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6dun97
why aren't more uplifting, good news (the ones that put faith in humanity) shown in journalism?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6dun97/eli5_why_arent_more_uplifting_good_news_the_ones/
{ "a_id": [ "di5h17u", "di5h3gt", "di5hai6" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 6 ], "text": [ "It is not really wanted by the public. Good news, while uplifting is not entertaining to the majority of people. If it is not entertaining then fewer people will buy the newspaper, watch the news broadc...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
20q388
How did Hezbollah go from a small militia to such an impressive paramilitary force?
They're described as stronger than the Lebanese army but how exactly were they able to create something like this?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/20q388/how_did_hezbollah_go_from_a_small_militia_to_such/
{ "a_id": [ "cg5t2bz", "cg6bgki" ], "score": [ 6, 2 ], "text": [ "Quick answer: Support from Iran via Syria and stong social presence. More detail:\n\n* Hezbollah military men get trained in Iran. They also get weapons from Iran through Syria. Lots of weapon and artillery. They know the c...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad_Construction" ] ]
b6x6m8
how do you explain that depak chopra and other woo woo new age pseudo science/medicine is bogus to someone that is deeply invested in them?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/b6x6m8/eli5_how_do_you_explain_that_depak_chopra_and/
{ "a_id": [ "ejnlrm0" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Sounds like it is trying to take advantage of the placebo effect, a real phenomenon. Honestly, people who are deeply invested in these pseudosciences usually will not listen to reason and they will reject any evidence that doesn’t support their b...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
31mij4
Do any ancient bibles/scriptures show that Jesus did not resurrect?
I was thinking about this with it being Easter and such. I thought I had read one time that some of the ancient scriptures did not show Jesus resurrecting but I can not find any source now. Are there any truth behind this? (From a historical stand point)
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/31mij4/do_any_ancient_biblesscriptures_show_that_jesus/
{ "a_id": [ "cq2zp8e" ], "score": [ 35 ], "text": [ "Honestly, not really. Even in the earliest gospel (Mark), after women enter Jesus' tomb, an angel says\n\n > \"Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. *He has been raised; he is not here*.\"\n\nAnd the earlie...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
41v1vu
if we were to go extinct today, would earth be able to erase any evidence of us completely?
I don't just mean fossils and stuff but all these constructions, bridges, heavy steel stuff etc. Would they be identifiable in a million years? Or a billion?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/41v1vu/eli5_if_we_were_to_go_extinct_today_would_earth/
{ "a_id": [ "cz5blx1", "cz5bq9o", "cz5bwnc", "cz5d9cy", "cz5deam", "cz5e7pb", "cz5e9fi", "cz5emt6", "cz5n786", "cz5ofx2", "cz5qrog", "cz6afnr" ], "score": [ 5, 23, 74, 12, 16, 18, 7, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ ...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanofr.html" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_After_People" ], [] ]
1mdbyj
why do humans feel shame?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1mdbyj/eli5_why_do_humans_feel_shame/
{ "a_id": [ "cc855sw", "cc85nl1" ], "score": [ 7, 2 ], "text": [ "It's a social emotion similar to embarrassment. When you feel shame, it's usually from doing something not socially accepted and whatnot, so you feel a bad emotion to be discouraged from doing it again, as humans are social ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
3t9nev
why its carl's jr. on the western half of the u.s and hardee's on the midwestern/some eastern
I know they essentially serve the same things, but why two different names. Also, are there any other companies that do this?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3t9nev/eli5_why_its_carls_jr_on_the_western_half_of_the/
{ "a_id": [ "cx4ayyg", "cx4b31o" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "I know that burger king in Australia is called hungry jacks! This is due to naming rights for burger king in Australia. it could be something similar to this", "Carl's and Hardees were originally different restaurant cha...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
6l8v3i
how does lying to yourself work?
How do people actually believe the lies they tell themselves to be true, even though they "know" it's not?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6l8v3i/eli5_how_does_lying_to_yourself_work/
{ "a_id": [ "djry8g6", "djs188t" ], "score": [ 2, 7 ], "text": [ "I feel like this is a psychology question, and I am in no way an expert, but maybe this helps:\n\nYour every actions come from your brain, and every decision you make is made after considering your options.\n\nAs you get old...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
3zyrz0
what exactly is a bruised bone?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3zyrz0/eli5_what_exactly_is_a_bruised_bone/
{ "a_id": [ "cyq49lf" ], "score": [ 12 ], "text": [ "A bone bruise, or a bone contusion, is an injury to bone typically caused by trauma that results in [microscopic fractures and the build-up of blood and fluid in the surrounding tissue and bone](_URL_0_). Bone bruises can be very painful but are...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.md-health.com/images/10401984-bone-bruise.jpg" ] ]
2drx86
why do people have pairs of chromosomes? what does that do?
Ok, so people have 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. What's the difference between the two chromosomes in a pair? Why are there two, what makes them a pair, what purpose does it serve?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2drx86/eli5_why_do_people_have_pairs_of_chromosomes_what/
{ "a_id": [ "cjsft4w" ], "score": [ 6 ], "text": [ "You get one chromosome from each parent. It increases genetic diversity by giving you one from each parent, rather than just one chromosome from one parent." ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
1amczl
Why does it hail in warm weather?
Inspired by a post on the front page today. How is the formation of hail different than that of sleet or freezing rain? Sorry if this is really basic stuff..
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1amczl/why_does_it_hail_in_warm_weather/
{ "a_id": [ "c8yq2ly", "c8yq33o" ], "score": [ 4, 5 ], "text": [ "It has to be cold very high up, and windy. Hailstones will rise and fall many times due to the wind, repeatedly picking up a new coating of water, then being carried to a higher, colder layer of air by the wind, where it fre...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tstorms/hail.htm" ] ]
m9pmn
How are vaccination schedules determined?
How did everyone come up with the ages/grades for which kids should be vaccinated against different diseases? What determines whether a vaccine requires a booster? How critical is the duration between the first dose and the booster - as in, would you lose immunity by ignoring or delaying the booster?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/m9pmn/how_are_vaccination_schedules_determined/
{ "a_id": [ "c2z8oqd", "c2z8t63", "c2zpkgx", "c2z8oqd", "c2z8t63", "c2zpkgx" ], "score": [ 4, 4, 3, 4, 4, 3 ], "text": [ "There's many things going on when deciding on vaccine schedules. From the top of my head, there's \n\n**Maternal antibodies** (The mothe...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c6/14/70/58/fe540f2d.pdf", "http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr6002a1.htm?s_cid=rr6002a1_e" ], [ "http://www.who.org.mv/LinkFiles/Reports_mumps.bulletin.who.pdf" ], [], [ "http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c6/14/70/58/fe540f2d.pdf", "http:...
14wz75
Does soap attack or dissolve phospholipid bilayers? (cell membranes and such)
EDIT: In the title I should have said "attack and dissolve" or something to that effect. I'm not asking "Does soap attack it or does soap dissolve it?", I'm asking "Does soap effect any destructive physical change on it?" /EDIT I ask because the two substances have similar structures - a charged, hydrophilic head and...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/14wz75/does_soap_attack_or_dissolve_phospholipid/
{ "a_id": [ "c7h7do3", "c7h8gjz" ], "score": [ 2, 5 ], "text": [ "It attacks *by* dissolving, so to speak. It doesn't destroy the individual phospholipids, it disrupts the membrane. \n\nEdit: And surfactants form micelles instead of bilayers because they only have one nonpolar tail, unli...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Lyotropic1.jpg" ] ]
lifzy
How do Americans get 115V?
