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Why is it that headache doesn't usually come back after the painkillers have stopped working?
I've suffered from migraines since I was 9. I don't mean that pussy foot the light hurts migraines, I mean Id be puking in agony and bashing my head against the wall cause that pain was a percentage less than the pain of the migraine and losing 5-10lbs within a few days. The best trick is basil oil, smell it for about ...
How does a dog know it's the owner walking up to their door as opposed to a stranger?
I don't know about you, but my dumb dog barks like crazy when I come to the door until I say something and he hears it's me.
How do TV shows use houses/schools/otherwise public places for multiple seasons? Are they previously owned or are they rented out somehow?
Modern Family is on a set. Most shows use sets for primary locations and rent locations for secondary locations. On Arrested Development, for example, Michael and Lucille's homes were sets, but Ann's home was a real house they rented for a week to film in. On The Office, the office was a set, but whenever they go to re...
Why is suicide more common in males (younger males)?
I'm going to open with this: _URL_2_ ~~Expect updates~~, but if it's an emergency, please seek help. Update: Older men are actually the highest demographic. However, women are the most likely to *attempt* suicide. [Here's some statistics]. Women seem to be more generally concerned with their appearance post mortem, and...
why do I sometimes get a stomach ache when I need to poop and other times I don't?
Also, the gases getting pushed around as your body's moving things along can be pretty painful if there's a buildup.
I'm a Brit, and I have just finished binge watching the new season of House of Cards. I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to explain what the Iowa caucuses are?
Each state holds either primary elections or caucuses so that the American people can decide who they think the next presidential nominees should be. Each party then holds a national convention to decide which of the nominees the party will endorse to run for President in the national election. In a primary election, t...
How do people own "dangerous" bugs without being attacked?
Most tarantulas tend to be quite docile and won't attack unless provoked. Smaller creatures generally don't attack larger creatures unless they're backed into a corner.
97% of scientists believe in climate change. What theories do the other 3% have?
They don't have any theories. Theories have survived scientific scrutiny from many different angles. What climate change deniers have are hypotheses, and shitty ones at that. Edit: I would like to add, though, that a lot of climate change deniers bring up the fact that there are fluctuation periods of rises in average ...
Why can every bus on Schiphol airport be electric, but not all buses in general?
Electric buses require infrastructure. If they are the trolley type, they get their power from overhead wires. If they are electric vehicles, they need somewhere to plug in and recharge their batteries. Either way it's easiest to roll out an electric bus program on a smaller scale - like an airport - because you either...
How does an economy suddenly just 'crash'?
Really, when people realize something, is worth less than what everyone is paying for it. The problem compounds when people start taking out loans to pay that higher amount. This happened in 1929 with the stock market, people bought stocks, and went into debt buying stock, hoping they would increase in price. Right aro...
How do they translate made up words when translating something like Lord of the Rings into a language with a writing system like Chinese or Japanese?
This was asked recently on /r/linguistics . Basically, the translator can either try to convey sound or meaning. If they convey meaning, they just make up an equivalent expression in Chinese. If they choose to convey sound, they write out the word using Chinese symbols such that the symbols are pronounced they same as ...
mathematicians of reddit - Euler's identity?!
Well I'm not a mathematician and I have no business whatsoever trying to answer your question, and this doesn't help you at all, but I'm going to say this anyway in exchange for downvotes, the lifeblood of Reddit: Euler's identity is lame. Oh, what's that? You would like me to elaborate? Very well. I shall oblige. As /...
Why are people in America more fearful for their safety now when crime is at an all time low?
It's not just the raw murder rate that affects people's perceptions, but also the types of crimes that occur. If 10 husbands kill their spouse or 1 guy murders 10 people in a mall, those will have the exact same affect on the murder rate as measured in the typical X per 100K standard. However the former will be treated...
Why do so many languages have masculine/feminine words?
Modern languages didn't spring into being in pure isolation; most are based on an older language, and share those roots with many other languages . Many of the languages that someone from the western world would be familiar with all come from the same source: Proto-Indo-European. This is a diverse language family that ...
Why is the sound at concerts so poor?
