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The origin of the surnames "English", "French", and "Irish." | People got those last names because they were from that country. If you're in England and have two Johns and one is French, you might call him French John or John French. Same deal with other countries. On a related note, the name Scott comes from the country Scotland. For some odd reason though, it has made the jump f... |
How does Google's new app streaming work? | It sounds like it streams the application to your phone . The Agawi link will give you more technical details. _URL_1_ "streamed” apps are actually running on virtual machines on Google’s cloud platform, and respond to your taps and touches similar to how native applications do. The ability to “stream” virtual versions... |
What drives people to post movie spoilers? | So you really have to understand the psychology of self esteem and self image. They are playing this game where they're smarter than you and better than you, and to win they make you mad. Recently, studies have debunked the idea that bullies secretly have low self-esteem. Turns out, no, they're usually very narcissisti... |
Why do websites allow annoying ads that will make people want to avoid them (using adblockers) instead of politely asking users to at least have a look ? | I do a lot of web dev / product work, the simple answer? The annoying ones work. A beautiful, simple, unobtrusive ad does not get nearly the same clicks. Having something annoying and in your face yields a much higher percentage. For the record I hate them and try to keep our ads tasteful. But there are times where we ... |
How can we tell someone is smiling even when talking over the phone? | Two hypotheses: 1. You know the person well enough to know the kinds of things they would smile at. 2. People pronounce things slightly differently when they're smiling, whether it be by their mouth shape or from inflection, that humans can naturally pick up on. It's probably the first though. |
why is it that people do not get high the first time they experience marijuana | The only reason someone wouldn't get high is if they don't actually inhale. Which probably happens more often for first timers since your body isn't used to breathing in smoke. |
Can we magnetize a demagnetized magnet to its original power, or even stronger? | The individual atoms of a ferromagnetic substance are themselves magnetic. Generally, they point in random directions and the magnetism is largely cancelled out. In a magnet, most of the atoms point in the same direction, instead of every-which way. To remagnetize a material, you just need to expose it to a large magne... |
Why do we have to close our eyes to sleep ? | Closing our eyes protects them and stops them from drying out and also we don't need to be able to see when we are asleep. There are however, some people who don't close their eyes when they are asleep so it is possible to sleep with your eyes open.I occasionally sleep with my eyes completely open. Past partners all sa... |
Why does physical pain make us cry when we're younger but not as much when we're older? | experience. when you were a kid it was new and scary, now its old hat.I got much better at swearing when I got older. That's much more effective than crying.Its a learned social function. Human beings are social creatures. They best way to ensure your health and wellbeing mentally and physically is by receiving support... |
Google offering $1M prize for a much smaller power inverter | A power inverter converts battery power into the higher voltage AC used by devices you plug into a wall outlet. It is useful in a car, for example, when you need to provide power to an AC device. You plug the inverter into a cigarette lighter socket, and now you've got 120 volt AC for whatever device might need it. Bet... |
Kafka - The Metamorphosis. | Have you read the book but not "gotten it," or do you want just want a summary? |
Why aren't laptops functionally designed to be on laps? | Laps were not specifically designed to support laptops very well so I guess that settles the score.On a serious note: Although you can put any laptop on your lap, heat production will make it uncomfortable fast. Newer machines do not produce as much heat as older ones so we're getting there.In the meantime we'll just c... |
When you lose weight, where does the fat go/how does it actually exit our bodies? | You exhale it in the form of carbon dioxide, and piss it out in the form of water. But mostly you exhale it.By normal means, when you lose weight, you have to 'burn' your fat into calories. You break the fat molecule down and get energy, water and carbondioxide in the end. Since fat is difficult to break down, your bod... |
How do supermarkets produce so many store brand products to keep up with the brand names? | The food industry, like most industries is a lot more complex and less-straight forward than most people would think. Many companies produce store brand products in the exact same facility as the branded products. This is especially true for commodity type products . The company producing the product may be getting mor... |
What are check cashing places and who uses them? | They are places that cash checks for a fee, usually a percentage. > If you need a check cashed wouldn't you go to a bank? Some people don't have bank accounts. Some poor neighborhood don't have banks or ATMs within walking distances. Other people have debts, are fugitives, or are otherwise living off the grid, and don'... |