Well obviously from a plug socket, but I digress. In Europe, our power is generated in 3 phase (Red, Blue, Yellow, all 120 degrees apart), and when it's transformed down to its consumer power level, the voltage across any two phases is 400V. When there is a star load, you can take power from a single phase relative to...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/lifzy/how_do_americans_get_115v/
{ "a_id": [ "c2sy8ov", "c2syadd", "c2szpf3", "c2szqm8", "c2t0wjk", "c2sy8ov", "c2syadd", "c2szpf3", "c2szqm8", "c2t0wjk" ], "score": [ 49, 33, 4, 5, 5, 49, 33, 4, 5, 5 ], "text": [ "most of us do get 240V to the home, as a sin...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_changer" ], [], [], [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_changer" ], [], [], [] ]
e71ssr
Why does the trait of skin color mix together into a shade rather than being one or the other, like eye color?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/e71ssr/why_does_the_trait_of_skin_color_mix_together/
{ "a_id": [ "f9ymyxa" ], "score": [ 15 ], "text": [ "Most interesting traits are polygenic - they are controlled by many different genes, not just one or two. \n\nWhen we’re taught introductory genetics, we’re taught inheritance with Mendelian diagrams showing how one dominant/recessive gene set i...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blending_inheritance", "https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=FhOP8L8GAbIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Darwin,+C.+R.,+1877+The+Different+Forms+of+Flowers+on+Plants+of+the+Same+Species.+John+Murray,+London.&ots=bUIOTmIwbm&sig=KIOhJazcwfjre3REiF9F7QjfU1o...
1unpen
how do i perceive myself as a single entity, when i'm actually composed of a group of cells that are each self replicating blocks of life?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1unpen/eli5_how_do_i_perceive_myself_as_a_single_entity/
{ "a_id": [ "cejwlcr", "cejwytr", "cejxfdh", "cek0t17", "cek1c3h", "cek21mc", "cek2vaj", "cek4uk2", "cek5nil", "cek6h48", "cek7bin", "cek7vls", "cek9am0", "cek9pbk", "cekapl1", "cekau03", "cekaubf", "cekavyo", "cekay4p", "cekbkoh", "c...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts" ], [], [], [], [], [], [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjbWr3ODbAo" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma8/imperm.html" ], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
1lyc0u
What were the attitudes of the labour movements in New Zealand and Australia towards the indigenous populations?
Many people will only know the answer for one of those countries; you don't have to answer both parts. I've seen a couple of things that suggest that the labour movement in NZ was pretty positive about Māori (for example, the news publication the Maoriland Worker used the name "Maoriland", a suggested alternative name...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1lyc0u/what_were_the_attitudes_of_the_labour_movements/
{ "a_id": [ "cc403zb" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "This question is made for /u/w2red and /u/Algernon_Asimov but I can answer for one union in particular... \n\nThe North Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) founded in the Northern Territory in around 1911.. Their history is covered in this doctoral t...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://espace.cdu.edu.au/eserv/cdu:6353/Thesis_CDU_6353_Brian_B.pdf" ] ]
7c3bth
Why do many people take sniper kill counts for granted? Can we really trust any of the offical numbers, some as high as 4-500? How reliable are the figures?
I recently learned that Simo Hayha's original claimed number of 505 kills was more likely to have been around 200-230 kills. Why do so many military historians take the numbers for granted? How did snipers and their observers keep the score and why do we have any reason to trust them, when you factor in things like p...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7c3bth/why_do_many_people_take_sniper_kill_counts_for/
{ "a_id": [ "dpnba4c", "dpnghm0" ], "score": [ 172, 735 ], "text": [ "Follow up question.\n\nWasn't the only way to \"confirm\" a kill to collect the dog tags? I highly doubt that snipers collected dog tags, especially when their targets would usually be surrounded by soldiers?\n\nEdit: ha...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://www.badassoftheweek.com/hayha.html", "Badassoftheweek.com" ] ]
2a7kf3
how do seasons work around the world? is it summer everywhere, or is it just summer on a part of the world?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2a7kf3/how_do_seasons_work_around_the_world_is_it_summer/
{ "a_id": [ "cis9jhd" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern hemisphere. When it is hot in the US, it is cold in Australia. When the days are long in the US, they are short in Australia. This is due to the tilted axis of the earth, ...
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[]
[ [] ]
e7wad4
how can we recall memories and imagine scenarios and see them visually, while also seeing and observing the current environment?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/e7wad4/eli5_how_can_we_recall_memories_and_imagine/
{ "a_id": [ "fa6l0kz", "fa6l2dl", "fa6s18w" ], "score": [ 3, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Your brain does lots of things simultaneously, if it didn't your heart would stop when you needed to take a breath, or when you thought about a math problem. \n\nNeedless to say, the thing you're seein...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
15da30
It seems like every modern President of the US was a golfer. Were there any who weren't?
...excepting obvious ones like FDR. 'Modern' in this case refers to presidents who took office since the game became standard fare for America's upper class, which I'd imagine would exclude most of those before the 20th Century. **Bonus questions**: if someone who didn't play golf were elected President, how big of a ...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/15da30/it_seems_like_every_modern_president_of_the_us/
{ "a_id": [ "c7lgb9k", "c7ln4co" ], "score": [ 13, 3 ], "text": [ "Teddy Roosevelt, Hoover, Truman and Carter were the only US presidents not to play golf since McKinley, who introduced it to the White House. [Source](_URL_1_)\n\n[FDR considered himself a golfer even though he was physical...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1156523/index.htm", "http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/06/when-presidents-play-golf/240645/" ], [] ]
3pjj2g
Is there a timeline of the history of women's rights in ancient Greece between the 5th and 1st century BC?
I am writing as essay for my history class and because curious if the first production of Medea (431 BC) coincided with a better quality of life for women. At what point did women begin to receive more fair treatment?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3pjj2g/is_there_a_timeline_of_the_history_of_womens/
{ "a_id": [ "cw6xmuf" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Is this a homework question? It says in our [rules](_URL_1_):\nOur users aren't here to do your homework for you, but they might be willing to help. Remember: AskHistorians helps those who help themselves. Don't just give us your essay/assignment...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/35pkem/askhistorians_homework_question_policy_rehash/", "http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/rules#wiki_homework" ] ]
1dfxzd
Why can i not see the exhaust from a bus, but i can see its shadow
The bus i take to school everyday has the exhaust pipe on the back of the bus, when i look at it, i see nothing(except the occasional puff if black), so why can i see the shadow of this invisible gas?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1dfxzd/why_can_i_not_see_the_exhaust_from_a_bus_but_i/
{ "a_id": [ "c9q3758", "c9q55hl", "c9pxmyr" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 21 ], "text": [ "The reason is really because the light casting the shadow is collimated. I.E. it is all coming from the same direction. However, when you are simply looking at the exhaust, light is coming from multipl...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowgraph" ] ]
127dj3
How dangerous are dog bites?
What are some complications that can be brought upon by the bacteria found in their saliva? Also, I was told that if a person is treated with antibiotics to combat the infection, that a second bite would be resistant to it, causing a more severe infection. Is this true?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/127dj3/how_dangerous_are_dog_bites/
{ "a_id": [ "c6statj" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "It depends on the severity and how it is treated. \nAs a veterinarian, I get bit often. Most of them heal fine with soap and water, but one started to cause intense pain and swelling that spread through my entire finger after 24hours. Without a...
