q_id stringlengths 6 6 | title stringlengths 4 294 | selftext stringlengths 0 2.48k | category stringclasses 1
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hue15z | Why when film sets use CGI or Graphics, they always have a green suit or green backdrop? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"Usually green, but not always. Because it's a color that, numerically, on an RGB or hexadecimal color scale, is the most distant, on average, from the natural colors being filmed. So then they can tell the computer to replace the color, say #00CC00 (whate... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
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huf0xo | if theres no .exe in a github file, how do you run it? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"Depends on the files. Some don’t run. Some only run as a mod in other programs. We would need to know the exact one to tell. Check if it has a “read me” file.",
"Compiled executables are rarely part of the ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
huim5t | How can multiple people on earth have an active GPS navigation without overloading the satellites? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"GPS is passive. You don't transmit to the satellites. You just receive time and position from multiple satellites and calculate your position from that.",
"GPS devices only receive data from the satellites, they do not beam anything bac... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hujhsh | I understand that the Lockheed SR-71 can fly very fast and high, but how did it actually spy on other countries? I assume there is more to it than simply flying over a country | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"It had a big camera on board that could be used to photograph troop movements, military installations and so on. Potentially they also had electronic intelligence measures on board, though I don't believe any details of this ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hujkvi | For PlayStation 2, how did cheat codes from another disc get transferred to the designated game disc? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"A bit of background information: Discs are a type of long-term storage. They're also read-only. When you play a game, nothing is written on the disc itself. That includes cheat codes, save data or anything of that sort. The way Action Replay codes work is... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hulx9o | Why do some countries on maps appear much smaller/bigger than they truly are? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"The earth is a sphere, and maps are flat. That means that you can't draw the curved surface of the earth on a flat map without something getting distorted. There are various maps that preserve various properties - angles, distances and so on, but you neve... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
huolcc | How does my phone camera recognize when it’s looking at a QR code? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fyodi17"
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"text": [
"A QR code looks like [this]( URL_0 ). The three square blocks in the corners, as well as the little block in the lower right, are what tells the software \"Yes, this is a QR code!\" Then, it scans the rest of the image to determine more about the code's structure, and e... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hury4c | How can cheating can be detected in an online game of chess? | I did a search of this question, but there was only one post with a vague response | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"Every chess site has a number of cheat detection variables, and they keep their methods largely secret. But by analyzing lots of variables like the frequency of picking top-level moves, the speed of play in complicated situations, consistency of move time... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
huwj25 | what are the effects of raising/lowering CPU frequencies and voltages? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fypocgr"
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"text": [
"Higher frequencies mean faster of course. But if you go too high frequency the transistors inside can't switch fully on or off fast enough and you get errors. Like if you ask your cpu to add 5+5 it might spit out 1034. Higher voltages let the transistors switch faster (... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
huztn7 | The difference between 1080p, 1440p, 4k, etc... like is something putting out 4k but shown on a 1080p monitor gonna look the same as something being put out at 1080p on the same monitor? | I understood the number references the pixel count but what makes more pixels = a better pixel? And to my understanding, 4k takes two to tango.. like your system/movie/etc has to put out or support 4k resolution while your tv or monitor or whatever has to be 4k as well. So is there any benefit to having a 4k game on a ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"A 4k image on a 1080p screen will usually look better than a 1080p image on a 1080p screen. This is due to the 4k image having used more pixel data to preserve the original image in a less compressed manner. \"Down sampling\"... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hv0umn | Why should I worry about my data being exposed? | Say I was in a major data leak. My name, address, email address, picture, and browser history are now public information Why should I be worried about that? I’d understand if my password or phone number leaked, since then people could pose as me But if it was public knowledge exactly who I am, what is my danger? I’m as... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fyqjdkw"
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"text": [
"It's simple, you expose yourself to all kinds of fraud. There are a boatload of services out there that you could be using that would be satisfied with that kind of information to believe that something is really coming from you. What's to stop anyone with that info to ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
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hv0z9z | What happens to deleted files once you get rid of them on a pc, where do they go? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"They’re still on there just your computer “removes” access to them and flags that space to be freely written over.",