What is happening when you forget a word, but you know the meaning? | This is called Tip of the Tongue in Psychology. There are multiple steps required to process language and recall words. TotT is a breakdown in one or more of those steps > The best way to cure TotT is to think of words that rhyme with the word you can't remember, rather than trying to describe the word or stutter over ... |
why do certain foods taste good hot | Temperature doesn't have a taste, but it does affect taste. It is easier to taste individual flavors at a warm temperature. Extremely hot or frozen food will hide some flavor because your taste buds are being chilled or burned at the same time. |
How can people like Ajit Pai, who is trying to reverse the regulations that the FCC exists to create, come into power as the chairman of such an organization? | The President nominates someone. The Senate confirms them . That's pretty much the extent of it, although I suppose that if the FBI background check failed, that would also end the process. Trump nominated a radio talk show host to be chief scientist of the Dept of Agriculture. And someone to be a federal judge who has... |
Why isn't George Gershwin's music in the public domain yet? | Simple - because he wrote it after Steamboat Willie. That shit's never gonna end up in the public domain.Former paralegal here from a music office. Short answer is that between the Copyright act of 1976, the extension in the 90s and the DMCA from 1999/2000, the term now is 95 years from first publishing. And that numbe... |
Why do we focus more on speeding drivers than we do distracted drivers? | An officer can easily prove a person was speeding, they've got it all logged into a computer that tracks nearby vehicles. They can't prove you looked down at your cellphone for two seconds. |
Why do some colleges accept CLEP/DANTES/Excelsior test credits and some do not? | It has to do with both. Some of prestigious, private colleges refuse to accept these because their courses are 'special'. I went to NYU and after officially becoming a student you cannot transfer any credits into the school aside from whatever you came in with before you were a student . Unfortunately I think this is p... |
Why did Robert Mugabe receive a bigger cheer than Jacob Zuma at Mandela's memorial? | Zuma is currently not very popular in South Africa, he has had quite a number of scandals recently. Such as his friends, the Guptas, being allowed to land their wedding guests on a military base, and the spending of R250 million on his home ranch. Also several previous scandals and corruption case that was stopped for ... |
How does the device in this picture measure how long the cable is? | i would guess it probably sends a pulse to the tx/rx pair and times the response back.If I had to guess, I'd say it measures the resistance of the cable and computes the length from that. A conductor has more resistance the longer it is. The dudes in /r/cableporn would probably know for sure. |
How does a tire stay on the rim in pretty heavy conditions? (burnout, high cornering speed etc.) What exactly is holding it steady on the rim? | Here's the short version. The inside diameter of the tire is smaller than you think. It tales a huge amount of force to stretch the tire over the rim. It's an amazingly tight fit, not glue. P.s. In some ultra-high-torque applications "rim screws" are employed to secure the tire to the rimEach edge of the tire contains ... |
Why can my boyfriend eat much spicier food than me? | Tolerance for spicy food is acquired through practice. The reason he can tolerate hot stuff more than you is that he regularly eats spicy stuff. The brain gradually learns that spicy stuff isn't actual fire, so it stops reacting as strong to those kinds of pain signals, and can even release endorphins - the chemicals t... |
How does physical money gets settled around the world | We use a "fiat currency". It has no value, it's not real, we simply accept that a certain bill or coin has a certain value. With that in mind, there's no need to transfer physical notes or coins, as long as everyone involved has accepted that the value has been transferred from A to B. The only exception is to maintain... |
Why does it seem like there are different "classes" of last names? | As much as we like to talk about opportunity, people and entire families tend to stay within the social and economic class that they were born into. Children of wealthy families tend to get better education, better opportunities, better social connections, better jobs, etc. and stay wealthy. They then have other wealth... |
Why did bundling IE with Windows cause anti-trust violations but Safari/ Itunes in IOS and MSE in Win8 isn't? | The issue wasn't JUST that it was bundled with the OS. There are are a couple other factors: When this ruling was made, Microsoft was far more dominant in the PC market than it is now and was effectively a monopoly. Through that monopoly, Microsoft began to push out its competitors in other markets by forcing OEMs to b... |
Why is it so common to dream you are flying? | I want to know why I have never had such a dream, but it seems everyone else has.these explanations trying to tie in physiological causation aren't doing it for me. when i dream about flying there's always a positive emotion along with it, usually being astounded and then elation. and they are always really realistic f... |
