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9dpgjh | what is sidechaining in digital music production and how does it work? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9dpgjh/eli5_what_is_sidechaining_in_digital_music/ | {
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"When the kick goes BOOM, everything else's volume goes ^(really quiet), then returns to normal.\nUsually done with a low-pass filter to reduce the high frequencies of the tracks' other sounds when the kick (or other sample) is triggered, or just by controlling the volume up and down.\n",
"It's like listening to some music coming out of your stereo's speakers and you also have a little monster with a set of headphone listening to your music. He's sitting right next to the volume knob. When it get's too loud, he turns it down really fast for you.\n\nThat's normal compression. \n\n**Sidechain** compression is when the monster is listening to something else, and when *that* music is too loud, he turns *your* music down. \n\nA common use for this is a ducker. DJ's use them for talking over music. When the level on their talk back mic is higher than a certain threshold, it lowers the level of the music so people can here what the DJ is saying. Also sometimes used on radio stations when a DJ is intro-ing a track. It can sound pretty tacky if not down correctly but makes a good side-chain example. ",
"Sidechaining has been around for decades, analog and digital. It’s simply using an output signal from one source to dynamically affect/modulate another effect - such as a filter or a compressor or a gate.\n\nA very common example is sidechaining a compressor to achieve a ‘ducking’ or ‘pumping’ bassline. ‘Benny Benassi - Satisfaction’ is a very obvious example of that compression effect.\n\nIt’s achieved by sending the bassline through a compressor (equipped with a side-chain input), and then sending the output signal of another element (typically, the kick drum) to the side-chain input of the compressor. Typically, the kick signal acts like an on/off switch for the compressor effect, so that as the kick sounds it makes the compressor work on the bassline signal according to settings you dial into the compressor - typically, ducking or reducing the gain of the signal passing through the compressor. As the kick signal fades away, the compressor is no longer subject to that external control, and so the signal gain (and the bassline) ‘rebounds’. Rinse and repeat....\n\nIt can be used to gently reduce gain - to create space in the mix for other elements (like a kick drum) or it can be used gratuitously as a distinct, pumping effect.\n\nA side-chained gate can be used in an identical fashion to create a much more staccato effect, known as ‘gate-ing’. Rhythmic ‘chopping’ of synths and vocals are very common in Trance music. Send a vocal through a gate effect, then send a staccato, rhythmic sound (like a snare drum) to the sidechain input. One sound dynamically controls the other, by rapidly and repeatedly opening and closing the gate.",
"Sidechaining is having an effect applied to one signal, in response to a second signal. Typically, this is used with dynamic range compression so that the changes in volume on one track - say, the kick drum - will cause compression to kick in on another track, like a synth line. This is commonly used - or abused - to make dance tracks pump more. [Call On Me](_URL_0_) is this effect taken to a fairly ridiculous level."
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5h4kk6 | why does water form a bent molecule rather than linear? | I'm learning about VSEPR theory right now and I just started wondering why the lone pairs prefer to be on the same side of the oxygen, rather than being on opposite sides and forming a linear molecule. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5h4kk6/eli5_why_does_water_form_a_bent_molecule_rather/ | {
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"This gets into the 3-dimensional shapes of the electron orbits, which you can't really appreciate just based on a Lewis structure. Rather than thinking about the 4-pairs of electrons in the outer shell as being on the same plane as the paper you're drawing the diagram on, it helps to think of the 3-dimensional structure. \n\nEDIT: The 3D structure is tetrahedral, because the electron orbitals are therefore 109.5 degrees apart (rather than just 90 degrees if they were in the same plane). And because electrons repel one another, they favor whatever structure keeps them the most distance apart.\n\nWhen you think of it as a 3D structure, you'll see that it doesn't really matter where you put the lone pairs or the H-O bonds, the structure will be the same.\n\nThis diagram might help you visualize it: _URL_0_\n\nOr this one: _URL_1_"
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2kkyih | what would happen to north korea if kim jong un died unexpectedly? who would take power? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2kkyih/eli5what_would_happen_to_north_korea_if_kim_jong/ | {
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"We don't know how NK's government works. They don't really like sharing information with anyone. We SUSPECT that the generals run the show, and Kim Jong Un is just a figurehead, but we don't know for certain.",
"It would likely get messy pretty fast, but during his prolonged access his sister Kim Yo-jung was increasingly visible in the government, and it's being suggested she may be next in line. Alternatively Kim Jong-un's older brother Kim Jong-chul (who was passed over for the position by their father Kim Jong-il), could still have a chance.",
"Someone like Kim Yong-ju (brother of Kim Il-Sung, Honourary VP of the Supreme People's Assembly) or Kim Pyong-il (son of Kim Il-Sung, North Korean ambassador to Poland) might get pushed into a figurehead position while factions within the Workers' Party and armed forces compete for control.\n\nWe don't really know how the North Korean power structure works beyond a few scraps of information and educated guesswork. We can reasonably believe that the Organization and Guidance Department of the Workers' Party has traditionally been the real source of power in North Korea, with everything else being glorified rubber-stamping and admin work, but even that doesn't tell us much of substance when we know nothing about the people involved."
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2g670b | how do "hate speech" laws work and how are they prosecuted? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2g670b/eli5_how_do_hate_speech_laws_work_and_how_are/ | {
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"Well the US doesn't have any hate speech laws, so if you're in America, don't worry about it.\n\nBut for the countries that do, like Canada and the UK, there are laws against making statements that promote hatred against racial minorities, women, and LGBT people. Someone can report you if you make such a statement. But obviously, they need proof, so they're really only going to prosecute high-profile cases like an actual speech or something someone said on TV, because otherwise they can't prove it. If I say a bunch of racist stuff to you on the street, they can't prove it ever happened in court, so they're not going to prosecute for something like that. "
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4e355x | do ants or bugs perceive us moving slowly? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4e355x/eli5_do_ants_or_bugs_perceive_us_moving_slowly/ | {
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"Yes. [It is believed so.](_URL_0_)\n\nI've read for example that is takes some snails several seconds\nto react to stimuli. So, if you walked into and out of it's field of view in less than that time you'd be too fast for it to see.\n\n\n",
"Indeed they do.\n\nIt's not completely understood how, but we do a lot of electroretinogram (ERG) work with fruit flies, snails, etc. to visualize nerve activity in response to different wavelengths of light and varying frequencies.\n\nI probably wouldn't say this to a 5 year old, but we \"glue\" a fly down to a glass slide using wax, shove an electrode up its ass, press a saline wick against its \"good\" eye, and put a tiny strobe light in its face. This is all connected to a computer that we use specialized software to control the rate at which the strobe flashes. There's a point where the human eye perceives a rapid flashing as just a single flash, but the fly eye sees it as a very rapid sequence of flashes.\n\nHere's an example of that visualization of an old data set on some flies from years ago - _URL_0_ - This is something like 30 flashes in 1 second. Each peak indicates the fly seeing it as a distinct flash. If you were to look at a similar data set in humans, it would be one single peak.",
"Not only are bugs and Falcons experiencing life faster than you, people taller than you experience it slightly after you. That's so that the body can interpret a touch to your ear and toe as being simultaneous despite the transit time of the signal. Radiolab had a story on it. "
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de2y4y | how did milkmen work when they were a thing? did people subscribe to have them come, were they connected to a company? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/de2y4y/eli5_how_did_milkmen_work_when_they_were_a_thing/ | {
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"Milkmen still are a “thing”. You fill out a weekly requirement form for your dairy products, pick a time and day of the week and they drop it off. Simple.",
"In countries like India where traditional milkmen are still a thing, if you move to a new place, you'd talk to the neighbours to have them send the milkman to your place while he was on his rounds, give him your requirements, and he begins delivering the products to you from the next day.",
"Customers placed orders with the dairy, the delivery person brought product to the house. \n\nSome dairies issued a cooler with their company logo and this sat on the front porch. *(I have one we used in SD in the early 1970s. Metal shell, styrofoam insulation.)* Delivery was made into the cooler, since the customer was often still asleep.",
"In South Africa we used to buy plastic coins from the delivery man or the shop. You'd get them on a roll of 10 I think. You would leave a clean empty bottle with a \"coin\" inside it on your front door step. The milkman would then swop it for a full one. Also did orange juice too. As kids we would get up early and hang on the back of the milk truck and get driven all over town. I have not thought about this in years. Thanks for the reminder OP. Nice post. [Added South :)]",
"I still have a milkman here in England delivers 2 pints of full fat milk Monday 1 pint Wednesday and 2 pints on Friday usually comes early morning about 4am and pay him on a monthly basis communicate through notes if I am going away at the weekend I will write him a note and leave it next to the empty milk bottle on Tuesday night saying “no milk Friday”. There are a few big dairy farms around me and for my city there are probably about 2,3 different milkmen with there own distribution company that deliver the milk. They were a big thing until about 15 years ago then people were doing more online shopping etc and supermarkets here brought milk prices down and until a few years ago they were almost gone now they are in demand here since everyone is now wanting to support local businesses and cut down on plastic..",
"We used to have a company that would deliver a crate with milk, newspapers, magazines, chocolates etc, etc.\n\nYou would have a standing order for what you wanted every week... then you could add or remove items by leaving a form in the empty crate they would swap for the full one. You could also call if you needed an adjustment for the next delivery.",
"Until very recently (a few years ago...) milk was delivered to various homes or businesses by the dairy farmer on horseback. This is in Costa Rica.\n\nHe would get up early, milk the cows (with a small herd of 5 or 6 and usually with some help), put the milk in empty 2 liter Coke bottles, saddle up his horse and go around town delivering milk. If you wanted milk, you put a plastic bag on your gate or fence or shrub with an empty 2 liter Coke bottle in it and some coins. We used to tease our neighbor by saying the horse didn't really need him because the horse knew the route perfectly but was not good at counting the coins.\n\nYes, raw milk, often still warm from the cow and not forbidden by the government and no one got sick. \n\nI don't see them anymore but it's possible that it's still happening in small, rural towns or villages. \n\nOne of the dairy farmers puts his milk in milk cans and his son delivers them to a nearby small city where I live. The milk is then sold to some small stores or individuals and to a couple of guys on motorbikes who distribute them around town.",
"Ours delivered every day and would come around on Friday to get the money or you would leave the cash in the bottle for him to collect. Milk was delivered in proper glass bottles that would be re-used again and again. Your fridge was neverover full with milk as you would get a fresh one every day so no need to stock up and the old bottle would magically disappear. They branched out a bit and started delivering eggs, bread, orange juice \\[in milk bottles!} and when I'd been very good we had fizzy pop delivered in a 1 litre glass bottle which somehow lasted most of the week. You would very rarely see the milk man as the good ones had finished by 7am.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nI miss having a milkman. I would happily pay more for the privilege but the ones I have tried have been a mere shadow of the service we used to get. The milk is more expensive, now comes in plastic bottles and often is not there until midday so you have no cornflakes and in the summer the milk has curdled before you get to bring it in. Couple that with the forgotten deliveries it's just not worth it anymore, plus they drive diesel milk vans rather than the electric floats of old which is very sad"
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9fkjsr | how do singers know what note to sing for second voice | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9fkjsr/eli5_how_do_singers_know_what_note_to_sing_for/ | {
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"Someone is surely going to explain the theory to this here, i am too lazy. Just like i am too lazy to think about it whilst singing. I’m a professional singer and I just make the other voices up as i’m singing/recording. It’s kind of like a feeling i guess? You just know what will sound good with the first voice without having to hear it out loud first. It comes natural, exactly like the melody to the first voice comes natural. When i’m writing other instruments, i do keep the theory in mind of course. Learning scales and progressions will definitely improve songwriting skills. But to me singing is just a more organic thing, which makes sense because i am the instrument and the musician at the same time. ",
"Typically, vocal harmonizing can go a number of ways. But most of the time it is called “fifth harmonies.”\n\nOn a scale, major or minor (the two most commonly used scales) the fifth note is the one that you combine with the first note (or “root note”) to get a chord. The “fifth chord” is commonly referred to as the “power chord”, as it is used in most rock songs, and is probably the most used chord shapes.\n\nNow, like any instrument, this still applies to vocals. The scales don’t change because you are switching from piano to guitar or to vocals, so everything I said above holds water except you are using your voice now. One singer will sing the first note, or root, while the other sings a tad higher up in pitch, singing the fifth note. \n\nIt*can and will*vary, but listen to artists like The Beatles, Alice In Chains, System of a Down, or even Queen. Those bands are known for some killer vocal harmonies. You’ll see what I mean if you listen to the lead singer versus the backup. Identify the voices, break it down. One is singing one thing, and one is just a bit higher up on the scale. They work together, in *harmony. *",
"By \"second voice\" do you mean harmonies?\n\nHarmonies are notes that sound good with other notes. There are lots of different types of harmonies at what are called different *intervals*. For example, one types of interval is called a *third* and another is called a *fourth,* meaning three notes apart or four notes apart. Both of these intervals can sound good but have different effects on the sound.\n\nSo, there are a few different ways that a singer knows which note to sing. If you are writing a song, you may spend time trying different harmonies to see which ones work best. Then you can write out the music and you will know what to sing because you have spent a lot of time working on it.\n\nSome singers are able to listen to a song and sing harmonies along with it, without having to write it out first. This is done by spending a lot of time practicing writing and singing harmonies, and understanding music theory. Once a singer has a good understanding of this, they are able to sing harmonies intuitively because they have a wealth of knowledge of what will sound good."
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5u5kzj | how does h & r block and other tax companies profit from not charging the consumer for use of their services. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5u5kzj/eli5_how_does_hr_block_and_other_tax_companies/ | {
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"Partly, it's because the IRS made them do it. Partly, it's because it advertises their services (for instance, if you use the same company two years in a row, it might say \"You can import your data from last year! For $40!\"). And partly, it's because they will invite you to fill out your state return, and then tell you they won't file it unless you pay them an additional fee."
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2vusc5 | when im using big headphones (bose or beats) with a small device (ipod) does it use more battery than using a smaller headphone? how does this work? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2vusc5/eli5_when_im_using_big_headphones_bose_or_beats/ | {
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"I was about to say no, but after a bit of reading I'll say yes. Smaller earphones have a lower impedance than large studio headphones, meaning they don't resist the flow of electricity through the cord as much as larger studio headphones. This makes them louder as they don't have to draw as much electricity in order to play louder sounds. Higher impedance headphones resist more, so require more power to play the same volume, but are much more resistant to blowout at higher volumes. So low impedance means louder at lower volumes and less electricity and battery drain, but more prone to blowout. High impedance means needs more electricity to play at the same volume, but can handle higher volumes without breakage. Assuming Beats are built for mobile devices and they sound louder than ear buds at the same volume on your iPod, the volume difference is either due to low impedance or due to the shape of the headphone and speaker which could be focusing the sound into your ear more efficiently. If you have to turn your iPod volume up higher in order for the same in-ear volume then you're using more electricity and thus draining your battery.\n\n[Source](_URL_0_)",
"Possibly, I'm not sure if it would draw more power or not but it could definitely make a softer sound at the same volume setting (on the device).\n\nThe key of the headphone is the driver unit. Most headphones would use what is called a 'dynamic' type driver - an magnet attached to a coil of wire (voice coil) which moves a membrane up and down, causing vibrations and producing sound. Having a bigger magnet means the headphone is able to produce better and more full sounds (especially in the bass ranges), but in turn also requires more power to physically move the membrane. It's not the only factor in sound quality, but it's why you'll often see headphones advertising '*x* mm drivers'\n\nAnother factor in power draw is 'impedance' - this is the electrical resistance of the wiring. A lot of low end headphones tend to have low impedance, this means the wires have little resistance which means they can be powered easily by devices like phones or MP3 players. High end headphones tend to have high impedance - this is because these higher end devices are typically paired with amplifiers, which can improve sound quality by literally amplifying the strength of the electrical signal. Having a high impedance protects them from blowing out, vs low impedance headphones in which the driver unit might irreparably break from trying to vibrate too hard due to a strong electrical signal.",
"I don't think any of the answers are correct regarding impedance. It is a function of two main things that will determine the relative power draw:\n\n* Sensitivity - for every Watt flowing into the earpiece ('speaker') it will produce a certain volume at a set distance.\n\n* The distance from the earpiece / speaker surface to the ear drum. There will be a loss relative to the inverse square law the further away this is.\n\nLarger diaphragms in headphones can be very efficient at producing sound, however they are much much further away from the ear drum.\n\nRegarding the other people talking about impedance - Power used is a function of voltage and current, not just current. It is the sensitivity that counts. You can have sensitive low and high impedance headphones.\n\nFinally, in response to your actual question, I don't know - You would have to look at the technical specifications of the headphones you wish to compare.",
"So, the short answer is no. The long answer is yes. If you unplug one pair of headphones and plug in another the same amount of power is being provided by your phone, so no extra power loss. But! If the volume has changed and you must change it to match then you are changing the output power. So, changing the volume or other settings on your phone can change the power, but only your phone determines the output power, for the most part your headphones are dumb receivers that don't talk back. It's different if you are talking about headphones that are smart or have in built preamp or amps. "
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3rv6n4 | getting the wind knocked out of you. bonus points for how to fix it. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3rv6n4/eli5getting_the_wind_knocked_out_of_you_bonus/ | {
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"It's a spasm in the muscles of your diaphragm. When there's a strong enough impact, your muscles get temporarily shocked. Your diaphragm can't move, so you can't draw breath.\n\nTo fix it: relax, and wait. It's gotta reset on its own, not much else you can do.",
"Lie on your back and get someone to pump your legs gently while you sync your breathing too it. "
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23od2b | why aren't usb cables included with printers? | Is it to make retail stores some money? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/23od2b/eli5_why_arent_usb_cables_included_with_printers/ | {
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"I find that printers only last a couple of years no matter how well you maintain them and how often you run the cleaning cycle etc.\n\nSo the printer companies probably assume that you already have a printer cable from the last one you owned. Otherwise you would end up with lots of cables that just go to the garbage.",
"- To save money.\n\n- Almost all printers these days have wireless capability making the cable optional. ",
"1) The manufacturer has no idea how long of a cable you will need.\n\n2) Cost saving\n\n3) Modern printers are coming with wireless capabilities\n\n- I used to work at Staples, and we got asked this question A LOT.\n\n1) & 2) are the main reasons. 3) is more prominent now, but the first two are what happened with the standardization of cables (USB)",
"I've bought nearly a dozen printers in my life and every single one of them came with a usb cable."