[]
[]
[ [] ]
643h6z
Iceland was one of the poorer countries in Europe 1980. How did it grow so quickly after that to become so wealthy today?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/643h6z/iceland_was_one_of_the_poorer_countries_in_europe/
{ "a_id": [ "dfzmwyz" ], "score": [ 16 ], "text": [ "I would like to preface this post by saying that I am not an economist and nor do I specialize in economic history. I am, however, somewhat acquainted with the economic development of Iceland as well as the historiography of this phenemenon due ...
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[]
[ [] ]
17v8kv
putin's government in russia and the quality of democracy that exists there.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/17v8kv/eli5_putins_government_in_russia_and_the_quality/
{ "a_id": [ "c896js4", "c89a057" ], "score": [ 12, 14 ], "text": [ "Since you haven't gotten a bite, try posting in /r/askpolitics\n\nYou'll prob get a great answer.", "Well, I lived in Russia during Putin's primetime. And in all honesty, 10 years ago he was the best thing that happene...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
72tjau
How much did scientists know about the makeup of other planets in our solar system prior to spectroscopy?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/72tjau/how_much_did_scientists_know_about_the_makeup_of/
{ "a_id": [ "dnljivn" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "Even though I don't have a clue, I'll take a stab at answering, since no one else has. I'm going to take it as sort of a running narrative of how I'm researching it... No particular reason why.\n\n[Wikipedia](_URL_4_) states astronomical spectros...
[]
[]
[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_astronomy", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_discovery_of_Solar_System_planets_and_their_moons", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet\\)#Discovery", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Red_Spot", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki...
69oj81
what keeps a bowling lane from getting warped from thrown balls?
You always see those bowling ball videos of people punching through the ceiling and it coming back down, and you can hear it occasionally in public lanes where the release isn't really on point, so what keeps the wooden lane from getting warped, dinged, or dented?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/69oj81/eli5_what_keeps_a_bowling_lane_from_getting/
{ "a_id": [ "dh85e3x", "dh8avj5" ], "score": [ 96, 23 ], "text": [ " Wood lanes are shaved down usually every 2 years. Also the lanes are not 1 continuous piece of wood. There are sections. The front part of the lane (where balls land) are made of a harder wood.\n\n Most lanes today are ma...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
1xsukw
I am looking for a Site which has a database of News Clippings of English Newspapers from 1900-1950??
While I was studying the protest movement against the partition of Bengal in 1905 I became inquisitive (as an Indian) about the reactions it generated in Britain. Thus I am looking for news articles (preferably editorials) in the British Press on the Independence movement in India. Please tell me about sites where I ca...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1xsukw/i_am_looking_for_a_site_which_has_a_database_of/
{ "a_id": [ "cfeckdy", "cfez7po", "cfg1ak3" ], "score": [ 3, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "[Proquest Historical Newspapers](_URL_0_) has the Guardian and the Observer. If you are member of a uni, library or other institution with a subscription, it's free.", "Try some of [these](_URL_0_)....
[]
[]
[ [ "http://search.proquest.com/news" ], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_online_newspaper_archives#United_Kingdom" ], [ "http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/newspapers.htm", "http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/default.htm" ] ]
adhakp
is there a reason why all or most ip addresses begin with 192.168..?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/adhakp/eli5_is_there_a_reason_why_all_or_most_ip/
{ "a_id": [ "edgube5", "edgue4i", "edguh65", "edgwq4r", "edhmpnm" ], "score": [ 3, 7, 46, 11, 2 ], "text": [ "These are internal IP addresses. If you are on a home network, you will have this IP address. Even if you have one computer on a wireless router connected t...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_network", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_address_translation" ], [ "https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-private-ip-address-2625970" ], [], [] ]
dcea88
why are americans so obsessed with halloween?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dcea88/eli5_why_are_americans_so_obsessed_with_halloween/
{ "a_id": [ "f27lw8g", "f27m03v", "f27mf1r", "f27n7pl", "f27n7th", "f27ogpa", "f27ojl0", "f27pg0s", "f27qag4", "f27svol", "f27wqdr" ], "score": [ 12, 56, 16, 11, 20, 7, 9, 10, 4, 4, 3 ], "text": [ "Why not, enjoy the h...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
8yr9mc
Can you layer sun protection products and is their SP factor cumulative?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/8yr9mc/can_you_layer_sun_protection_products_and_is/
{ "a_id": [ "e2el0sn", "e2f2x0c" ], "score": [ 5, 3 ], "text": [ "You can layer but you will only get the higher protection. 15 + 15 does not equal spf 30. \n\nThey’re tested at a rate of coverage that equals about 1/4 teaspoon for the average male face too. It’s a good idea to measure it ...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
7a3oua
Which books of the Bible attributed to a single author (ex: first six books of Old Testament to Moses, Luke/Acts to Luke, John/Revelation to John, various letters by Peter and Paul) do scholars agree were really written by the same person?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7a3oua/which_books_of_the_bible_attributed_to_a_single/
{ "a_id": [ "dp6uo9j" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "You might want to post this in /r/academicbiblical as well. " ] }
[]
[]
[ [] ]
5fjq51
why are some people great at abstract thinking but terrible at algebra which involves it?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5fjq51/eli5_why_are_some_people_great_at_abstract/
{ "a_id": [ "dakqh89" ], "score": [ 8 ], "text": [ "Math requires abstract thinking to understand why you're supposed to do certain things, but not to literally do them. You need abstract thinking to understand why you can divide two from both sides of 2x=4, but not to do it.\n\nThe people that ar...
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3y8e2r
In fantasy it is common to read about colored or painted armor. Is there any historical basis for this?
I remember lots of descriptions of this kind of stuff in fantasy books. Like the knight having red and gold plate armor.
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3y8e2r/in_fantasy_it_is_common_to_read_about_colored_or/
{ "a_id": [ "cybhsvs", "cyblq4k", "cybm6b8", "cybnkv1", "cybspgh" ], "score": [ 101, 104, 11, 23, 2 ], "text": [ "Oh yes. When I first read your question I thought of enameled armor but some poking around turned up [this wonderful article from The Met](_URL_0_). Dep...
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[ [ "http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dect/hd_dect.htm" ], [ "http://i.imgur.com/6ZhyYS9.jpg", "http://i.imgur.com/NCE2Y29.jpg" ], [], [ "http://www.wallacecollection.org/whatson/treasure/102", "http://imgur.com/a/dFqh2" ], [] ]
3w3q7w
the yahoo-alibaba spin-off
I read the articles but because of the terminology i didn't quite understand how that affects the company, the products and the board.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3w3q7w/eli5_the_yahooalibaba_spinoff/
{ "a_id": [ "cxt2gu2", "cxt7lfq" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Yahoo is doing terribly and its' core business is pretty much worthless. However, Yahoo owns a lot of shares in a company called Alibaba, which is actually very profitable. So they want to get rid of their actual business an...
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37gbr2
the bill of rights
Each of the amendments. I'm trying to understand it.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/37gbr2/eli5_the_bill_of_rights/
{ "a_id": [ "crmf7e6", "crmfch7", "crmh3cc", "crnabuq" ], "score": [ 5, 8, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "**First Amendment**\n\n*Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the ...
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[ [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_and_legal_rights" ], [] ]
zfmxv
the philosophical concept of epiphenomenal qualia and jackson's "mary" thought experiment.
I have to write an essay on this and I just don't know how to write anything of substance. I don't understand why it's not an open and shut 'Yes, she does learn something new; what it is to actually experience the colour red' case. I was comparing it to something like -knowing everything there is to know about the theo...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zfmxv/eli5_the_philosophical_concept_of_epiphenomenal/
{ "a_id": [ "c645yfw" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "It's not open and shut because it's not demonstrable that Mary *has* learned anything new. [Mary's room](_URL_1_) has been argued by greater (or at least more singularly focused) minds than either of ours, and yet they still disagree.\n\nThis is ...