I think you're trying to compare listening to music at a live venue to listening to a studio recording. You need to keep in mind they are two completely different things. A studio recording is supposed to be the best sounding version of the song; the musicians preformed it over and over again until they got it just rig...
The seemingly spontaneous, super long, pale, thin, weakly-rooted hairs that pop up on the chest/face?
We're mammals, we kind-of have fur. Sometimes weird harmless things like crazy randomly sprouted hairs happen.OK - that sounded rational. In reality I despise having to hunt these suckers down and pluck them. I get obscenely long black ones on my chin and neck as well ", 'My doctor told me those hairs become more commo...
How does lazer tattoo removal work
Lasers inject the skin with an intense light that breaks up the ink's particles, making it easier for your body's immune system to dispose of the pigments.
When writing an amount of money, such as '£50' or '50p', why does the '£' come before the amount of money but the 'p' comes after?
Follow up question Why do interwebs people put the $ after?!? It's $50, not 50$.
AAA Batteries even in unused devices drain after first time use ?
First use has nothing to do with it- once the batteries are in and completing a circuit, they'll slowly but surely discharge. Many new electronics will come with the batteries not inserted, or otherwise interrupted by a plastic tab you need to remove, so that they are inert and not completing a circuit.
Why do some oceanic earthquakes cause tsunamis while others do not?
When the earthquake shoves the water up or sideways, the water tries to settle back down and level out. It only becomes a tsunami wave if it hits the shore before it can fall back down to normal levels. Tsunami means 'harbour wave' in japanese. It's a wave that's larger than the normal waves in the area, and big enough...
People who knew beforehand that Mars One was a scam, how did you guys know?
Because doing things like a Mars mission actually requires getting stuff done in advance, by which I mean things like building of training facilities, partnerships with launch vehicle providers, discussions with governments/agencies for such issues as flight tests. All these things take YEARS and are widely publicized....
Why is it that our world map seems to be so inaccurate?
Because you're trying to represent a sphere on, in this case, a rectangular map. The map they're using is most likely a Mercator projection, which yields a convenient rectangle, and everyone likes rectangles. Otherwise, you get something like [this]
Why do I cringe at the sound of styrofoam rubbing together?
Is it only the sound that bothers you or do you cringe when you actually touch the texture as well? I know I can't stand the thought of touching it, so the sound reminds me of holding it in my hand and I just can't stand the idea. I get the feeling that it's in my mouth, under my tongue totally revolting.Sorry to hijac...
The difference between Shampoo, Conditioner, Body-wash and regular soap.
A really simple breakdown: **Shampoo** - Used to clean your hair, will remove dirt, oil, and grease from the follicles. Generally contains sulfates which allow the foaming of the shampoo during the lathering step. Be warned that shampoo will strip your hair of natural oils too. Some claims say shampoo is unnecessary an...
In standoffs or hostage situations where two people point guns at each other (and the occasional knife), why don't they just shoot and kill the other person?
A number of reasons. 1. It makes the movie more exciting, if they just pulled the trigger and killed the hero it wouldn't be a very good movie.2. People don't die instantly if you should the person holding the hostage they will almost certainly have a chance to shoot the hostage.3. Accuracy can be hard, if you miss you...
How do fossil fuels actually exist without being disturbed, are new amounts always slowly being made?
New fossil fuels are constantly being made. It also depends on what you call a fossil fuel. I can heat wood past it's ignition point without oxygen, and get a gas that's very much like gasoline. But since it's not millions of years old it isn't a fossil fuel. Where do you put the arbitrary line?", 'Most fossil fuels co...
Why can some overweight people lose weight with no excess skin, but others skin doesnt go away?
Imagine your skin like it's an elastic band. If you stretch an elastic band a little bit, and then release it, it goes back to its original size and shape . If you stretch it as much as you can, and keep it stretched and pulling for a long time, when you let go the elastic will seem bigger and looser than when you star...
How do songs make the top 40 charts? Is it because they're actually good songs or do they just receive enough radio play thus get drilled into peoples heads?
Not sure how it works in other parts of the world but it was explained in Australia a few years ago after there was some sort of cock-up associated with an idol show. It's about sales but rather than being based on sales to the public it's based on how much the record shops buy for their stock but that was a couple of ...
