Split (1)

train · 14k rows

q_id stringlengths 6 6	title stringlengths 4 294	selftext stringlengths 0 2.48k	category stringclasses 1 value	subreddit stringclasses 1 value	answers dict	title_urls listlengths 1 1	selftext_urls listlengths 1 1
gsp3sn	why are people so against automation in factories if it makes things safer and produces more goods? is it just that people are losing jobs? but there are different jobs that open up.		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs6k1sl", "fs6kp3c", "fs6kevx", "fs6rxt7", "fs6wuvl", "fs7kqbl", "fs6md2j", "fs6qjws" ], "text": [ "Often there are different jobs, but not the same amount. Picture a factory with 10 workers. They replaces those 10 people with a machine. The new jobs that will open...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gsqbli	how do random number generators work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs6swbd", "fs6qdlw", "fs6woc1" ], "text": [ "There are 2 types: RNG (Random number generators) pRNG (psueduo-random number generators, which try as best as possible to generate numbers which have similar properties as random ). An example of an RNG is a real life dice. Other examples ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gsr1wb	Why do plugged in chargers, which aren't connected to anything, still draw power?	e.g. If a phone charger is plugged into an outlet yet has no phone connected to be charged, why does it draw power?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs6tuam", "fs7plb0" ], "text": [ "The charger itself has circuitry that needs to be powered. It's very little, though. Mostly just to detect when something has been plugged in so it can turn on. Much like a TV needs to be on to read the \"turn on\" signal from the remote.", "Are you s...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gssn7c	what are licenses on operating systems?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs737t0" ], "text": [ "As /u/Skatingraccoon says its the thing that allows you permission from the vendor to run the operating system. However, you may also be thinking about open source licenses like when you open your smartphone's About/Software screen. In that case, open source software is...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gsud6j	What’s the methodology behind the X,Y,B,A buttons with Red, Blue, Green, Yellow colors on most video game controllers? Is it just aesthetic, or is there something behind those specific colors and letters?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs7fqhz" ], "text": [ "If you go back to the NES, you just had A and B. The Sega Genesis launched in 1989 with an extra button. They had A, B, and C in a line. The Super Famicom (essentially the Japanese Super Nintendo) released in 1990. They had four buttons, A, B, X, and Y. If you tried to ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gsuh03	why .ini (or other config) files exist if they are just plain text?	I mean just a .txt would suffice, right?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs807ft", "fs7f9lg", "fs7gnte", "fs7gubj", "fs7n11f" ], "text": [ "Convention. You can rename config.ini to cheeseburger.avi, as long as the content structure remains the same and the program looks for that file name, it will work. However, in IT culture this is considered a d...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gsw569	Why do audio recordings have static in the background when there is no sound?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs80h98", "fs7vr29" ], "text": [ "There's a thing called \"signal to noise ratio.\" A recording device introduces a base level of \"noise\" as a result of the recording process. When you're recording a loud sound, that noise is minimal in relation to that sound. When you are recording a q...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gswq3i	How do games render particle effects so much faster than programs like after effects?	I understand that while games have preset effects, programs needs to calculate every particle. However the games particle effects arent the same everytime which I guess means that each particle is also calculated. How is it that a game like overwatch can calculate tens of effects more than 60 times a second while the s...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs7z9hv" ], "text": [ "Part of it is the hardware used. Every computer has two main pieces of hardware which calculate things, graphics (gpu) and central (cpu). Each are specialized in some kind of processing and have a performance advantage at it. This is like having both a sedan and a truck...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gswtkr	Why can't we vote in elections with a public/private key pair similar to how we log into servers?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs7x8js", "fs7xber" ], "text": [ "Tom Scott has a good video on why electronic voting is a TERRIBLE idea. Essentially it boils down to this: any computerized system is breakable. It's only a matter of the time and resources an attacker is willing to invest to do so. Swaying election is an...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gsyq4y	Why do CCTV cameras have seemingly such low picture/video quality in comparison to something like the basic camera on your phone		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs88fno", "fs88x4v" ], "text": [ "Higher picture quality causes rapid increase in data storage cost. Going from \"TV\" at 500-ish lines to iPhone at 12MP (3K lines) requires 36 times as much storage space per frame. Paying 36 times more for footage that is never used (ok used 0.0001% of t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gt073j	Why do news reporters have to deal with the several second delay when talking to someone remotely? It seems like it can’t be the tech, I mean there’s no delay on my cell phone, so does it have something to do with censorship?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs8hq5k", "fs8i1bd", "fs92hal" ], "text": [ "Remote reporters are often using trucks with [microwave emitters.]( URL_0 ) It's like talking on an old-school CB radio, not a phone line.", "There actually is some delay on your cell phone, you just won't know it unless you're in the s...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gt15b4	What is an API as it relates to software/computer science?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs8q6zz", "fs8p2zr", "fs8pn05" ], "text": [ "An API is a portion of a program that's made to allow one program to talk to another. Let's say I wanted to write a desktop application that can operate the playback controls of Spotify, change the volume, etc. Spotify isn't going to let me...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gt18j4	How does an optometrist's vision test (which is better, A or B) come up with an eyeglass prescription?