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jaylw | the difference between carburetors and fuel injection, torque and horsepower, and how a supercharger and a turbo work. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/jaylw/eli5_the_difference_between_carburetors_and_fuel/ | {
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"Well, as to superchargers and turbochargers there is basically only one difference. They both basically push the fuel mixture through the engine faster to make the car more powerful. They both spin in order to accomplish this. The difference is that a turbocharger gets \"spun\" by exhaust fumes whereas a supercharger gets \"spun\" by a belt that is linked to another spinning part of the engine.\n\nThis is a very basic (ELI5) description because there are numerous other types. However, I believe these two set-ups are the most common set-ups in cars.",
"All of these things? Really?\n\n**The difference between a carburetor and fuel injection:**\n\nCarburetors work by suction. Like slurping your soup from the side of your spoon into your mouth. Fuel injection is like squirting soup into your mouth with a spray bottle. A fine mist of soup!\n\n**Torque and horsepower:**\n\nTorque is how hard I can twist your arm. Horsepower is a measurement of how quickly you run away because it hurts.\n\n**Supercharger and Turbo:**\n\nThese both actually do the same thing. Only differently. Remember how we were talking about how a carburetor is like you sucking the soup out of your spoon using suction? \n\nEngines produce suction. They suck in all of the air that they use. They have to suck very, very quickly. As a result, a normal engine never gets a full breath of air.\n\nSuperchargers and turbos both force air in to the engine. Like giving someone CPR. The engine suddenly gets much, much more air.\n\nA supercharger spins because it has a pulley that's turned by the engine.\n\nA turbocharger spins because the engine's exhaust gas spins a fan inside of it. ",
"Well, as to superchargers and turbochargers there is basically only one difference. They both basically push the fuel mixture through the engine faster to make the car more powerful. They both spin in order to accomplish this. The difference is that a turbocharger gets \"spun\" by exhaust fumes whereas a supercharger gets \"spun\" by a belt that is linked to another spinning part of the engine.\n\nThis is a very basic (ELI5) description because there are numerous other types. However, I believe these two set-ups are the most common set-ups in cars.",
"All of these things? Really?\n\n**The difference between a carburetor and fuel injection:**\n\nCarburetors work by suction. Like slurping your soup from the side of your spoon into your mouth. Fuel injection is like squirting soup into your mouth with a spray bottle. A fine mist of soup!\n\n**Torque and horsepower:**\n\nTorque is how hard I can twist your arm. Horsepower is a measurement of how quickly you run away because it hurts.\n\n**Supercharger and Turbo:**\n\nThese both actually do the same thing. Only differently. Remember how we were talking about how a carburetor is like you sucking the soup out of your spoon using suction? \n\nEngines produce suction. They suck in all of the air that they use. They have to suck very, very quickly. As a result, a normal engine never gets a full breath of air.\n\nSuperchargers and turbos both force air in to the engine. Like giving someone CPR. The engine suddenly gets much, much more air.\n\nA supercharger spins because it has a pulley that's turned by the engine.\n\nA turbocharger spins because the engine's exhaust gas spins a fan inside of it. "
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2wh734 | why is it that some people can have such vocal control they can imitate a voice exactly when others with lisps and other speech impediments cannot control them. | I've always been curious about this, people who do imitations amaze me, you have to know how that particular character says each syllable to get it perfect. I always wondered why people who have speech impediments can't also recognize the syllables that give them issues and practice on correcting them.
apologies if this has been submitted, i searched but found nothing. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2wh734/eli5why_is_it_that_some_people_can_have_such/ | {
"a_id": [
"coqt7oh"
],
"score": [
2
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"text": [
"Practice. It's all about practice, even for many people with lisps. \n\nListen to Scatman John - you've probably heard him before even if you don't know it. \n\nHe had a lisp at one point. \n\n\nThere are exceptions to this, physical issues that cause speech problems such as lisps, etc....\nBut often times it's just a matter of less dedication. \n\nDoes a slight lisp really stop people in a day to day basis? Probably not enough to make anyone spend the necessary hours to fix. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
3nq2gc | why does it seem like young children can learn things very fast? is it possible to modify the adult brain to have this capacity? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3nq2gc/eli5_why_does_it_seem_like_young_children_can/ | {
"a_id": [
"cvq87av",
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"From what I've read one of the biggest reasons is kids are willing to make mistakes. As adults we fear being made fun of/looking stupid/being corrected. We want to get everything right, after all, we're adults, we should know this stuff. Kids on the other hand just keep trying and are fine with making mistakes and getting corrected.\n\nIt's kind of the old \"Perfect is the enemy of good\". Newer studies are showing that adult brains don't actually have a reduced capacity to learn compared to children, it's all in your mindset.",
"Children have more neuroplasticity, which essentially means that they actually have more connections between different parts of their brain, so their brain can communicate better with itself. Adults can learn the same things that children learn, such as a new language, but it'll take longer. Just don't give up!"
]
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[],
[]
] | ||
5mcu4l | how long should food take to journey from the mouth to the bathroom? | The time for me seems to have lengthened over the years and wondered if this is due to the fact that I have IBS and Diabetes. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5mcu4l/eli5how_long_should_food_take_to_journey_from_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"dc2mmfc"
],
"score": [
5
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"text": [
"This is called whole gut transit time and it varies from species to species. In humans it can take anywhere from 10-73 hours. This is very person specific and based on personal diet, activity and genetics. For instance, eating a large meal typically induces a bowl movement as your body is preparing for more digestion. \nI mentioned different rates for different species so here's some fun ones: most birds have a WGT of about three hours and eat more depending on energy requirements or temperature. \nTortoises have a WGT of nearly two weeks! Yet eat such poor forage they are essentially always grazing. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
8z740t | why do scientists say it's dangerous for humans to be constantly stimulated by social media? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8z740t/eli5_why_do_scientists_say_its_dangerous_for/ | {
"a_id": [
"e2glr15"
],
"score": [
7
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"text": [
"1. You lose your ability to communicate with other \n2. Your attention span drops, so it harder to focus\n3. You’ll strain your eyes\n4. You’ll reduce a desire for exercise\n5. You’ll harm your brain \n\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
5hyb8i | when it is extremely cold enough to throw a boiling pot of water out side and see it freeze, why is it only boiling water? | I was just having this discussion with my boss and he brought up that question and I thought it was it was a good one. I imagine, of course, all water freeze under extreme cold temperatures but what exactly is going when you are throwing the boiling water in those temperatures? Is it the water itself freezing or is it turning into vapor and that is what we are seeing freeze. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5hyb8i/eli5_when_it_is_extremely_cold_enough_to_throw_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"db3vvhe"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"When water is hot and boiling, the water molecules are moving really fast and when you throw it into the air they want to move away from each other. This creates more surface area and more places for the heated water to contact the cold air, thus freezing the water. If the water was cold it would stick together more and less area of the water is confronting the freezing air.\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
428yoa | how do cold sores form? | Specifically whenever I use Chapstick I get a cold sore on the side of my lips and don't know why. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/428yoa/eli5_how_do_cold_sores_form/ | {
"a_id": [
"cz8kcln"
],
"score": [
3
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"text": [
"You have to have the Herpes Simplex virus (it comes in multiple forms) inside of you. It most often lies dormant, but becomes active for any number of reasons. The most common ones are when it's a shock to your system (like when you're first introduced to that strain), if your immune system is compromised (like if you're stressed or haven't been sleeping well), or if your diet is poor (like, broadly speaking, if you've been lacking in Vitamin C lately).\n\nAnd sometimes, it's just a particularly picky and nefarious bugger and just decides to rear its ugly head.\n\nIf it's Chapstick that you think is causing it, have you shared that particular tube with anyone? If you haven't, then the only other reason using it could cause a cold sore is that it contains the virus from the last time you used it and you're spreading it back inside your body. Unfortunately, you've got the virus inside you for goodsies, so it doesn't matter if you throw that tube away or keep using it."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
3t5sof | how come the majority of video players (not youtube or vimeo) are so horrible? | CNN's player on their main site. ESPN. MSNBC. And don't even get me started on the trash they use on television channel sites like the pirate-inspiring player AMC makes you use to watch Walking Dead. Why do so many video players suck so much? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3t5sof/eli5_how_come_the_majority_of_video_players_not/ | {
"a_id": [
"cx3aklv"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"Because they don't have as many resources devoted to making a video player. Those other sites have very little to gain from putting videos online, but Google has massive incentives in ad revenue to make their video player as good as possible. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
2970u7 | what does the word "existential" mean? | Does it mean something that is it essential to life or something that is subjective? I look up this word a lot and can't seem to find an explanation that satisfies me - I would like to start using this word in conversation. It just seems kind of broad. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2970u7/eli5what_does_the_word_existential_mean/ | {
"a_id": [
"cii1rel",
"cii211a"
],
"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"It means \"related to existence\". It's most commonly used as part of the phrase \"existential crisis\", which is a period in which a person questions why they exist and what they are \"supposed\" to do with their life. The phrase refers to how people are having a problem making sense of their existence.",
"Literally, anything related to existence. It usually is used to describe questioning existence. The existential moment is when you question everything you think. What is the meaning of Life? What am I doing with my Life? Does anything I do matter? "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
1ppbr6 | what exactly is f-stop and how do i use it properly? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ppbr6/eli5_what_exactly_is_fstop_and_how_do_i_use_it/ | {
"a_id": [
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"F-stop tells the camera's aperture how far to open. Higher f-stop = smaller aperture.\n\nHigher f-stop also, usually, means you need a longer exposure time (otherwise you don't get enough light coming in).\n\nAn advantage to high f-stops is that they allow for greater depth of field, which means that things are in focus across a broader range of distances. If you can properly balance the amount of time that your shutter is open, along with the F-stop, you can get some GREAT photos that show a broader depth of field (downside: sometimes this makes things look flat, because your brain wants some things to be out of focus).\n\nBy contrast, a wide aperture (low f-stop) and short exposure time makes depth of field very narrow, so it allows you to focus really well on just one thing. It also is great for things that might be moving, because long shutter speeds tends to mean that things come out blurry (because they're moving, or because you are).\n\nNearly all digital cameras allow you to adjust f-stop and shutter speed. Go play. You'll be glad you did.",
"F-stop determines the size of your aperture (the part the determines how much light to allow through the lens). Technically it's a ratio of the aperture diameter to the focal length, but you don't need to actually understand that. All you need to know is that the bigger the f-stop, the smaller the aperture.\n\nF-stop works in concert with shutter speed and ISO to determine how exposed an image is. Decreasing the f-stop value will increase the aperture size, which will let more light in. If you let more light in by the aperture you need to decrease the shutter speed, or decrease the ISO if you want the same level of exposure in the image. \n\nF-stop also effects the depth of field. That's how much of the image will be in focus. So if you see a picture where the main subject is in focus, but the foreground and/or background is out of focus, that's caused by having a small f-stop. This is useful for drawing focus to the main subject, and the blurred elements will often be visually appealing (this is called [bokeh](_URL_0_)). If you see a landscape shot, with both near and far in focus, that's caused by a high f-stop.\n\nIf you camera has an aperture priority mode, you can set the aperture value and it will automatically adjust the shutter speed and ISO to properly expose the image. Then you can experiment with images with different depths of field to see how you like the different effects. Your camera may also have a depth of field preview button, which will show you in the view finder what the depth of field will look like when you take the image.\n\nIf you go on flickr, and look at an image you like, you can click on the ... button in the bottom right. Some images will have a \"View EXIF info\" option. If you look at that it will usually show you the aperture, iso, shutter speed and focal length used for the shot. This can give you an idea of how to mimic that same effect in your photography."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh"
]
] | ||
1ahd4o | osteopathic medicine, dos, and how an md is different from a do. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ahd4o/eli5_osteopathic_medicine_dos_and_how_an_md_is/ | {
"a_id": [
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"Disclaimer: I'm a DO med student.\n\nFunctionally: There is NO difference between either. If it wasn't stitched into their white coats, you as a patient probably couldn't tell a difference. In all 50 states and dozens of other nations, MD's and DO's have the exact same practice rights and privileges. There isn't any specialty that a DO can't do. I've personally seen both in action, and there is nothing separating them on a fundamental level in practice. There a great DO's and bad MD's and vice versa.\n\nTraditionally: The difference is in the name and type of degree that the school awards to students upon completion of their program. \n\nA long time ago there was very little regulation or rules about who could be called a doctor, and what medical schools had to teach, or even if you had to go to a medical school to be called a doctor (many apprenticed). So medical schools in America awarded the Medical Doctorate (MD) degree in standing with a long history of higher education from Europe. The use of MD title to signify someone graduating from one of these school goes back to medieval Italy I think. Anyway, all being an MD mean was you graduated from some school that Awards an MD, as in the 1800s, there were few, if any, common standards on higher education. \n\nAlong come one MD, who served as a surgeon in the Civil War, Andrew Still. Now even good medicine in the 1880s was pretty shit compared to today. Surgery was only just starting to use anesthetic, pharmacology was still the realm of snake oil salesmen, the ideas of research and peer review where in their infancy in medicine, and there was no unified 'practice' theory of medicine. \n\nSo this guy look at the state of medicine and said, there are good docs and bad docs, but the philosophy of medicine sucks. So I start my own school, and teach students what I want them to learn.\n\nSo he came up with his philosophy of Osteopathy. Which can be summed up as, the body is its own natural healer, the job of the doctor isn't to isolate out one disease and treat only the pathology, but to find and remove any barriers in the body, mind, or spirit* towards the promotion of health. I.E. doctors shouldn't just treat the disease, but promote the health of their patient. (*he also believed in supporting religiosity in patients, but who didn't back then; these days 'spirit' is taken less literally).\n\nIn addition to his philosophy redirecting what doctors should do, he also came up with a new school of treatments for musculoskeletal and lymphatic diseases. Sometimes called the Osteopathic Manipulative Method (OMM), its a whole series of extra tests and treatments. It mainly focus on joint movements, range of motion, and restrictions and deviations from normal movement of joints (like the spine, sacrum, shoulder, ect). It was rudimentary chiropractic treatment. Over the years many other DO's refined and changed the techniques, coming up with new ones to target some neurological disorders. \n\nSo is OMM just chiropracty? I would argue no. From Still's first school to day, OMM is always integrated with every other facet of diagnosis and treatment that every MD learns. OMM isn't the sole focus of what we learn. Andrew Still's original DO school focused heavily on Anatomy, Pathology, Primary Care, and his new OMM techniques (which may seem crazy now but came about in a time where medicine was basically \"Here's some heroin for that tooth ache\").\n\nDO schools over the years added instruction in pharmacology, radiology, and all the other disciplines seen at MD schools. In the mean time in the early 1900s the MD schools underwent a revolution of their own. With states setting up licencing boars to enforce common education standards on practicing doctors, national accredication boards forming to make sure Med schools all taught the same thing, and the federal government setting up the FDA to clean up the pharmaceutical market. MD become the unified field it is today. \n\nFor a long time the number of DO schools was very small compared to MD (still is today but the gap is closing). And so the idea of Osteopathy was relatively unknown outside of a few states. So for the most part of the 20th century, DO's were fighting for equal practice rights as the MDs. Taking a long time to show that DO schools teach the same things (only with addition of OMM and the tweaked philosophical outlook towards general health). North Carolina became the last US state in the 1990s to give equal rights to both professions. Last year the professional governing bodies of both sides announced that stating in a few years, residencies (the training programs doctors go to after school for supervised training in their specialty) would be jointly run, further blurring the line between the MDs and DOs. \n\nDO schools also carried a reputation from taking students who didn't get into medical school. And, on a purely stats basis, this is true, but changing. DO students do on average have lower GPA's and MCAT scores than their MD counterparts. Leading to a reputation that DO schools where filled with the rejects from med school. And that somehow DO's would be worse at medicine. This is dumb, a 28 MCAT vs a 34 doesn't mean you are going to be a worse doctor. Especially since there is absolutely no agreement on what a 'good doctor' is. \n\nDO's have been relatively unknown, and only recently have had full and equal practice rights, so the demand for their schools was low, leading to lower scoring students going there. But that is changing. Also the numbers of students applying for MD schools is staggering huge compared the the number of MD slots open each year. Plenty of well qualified and great potential doctors don't get into MD school each year, the demand for slots it too great. So for those of us who barely made the cut, DO school was a great option. Still learn everything and MD does, and still have the same practice rights and specialty options. \n\nLike I said, as a patient, you probably couldn't tell a difference. Most DO's don't practice OMM after school, it takes constant practice to do right and some parts of it are still rather controversial from a research/efficacy point of view. Maybe you might notice a difference in the overall style and philosophy of the doctor, but who here when going to their PCP for a sore throat really stops and thinks \"What is my doctors operating philosophy?\" Probably none of you. There are some great DO's and some not so great ones, just like MDs.\n\nTL:DR The difference is the letters on the degree they were handed after graduating medical school. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
3az71p | how massive can a world be and still support life? | In other words, what is the maximal surface area that can be inhabited by at least terrestrial-style organic life of human size and is allowed by the known laws of physics? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3az71p/eli5how_massive_can_a_world_be_and_still_support/ | {