What is happening with "Day One: Garry's Incident" in /r/gaming
[This Video] sums it up nicely, and is the #3 post on /r/games today. ~~Not sure how you missed that.~~ yay work censors! In short, developer provides game code to TotalBiscuit, who plays the game, criticizes it, and publishes video. Game developer files copyright takedown with youtube, claims its because the game was ...
The 'hipster' mentality.
Hipsterdom is a defence mechanism, at its core. If you're one of the 1% of 1% who are educated and cultured enough to know about art and architecture and music and literature long before everyone around you, then maybe you're not just another face in a crowd of seven billion. If you're too cool for anything and everyth...
Why is there no cure for color blindness?
When photons hit the cones that are a part of your retina, they send a signal to ganglion cells that send that signal to your brain directly . If these receivers are broken, they can't send any signals to your brain. Its like a relay, your team will never start the race if your first leg never starts running. EDIT: I'm...
What would happen if we dropped a lake sized amount of water on Mars surface?
The atmospheric pressure on Mars is ~0.06% of Earth's atmospheric pressure. The temperature is also quite low, but since the pressure is so low, the water would vaporize very rapidly. It could possibly even boil off at that low of a pressure. It's a neat idea, but without a significantly thicker atmosphere, we aren't g...
By making a wide variety of products significantly cheaper to produce, how will the growth of 3D printing technology affect economies around the world?
Right now, 3D printing let's you make cheap, simple and not particularly durable goods the sort of things that are made in developing countries. This could have a huge impact on their economies, forcing them to either try to compete with 3D printers, or shift to more complex items that cannot be printed. On the other h...
How do we know what colors to use when colorizing old pictures?
It's pretty much a guess. But there are hints to the colors in monochrome images, you can get damn close :) Light levels are the real challenge, it's only white in black and white images so light levels are the biggest obstacle when getting accurate coloration in b & w images.
Why are hamburgers not called beefburgers?
I'm sorry but could you not have just googled this?", 'Side story: When my husband and I traveled to the Dominican Republic we ordered hamburgers from a restaurant at the resort we were staying at. When we bit into them, we noticed they were really pink. Having a good vocabulary in Spanish, I asked the waiter if they w...
Why does a website (Amazon) make things more expensive than an item was 5 minutes ago?
It's bots juggling the price, one site raises the price and a bot sees their competitor just raised it so now they can raise their price too. There are some hilarious examples of this where a regular books, cost several thousand dollars.
Where do gender stereotypes originate?
Can't speak for stereotypes like make-up, but common stereotypes for men like having to be 'tough' or traditionally as breadwinners is evident among our close primate cousins, the chimpanzees and gorillas. Add to the fact that the majority of cultures have this same stereotype throughout human history seems to make it ...
Why are so many old/obsolete/unused assets left in code?
Some examples of how this could go wrong: * Some games load all of the assets into memory during startup. If it goes to look for that unused asset and can't find it, something will break. * That unused asset might actually be in a level somewhere. Maybe the devs were working on a new map when the asset was cut and it j...
Do smarter people have deeper morals, or the opposite?
More intelligent people may think more about their morals, rather than take someone else's word for it. That might make them deeper, or not, depending on how and what they think.
How do skilled refugees get back into their profession in their new host country with little to no documents?
Not all refugees travel by boat with zero paperwork . Some refugees , especially from Africa actually travel with their paperwork they take all their paper work and valuables and catch a flight to the country they seek their status. I'm guessing these are the refugees like that surgeon mentioned who actually can produc...
What does "Addicted to pornography" actually mean?
For the 5 year old boy. Porn addiction is spending all your time looking at nude pictures, movies, games, etc to the point where you aren't spending time taking care of your relationships with real people. Doctors have found that if you keep looking at nude pictures all the time you may have a hard time finding real pe...
How do newspapers and magazines, like the National Enquirer, make money when everyone knows they print news that is untrue?
Even if what they said was untrue, you don't make money by being right, you make money by making sales. And sales don't necessarily relate to truth.
What are fractals? [Mathematics]
Yarr, twas asked by those what sailed in before ye!] Enjoy yon older explanations, and remember [rule 7] says search to avoid repostin'.
Why is it such a big deal to have a robot pick up an egg?
