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How did Donald Trump build hotels/buildings with little to no money? | He doesn't build many buildings anymore, he [licenses his name] to other people and they build buildings. |
How do Christians explain the seeming contradiction between the fact that allegedly God gave man free will, but that God also "has a plan" for us? | There is no cut-and-dry answer to this. Spend some time reading on the problem of free will to better understand different philosophies on this complicated problem and it's pitfalls. |
Why did many classic musical acts such as BB King, Elvis and Johnny Cash play concerts at prisons and jails? Why don't we see musicians doing this anymore? | I doubt it would be a good move publicity wise. Especially not when musicians can do USO tours, or play for sick kids, etc. The media is a lot more invasive today than in the days of Elvis and BB King. Also a lot more negative - it's a lot more common to publicly criticise celebrities than it used to be. |
Why do most people audibly scream when scared/surprised? | Humans aren't love animals, so I guess, unlike a lone wolf who would remain silent when in danger, a human's best chance for survival is to alert their tribe add call for help. |
Why don't they teach how to do your taxes (on a basic level) in public schools? | There should be more emphasis on social skills, communication, poise, and etiquette so kids don't grow up afraid to ask questions and learn on their own. I have dealt with teenagers sometimes at work, and they are so lost and helpless its scary. There is this widespread attitude among kids that they should automagicall... |
How much more DNA do we share with relatives than the average stranger? | It depends entirely on how close a family member is. As stated by other posters we're all 99.8 more or less the same in structure and composition of genes. The closest relationship is between identical twins, which is estimated at 60 SNP variants at birth. |
Why are graphing calculators still so expensive? | I think it's more of just the monopoly that TI has, not a textbook-esque conspiracy. The ubiquity and speed of computers does make them seem expensive now, but I would argue that graphing calculators were worth it back in the day . The hardware was primitive even then, but the interface is heavily optimized for its fun... |
How does my phone, computer, tablet, etc. display the correct time without a data connection after being turned off and back on? | If you look on the motherboard, there is a little button cell battery. That lets the clock keep running. Also, you don't have to set them because whenever you do connect them to the internet, they automatically synchronize with a time server.You might notice that you can wear a watch which will keep time for years with... |
How is the fluid limit in airports an effective security measure? | because idiot bomb makers don't have the tech to combine liquid from two smaller bottles to make a bigger bottle of liquid. |
Why do critics of the Bush administration tend to put more emphasis on Cheney than Bush? | Cheney had an unusually large amount of power and influence for a Vice Prez, and he's just so clearly evil and corrupt and easy to hate, but I don't think Bush was like a figurehead or anything. |
Why doesnt a benign tumour growth have the same damaging effect as a malignant tumour growth? | A benign tumour is one that isn't invasive so it remains in the same place. If you look at specimens, they are normally walled off and don't pose a threat to surrounding tissues . This also makes them easier to remove. A malignant tumour will start to invade first through the tissue and then can spread through the bloo... |
Why are you required to move your car in at night in certain US states/counties? | In addition to practical things like street sweeping, sometimes it's an attempt to keep people who sleep in their cars out of the neighborhood. |
Why don't we spend billions on education? | I don't know about the situation in Canada but the US does spend billions on education but the problem is we don't spend it very well. We're definitely not getting our money's worth. Hell, that's just the U.S. way. We spend billions more per capita on everything for shoddier results than most of the rest of the civiliz... |
if some viruses can be dormant in your system for years without showing symptoms, why does it matter that you get tested for it? | Three things spring to mind. 1- some things that lay dormant can also cause undetectable damage so if something is dormant or just low level active, may not be obvious until Major Irreversible damage has already been done. Exanple Hep C. 2- some things are easily treatable early on but hard to treat in the later stages... |
Why does irish music sound like pirate music? | I'm sure a lot of it also has to do with which instruments are being used. Concertinas, fiddles, and simple drums would be easy to set up and play on a tilting ship, as well as simple for untrained musicians to pick up and learn, whereas full sized cellos and pianos might not fare so well on a moving boat. |
What would happen if you never got a cavity filled? | I have a few of these, the cavity just gets bigger and bigger and down the road you start getting stabbing pain in your mouth which in my case usually lasted for a week so you don't really sleep much during that week, your face might swell on the side the pain is on, I figure my tooth pain is over because it has been a... |