Why does using electronics with a lit up screen before bed make it harder to fall asleep? | One of the reasons we get tired and fall asleep is because of [Melatonin]. Melatonin is a hormone found in almost all biological life. Now let's make this easy to understand. :) A long time ago when artificial light was not a thing human sleep was governed by night/day. When it became dark we went to sleep, and when it... |
What is 'the dialectic'/dialectical thinking? And how can it be applied to the world today? | Looking at different perspectives with the goal of reasoned understanding, basically. Working around personal bias and assumptions and emotion. For example, we are having a disagreement because I like dogs and you like cats. We could sit down and talk logically about the attributes of each, and decide that they are equ... |
The group 'Anonymous' and some of the major things they have done. | Here you go OP: Anonymous is a broad term used to refer to members of the 4chan community. . The reason for this came from the posting style of 4chan. 4chan has no registration, so each post is individual. When making a post you had the option of inserting a name if you wanted, however if you did not, the name field de... |
If we have so many medical advancements, why don't pills and medicines taste delicious? | If pills tasted like strawberry, unknowing children may eat them like candy, which is extremely dangerous.Well the only people that would benefit is kids who are use their good ole naturally selected sense of taste to determine that something is icky and they don't want to take it. By the time you're an adult the hope ... |
What causes some people to gag when they see a graphic injury like Gordon Haywards? | For me it's that I have had injuries similar and can still remember the pain.Something in my brain just goes Remember when we did that |
Why do I feel like chewing my own tongue when I'm hungry? | TIL there are people who chew on thier tongue in anticipation of a meal.It's partially from oral fixation and partially from neural conditioning. You eat food, which involves moving your mouth and tongue moving and churning, eating positively influences serotonin levels. No eating happening= mouth craves **Not a scient... |
By what authority does Arizona county Sheriff have to investigate a Hawaiian birth certificate? | He doesn´t have any legal authority do investigate this matter. As others have said, he pursues this as a "private person" and the reason he became notable is because he is, incidentally, also an elected official. However he may not use any resources of his Sheriff´s office for this investigation and he has no authorit... |
What would happen if you were to drink the water on Mars? | Well, it's being reported as briny water, which means very salt-rich. A glass of water saltier than the sea would not go down smooth, you'd puke your guts out.Most likely it is a briny mix of sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate but possibly also cyanide. The pH is probably very acidic or very basic, dependi... |
If it labor usually takes hours and hours how are twins born a few minutes apart? | The labor process may take hours, as in the time until the [cervix is fully dilated.], which is where the cervix expands to become large enough to accommodate a human baby head. Until the dilation is complete, it the woman may experience contractions for several hours, which is commonly called "in labor." The actual bi... |
Why has no one (in the US) been imprisoned in connection with the financial collapse of 2008? | Bankruptcy is not a crime. Can you be more specific?Because it was the government's fault and the bankers didn't really break any laws. It's the government's fault because they thought everyone should own a home. So they told the bankers, "Lend money to people to buy homes, and if they can't pay you back, then we'll pa... |
Why I'm groggy waking up at 6am instead of 12 noon, despite still getting 8 hours of sleep in both cases. | The ELI5 answer: Your body has a natural clock inside of it that's set to a special thing called \'circadian rhythm.\' It's a biological cycle that lasts about 24 hours, the same amount of time as one day. Some parts of your body, like your brain, act differently or make different chemicals when you're asleep. Circadia... |
Why are you prompted to close all other programs when installing something? | The installer may need access to files for a program due to some connectivity or upgrade related things and it's easier to tell you to close everything than to try and find every possible program ever made or that will ever be made that will cause instillation errors to your program. It's sort of a lazy way out of a co... |
Why anesthesia in US makes people high and act funny when they wake up, while in Europe we are completely fine? | 1) Not all anesthesia makes people act funny, and not everyone will act funny when exposed to the kinds that do. 2) I have seen many accounts from Europe nearly identical to US accounts. So you are letting your personal experience blind you to the facts. |
What's with these desperate teenage girls trying to join ISIS? | Teenagers can feel quite disillusioned and easily get caught up in ideals that take them away from the difficulties of puberty.In the case of young women, they are often radicalised online through influence and the promise of a better life. Through using social media they can promise idealised notions of Islamic life. ... |