"Information on your computer is stored as a chain of ones and zeroes. When you delete a file, the OS will simply go to... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hv30rv | why cookie consent message are always generic like "we use cookies to provide you the best experience" as opposed to giving a short summary of what the site really uses them for | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"because they DONT want you to know how many shady companies they sell your data to. those banners are because some people in the EU meant well but had little technical understanding when they made it a law there (and since then many other countries have f... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hv42rd | how does a needle scratching the surface of a vinyl disc produce music? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyqz8qq",
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],
"text": [
"The needle isn't scratching, it's riding in a groove cut into the vinyl, getting thrown back and forth due to its shape. That's how sound is encoded onto the disk.",
"The grove causes it to vibrate. Sound is vibrations. The vibrations are amplified me... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hv7562 | How do forms of alternative computing such as DNA and molecular computers work? | & #x200B; [ URL_0 ]( URL_2 ) [ URL_1 .]( URL_3 .) | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyrruhw"
],
"text": [
"All computers are something called a Turing Machine. You can look up the specific definition here - URL_0 But a tl;dr of it is, every computer consists of 3 things: 1. Something to store data 2. Something to manipulate the stored data 3. Set of rules that work with that... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hv8phn | - Why aren't the any pictures from rovers of the huge martian landmarks? I understand that Olympus Mons would be quite hard to take a picture of from the surface, but what about Valles Marineris ? | there * sorry lol | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyrr6ov",
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],
"text": [
"They're sent with specific missions, such as taking samples of soil to see if life is viable or every existed on Mars. They're sent to whatever location best suits their mission, and we haven't sent a mission for sightseeing ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hvcmid | A lot of outrage comes from “companies stealing our data”, what is an actual harmful outcome to me from a company taking my data? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"Well, they can target their advertising very specifically, manipulating your behaviour by knowing how to subconsciously ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hvd4dz | Why is URL_0 considered as a reliable source of myth debunking? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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],
"text": [
"All of their reasoning and evidence is laid out with references. Anything they say can be independently verified by third parties. With the ability to independently validate them, if they weren't reliable, they would have bec... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hveatu | how does a solid state drive fail? | I can understand how a hard drive can fail because it has mechanical parts that wear down over time, but everything is electric with no moving parts in a solid state drive. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyswjuk"
],
"text": [
"Flash memory works by storing electric charge on tiny plates surrounded on all sides by insulation. These plates are not connected to the rest of the circuit, so they keep their charge for a long time. To program the memory, a strong voltage is applied, which causes ele... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hvg786 | How Is Google's AMP NOT Massive Copyright Violation? | The way I understand AMP, Google takes someones site, copies it over to their own servers, converts it somehow and then redistributes that site from Google's AMP servers. To me this is a text book perfect case of unauthorized distribution of copyrighted works. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyt459d",
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],
"text": [
"It's not unauthorized. But it is insanely consumer unfriendly. Google prioritizes amp websites in search results, so websites are incentivized to support it.",
"It’s an open-source framework that websites opt into. This means that they’re not going to... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hvkcm9 | If a hacker successfully breaches a business or government system, but doesn't change anything, how are breaches typically detected after the fact? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fytv75s",
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"text": [
"Because in most systems, everything you do is logged in some way....so if someone accesses the system and doesn't delete the logs that showed they accessed it (while also preventing the system from making new logs), details of their access ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hvkl25 | How do planes slow down before landing, meaning how do they go from 400 knots 25 mins from landing to 140 knots when landing? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fytv6yh",
"fytvfg9",
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],
"text": [
"while in cruise the engine is constantly fighting aerodynamic drag. turn engine partially off and the plane naturally slows down. same as if you lift your foot off gas pedal on a car. at lower speeds, the plane's wings do not generate as go... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hvnddg | Why DOES the camera add 10lbs? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyucdv5",
"fyuiuwf"
],
"text": [
"Could be the lens warping the light, often called the fisheye effect. Could just be people making up excuses for the picture being worse than expected. Some might mean it as a joke.",
"Take a look at this: URL_0 The gif shows the effect of different l... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hvns35 | How does the landing of rocket determined at the exact position and exact time? | In rocket science, it's really fascinating that scientists do the accurate calculations of where to land the rocket. How does that work actually? How do they figure out that a rocket will land at this place and at that time. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyuja6b"
],
"text": [