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs8qj5b" ], "text": [ "They are switching settings on a piece of equipment (called a phoropter) doing a type of binary search to narrow in to the right prescription for your eyes. The adjustments they make get smaller and smaller as they go past the prescription you need and eventually land i...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gt2yoh	How come using an aux cord with a car charger makes a whining sound but charging my phone from an outlet and using earbuds does not?	When I charge my phone and play music in my car using an aux cord it makes an awful screeching sound that increases with speed. This does not happen when I charge my phone and use earbuds in a wall outlet. Why?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs90ufs", "fs9a7fu" ], "text": [ "Because a petrol(gasoline) car has spark plugs, which generate tiny spans to make the engine run These sparks generate quite a bit of electrical noise, the noise gets picked up by the charger, the phone and consequently the stereo, which amplifies the sou...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gt32wv	How does encryption really work? What prevents hackers from just stealing the key and stuff?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs93wb4", "fs943lz", "fs99igb" ], "text": [ "Computer encryption works by encoding the information into a meaningless data set(the Hash), which contains the same data, except in a secret code based on an algorithmically generated number. Some encryption schemes are REVERSIBLE, which m...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gt4cce	How can games spend several years in development but when released have modern graphics		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs9p7iu" ], "text": [ "The games starting development today have graphics that are 5 years in the future from what is currently available. When they come out, they define what \"modern\" graphics look like. If the game developers guess wrong on how powerful computers will be, one of two thing...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gt7vfo	do zoom calls or any video calls show the most accurate representation of you (how people see you as) compared to say the mirror,selfies,photos from the back camera and videoing yourself?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs9xpnh" ], "text": [ "Which camera you use shouldn’t change anything, except maybe resolution. If you’re taking a shot with a mirror, then you’ll appear backwards. In Zoom or Meet, and many others, you can see what you look like to everyone else in your own window. In Zoom, at least, it’ll r...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gt85vm	how do bladeless fans work?	Those fancy Dyson fans. How they push the air? Edit: thanks for the information. It's amazing the amount of thought that goes into a little fan.	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fs9ztcm", "fsahg4o", "fsb2jne", "fsa4cds" ], "text": [ "They’re unfortunately not bladeless :/ There’s a small fan in the base of the fan that sucks in air at the base. Then the air is forced up into the bladeless portion and forced out of the narrow slits around the ring. This is...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtcyyq	how can you get 100+ mbps internet through a single wire in a coaxial cable, while an ethernet cable need 8 wires to do the same thing	I fucked up the title, it was meant to say 1000 not 100, though "100+" still technically is correct🤷🏼‍♀️	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsasm78", "fsarxtn" ], "text": [ "Wildly different signaling methods An ethernet cable carries your signal down differential pairs and sends 1s and 0s by having pins that flip polarity. If it wants to send a 1 then TX+ is high while TX- is low, if it wants to send a 0 then TX+ is low whil...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtdh1b	How is it possible that we can't explore the remaining 97 percent of the ocean when NASA takes pictures of galaxies million light years away.		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsavcn8", "fsazhr0", "fsb1thh", "fsav3kj", "fsaun5f", "fsaulza", "fsb1e6z", "fsb1o4w", "fsavqg3", "fsauuyg", "fsb468x" ], "text": [ "We certainly can. The Trieste has been down to into the Mariana Trench in 1960. In 2019 Victor Vescovo went 7 miles down...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gte57m	How do Captchas work and how effective are they in weeding out bots?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsb18tj" ], "text": [ "Captchas original were just squiggly text. You may still see these. Computers aren't good at machine vision so they cannot read them but humans can. reCaptcha was the next generation of that, and they gave you two words to type. One was a control (they knew what it was)...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtguqh	Why do tractor trailer trucks need help to extricate themselves when they are jackknifed? Why can't they just turn their wheels and straighten out on their own?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsblcz5" ], "text": [ "The wheels on the trailer aren't powered. This isn't a problem when the truck is pulling them in a direction mostly parallel to the direction the wheels move, but the further the trailer turns the less of the force the truck produces is pointed in that direction. If the...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gti2gd	Why do old recordings (tv / audio) sound so nasally?	Watching old movies or broadcasts always sound the same. Everyone has a very muffled and nasal sound to them. What caused microphones to produce such a uniformly weird sound?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsc2g12", "fsbsy51", "fscrgv8", "fsdiwvk", "fsc32a0", "fscu4g1" ], "text": [ "One factor is the recording media, which in combination with microphones can dramatically roll off frequencies at the top or bottom. Older recordings were on film, tape, or vinyl, which introduce...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gti6jw	How do livestream concerts work when the musicians are in different locations? How are the musicians able to play in sync without lag issues?	I’ve been dying to know. Thanks!	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsbuu8m", "fsc8228", "fscs61b", "fsdb8ti" ], "text": [ "If any of these concerts were perfectly live (i.e., straight from the performers) it would be an unrecognizable mess of sound. Generally the feeds from the individuals are sent to a production team who sync the feeds and broa...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtjxwg	Why does video degrade over time? WHat specifically about video makes it degrade versus film or digital media?	I mean watching old sports replays, I remember watching them in real time and the video looked great (Not today's 4K great, but still), and now it looks like total shit. Were they really not very high resolution vs. today's cameras and screens?