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[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retina", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary's_room", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_cell" ] ]
11m22d
Today I was in a 15 story building during an earthquake. If the building collapsed, would I have been safer on the first floor, 15th floor or somewhere in between?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/11m22d/today_i_was_in_a_15_story_building_during_an/
{ "a_id": [ "c6nongy", "c6noni7", "c6novdh", "c6npq3j", "c6nrgn1", "c6nrk7z", "c6nrkls", "c6ns31d", "c6ns48w" ], "score": [ 88, 11, 32, 8, 425, 8, 9, 41, 2 ], "text": [ "When a roof or building of multiple floors collapses, the safest...
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[ [], [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFnVZXQD5_k" ], [ "http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/48985518/ns/today-today_news/t/survivor-surfed-debris-i-couldnt-believe-it-myself/" ], [], [], [ "http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/canterbury-earthquake/109194/survivors-of-ctv-building-collapse-give-eviden...
2nozip
the lake effect, as in what happened in buffalo.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2nozip/eli5_the_lake_effect_as_in_what_happened_in/
{ "a_id": [ "cmfilnp", "cmfinp1" ], "score": [ 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Basically, the Lake Effect is what happens when cold air moves over warmer water, picking up water vapor which freezes in the air, and then comes down as snow when the air moves downwind to land. Since Buffalo is right next ...
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s1yix
Is there any other way for life to develop besides cells?
I was going over the points we use to define if something is alive, and I thought that perhaps life, developed on a different planet, might not contain cells.
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/s1yix/is_there_any_other_way_for_life_to_develop/
{ "a_id": [ "c4afgmi", "c4agimk", "c4agj2n" ], "score": [ 3, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "It seems like this question gets into the philosophical definition of \"what is life.\" Scientists are still debating whether or not viruses constitute a form of life, so realistically we haven't even n...
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7xs78t
How are electrical signals traveling on neurons directed to its target?
How do cells differentiate between an electrical signal traveling down an axon that is destined for different areas, for example the right great toe versus the left gastrocnemius? Cell biology textbooks does a great job at explaining the process by which the signal is passed between cells but how it reaches it's target...
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/7xs78t/how_are_electrical_signals_traveling_on_neurons/
{ "a_id": [ "dub40zp", "dub7624" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "The textbooks don't explain it because there is nothing to explain. The cells don't differentiate anything, it's a one origin to one destination signal conduction.\n\nA single axon runs to one single area (say, a receptor on...
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yxdnd
what are the blue and orange/yellow lines that i see on the edges of everything when i have my glasses on?
Whenever I use my glasses (not contacts), I will see on the side of every vertical edge, a side with a blue glow, and a side with an orange/yellow glow. I don't see the glow without my glasses of course. But, what is it? And what causes it? Can anything be done to glasses to prevent it from happening?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/yxdnd/eli5_what_are_the_blue_and_orangeyellow_lines/
{ "a_id": [ "c5znkir" ], "score": [ 10 ], "text": [ "You are nearsighted, your eyeglass lenses are concave, and the outer edges act like prisms that split up light into its component colors. A white object, seen through the edge of your lenses, will appear to have a reddish halo that oozes out tow...
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42g4lm
Why is New York City named the same as the state? IE why do the city and state share the same name? Do any other places on earth do this?
I just always thought it was such an odd idea, to have an address like "New York, New York". Why did they decide to name the city this?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/42g4lm/why_is_new_york_city_named_the_same_as_the_state/
{ "a_id": [ "cza2kdu", "czacrly", "czagedt" ], "score": [ 8, 4, 6 ], "text": [ " > Do any other places on earth do this?\n\nThere's one example in Germany: Bremen, Bremen. Bremen (the city) is part of Bremen (the state), together with another city called Bremerhaven (roughly trans...
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[ [], [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/41ig16/what_was_the_peak_population_of_classical_athens/" ], [] ]
5hhhd7
does having a "will to live" help you overcome a severe illness or injury, and if so, how?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5hhhd7/eli5does_having_a_will_to_live_help_you_overcome/
{ "a_id": [ "db08kx2", "db0oyk5", "db0p66a" ], "score": [ 3, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Definetly. Someone who has given up on everything is less likely to think about his/hers well being. As someone who has a will to live will check up symptoms, have less anxiety. Some cures in life are r...
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[ [], [], [] ]
69eom4
when nuclear weapons were added to the us arsenal, why was the ability to launch them given to the president of the united states and not congress?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/69eom4/eli5when_nuclear_weapons_were_added_to_the_us/
{ "a_id": [ "dh5y8ax", "dh5y97h", "dh5yn8m", "dh5zdkm", "dh6097i", "dh6717e", "dh6huz4", "dh6jfjf", "dh6l45i", "dh8bun7" ], "score": [ 42, 15, 5, 66, 5, 2, 5, 4, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Because the main purpose of a nuclear weapon ...
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[ [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2016/11/18/the-president-and-the-bomb/" ], [], [], [], [] ]
1osowz
why are the baby boomers considered the worst generation?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1osowz/eli5_why_are_the_baby_boomers_considered_the/
{ "a_id": [ "ccv7blf", "ccv7go6", "ccv9voo", "ccvaspl" ], "score": [ 14, 35, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Obviously this is subjective, but there's a very strong case to be made that baby boomers are the most selfish generation. See [this](_URL_1_) and [this](_URL_0_) and [this](_URL...
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[ [ "http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/opinion/keller-the-entitled-generation.html?_r=0", "http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055497/JEREMY-PAXMAN-Baby-Boomers-selfish-generation-history.html", "http://www.esquire.com/features/worst-generation-0400" ], [], [], [ "http://www.esquire.com/f...
21m6wj
why my car windows do this and how i can prevent it? mostly happens in rain.
_URL_0_ It's dangerous and I'm not sure how to deal with it.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/21m6wj/eli5_why_my_car_windows_do_this_and_how_i_can/
{ "a_id": [ "cgedsb7", "cgeduyu", "cgedvmq" ], "score": [ 4, 3, 3 ], "text": [ "It's condensation because of the temperature/humidity difference between the cabin of your vehicle and outside.\n\nThey make antifogging coatings that you can use (rainx makes one, for instance) but for...
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[ "http://imgur.com/zedWjrF" ]
[ [], [], [] ]
55sjzk
do those pedestrian button things at traffic lights actually do anything? how do they work?
Or is it like elevator door close buttons and office thermostats, where it's only there to make people think they have control? If they actually do anything, how do they work? They don't seem to be wired to anything, if anything they seem bolted on and it's as if they're usually connected to nothing at all.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/55sjzk/eli5_do_those_pedestrian_button_things_at_traffic/
{ "a_id": [ "d8dbfpk", "d8dbw25", "d8dcr9w", "d8e2xnr" ], "score": [ 2, 9, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "They simply activate the walk and don't walk lights.\n\nSome activate lights in high traffic areas. For instance, on a main road there might be a factory that employs a large amou...
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2y2k5z
how does the common signature hold so much power confirming identity? anyone could copy it and there are much better tools available.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2y2k5z/eli5_how_does_the_common_signature_hold_so_much/
{ "a_id": [ "cp5milt", "cp5p5ws" ], "score": [ 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Signatures don't confirm identity, they affirm it. When you sign something, you're making a promise that you're the person named in the document.", "It doesn't prove identity, it proves intent. Notarizations are used to...