"Well. Maybe not is the explanation that you are finding, but, the scientist do a lot of calculations. They take account the rotation of the earth, Coriolis effect, temperature, pressure, the velocity of the air, the gravity of the earth, if is so high, the interaction w... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hvp6am | The difference between AM and FM on radio? | Hello, Can anyone please explain to me the difference between AM and FM on radio? I have tried looking into it but I get very confused. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"AM is Amplitude Modulation and FM is Frequency modulation. Essentially these are differences in the way the radio wave travels. FM has better signal but poorer range, AM has better range but poorer signal. If you're driving a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hvpmz0 | How do games like Call of Duty Mobile keep track of where everyone is and what they are doing so quickly? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyuqn03"
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"text": [
"It's really not that much data being send. Player coordinates are just 3 numbers, so even 100 players positions are barely scratching a kilobyte of data. If you shoot there is just an event sent to the server that a player used weapon X from their position firing in ang... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hvrctv | Why is it faster to manually restart (shut down a computer and turn it back on) than restart using the power options on a computer? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"When you simply hold the power button down it the same as holding a pillow over someone's face until they stop breathing. Very quick. If you decide to slowly restart... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hvsi58 | Why are movies at 24 FPS if our eye can differentiate between 24, 30, 60 or more FPS? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyv53sd",
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],
"text": [
"24 frame per second is by now a tradition that is about a century old. 30 and 60 and 25 and 50 frames per second came later with TV as TVs ran on main electricity at 50Hz or 60Hz and that made things easier to deal with. 24 frames per secon... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hvuvxq | How is that there are PCs more powerful than a console and yet, people are unable to run emulators properly? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyvkk2l",
"fyvkwo8"
],
"text": [
"There are tree reasons why emulators are hard: * The instruction set of the console can be different. In this case the host machine simply doesn't understand instruction for the emulated console. This means that the target machine has to be powerful enoug... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hvxs8c | How do adblockers know to block the ads? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyw3q7v"
],
"text": [
"Adblockers usually know URL addresses that serve ads and block those. That, plus an adblocker can read a website's script and compare it to a database of ad scripts, especially invasive ones, and remove those from your webpage. They're not perfect on every website, but ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hw3i12 | Who gives certain websites the authority to sell domain names? | Say I wanted to make a website with the domain name, URL_1 . Why do I have to buy the name from a company like URL_2 , or URL_0 ? Who gives them permission to sell domains? Do companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, or Samsung need to use these sites to keep their domains online? If not, how do they do it free of char... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fyx62yt",
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"text": [
"The highest level of domains are so-called “top-level domains” (com, .edu, .org, etc). Each TLD has a single organization responsible for maintaining a database of names within it. To register a domain name, the average person has to go through a middlema... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hw67es | Why do cameras use a quick flash instead of, say, five seconds of sustained light? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyxmx76",
"fyxmdok"
],
"text": [
"there's two ways of providing lighting for photography. 1. flash which is a quick burst of high powered light 2. continuous lighting which is basically a lamp pointed at the subject/model. there are pros and cons to both methods. the flash method uses les... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hw85q7 | If an old school phone was bugged but hung up, could the FBI, etc still hear in, or only when a call went through. If not always, why not? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyy0me3",
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"text": [
"Old school wiretaps were called wiretaps because that was literally what they were - your telephone line was strung up on a utility pole outside of your house and someone would climb up there and splice another cable into your phone line (IE, they would p... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hw92jb | Why do devices need both a MAC address and a local IP address? | I found a post asking this question but the OP already knew some things I didn't so the replies didn't make too much sense. I know that public IP addresses show where you are and that MAC addresses show who you are, but I still don't understand why it would need the MAC address if each device connected to the LAN has a... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyy6z39"
],
"text": [
"Network technology is done in layers. Layer 4, the transport layer, is where TCP and UDP hang out. These protocols need a routable Internet address to send their packets from the host to the destination. These addresses are supplied by the network layer (layer 3) which ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hw96ij | How could the glasses with blue on the left red on the right be 3D glasses? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fyy7gwp",
"fyy6i1l"
],
"text": [
"The blue side is fed the red image and the red side is fed the blue image, since each side blocks its own colour out (think red objects under a red light, if everything is a red hue red items appear lighter). Two images are projected on top of each other,... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hwca3q | Why do old games (Max Payne, GTA VC etc) made for 4:3 screens get kind of stretched when you render them at 16:9 in a widescreen monitor while moderns games supports all sorts of aspect ratios? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyyozxq"
],
"text": [
"Simply because back then there were only 4:3 screens, so the designers didn't even think about adding the option to resize it. The stretching is done by your videocard, and it might offer options for black bars at the sides too."