It means that the science going into robotics is approaching humanity. Early mechanical devices are rough, with jerky motion and very little in the way of fine motor control. As technology has advanced, the machines became more and more able to produce human-like movements. Picking up an egg is significant, because egg...
When two mirrors face each other, where does the light eventually "go" so that it doesn't constantly build up?
A mirror doesn't reflect 100% of the light that hits it. Some of it is absorbed as well, and becomes heat. If you set up opposing mirrors and step between them, you'll see that your reflections eventually begin to shift into a greenish blue colour, because the mirror is absorbing the opposite end of the colour spectrum...
Why does prolonged screen time make me feel so drained?
It's a combination of many things that subtly affect the human psyche: You interact with lots of others, but see no smiles and hear no voices. Most of the people you interact with on reddit are just pseudonyms, 5 minutes later you've forgotten them and wouldn't recognise if you see their posts again - without looking, ...
Why can vacuum pressure fail to bring water from a deep well, but putting a pump at the bottom can push water up from great depth, and how does geothermal work considering this?
It helps to not think of the vacuum as pulling or sucking the water but rather creating an imbalance in the forces at play. If you stick a straw in a glass of water, the surface of the water in the glass and the surface of the water in the straw are both being pushed on with roughly 1 atmosphere of pressure. Now create...
How did a 17 year old play the stock market?
By having his dad violate a lot of the T & C's of his margin account? By keeping his kid out of school to let him make multi-million dollar high-risk trades during market hours? I don't know, the article reeks of bullsht.
How does Israeli's Iron Dome work?
It is a three-piece system of interceptor batteries that shoot rockets out of the sky. A radar tracks the rocket as it is fired across the border into Israel, and then advanced software predicts the rocket's trajectory. The information it provides is used to guide Tamir interceptor missiles, which are fired from the gr...
how can animals know when something is edible and when is not
Actually.. they don't. People use to use dogs to test which mushrooms were poisonous. They would feed them to a dog. If the dog died, they were poisonous. Lots of pet owners have pets die every year because they eat poisonous plants. Dogs mostly, but horses, cattle, and sheep too. It's mostly plants that can be poisono...
Why is it not a good idea to blow up a meteor headed for Earth?
Anything larger than about a pea will hit the ground, and anything fist size or larger, the amount of burn is negligible. The amount of energy require to reduce a meteor object to pea sized chunks far exceeds the amount of energy to move it. As for one big vs. multiple small, you can only destroy a city once, and a big...
Why are so many companies pulling out of Canada right now? Is there a related reason? Target, Redbox, etc?
As far as Target is concerned the former CEO and it's directors made some really bad strategic decisions. Target did not need to come to Canada. However, there was no real due diligence done as far as Canadian shopping habits ie, consumer behavior was concerned. Add a non existent supply chain. Toronto consumers are th...
Why does it seem like all new horror movies get overwhelmingly negative ratings?
Horror by definition is going to turn off a lot of people, much like comedy, these films speak to specific niches and tastes and don't have mass appeal the way dramas do. It might be a chicken and the egg type of thing, but many of them are legitimately bad movies with low budgets and low production values, in a genre ...
The difference between tactic and strategy
Tactics is charging the weak and cowardly Tau Xenos with bolter and chainsword in the name of the Emperor because they are the equivalent of human 10 year olds in melee combat but their ranged weapons are extremely accurate and deadly. Strategy is after pushing the Tau from the valuable hive cities and manufactorums yo...
Why when I put olives in my beer and then add a little salt do they go crazy, spin and then rise to the top?
I've seen and done salt in the beer, but have never heard of olives. If I want to try this, and of course I do, what kind of olives are we talking about? Just regular green olives? Pimento or no pimento? Or black olives, or some other type?
Why do governments require private corporations for natural resource extraction? Can't they extract it all by themselves?
There are many countries with GDPs smaller than the world's largest corporations. I count at least 24 countries with a GDP of under $1 billion. At the same time, I count 65 companies with annual revenues of over $100 billion - in fact, only 26 countries in the world have a higher GDP than either Walmart or Royal Dutch ...