why globalization is bad for America, and why it's good for China and India? | It benefits everyone. In the book Post-America World, the author argued that it is not the demise of the US, but rather the rise of everyone else. Even though the US is losing manufacturing jobs, we shouldn't be manufacturing simple household items anyway since we have the ability to develop much more advanced industri... |
Elon Musk's new Hyperloop system will run at 700 mph. Will passengers feel that amount of speed? | You feel the runway because the runway is rough to improve grip. The hyperloop is low-friction, it doesn't sit on the road, it's suspended by cushion of air. Of course no one has ridden it or anything like it yet but presumably it would be very smooth, smoother than a plane even.Modern commercial aircraft hit speeds of... |
In soccer/football why do the players when entering the pitch hold the hands of little boys? | Its not just in soccer. I've seen the NBA's Portland Trailblazers walk out holding hands with kids, either picked randomly or part of a specific group or organization. |
Why do we call ancient religions myths and discredit them, but treat modern religions differently? | This is one of my strongest beliefs against religion, I'm not kidding. Millions worshipped gods such as Zeus. The old Greek and Roman gods. And now their following is more cult based. This is how I view modern religions today. Studies show the decline in practicing religion since as early as 1990's I can without doubt ... |
How does Saudi Arabia get to be in the UN Human Rights Council, while they're also mass-executing people? | The United Nations is not meant to be 'America and its friends force their ways upon the world'. Different countries have different definitions of what constitutes a human rights violation. Should Saudi Arabia be barred from ever having a say in the matter because it doesn't align with western values? That would severe... |
If it's better and less painful to stand up straight, then why do some people slouch all the time? | I think to sum it all up:1. Confidence is a big factor when it comes to posture. 2. Bad habit is another thing3. Medical conditions are a thing4. For women, the burden of the breasts5. Simple laziness I slouch myself when I don't pay attention to it but stand up straight when I do. As a kid I also not used to be that c... |
Why you can safely leave a crockpot unattended for 10+ hours, but not an oven on low heat for two hours? | > but not an oven on low heat for two hours? Who told you you couldn't. I've left my oven on, unattended, for an hour or so several times |
If a bullet can travel 2200m before falling, and I am standing at the 2199m mark. Can the bullet still hit me, or does it just touch my skin and fall? | No the reason for the 2200m limit is not because it has slowed down to zero velocity. I'm not sure exactly what threshold it falls under to determine that is the limitation, but it's surely not that. Either way, there is no sharp limit, there is virtually no difference at all between 2199 and 2200m, even if the bullet ... |
Why are major news outlets and newspapers allowed to endorse and donate to candidates? Is that not a conflict of interests with a clear bias? | It's ethical for a media outlet to have an opinion as long as they're clear that it's an opinion. An endorsement is an obvious opinion. |
How do courts decide what parents get custody? | If the mother isn't a drug addict then she gets custody . At least that's how it usually plays out in the US. The father is usually granted weekends. source: child of stable equally financially fit divorced parents and friend of many others in similar situation |
What is Al Qaeda fighting for? | Al Qaeda - literally 'the base' - a reference to the CIA covert offensive operation against the USSR in Afghanistan in the 70's/80's and specifically the US training facility set up there at the time. I know what you're asking but literally and factually speaking Al Qaeda is the proxy militia of the CIA. Always have be... |
Why is Lucozade good for you when you're ill? | It's not particularly good for you when ill. The only case where it's reasonable to drink sugary drinks is when you are losing lots of fluids and can't keep anything you eat down for a few days. But you might as well drink coke or sugary tea.Because my mum and gran both told me it would make me feel better? |
How are we able to tell a person's gender (looking at face only) even if, for example, a woman's hair is short or a man's hair is long? | Hormones during puberty create small changes in the features to make them more masculine or feminine. That's why you can't tell a baby's or young child's sex if they aren't wearing something socially known as male or female. |
Why is it legal for restaurants to make the servers pay for food if people "dine 'n dash?" | It usually isn't legal. Wait staff know they are easily replaceable so they put up with it. Restaurants routinely violate labor law. |