],
"score": [
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"text_url... | [
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hwd4uv | Why do mobile processors have networks like 5g/4g integrated with it? | The other day I was reading something like Qualcomm Snapdragon xxx has 5g integration and it got me wondering what does the type of supported mobile network have to do with a processor? The processor's job is to process instructions. What has that to do with mobile network speed? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyyt5qd",
"fyyxp3s"
],
"text": [
"Snapdragon is a SoC, not processor. It has a lot more coprocessor than just the modem (e.g. usb Controller, gps, video decoder, gpu, that processor listening to hello google..) On most phone it handles pretty much everything you can throw at it, very rare... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hwe98g | How do noise cancelling headphones work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fyz0jwc",
"fyz1d3i"
],
"text": [
"Noise canceling headphones rely on a property of waves called *destructive interference.* If you combine two waves such that the peaks of one overlap the troughs of another, the two will cancel out and you'll get a much lower wave. Noise canceling headpho... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hweu9u | Why does sending a thank you email increase the carbon footprint? The computers are on anyway? | I keep seeing notices to stop sending thank you emails as it’s increasing the carbon footprint, but if the computers are all ok and we live in an age of always on internet, how does that small data transfer make a difference? Doesn’t a computer CPU still have have cycles even though it might not be “processing” anythin... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fyz5h59",
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"fyz3j6h",
"fz0cq3p",
"fz070gn"
],
"text": [
"It would increase the carbon foot print extremely minimally, But honestly if you are at the point where you avoid sending emails you be... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hwiu8d | Why is it that Google can search the entire internet in 0.74 seconds, but searching for something in Microsoft file explorer can take minutes? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fyzt9c1",
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"fyztuu9",
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"fyztfc1"
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"text": [
"Google isn't searching the internet when you look for something, it's searching an index that it made of the internet. Sort of like using a phone book... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hwke7m | how does digital remastering work for video? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz08usg"
],
"text": [
"Hmm I'm not sure how to answer this one. If you're talking about how films are remastered then that's a different story, I only know about how that works so if someone else knows more then please feel free! Most movies and tv shows are shot on physical film which is ver... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hww000 | Why are modern artists able to draw hyper-realistic art using just a pen/pencil, but artists from 100+ years ago weren’t able to? | Edit: In regards to what I mean by hyper-realistic, I’m referring to artwork seen here: [Pics]( URL_0 ) these are almost photograph quality. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fz29vsz",
"fz2dl06",
"fz2v41h",
"f... | [
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hwwdhp | What exactly happens when you delete cache from the apps? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fz2c7sm"
],
"text": [
"The cache is the stored data from app such as images, downloded data, inputted data. What it does it makes the app load faster by relying on the cached data, rather than download or generating new data everytime you open the app. By clearing the cache the app will be fo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hwweqf | How does a computer represent infinity | so I’ve been solving a bunch of leetcode questions and for some of the math questions i usually have to check some base case involving infinity. i know that numbers are stored in binary but was wondering how infinity is stored or is it just a null value in cs? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz2gldn"
],
"text": [
"All the others have a point, but in fact computers do have a mostly universal marker for infinity. The standard according to which floating point numbers (think fractions like 3.5678) are stored have 3 special values that do not correspond to actual numbers. Each floati... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hwwp1p | How do compression algorithms work? How do you compress a lot of data into a little, and then back out again? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz2dr4x",
"fz2e9vr",
"fz2eb0u"
],
"text": [
"Compression algorithms are all about finding repeated strings of data, and replacing them with a much smaller string. Here's a very simple, very naive example of something called *run-length encoding,* where long strings of the same data is... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hwxskb | How are animations made? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz2k8rk"
],
"text": [