How do we know that the quark stars are not actually the mechanism behind black holes? | The un-fun answer is that quark stars are as-of-yet hypothetical and haven't been confirmed or denied. The longer answer is that something that *appears* to be a black hole from the outside *is* a black hole. We don't know what happens past the event horizon by definition, and if we understand physics correctly, we may... |
Why does the US distribute it's milk under refrigeration? | mainly because of consumer acceptance. milk in usa has always come refrigerated. In June 1993, Parmalat introduced its UHT milk to the United States.[12] In the American market, consumers are uneasy about consuming milk that is not delivered under refrigeration, and reluctant to buy it. To combat this, Parmalat is sell... |
When I eat a lot of carbs, why am I fatigued through the entire next day? | You're body quickly converts [simple carbs] into blood sugar called Glucose. Your pancreas then produces insulin to remove that blood sugar and that rapid drop in blood sugar leaves you tired. Lacking blood sugar is known as [Hypoglycemia]. Your body can also become [insulin resistant], which can become type II diabete... |
What's wrong with microwave meals? | They aren't as bad as many people may think. Frozen microwaved meals often have less salt/preservatives due to the fact that they are flash frozen for preservation. Now, they certainly aren't chock full of nutrients or vitamins by any stretch of the imagination, and can certainly have plenty of bad qualities, but there... |
Why do certain cultures consistently own in certain chains and establishments? | The reasoning behind it is mostly that people's families and friends help them get established when they move to a new country. Say you have an uncle with a couple convenience stores, maybe he'll give you a job in one. After a while maybe you save some money and buy a store of your own because you have lots of experien... |
How placing a newly sharpend wood spear hardens it? | The biggest factor is that you're driving out moisture from the wood, which causes it to become "tighter", and harder. The trade off is that you lose some flexibility, but that's why you only fire harden the tip. If you really take your time laying it in coals and rubbing it on a rock, you build a layer of carbon aroun... |
Why has industry and manufacturing declined so much in countries like the US and UK but not in Germany? | Your question is based on a faulty premise. I don't know about the UK, but manufacturing hasn't significantly declined in the US. By most measures, manufacturing output is now slightly lower than it was in 2007, but higher than it was at almost any point before that. See the following graphs: _URL_0_ _URL_2_ _URL_1_ So... |
When watching sports on television, why is falling rain only visible from some camera angles? | Because the cameras aren't close to the players, they are far away. This means that all the rain close to the camera is blurred and the rain by the players is so small that it can't be seen , however, when they do close-ups of faces, you can then see the rain in front of them, mid-range shots can also show rain. |
What is the link between prime numbers and cryptography? | Cryptography comes in two big varieties: symmetrical and asymmetrical. Symmetrical cryptography uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data — this is what you might use to keep files in your computer safe, but it's kind of bad for communicating between two people. Asymmetrical cryptography uses two different keys tha... |
When was the Second Amendment limited to firearms (as opposed to explosives)? | Explosives were explicitly restricted in the 1934 National Firearms Act, where most explosives and any non-shotgun with a bore larger than 0.5" became regulated as [destructive devices]. There are strict regulations on the manufacture and transfer of anything classified as a destructive device. |
What are good running techniques for a complete beginner? | I also suggest posting to /r/running but I think I can give you some general tips. My tips are from the standpoint of cross country training. The first thing to determine is your natural stride. When you start running you will naturally have a comfortable speed which is easier to maintain.You can push yourself faster, ... |
Why does water on the ground and outside evaporate even if the temperature never reaches 100 degrees Celsius? | Because water begins to evaporate before it reaches boiling point, some the water molecules speed up enough and break from their bonds with the body of liquid. Water can evaporate at room temperature, just much slower due to less energy.The speed that water evaporates increases with the temperature. When water is froze... |
Why does being worried about laughing make it hard not to laugh? | Seems like the reasoning could be rooted in the "White Bear" problem or something called [ironic process theory]. Trying not to think of something causes you to think of it more. Basically, part of your brain avoids thinking about whatever it is by thinking of things that aren't the thing you're trying to avoid. But an... |