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"There is no 100% direct way to relate a planets surface area to habitabilty. A large enough planet will tend to become more like a gas giant than a rocky world, but that also depends heavily on whats around the area for the planet to be formed from in the first place.\n\nA large world would also likely be more massive and, at some point, the gravity would be too strong for humans to live there. However, a planets mass also depends on its density.\n\nThere are too many variables that influence a humans ability to live on a planet to effectively gauge the \"maximum surface area\" a planet can have while remaining habitable to humans.",
"At anything 4 times Earth's gravity or greater, the human body can't supply the brain with enough blood, which we can use as the upper limit for an environment humans could live on. However, Newton's laws tell us that gravity is proportional to the mass of the planet divided by radius of the planet squared, so [the upper limit of the world's mass](_URL_0_) is dependent on its radius, **or** that the maximal surface area of the planet is dependent on its mass.\n\nBasically, the question can't be easily answered numerically without more information on either the radius or the mass of the planet. However, it is conceivable that a planet could be much larger than earth and support human life (or life similar to it). ",
"You question doesn't specify a planet, merely a world.\n\nA [Dyson sphere](_URL_0_) is a theoretical hollow sphere that encompasses an entire star where a population lives on the interior surface of the sphere. It would likely be larger than any planet on which human sized life could thrive, since it could be more than 1AU in diameter."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
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"http://zidbits.com/2012/02/could-humans-colonize-a-planet-with-stronger-gravity/"
],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere"
]
] | |
50lfn2 | what makes your stomach hurt when you get the flu/food poisoning, and why does it gurgle so much more? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/50lfn2/eli5_what_makes_your_stomach_hurt_when_you_get/ | {
"a_id": [
"d750k2n"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Usually, Indian food. But sometimes the cheese at other places went bad.\n\nSometimes the jalapenos were raw instead of pickled and you weren't ready for that. \n\nGood luck."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
2520gr | why is it that when my hair is up in a pony tail all day, my scalp sometimes literally hurts and feel bruised when i let it down? what is actually hurting? the pores where the hairs being pulled are or the generally scalp skin? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2520gr/eli5_why_is_it_that_when_my_hair_is_up_in_a_pony/ | {
"a_id": [
"chcw7ox"
],
"score": [
2
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"text": [
"I think [this](_URL_0_) is the reason."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1umb6w/eli5_why_does_moving_my_hair_sometimes_hurt_my/cejjltp"
]
] | ||
2384a7 | how come we naturally travel through time? | If we were to be completely still, would we be moving infinitely fast through time? Is there a limit to how fast we can go through time? Edit: Got it backwards, added some stuff | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2384a7/eli5_how_come_we_naturally_travel_through_time/ | {
"a_id": [
"cgudfxy"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Think of space and time as north and east. \n\nYou can go 100% north but that means 0% east. \nYou can go 100% east but that means 0% north. \nYou can go somewhere inbetween like 50% north and 50% east. \n\nYou can go 100% through time by not traveling through space (sitting still). \nYou can (theoreticqlly) go 100% through space by not traveling through time. \nYou can go halfway between by going 50% through space and 50% through time. \n\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
2trri5 | why can't i use both eyes individually? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2trri5/eli5_why_cant_i_use_both_eyes_individually/ | {
"a_id": [
"co1rtuv",
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"score": [
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2
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"text": [
"I think what the OP is asking is, why can't we control both eyes independently, like a chameleon. Correct me if I'm wrong, OP, but that's what I was thinking when I read the question.\n\nI know humans have binocular vision, but why can't we turn that off temporarily? It seems like it would be very useful at times and even be an evolutionary advantage.",
"Because human eyes evolved to prefer depth of vision over breadth. There are several different times in our evolution where it was an evolutionary advantage to know how far something looked, even if it sacrificed a total field of vision. \n\nUsing our eyes individually hampers our ability to use our eyes to see depth, so the trait was not selected over generations.. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
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] | ||
3vtl1z | how do we know that some animals dream in color or not? | This question has always stumped me. I couldn't even begin to understand the science behind how they know this. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3vtl1z/eli5_how_do_we_know_that_some_animals_dream_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"cxqj0ec"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"We can tell what colors they can see by testing them (hide food behind blue door or red door, and so on) and by dissecting their eyes to see how they are structured.\n\nAs far as their dreams, we can't know for sure but if an animal can see a color in real life then they can probably dream it, too."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
a7qqtk | how is conscience created? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/a7qqtk/eli5_how_is_conscience_created/ | {
"a_id": [
"ec51f16",
"ec573gc"
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"text": [
"There's no real answer to this question, because before a consensus can be reached on how consciousness is created, a consensus on w hat consciousness *is* needs to be reached, and we're not really close to that. \n\n",
"It's complex and not very well understood. \n\nCertainly interactions with others in the formative years helps. It is said that rough play with a child that doesn't hurt the child (playful rough and tumble type play) will help a child learn the limits of what can be done to others without hurting someone. Children begin to understand around age 2 or 3 that if something hurts them, it's going to hurt someone else if they do the same thing to someone else.\n\nBonding is important. Lots of touching, holding and caressing from infancy well into childhood seems to help children develop a sense of empathy and awareness that they are not alone in the world and that other people are important.\n\nChildren have difficulty with abstraction until around age 7 or 8 (or sometimes older), and once they can begin to abstract, they can begin to get a sense of WHY something is right or wrong. But from a very young age (9 to 12 months) they can be taught right and wrong. That is, they begin to understand the expectations of them, and they begin to make choices about whether or not they will meet those expectations and what the consequences are if they do not.\n\nBasically, it's impossible to explain like you're five on this one, because even adults who study this on a full time basis can't fully answer the question."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
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] | ||
eckt74 | the day the mississippi flowed backward | I understand the a massive earthquake in 1812 caused the Mississippi to run backward but I don't understand the physics behind it. Please explain it to me like I'm 5?
[_URL_0_](_URL_0_) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/eckt74/eli5_the_day_the_mississippi_flowed_backward/ | {
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"fbc3q8n",
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"text": [
"The earthquake caused a large area of land to sink and created Reelfoot Lake. The water to fill the lake (and other sunken land) had to come from somewhere, so it came from the river. Water downstream of the lake flowed backwards for a little while to fill it up.",
"Earthquakes can cause the ground to rise or sink. And, obviously, water generally flows downhill.\n\nWhat happened is that the sinking of the ground (because earthquake) formed new low spots in the riverbed. This meant that \"downhill\" was now the other direction, so the water had to flow that way until it filled up the new low spots (which made it effectively \"uphill\" again, at which point the river flowed the correct way.)"
]
} | [] | [
"https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12848/day-mississippi-river-ran-backward%E2%80%94and-how-it-led-trail-tears"
] | [
[],
[]
] | |
19p4ww | what happens when changing the fire mode on a weapon, how does the weapon change? | Just a curious guy with a curious question. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/19p4ww/eli5_what_happens_when_changing_the_fire_mode_on/ | {
"a_id": [
"c8q1tvc"
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"text": [
"The weapon always cocks the hammer after each round, so that it can strike again. In semi auto mode, a small hook (called *disconnect*) catches the hammer, so the trigger has to be pulled again.\n\nSwitching the selector to full auto disables the disconnect, so the hammer can strike forward after each time it is cocked (of course only if the trigger is pulled, otherwise the trigger holds the hammer back).\n\n[This video](_URL_0_) explains how the disconnect works on an AR15, which does not have the possibility to disable the disconnect (which would mean full auto firing)."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2vL_Yu6rYU"
]
] | |
1zk3x1 | why don't people in america claim their home/property as religious property to avoid taxes? | Say that I "create" a religion and claim that everything I own is part of that religion, like my house is a church for my religion and my car is a religious car. Wouldn't all those things be considered tax exempt? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1zk3x1/eli5_why_dont_people_in_america_claim_their/ | {
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"Because you have to actually \"create\" a religion, and should you fail to do so (its actually harder than you think to create a religion legally) you'll owe taxes.\n\nIts been tried, but courts of ruled that various things are not \"religions\". ",
"In America, yes. People have done it. The Westboro Baptist Church is tax-exempt despite all of its members being loons and not being affiliated with any of the official Baptist organizations.\n\nBut here's the trick - you'd better have a good lawyer to walk you through the minefield of the law and the IRS. Westboro has the benefit of Fred Phelps and 11 of his children being lawyers. For the average person, the amount they'd spend on lawyers to ensure the legality of their new religion will be far more than they'll save in taxes."
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arn0m9 | how come you never see frogs that are “between” the tadpole and fully-grown adult frog stage of metamorphosis? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/arn0m9/eli5_how_come_you_never_see_frogs_that_are/ | {
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"You do. I've seen plenty when my pond used to have frogs. If you google \"tadpole metamorphosis stages\" you'll find many examples.",
"You can. It just isn't as common since youd have to find them at the perfect time. From egg to \"frog form\" it takes I believe a month and a half or so. But only about 10 days at most are they in that between phase. \n\nThey get really fat as tadpoles are are really round and stay like that for almost 2-3 weeks, then very shortly they have arms, then arms and legs along with a super big tail still, then even after they're in \"full frog\" they had a slightly longer tail that eventually shrinks or falls off. \n\nI believe the best time for that is like the first 1/3 of summer. I'm not exactly sure when since I'm no biologist, but I've seen then at the Pond at my friends summer home. It's very weird ",
"You do, if you have frogs as pets or if you hang out in natural water where there are a lot of frogs. The grow legs and so on. I have a frog phobia, so it's super freaky to me, but it's cool on a scientific level. "
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9mewkh | why or why shouldnt we update windows? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9mewkh/eli5_why_or_why_shouldnt_we_update_windows/ | {
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"This is a good question, and fits into the overall maintenance plan for your home.\n\nWindows have a lifespan of about 20 years. When they fail, they tend to let moisture in between the panes and can cause the surrounding wall structure to rot.\n\nAs windows need to be replaced, it can be a good idea to update the overall scheme of the house to something more modern. However, the challenge becomes either replace them all one-by-one, which is easier on the budget but can lead to mismatched styles, or replace them all at once, which can be multiple tens of thousands of dollars of work.\n\nIf, however, you mean on your computer, you generally should update Windows, though with some caveats. The updates will often be bug fixes, including, potentially, important security fixes. However, some of the updates are less about providing you with more and better behavior and more about Microsoft trying to control what you do and how you do it. Since Microsoft updates have handy numbers attached to each of them, you can pick and choose which to update. Follow along on some independent tech boards, like here on Reddit, and you'll get an idea of which updates to avoid.",
"Old windows let out cool air and head, making maintaining a comfortable temperature in your home difficult. Update to insulated windows and save on your heating and air conditioning costs.\n\nYou're welcome.",
"For a standard consumer user, you should just upgrade whenever the little box pops up.\n\nFor institutional IT departments, it's not so simple. You've got to make sure that every core software package you're using - many of which have far more stringent demands than conventional consumer software - is still compatible with the changes. You've also got to make sure you have training resources in place for any significant revisions to the O/S - moving from Windows 7 to Windows 10 means you need to retrain large numbers of employees on the tools necessary to do their job.\n\nFor an advanced private user, you may have to sit down and evaluate your outlier programs. If you've got applications that you ported over manually from Linux, there's a good chance you'll break something with a major Windows overall. If you've got some widget you downloaded back in 2007 and hasn't been maintained since, O/S updates can cause all sorts of problems. If you've got programs that are narrow niche open source, the latest and greatest version of your O/S may break it in strange ways - graphics drivers are a classic culprit in such affairs."
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58shnp | what do aol (america online) do currently to warrant an all time high stock price, and present as an appealing acquisition to verizon? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/58shnp/eli5_what_do_aol_america_online_do_currently_to/ | {
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"It still own media companies, and a lot of advertising. A few brands are brands include:\n\nThe Huffington Post\nMoviefone\nEngadget\nAutoblog\nTechCrunch\nCambio\nStyle Me Pretty\nMapQuest\nAOL BUILD\nMAKERS",
"In addition to what has also been said, AOL is very good at video advertising and Verizon is looking to launch an internet based streaming cable company. They could use the AOL IP/personnel resources to help build that platform and ensure a good advertising compensation model."
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5hebnm | why do we have so many foods that have french in front of it? | I've always wondered why we have French bread, french toast, french fries, etc. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5hebnm/eli5_why_do_we_have_so_many_foods_that_have/ | {
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"The French are strong in gastronomy. They developed a lot of classic cooking methods. I guess their fame travelled the globe and people learned from them, and so they name dishes after them. Some of these are not popular dishes in France though, but they probably were influenced by French cooking methods, or are a local version inspired by a French dish.\n\nIn Brazil we have a very popular bread that we call \"French bread\", but it is a recipe developed here that is not so similar to the French baguette which they took inspiration from. They are smaller buns that one person can eat by themselves, more fluffy inside with a slightly crunchy crost, but they named it French because it was probably different than the regular bread recipes the Portuguese brought to Brazil, and inspired by the baguette recipe. \n\nAlso, in some countries there were periods of great influence of the French culture. In Brazil, the rich people learned French, some studied there, they started using French words in their vocabulary, but it was something from last centuries or many decades ago. Nowadays English is a much more popular second language here. So I believe the word \"French\" in some cultures will add value as sofisticated, tasty, delicate, made with exceptional quality.\n\nI believe in Japan they still have a French fetish, specially in food and clothing, I guess it happens in other countries too. Since the French have been in North America, I guess some regions kept their influence to this day.\n\nOne thing I find funny is that \"French fries\" seems to be the most well known form of fried potatoes in the world (besides the slices/chips in a bag). In Brazil we just call them \"fries\" or \"fried potatoes\" (in Portuguese), but if you fry thin slices of potato we call them \"Portuguese potatoes\". So freshly made potato chips are to us something brought by the Portuguese and should be a side dish to some Portuguese dishes. \n\nI know in Belgium they eat a lot of \"French fries\" and since they are close to French people, there might have been a misnaming of the dish, or France really made these potatoes popular first and Belgium kept their love for them to this day. "
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bmit2x | how is the internet “unowned”? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bmit2x/eli5_how_is_the_internet_unowned/ | {
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"The internet is basically just a bunch of computers talking to each other. You can't own communication any more than you can own a conversation between two people.",
"This is a bit like asking \"How is a country not owned?\". Well, it is, but just by a ton of people and each person only owns a small part. You could compare buildings to websites and roads to ISPs(internet service provider, think ATT, Charter). Each building(website) is owned by an entity and by it's self it's a useful thing to the person who owns it but not too special, but if you combine it with a bunch of other buildings(websites) it becomes a country(internet) with roads(ISPs) allowing you to get to other buildings(websites).",
"The internet as a whole is not owned by a single person or company, but the actual cables, satellites and equipment are all owned by several different private companies (Mostly ISP's) that are all connected to each other. In order to reach [_URL_1_](_URL_0_), your traffic was likely handled by several different companies, and not just *your* ISP."
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3ua0a5 | why do people still protest in full force in chicago if the shooter was already convicted and undergoing punishment? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ua0a5/eli5_why_do_people_still_protest_in_full_force_in/ | {
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"The shooter was never convicted and he is not under going punishment. He was just charged with murder only recently. The police have known about that video for over a year and have not charged him with anything. They have been trying everything they could to avoid justice.",
"The shooter was charged and not convicted. \n\nThe video was released only after a judge ordered it. And on top of that, the city and police put off releasing the video this long so it didn't affect the recent elections. \n\nThe video lacks audio, despite it being standard for the police to record both audio and video. \n\nA second video from a burger King was seized by police and has since disappeared. \n\nThe city isn't upset with just the police officer. They're upset over the perceived corruption, and the media is eating their hearts out. People are furious with how officials handled the situation and tried to sweep it under the rug, in addition to the murder itself. \n\nSeriously. The issue isn't just police violence against black citizens. The issue is the corrupt city that pushes justice aside to protect their own as well as to keep power. It's a combination of fury over police violence and corruption from the police on the scene up to the mayor who sat on all the evidence. ",
"Because it keeps happening. Something has to change, and that is how law enforcement works in the US. But how do you reform the police? Government won't do it, there is no political will. The people have to take to the streets and demand change and that's what they're doing in Chicago.\n"
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23wdfx | how do toilet bowls empty faster than the toilet tank can fill it? | From what I understand, the level simply raises a plug in the tank and releases the water into the bowl until the water is emptied enough for a floatation device to allow the plug to cover the hole again.