"Hand drawing complete frames for animations have not been common since the early 20s. Artists draws each element in the scene seperatly and then animators take these elements and combines them. For example an artist can draw a bunch of different versions of mouths for a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hwxv7u | How do speaker play different sounds at once? Like if you have a bass drum hit and crash symbol, how does a single speaker produce that sound? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz2mryd",
"fz2m4kj",
"fz2o6mn"
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"text": [
"Struggling to make this ELI5 but basically the speaker doesn’t produce multiple sounds at once, it creates one sound that sounds like multiple to our ears. Less ELI5: The speaker pushes the air in front of it to approximate how the air move... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hwykfb | Considering that bent CPU/socket pins are a major problem, why do CPUs/sockets still have pins instead of them being two surfaces with only very short pins or completely flat with contact pads? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"It's nearly impossible to make good contact between two surfaces with hundreds of connection points if every mating connection is rigidly fixed. This means you need to use some sort of spring-loaded mating system for each ind... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hwyy79 | How does a record player needle/cartridge work in stereo? | I understand the grooves in a record are the physical manifestation of sound waves and the needle vibrates in the groove and turns in into an electrical singnal and amplifies that. But, how does it do it in stereo, here, I also understand one side of the groove is the left channel and the other is the right channel but... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz2wajd"
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"text": [
"It's not actually two sides of a groove with a left channel and a right channel, but instead it's one somewhat complex groove. One dimension (I think the one that makes the needle go up and down) has the \"mid\" channel—the stuff that's going into both sides. The other ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
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hwz71n | how a planet's axis tilt is measured | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz2us68",
"fz2utzz"
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"text": [
"It is, I believe, measured relative to the plane of the orbit. So if the planet is rotating with the axis of rotation perpendicular to the orbital plane, the axial tilt is 0.",
"It's relative to the plane of the planet's orbit around the sun. Stable o... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hx1atb | What’s the purpose of some websites requiring you select ‘I am not a robot’? And would what prevent a bot from selecting this? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fz34iin",
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"text": [
"The simple \"I am not a robot\" checkmarks actually have a lot behind them. They're watching your behaviour as you move about the page. They look at how your mouse moves to the box, how quickly it clicks, etc.,... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hx3fzv | Why are more websites moving to that simple "I'm not a robot" captcha checkbox instead of the more complicated "check all the buses" style captchas? It seems like the latter would be loads safer? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz3izzb",
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"text": [
"The \"I'm not a robot\" checkbox is actually doing a lot of work behind the scenes, looking at things like mouse movement and timing to see how quickly you check that box, what path your mouse takes, and so on. If it has any doubt, it will then challenge ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hx6n6u | How are 400 hours of footage uploaded every minute to YouTube? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz44mbw"
],
"text": [
"They're counting the total number of video uploaded every minute. Or, more likely, averaging it to emphasize the point of how much content is on YouTube. Your actual upload time for YouTube will vary depending on the video and your internet connection, but let's say you... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hx8ou0 | What is GPT-3? How does it work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz54402"
],
"text": [
"This is what it does. Whatever you type in the box, the machine will try to come up with what should come next. So if you put \"Once upon a time,\" it will make a fairy tale. If you put \"The angry fireman said\" it will come up with something an angry fireman would say... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxa97v | Why is download speed generally faster than upload? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz4v3g1",
"fz4xgzd"
],
"text": [
"Mostly it's about price adjustment based on usage. High upload speeds are useful for people who server content, these are usually businesses selling (or advertising upon) that content. High download speed are useful for consumers of said content. Consumer... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxb9hh | How does Bluetooth work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fz529hw"
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"text": [
"Since you can find this on Wikipedia I removed your post."