How did Germany recover their economy and become an economic powerhouse, after losing 2 world wars, paying millions of Euros of reparations and being annexed by 4 nations? | 1. Most of the reparations for WWI were forgiven after WWII.2. A lot of money was pumped into Germany after WWII to rebuild it because the US didn't want them to fall to communism.3. Germany has always been one of the major economies in Europe, so it is really a reversion to the mean.4. Annexed by 4 nations? It was occ... |
How do people like George Zimmerman and Casey Anthony stay safe? | Jack Ruby asked for protection from the Warren Commission after he shot Lee Harvey Oswald as he believed his life was in danger, but he was declined . I imagine if they're wealthy enough they'd have some sort of private security - though you would assume this would start well before an acquittal if it was a publicised ... |
How do cities with high annual rainfall deal with construction? | Concrete doesn't 'dry', it 'cures'. When it hardens, it's because of a chemical reaction that works just as well underwater. So rain is no problem. |
How can movies like 'The Possesion' about a moth demon growing inside a child claim to be 'based on a true story'? | a) It could be VERY loosely based, but still be \'based on\'. This is a marketing gimmick. b) It's based on one specific version of the story. See "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". She has a condition where her body locks up in very odd, somewhat terrifying poses. The doctors say it's one thing, the priest says it's the ot... |
what is the biological purpose of the female orgasm? | Well, with evolution, there was never an "intended result". At least, unless you subscribe to creationism, you assume that nobody "built in" the feature with a purpose in mind. The basic evolutionary logic on biological phenomena is that they helped us reproduce more / survive long enough to reproduce more, so they cau... |
Why are most of the pictures coming back from space now a days in black & white? | The majority of pictures from outer space have always been in black an white. Most color photos of space have been edited to add the color. |
Why to spacecraft reach outer space by launching straight up instead of taking off like an airplane and increasing altitude until out of the atmosphere | Airplanes need air underneath the wings to work properly. The higher you go, the less air there is, so it's physically impossibly to leave the atmosphere this way.Because to get to orbit, you must go very, very fast to the side. Actually an orbit is the same as falling, but you are going so fast you miss every time, li... |
What are the most concrete pieces of evidence for man made climate change? | The simplest explanation is that there is an observable relationship between *current* climate change and anthropomorphic emissions. If you'd like more information, I really don't think an ELI5 would be appropriate. Check out these links: - _URL_3_ - _URL_0_ - _URL_4_ - _URL_2_ - _URL_7_ - _URL_6_ - _URL_1_ - _URL_5_",... |
; Why can't I describe the 'voice' of my inner monologue? | might be different depending on the person, my inner monologue can be any voice i want it to be. even in spanish. but any other time when im reading or thinking to myself its generally my own voice i hear in my head', "Because your true inner monologue isn't speaking an established language. |
What exactly is autism? | So i may not be able to explain throughly but something that helped with my understanding was this video. _URL_0_ It gives me chills everytime', "[This link] contains loads of useful information written by one of the foremost autism researchers in the field Simon Baron-Cohen. It gives a really good overview of a few cu... |
Why do aerial pictures of cities show flat top buildings from different angles? | If you wanted a picture of every building from exactly overhead you would need to fly exactly over every one. That is a ton of flying, it is much easier just to fly where you can see them. |
Why do I have to wear bowling shoes at a bowling alley? | The approach is sanded and lacquered smooth. Any sort of small rocks and such can scratch the surface. Additionally, if you look at bowling shoes, they have a smooth surface. This helps them glide over the sanded wood. You can purchase bowling shoes for about $100, and they last a long time.Part of the throwing motion ... |
Why dont public bathroom stalls have full sized door? | Its so staff and others can determine if a stall is occupied or not without barging the door open which is something they would be prone to do. It also makes cleaning the floor easier. |
The difference between shame and guilt | Shame is external, guilt is internal. Shame is focussing on other people/society/norms and the rule you have broken, whereas guilt has its focus on your own experience and what you feel about your action.In the context you're using, I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm not. Guilt is when you feel bad. You stole from... |
Why do my hands/feet itch after being in a cold place, and then dipping them in water/ being near a heater? | Your capillaries shrink in the cold, and expand in the heat. Sometimes the expanding or shrinking makes you itchy. |
Is the universe a fractal? | I'd say no. It appears there is some limit to how much things can be divided. Our current understanding of physics is that quarks and electrons are generally the bottom of the system, and they can't be divided further. |