Why in the US each state has its own laws? Wouldn't it be better to create federal laws for all states? | There are federal laws for the whole country, there are then also state laws, some cities also have laws, and if you're in an apartment building there may even be bylaws there. If there's ever a conflict between laws the higher one applies.Why would that be better? The idea is that the closer you are to the people maki... |
How can we have heart-lung bypass and kidney dialysis but not liver dialysis? What makes creating liver dialysis so difficult? | The heart, lungs, and kidneys all have simple mechanical functions with a basic primary purpose that can be replicated through some basic laws of physics and chemistry. Heart is just a pump, lungs just diffuse oxygen into the blood, and the kidneys are just a filter that can be replaced with a few membranes and special... |
How did scientists measure the age of the universe if spacetime is relative? | They looked out into space and noticed that everything was moving away from everything else. Given that, then they figured out the math on how long ago it would've been that everything that we can see would've been at the same point. |
How complicated is it to fight a forest fire and why? Why can't air support just drop water on it and around it to contain it when it spreads? | For starters, forest fires are FAST. Not everyone realizes this, but in a good wind, a bush fire can easily spread faster than you could run. Most people imagine a forest fire as something you could just walk away from. They're not always that slow-moving. Water can douse a fire directly, but doesn't render what it lan... |
Why are removable batteries for electric cars not a thing? | The short answer is that with current technology, it is not yet possible to produce a battery that can both fully power a vehicle, and be small, light, and stable enough to be conveniently swapable. For example, the battery for Tesla's Model S weighs over 1,300 lbs. _URL_1_ |
How did vanilla come to be associated with white/yellow even though vanilla is black? | Yeah as other people have said I'd say it's because it's placed as a minority substance into other things that generally have a creamy color . |
Today the Koch brothers offered millions of dollars to every congressman who votes against the new health bill. Why did the FBI not immediately arrest them for bribery? | Apparently at some point in time politicians made it legal for them to accept bribes. That presumably is why the FBI can't arrest anyone, no law was broken. Legal behavior is not necessarily ethical behavior. |
Why are imperial British soldiers often portrayed as "pansies" in US TV/movies? Surely they were some of the toughest warriors to ever live; conquering the largest empire that has ever existed. | When I was in a US elementary school we got taught this: 'the US fought against the most powerful country in the world at the time and won'. That was pretty much all we were taught. It wasn't until years later that I learned how little Britain actually participated in that war, or how large a role the French played etc... |
Why do we hear a weird high-pitched noise when there’s silence? | That's tinnitus I got used to it. It's always there in the back ground but if I'm busy I rarely notice it. The worse part is the slight hearing loss in the ear with the tinnitus. It's harder to understand/hear people from that side. Sometimes it seems to get worse because of headaches or something I ate but that feelin... |
What makes black licorice taste horrid? | A lot of people say licorice gets its flavor from anise, but only a few types of licorice contain anise. The key ingredient in almost every licorice is an extract from the roots of the liquorice plant called Glycyrrhizin. This is what gives licorice it's distinctive taste. The other base ingredients are Gum arabic or g... |
What factors allow some mass shooters to injure/kill a large amount if people, while some harm very few during their rampage? | Most school shooters don't have a target with that many people huddled into one room. The theater attack was during a premiere and likely packed. He didn't really need to be a good shot. |
Why do high screeching sounds, like a fork scratching on a plate, make people uncomfortable, while some are unfazed? | It's called misophonia. Literally hatred of sound. Silverware on teeth is the worst sound imaginable to me.Rubbing dry styrofoam together. That is the one that gets me. Chalk had never bothered me.I don't mind nails on wall, screeching chalk on blackboard, or fork on the plate, but what gets me is a rather quiet sound ... |
Why do some planes look like they're going 12 mph right before they land? | It's their size and distance from you that makes them appear to be moving slowly. They aren't. I live near O'Hare. These planes appear to float above the trees. They are doing over 150mph when they go over, on approach to land. It's the same principle that gets people killed by trains. They don't look like they are goi... |
Why is it OK to get my hips X-Rayed when I have to wear a lead apron when I get X-Rayed at the dentist? | It's about managing risk. If they don't need to look inside your body, there's no point subjecting your organs to the radiation. If they do need to, in order to diagnose you, it's worth the risk.The amount of time that the x-ray is actually on, is not enough to really have much negative effect. But harm is harm. there ... |