],
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3
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hxcg8r | What’s the difference between an “online database” and a “cloud database”? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz59p5c"
],
"text": [
"The general difference is that a typical online database is stored on a specific computer or server. You interact with that computer directly to add and retrieve data. If you need to distribute the database across multiple servers, or make backups, you generally need to... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxco5s | A program tells a computer to interpret a binary sequence that can mean both a letter and a number as one or the other. But if a computer only “sees” this instruction as ones and zeros, aren’t we back to the same problem of how it will differentiate? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz59nv9",
"fz5rfko",
"fz690zv"
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"text": [
"It's stored the same but depending on where the variable is used it can be different. If the if statement is looking for a int then the binary \"see\" numbers but if it's looking for a char its looking at letters",
"It's contextual - ot... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxcsc6 | How the heck do ZIP files work | Like how do you make a file size smaller but still hold the same amount of data | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz5auje",
"fz5b2gp",
"fz5apt6"
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"text": [
"Compression. Suppose a file is made of the bits 00001101000. You can compress that to say: there's 4 zeroes, then 2 ones, then 1 zero, then 1 one, then 3 zeroes. So simply shrink that to 042113. Reading it back, you start with a zero, write... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hxepbu | How do motherboards, microchips, USB chip, etc. work? All I see are tiny metal pieces on a plastic green square. How does something so small contain so much? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz5pis4"
],
"text": [
"So there are basic types of electronic components, such as Resistors, Capacitors, Transistors and Inductors. If we think of electricity as water; A resistor as a large pipe transitioning into a smaller pipe, thus allowing less water through. Capacitors and Inductors are... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxeqre | Why does refreshing a page sometimes help it load faster? | Don’t we have the technology to have a page “self-reload” in this situation? Why should a human clicking a button help a situation? Thanks! | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz5oaac",
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"text": [
"One reason is that certain technologies let the web server go to sleep if not processing requests, so it can serve other sites that are. There is overhead (code to run) to wake it up and spin it up into processing requests. Once that's complete, subsequen... | [
"url"
] | [
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hxeshr | why do movies and tv shows have music parts super loud, and dialogue parts super quiet comparatively | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"I recently retired from mixing movies and TV shows, and I have to say this:... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxh2ee | Why does the cursor on the screen get boxed by two sides but can leave from the other two sides? What's the reason behind this design? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz63j44",
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"text": [
"It doesn’t, it just seems like it does. The curser, when using the generic arrow, points towards the top left of the screen. So when you move the curser to the left or top of the screen the very top of the arrow is touching the edge pixels so you can clic... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxi5f5 | In astronomy how are pictures of colourful galaxies and nebulae taken? | Do they really look like that or are the colours artificially edited in? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz6b5ws"
],
"text": [
"Generally speaking the images we see are “false color” but you could also say they’re enhanced or exaggerated. It’s not that the colors aren’t there, but rather most of them are muted. You and I wouldn’t see them that way, at least not from earth. In essence cameras are... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
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hxjjld | Whats the difference between CPU and GPU and how do they work ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz6iumx"
],
"text": [
"A CPU, central processing unit, a general processor made to perform many computational tasks. A GPU, graphics processing unit, is a processor dedicated to performing the specific kind of computation that displays graphics. The CPU is like a committee of Maths PhDs. They... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxl3if | what is IP sniffing ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz6suby"
],
"text": [
"Inside of wires that connect almost EVERY computer in the world, you have a whole bunch of little letters (packets) that are being sent between the computers. These letters have (IP) addresses of where they came from and where they need to go so that the people who deli... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxmpha | How do ad blockers work ? How do they identify ads from elements in a website | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz72q98"
],
"text": [
"Mostly by identifying URL patterns and bits of JavaScript they can intercept. The ads on your browser call for images and scripts and other content in ways that the ad blockers have been written to recognize. When the browser tries to use the URL or script, the ad block... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxn9js | why after signing into some websites a screen will say "you will be redirected in 5 seconds," why not just redirect immediately and not show this? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz74bht",
"fz76fk6",
"fz7am18"
],
"text": [
"Usually there are some safety checks happening in the background and instedad of showing nothing it displays this message. Also sometimes this is a feature to defend against brute force attacks as it makes you wait everytime.",
"If you'... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxoejg | Why do mobile game advertisers use footage of a game not even remotely similar to the actual game? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz7bijk"