Why is it that defecation occasionally results in a "no wipe" scenario, but other times results in an "infinity wipe" scenario? | Fiber. The density and, er, stability of feces is a measure of water and fiber, at its most basic. Consume a proper water and fiber for the 'best' feces. Other things like indigestible sugars also contribute by passing through largely intact. Long version: Fecal make-up is based on health and diet. A diet rich in fiber... |
How can I get fruit flies on an old banana I have laying out, if there haven't been fruit flies for weeks, and they only have a lifespan of a day? | I read an article a few years ago that answered that: Most fruit that we buy in the grocery store already has fruit fly eggs on it. After a day or so, they hatch- in our kitchen. You can prevent this by always washing fruit-even bananas- when you bring it home. |
Why are the medical and dental communities kept so separate? Shouldn't dental be part of general well-being? | There was a decent thread on this a few months back, it might have some answers you're looking for: _URL_0_", 'I asked once why dental stuff costs so much and I got the "We have to pay back school loans and we're so specialized and people NEED us, so you have to pay us big time." Tell that to my foot doctor who wants $... |
Who/what are 'Wall Street Fatcats/Insiders'? What do they do? | I'm a science guy, but two of my closer friends have ascended to the upper echelons of wall street. Insider trading is rampant. **This is how stocks work** ** Stocks increase in value when people want to buy them. If we're to give an example, imagine if a drug company had a drug that could cure cancer. If investors hea... |
If the metric system is designed to make for easy calculations and conversions, why wasn't the 60 minute hour changed to a base 10 unit? | time is always expressed in seconds in the metric system.or multiples, like milliseconds, kiloseconds, etc."Other units of time, the minute, hour, and day, are accepted for use with the modern metric system, but are not part of it."_URL_0_', "The French tried, but couldn't get it to stick. When dealing with SI units, y... |
How exactly burning calories during exercise are estimated? | They actually are measured. Volunteers will exercise while wearing breathing gear. Think treadmill and respiratory gear. Carbon dioxide level are measured as are oxygen levels in inspiration and expiration. Volume of air breathed is also measured. This is done on enough volunteers to become very precise. This is also d... |
Why doesn't tinfoil get hot in the oven? | It does get hot in the oven. However its thermal conductivity to air is very high - i.e. once its out of the hot oven it radiates its heat to the ambient air very quickly. Also, it can't retain a lot of thermal energy simply because its so thin there's not a lot of metal atoms to store it. The pan that it's covering ho... |
How Exactly Does Electrocution Kill You? | The majority of the time the electricity messes with your heart as it passes through the body causing it to stop pumping. Then from that point its pretty obvious how it ends up killing you. No pump=No oxygen or nutrients to the brain or other vital systems and then youre dead. |
Why are smoke and fire so inherently intriguing to watch? | We have an inherent fascination with chaos and destruction. Why? Because in general, our lives are very orderly and humans have survived well due to our ability to recognize patterns. When we see something chaotic like the random turbulent flow of smoke or destructive like the licks of flame from a fire, it stimulates ... |
Why are oranges sweet and lemons aren't? | First of all, there are some varieties of orange that are more sour than certain varieties of lemons. The ones you see in your grocery store are not the only breeds of these fruits. The development of different breeds through artificial selection is the same regardless of what the base species is that's being modified.... |
Why do outlets have 2 live terminals and 1 ground and not 1 live terminal and 1 ground (+ and -) like batteries and other things? | The ground on a 3 prong outlet is a "safety ground". The terminals on the outlet are "hot" and "neutral", much like the two poles of a battery. In general, neutral and ground are bonded together at the circuit panel. But the 3rd ground wire is there in case something goes wrong with the device and there's a short somew... |
If ancient civilizations are buried so far under ground, is the Earth getting bigger with each year? | Things are moving around the surface. Take a bottle of sand, put an action figure on top of it, and shake the bottle. You're not adding sand, but the figure will settle below the lighter particles.I have always wondered a similar question regarding unknown super duper ancient civilizations. Like a billion or more years... |
How can you explain that intelligent people are usually more depressed/sad, and vice versa? | There is a phrase: "Ignorance is bliss". When intelligent people become more learned, there is a tendency to have this "pull the curtain and look behind" view on the world, and those individuals can often lose the wonder of the world we all have as children. Like the guy who goes to the magician's show, and instead of ... |