If the Somalian pirates are so bad why doesn't anybody (including their own government) do anything about it? | It's rare for the military to engage pirates. I did meet the commander of the USS Winston Churchill that was the first US Navy ship to fire upon pirates in some 100+ years. There have to be clear rules of engagement and ships have to be in the area. The ocean is a big place and warships are limited in numbers and in ab... |
Why Is It So Difficult to Inflate a Balloon Inside of Another Balloon? | I'm guessing because the air pressure inside the already inflated balloon is higher than the deflated one, so it's hard to inflate the inner balloon because all the air pressure from the outer balloon isn't allowing the inner one to expand. Just a guess. Not a physicist. |
I've always wanted to try shrooms. Can someone explain the pro's and con's and what I should look out for? | First and foremost, it is a poison and your body will react to it in that way. You will throw up or shit or both. As other people have mentioned don't do it unless your mind is absolutely set. You have to want to do it, if not you will start to self doubt and have a bad time. The thing with psychedelics is that it's al... |
What's the deal with the religious hospitals in the US? | Christianity has always had a moral code to help each other. So because of this churches tend to build/help with building a lot of buildings to help the community. Especially with older hospitals America used to be a somewhat poor country with not much infrastructure. So a lot of churches started building hospitals to ... |
Would it be possible for humans to learn animal language? | Depends what you define as a language. Most animals cant speak, for the simple reason that their tongue are not designed to do so. A pigeon have a tongue that can, but our language is not something that is natural to them/make sense to them uless they are teached it. So to cumminicate with an animal you have to use you... |
With all our technical advancements in modern materials and engineering, why do we still use wooden poles to hang up wires in the US? They seem so primitive. | Thanks guys, but let me rephrase the question. I was asking more along the lines of why we need ANYTHING sticking out above ground, not just specifically why the poles have to made of wood. Perhaps it's not as cost effective to put all the wires underground, but I thought by now we would have come up with some innovati... |
What is the incentive for a university to have classes and majors that are unorthodox and not commonly seen as viable for the job market? | not every picks a major based on job prospects. some people know the job they want, and pick the major that will get them that job. but some pick the major because of interest then figure out the job later, having no clue the degree might be worthless. some people go to college just for the sake of having a degree. the... |
How did our ancestors not get sick continuously from drinking stream or river water? | - Many natural water supplies used to be less contaminated simply because there were many fewer people around to contaminate them. Global population didn't cross 1 billion until about 1800. 10,000 years ago it was likely only ~5 million. - Early, regular exposure allows immunity to some kinds of pathogens to develop. M... |
if our solar system is inside the Milky Way, how come we can view and take pictures of the whole thing? | We can't view and take pictures of the whole thing. Any supposed images of the entire Milky Way galaxy are either artistic renditions or pictures of other galaxies which we presume are similar to our own. |
Why is Grand Budapest Hotel considered a great film? | As I'm sure everyone will point out, opinions of movies are just that- opinions. You shouldn't explain why it's good. If she doesn't like it, that's her thang. I liked it mostly because of the cinematography and acting. The plot was so-so but most of Wes Anderson's movies are less about plot and more about the way they... |
Do jobs actually call references? | Companies do call, but not all do. And it's not that troublesome, because when a company gets to the point of calling references, it's for a select few candidates that are called in to interwiev. They rarely call references for every single applicant, because they reduce the number of applicants in other ways first, lo... |
Why does the UK Government want to abolish the Human Rights Act? | This thread gives several explanations, none of which is that the Tories want to start an NSA like espionage and wire tapping program. I'm not from the UK, but I was led to believe that's why they want to get rid of the EU Human Rights Act. It says the right to privacy in correspondence is a basic human right, so the p... |
Why can we get used to strong smells, bright lights, and other abnormal stimuli but not cold temperatures? | Because it's the only one of those stimuli that directly affects your body's ability to perform the chemical reactions that keep you alive. |
Why can't you download a program and/or game with its updates/patches already included? | For physical production of games, like CDs, DVDs, etc, theywill start producing them at a point during development, sometimes when they're still in the Quality Assurance phase. When the game releases, as in, is able to be played, they will release a patch that fixes the bugs between production and post-production devel... |