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k43hb
copyright / trademarks.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/k43hb/eli5_copyright_trademarks/
{ "a_id": [ "c2hd6fn", "c2hd6fn" ], "score": [ 3, 3 ], "text": [ "**Copyright:** You wrote something, and nobody else gets to make copies unless you say they can. Also they don't get to make a movie of your book, or a performance of your play, unless you say they can. There are some except...
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3eoobm
why don't big companies get hitmen to off people who successfully sue them?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3eoobm/eli5_why_dont_big_companies_get_hitmen_to_off/
{ "a_id": [ "ctgwueh" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "It's not particularly easy to commit murder without leaving a trail to follow. It's too much of a risk for the company. " ] }
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6jfxy4
Why didn't the Roman Empire expand into Africa more then it did?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6jfxy4/why_didnt_the_roman_empire_expand_into_africa/
{ "a_id": [ "djf3xwd" ], "score": [ 21 ], "text": [ "Because of a little something called the Sahara Desert. The only real routes of expansion into Africa were along the southern Moroccan coast (which was desolate, sparsely inhabited all the way up to the late 18th century, when the Moroccan gover...
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1s8ffp
the void
I have no idea how this works. _URL_0_
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1s8ffp/eli5_the_void/
{ "a_id": [ "cdv15ru", "cdv8dkz" ], "score": [ 4, 2 ], "text": [ "Instructions were not clear. I hurt my back trying to shake my 27 inch CRT monitor.", "Had no effect on me\rConclusion: I'm batman " ] }
[]
[ "http://i.imgur.com/WvdmV7S.png" ]
[ [], [] ]
b26oz0
How do plants get the material to grow so much from just a tiny seed?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/b26oz0/how_do_plants_get_the_material_to_grow_so_much/
{ "a_id": [ "eiqv41h", "eirww8x", "eit16wn" ], "score": [ 18, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "Carbon dioxide out of the air, water and nutrients out of the ground and energy from the sun. The carbon dioxide and nutrients make up the cell structures of the plant. The water helps move everything ...
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1ig72k
How do Historians use other Social Science disciplines in their research?
I am going to be attending a prominent university for Latin American Studies in the fall but would like to continue to focus on the History of Latin America. I have BA's in Sociology and History and love political science and philosophical issues throughout history (I love the more modern histories of the 19th and 20th...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ig72k/how_do_historians_use_other_social_science/
{ "a_id": [ "cb45eu3" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "I use sociology, LGBT studies, queer theory, gender studies, and even dance studies in my work. In my case it is largely out of necessity, as there are no true histories of the AIDS crisis and still fairly few about gay and lesbian history. Other...
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1ev13g
In 17th Century Europe, how were coffee and coffeehouses viewed?
* Was there a cliche of the typical "coffee drinker"? * Was the effect of the caffeine considered in how they were viewed? That is, was it understood to be a substance people indulged in? * What sort of discussions might have been had at this or that coffeehouse, and how did coffeehouses become the locales for publi...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ev13g/in_17th_century_europe_how_were_coffee_and/
{ "a_id": [ "ca43nsp" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "I'll have to make this brief as I'm about to go out (but I can explain (a lot!) more, if necessary).\n\nTo answer those three questions in a go, let's establish the 17th century coffee-house in general (funnily enough, I have a chapter more or le...
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8sb8mq
why does symmetry make people look more attractive?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8sb8mq/eli5_why_does_symmetry_make_people_look_more/
{ "a_id": [ "e0y113l" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text": [ "Not 100% sure about this but I think that it is in our genes. \n\nSymmetry is associated with healthiness. Back then when it was \"only the strongest survive\" symmetry was (and is) a sign of a healthy individual with good genes.\n\nIf you have a...
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38apug
what exactly happened in the olympic boycotts in 1980/84?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/38apug/eli5_what_exactly_happened_in_the_olympic/
{ "a_id": [ "crtm22h", "crtnchp", "crtnz7n" ], "score": [ 2, 11, 2 ], "text": [ "That was the one Russia hosted right? Basically no one went there to spend money in Russia while they spent money to host it and sped up their financial collapse of the soviet union.", "There were...
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9xkfkp
Following the Muslim conquests, many local languages, such as Berber or Coptic, were gradually replaced with Arabic and turned into minority languages. What allowed Persian to not share the same fate?
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9xkfkp/following_the_muslim_conquests_many_local/
{ "a_id": [ "e9tfo6r" ], "score": [ 68 ], "text": [ "I apologize that I mostly know about Coptic and Berber but I will try to demonstrate why this question is hard to answer and then introduce a recent theory into this particular subject. First, I would like to point out that when talking about \"...
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[ [ "http://mamluk.uchicago.edu/MSR_X-2_2006OSullivan.pdf", "http://mamluk.uchicago.edu/MSR\\_X-2\\_2006OSullivan.pdf", "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0388000117300670#" ] ]
3qb4er
the who announcement regarding processed meats.
What defines "processed"? Is this only about red meat and not say, Turkey/Chicken? What is the science behind this?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3qb4er/eli5_the_who_announcement_regarding_processed/
{ "a_id": [ "cwdno3k" ], "score": [ 11 ], "text": [ "So first off you really need to understand what the numbers look like here. We're talking about maybe 34,000 cases worldwide. Almost 13 million cases of cancer are diagnosed every year. So even if we take this announcement at face value, you'...
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393amq
when i eat apples my face sweats, why reddit
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/393amq/eli5when_i_eat_apples_my_face_sweats_why_reddit/
{ "a_id": [ "cs006ld", "cs00fbt" ], "score": [ 3, 3 ], "text": [ "Are you allergic to apples? I never had this happen or heard of it happening to anyone. Bot pls don't kill me :( Friend bot?", "Sounds to me like an alergic reaction.\n\nDoes it happen with apple juice?\n\nstop eating ap...
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5wi89i
what happens to water when it goes stale?
What happens to the water to give it that tangy, metal-like taste? Is it something to do with the plastic bottles?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5wi89i/eli5_what_happens_to_water_when_it_goes_stale/
{ "a_id": [ "deacv0b", "deaj870" ], "score": [ 4, 13 ], "text": [ "Part of it has to do with some of the gasses inside the water evaporating out, like how when you leave water out for a while it starts developing little bubbles along the walls of the glass.\n\nThe rest, as you mentioned, i...
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3b2oc4
why hasn't a car company come up with a new better performing, more efficient air cooled engine?
It seems like you get more space, save weight, and reduce complexity with an air cooled engine. Why hasn't a manufacturer put R & D into making a modern version for today's compact cars?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3b2oc4/eli5_why_hasnt_a_car_company_come_up_with_a_new/
{ "a_id": [ "csi957h", "csiaiz6", "csic4cv" ], "score": [ 12, 7, 5 ], "text": [ "Ironic username is ironic. \n\nI think engineers like water cooling because it helps solve a number of problems. It quiets the engine, provides a reliable source of heat for the HVAC systems and allows...
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[ [], [], [] ]
1xk0w2
Do blind people have better short-term memory for auditory input?
I was discussing memory with a couple of classmates when this came up. First, we couldn't fully establish whether or not short-term memory has a separate capacity for different stimuli - in this case auditory and visual are most relevant. What's the case? In any case, will the lack of "visual short-term memory" (if th...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1xk0w2/do_blind_people_have_better_shortterm_memory_for/
{ "a_id": [ "cfgv1sm" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "I might just be spitballin' here, but i'm pretty sure when someone is blind/deaf, they compensate for it through neuroplasticity. As some parts of the brain are lacking input and just using space (ie neurons in the visual cortex that are not in u...
