"absorb\" some of the electricity, and th... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdor1jg",
"comment_text": [
"I know you put absorbed within quotations, but it's really not a good word to use, even in an ELI5, because it potentially brings a hell of a lot of confusion if people actually think that the current is being absorbed. "
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdor2kq",
"comment_text": [
"I think its a fine analogy for explaining electrical resistance and conductance in the context of the question, especially when the person asking the question doesn't have a background in how electricity actually works.",
"You could talk about electrical ener... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdos0o7",
"comment_text": [
"Not enough power",
"It doesn't always kill them. ",
"My friend's dad is a fish biologist, and part of his work was to do surveys of lakes to see how the fish populations are doing. He would go out in a boat and drop booms in the water hooked up to a big... | ||
ELI5: what is the legal argument/case dealerships are building against Tesla? | explainlikeimfive | 1rmnec | 2 | true | false | 0.58 | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdornl8",
"comment_text": [
"In most states, there are laws in place that prohibit car manufacturers from selling their products directly to the consumer. The sale of new cars must be done through the 'car dealership'. Tesla, however, is bypassing the dealership and selling to consumers dire... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdornmc",
"comment_text": [
"I believe there are laws that prevent manufacturers from selling their cars directly. This is to prevent a manufacturer like Honda suddenly deciding they'll just start selling cars themselves for half the dealer's prices and driving all the dealerships out of bui... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdorug7",
"comment_text": [
"Why not start a new division?, where they could qualify as a dealership"
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdos0xz",
"comment_text": [
"I'd imagine there's rules about what qualifies as a dealership. Think about it: If Honda could just say they were a dealership now, the law above would be kind of useless, wouldn't it.",
"Another problem would be the cost of setting up dealerships on a scale ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdp80ad",
"comment_text": [
"This is what I'd like to know know as well. How I'd Tesla positioning themselves as different than that hypothetical Honda situation. "
],
"score": 1
} | ||
ELI5: Why is birthing identical twins allowed when human cloning is illegal? | explainlikeimfive | 1rne94 | 0 | true | false | 0.25 | [deleted] | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdoy7i5",
"comment_text": [
"Human cloning isn't illegal. At least, not in the US.",
"To quote Wikipedia:",
"There are currently no federal laws in the United States which ban cloning completely, and any such laws would raise difficult Constitutional questions similar to the issues ... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdoy87i",
"comment_text": [
"This can't be a serious question.........."
],
"score": 1
} | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdoyb43",
"comment_text": [
"Having twins should fall under the first one, right?",
"No. Having twins isn't cloning. For something to be cloning, it must be done intentionally.",
"What you're saying is like asking, \"If it's illegal for an eye doctor to give patients poor vision on... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdoyb43",
"comment_text": [
"Having twins should fall under the first one, right?",
"No. Having twins isn't cloning. For something to be cloning, it must be done intentionally.",
"What you're saying is like asking, \"If it's illegal for an eye doctor to give patients poor vision on... | {
"comment_id": "t1_cdoyd7l",
"comment_text": [
"Do you have a reference for that?",
"A reference for what?"
],
"score": 0
} |
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