How do computer parts (as in CPUs, RAM, Motherboard, etc) work physically
How do they work physically? They use electrons. Learning the basics of electricity and electronic circuits will go a long way towards understanding how computer components work. Its much harder to teach this without visual aids, but imagine a battery and a light bulb. Now put a wire leading from one terminal of the ba...
Why is it LEGAL for a cop to lie to a civilian but it is ILLEGAL for civilian to lie to a cop?
An ABC agent once told me if I moved my car for him, I was hammered, I wouldn't get a dui. FUCK THAT.
What is in grapefruit that causes it to counteract most medications?
There is a chemical in grapefruit called bergamottin that interferes with breakdown of certain medications. The effect of this interaction is to make the level of medicine HIGHER than it would normally be, with a higher risk of side effects from too much medicine. If there is a significant problem with grapefruit, the ...
Why you need a certain graphics card to run games.
Clearly there are no 5 year olds here. ELY5; Just like you need to use your Tonka dump truck to move heavy rocks, your computer needs help playing bigger, prettier games. Your computer has a matchbox bucket loader in it right now, and it's just not strong enough! Get a Tonka!
Im watching Interstellar and the ship spins to create artificial gravity. How does this work?
Imagine you are in an immense circular tube, right here on earth, wearing rollerblades. As you glide toward the 'side' of the tube, you slowly start to ramp up. If gravity were to disconnect right then, you would continue going 'forward' in a straight line, which in a tube means going 'up' the side of the wall - but wi...
How bail works? How people can simply pay to get out of jail?
Bail is posted not for the convicted, but for the suspect awaiting trial. The amount is high enough that it should compel the suspect not to flee before sentencing. If the suspect appears in court etc., he should get his money back The bail amount is a function of the severity of the crime and the probability of the su...
since we can not describe colours, how can we be sure that we all see the same version of them?
It doesn't matter, since the colors are determined by the wavelength of light that is being reflected from the object . If what you see as red is actually what I see as green, it doesn't matter, since you've learned to call it red . Either way, the same wavelength of light is given off by all objects that you call gree...
What is the motive for the ISIS terrorist group? I dont understand what makes them do what they do..
The short answer is for power, some may truly believe that what they're doing is the will of God , but in most cases they just like the power. Add on top of that years and years of anger because they feel oppressed or that their people are being oppressed by The Western world , Israel , or US and you have an explosive ...
If cheap generic brand medicines do the same as name brand medicines, how do medicine name brands do so well when they cost more?
1. They have the same ACTIVE INGREDIENT. The binding agents are different. If you have a sensitivity to one of them you may need the brand name, and they can affect absorption. Also with some creams or sprays sometimes they're fragranced or flavored differently. 2. The generic version of a food often does not taste as ...
What is that blurry sensation we get when we’re lying down and get up too quickly?
It's called orthostatic hypotension. It is because your bloodpressure can't correct itself fast enough going from lying down to standing up. When you ate lying down your blood doesn't have to be transported vertically so your vessels can relax a bit and your body has to work less hard to keep everything going. When you...
the unsettling feeling produced when looking down while on top of a tall building
It would be so easy for you to die. One step, and it's over. Your brain knows that. It's screaming at you to turn back, but there you stand, on the edge of mortality, because it looks neat.I like the Douglas Adams explanation that it's down to some latent primate elements remaining in our brain from our evolution. So p...
if I smoke 1-2 packs of smokes a year would it have any significant long term effects on my health?
Smoking 1 or 2 packs a year doesn't have any noticeable effects on health. The thing is, only smoking 1 or 2 packs a year is not something that actually happens.
Why do dogs and cats with socks on walk so stupidly?
It's like when you get a sticking plaster stuck to your finger and can't get it off no matter how hard you shake your hand. The cat/dog is trying to shake the damn things off.
What are the basic mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons, and what is the appeal behind playing it?
I can't post a link to it from my mobile, but, search YouTube for D & D at PAX to see some play. Will Wheaton is hilarious.
Why is it that men and women tend to take off their shirts differently?
It probably is both in part due to different shapes/sturdiness of men's versus women's fabric, and learning how to take off clothes when you're a kid and watch adults do it. Personally, I don't take off my shirts the way other women do it. I pull my arms out of the sleeves one at a time, then pull it off my head by sti...
On a molecular level, how do heat and cold transfer through plastic?