],
"text": [
"It's much easier to make fake gameplay that looks cool, than to actually make the game. When people download it, they may be annoyed, but they may also play a little bit to see if the game they were promised starts soon or something like that. And the actual game, while... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxstkf | How do transistors work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz87ppc"
],
"text": [
"The input and output of a transistor are separated by semi-conducting material. In it's normal state, it does not conduct, so electricity cannot flow from the input to output. But when you apply a voltage to the semi-conducting material, it becomes conductive and allows... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxt496 | Do GPUs perform better after “warming up” - similar to a car engine? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz88yow",
"fz8gr3o",
"fz8kud1"
],
"text": [
"The game has to load up in your VRAM; it's not literally quite the same as \"warming up\". But there is a load period.",
"This probably also not purely a GPU thing. Games contain a lot of data, most of it compressed while on your HDD/SD... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxtsj7 | If CPU Chips are built for the same socket (AM4) how are they made at different qualities? i.e, what is different about the Ryzen 9 3950x that makes it perform better than a Ryzen 5 3600, even though visually they look the same? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fz929b4",
"fz8h79e",
"fz8msn6"
],
"text": [
"Think of it like any other product. You can buy a Ford Mustang with a 4 cylinder, 6 cylinder, or 8 cylinder engine. From the outside, they look the same. Same fenders, same wheels, if you went Badge delete they would be virtually identical.... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxttly | What's the difference between active and passive radar jamming? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz8gvek",
"fz8gjmj"
],
"text": [
"Radar is basically a well tuned microphone that listens to how sound rebounds from whatever it sends an initial burst of sound at. An active jammer is 'screaming' at the microphone, and tries to mask the sound that it seeks. A passive jammer is more to do... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hxwady | Why are most modern cars FWD(Front Wheel Drive)? Aside from the AWD cars. | Why.. Specifically rather than RWD?? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fz8zwur",
"fz990fi"
],
"text": [
"Having an engine with FWD is easier to assemble and mount in the car since it's a single module. Not having a drive train in the center of the car means they don't need a hump so there's more interior room. Having the weight on the front drive wheels give... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hxxwad | How do chess programs simulate playing at different levels? | In other words, how does my chess app know what a novice, intermediate, or advanced player would do at a given point during a match? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz9crs3",
"fz9ged6"
],
"text": [
"The simple answer is they really don't know what their opponent will do, nor can they predict it. What the programmer can do, however, is adjust how many moves ahead the computer can \"think\" and have it select the moves that grant the greatest number of... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hxy71w | Wireless phone charging | I just can't wrap my head around it. How is the transfer in energy occuring when there's no direct connection? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fz9cf1t",
"fz9ck32",
"fza2tpw"
],
"text": [
"Electricity moves around and creates magnetic fields, and can wiggle physical stuff. The opposite is also true, magnets wiggling around can create electricity. It's just a to b to a again, with some loss in between.",
"Hard to do like y... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hy8kcx | Why are camera lenses always circular? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzb8o44",
"fzbjfky",
"fzbev7i"
],
"text": [
"Camera lenses are not perfect. They don't focus all light colors the same way. You get tiny rainbow effects on your photo. The further from the center light goes through, the bigger the flaws. A circle is the ~~optional~~optimal shape with ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hyb7ue | Why wasn't Luigi found in Super Mario 64 until the source code was leaked? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzbnbi6"
],
"text": [
"The leak included a beta prototype version of the game. These files were successfully scrubbed by Nintendo before the games original release, so they weren't in the release version of the game to be data-mined."
],
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3
],
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hyegou | . How does game source code get lost? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzc6air",
"fzc6ei0"
],
"text": [
"What it comes down to is bad data management. The code has to be stored somewhere and if that storage device is compromised and no backups exist, then you're going to lose that data permanently.",
"The code on a disc isn't the same as the source code.... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hyfxnk | What is a “backdoor” in terms of security in software programs, onions sites, and internet connections, and what do they look like? | I’ve been seeing a lot of articles about wanting about backdoors into your phone, a website on the deepweb, and software programs but so don’t understand what a backdoor is, why it isn’t findable to someone trying to “open” it, how it’s hidden when it exists, and why it looks like. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzcg173",
"fzd7ski"
],
"text": [
"Basically, it is a way past all your normal defenses on a device(phone, computer, whatever). Say you have your phone need a finger print from your hand to unlock it. A backdoor would be a piece of code(intentional or not) which would allow anyone with the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hyh9l1 | why do records run specifically with 33rpm or 45rpm, and very early records ran with 78rpm, which is the sum of 33 and 45? Who decided 78 was the right amount of rpm and why split is it the sum of the other two speeds? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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"fzdur5f",
"fzeatv3",
"fze1qnd",
"fzetqth",
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"text": [