How does that lever mechanism tie into how the bowl empties? Whenever I flush, the bowl just rushes water down as quickly as possible; much faster than the tank is replacing the water. What makes this browl water go down at such a different rate, considering it doesn't go down otherwise?
**EDIT:** I should emphasize something about what I mean in my question. It's actually "WHY does the bowl water suddenly know to violently rush out, when all you're doing with the lever is allowing the tank water to enter the bowl at a slower rate?" | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/23wdfx/eli5_how_do_toilet_bowls_empty_faster_than_the/ | {
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"Once the bowl outflow reaches critical siphon capacity, it creates a siphon that sucks the rest of the water out",
"Short answer: the water is existing out a 3\" hole and being filled with a .25\" tube."
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68nlin | 2 part question, who decided how interstate highways would work and when were they all built? | It fascinates me that we have an interconnected nationwide (USA) highway/freeway system.
It fascinates me even more that it's all connected with a nationwide sign system that creates uniformity.
Who started all this and how long did it take for the nation to have highways? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/68nlin/eli5_2_part_question_who_decided_how_interstate/ | {
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"Wikipedia has a very good article that answers your questions.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nIt was built with the cooperation of the states and federal government. The federal government giving funds to the states. Dwight Eisenhower is considered one of the biggest champions of the project, and the Interstate system is named for him.\n\nIt took about 35 years to be considered complete, but a large system was in place in the 70's and 80's. ",
"The interstate highway system was the brainchild of President Eisenhower, in office 1953-1961. Eisenhower was apparently disgusted at the length of time it took him and his troops to travel across the country shortly after WWI in 1919. Many years later, he was greatly impressed by the German Autobahn, which allowed his troops fast and easy access across Germany.\n\nWhen he became President, he proposed a similar system of interconnected highways for the USA. Far larger than the Autobahn, the proposed highway system was ludicrously expensive (some calculations put it as the most expensive public works project in human history). But Eisenhower was able to pass it through Congress by selling it as a vital tool for defense in case we went to war with the Soviets.\n\nPlanning for the highway system started in the early 1950s. The first ground was broken in 1956, and construction continued for almost forty years - the project was officially announced as complete in 1992."
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6pub87 | why do ants, wasps, spiders, etc. have a specific repeller? why can't ant spray kill spiders? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6pub87/eli5_why_do_ants_wasps_spiders_etc_have_a/ | {
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"They behave differently, so different poisons are made to adapt to their behavior. Ants bring food back to their colony. Spiders only eat things that are alive. Wasps nest near certain areas. \n\nAnt poison will kill spiders if the spiders *ingest* it. Spider poison will kill the few ants that happen to become exposed to it. But spiders won't eat ant poison, and killing a few ants won't eliminate your ant problem. You have to make the ants bring the poisoned bait back to the colony, and you have to spray the places that spiders or wasps like to nest in.\n\nEdit: Ant *spray* does kill spiders. Unless you are talking about natural oil based sprays. Those sprays don't necessarily \"poison\" the ants; they usually drown them. Ants are small, and exposure to most oils will kill them since they can't break the surface tension to escape."
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5txb3p | what can cause your heart to feel like it's racing if your pulse is normal? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5txb3p/eli5what_can_cause_your_heart_to_feel_like_its/ | {
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"You could have atrial fibrillation. If this happens often you should see your doctor. It will feel like your heart is fluttering but if you check your pulse you're only feeling the contractions of your ventricles,therefore your pulse feels normal. Afib can cause your heart to actually race as well. Get it checked out. "
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1yzy6x | why can't we observe the whole universe? | I'm aware we can only see a portion of the universe that we call the 'observable universe' but what is stopping us from observing the rest of the universe? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1yzy6x/eli5_why_cant_we_observe_the_whole_universe/ | {
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"The rest of it is so far away that the light from it hasn't reached us yet, so we have no way to see it."
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2e5lax | why can i sometimes hear radio stations from my guitar amp? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2e5lax/eli5_why_can_i_sometimes_hear_radio_stations_from/ | {
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"Because they're badly made. Pretty much it is acting sort of like a radio. The wiring inside the speaker might be acting like an antenna. It is possible some part of the circuit is demodulating the signal and the power supplied to it might be amplifying it as-well. Most devices the fcc requires them to accept interference. I believe it is called part 15.",
"Your amp is effectively a radio to begin with. On the backs of your speakers are big magnets wrapped in or otherwise attached to copper wiring - this is how they receive sound from the amp. An electrified piece of copper *is* an antenna. Most of the wiring is shielded which prevents it from receiving any signal, however if you have poor shielding it will be able to receive outside signals, which are then put through the speakers.",
"Ive read all of these comments and they are all wrong. Sorry, folks but you must be laypersons.\nYour amp picks up radio signals because every piece of wire in every gizmo does. The amount of power involved here is vanishingly small, about 1 pico-watt or 1 millionth of one millionth of a watt. The frequencies that carry radio (MHZ) are much too high to be amplified much by the amp and they are usually effectively filtered out by the circuitry anyways. Definitely the speaker has nothing to do with picking them up since it requires a (comparatively) LOT of power to move its cone.\n\nNo, what is happening is that the very sensitive input to your amp has a corroded contact somewhere near the input jack or on the cable/connector going to it. This corrosion on top of the nickle or tin plating and the copper conductor underneath form a RECTIFYING CONTACT and behaves more like a diode than a low-value resistance. It converts the audio on the radio frequency to audio frequencies, pure and simple. It is these audio frequencies that are amplified by your amp and come out of the speaker.\n\nIf you want to get rid of this noise then the thing to do is get a better cable for your amp or clean up/replace the input connector on it. A poor soldering job on the base of the input tube can do this as well.\nCheers"
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2q2fwt | in comparisons between 4k and other resolutions, say 1080p, shouldn't this kind of comparison be impossible unless viewed on a 4k monitor? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2q2fwt/eli5_in_comparisons_between_4k_and_other/ | {
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"I always wondered this, why bother showing the picture from a 4k/HD tv when the only people who can see it already own the product",
"One could show two zoomed in pictures of 4k and 1080p respectively to compare pixel density. You don't have to show the entire 4k image to compare it to a 1080p image."
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ceiebr | why do some plants have sweet fruits which makes you want to eat it, but at the same time thorns that stops you from eating it? | Blackberries for example. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/ceiebr/eli5_why_do_some_plants_have_sweet_fruits_which/ | {
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"Probably because they want a specific type of animal to spread them instead of something eating them in one go and not spreading them.",
"The thorns make it harder to eat the plant especially for large animals. At the same time small animals like birds that can fly far can eat them without any problem. The design of plant is a compromise between spreading seeds and not getting eaten. For extreme plant like cactus there is some animal that can eat the fruit and it is often birds.\n\nAnother example is chili pepper that contain capsaicin taste strong to mammals that would chew and destroy the soft seeds. Birds can't taste capsaicin and have cannot chew because they have no teeth. So birds it the chili fruit and spread the sees without damaged it. So instead of hard seeds like some plants it have a evolved the capsaicin and use only birds to spread them.",
"Generally the thorns aren’t on the fruit it’s self. If they are I imagine they want the fruit to ripen, fall, and get the seeds to the ground."
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3ollvm | what do the vacuum tubes in an amplifier do, exactly? | I've heard that the best amplifiers are ones with vacuum tubes in them. What do the vacuum tubes do, exactly? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ollvm/eli5_what_do_the_vacuum_tubes_in_an_amplifier_do/ | {
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"Some people like the distortion created by vacuum tubes. For a guitar amp or microphone preamp the distortion is sometimes preferred. For most audio amps, distortion is something you want to avoid. Solid state amplifiers have higher fidelity. \n\nThe way a tube works is by controlling the flow of current, and thus the output voltage, via a small voltage input. That's called amplification. They have an electron source called the CATHODE which sends electrons toward a positive PLATE. In between is a GRID of wires which, when energized, have a large effect on the number of electrons which make it to the PLATE.",
"Vacuum tubes are oldschool transistors. Before we invented transistors they were the go-to but they take up a lot of space and are expensive and delicate. Nonetheless some people think they sound better than transistors and are willing to pay. a vaccuum tube is just your transistors grandfather."
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1m9uxy | why are calculators so big? | It seems like we are far enough to have calculators that aren't bricks | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1m9uxy/eli5_why_are_calculators_so_big/ | {
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"The first solid state electronic calculator was created in the 1960s, building on the extensive history of tools such as the abacus, developed around 2000 BC, and the mechanical calculator, developed in the 17th century. It was developed in parallel with the analog computers of the day.\n\nTo get one that you could hold was an achievement, then they started getting smaller. Having a watch that was also a calculator that was solar powered was a huge deal when I was a kid. Pocket size calculators (and smaller) were possible with the introduction of microprocessors.\n\nNow you see them about the size of the 10-key on your keyboard because that would be the best size for you to use with your hand, the LCD is about the size that you would be able to see if it was sitting on your desk.\n\nCalculator programs are a basic part of most computers/phones and basic calculations can be done as web searches. But the calculator itself has found a niche as an office desk appliance so it's made to fit.",
"Easier to see and press the buttons. There are tiny calculators, but most are made to be easy to use.",
"Its convenience thing , i had calculator watch pretty long time ago .",
"Because they're,mostly,used by school children and old people. The young,adults use their phone."
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94v1id | how does the brain use glucose? | ## How does Carbon and Hydrogen in bread get hoovered up in the intestines, transported in the blood and "taken in" by the brain - or muscles in general - to do stuff? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/94v1id/eli5_how_does_the_brain_use_glucose/ | {
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"Glucose is a molecule that is only partially *oxidated*. This essentially means that all the carbon atoms in the glucose molecule have a lot of electrons that are still \"up for grabs\". Basically, any atom with a stronger pull on those electrons can (under the right circumstances) steal them.\n\nSome atoms are really good at stealing electrons from other atoms. Oxygen is one such atom ([in fact, it is second best of *all atoms*](_URL_0_)). Our body has a very complicated biochemical machinery that is set up in a way that lets oxygen rob basically all electrons from the carbon atoms (in the process, famous \"waste products\" like water (*H2O*) and carbon dioxide (*CO2*) are created). This releases some energy, and we can capture this energy in the form of little power-pack chemicals called \"ATP\". ATP (or similar molecules containing phosphate groups) is what is actually used in the cell whenever it needs to do some work. Think of it like little jet-packs for busy enzymes hard at work. The basic principle of how to break down glucose is similar for *all cells* in the human body, be it a brain cell, muscle cell or a skin cell.\n\nAlso, and this could just be me misreading your question's phrasing, but the food isn't broken down to its component atoms in the digestive system. It wouldn't really be any use if it was broken down that far in the gut, because the bonds in the food contain lots of energy and we'd rather break them down down under controlled circumstances so we can capture that energy. This is best done inside each cell. In the gut foods are \"only\" broken down into small molecules; small enough for them to absorbed into the body, but not so small and broken down that all their energy is wasted.\n\nFor carbohydrates it's sufficient that it is broken down into single- or double sugar units (mono- or disacharrides; and glucose is an example of a monosaccharide), proteins are broken down into molecules called \"amino acids\", and fats are broken down into short-ish fatty acids. All these molecules are small enough that they can be transported in the blood without causing any problems (fats need some help, but that's not important for this topic).\n\nAs a pointless, but somewhat interesting, fact: fat is even less oxidated than glucose. This means that it has even more electrons up for grabs than glucose, and therefore fat has a lot more energy than glucose (in other words, it is more *energy dense* than glucose). This is part of the reason why our bodies use fat as energy storage and not sugars like glucose.\n\nEDIT: grammar. English is hard lol"
]
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2djpqs | music - notes and timing | I'm essentially non-musical. My wife, who has a piano degree, thinks I'm not entirely tone deaf, but I disagree, and she hasn't been able to explain music to me in a way that I can understand without hearing the notes the way others seem to.
How can a note like C have different frequencies? What makes a C a C then? If different instruments both play an A 440, why does it sound different?
How does the whole note, half-note, quarter-note work if there isn't a set amount of time fixed to it (e.g. 1 whole note = 2 seconds)?
If two musicians play the same piece on the piano, shouldn't it sound the same both times (assuming no errors). Aside from being error free, how is one musician a better performer than another? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2djpqs/eli5_music_notes_and_timing/ | {
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"The reason why different instruments sound different despite playing the same frequency notes is shown in [this image](_URL_0_), which shows the different waves produced by four different instruments all playing the same note.\n\nMusic has a beat. Usually, each beat corresponds to a quarter note. You can speed up or slow down music, and that changes the beat, and changes the length of each quarter note. So why is a \"quarter\" note? The standard note, for historical reasons, is a \"semi-breve\", which is four times as long as a quarter note. (A semi-breve is half of a breve - a breve is a very long note which was used in the baroque era, when music was slower and more solemn. It's very rarely used now. The quarter note is also called a \"crotchet\".)\n\nFinally, why do different musicians make the same piece of music sound different? They may emphasise a note or a phrase differently, or speed up or slow down slightly differently. They may be able to alter the quality of the note in subtle ways. To an amateur, it may be that these differences are so small you can't even detect them. Or sometimes they're significant enough that you can't miss them.\n\nEdit: fixed some errors.",
"* \"How can a note like C have different frequencies? What makes a C a C then?\"\n\nEver hear men and women singing the same tune together? The women will almost certainly sing it \"higher\" than the men, even though the \"notes\" are the same. What's happening is that the women will be singing notes that are double the frequency (in Hz) of the notes the men are singing. So the women might sing an A at 440Hz whereas the men sing an A at 220Hz. A note that's double the frequency is an octave higher, which is a term you may have heard. Basically, the note names (CDEFGABC, etc.) repeat every octave, the higher C double the frequency of the previous C, etc.\n\n* \"If different instruments both play an A 440, why does it sound different?\"\n\nWhen an instrument plays a note, it isn't actually one frequency that sounds, it's actually the note itself plus a whole load of other, higher frequencies (called harmonics, basically). Each instrument has its own structure of harmonics, based on the material itself, how the material is excited, etc. A 440Hz \"A\" on the piano shares a fundamental tone with a 440Hz \"A\" on a violin for example, but the relative loudness of the harmonics are completely different, giving a different quality to the tone.\n\n* \"How does the whole note, half-note, quarter-note work if there isn't a set amount of time fixed to it (e.g. 1 whole note = 2 seconds)?\"\n\nSometimes it works pretty much like you suggested, although rather than saying \"1 whole note = 2 seconds\" the speed is specified as the number of quarter notes per minute (generally). Once you have the basic pulse (quarter note most often, but not always) then the rest all follow relative to that (so you can play 2 eight notes in the same time as it takes to play 1 quarter note, etc.)\n\n* \"If two musicians play the same piece on the piano, shouldn't it sound the same both times (assuming no errors). Aside from being error free, how is one musician a better performer than another?\"\n\nThe fabled \"spaces between the notes\"! Very subtle changes in timing, loudness, gaps between notes, etc. can all change the overall performance. It's easiest heard by example of course, but listen to 2 different classical pianists for the same piece on youtube or whatever and you'll find differences in all of these areas and more. As an analogy, 2 photos of the same image could look drastically different, despite both being \"error free\".\n"
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8cowre | why does hairloss seem to be more prevalent (or start) on the top of the head and less so on the sides? | You see the culdesac look in men. In babies, hair seems to grow on the sides before filling in on the top. What is it about hair growth in those places that is weak or less robust? Blood flow? Skin thickness? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8cowre/elif_why_does_hairloss_seem_to_be_more_prevalent/ | {
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"Hairloss is a result of individual hair follicles and their susceptibility to the hormones/androgens that result in hairloss. Not all hair on the body is the same and where the follicle is on the body determines what type of hair grows there. The follicles on the top and forehead area of the head are more impacted by androgens than other hair. \n\nHair follicles have several phases of growth, much like the leaves of a tree. There is an active growth phase (spring), a resting phase (late summer and fall), and a renewal phase (winter) where the hair falls out and starts over at the growth phase again (spring). \n\nAndrogens are a type of sex hormone found in both men and women and it can impact hair growth by interrupting the growing phase. Over time this moves from slower growth and longer resting periods, to longer and longer periods of renewal, where the hair is released and falls out. The result is thinning of the hair as it rests longer, getting worn out, followed by the hair falling out in the renewal phase. Instead of immediately beginning the new growth phase to replace the hair, there is a delay or sometimes a cessation of new growth. \n\nThis problem affects both men and women, however women's androgen receptive follicles tend to be spread more evenly over their head, rather than concentrated on the top and front. The result is men get widows peaks, progressing to bald spots on the top and back, and women get thinner, less dense hair. \n\nHair replacements work by locating androgen resistant follicles from other parts of the body, to the scalp in the affected area. These follicles retain their androgen resistance and continue to grow normally. \n\n"
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qm2w2 | why do video game consoles like the xbox 360 and ps3 not need as much ram as a desktop? | The [Xbox 360](_URL_1_) has 512 MB of memory, as does the [PlayStation 3](_URL_0_) (split between system and video).
Why are the RAM requirements for consoles so low compared to gaming PCs? Would a similar gaming PC with a barebones operating system require a similar amount of RAM ( < 1 GB)?