Why is hard drive capacity always made in powers of two (8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and so on)? | 4gb works out to 4,294,967,296 bytes. When you translate 4,294,967,296 to binary, you get 100000000000000000000000000000000. The thing is, though, that when you number bytes, you start at 0, not at one. This means that when dealing with 4gb, the very last byte is number 4,294,967,295. THAT translates to binary as 11111... |
Why does ClickBait still work even if I know it will disappoint me? | Watch what happens ", and just never click on those links.There is always a chance that it won't disappoint you. It might not be very likely but it's still possible, it's not like checking out a link takes a significant amount of time.It had been carefully engineered that way. People do studies on what keywords arouse ... |
Why do employers ask "where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?" How do personal goals matter at all? | Because they want to see that you are proactive and motivated. People that want to better themselves and want career advancement apply themselves in an attempt to get ahead. If you think you will still be doing the same job in ten years it shows that you aren't very motivated. |
Why is learning history in school important? | Most *basic* history is moral instruction. What you learn in elementary/high school is really just stories designed to fit a narrative of social values. Those sort of history classes are, to a large extent, how you learn right from wrong in a social context. Once you've moved on to history at the college level and beyo... |
Why does the letter 'x' sometimes make the sound of a 'z'? Why not just use the letter 'z' when we needed that? | especial" and "España". The difference, of course, is that in Spanish, the "E" is written. In English, we kept the old spelling, either because the spelling was fixed before the pronunciation changed, or because people who compiled dictionaries decided we should remember the origins of these words. This is also the rea... |
How did prehistoric humans find potable water | One of the things about alcoholic beverages was that they made the water safe to drink. And people often drank like thirsty Russians back then. In developing countries a clean water supply is still sometimes problematic, and I suspect this is why Coke and other bottled soft drinks are so popular there. Go into a restau... |
Vevo, what is it, what does it do, and why does everyone seem to hate it? | Well, the reason I hate it is because sometimes the videos aren't HD. Other people used to easily upload the music videos in HD, but now they can't because of copyright issues, which I understand. But if you're gonna be monopolizing the right to own/upload a music video, at least give us the high quality. Example: Lady... |
How does the meat industry worsen climate change? | Cattle chew up plants and turn them into poo and farts . The farts are made largely of methane, which is horrible for global warming -- and cattle fart a lot.What none of the others posts mentioned is that methane is 23x more powerful than co2. Put another way, all the cars operating in the USA emit roughly the same am... |
Why do some flies group up and create flying bug balls that people walk in to? | Ok so I have a fly question whilst on the subject. I'm in the UK if it helps. In the summer, we get these flies that seem to congregate underneath lampshades. They are smaller than a blue bottle and just dark in colour. I call them Square Flies as they fly about under the light shade in every room in straight sharp mov... |
Why is alcohol so fundamentally ingrained in our culture, especially when it comes to socializing? And why it over other equally dangerous drugs? | If you've got the time and want a rather in-depth look I'd highly suggest reading Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol by Iain Gately. It actually goes through what you're asking and makes mention of several different cultures in comparing and contrasting ideas about drinking. The book goes from 7000 BCE when alcohol i... |
How does NASA's EmDrive work and why is it controversial? | NASA doesn't have an EM drive. A company claims to have one and it has attracted mild curiosity from NASA and the rest of the world because it makes some claims which are either false, or will lead to new physics. Until other people can replicate the result in independent experimentation, there is no point getting your... |
How does one go from a single sperm cell to a full grown human. Where does this matter come from? | A sperm penetrates the egg, the chromosomes line up and bind. Once that's done, that cell begins to divide but the zygote stays the same size until it implants in the uterine wall. Once this is accomplished the zygote, now an embryo, has a food supply from the mother. So, some of what the mother eats goes to the growin... |
Why can't I decalare my own properties as independent and make my own country? | You can claim any piece of land and it will be yours if you can defend it against anyone who tries to take it from you or rule over you. It's as simple as that. If this land happens to be the whitehouse or your property in a city, you will need to kill a lot of cops and soldiers who come for you to be able to hold onto... |