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fscehfk" ], "text": [ "Film has no resolution technically. It can be developed and upscaled to almost any known resolution. Video does have a resolution. Your perspective most likely changed. You were used to video being a certain quality in the past and that was the best you could get by the...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtmagq	When going protesting why do participants need to disable their cellphone data and Face/Touch ID before they go?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fscvjw1" ], "text": [ "In case of arrest, so that officers can not unlock their phones by pressing a handcuffed thumb against it, or holding it up to the face." ], "score": [ 5 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtmtan	Why does IMAX images looks more sharp than 4K on an Full HD screen ?	I've been watching Dunkirk recently and learned it was partly shot on IMAX. I watched it on a basic Full HD screen. So to my understanding, "data" is lost when watching a film with resolution above Full HD on a Full HD screen right ? So, both 4K and IMAX, are "compressed" to the same resolution. But why do I feel like ...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsd5i3q" ], "text": [ "IMAX film is 70mm wide and contains enough information to make 8K+ resolution images of each frame. Alas, that many images at that resolution couldn't be streamed to anybody. When you see a digital movie in a theater, they transport it by putting hard drives in the mail...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtp5og	how could a computer with only 32k of RAM memory be enough to help landing on the moon ?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsdftko", "fsdg3dl", "fsdikjh", "fsdll1n", "fsdosr8" ], "text": [ "Because it was dedicated to doing that one task and nothing else there was no windows operating system, no antivrus software, no solitaire games etc.", "Specialisation. That computer had a few specific task...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtr4qd	How does photography work exactly?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fse1tbu" ], "text": [ "Light bounces off everything that isn’t absolutely black. Plants absorb red and blue and reflect green for example. A camera records how intense and what color the light is that bounces off stuff and hits the camera lens. Better cameras have more sensors, more accurate ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtvlid	Where does the data goes after deleting it?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fseneo0", "fseo8jy" ], "text": [ "Data isn't physical. Take a bunch of pennies and line them up. The order of heads and tails is information. By flipping them all to heads, the information is deleted. It's gone. That said, computers often don't delete stuff unless you specifically order t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gtzb9k	why is it that the bigger your FOV is in a game, the faster it feels like you're moving?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsf8sqg" ], "text": [ "If you're in a moving car and look straight ahead (in the direction the car is traveling), it doesn't look like the car is moving very fast compared to if you look out a side window (perpendicular to the direction of travel). In the car analogy, increasing your FOV expo...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gu0ko0	Why are games sold in disks? Wouldn't usb drives be more efficient and save space on the console?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsfeh40", "fsfechs", "fsfirkd", "fsfnpb5", "fsg25jh" ], "text": [ "USB drives are much more expensive. They don't seem like they're that expensive, maybe $10 or so for one with the same storage as a blu-ray. But when you're mass manufacturing, a single blu-ray disc costs penni...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gu2kd7	Why do electronic devices like phones and computers seem slower initially after they reboot?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsfri5m", "fsfs5g8" ], "text": [ "Modern phones and computer usually delay loading some things in order to boot up faster. The slowness after a reboot is due to all the extra stuff loading in the background.", "On any given operating system there are tons of background services and th...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gu65u1	Why was yesterday's launch considered the first manned mission since 2011 when there have been many manned missions to/from the ISS?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsgek9o", "fsgex8c", "fsgf33d" ], "text": [ "It was the first manned mission from that was launched from American soil on an American rocket since 2011. All the manned missions prior to yesterday to the ISS since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011 were done via the Russian So...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gu7g5q	SpaceX, Crew Dragon, ISS Megathread!	Please post all your questions about space, rockets, and the space station that may have been inspired by the recent SpaceX Crew Dragon launch. Remember some common questions have already been asked/answers [Why does the ISS seem stationary as the Dragon approaches it]( URL_1 ) [Why do rockets curve]( URL_0 ) [Why an i...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fskrhqd", "fsgnqz8", "fsk54h2", "fsily6c", "fsjmizd", "fsm3vb4", "fsmza93" ], "text": [ "How does the Dragon crew get from their rocket into the ISS? Do they attach their rocket to the ISS or something along those lines?", "Can someone explain the significance of t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gu94fi	How does hacking work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsh0qdd", "fsh1kqk", "fsh1kwa", "fshpkwc" ], "text": [ "There are actually two things Anonymous did/does. Hacking and a DDoS-attack. Hacking is like burglary, but digital. You find the weak spot in the system and get into the system from there. Depending on where the weak spot is,...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gu9bt1	How dating sites get started? How can you encourage your first batch of customers to register if you have nobody else to show them?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsh2pq3", "fsh4oce", "fsh5o3q", "fsh40e1" ], "text": [ "Populate the site with fake profiles and/or bots, and then phase out the fake profiles / bots as more real people register (or don't). Heck, you could even put your employees to work chatting to those first few pioneers to ma...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