Thanks! | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/qm2w2/eli5_why_do_video_game_consoles_like_the_xbox_360/ | {
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"they are running games specifically designed to take advantage of the hardware they have since it is standard on that type of console. they also do not have to run a large and flexible OS like Windows or MacOS beneath the games. ",
"2 main reasons:\n\n1) Consoles don't multitask. They can dedicate their whole ram to whatever they are doing right now.\n\n2) Optimisation. Consoles have one architecture for all machines. This allows programmers to optimize deeper down.\n\nBut also noted should be that console games usually have much lower texture and mesh (geometry) resolution, resulting in less stuff having to be in ram to generate the pictures.\n\n > Would a similar gaming PC with a barebones operating system require a similar amount of RAM ( < 1 GB)?\n\nNo. At least it would not offer the graphical fidelity of similar consoles, because of optimisation. You COULD try to really squeeze the pc (with a current graphics cips) and maybe come close. Also note that graphical fidelity relies on more than just ram size."
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2mmoua | why did artists seem to be able to release albums so much closer together in the 1960's/1970's than they do today? | I know this was not always the case even back then, but it seems like bands (Led Zeppelin, for example) released records almost yearly, or even every six months, especially in their early years. While those artists slowed down while they got older, it seems like even new bands today take upwards of 1.5 to 2+ years between albums while they are starting out. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2mmoua/eli5_why_did_artists_seem_to_be_able_to_release/ | {
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"Back then, the record companies had all the power and forced acts to sign contracts that demanded more material. Nowadays, performers have more control over their work.\n\nSame thing with movies. Look how many films Bogart or Jimmy Stewart made back then compared to the top names today."
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9rkbsz | why do child stars have such difficulty maintaining their career into adulthood? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9rkbsz/eli5_why_do_child_stars_have_such_difficulty/ | {
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"1: Supply:demand. A child star can be a star for maybe 4-5 years. A little more if they're lucky. Most successful TV stars have careers spanning decades, meaning there's a constant input of new child stars way beyond the demand for adult stars. In the meantime, there are lots of movie stars that break through in adulthood.\n\n2: Most child stars are actually not very good and once the competition sharpens, they have nothing special to offer. \n\n3: A lot get typecast and become entirely identifiable as the one breakthrough role. See: The guy that played Joffrey Baratheon - he can't \\*not\\* be Joffrey Baratheon when he appears in another medium.\n\n4: A lot of child actors get really mentally messed up by the impact of their own success [on their lives.](_URL_0_)\n\n5: A lot of child actors likely lose interest as they age. ",
"Traits like cuteness don’t always translate over to older roles, kids may be good for their age but aren’t a good actor in the general sense, they may get caught up in drugs or drinking, they may burn out and want to be a regular kid (especially if “stage parent”’forced them into acting), they may prefer to get involved with behind the scenes part of entertainment, acting is a flash in the pan industry anyway — there are plenty of adult stars who never replicate one-time success.",
"Great answer from u/PseudoY, but I would just like to add a bit more.\n\nA lot of child stars who might have potential to succeed as adults often reach 18 only to find themselves broke because their parents stole all their money. They then spend years tied up in courts trying to get some of what they earned back. It’s very difficult to keep a career going when you can barely afford to keep a roof over your head and the tabloids keep reporting on how broke you are. Imagine trying to negotiate wages when the studio knows how desperate you are - so you end up having to take shit pay for shit roles.\n\nThere was a law passed in California in 1938 designed to stop this from happening, named after the child star Jackie Coogan, who ended up broke as an adult after years of stardom as a child. Unfortunately, it seems the law hasn’t stopped this from happening again and again. Modern examples of child stars having their money stolen by their parents include Macaulay Culkin, Leeann Rimes, Gary Coleman, and Aaron Carter. "
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3icg7a | how did the employer-based healthcare system in the united states originate and why did it develop differently in almost all other developed nations? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3icg7a/eli5_how_did_the_employerbased_healthcare_system/ | {
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"After WWII, American employers are competing for labor, with not enough people for the jobs. So they stayed offering perks - and while they tried offering many things, offering health insurance was one that proved popular and caught on, to the point where it became an assumed benefit. \n\nI'm told that in the UK, for whatever reason, the perk that caught on was the company car rather than health insurance. ",
"Before the Great Depression there was no health insurance. People paid for healthcare in cash and it was cheap. Then hospitals started offering care for a tiny monthly payment. During WWII the IRS made employer paid health insurance tax free and we were off to the races. Blue Cross was the first Insurance Company. It became a part of an employee's benefits package. ",
"/u/localgyro basically has it. But the key point is that there was a wage freeze in the US. Employers couldn't offer more money so they started offering perks, and so employer sponsored healthcare began and exploded. Our allies didn't have a wage freeze and so healthcare didn't become linked with employment there."
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10vb0e | privatization of medicare and social security and possible impacts. | What do it mean and what gonna happen if you do it?
I am aware these are two different issues. Thanks in advance yo. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/10vb0e/eli5_privatization_of_medicare_and_social/ | {
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"They are supposed to be social safety nets, but unfortunately their design isn't exactly on mark. Social Security, for example, may as well be called \"Retirement Insurance/Welfare + Disability.\" Think about how a welfare program and an insurance program works. In insurance, the more you pay in the more you get. In welfare, the more you pay in the less you get. These ideas are mutually exclusive and Social Security has a weird balance between the two, where it isn't quite welfare but it isn't insurance either. \n\nArguments for privatization are on two different fronts. One is the idealogical approach, the general \"less government is better and markets are more efficient\" idea. As the theory goes, anything the government touches is by definition less economically efficient as no one is on the hook for the risk/losses incurred and people act accordingly. These people argue that investments would be better made by those with personal interest in those investments, rather than by someone who isn't that negatively affected by how Social Security is managed.\n\nThe second argument is more of a pragmatic approach. These people want to split up the aspects of Social Security that don't make sense - they want to privatize the insurance portion and let the market take care of it, while keeping the welfare portion government-controlled. They say that Social Security is fundamentally flawed and that it doesn't adequately meet its goals. It would, they say, be more effective by removing the forces that pull the program in opposite directions. \n\nSo, what would happen if implemented? Well that all depends on the nuts and bolts of the design. In the first approach, privatizing the investing and whatnot, it is plausible that it would work out and the returns would rise in addition to less risk. It is also plausible that it would be a disaster due to perverse incentives - perhaps corruption from business and government being buddy-buddy, perhaps there will be a flaw in the system that allows the private investors to keep all the gains and shove the losses on the government, or perhaps investors will engage in even higher risky behavior because they are thinking in the short term. Those who argue against privatization believe the gains are either unlikely to happen, too small to be worth the risk of disaster, or both. Those who argue for privatization believe the gains are likely to happen and/or be substantial, and that the risk for disaster is minimal because they assume proper management. \n\nIn the second approach, we'd probably see an end to Social Security as its own program. We already have all kinds of private methods of retirement, so I doubt that private markets would change all the much. The welfare aspect would most likely be merged into existing programs, where anybody over some established age would get a monthly check based soley on need without accounting for lifetime income. There is a lot of wiggle room in how the welfare aspect would work - perhaps everyone will get a check for the same amount once they retire, whether they be millionaires or paupers. Or perhaps it'll work in a similar fashion to other welfare programs today, where only those in need will get a check. All of the disabled and anyone else covered by Social Security would of course still be covered. Arguments against this would be, again, mismanagement due to corruption or whatnot as well as perverse incentives (old people vote so increase welfare checks to old people, for example). Additionally, due to imperfect information, it may cause people to not save at all for retirement and depend solely on the welfare system - indeed, I have read books in which the authors argue that Social Security makes people not save at all for retirement as they believe they will be taken care of after they stop working (this attitude is changing today though, believe me). You also have the idealogical arguments, of course, which are against welfare from a fundamental point of view.\n\nI was trying to be as evenhanded here, so hopefully my personal biases didn't seep through. Too much.",
"I'll cover Social Security privatization first, then Medicare second.\n\nSocial Security privatization means that instead of a simple government entitlement program where the new generation pays for the old generation, part or all of a person's money no longer goes to the government, and can be invested. \n\nThe investment part brings far more risk. Most financial consultants will tell you that if you are young, it's good to invest much of your money in high risk/high potential. As you get older, you should move to lower risk investments, and near retirement, almost everything should go into bonds and other extremely safe investments. \n\nThe biggest problem of privatization is that almost certainly not everyone will invest their money correctly, and so the major goal of Social Security, to get elderly some support so they aren't at least homeless, wouldn't be as effective. Another major problem is that if the younger generation switches to private investments, then Social Security will quickly run out of money to write checks to the older generation. The transition to make this work is tough. \n\nThe biggest benefits of this would be more personal freedom in investing money. And once that initial switch from public to private funds is past, then it can better handle the upcoming Social Security shortfall, where Social Security won't have enough money to meet 100% of all obligations to future retirees. So, a younger person could say \"I believe I can invest my money and get a better return on retirement than what the government can give me.\" And if he is halfway competent about investing, he's probably right. \n\nMedicare privatization goes more along the lines of adding private insurance or payments into the existing plan. The biggest downside of Medicare itself is the cost. It is projected by the CBO as easily being the #1 budget problem for the next century. I'm not saying this lightly, the political battles for the next decades will be centered around the cost of Medicare. It is *huge*. Medicare costs are growing rapidly. Either major reform must take place, or federal taxes must be *doubled*, or the government must cut Medicare back by half, or some combination of it. Privatization tries to deal with this issue by letting people shop around, push for better prices, spend the money their way. The hope is that this will make medical costs somewhat cheaper. Such plans usually still face the issue of increasing medical costs, and so privatization plans may help keep Medicare solvent at the government end, but increasing costs are now covered by individuals. The alternative of course is to have increasing costs covered by the government, somehow. Another great argument against this was given by Biden recently, when he mentioned that he loves his mother, but he doesn't think his mother has the mental capacities in her old age to correctly work with the additional options given to her. "
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6bsfen | why can't you cook meat with a microwave? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6bsfen/eli5_why_cant_you_cook_meat_with_a_microwave/ | {
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"You can cook meat in a microwave.\n\nYou can cook a whole dang turkey in one if you like. Generally though it's tough to get a large piece of meat to come out good in a consumer microwave oven.",
"Mostly because of the [Malliard reaction](_URL_0_). The same reason boiling meat doesn't work very well. ",
"Meat will cook if placed in a microwave. However microwaves cook food by heating up the water molecules it contains which leads to a specific change in molecular structure that is not as tasty. \n\nHeating up food (or in this case meat) in an oven, pan or grill cooks it by from the outside in by convection leading to higher temperatures on the outside. This different method has different effects on the molecular changes and the slight \"burn\" causes a breakdown of some proteins that turn into oils and fats that, simply speaking, taste better. "
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6j4ja2 | why does racism seem like such a bigger issue in the usa than it does in other countries with similar racial diversity? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6j4ja2/eli5_why_does_racism_seem_like_such_a_bigger/ | {
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"Slavery. It was a much larger economic force in the US than in many other countries, and we as a nation did not abolish it as a matter of law, but through a civil war. We never reached the national consensus that slavery is wrong. This transformed into the institutionalized racism of the Jim Crow laws, which were not effectively challenged until the 1950's. The Civil Rights movement was itself plagued by violence committed largely by people from former slave states.\n\nThe lack of consensus continues to this day, and the wounds of the aggrieved parties still run deep. People of color still face incredible amounts of bias and discrimination, and the culture of racism born out of slavery has been clung to and elevated by political interests that understand the unifying force of a designated \"enemy\".",
"If you live in a non-US country, this isn't the case. Even in the US, west, east, south are totally different in racial undertones. Try talking to older Koreans about Japanese. Living in central Europe for awhile, I was shocked at the racism against specifically U.S. black culture. In SEA there is a very clear cast. The U.S.just tends to be more violent and outspoken about it."
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8xpcak | why is it that we can see a light even if we stand beyond the range of light it casts | For example why can I see a lit candle from 20 ft away even if it only casts light 2ft around it | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8xpcak/eli5_why_is_it_that_we_can_see_a_light_even_if_we/ | {
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"It's casting light more than 2 feet around it. You can only see the light *because* it is reaching your eyes.\n\nHowever, the amount of light coming from the candle, bouncing off some other surface, and then reaching your eyes is not necessarily as great as the light coming directly from the candle to your eyes, and so other objects may be less appreciably illuminated.",
"The lighting bouncing off of objects is only enough light to see those objects at the couple feet around the candle",
"The range of light as you refer to is just a region near the light source where the intensity of the radiated light reaching the surroundings is high enough to be clearly visible after reflecting off surfaces. The light that is cast actually reaches pretty far, but you can't see it because it has much lower intensity as compared to the light that reaches your eyes directly from the source.",
"Lights cast light around them an infinite distance, but as it moves away from the light source, it spreads out and becomes dimmer.\n\nThe light you see from the candle directly went in a straight live from the candle to you, with little to stop it.\n\nThe light you perceive around the candle had to bounce off of the objects to light them up, and those objects don't reflect 100% of the light at you, so as the objects get farther away fr the candle, the ability to see the light bounce off them drops away a lot faster than the light coming directly from the candle.\n\nIn addition, our eyes adjust to the level of brightness you are seeing, so the bright point of the candle flame drowns out your ability to see the objects that it is lighting up more than two feet away from it- if you were some how able to remove the candle but keep the objects around it lit as though the candle was still there, you'd see a larger area around the candle."