The things that happen when hot and cool stuff are put together also happen to the plastic. The heat from the coffee first goes to the plastic then to the ice. How well something allows heat to pass through it depends on what it's made of and how thick it is . Stuff like plastic are normally insulators - they don't all...
Why do Americans not have a problem with moving football teams 100's of miles?
If an iconic team that's very closely tied to a certain city, like the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Green Bay Packers were even rumored to move, there'd be riots. Other teams tend to move more often. The Rams started out in Cleveland, then moved to Los Angeles, then to St Louis, and then headed back to Los Angeles this y...
What are calories exactly?
It's a unit of energy. If you say a food has 100 calories, it doesn't actually *have* them; it's a measure of how much energy it takes for your body to process that food. Also, we say calories, but it's actually kilocalories.You can consider calories as the currency for the energy. Its a unit to measure how much energy...
How can I explain pure substances to 7th graders
I would use metaphor - a glass of 'pure' water and a teabag to make it 'impure'.
How come the U.S. government does so little to help Mexico with the ongoing violence of the cartels?
Solution: Decriminalisation and health care for addicts inside the U.S which would somewhat eliminate the demand for Mexican drug product for export - whilst the two fold benefit to the American people would be saving millions in tax dollars due to the huge cost of incarcerating individuals for minor drug offences, and...
Is it possible to 'will' yourself to die? Why or why not?
it's not like we'd know. people who might have developed this power usually don't tell anybody.Reminded me of that one RT podcast :D Orange Monkey Eagle!
Why are there different grades of gasoline but not diesel?
pinging" or "detonation". The flame fronts from the self-ignited gasoline and spark-ignited gasoline collide and result in considerably more pressure and heat in the combustion chamber than designed for. Most engines can handle this every once in a while, but over time it will cause damage. As such gasoline engines wit...
how German culture so quickly changed from the WWII era to the late 20th century?
You may want to read Wikipedia's article on [denazification] -- the Allies' efforts to wipe Nazism from German culture during their occupation -- and then ask more specific questions. The ELI5 of it is that after the war, the British, French, Americans and Russians ruled over Germany for a while, and during that time t...
How are housing prices above pre-recession levels, yet home ownership remains at a five-decade low?
A huge reason the bubble formed wasn't just because home prices were spiraling out of control and no longer accurately represented the value of the property but also because of bad lending practices where almost anyone who wanted a home was approved, leading to those who would never be able to pay off the homes, buying...
Why doesn't chicken, beef, or any other processed meat go through rigor mortis when being prepared at a factory or even in the days afterwards?
A slight bit more of the inner workings of rigor mortis. Muscles have two interlocking proteins called actin and myosin. They work on a kind of ratcheting system to contract. Cells add ATP to force them to release. When there is no more ATP present, the actin and myosin can't release and the muscles are locked up. At ...
Why are chemical weapons seemingly more abhorred than conventional weapons? (Chemical weapons are "banned" from warfare etc.)
World War 1. They were used extensively by both sides, didn't prove to have much strategic value to winning a battle, because you can't go in the area you just dropped mustard gas on either, and they cause a slow, particularly brutal death compared to conventional weapons.It is has long lasting effects, it kills indisc...
Why is the Sun yellow, but the other stars in the sky are white?
temperature, my friend. Also certain elements affect a star's color, but it's mostly temperature. Most stars are actually not white, but a wide array of colors -- because of temperature and chemical makeup. Actually, there is a pretty direct relationship between temperature and chemical makeup of a star anyway.. as new...
Why are people so afraid of genetically modified food when study after study says it's safe?
In a nutshell, they don't trust the studies. The studies are often outright paid for by those who stand to benefit, and the oversight agencies have a history of being far too lax. Then, there's the matter of possible long term effects the studies haven't had time to observe, and the fact that you can't wash off pestici...
How come when I use a fully charged phone, it stays at a 100% battery for a long time, but once it discharges to 99%, the battery drains a lot quicker?
It lies to you because people don't like seeing their battery nearly instantly start to drain. So it just fibs to make you feel better.