guc1o0	How do green screens work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fshiqiw" ], "text": [ "You could do the effect with just about any color screen, blue screens used to be the standard, but people found the bright green worked better. The purpose of the color is to give a specific color to scan for and then eliminate from the scene to allow another scene to ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gue2uu	What are the differences between an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and an SSD (Solid State Drive)? Why are SSDs supposed to give you faster speed?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fshzir7", "fshvmuo", "fshwbvi", "fsi9ezw" ], "text": [ "HDD is like trying to get information off the Wheel Of Fortune while a SSD is more like playing BINGO. The wheel has to spin to get to the spot the data is at. The SSD just ask for the info and the spot says it's here.", ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
guhiqv	what is the “Docker” software and what does it do?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsih44m" ], "text": [ "Docker is a program to put other programs in timeout, but pretend timeout and share toys with each other. If you have a computer and you want to run a program on it, you install it and run it that way. With larger systems, you might have to install the same program, but...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
guhw37	How is some PC memory volatile (e.g. RAM) and some memory non-volatile (e.g. an SSD)		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsihcjh" ], "text": [ "RAM just happens to be volatile, but it's not because it needs to be. Computers need memory to store the data they are working with. This memory doesn't need to keep the data once the computer is shutdown but it needs to have random access and be really really fast. T...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
guiur4	How can they stream live footage in such high quality from space?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsipiit", "fsio051", "fsimudf" ], "text": [ "Do you have satellite tv? HD broadcasts are transmitted to your tv from much further away than the ISS. Satellites for TV are 36,000km away vs 400km for the ISS.", "The ISS is actually not that far, it orbits at about 400km from the sur...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gujwyk	Why do OLED screen burn ?	I've seen plenty of sources telling it's because some pixels stayed static for so long, ok, but that's not an issue with LCD. Why is it different for OLED and how come you can damage a screen just like that ?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsiud4o", "fsiu879", "fsitm4x" ], "text": [ "This is somewhat of a two-part answer. There are actually two forms of ‘screen burn’ that can happen with OLED displays. One is usually temporary and results from the OLED displaying the same colour for a long time (a few hours perhaps) whi...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
guk8j5	How did Stalin's photo retouchers able to do what they did ?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsitz9b", "fsj4kng" ], "text": [ "In the early 20th century, most photos were black and white and had to be chemically treated in order to be developed. Once a print of the original image was made, an artist could use white paint and black ink to cover up and alter parts of a photograph t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gun6tg	Why is it a a bad idea to use base-64 encoding to create an impossible to guess but easily reversed password when using a password manager?	ELI5 why it's a bad idea to use base-64 encoding to generate a very long password that is easily reverse engineered in case of loss but almost impossible to guess? For example, l use a password manager and am worried that they may one day just go out of business and shut down, so I generate all of my passwords for a gi...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsjcqqd", "fsjfmhu", "fsjd9aj" ], "text": [ "Base-64 encoding is fairly recognizable and completely reversible. The second any of your passwords is breached, all of your passwords would be breached.", "The fear a password manager might one day not be available any more is not nece...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
guntcx	Why sometimes the phone’s battery runs out slowly and sometimes quickly (several percent at once in a short time). Though, your doing the same thing on the phone.	Like, why can't it calculate how many charge units are left in it	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsjgzgr", "fsjh6ih" ], "text": [ "Because battery life is determined by many factors. Temperature. Number of background apps. And more. The % is also an estimate based on internal resistance in the battery so it's a guideline only.", "One possible explanation is that all household bat...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gupwqi	Why/how does 5G offer much lower latency than 4G?	Why is it that 5G will give us a much lower latency than 4G? Where’s the bottleneck in 4G?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsjvjmp" ], "text": [ "the latency reduction is mainly from advances in mobile technology, ie the radio towers that transmit/receive the data as well as the SOC's on the phones. 5G uses much higher frequency (and requires more power) compared to 4G which allows a \"tighter beam\" that directs...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
guqnmf	how does internet speed work?	Scenario: first I check my speed on [ URL_1 ]( URL_0 ), it says I have 10mbps.... good. I start downloading something and it's downloading at 0,5mbps. While downloading I check my speed on [ URL_1 ]( URL_0 ) again and now it is 300-500kbps. Why? shouldn't it be 10mbps-0,5mbps=9,5mbps. right? why does 0,5mbps take all m...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsk0b35" ], "text": [ "You are mixing units. Internet speeds are typically measured in megabits per second while transfer speeds in downloads or on your disk are usually measured in megabytes per second. There are eight bits per byte. Megabits per second is \"Mbps\", while megabytes p...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gusuy4	What are the hang ups on real life grappling hooks? Why are they not nearly as powerful, fast, and portable as they are in fiction?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fske6wk" ], "text": [ "Basically every aspect of them is more difficult than fiction would present. The basic concept is that you need to launch a hook and associated rope/cable a great distance, and that means moving a significant weight with a single impulse. Unless it is unreasonably light...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