Why do objects wrinkle or warp when wet with water and then dried? | Paper are many thin fibers. When they get wet they expand so the fibers move relative to each other. When they dry the fibers contract but not they don't move back the the original position so the paper have changed shape. Thing of it if you pull in the end of a cotton ball and release it. IT is permanently deformed an... |
How and when did society come to be almost entirely financially dependent on the stock markets? | what makes you think society is fiscally dependent on the stock market?', "You can make < 1% on CD's, interest, etc, or you can make, even in a not so great market, 3-6% on good quality investments. For growing money, there's no better place than the markets. |
why people have different standards for special effects in different time periods? | The first audience to see a train on a screen as it approached the camera ran for their lives, thinking the train was about to run them down. Visual effects are as sophisticated as they need to be to keep with the visual sophistication of the audienceUm kissing isn't a special effect. The standard image of what a kiss ... |
Why does a RADAR dish spin? | Why does your head turn? So you can see more of your surroundings. It's the same for a radar dish. If it was fixed, it could only 'look' in that direction. |
Why do invertebrates curl their legs in when they die? (Exception: Splatting them) | A number of invertebrates use a pressure system to control their legs - essentially increasing and decreasing blood pressure in their legs in order to control them. When they die, they obviously lose the ability to control that pressure and their legs curl inwards . |
what's the difference between popcorn and regular corn? Also, microwave popcorn and regular popcorn. | What makes popcorn pop is the result of a few things: The outer hull is unusually thicker than other corn varieties, as well as being water tight. Popcorn has a higher concentration of hard starch, its basically the only kind of starch. This means when pop-corn is heated, it heats the small amount of water inside the k... |
Why does my brain automatically read closed captioning while watching a movie instead of actually watching the movie? | It's less reading, and more "noticing". The human eye is drawn to movement. Before a subtitle appears, there is a void of text in that space. The sudden appearance of a new line isn't processed by the brain as "appearing", but rather "hey that thing over there moved really really REALLY FAST!" and your eyes are then dr... |
What's the difference between the different types of anti-aliasing? | There's different methods involved to get rid of the jaggies with varying levels of effectiveness and performance penalties. The most brute force one being super sampling. The image is rendered much higher than the target resolution and then shrunk down to the target resolution. This is very effective at getting rid of... |
why does written Vietnamese use the Latin alphabet? What did they use before it was introduced? | Vietnam, before it was Vietnam, was called "French Indo-China", because it was owned and run by the French. The Vietnamese got their alphabet from them. Before that, they used a variation on Chinese characters called "Chũ-Nom". [Here's a manual on how to read Chu-Nom in Chu Nom].The Latin lettering in the Vietnamese la... |
Why is it pronounced "Gubernatorial?" It's not like they're running for "Gubernor." | Both words derived from Latin word "*gubernare*", but gubernatorial is a much newer word and was a direct derivation of the original Latin word while the word *governor* is much older and made a detour at Old French's *governeor* before becoming English *governor*. |
How do Starbucks pay it forward chains work? | By the time you get to the window, the guy behind you has most likely already made his order. So you say to the barista "Hey, can you actually add his order to my check?" The barista complies with your request, and then you pay for it. When the guy pulls up to the window, the barista tells him the check has already bee... |
how come after orgasm, I'm not horny anymore? | Hormones! This is commonly referred to as the refractory period. _URL_0_ The amount of oxytocin your body creates will determine how long that period is |
What exactly is the FBI trying to find in the raid on Michael Cohen's office and what are they going to do with what they find? | The news that's come out about the raid indicate that the FBI is investigating campaign finance violations relating to payments made to Stormy Daniels and possibly others. That's all the detail we have that's been reported so far; the FBI doesn't usually reveal a whole lot of information until an investigation conclude... |
Why if I go to bed a 2am do I have an easier time getting up than if I go to bed at 10? | You're probably hitting your sleep cycles correctly at wakeup time. You may find going to bed at 11 instead of 10 may be helpful, as most tend to have a 3 hour sleep cycle", 'Sleep is a pretty complicated biological process. it is not just "being asleep versus being awake", a lot of stuff is going on when you're sleepi... |
Why is antialiasing graphically intensive? | I'm no expert and AFAIK there are some different types of AA, but it's not as simple as adding a blur The one kind of AA that I know is that it samples the pixels around the edges of stuff and basically adds extra pixels with appropriate colors in order to smooth out the edge .> Without AA, the image is generally sharp... |
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