What made Communism work in China, but crash and burn in Soviet Union? | Both countries tried to pursue market oriented reforms in the 80's. One also tried to open the political space . |
Why do we avoid teaching young kids about sex? | What age are you thinking of?For a 5 year old kid, you don't need to use any metaphors but you don't need to be graphic either; I don't think they are developmentally ready for the full explanation. By the time the kid is 10, you can explain to them exactly what sex is and the pros and cons of having sex. Ignoring the ... |
Why is it that current pop songs' lyrics are repetitive verses repeated over and over, compared to the pas,t when lyrics were very diverse with different verses? | Essentially over the last decade our consumption habits have changed massively. Where once we'd buy full albums, listen to them from the first track to the last, examining album artwork and lyric sheets; now we download tracks. I obviously use 'we' is the collective habit sense here as that is what dictates the product... |
Why humans enjoy spicy food? | Spicy food naturally releases endorphins and pain killers in your brain which make you high. This also causes addiction to hot chilis. Spicy is eaten in warmer climates to cool tou down as it causes sweat. Capcaisin, the active ingredient in chili peppers have tons of documented health benefits. I dont trust people tha... |
Why does reddit only let me post one comment every ten minutes. And why can i not post on certain subreddits at all? | I'm curious about this too . my account is like 2 years old and on certain subs I cannot post new threads, or have to wait like 10 min to post a thread. I have overall pretty good karma, maybe just one -1 link karma .. its mainly from an automod deleting my thread. This is very annoying, I don't get why I have to wait ... |
What are the differences between mental and clinical depression? | Mental depression is when you are legitimately sad at life's BS. Clinical is when you don't have a valid reason. A supermodel may be in love with you and it still won't make you happy. |
Why do some people think it's beneficial to "alkalize" the body? | I think a lot of people think being alkaline makes them feel better, when really it's just act of paying more attention to diet and potentially breathing techniques that do the trick. While there may not be a ton of scientific evidence supporting becoming alkaline there is plenty about diet and breathing/meditation. |
How are standardized tests so expensive? | Be grateful you are only taking tests for college. The tests you take for professional certification are far more expensive. And you have to pay an annual fee to maintain your status. It's a total scam but somehow or another it's become an industry standard. |
How do BBQ restaurants work? | Items like brisket and ribs can sit in warmers for long periods of time, where chicken can't. Often times the pit masters work awful hours putting their meat in the evening, and pulling it out in the early morning, then placing these hearty cuts of meat in warmers before moving onto other food that's harder to keep war... |
Why do I hate the sound of my own voice? | Working where I deal with recorded voices all the time, I hate my voice. I've had a lot of people tell me it's hot tho so i guess I got that going for me. |
the new algorithm keeping posts on the front page and how it could be "better?" | Maybe I'm in the minority, but I immediately hide a link after I've viewed it. I never, ever, see purple links. Sync on Android makes this really easy too.My guess is that a single page makes more views with this system, hence making the ads on it more profitable. So that would all be about profits. On the internet, th... |
Why humidity at 100% doesn't basically mean breathing water? | It's relative humidity. Meaning it's relative to the maximum amount of water that air can hold at those conditions. Think of it like measuring bench pressing. If the most you can bench press 100 lbs, and today you're bench pressing 25 lbs. You're bench pressing 25% relative weight. At 100% relative humidity, the air is... |
What happens to the newly "dead" bacteria on your hands after you use hand sanitizer that "kills" bacteria? | I'm sure someone else has already said it, but you're covered in and surrounded by dead bacteria all the time. Don't worry, you're used to it.What was the explanation? I clicked on this to see what the answer was. Can anyone repost the answer and properly cite the source? I am really curiousThis reminds me of a Harry H... |
For those of us confused about US primary: Where do Delegates come from? | They are people, chosen by the candidate, to represent them at the convention. When you go to the polls and vote for a candidate, you're really voting for the people the candidate chose. In a winner take all state, the candidate that wins sends all their people, and none of the other candidates people go. In states wit... |
Why does America continue to hold a grudge against Cuba? | It's been mentioned, but the primary reason is American electoral politics. Florida is a swing state with three large population groups : Southerners, Retirees, and Cubans. The Cubans are considered to hold a grudge against Castro. One can state that the Southerners are largely Red and the Retirees as largely Blue. The... |