METAPOST: ELI5 should be renamed, or at least repurposed to Explain To A Layperson
Some people posting to ELI5 are extremely lazy. A lot of the stuff can be easily googled with nice explanations and pictures that are way more valuable than a verbal explanation. Also I used to be a firm believer of there's no such thing as a stupid question but ELI5 has really made me question that lately
Why are there major land masses on the eastern side of continents (Long Island, Cuba, Falklands, New Zealand, etc.), but relatively few on the western side?
So are we pretending that Britain, Ireland, Vancouver Island, Catalina Island, the Canary Island, the Galapagos Islands, the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands don't exist?", 'Long Island, Staten Island, and Manhattan Island are all glacial erratics, meaning they were dumped there as the glaciers retreated from the last...
why do people so commonly say SO instead of boyfriend or girlfriend?
The real reason: people don't want to reveal information about their gender or their SO's gender online.
What keeps me from falling off of the bed while I'm sleeping.
You have probably fallen out of bed at one point in your life. Your brain didn't like that too much , so it picks up on the cues and actions that might indicate you are about to fall off, and try to prevent them. That being said, people still do fall out of beds from time to time.
Why do fan switches go from High to Medium to Low? Would starting on low not be gentler on the motor?
You don't need gentler on the motor, you need full power to get the damn thing to actually turn. Then you can lower the power to make it go slower. It's kind of like when your car starts up -- lots of power needed for that start, then it can calm down.
Why doesn't Apple etc. offer a slightly thicker version of their phone with 300% battery capacity?
Apple doesn't think they'd make more money that way. The aesthetics of their products are a major selling angle, and having a bulkier phone may make for better battery life, but it would make their phones look worse by their standards. Likewise, if they advertised the iPhone Battery Plus, with better battery capacity, ...
Why do we prefer certain smells over others?
What you're smelling are vapors produced by the object that smells. These vapors cause chemical reactions, which trigger sensors in the brain that release more chemicals. Those chemicals either stimulate positive or negative feelings depending on what your brain identifies as yummy or stinky. I could have made that up ...
When a US dollar is printed, who is the first party to receive value from said dollar and why?
The Federal Reserve creates the money and loans it out to banks and governments with interest. Other Banks and Government, in turn, need additional money to pay back the interest on the debt so the federal reserve prints more and loans it out. This increases the money supply, and the interest ultimately owed to the ver...
why is prostitution illegal if it's two consenting adults?
Because most often there is a difference between how prostitution works in theory and how it works in reality. [This is a decent site], with sources that outlines the pros and cons of legalized prostitution. It will lay out the issues and you can come to your own conclusion. Basically it seems to come down to two point...
Transporting Growlers in the U.S.
Will depend largely on the state. If they don't seal it, that state probably doesn't require a seal. Store it out of reach of the driver and you should be fine.
is there a psychological disorder that protects the mind that cancels out bad memories for the well-being of the individual?
Might you be thinking of dissociation? That's when people disengage from what is happening around them because it is too traumatic. If they have a severe case, they might have dissociative amnesia in which they might temporarily forget who they are, or they might make no new memories for a period of time. They might re...
How the hell do I whistle?
Try placing the tip of your tongue behind your bottom teeth. Adjust the shape of your embouchure and the positioning of your tongue. Basically, it's trial and error from there. It's incredibly difficult to explain whistling.
why do we have hair in our butthole?
Small amounts of hair make it easier to feel parasites when they crawl on you, so you notice them and pick them off. Too much hair and they hide, too little and you don't feel them, but a small amount of hair helps protect you.Probably a by-product of evolution, where the warmest parts of our bods still have that fuzz ...
why the spaceX is landing a big deal.
Can someone provide more context. We get it that the bolster is reusable, and the landing on sea is difficult. What does it mean? What does it change? How is this different from before? Hasn't this been done before? If so, why wasn't it done before by NASA or somebody? What possibilities does this open up?
When Ant-Man shrinks in the movie, it's said that they just make the space between atoms smaller. Isn't that fission? Wouldn't he explode instead of shrink?
Fission, in short simple eli5 terms, is splitting atoms into smaller halfs. Ant man's pym particles don't cause splitting of atoms. As the movie explanation says, it reduces the space between them, which is different than splitting them. The real answer though, is that its a movie, based on a comic. So, no, it doesn't ...