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27si8z | why does people spin the ball in sports like golf and bowling | i see pro bowlers making ball go curved instead of letting it go straight. why is that so? wouldnt it have more power if it travelled straight? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/27si8z/eli5why_does_people_spin_the_ball_in_sports_like/ | {
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"It helps direct the ball. In bowling you dont want to just throw the ball down the center, that will leave you with a split. You need to send the ball down the left or right and have it turn to hit the center, to do this it needs to be spinning. [This](_URL_0_) is what you want to do, so to make the ball curve the way you want you have to apply spin.\n\nFor golf its a similar thing, when that ball hits the ground you want it to in a direction do you hit it in such a way to apply spin to it. The spin can also help the golf ball travel, when spinning those divots in the ball trap pockets of air that result in a very slick surface allowing the ball to travel further. ",
"In golf back spin is used to make the ball stop when it lands or even roll backwards when it lands. Sometimes the hole is at the beginning of a green and its easier to overshoot the hole and have it roll back.\n\nIn bowling power is not needed to knock down all the pins. The spinning allows the ball to curve and hit the 2 front pins. This angle of attack is better for a strike. Usually when the ball is thrown straight there is a high chance the back pins on the ends won't get knocked down like a 7/10 split \n",
"Bowling is all about maximizing the chance of getting a strike. The greatest chance of getting a strike happens when you have the ball hit between the 1 and 3 pin (called the pocket; it's the 1 and 2 pin for a left handed bowler). If you tried to do this throwing straight, you would have to start about an entire lane over to the right or left; since you can't do that, the only way to get the ball where you want it to go is throw it so it curves into the pocket.\n\nIn golf, there are lots of different shots a professional is trying to hit. Sometimes, you want the ball to roll forward, so you try to add top spin. Sometimes you want it to not move at all, or come slightly backwards, so you try to add bottom spin. ",
"thanks guys for your answers"
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1rcooe | why do metals at room temperature feel colder to the touch than other materials? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1rcooe/eli5_why_do_metals_at_room_temperature_feel/ | {
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"Metal conducts heat much more than materials such as carpeting. When you touch metal at 70 degrees F, it conducts the heat from your finger away more quickly, so your finger cools down faster.",
"thermal conductivity is the keyword for your question. Find out the table of it in wiki - all metals have high t.c.. You, as a human, near 1.",
"When you touch metal, it sucks the heat from your hand very quickly because metal is a conductor. The metal isn't cold, what you're feeling is the absence heat in your hand.",
"Your body isn't feeling temperature it is feeling the amount of heat leaving your body. There is a subtle distinction here. \nYou have 3 variables, the amount of heat the metal can pull away from your body (heat capacity). The amount of heat the metal can store (heat capacity * density, keep in mind metals are heavy). The speed at which the metal can pull away this heat. (thermal conductivity). A material which does not conduct heat well will feel warm, because your hand heats up the surface and the heat stays at the surface. This is why plastics feel warmer then metal. \n\nMetal has a lot of density, a lot of capacity to store heat, and a very good conductivity meaning it can pull the heat out of your body and into the metal very well and it can store a lot of heat. This is also why different metals feel different temperatures at room temperature. \n\nNot explaining the science:\nMetal pulls heat out of your body faster then plastic.\n",
"[This video](_URL_0_) is about as ELI5 as it gets without dumbing down too much.",
"Minute Physics explains it better then I ever could: _URL_0_",
"Oddly enough, this was asked on /r/askscience just yesterday -- you might find the answers at _URL_0_ interesting :-)",
"Metal is a more efficient conductor of heat than many common materials. You lose heat energy from your body more quickly when touching metal than many other substances because the metal is efficient at conducting it away from your body. This is why it feels 'colder'.\n\nIt's more complicated that that, but this is ELI5. :)",
"Because metal atoms are bonded metallically, they have free electrons that are constantly moving between the atoms.\n\nThis means they are very good conductors of heat as the electrons can carry energy away from them or to them.\n\nSo when you touch a metal, the heat transfers a lot quicker away from you to the metal and you get colder quicker, making it feel cold.",
"Certain metals conduct the heat away from your body faster.\n\nIf you touch a book and a piece of metal at room temperature metal will feel colder because its taking heat from your hand faster.",
"[Veritasium](_URL_0_) explains it pretty well. As does Minute Physics as mentioned. ",
"Triple A video explanation. \n_URL_0_",
"Your body is always dumping heat into your surroundings. Normally, your body temperature is about 36 C (98 F) and your surroundings are at 20 C (68 F). The rate that you dump heat into the air feels normal.\n\nMetal, however, is able to absorb heat much more quickly than air. In fact, air is one of the best insulators to occur in nature. When you touch metal, it absorbs heat more quickly and feels cold to the touch. Your body will need to produce more heat to ensure that the metal doesn't reduce your body temperature by draining its heat.",
"[Answer via YouTube]( _URL_0_)",
"They move the heat away from your hand more quickly",
"Because metals are great heat conductors so less heat is reflected back towards your hand.",
"Because they are better conductors of heat, they suck your body heat away better than other material\n",
"Veritasium did a great video on this _URL_0_",
"Basically the same reason that you burn your finger on a barbecue grill but not on the steak. Metal is denser, so it transfers heat faster. "
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g32qta | why does some jobs have more status then others? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/g32qta/eli5_why_does_some_jobs_have_more_status_then/ | {
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"I'm assuming by status you mean respect by the general community (such as doctor, bankers, lawyers, etc.).\n\nThe simple answer is that these jobs have historically been paid more money/went to more educated workers, so they were much more desired by the general public. Where other jobs (such as construction, carpenters, or plumbers) were historically paid less/went to less educated workers, so they were less desired.\n\nWhy are certain jobs paid more? Well, it's a matter of supply and demand. High status jobs are always universally demanded (so the demand is high)/require a lot of education to get into (so the supply is low). As a result, people are willing to pay more money to make sure they have access to a good lawyer or banker. On the other hand, low status jobs are either less universally demanded or require less education to get into, which allows people to pay them less money.\n\nAnother interesting side note is that plenty of low status jobs are requiring more and more technical skills. Carpenters for example need to do a better and better job as technology keeps improving. This is causing a huge burst in the trade markets, and plenty of jobs that people consider low status, are making a crazy amount of money and becoming more \"high status\". And on the other hand. some high status jobs, such as a bank teller, have become a lot easier with technology and becoming more \"low status\".\""
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5eyi2y | what happens to the site when a business running a grave yard runs out of money and goes bust ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5eyi2y/eli5_what_happens_to_the_site_when_a_business/ | {
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"They rarely run out of money and go bust in modernity. They are either directly owned by the City/County/State and thus supported with taxes, or they are privately owned and required to put a large percentage of the fees they charge into trust funds that pay for the maintenance of the graveyard. They really only go broke if they are breaking the law. At that point they will often be bought out by another graveyard company or by the city/county/state. "
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2vly7m | why can certain animals be fat and healthy but humans cant? | So when you see a fat panda or pig you think that it isn't just normal but healthy, but when humans get fat it can become a serious health problem, why is that? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2vly7m/eli5_why_can_certain_animals_be_fat_and_healthy/ | {
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"It's actually commonly misunderstood that pigs can be fat and healthy. Potbelly pig owners have to follow pretty strict diets to make sure their pets don't overeat, because it is dangerous and unhealthy for their pigs to gain too much weight.\n\nIt's good for certain animals to have a lot of fat mass depending on the climates where they are living. A lot of aquatic animals like seals keep warm because of their blubber, for example. ",
"It depends on your definition of \"fat\". Pigs may look fat to us, but they're supposed to look like that, that's their healthy appearance. A pig can be obese (so fat that it's unhealthy) just like a human can, but generally when you see a pig it's within the normal healthy weight range. "
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5tiybk | how is it that animals in the wild are able to eat hooves, beaks, bones and other 'hard' body parts with seemingly little to no effect? | I've seen documentaries of snakes, seals, whales even some spiders chomping away certain animals whole with fur, horns and everything and just casually walk away. Yet I struggle to swallow a carrot that hasn't been peeled. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5tiybk/eli5how_is_it_that_animals_in_the_wild_are_able/ | {
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"Most animals can't eat that stuff and it will be left by the first group of predators and scavengers. Others will swallow it but it will be passed undigested through the system. Others will bite and chew it to expose as much of the surface so that special enzymes and acids can digest it.",
"They have different dentition to deal with the different materials making it easier to grind them up and swallow. They also have different digestive systems that are more hardy to breaking down these materials - i.e. they probably have stronger stomach acid. "
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90j1gk | why does ice have varying degrees of transparency? polar ice is white and opaque whereas the ice in this gif (see comment) is completely transparent | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/90j1gk/eli5_why_does_ice_have_varying_degrees_of/ | {
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"It has too do with how much impurities are in the ice. In the case of white ice it usually means there's plenty of tiny bubbles in it."
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46p214 | how did the magician 'read our minds'? | Before the show, the magician gave everyone pieces of paper to write on. They each asked for three _URL_0_, (birthday, or another person's phone number), and a random thought. We kept the papers. He never saw or touched them. Somehow he was able to guess their contents. He guessed my initials, and named most of the phone number that I wrote down. He also recited the sentence I wrote word for word. He did this with other people too. How does he do this?!
Edit: I've really been thinking about this a lot. He provided a pen and clipboard and he got them back right after we tore off our paper. And...while he was reciting our information he said he needed something to write notes with to help him think.... I've never tried to explain a magic trick until today, but this is getting suspicious. Was it the clipboard?! If so, how?
Edit 2: I just remembered that he specifically told us to make sure that we write down any random thought, but we cannot change it.
Edit 3: There was no way he had cameras set up. But I have a feeling that he somehow read what we wrote. He actually guessed almost everyone's names. However, he only said my initials. I think it might be because I have a name that is difficult to say correctly the first time. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/46p214/eli5_how_did_the_magician_read_our_minds/ | {
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"For tricks like that, there is usually a camera or assistant who can see what you wrote. The magician may memorize information about a few audience members, or there may be someone feeding them information via radio.\n\nBased on what you wrote, a talented \"psychic\" may be able to make a few vague statements and use your reactions to glean more information.",
"One possibility is that he had camera hidden or a nearby secret coworker that could see you do the writing. He might have also picked your pocket during the performance at some point. Without seeing the trick it is hard to know. ",
"If you're pretty sure the kids are oblivious, you can put a sheet of carbon paper under the paper they write on, and get a duplicate on the next sheet down."
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61c3ag | theoretically, would it be possible to jump off the surface of a rotating artificial gravity station and remain suspended? | I understand the forces in a rotating space station that add up to artificial gravity. The station I'm working with here would be a giant circle, with no room divisions. Just one big wheel that you can see the other side of. The only reason that you feel gravity is because you are moving with the "floor" of the AG environment. Were you leave the floor in the opposite direction of movement, would you not theoretically remain "airborn" as there is no true gravity to pull you back down, so long as you no longer have that velocity? Does this mean you would be suspended while the AG environment continues spinning around you? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/61c3ag/eli5_theoretically_would_it_be_possible_to_jump/ | {
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" > no true gravity to pull you back down, so long as you no longer have that velocity?\n\nYou still have tangential velocity from spinning, so you'll move directly to the side, which means you'll hit a spinning wall again. \n\nJumping doesn't mean you have zero velocity all of a sudden. \n\nIf you jump high enough, you still won't float, but instead spin in circle, just with a smaller radius."
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cgtxa9 | why is it more devastating to detonate a nuclear bomb at a distance above ground, as opposed to directly at ground level (upon impact) ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cgtxa9/eli5_why_is_it_more_devastating_to_detonate_a/ | {
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"A good question! To help understand, when the bomb explodes it pushes out it every direction evenly to create a big sphere. If you detonate it in the air you can pick the distance above the ground where the widest point of the sphere touches the ground so it covers the most area. If you waited and let it explode once it hits ground level a lot of energy is wasted pushing dirt out of the way and digging into the ground instead of traveling above it like in the air burst detonations.",
"If you detonate a bomb at ground level then a lot of the energy is spent digging a hole which is useless. You want the bomb to have a clear line of site to a large area for effective destruction\n\nIt's also important to note that if a 10 PSI overpressure will collapse most reinforced concrete structures then there isn't much value in hitting them with a 50 PSI overpressure, they're collapsing either way. Nuclear bombs are generally detonated at a height that maximizes the range of their 5 PSI overpressure which will knock down most structures and is almost universally lethal\n\nThere's also an interesting effect where the shockwave hits the ground and then bounces back up still expanding. This means that the edges of the shockwave are extra strong because they're the combination of the initial shockwave coming outward from the bomb and the shockwave reflecting off the ground. This results in extra damage and increases the radius of the 5 PSI overpressure.",
"There are a lot of variables involved. What kind of damage are you looking for, thermal or shock wave? What kind of target are you aiming at, city or bunker? Target geography and geology has a lot to do with shock wave propagation, so is it mountains or open sea?",
"Think about shouting in a pillow, most sound is absorbed by it. \n\nThe ground does the same thing, if you explode a nuke at ground level, most of the force will go into the ground. If you explode it in the air, it will have a larger reach.\n\nOf course, a ground level nuke would have more devastating effects on the impact point, but even a fraction of a nuke power is enough to kill and destroy, so you just spread that force over a wider area.\n\nSide note, in the past they built some massive nuclear bombs (Castle Bravo, Tsar Bomb), but they ditched the idea because they were uneffective. Multiple smaller bombs are more effective than a huge, single bomb.",
"Also airborne detonation maximizes reach of EMP damage to critical electrical/electronics and related infrastructure which causes all kinds of lingering negative effects.",
"Pop (without going mad) a water balloon that's on the floor.\n\nNow do the same over your head.\n\nWhich has the greater \"splash zone\"?",
"Non-shaped charges explode in a sphere so at most about 50% of the shock wave, aka kill potential, will reach a target. Now if you put that explosion in contact with a surface, 50% of the kill potential goes directly into the ground. The remaining kill potential goes into the sky and a small ring radiates outward and thus about 15-25% of the power of the bomb actually reaches the intended targets. You also have to take into account the light emissions of a nuclear weapons because that flash can also kill. When you detonate it on the ground the surrounding structures will occlude anything behind them thus further reducing the destructive power of the weapon.\n\nIf you take that same explosion and put it at a moderate height, 50% of the kill potential reaches the target area and increases the effective yield by greater than 2x vs a ground detonation. This is obviously far more devastating. In addition to increasing the direct impact of the shockwave and flash, both will bounce off of the ground further increasing the kill potential ( by a small margin ).\n\nThus air bursts are far more deadly than surface detonations.",
"The blast goes in all directions. Why waste half of it on the ground?",
"I gotchya.\n\nImagine a soap bubble on a flat, smooth surface. This is the shape a nuclear explosion takes detonated on the ground.\n\nNow if you put a straw within that soap bubble and blow to make it bigger, that would mimic the appearance of the explosion over time. \n\nConsider how the bubble grows. It grows both taller and wider at the same time. That’s just like the explosive force in a blast. It moves outward and upward in every direction. But not downward, (the ground is in the way.)\n\nNow consider the target. We don’t target flat, smooth surfaces. So imagine a little city that the walls of the soap bubble is trying to expand through and between.\n\nAll the buildings get in the way of the soap bubble’s growth, slowing it down, and maybe even popping it. The city’s buildings reduce the ability of the bubble to grow outward. The buildings closest are gone, but each building gets a little protection from the building between it and the bubble’s expansion. \n\nThis means the path of least resistance is upward, the bubbles walls are having trouble growing outward, so it will grow upward. But we aren’t targeting anything upward.\n\nNow consider that same soap bubble floating down on a city. Imagine just before it lands, you put in the straw and blow and it rapidly expands.\n\nAs the bubble grows, each building of the city it lands on is directly hit by the bubble’s walls as it grows. Because the bubble is getting larger as it comes down on the city, each building is being struck from above, where there’s nothing between the building and the ‘blast.’\n\nBefore, the ‘blast’ on the ground was striking each building from the side, which allowed each building to protect the one behind it. But from above, each building is the ‘first hit’ by the part of the bubble expanding toward it.\n\nLastly, imagine being an ant in the bubble-city experiment. The bubble growing on the ground may pass over you if you’ve found a good crevice to hide in or have a particularly strong group of pebbles (buildings/hills/ cover) between you and the bubble.\n\nBut if the bubble lands on you from above, no crevice can hide you and few pebbles can directly protect you. When the bubble lands, you’re trapped between it and the ground.\n\nTLDR: That’s why a blast is more effective from above, no protection (cover) from that direction and being trapped between the blast and the ground is crushing.",
"If it wasn’t summer, I’d think this thread just wrote somebody’s term paper. (Assuming this is northern hemisphere) \n\nThe other type of explosion is the subsurface burst which has the least amount of fallout generally speaking but would obliterate Navy bases and city’s with lots of water based infrastructure. It’s the least powerful but that’s a bubble you don’t want to be above. \n\nThe air burst shockwave referred to in this thread is 3 to 10x more powerful where the waves meet more than the original shock based on ground composition (if I remember my Nuke plotting courses correctly).",
"There's a documentary on Hiroshima on netflix that goes over this quite well and it's really interesting highly recommend giving it a watch",
"There are two main reasons.\n\nThe first is that a bomb directly on the ground will direct a lot of energy into the ground, and also run into line-of-sight issues (buildings will absorb a lot of the energy that is released along a straight line). So even raising it a little bit (say, just higher than the buildings) would mean the effects would go significantly further. \n\nThe second is more complex. At certain heights of detonation, the blast wave can reflect off of the ground. This reflected wave travels faster than the original wave, because the original wave has lowered the air pressure in the affected region. This means the reflected wave can \"catch up\" to the original wave. When they meet, they amplify each other, increasing the destruction at that point. So if you know the power of your bomb (the yield), and you know what blast pressure ring you'd like to amplify, you can calculate the height of detonation that will expand that blast range by a significant fraction (nearly twice as much in some cases). \n\nSome illustrations relevant to this:\n\n* [This graph](_URL_2_) shows how different heights of burst correspond to different maximum ranges. Notice the \"knees\" — those are the maximum ranges of a given pressure line. So you can see, for example, that for a 1 kt burst, setting it off on the ground will get you a 1 psi blast range of a little under 4,000 feet, but if you set it off at 1,500 feet, you expand that to over 7,000 feet. These differences scale with yield.\n\n* [Diagram showing how the blast wave reflects](_URL_1_)\n\n* [Photograph of a test where you can actually see the blast wave reflecting](_URL_0_)\n\nAt Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the scientists calculating heights of burst meant to amplify the area of 5 psi overpressure, which is to say, the blast pressure necessary to destroy houses. In fact, there were people who argued that flimsy Japanese houses really only needed 3 psi, in case you have any doubts about what they were trying to destroy with that choice of height of burst.\n\nNote that in terms of actual weapon targeting, there are sometimes very good reasons to detonate a weapon on the ground. If you detonate a nuclear weapon on contact, you are putting just a devastating amount of blast pressure wherever that is. So your total area of damage is decreased, but your damage to whatever you hit is increased. If you're attacking something underground, or \"hardened,\" or something you need to put a crater in (like an airport runway), you're going with a surface burst."
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c0auxt | how are unprofitable companies/services like hulu worth so much money? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/c0auxt/eli5_how_are_unprofitable_companiesservices_like/ | {
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"Pretty much every business ever starts out unprofitable. It takes time and money to build up to profitability.\n\nSo when we discuss the value of a company there is more to it than \"well are they making money right this second\". Hulu has the *potential* to be insanely profitable because once the infrastructure is set up each additional user is virtually all profit. \n\nIn addition, we need to look at why they aren't profitable. If they aren't profitable because they aren't selling anything that is a problem, but if they aren't profitable because they are investing heavily in growing their business then they might be even more valuable than if they were just collecting cash.\n\nIn short - because the market thinks that their future value is a lot higher than their present.",
"Because of the data they can provide about the user. That data is valuable for content providers and advertisers who spend billions a year on finding the right market for the right product/service. Advertisers spend big money to put the right ads in front of the right consumers. Blind mass advertising is not as financially cost effective as targeting advertising. If you pay to put menstrual cramp medication ads in middle of John Wick movies or Flintstone vitamins ads in The Notebook, its not going be good returns on your ad spend.\n\n\nHowever put same Flintstone vitamins ads in Cars 3 and it'll get much better returns.",
"Because it has 25 million users and investors are banking on the fact that it will continue to grow, or become more profitable per user later, or both.\n\nIt's a math game and really all \"value\" just boils down to what people think it something is worth. If the founders are really good at selling the long term vision, more people are willing to take the risk and therefore it's worth X.\n\nTwitter is a good example. It has no real roadmap to profitability and as that becomes increasingly obvious and likely, the stock just keeps dumping year after year. But they do have 330 million users and there is always a chance (albeit a decreasing chance) that they figure out some amazing feature which will suddenly milk all of that audience for brazilian dollarydoos."