What determines how long we sleep, and how are people able to sleep for 20+ hours? | I remember reading something about this Krakauer's book Eiger Dreams. He talks about being stuck in a tent in Alaska in the 1970s during a spell of bad weather, and how the body seems to naturally want to hibernate when there is nothing else going on. It's been years since I read it, but he speculates a bit about his o... |
What do real spies do? How are they recruited? Do they actually have the kind of gadgets we see in Bond films? | You might want to ask /r/AskHistorians. They probably can't give you an idea of what current spies do, but they can definitely give you an image of what spies in the past did, even as recent as the Cold War.Well, what you're thinking of as "spies" is called [HUMINT] , and more narrowly, [clandestine HUMINT]. Wikipedia ... |
How is "saving water" beneficial to the environment? | Depends on where you live. In general, if you live anywhere in the Midwest west of the Mississippi or the Southwest, you are part of the water problem. There are vastly more people and much more development, particularly agriculture, than is sustainable using renewable water sources in those areas. If you're living in ... |
Why is fog transparent at close distances but opaque at long ones? | There's a lot more fog getting in the way. Fog is water vapor forming on dust or some other speck that the water can gather around, and like a cloud, can block or deflect light. One fog particle isn't going to matter. But get more and more of them, and they block more and more light. Fog isn't dense enough stop someone... |
How can diabetes cause someone to lose their foot? | Diabetes, by [definition], means a high *average* blood glucose. A high blood glucose leads to coating of blood vessels, both large blood vessels and small ones . It also coats blood vessels supplying nerves. Coating of small blood vessels lead to poorer supply of O2 and nutrients to toes. Coating of nerve's supplies l... |
Why do we even have computer viruses? Is it just Tom-douchery, or is there a bigger underlining reason? | There is speculation that the CIA wrote a bit of programming into a pressure control device for a Russian oil pipeline that was produced in the US. The result is that the pipeline exploded, costing a lot of money and causing a lot of damage. The Stuxnet virus destroyed the Iranian centrifuges, and I don't think it will... |
When I go to bed and there is total silence. Why does is there a "loud" noise in my head? | Is this loud noise a high-pitched tone? If so, that is tinnitus, a product of hearing damage. There isn't really much you can do. |
the arguments against "Guns, Germs, and Steel" | My Anthropology prof had issues with it, since culture doesn't play a big role in the argument. Sorry that's not a very good answer, but it's a start. |
How do people who work for services like Uber eats make profit? | Im currently sitting in McDonald's Uber drivers are running in and out non stop, I heard Uber takes a 33% cut of what the customer buys off the menu that plus paying delivery charge it all adds up, but I too myself think sometimes where does the money come from. My friend and I occasionally do Uber and he once had a de... |
If large buildings are made of concrete, shouldn't they be able to build it so a fire can't spread from one floor to another? | It isn't practical to design a building as you describe. Electrical wires need to be run through conduit, ventilation passages need to exist, plumbing goes somewhere it can be accessed for maintenance, elevator shafts need to be open and straight. How do you design a stairway that humans can traverse but a 40-foot blas... |
Aren't "Gambler's Fallacy" and "The Rule of Averages" at odds with each other? | the gambler's fallacy is thinking that the rule of averages applies to one game/day/small time period. If a coin lands on heads 5 times in a row, the next flip still has a 50% chance of landing on heads. The law of averages says that over time 50% of the time a coin will land on tails. The gambler's fallacy is that tai... |
Why American Football wasn't called something else, and instead Soccer is used instead of Football (in America). | Why Americans don't like soccer - Officiating - We like calls in our games to be correct. Our sports employ multiple officials, sometimes more than 6 in a game, to make sure as much as possible a call goes correctly. We also use a shitload of technology. A game shouldn't be decided because the one damn official had his... |
how are unpaid internships still legal? | For many employers, interns are a cost, not a benefit. The amount of training they have to give you relative to the amount you produce isn't worth it. You might actually contribute negative money each month to the company's bottom line. One company I worked for estimate the cost of an intern at $25k per summer plus wha... |
Can you just direct any private ship to help with a search and rescue operation? Do they get reimbursed? | In the US when you get your merchant Mariner credentials they have you sign something. can't remember the wording exactly but it basically says that if the coast guard or similar organization requests your help you will do what the ask. |
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