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lj043
time signatures
Like I'm 5, please.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/lj043/eli5_time_signatures/
{ "a_id": [ "c2t2p0a", "c2t3l9w", "c2t2p0a", "c2t3l9w" ], "score": [ 9, 2, 9, 2 ], "text": [ "Simply, a time signature is the number of beats in a measure.\n\nListen to a piece of popular modern music, and count the beats. You'll most likely notice that it goes BOOM dot dot...
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[ [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=422-yb8TXj8&t=1m22s", "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2pKyRAP7tY", "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0bcRCCg01I", "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zKdjmBKjHI&t=2m", "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5r8sa863Ts", "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXjpiAQ...
24c8aj
Why was Alfred the great viewed positively by later kings when they only came to power by taking the country from his dynasty?
I'd have thought they'd want to down play the positive aspects of those who came before William
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/24c8aj/why_was_alfred_the_great_viewed_positively_by/
{ "a_id": [ "ch60bov" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Alfred the Great was extremely popular. He established a model of kingship in England that was built upon by his successors, and copied by later conquerors. Alfred established fantastical roots both for his kingship, and for the Anglo-Saxon peopl...
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[ [ "http://historyonline.chadwyck.co.uk/getImage?productsuffix=_studyunits&action=printview&in=gif&out=pdf&src=/ehd/ehd00196/conv/ehd00196.pdf&IE=.pdf" ] ]
2z7gxr
how come i wake up a minute or two before my bus stop more or less like clockwork when i fall asleep on the bus?
I've been commuting for 6 years and I've been taking the same bus line for those years and almost every time I take it in the afternoon I fall asleep and wakeup in just in time to press stop and get off. I've been thinking about it and I can think of any que that really indicates that it's the right stop unless I'm un...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2z7gxr/eli5_how_come_i_wake_up_a_minute_or_two_before_my/
{ "a_id": [ "cpgdbgu", "cpgen89" ], "score": [ 2, 7 ], "text": [ "Same here. I've always thought that it's about habit - even when you aren't fully conscious, so long as it's not a truly deep sleep, a body probably has to stay aware of its surroundings (in case of danger?), and therefore, ...
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6b5bmz
How much urbanisation was there in South America, besides the Inca cities?
I know central America had the Aztecs and so on, and in Peru there was the Incas. What about the rest of South America though? (Or lower central America, tbh). Were there other urban cultures besides the Incas? The stereotype I have is just thousands of square miles inhabited by hunter-gatherers and perhaps the occasio...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6b5bmz/how_much_urbanisation_was_there_in_south_america/
{ "a_id": [ "dhk5s8b" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text": [ "Hey there! Are you asking about urbanization in *regions* other than that which the Inca controlled, or are you interested in cultures that inhabited the same areas before them and whose own urbanisms developed into the Inca's?" ] }
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cwr3gu
why is brown rice so much dryer than white rice?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cwr3gu/eli5_why_is_brown_rice_so_much_dryer_than_white/
{ "a_id": [ "eye2vvh" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "Brown rice is just white rice that hasn't been processed so it still has a thing called a bran layer. \n\nThe bran layer is a tough fiberous coating. It isn't very absorbent and it surrounds the outside of the rice grain, so when you feel it in y...
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[ [] ]
a9v9s3
how do glow sticks light up when broken
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/a9v9s3/eli5_how_do_glow_sticks_light_up_when_broken/
{ "a_id": [ "ecmr9c6", "ecmra0c", "ecmrb81" ], "score": [ 2, 3, 6 ], "text": [ "They contain two chemicals that, when mixed, produce light. One of these chemicals is stored in a thin glass vial. When you crack the stick, the chemicals start mixing & the reaction can take place....
[]
[]
[ [], [], [] ]
141cij
What kind of programs or movements existed to assist the homeless between the 19th century and the Great Depression?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/141cij/what_kind_of_programs_or_movements_existed_to/
{ "a_id": [ "c79731b" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "Unions, Churches and Ethnic clubs/General Community organizations. \n\nBefore Roosevelt, there was a strong mainstream belief that the poor should not rely on a government dole in order to get by. If they needed some help, then the community coul...
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[ [] ]
1nh9sq
how they change wedding rings size without cutting?
How jewelry shops changes wedding rings size without cutting? I saw this machine, but i dont know how it works. How can you change the size and keep the same size (yo dawg)? Does it make the ring thinner? _URL_0_
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1nh9sq/eli5_how_they_change_wedding_rings_size_without/
{ "a_id": [ "ccikv8o", "ccimnzc" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "The machine linked in the OP stretches the ring to make it larger, or compresses it in one of those dies around the base to make it smaller. Gold is pretty malleable, so it's not terribly hard to change its size this way. Ye...
[]
[ "http://i.imgur.com/lnCkuP9.jpg" ]
[ [], [] ]
fvpv99
why do modern phones lack the soap opera effect of modern tvs?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/fvpv99/eli5_why_do_modern_phones_lack_the_soap_opera/
{ "a_id": [ "fmjxd4o", "fmk0pj3", "fmk1pae" ], "score": [ 5, 4, 4 ], "text": [ "I think they r referring to that hyper realistic quality in the picture.. i dont like it..it does remind me of a soap opera..I thought i was high the first time i saw it on someones tv..", "The effe...
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[]
[ [], [], [] ]
1wn5br
how do companies like primerica make you money?
I want to save for retirement but I don't understand how IRAs make you money or how dependable a company like Primerica is. I don't know how stock generates money.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1wn5br/eli5_how_do_companies_like_primerica_make_you/
{ "a_id": [ "cf3l3vo", "cf3mezc", "cf3nt7g" ], "score": [ 6, 8, 2 ], "text": [ "These companies are known as \"Multi-Level Marketing\" and have a structure *very* similar to that of a pyramid scheme (though legally, because they have a product they aren't classed as pyramid schemes...
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[]
[ [], [ "https://www.consumeraffairs.com/employment/primerica.html", "http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Primerica-Ripoff-Report-Verified-Safe/Edmonton-Alberta/REVIEW-Primerica-offers-excellent-business-opportunities-stands-behind-its-products-s-23615", "https://web.archive.org/web/20070208210054/http://www....
29bgsr
For a peasant/farmer, how onerous was Roman taxation? Was it good value for the services provided?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/29bgsr/for_a_peasantfarmer_how_onerous_was_roman/
{ "a_id": [ "cijawoe", "cijbj9f", "cijc4xx" ], "score": [ 13, 3, 2 ], "text": [ "It really depended on where you were and when. Even in modern times there have been areas that could resist taxation with remoteness, despite modern states having considerably more coercive power. In g...
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[ [], [], [] ]
181nm9
If Mitochondria exist as almost separate entities from the cell, does it always divide perfectly during mitosis?
Or does it sometimes not coordinate well enough, giving a cell no mitochondria. If so, how frequent does this happen?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/181nm9/if_mitochondria_exist_as_almost_separate_entities/
{ "a_id": [ "c8ay5ae", "c8b67t5", "c8bijaz" ], "score": [ 3, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "In mammals, mitochondria don't necessarily divide during mitosis; instead they divide when the host cell requires more energy and combine or die out when less energy is needed. During mitosis, the mitoc...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endosymbiotic_theory", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_fission" ], [], [ "http://i.imgur.com/Q3JU8xP.png" ] ]
4tlpo9
why are fiber-optic connections faster? don't electrical signals move at the speed of light anyway, or close to it?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4tlpo9/eli5_why_are_fiberoptic_connections_faster_dont/
{ "a_id": [ "d5i9bk8", "d5i9mxc", "d5i9omk", "d5i9qfd", "d5i9z4i", "d5iakel", "d5iaxwx", "d5ib36m", "d5ib573", "d5iei9b", "d5iel9z", "d5igrda", "d5ihc1c", "d5iki2v", "d5ikj5n", "d5il8fr", "d5ilr7x", "d5intdk", "d5iot35", "d5ipwa5", "d...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_okcNVZqqI", "http://www.extremetech.com/computing/151498-researchers-create-fib...