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6edjg8 | what's the difference between programming languages and human languages? | The first thing I can think of is someone developed programming languages, while human languages evolved mostly on their own. Beyond that, are they fundamentally different? Or are programming languages merely the evolved, 'perfect form' of our human languages? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6edjg8/eli5_whats_the_difference_between_programming/ | {
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"Programming languages are *formal languages* with a formal grammar, and often a formal semantics as well. This means a precise mathematical definition of exactly what constitutes a valid string in that language and how it is to be interpreted.\n\n\nThey are intended for fundamentally different purposes - natural languages are used for the communication of facts and ideas, while programming languages are used for the specification of, well, programs. This means they have very different structure.\n\nBecause they are made for different purposes their syntactic structure looks very different. While natural languages have things like nouns, verbs, prepositions, and clauses, a programming language will often include elements like variables, literals, operators and code blocks. A few programming languages are made specifically to look as much like natural language as possible (sometimes going as far as to be a subset of an existing natural language). These don't tend to be very popular, because natural languages aren't very well-suited for writing programs in.\n\nNatural languages are highly *ambiguous* - there are often multiple ways to parse even fairly simple strings, and the listener must rely heavily on context and their existing knowledge to infer the correct interpretation. This makes natural language extremely difficult for a computer to parse reliably, especially as the grammar is often very complicated and constantly changing.\n\nThat is obviously no good for a programming language - programming languages are invariably *unambiguous* because you don't want bugs in your program as a result of code being misinterpreted.",
"a programming language isn't a language that you can use to communicate with someone. it is basically just a definition of syntax for a list of commands. That is the only purpose they serve. \n\nso what programming languages and real languages have in common is just that both have a distinct syntax and grammar.\n\nthey don't really have anything in common as far as usage goes. a programming language has more in common with mathematic formulars than linguistic languages.",
"Programming languages exist to give unambiguous instructions. Human languages can be used for instructions, but they serve other purposes as well, like describing things, communicating emotions etc.\n\nThis is why programming languages have very strict format that follows scheme called *regular language*. This means there are sorta word classes(similar to adjectives, nouns, verbs) and only certain kinds of allowed sentences you can form from these words, like in human languages < noun > < verb > < noun > . This structure in allowed sentences is one of the reasons programming languages can avoid ambiguity. "
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cvvrfh | why do older movies shot on physical film seem to look less sharp compared to movies shot on physical film from a more modern time period? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cvvrfh/eli5_why_do_older_movies_shot_on_physical_film/ | {
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"The quality of the film, the quality of the lenses, deterioration due to age and the quality of the film-digital transfer (depending on what format you're comparing these on).\n\nI'm not sure about your final question but I think the film stock improved up to the 90s at least so the 1959 stock may never have had the same capabilities as that used for Hateful 8."
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7l0dp4 | ; what is a social worker and what kind of jobs do they do | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7l0dp4/eli5_what_is_a_social_worker_and_what_kind_of/ | {
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"My mother was a social worker in a hospital. She helped the families when they needed help. Was kind of a resource directory for them to get help...ie rehab, public aid, AA, battered woman, etc. \n\nDuring her life also came along the psych wards of today. These include drug addicts, and the mentally unstable. She would help them in group therapy, and also assist families for out patient/home care. ",
"Social work is basically a helping profession. Social workers help create linkages to people who need welfare services. They also help in organizing communities. A social worker usually works in the government, NGOs, clinics, and other agencies that help other people. ",
"A social worker usually works for a tax-funded social services agency. I say usually, because there are other good examples given in the other answers too.\n\nSocial services do things that are required to ensure the safety of individuals and children in particular.\n\n- If your parents go in and out of jail all the time, it's a social worker who is tasked by 1) ensuring that you are actually kind of okay and 2) trying to make your situation better.\n\n- if you have one of them mentally challenging handicaps (I'm foreign. And that is my excuse for not using the currently political correct term. whichever it is.) and have trouble taking care of yourself, it's a social worker who is tasked with helping you so that you are able to stay afloat.\n\n- Ensuring that elderly without relatives are able to have a decent life despite that age makes things mode difficult, thats also something that I social worker will be tasked with.\n\n- If your income is below the poverty line and you have children to care for, it's pretty likely that a social worker will pay you a visit now and then to ensure that you put your children first and still manage to feed yourself.\n\n- A social worker will meet you at the police station if you find yourself arrested for doing something stupid, and happen to be a minor that can't be prosecuted.\n\nThere are more examples, but you get the idea. A social worker is someone who serves the social welfare system. Whos job it is to ensure that we are all kind of getting by okay, if that makes sense. Someone who helps the poor. Someone who speaks on behalf of those unable. Someone who protects those who need to be protected when those who are supposed to protect them are unable."
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61pxpp | what would the pressure at the very bottom of the ocean be like if you took all the water out and just stood there? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/61pxpp/eli5_what_would_the_pressure_at_the_very_bottom/ | {
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"The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the ocean, 10,994 meters below sea level. According to [this calculator](_URL_0_), the air pressure at -10994 meters would be 324643.93 Pascals, which is about 47 PSI, or 3.2 atmospheres."
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5myljl | how does steven hawking's 'time traveller party' explain why time travel can't be possible? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5myljl/eli5_how_does_steven_hawkings_time_traveller/ | {
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"It doesn't.\n\nThe point of the exercise was to attract future time travelers to a certain time and place. Had they shown up, it would have been proof that time travel *is* possible. It failed to prove, but it doesn't disprove.",
"It doesn't. He's just sure time travel is not possible due to our current understanding of physics, and this is a... publicity stunt is probably unkind, but a way of publicly showing that time travel is unlikely. If you actually believed time travel exists it wouldn't convince you - because you could just say clearly time travelers would try to remain incognito. \n\n"
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g2ts2d | how can metabolic tolerance to one drug affect the metabolism of a second drug? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/g2ts2d/eli5_how_can_metabolic_tolerance_to_one_drug/ | {
"a_id": [
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"A principle in medicine is the similarity of chemical molecular structures.\n\nYou can guess what kind of effect a drug may have purely based on its shape, and comparisons to other compounds.\n\n_URL_1_\n\n_URL_0_\n\nYou will notice that both examples of caffeine and theobromine look extremely similar. This similarity can cause them to act on the body in similar ways.\n\nThe way the human body reacts to chemicals is superficially similar to jigsaw puzzle pieces locking together.\n\n_URL_2_\n\n(This also explains drug potency. Those with a structure closer to the actual intended fit have a higher chance of triggering a response)\n\nAccordingly, if you overuse a drug, your body can reduce your sensitivity to it by blocking sone of the receptors, preventing their activation.\n\nHence, when these receptors are blocked, it prevent ALL drugs that utilise that receptor from activating it."
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"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Caffeine_molecule_ball_from_xtal_%281%29.png/1920px-Caffeine_molecule_ball_from_xtal_%281%29.png",
"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Theobromine_3D_ball.png/620px-Theobromine_3D_ball.png",
"https://upload.wikimedia.org... | |
djpfmc | how do people buy a home with zero out of pocket? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/djpfmc/eli5_how_do_people_buy_a_home_with_zero_out_of/ | {
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"Some loans will allow certain customers to pay zero downpayments. It really is as simple as that, although the loan itself may be more complex and if putting down zero upfront is actually the \"best\" case may or may not be true. Additionally, in the US, VA loans (special loans for military and veterans) often are a zero downpayment loan.",
"I'm not sure about payment assistance grants but at the time of purchasing our home we were able to find one for less than pur loan allowed us to borrow and then offered a tad bit more than the original asking price in order for the sellers to cover the closing costs. \n\nIn simpler words: you pay more than they want, they pay to cover what you normally would with a down payment.",
"Depends on what rules and regulations you have where you live.\n\nBut some people do joint ventures using zero money out of pocket. What you have to offer is to renovate the house, property manage, find the house do everything pretty much but the other people doesn't have time but has money to invest in you. Your part of the deal is to do everything.",
"Buy a home with greater value than the 80% you can get against it. Case in point: my condo dropped $800k in price over the two years it was on the market. Although we ultimately didn’t mortgage the home, if we had we could’ve popped a lone for 1.6. We bought at 1.15. Thats $450k in your pocket. \n\nI have a friend who saved a spectacular Tudor home from being demolished. The land was worth 3 mil. He bought it at 2.2. Took out a 2.2 loan, saved the house from demo, lives in an outstanding home valued at3 mil.",
"Yes, you can get a house with almost no out of pocket. The two houses we bought have been with downpayment assistance programs. The first one used a grant to pay the 3% down that the 97/3 FHA loan required and we did not have to pay it back. The second one used basically a second mortgage of $7500 to cover the downpayment and some closing costs. The second mortgage was a %0 loan that had to be repaid whenever the mortgage was satisfied (either by paying it out for the 30 years or when you sold the house). For both houses, we put down a $500 earnest money deposit and then had to pay for the few inspections, but all in all it cost us about $1000-1200 out of pocket.\n\nWe're looking at DPA programs here in California and they're much the same. They cover the 3% down at the time of closing (no need for reimbusement or anything like that) and if you stay in the house for 10 years, the DPA loan/grant is forgiven."
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3h4g74 | does raising taxes cut/hurt economic growth? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3h4g74/eli5_does_raising_taxes_cuthurt_economic_growth/ | {
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"It can help, or it can hurt. It depends on the state of the economy and the tax structure.\n\nThere is an economic principle called the [Laffer Curve](_URL_0_). Simply put, the idea is that there is an ideal amount of taxation for an economy. If you are on one side of the curve, you need to raise taxes to help the economy. On the other side, you need to cut taxes.\n\nThe problem is knowing what side of the curve you're on."
]
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"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laffer_curve"
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93v76x | how without being able to observe or communicate in a meaningful way can plants mimic other plants leaf colour / shape to deter animals from eating them? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/93v76x/eli5_how_without_being_able_to_observe_or/ | {
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"Plants do not evolve their characteristics through observation and communication. They do not \"decide\" their evolution or traits. It is simple mutation and success/failure, over and over and over again.\n\nImagine, for simplicities sake, a community of plants with leaves that are green that grow next to a community of poisonous bushes that have leaves that are yellow. Animals often eat the green leaves of the good plant, and don't eat the yellow leaves of the poisonous bush that they have learned to avoid through unfortunate prior experiences. One day there is a mutation in the offspring of one of the good plants. The mutation causes the leaves of one new young plant to be yellower than normal. An animal comes along, and avoids eating the leaves of that plant because it believes them to be related to the poisonous bush. Instead, the animal grazes on, and destroys, most of the other good green plants. Well, the yellow mutated plant survives to have more yellow leaf offspring, and continues on to take over a larger and larger segment of the plant community due to the higher rate of survival compared to the \"original\" green leaf plants. It's possible that, if enough of the original green plants are eaten and destroyed, that ALL of the community will have the yellow leaf traits that originated with the survival of that first mutant.\n\nA thousand years later a human notices that the yellow leaves mimic the traits of the nearby yellow poisonous bushes. The human says \"I wonder how they knew to grow yellow leaves to trick the animals\". The answer, of course, is that they did no such thing. It's just lucky mutations changing the fate of entire populations.",
"Every generation of the plant is slightly different and the more successful one plant is in reproduction the more offspring it produces and the more its traits get distributed.\n\nWhen a plant more closely mimiks another plant animals learned not to eat, its reproduction rate rises and it's more represented it is in the genepool. This way duch features develop."
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3fgzmi | which is a bigger factor in determining fuel consumption: how fully depressed the gas pedal is or how high my engine's rpm's are? | example A:
Driving uphill on the freeway in 5th gear doing ~70. Pedal fully depressed but doing ~2500 RPM's.
Example B:
Driving uphill on freeway in 4th gear doing ~70. Pedal depressed 1/4 of the way but doing ~4,500 RPM's.
Which example would be more fuel efficient? Why? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3fgzmi/eli5_which_is_a_bigger_factor_in_determining_fuel/ | {
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"Generally speaking, the position of the gas pedal is more important than the number of RPM's if you want to know how much fuel your car is using. In a fuel injected engine, the gas pedal controls the amount of air that reaches the engine. The engine control unit will then optimize the fuel consumption rate for the best air-fuel ratio, typically with the help of an airflow or throttle position sensor. The number of RPM's has relatively little impact on this process. Engines with carburetors function in a generally similar way, although the physical implementation of the control system is different.\n\nIf you're interested, there's some technical data in the answers to [this Stack Exchange question](_URL_0_)."
]
} | [] | [] | [
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"http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/11832/is-petrol-usage-proportional-to-gas-pedal-position"
]
] | |
bhwz15 | why is there an "accept" box on websites explaining they're using cookies, when they're going to use cookies anyways whether or not you hit the accept button? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bhwz15/eli5_why_is_there_an_accept_box_on_websites/ | {
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"Basically they are just covering their ass. They don't really care. Some sites will close out if you hit no, but you make a valid point. It's stupid.",
"Because under current European Union laws websites have to warn you they're storing data about you before they do it.\n\nIf they didn't tell you and tracked you, you could then sue them for monitoring you without your permission.",
"(This ELI uses GDPR)\n\nNormally, data processing requires the consent of the person. However, there is also something called \"legitimate interest\". Legitimate interest also acts as consent, that doesn't require a person to consent to data processing itself. That's why there is only an informational banner shown that does nothing.\n\nThat and also because many website-operators just don't have a single clue on how to implement an opt-in system.",
"I can't be the only person annoyed by the crap GDPR has created on websites now? Some of them have really elaborate opt-in/out windows, and actually take time to process your preferences, before you can view the content. Then you have to do it all again if you visit after the cookie has expired, or on a different browser, or device.\n\nYou even find websites (mainly in the US) that outright block you now if you're coming from an EU IP address.\n\nThe UX on websites nowadays is so degraded by this crap.",
"Can confirm that -- at least for our organisation -- our website doesn't keep cookie data on users unless they first accept the popup. When we enabled it for GDPR we saw a 70% reduction in traffic visibility for a few months.",
"Here is my best ELi5; \n \nYou go to the mall and there are 5 cookies shops all in a row. To thank you for buying a cookie, you get a fancy little name tag and if you wear it in next time, it already says what cookie you got last time. Now you have a grumpy German relative that thinks it’s a bad idea for strangers to know your name without mommy and daddy’s consent. Most of the time it doesn’t matter to your family but it is a good idea to be picky who can read your name tag. You can take off your name tag, and unless the baker has a suspiciously good memory they won’t remember you.",
"There’s two problems with most sites:\n\n1. They are given bad advice from their teams. Most people have not read any of the legislation, they don’t actually know what they can and cannot do, so they implement it poorly.\n\n2. Most sites that rely on advertising for revenue _want_ to make it confusing and annoying so you just press ‘Yes to all.’\n\nA lot of sites implement GDPR and related cookies. They should not be adding any cookies that require permission until they have permission. Some do and some don’t.\n\nThere’s three types of cookies.\n\n1. The first is transactional cookies. You don’t need permission or need to even mention it, for example, when you sign into a site a cookie can be used to remember that you’re signed in.\n\n2. The second is non-tracking but not required cookies. For example for using analytics or ‘previously viewed’. You just need to let the user know that these are happening.\n\n3. The third is tracking, where the cookies follow you around to other sites. These you have to wait for permission from the user before you can add the cookie.\n\nSo when a cookie banner pops up, they could already be using the first two but not the third. However, some sites implement it badly and do this incorrectly.",
"The real question is - if you say 'no' or don't click at all - do they stop tracking you?",
"and why is there never a decline button?\nits hit accept of have banner blocking part of the screen the whole time you are there",
"Some legit website have \"Do not accept\" button too. I wonder what happens if I click cross, does that mean \"Accepted\" or \"Not accepted\" in terms of cookies?",
"It's supposed to be that when you hit Cancel/Decline they only pass cookies that allow the site to be functional, at least that's what the people I work for do. \n\nIf a user declines the cookies warning, we strip all the cookies out and only allow the ones that let them complete the user journey successfully.\n\nIf you dis-allow all cookies a website can become unusable :/",
"It's called informed consent. They're telling you that they're using cookies and giving you a chance to leave the site if you don't want that.",
"it just lets me know to open that page in incognito mode to avoid any form of tracking or data mining.",
"Thank you OP for asking this question. I can't say how many times that box is popped up and I've had the exact same thought myself.",
"I clicked no to cookies and got a popup \"if you're not going to allow cookies, we'd rather you not use our site. Please leave.\"",
"From my own experience using “By continuing to use this website...” is the key here any website not using a message like that is technically setting themselves up for some serious backlash! I always laugh though because as a developer I am simply setting these cookies to give you a better experience, it’s like those users who think disabling JavaScript is a good idea.\n\nEdit: fat fingered when typing so some typos!",
"I will explain like you're five:\nThey figure you will want to accept the cookies. Everyone likes cookies. You like cookies?\nYou want a cookie? Thats why they use cookies on web sites if you want them or not. The option to accept them is just a fomality",
"Honestly it's just another deposition question to make the people who sue for tracking cookies look dumb. \n\n\"And before you hit okay you had to check a box, correct?\""
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9y2mrs | why do corner stores often have a soda or chocolate brand on their store sign e.g. kit kat or coca cola? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9y2mrs/eli5why_do_corner_stores_often_have_a_soda_or/ | {
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"text": [
"The company that makes that brand will offer the sign for free or at a discount. In exchange for paying for the sign, their brand is featured prominently outside the store as advertising. ",
"The brand either bought the space on the sign for advertisement, or the brand actually made the sign itself for the store - and naturally the sign would have the brand name on it as well as the store name."