guzlnz	Why do YouTube videos reload the player after being paused for a long time	I often find myself idling on YouTube videos a lot and sometimes I'll forget about the page entirely, but eventually I do come back and in the cases where I'm not playing the video for a few hours, when I come back to the page and begin playing the video the player will reload completely as if I just loaded up the page...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fslkawo" ], "text": [ "It’s probably due to ram usage. If you are using the ram for other tasks it sees the loaded video that you aren’t watching as a waste of space. Google chrome will do this with any tab you don’t open for a while." ], "score": [ 3 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gv1wwo	if Im downloading a game at 100mbps why does it take way longer to download than math says it should?	For example on xbox its showing 100mbps. Theres 10 gb left to download and its telling me 15 mins. Im no mathematician but seems like i should be downloading 1gb/10 secs. So this whole 10 gbs should take me 1 minute and 40 seconds. Why are the download speeds its showing never right? I can watch the numbers going up an...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fslyxkm" ], "text": [ "You are probably confusing bits and bytes. A byte is 8 bits. Internet speeds are often give in bits, but file sizes are in bytes. 100 megabits/s are just 12.5 megabytes/s, so the download actually takes 8 times longer than you think." ], "score": [ 16 ], ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gv21zn	Low RAM Timings vs High Frequency for low input lag experience	Explain me, what do the timings	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fslzrtb" ], "text": [ "Basically timings are the different time it takes to access data and/or retrieve it from the RAM module itself. Frequency is how many operations the RAM module can do in 1 second (literally what hertz means, repetition per second). I think this video will do a better jo...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gv6u5e	What does 'a memory leak' actually mean?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsmr8v6", "fsn1idm", "fsmrszz" ], "text": [ "Look at your computer's memory as a storage room. You want to store something in memory. You must first allocate it, otherwise you can't find it again. You need a box. You allocate a box, put some stuff in it, and put it in the storage room...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gv85uv	How do POS systems know/update your balance without internet? How can you pay using a POS in a plane 36,000 feet above the ground?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsmyuql", "fsmywzm", "fsmz2j4" ], "text": [ "answer : The airplane has an internet connection, even if it isn't offered to the passengers.", "It stores the transaction data, and then sends the information when the next connection happens. This is how credit worked from it's incept...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gv89gd	Why do old televisions emit high-pitched noises while in use?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsmzqp6" ], "text": [ "The way those TVs work is that an electron beam (or cathode ray, hence the CRT name) is fired at the screen, and it is moved left to right and top to bottom, these movements are caused by magnetic coils that bend the ray in rode to hit the correct point on the screen In...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gv8s2j	why is it possible to retrieve data from formatted Memory Card or Hard drive?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsn3bgk" ], "text": [ "Because in general, \"deleting\" something doesn't necessarily remove the information. When you hit \"delete\", what you're really doing is erasing not the data itself, but the little bit of data that tells the computer where the file is stored on the drive. The way t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gv8yhf	why this random number generator has these lines ?	[This]( URL_0 ) post from dataisbeautiful shows how the random numbers generated are not truly random. Why is that so?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsn5490", "fsn4lfv" ], "text": [ "The random number generator in question is [RANDU]( URL_0 ) RANDU has a very simple function which does given you a uniform distribution but also results in repeating planes if you plot it in a 3D cube V_j+1 = 65539 * V_j mod 2^31 That weird cube comes fr...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gv95to	How is it more efficient to keep the AC on all day rather than turning it off in the morning and back on in the evening?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsn9hx3", "fsnajo2", "fsn8gnd" ], "text": [ "In point of fact, it is _not_ more efficient to keep it on. Every second that thing is running it's actually a) making heat (outside, thermodynamics-style) and b) making your house gain more BTUs/s from the outside (by increasing the temper...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvaqaf	Why do you need to change your password when you forget it? I'd much prefer to just be reminded of it by email, for curiosity and for convenience.		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsnfvpc", "fsngp5o", "fsngpwb", "fsngv96", "fsngwhx" ], "text": [ "because it's bad practice for someone to store the password in a way that they can retrieve it. this is in case they get hacked. instead, they store a \"hash\" of your password and compare that each time you lo...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvb33v	Why does touching a cord to my skin that’s plugged into the wall stop my Bluetooth headphones from buzzing?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsnm8np" ], "text": [ "I'm by no means an expert but I know that subs can suffer from a ground loop which cases buzzing. My guess would be a similar issue where by touching the wire you are grounding your earphones and giving the electricity that's causing the buzz a route to ground. What hap...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvb377	How is it decided how much memory a picture takes. Like what makes a difference and why do some pictures take more memory than others.		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsnichi", "fsnk7a3", "fsnmocu" ], "text": [ "This depends on the type of compression used and with many compression algorithms depends on the complexity of the photo. If the photo is comprised of simple shapes and solid colors then it compresses better than a complex scene with many c...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvbn9k	How does data know which way to take through the internet?	Let's say, I'm in the US and browsing a Website hosted on a New Zealand Server. Since there are so many undersea cables, how does the data know which way to take to my computer? And what happens if the "usual way" is out of order for some reason?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsnmmh4" ], "text": [ "Each packet of data on the Internet has a \"header\" attached to it, like the envelope of a letter. The header contains the IP address and port that it is from and the IP address and port to which it is destined. Every box making up the Internet has tables for each of i...