1zmdje
Has the privilege of knights to make knights ever been abolished?
Historically, I understand that it was the privilege of any knight to make any of his followers into a knight. (Or anyone at all, I suppose, though obviously it would be restricted in practice.) Is this still the case? In theory, can Sir Andrew Davis or Sir Terry Pratchett or some such modern knight just make anyone th...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1zmdje/has_the_privilege_of_knights_to_make_knights_ever/
{ "a_id": [ "cfux69x", "cfva9gy", "cfvd58u" ], "score": [ 2, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Alternatively I'd question the premise. Did common knights (as opposed to Barons, Earls, or other titled nobility) ever have the right to bestow knighthood upon others - particularly with regard to Engl...
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[]
[ [], [], [] ]
60cvp0
why do so many superhero origin stories involve parents dying?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/60cvp0/eli5_why_do_so_many_superhero_origin_stories/
{ "a_id": [ "df5c5tx", "df5ceoo", "df5chgt" ], "score": [ 3, 2, 5 ], "text": [ "Parents are only there to cause angst for the hero. If they're loving and supportive they must die. If they're not then they're mean and abusive so the hero must run away bemoaning his fate.", "Beca...
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[ [], [], [] ]
236qf1
what's the difference between cables that send power and cables that send data? how come phone cables can do both?
How come the cables that come from a computer's power supply send JUST power and what is difference between those cables and the SATA cables that send data. Following that, why can the iPhone and Android cables send power and transfer data - is it due to it being USB? Thanks, just a niggling query that I've never had ...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/236qf1/eli5_whats_the_difference_between_cables_that/
{ "a_id": [ "cgtzant", "cgu0u23" ], "score": [ 4, 4 ], "text": [ "At each end of every cable is a connector. Typically cables have a male connector that plugs into the female connector on a device. On every connector there are multiple \"pins\" or connection points. You solder a wire to ea...
[]
[]
[ [], [] ]
1yp57j
Are artistic traits, such as being able to draw exceptionally or excelling in the musical arts, dependent on one's genes?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1yp57j/are_artistic_traits_such_as_being_able_to_draw/
{ "a_id": [ "cfmmi36" ], "score": [ 10 ], "text": [ "'Artistic' is probably not a genetic trait. But if you break it down into its component parts, then each of the following things are at least PARTLY genetic: hand-eye coordination, fine motor movement, gross motor movement, depth perception, col...
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[ [] ]
j21g3
A question from my 4yo son
Is the sun hard or squishy? I'm not entirely sure how to answer him. I mean, it's gas, but I'm betting that hydrogen squashed hard enough to fuse is pretty dense. How hard *is* the sun?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/j21g3/a_question_from_my_4yo_son/
{ "a_id": [ "c29w5h9", "c28hjoh", "c28hkii", "c28hl87", "c28hlnx", "c28hlvv", "c28hxuf", "c28hybu", "c28jm71", "c28jsrp", "c28lxkl", "c28ohdv", "c29w5h9" ], "score": [ 2, 20, 87, 109, 81, 231, 4, 2, 6, 2, 8, 5, ...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun#Core" ], [ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkW_yByO7r4" ], [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_star#Structure" ], [], [], [], [], [] ]
9rmy0m
how do public policy think-tanks work?
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9rmy0m/eli5_how_do_public_policy_thinktanks_work/
{ "a_id": [ "e8ifgpw" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text": [ "They get paid to think about problems and write reports of their conclusions. The analysts that work in these places combine expertise in the subject matter (economics, foreign policy, ...) with critical thinking and analysis skills to explore t...
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[]
[ [] ]
2gu714
Were the Persians and the Chinese empires aware of each other's existence and did they frequently interact?
I imagine that the Persians and Chinese knew about each other since even the Romans and Chinese had vague interactions with each other. The Persians, being between the Romans and Chinese, must have interacted with the Chinese. Was there any direct trade or were there any wars between the two?
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2gu714/were_the_persians_and_the_chinese_empires_aware/
{ "a_id": [ "ckmkbtq", "ckmtyec" ], "score": [ 62, 4 ], "text": [ "The first known interaction was reported by Zhang Qian, a Chinese explorer. He wrote that they were an advanced civilization, and commented on their currency, wine, cultivation and walled cities and also of the amount of ci...
[]
[]
[ [], [ "http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/hhshu/hou_han_shu.html#sec10" ] ]
2htcv7
When and how did pop culture associate all things Nuclear with the color green?
It seems that every time we see nuclear waste/ materials in pop culture (especially cartoons) it has a distinctive green glow. Where did this trope come from? Nuclear materials rarely glow, and in the rare cases that they do, the color is blue, not green.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2htcv7/when_and_how_did_pop_culture_associate_all_things/
{ "a_id": [ "ckw7kbp" ], "score": [ 9 ], "text": [ "Radioactive materials are often portrayed as green because back in the mid 20th century, there was a trend of making glowing watch faces with radioactive paint mixed with phosphorus. As you say, radioactivity is impossible to see with the naked e...
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[]
[ [ "http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/20/2249925.htm" ] ]
4v3phu
why do you need to pay to get a divorce and pay to get married?
Update: Thank you guys for educating me!
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4v3phu/eli5_why_do_you_need_to_pay_to_get_a_divorce_and/
{ "a_id": [ "d5v6phv", "d5v9nn2", "d5visau" ], "score": [ 4, 2, 5 ], "text": [ "Because it requires paperwork which your government has decided it will charge a fee to process.\n\nGenerally it is a nominal fee. Is ~$10 really stopping anyone from getting hitched?", "Previous an...
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[ [], [], [] ]
1k3r77
How common was the surname 'Hitler' in Germany/Austria prior to the 1930s? Did people later drop it because of its connotations?
What about other notorious dictators/fascists in Germany and elsewhere? I seem to recall the first name 'Adolf' or 'Adolph' is relatively common; I think there's a Joseph Conrad book where it is used for the main character.
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1k3r77/how_common_was_the_surname_hitler_in/
{ "a_id": [ "cbl2xeo", "cbl3281", "cbl5mu4", "cbl7k7q", "cbl8fx9", "cblbeog", "cble5ws", "cblf8wn" ], "score": [ 385, 64, 7, 14, 8, 2, 3, 3 ], "text": [ "This is some anecdotal evidence.\n\nThe name \"Adolf\" was a relatively common one in Be...
[]
[]
[ [ "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Patrick_Hitler", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Daens" ], [], [ "http://www.meilleursprenoms.com/stats/histogram.php3?recherche=Adolphe&image.x=0&image.y=0" ], [ "http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/24/nyregion/24patchogue.html?pagewanted=all...
9i5n8z
how can we drive for minutes, maybe even hours, without really paying attention to the road? i have daydreamed and come back and not known what has happened the past 15 minutes.
explainlikeimfive
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9i5n8z/eli5_how_can_we_drive_for_minutes_maybe_even/
{ "a_id": [ "e6h1l2w", "e6h1rx0", "e6h1s50", "e6h1u6o", "e6h1xdq", "e6h24fu", "e6h2a4n" ], "score": [ 5, 4, 7, 27, 20, 2, 2 ], "text": [ "Seriously, I kind of shutter every time it happens", "Driving involves a lot of habits and muscle memory. Y...
[]
[]
[ [], [], [], [], [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automaticity", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_hypnosis" ], [], [] ]
82r2er
Would rain droplets on a lower gravity planet be larger, on average, compared to our own planet?