]
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[],
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378dox | why do they keep buying new burner phones on tv shows? | I was watching Burn Notice (amongst other similar shows) and they go through dozens of cheap phones just binning them after they're done... Why not keep the handset and just use a new sim card which would have a different number etc? Sure the hand sets are individually cheap but if you had to keep buying them it'll add up... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/378dox/eli5_why_do_they_keep_buying_new_burner_phones_on/ | {
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"crki9qv"
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"text": [
"The SIM card, which has its own unique serial #, stores your phone # and a bunch of other stuff that is unique to your carrier and/or you as a unique subscriber.\n\nThe cell phone however has its _own_ unique serial # (several in fact) the most important which is the IMEI number. Think of this as a globally unique serial # for the cell phone.\n\nPolice and intelligence agencies that can track and trace cell phones can latch onto a phone's IMEI just as easily as the SIM card data.\nIn order to trace and track your IMEI, you need to make either a long enough call, or several calls before they can nail you down.\n\nWhile it may be possible to spoof or change an IMEI #, Im pretty sure they're burned into silicon similar to a MAC address for ethernet devices. "
]
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[]
] | |
4nguqn | why is it that even in countries with a hot climate , tap water is still extremely cold ? how does the water retain its low temperature? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4nguqn/eli5_why_is_it_that_even_in_countries_with_a_hot/ | {
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"Pipes are generally buried, so the water takes on the temperature of the subsurface. \nIn hot climates, that is going to be significantly cooler than the air temperature. \nDon't believe me? Dig a hole to check!",
"I just spent a few weeks in the Southwestern United States and I disagree with your findings, the tap water was generally quite warm compared to the Pacific Northwest. ",
"The water travels through underground pipes, meaning it is sheltered from the sun and is therefore colder than the surface air.\nThat said, warmer places do have warmer tap water in general. For example, where I live the water gets noticeably warmer in the summer months."
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6brk1d | refrigerators versus air conditioners | From what I've learned from thermo classes, refrigerators and air conditioning systems work by using the same principle of using work to move heat.
My question is why do air conditioners (both home and auto) require service every 5-10 years to recharge refrigerant, but my refrigerator in the basement has been running constantly for 30 years with no service or refrigerant exchange? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6brk1d/eli5_refrigerators_versus_air_conditioners/ | {
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"Your refrigerator is only really running every once in a while. Once the door is closed, the temperature inside will pretty much stay the same until you open the door again. So the cooling part of the refrigerator only has to run every so often to maintain the internal temperature.",
"Home systems are hermetically sealed should not need refilling. If they do, there is a leak. Cars have a belt driven compressor and rubber hoses with fittings. The seals in them wear out and tend to leak. \n\nRefrigerators do need periodic cleaning of their condenser coils. I've spent more time doing that than cleaning my house's AC. "
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1w2po3 | why are there so many variations of the same drugs? | For instance: antihistamines. There are many different types. They all seem to work the same for me, but I know they have different drugs underneath. Why does there need to be so many? Do they all work differently? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1w2po3/eli5_why_are_there_so_many_variations_of_the_same/ | {
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"Many drugs work by different mechanisms. For example, drugs for kidney disease work at different parts of the RAAS system. Some drugs are made that.work on the same target but are more.potent.like with fentanyl vs. morphine or they have a better side effect profile like SSRIs vs tricyclic antidepressants. Some are just \"me too\" drugs that _URL_0_ get their share of the market like with second generation antihistamines like you are probably referring to. \nEdit: changed RASS to RAAS",
"A couple reasons (probably not comprehensive, but it's a start).\n\n* Different compounds can sometimes achieve the same end goal by a slightly different pathway. Let's consider non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen (Aleve). They inhibit an enzyme called COX, which is required for the production of inflammation-producing compounds in your body. There are two types of the enzyme: COX-1, which can perform beneficial functions, and COX-2, which is responsible for inflammation and fever. Some drugs prevent both forms of the enzyme from functioning, while others can selectively act upon the inflammation-causing enzyme. Over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen and Aleve are non-selective, while prescription-only drugs like Celebrex and meloxicam are selective. Some people may tolerate one compound better than another - for example, one of the big selling points of Celebrex when it first came out was that it would be easier on patient's stomachs than non-selective NSAIDs and therefore more appropriate for long-term treatment. Producing a drug that has comparable or improved efficacy while reducing side effects is HUGE.\n\n* There may be several different formulations of the exact same chemical. Why? Money. If a company can take an existing drug that's been on the market for 30 years (and now become generic), develop a controlled-release technology, and do studies showing the FDA that their formulation improves patient compliance in comparison to the cheap generic - and then market the crap out of it for treating conditions X and Y - this makes them money. You also see this in situations where a company works to get an existing drug approved for previously off-label uses. Botox now has FDA approval for treating migraines. Changes in drug vehicle (delivery system) also allow compounds like lidocaine, which is what the dentist numbs you with when you're getting a cavity filled, to be used for other types of pain relief in the form of LidoDerm patches.\n\nTL;DR: there's big money in drugs that can do the same thing with fewer side effects as well as finding new uses for existing drugs."
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3xfjps | why are ethnically and religiously diverse failed/failing states partitioned into nation states? | I am especially thinking about countries (for example Afghanistan and Iraq) where a large of the ongoing conflicts can be traced back to factionalism stemming from diversity in culture, ethnicity and religion within the country | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3xfjps/eli5_why_are_ethnically_and_religiously_diverse/ | {
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"One major element is that these nations didn't unite by their own choice- this \"unity\" was thrust onto them by outsiders. This has happened in the past as well, numerous times, but it doesn't always work and typically requires a long time and a generally iron fisted approach (see: India under British rule).\n\nIf some thought to ethnic boundaries had been made 100 years ago we'd see a lot less of this. As it is, you have situations like how the Kurdish people, themselves more or less unified, have their territory split among four nations (Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran) Other groups are in similar situations. Which leads to nations that were never really united to begin with, at best pacified by monsters like Saddam Hussein. "
]
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5qt81r | if i have a completely different set of atoms making up my body from 7 years ago, how can i have a 20yo scar? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5qt81r/eli5if_i_have_a_completely_different_set_of_atoms/ | {
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"text": [
"imagine you have a bunch of cheerios on a table arranged into the shape of a face, across the face place some cheerios into a line like a scar, continue replacing the cheerios with new cheerios til they have all been replaced...did the scar go away? of course not, because when you replaced the cheerios in the section making up the scar you put them in the same spot as the old ones.\n\nsame thing is happening to your scars, every time your skin makes new skin in that area is puts the atoms in the same spot as the last atoms were, different atoms, same pattern. (well mostly the same, over time the pattern will change and the scar will get lighter, the body isn't a stickler for EXACTLY where the atoms go, or even that they are the right atoms, so long as they get to roughly the same area and they can fit in the right spots the body is happy...this is also why carbon monoxide is deadly and you shouldn't eat human brains...well one reason)"
]
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8fa5le | if a bedroom has a 60 watt lightbulb and one of the walls is a full-length mirror, does the reflection become like a 2nd 60 watt bulb? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8fa5le/eli5_if_a_bedroom_has_a_60_watt_lightbulb_and_one/ | {
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"text": [
"No the light of the lamp goes in all directions\nThe reflection on the mirror is just a fraction of the light from the original light source "
]
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1gq0us | why does it burn when i hold in a sneeze? | I feel a burn within my nasal passages when I hold in a sneeze, and I would like to know why that is. Thanks! | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1gq0us/eli5_why_does_it_burn_when_i_hold_in_a_sneeze/ | {
"a_id": [
"camt77k"
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"text": [
"When you sneeze, you expel mucus (and more) with a lot of pressure, causing it to fly at 100 mph or more. By holding it in, you hold in a lot of pressure, it redirects it elsewhere, straining your nose and even making it likely that you could pop a blood vessel or even cause a nose fracture."
]
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5a5i9g | how do news outlets get a hold of all those secret tapes and documents that they reveal exclusively? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5a5i9g/eli5_how_do_news_outlets_get_a_hold_of_all_those/ | {
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"text": [
"These usually come from whistleblowers or people who leak the info. Some news organizations (and I use this term loosely) pay for stuff, like TMZ or the National Enquirer. Most media companies don't pay (though there are exceptions). \n\nUsually sources give this stuff freely for a couple of reasons: \n- They want to expose corruption.\n- They have an ax to grind against a person or organization. \n- They want some fame or notoriety.\n\n"
]
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[]
] | ||
2452av | why does the mouth of a milk carton smell like spoiled milk, even though the milk itself is still fine? | Just smelled some milk I forgot I had, which is still a few days from expiration. The jug's mouth smelled foul, but the milk itself smelled fine when I poured it into the cup. How is that how it do? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2452av/eli5_why_does_the_mouth_of_a_milk_carton_smell/ | {
"a_id": [
"ch3ntvr"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Because it's at the top in small amounts close to open air. All that combined causes it to spoil faster."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
6avi0z | why do the hairs on the back of our neck stand up when we're scared or creeped out? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6avi0z/eli5_why_do_the_hairs_on_the_back_of_our_neck/ | {
"a_id": [
"dhhr70r"
],
"score": [
9
],
"text": [
"Someone correct me if I am wrong but it goes back to when we had much hairier bodies and when alarmed we as well as a lot of other mammals would puff up our hair to make ourselves look bigger. Think of how when you scare a dog or a cat it hunches up and its hair stands on end, same thing happens to us just we dont have as much hair.\n\nAlso I forgot to mention that goosebumps are the same basic mechanism only the way it works is that by causing all your hairs to stand on end it would make your hair puffier and cause your hair to trap air close to your skin and making you warmer(doesnt really work anymore because we dont have all the fur)."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
c1qb7w | when you move your hand in front of a screen or light, why does it look like your hand is moving at a “lower frame rate” so to speak? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/c1qb7w/eli5_when_you_move_your_hand_in_front_of_a_screen/ | {
"a_id": [
"eresyfs"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Just a quip because I’m not sure if I’m allowed to add text to the post, I noticed this cuz I was moving my fingers underneath the scanner at my retail job."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
30vg3s | how does smell work, when a polar bear can detect a seal 1 mile away and under 3 feet of snow | Thanks so much for reading | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/30vg3s/eli5how_does_smell_work_when_a_polar_bear_can/ | {
"a_id": [
"cpw5vdf"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"smell is caused by actual molecules of something wafting around in the air, going into your nose, and activating a smell receptor cell in your nose. These receptors are like millions of locks and each molecule you can smell fits into it like a key. An olfactory area of our brain is then responsible for understanding signals from those cells. \n\nI am not sure of the veracity of your claim that a polar bear can smell for \"1 mile and under 3 feet of snow\" but they certainly can far, far better than a human, most carnivores do. They have more smell receptors and a larger olfactory bulb area in the brain to make sense of what they smell."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
a8iwem | how do horns and antlers grow symmetrically? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/a8iwem/eli5_how_do_horns_and_antlers_grow_symmetrically/ | {
"a_id": [
"ecb37ny",
"ecb46tf"
],
"score": [
3,
3
],
"text": [
"People’s and animal’s eyes, eyebrows and ears grow symmetrically in the same way that animal horns do. It’s possible that symmetry is an important mating feature. If someone were to have very differently shaped eyes for instance, their options for mating pools might be drastically smaller. As a result, DNA strands with asymmetrical appearances may procreated out of the gene pools. The antlers of an animal are one of the most dominant selectors for mating. Many species with antlers head butt each other for mating rights, causing the males with the strongest antlers to procreate. It’s quite possible that asymmetrical antlers are not as strong of a design as symmetrical ones are, causing antlers overall to have a lot of symmetry in general.",
"It's much easier, genetically speaking, to encode one way to grow a body part and mirror it. Your body is already very familiar with that trick from, well, just draw a line through your centre and see.\n\nWhen you have asymmetric forms (moose antlers for example are rarely perfect mirror images) it's usually just that growth is sensitive to external influences. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
3671gn | where does blood flow after the intestines? | So if you eat something bad and it gets into the blood stream via the intestines, where does the blood flow next? it would make sense for it to go to the liver first and the kidneys to get rid of the nastys first.
Also where does the blood flow after the lungs, so if you smoke which organ receives the poisonous blood first ?
Is there a website with a list of the order blood goes by organ? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3671gn/eli5where_does_blood_flow_after_the_intestines/ | {
"a_id": [
"crbbtco"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
" > where does the blood flow next? \n\nIt goes to the liver first. The Hepatic portal vein connects the intestine to the liver for filtration. Even if you don't eat something about 1/3rd of the blood circulating the body is sent to the liver. Thus the liver is always working to clean the blood.\n\nThe Kidneys also cleans the blood, and about 1/5th of the blood in your body gets sent to the kidney's.\n\n > Also where does the blood flow after the lungs, so if you smoke which organ receives the poisonous blood first ?\n\nWell, the lungs are the organs that receive most of the toxins. However blood from the lungs get sent back to the heart. In essence there are two sides of the heart. The left side receives deoxygenated blood, and pumps it to the lungs to be oxygenated. The right side receives oxygenated blood from the lungs, and pumps it out to the rest of the body."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
dcloc1 | how come headphones get a loud high pitch sound whenever they get close to something such as a metal detector? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dcloc1/eli5_how_come_headphones_get_a_loud_high_pitch/ | {
"a_id": [
"f28zlxs"
],
"score": [
11
],
"text": [
"Speakers, of which headphones are just tiny ones, are simply a wire surrounded by a magnet. Put electrical pulses through the wire, and connect the end of the wire/magnet thing to a surface that can vibrate, and you have a speaker.\n\nAnything that can mess with a magnet or the electrical current in the wire can mess with the sound."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
4qrqjg | why are the bottom of plastic bottles a funny shape and why can't it just have a flat bottom (eg. mountain dew, pepsi ect)? | My best guess would be to do with balance? But not sure how it helps? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4qrqjg/eli5_why_are_the_bottom_of_plastic_bottles_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"d4vawr4",
"d4vbntc",
"d4vbqpw",
"d4vkdn5",
"d4wfuds"
],
"score": [
18,
15,
5,
42,
2
],
"text": [
"Deformation.\n\nA material like glass won't deform over time, but plastic will. The shape prevents this.",
"The shape is for strength and to resist deformation. What happens if you take a thin, flat sheet of plastic and then pump pressure inside the container? It bulges. Now the flat bottom of your bottle bumps out and makes it wobble all over. Even if it didn't wobble the condensation would make it slippery. And how would they stack securely?",
"If the bottom were flat it would not withstand the pressure and would curve outwards. This would make it hard to sit on a table. When the bottom is curved inwards it takes a lot more force to flex it the other way and it can still sit flat on a table. Most containers will have a bottom that curves inwards but pressurized containers will have a dome or other similar structures to withstand the pressure.\n\nDuring manufacturing there is going to be some tool marks. These are often placed on the bottom as it is easier to hide them and is a convenient place for production reasons.",
"I am old enough to remember when plastic soda bottles did have flat bottoms -- it was a separate piece, like a cap. The part containing the liquid was round, like the bottom of a test tube, and that sat inside a glued-on black plastic piece. Without that piece, the bottle would not be able to stand up. \nThen someone figured out how to make the little feet-shaped things and bottles became just one piece of plastic, easier to manufacture as others have mentioned, and avoiding the bulging-bottom situation.",
"For stability. If you manufacture the center to be concave, then you can better force the bottle to stand on the other edges. Better yet, force the edges to also have little ridges (like the five-bumped bottom under your pop bottles) and you can further ensure that it will rest stable on those points. \n\nIf the bottom were flat, then small manufacturing defects could make one part of the bottom stick out a little extra, and it could wobble around while standing. Also if the bottle gets warm or shaken or the pressure increases, a flat bottom could be popper outward into a convex shape, increasing wobble. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
7438c2 | why do so many cultures have a thing about covering women's hair? | I'm not just talking about Muslims and hijab (although that's one example), but wimples in medieval England and tichels in some branches of Judaism. Is there a reason it's so common in so many diverse areas of the world? And why hair? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7438c2/eli5_why_do_so_many_cultures_have_a_thing_about/ | {
"a_id": [
"dnv6i78",
"dnv6jv3",
"dnv9km5"
],
"score": [
4,
9,
3
],
"text": [
"The idea is that when God looks down on you, he does not see you: instead, he sees the head covering and moves along to punish other people. The notion of a purely spiritual God is a modern concept. If you look at ancient civilizations, they actually feared a physical God from above. For this reason, many of these civilizations built into cliffs or caves so as to hide from a very real and very vengeful God. This is the God(s) from the Old Testament and other ancient texts: a God that does not know his own creation, and seeks to punish humans for not providing salt water to drink with choice meats/cakes. What sky ship was God(s) traveling in? Sounds like Vimana as described. These previous fears resulted in modern church doctrines, just like not being able to provide these traveling God(s) with enough 'sacrifice' (i.e. food) resulted in the modern concept of sin. Religion is a response to a misunderstood civilization clash long since past; we are only now beginning to learn the implications.",
"Well, you are talking about cultures that are all influenced by three religions that are very closely connected and originated from each other and in the same area. That is always going to cause a certain amount of overlap. Certain standards for female modesty originated in judaism which were then carried on into the development of christianity and islam. And which then in turn also influenced the cultures in areas where those religions had a major foothold. ",
"Many cultures have a thing about covering women's bodies in general. The reason you are noticing hair is because it is a point of divergence. By contrast, virtually all cultures have a thing about covering women's breasts so it appears normal. "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] |
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