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvjn11	why do computer processors need clocks?	I’ve looked this up and every explanation just dives into a deep convoluted mathematical lesson, or gives surface level info like “a processor needs a clock because the faster the clock ticks the more operations a processor can do!” I’ve always struggled to understand this and would really like to know.	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsp2lcb", "fsp4yui", "fsp8p6l" ], "text": [ "The processor is a [state machine]( URL_0 ). It means that the millions of transistors in that chip aren't just flipping 1 to 0 and back willy nilly, they actually have to be synchronized. The processor goes from \"my transistors are doing ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvkfho	How do double barrel shotgun shoot bullets one at a time		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsp7thc", "fsp87eb", "fsp84ky" ], "text": [ "It depends on the gun. Either it has 2 triggers, one per barrel, or the single trigger causes a hammer to fall on the first barrel, then when you keep pulling/squeezing it a second hammer falls on the second barrel.", "There are a coupl...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvm38v	Where is the internet?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fspjcvl", "fspjvp8", "fspjhge" ], "text": [ "everything on the internet is saved on someone's PC. well, not actually someone's personal computer, but a most of the stuff you interactive with is saved on a dedicated server that only stores information and serves it to people. all these...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvqdpl	How does torrent sites make money?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsqe0jh", "fsqhev1" ], "text": [ "there are several options: - they dont (some might just set up a torrent server because they want to and then pay the bills themselves) - ads on the site - donations (paypal/bitcoin-donations from people using the site) - in theory: by adding malware to t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvsitj	How does an email know where to go?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsqlb8w" ], "text": [ "You press send and your email software looks up the the ip address registered for @domain and connects to the server and uploads the message. The server then reads the \"to/cc/bcc\" addresses and looks up the domain information for each address. The information will tel...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvt5of	where and how is data actually stored on a Micro SD or other form of small memory device?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsrlma3" ], "text": [ "It's Flash memory. And flash memory is made of MOSFETs with a floating gate. Explaining what exactly that is isn't very ELI5 friendly, because it's a deeply technical matter. But it goes something like this: A MOSFET is a type of transistor. A transistor is an electrica...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvve77	how do microphones not include system sounds?	So, if I’m in a call with someone, with the speaker on, why does the mic not receive the sound the phone is emitting?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsr4jcj" ], "text": [ "The simplest systems just turn off the speaker when the microphone is in use and turn off the microphone when the speaker is on. More modern systems use signal processing algorithms to filter the sound from the speaker out of the microphone signal." ], "score": [ ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvyppl	Regarding Huawei and their 5G hardware in Europe (But globally as well)		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsrr8vw" ], "text": [ "I'm a software engineer, not a cryptography expert. But one potential attack would be sabotaging a random number generator so the random numbers could be predicted. This might allow users who possess knowledge about the sabotage to crack cryptographic keys, etc. The oth...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvzexl	What happens when you save a game?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsruvak", "fss19gi", "fss1069", "fssm4vj", "fsst4qo" ], "text": [ "The game creates or updates a file that it is using to store your current game state. This can be a very basic set of information (like what level you were on) or a massive set of information like the positions...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gvzjjq	How do sailboats steer?	If the wind is blowing in one direction, wouldn't your sails just propel you in that direction? What if you want to go parallel to the wind direction? I understand sails can move, but wouldnt that just speed up or slow down how fast you go in the direction of the wind?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fss2usn" ], "text": [ "Sailboats have something called [a centreboard or a keel]( URL_0 ). The keel resists the lateral force created by the wind, helping the boat go forward instead of sideways. That being said, boats at certain points of sails do move sideways quite a bit, even with a keel....	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gw2imh	How did they fit open world games like Zelda and the original Final Fantasy into NES cartridges	With some basic Googling It looks like that the max size was around 512 KB. How is this even possible to fit games of this size onto such little memory? What is this magic? Edit: Wow, this absolutely blew up. Thank you everyone for the detailed answers. Several people have linked the Morphcat Games video which I will s...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fssi7fz", "fssj3pk", "fst432c", "fst46qc", "fsuj1o0", "fst0xn3", "fsshycv", "fssi197", "fsttgqk", "fst1bx5", "fsu2aqm", "fsusoyo", "fsus2gq" ], "text": [ "The game is a grid. Legend of Zelda is 16 screens wide by 8 screens tall. And each screen ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gw7i2l	How do emergency broadcasts get to everyone's phone, TV or radio? How come your phone always knows to give you a notification when they're sent?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fstbs11", "fsthn4y", "fste5rt" ], "text": [ "because the goverment has an agreement with phone companies, radio stations, television providers, that let them push out those notifications. So when the time comes, to put it simply, all the government needs to say is \"Hey Companies, ykn...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gwgs1j	Why does it take a powerful PC to run a nintendo 64 emulator even though the 64 is relatively much weaker		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsutte4", "fsus845", "fsv90hb" ], "text": [ "It's like having to read a book in a language you are not familiar with. Your mind is working overtime both to understand what you are reading and translating it from the unfamiliar language to your native language at the same time - the tr...