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/82r2er/would_rain_droplets_on_a_lower_gravity_planet_be/
{ "a_id": [ "dvcexnk", "dvcf1gw", "dvcfcli", "dvcn0u0", "dvczc52" ], "score": [ 20, 108, 2, 5, 3 ], "text": [ "Disregarding all of the minor/major changes that lowering gravity would do to atmospheric formation of clouds, etc., and we accepted for the sake of the qu...
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[ [], [], [ "https://www.scienceabc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/2000px-Raindrops_sizes.svg_.webp" ], [], [ "https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10890" ] ]
6st27k
How did Venice lose her maritime importance while the less-powerful Genoa maintained as Italy's largest port today?
Today's Venice is a famous premier tourist destination thanks to her unique city scenes that are full of canals. In fact, tourism is the main driver of the Venetian economy today. However, before Venice became a tourism-focused city, she had been the center of one of the most powerful maritime empires in the Mediterran...
AskHistorians
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6st27k/how_did_venice_lose_her_maritime_importance_while/
{ "a_id": [ "dlfm6li", "dlfnqgi", "dlfrp4x", "dlfrrr0", "dlftfgc", "dlg4djb" ], "score": [ 27, 87, 6, 542, 85, 7 ], "text": [ "More to the point, why did Genoa become an industrial power, and Venice did not?", "I can answer at least to the part about Ven...
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[]
[ [], [], [], [ "http://www.infodata.ilsole24ore.com/2016/02/17/traffico-merci-nei-porti-italiani-37-le-tonnellate-movimentate-container-a-05/?refresh_ce=1" ], [ "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6diwuv/how_does_history_regard_the_venetian_republics/di5g5xx/", "https://books.googl...
3q9ue1
Since DNA is an acid, is there such thing as DNA salts?
EDIT: Woah this blew up
askscience
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/3q9ue1/since_dna_is_an_acid_is_there_such_thing_as_dna/
{ "a_id": [ "cwdbt0q", "cwdqfn2" ], "score": [ 2385, 95 ], "text": [ "Not only can DNA exist as a salt, but this is pretty much its standard form in the solid state. In an aqueous medium, DNA exists as a conjugate base with negatively charged phosphate groups stabilized by a bunch of [coun...
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[]
[ [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_precipitation", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterion" ], [] ]
23u67r
why is it impossible to stop thinking?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/23u67r/eli5_why_is_it_impossible_to_stop_thinking/
{ "a_id": [ "ch0nhof", "ch0p64k", "ch0ph3r", "ch0pozs", "ch0pw9y", "ch0qejr", "ch0r79l" ], "score": [ 29, 5, 9, 4, 5, 20, 2 ], "text": [ "Some kinds of meditation are the attempt to silence your thoughts. Through willpower and training you can silenc...
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[ [], [], [], [], [], [], [] ]
2utq0y
During the American civil war Why weren't bayonet charges used often?
I read that during the war European observers were shocked to find that rather than shoot each-other for a bit then charge the Union and Confederacy would just line up and shoot each-other until one or the other would collapse more often then not. Why weren't bayonet charges used as often as among European armies? w...
AskHistorians
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2utq0y/during_the_american_civil_war_why_werent_bayonet/
{ "a_id": [ "cobp6yh", "cobvrl5" ], "score": [ 5, 2 ], "text": [ "it appears to be inexperience by these armies. in the beginning of the war, the armies grew in size, many times their normal peacetime strength and so you have inexperienced leaders at every level; and large numbers of raw r...
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[ [], [] ]
385405
caitlyn jenner in vanity fair and the big deal of it?
I dont follow these sorts of things but it has popped up in my FB feed and people are praising her for being a strong women and all that. What is the significance of this?
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/385405/eli5caitlyn_jenner_in_vanity_fair_and_the_big/
{ "a_id": [ "crscuae", "crscwb5", "crscyhq", "crsd50q" ], "score": [ 4, 2, 2, 3 ], "text": [ "Caitlyn Jenner was formerly Bruce Jenner, an internationally renowned Olympic athlete who was the face of masculinity and athleticism in the 1970s. She recently came out as transge...
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[ [], [], [], [] ]
2r6wzq
why is the credit card considered so secure if all the information required to make a purchase is on the card?
There isn't any memorisation (such as PINs) aspect to the credit card. To make a purchase from one, you just need the physical (or a photo of the) card.
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2r6wzq/eli5_why_is_the_credit_card_considered_so_secure/
{ "a_id": [ "cnd0v17", "cnd1ttu" ], "score": [ 2, 3 ], "text": [ "Though chip/PIN aspect protects the cardholder and merchant from one type of fraud, the security procedures and insurance of the entire industry protects both from the other type of fraud.\n\nLet's say I have your credit car...
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[ [], [] ]
2qx085
Is air indoors more polluted than outdoors?
Was just wondering about this, and if so, why?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2qx085/is_air_indoors_more_polluted_than_outdoors/
{ "a_id": [ "cnarsi0" ], "score": [ 2 ], "text": [ "I think it seriously depends on the situation but the EPA suggests that particle levels are the same or lower than outdoors in houses without smoking ([source](_URL_1_)). The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (discovered via Google, see [...
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[]
[ [ "http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/airquality/sip/criteria-pollutants/sip-pm", "http://www.epa.gov/iaq/rpart.html" ] ]
1vw2s5
why are most corporations considered evil?
I have never fully researched or looked into the world of corporations and all the things they do (or don't do) most of what I do know is based on peers or people around me talking about it. For example? Company's like EA or Bayer (knowingly giving medication that could give HIV). I have recently decided to expand my k...
explainlikeimfive
http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1vw2s5/why_are_most_corporations_considered_evil/
{ "a_id": [ "cewbpye", "cewbt1o", "cewbv67", "cewc6oo", "cewclcx", "ceweux7" ], "score": [ 10, 5, 7, 2, 2, 4 ], "text": [ "Most corporations aren't evil and just do useful things like make your bread for your breakfast toast or make wires for your house.\n\n...
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[]
[ [], [ "http://youtu.be/QJuxb7HddOM" ], [], [], [], [] ]
vqmyu
Landing on Mars with a glider?
I just saw the video about landing on mars, the [Seven Minutes of Terror](_URL_0_), and I was wondering why they opted to use a rocket landing instead of using a glider. With a glider, they can conserve a lot of resources and power instead of rocket propulsion. Plus, a soft landing is more possible than rockets without...
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/vqmyu/landing_on_mars_with_a_glider/
{ "a_id": [ "c56r80q", "c56ra8n", "c56riz1" ], "score": [ 4, 4, 3 ], "text": [ " > Does it have something to do with the 100 times thinner atmosphere\n\nProbably. NASA engineers are smart people and think of all the angles, and then go through rigorous math to compare the price an...
[]
[ "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzqdoXwLBT8&feature=player_embedded" ]
[ [], [], [ "http://www.x-plane.com/adventures/mars.html", "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indicated_airspeed" ] ]
1cc400
If you listen to music loudly (via earphones) in a very windy situation, where you can barely hear the music (for example in a convertible going fast), is the music still doing damage to your ears?
askscience
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1cc400/if_you_listen_to_music_loudly_via_earphones_in_a/
{ "a_id": [ "c9f3w34", "c9f3wjx" ], "score": [ 8, 30 ], "text": [ "One of the leading causes of hearing loss for motorcycle riders is \"wind noise.\" So playing music that is even louder than that most definitely has damaging potential. ", "Yep. Same thing with being at a bar or loud c...
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[ [], [] ]