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gwpr2q	What can a NAS do that a regular computer can't?	I'm asking because I'm looking for a way to store movies and TV shows and people seem to like this NAS thing. However, from my very limited knowledge it just looks like a PC cabinet with a (for a PC) slow processor and (for a PC) not a lot of RAM. Some of the Synology ones cost way more than a PC with the same specs wo...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fswgcom", "fswlbhr", "fswhtz3" ], "text": [ "NAS devices are typically designed to run it's storage drives for very long periods of time, whereas a normal PC hard drive is not designed to be able to read/write 24/7. NAS drives can also be run in various RAID setups to prevent data cor...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gws5vc	How do “infinite” video games work? How does the game understand the pattern that must be used to create the game, and is it possible to reach a point where the game will basically loop because it won’t be able to create any more new levels/road?	Take Tiny Wings as an example. You control a bird which has to slide on hills to get height and pass from island to island. The game is a “survival score” (you have to survive as long as possible and you get a score which increases the more you survive) kind of game and will go on indefinitely. How does this work?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fswvsha", "fswyey1", "fsx268d" ], "text": [ "You basically keep on throwing some dice, and the result is interpreted as what to do next. Eg, you get a 5, and that means you're going to make a mountain. You throw some dice again, and that determines the mountain's height. And so on. Yo...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gwujxz	How does The LEGO Movie look so realistic?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsx9xek", "fsxcxx8" ], "text": [ "Computer technology is really good at making plastic look real, and since legos are make believe they don’t have to follow gravity or similar rules. I saw a YouTube video talking about how the creators tried very hard to make it look stop motion by doing ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gwv87q	how does phone's fingerprint scanner work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsxhpt2" ], "text": [ "Most phones use what is called a capacitive scanner. On the top is a highly scratch-resistant sapphire glass lens that protects the assembly and focuses the sensor. A steel ring surrounds this, waiting to detect your finger's pressure. When that is triggered, the capaci...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gwxg94	why is it that gigabit internet is not 1000mbit but caps at 940mbit?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsxthns" ], "text": [ "In most cases it is because there is overhead to get that speed, so carriers who offer gigabit sometimes say 940 because that's the fastest your information goes, they tack on another 60mbps to help get your data through their network properly. But this is really just b...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gx2fiv	How can I explain my partner, LIKE HE'S FIVE, that Bill Gates is not putting chips inside people?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsyn7m1", "fsymv9i", "fsyo1li", "fsyn8az", "fsyogbm" ], "text": [ "You can't reason with conspiracy theorists. It's pointless to try. If he gets aggressive, get out.", "Why would you want to prove a negative, that's very hard. Ask him to show some solid evidence for the fa...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gx4az0	How people made ice before refrigerators existed?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fsyx63b", "fsz13p9", "fszlwfc", "fsyxhlu", "fsz4mu5", "fsyx9g0", "fsz896n", "fsz723f", "fszloxz", "fszelg0", "fszpfc3", "fszgvag", "fsztwkh", "fszqvnz", "fszf8fi", "fszuo1w" ], "text": [ "There was an entire industry of harvesting an...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gx73r5	How come music live records sound worse the better technology gets?	When listening to live recording from 70's and 80's, even early 90's, they usually sound great, while current live recordings usually sound awful. Especially when it comes to rock/metal music.	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fszhsv9", "ft0jjk4", "fszfcma", "fszvh0y", "ft0l961", "ft0cu08", "fszj8py" ], "text": [ "Because \"live\" albums are not always recorded live. Take the album \"Stop Making Sense\". Talking Heads assembled a touring band, rearranged their songs for that band, and perfor...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gx776c	Why does auto-fill in search engines sometimes drop out the result I intend to type as I type more of it?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fszlq4q" ], "text": [ "Generally speaking, when the desired result pops up, people stop typing more of it and just go right to the result. After all, if what you need is right there, why would you need to continue typing in more of it. Ergo, if you continue typing even after that result sho...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gx99eb	How does spinning work? How are short cotton and wool fibers spun into a single thread for weaving, sewing, and making textiles with?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft03qn4" ], "text": [ "Some fibers are easier than others. Each strand isn't smooth like a human hair. There are microscopic roughness and microfibers tangled into them. When you spin them, you're smashing them all into a tangled mess, like headphones in a pocket but 10 times worse. The tangl...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gx9c34	How do MFA/2FA work without internet connection?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fszuh21" ], "text": [ "The device contains a clock. The displayed PIN is the time, encrypted with a key that you do not know, that's why it seems random. Every token has a unique encryption key. The system on the other end knows the key, as part of the setup process, so it can check that the ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gx9p9f	what is the diference between a 10 dollar mouse and a gamer one?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fszwkvd" ], "text": [ "More consistent and tactile mechanics (yes it makes a difference) re-mappable buttons, more of them to begin with, better build quality, less Bluetooth lag, etc." ], "score": [ 6 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gx9smz	What do companies "get" out of spamming people with emails? Most people delete or ignore.		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "fszx18k", "fszxrf4" ], "text": [ "It's true that the vast majority of people delete, ignore, or never even see (it get filtered). But the cost of sending the email is also basically zero. If it costs them $100 to email a million accounts, and then they can scam one person out of $1,000, t...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxcpig	What do updates which solely ‘improve system performance’ actually do on a practical level?	I just updated my PS4, and the update description was ‘improved system performance’. What have the devs done which makes my system performance improve? Will I notice it ?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft0ghfa" ], "text": [ "You probably won’t notice it, honestly. These types of update usually deal with one of four areas. Processor (CPU)/Graphics (GPU) - updating or changing code to make more efficient use of the processor. For example a “single threaded” (runs on 1 core) process might be c...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxcsb4	Would it be possible to hook up a drinking fountain to something other than a water line so that something else would come out, like Kool aid?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft0gizb" ], "text": [ "Yes. Easily. Beer taps in bars do this. Soda dispensers in fast food joints do this. Instead of a main water line, it would just draw from a vat of whatever liquid you wanted." ], "score": [ 4 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxeyxv	What is a container in computing? What is it used for and how does it work?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft1qx8y" ], "text": [ "A container is a sort of sandbox for a program, collection of programs, or damned near a whole operating system or Linux distribution (for the specific case of Linux obviously) designed to provide the illusion of a private operating system to the program(s) involved. Fo...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxgsa2	Why there is an electronic chip on Nutella jars?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft1aar6", "ft200vp", "ft1d4xr", "ft1ajyg", "ft1a90b" ], "text": [ "What you're seeing is most likely an anti-theft RF tag. Nutella probably gets stolen a lot in that store. Stores will put those on products to make the alarms at the front of the store go off unless it's deacti...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxhjm1	why do some pictures online load top to bottom (line of pixels line by line) and other go from blurry to clear?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft1h8vk", "ft1zazm", "ft27il1", "ft26h9y", "ft2ce9o", "ft1k3yg", "ft4ebhb", "ft44roo", "ft2gjdq" ], "text": [ "Because these are two different strategies to load images. In strategy A you break down the image data into small pieces and send each piece one by on...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxl2cy	In the days where people could smoke on planes, all cigarettes would have to be put out if the plane went through lightning. Why is this?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft2qdok" ], "text": [ "I would guess in case the oxygen masks came down, would be bad to have a burning ember nearby." ], "score": [ 5 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxmr7j	Why are there weird(sometimes coloured) lines when a camera takes a picture of a computer/TV screen?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft2vjzj" ], "text": [ "URL_0 The screen displays the image as a grid of pixels. The camera captures the photo also on a grid of pixels. The pattern occurs when the two don't align properly, so each camera pixels can pick up a mix between nearby screen pixels." ], "score": [ 8 ], "...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxo9um	How can bots like !remindme bot simultaneously scan through thousands of comments posted every minute under many different posts, in different communities?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft3kacl", "ft3ukt9" ], "text": [ "Because it's not a single entity. Think of it like a (massive) company instead. There are a large number of workers, each assigned to look at new comments from a small number of sources (possibly down to an individual person). When things get busy they pr...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxpa69	How does software turn off hardware?	It makes sense that electrical connections/circuits can be interrupted by flipping a switch (e.g. a light via a light switch in a house). Devices (computers, phones, TVs, etc.) can be turned on/off with a remote or tap of a screen, and this is where I have a hard time understanding how. Are there actually mechanical/mo...	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft3tq1b", "ft3wf92" ], "text": [ "You have to understand that there are electronic devices which can control the flow of electricity, but in a non-mechanical fashion. Yes, the power button on your phone is ultimately a mechanical switch, however it only serves as an input to the circuit w...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxq4l2	How does the Turing test work, and why is it still debatable whether it has been passed or not?		Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft47625", "ft45os2", "ft4l46p" ], "text": [ "In theory, the Turing Test is a test of a natural language AI's ability to pass as human. You stick a human in front of a computer terminal where they have a text conversation with a series of unknown entities, which could be another human ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxr61t	When banks process an online transfer for 3-5 business days, what is actually happening to the money?	And why is it such a long period of time, rather than a shorter software-based authentication of say, one hour?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft4jcit", "ft4k5hp", "ft4pwab", "ft4fmwg" ], "text": [ "These transactions are being sent by ACH. There are a ton of rules around ACH transactions called NACHA rules. ACH is the first type of electronic money movement in the US that wasn’t a wire transfer. As such ACH is about 30 ...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]
gxw3no	How do people make cheats for games, like wall-hack and aimbot?	Wall-hack is more interesting because how do people create the cheat to know exactly where every player is? How aimbot is created too? And why do games can't prevent people from being able to make those cheats?	Technology	explainlikeimfive	{ "a_id": [ "ft5rd03", "ft5topv" ], "text": [ "A game is made of code and code references other code. So to know where a player is there has to be data stating their x/y/z position at all times. Using memory readers you can have a program “see” where a player is and access your mouse to aim at that pl...	[ "url" ]	[ "url" ]

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