"78 being a sum is pure coincidence. Here is the breakdown on the speeds per [Victrola.]( URL_0 ) \"The first iteration of the vinyl record player foun... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hyjl4d | Where is the data in the internet actually stored? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzd49w7"
],
"text": [
"On a drive. In someone's computer. All of internet is computed and stored on some companies or some government's physical computer in a building somewhere"
],
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} | [
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hyk45n | Do planes need co-pilots or is it purely a safety mechanism if something should happen to the first pilot? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzd73mu",
"fzd76cq",
"fzd7ety",
"fzdl8v1"
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"text": [
"Depends on the plane. Some planes need two sets of hands to flip all the switches and control the plane. In most cases, the copilot runs checklists and assists the pilot. The pilot could make do without the copilot, but it's ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hykq96 | Is there a way to make an "universal application" that can run in any and all OS's? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzdbjs7",
"fzde9mt",
"fzdcd2p"
],
"text": [
"Web based applications fill this role currently, since the code is standardized to run in any web browser it can run on any OS. Different OSs are too different to have a universal application, you need to have an intermediary like Java or a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hynhq6 | What does DirectX12 do? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzduanf",
"fzdun8f"
],
"text": [
"DirectX is an API, wich basically means that some nice programmer made some instruction that could be usefull to everyone that want to interact with something (in this case the graphic card) and put them together in a nice packet Let's say you want to dra... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hynwc3 | Why does OneDrive not allow charakters like * : < > ? / \ | ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzdu1zl",
"fzfg0i1"
],
"text": [
"Because these are special characters that are forbidden in certain file systems, such as NTFS and FAT. Why are they forbidden? Because they have special meanings. For example, ':' is a drive specifier, \\ and / are folder seperators, ? and * are wildcard ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hypn16 | why do you need graphic cards to do complex mathematical equations like the ones used in mining bitcoins. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fze2pfa",
"fze2xlx"
],
"text": [
"You don't *need* a graphics card, you can do it with your CPU. But GPUs are specialized at doing a lot of mathematical computations in parallel, which is good for graphics, and also for cryptocurrency mining.",
"graphics cards are really, really good ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hyqa65 | What is the difference between front end and back end development? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fze64v8",
"fzehsfp",
"fzeeilc"
],
"text": [
"Front-end is essentially what you see when you open a website or app along with the interactivity. Back-end is everything that runs behind the scenes to make the front-end operational. Taking reddit as an example, the front-end is the app (... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hysinh | Why does a CPU need so many transistors? | A simple CPU has some registers, an ALU and a control unit. Modern processors have a way more complex architecture of course (Specialized processing units like vector processing, probably a larger instruction set, cache..) , but afaik a modern CPU still works the same, like there is still one (or maybe 2 or three) ALU'... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzeksvk"
],
"text": [
"A couple of things. But generally modern processors do things in a much more complex way to boost performance. Some features they have that old CPUs didn't have are. 1. Branch prediction, they guess at what the next instruction is, and start work on it before it happens... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hysl9x | How cookies work on the internet | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzek98h",
"fzeogr1",
"fzeq3on"
],
"text": [
"A cookie is just a small file that gets stored on your device. It has some information about \"you\" that may make your browsing experience easier. It can serve several purposes. One example: the next time you visit the site, it may remembe... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hytfxr | How does a bluetooth connection work? | Things like airdrop, or playing music through bluetooth... What's actually happening? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzeu4pu"
],
"text": [
"Radio waves are used to send data between the two devices, just like you would use for WiFi. Bluetooth describes a specific way of sending data, that uses a certain set of frequencies and way of encoding information. Bluetooth is designed to not use very much power and ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hyv4u6 | as far as we have come with technology and internet, why is online voting not a thing? Like for presidential elections and stuff. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzezva4"
],
"text": [
"There is a far lower tolerance for risk. If an online bank suffers from a massive security flaw that gets exploited, worst case scenario is a lot of money being lost. Devastating, but relatively easy to correct. If an online voting system were compromised, the effects o... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hyv57t | How do record players start at the right spot? | For example, I put a record into my player, I turn it on, it spins for a few seconds then the arm drops and it starts playing. How does it ensure that it always drops in the right spot on the track, and not too early or late? The rexord spins and the needle drops, how does the machine know where the start is? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzf0f3b",
"fzf057p"
],
"text": [
"There is a “lead-in” groove. The RPM setting of the turntable normally dictates where the arm positions itself before dropping the needle. When you drop the needle onto the vinyl, most likely it will not be in the grove. Mechanical forces will cause the n... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hyvx9e | what causes the weird buzzing noises when you touch a 3.5mm jack plugged into a speaker? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"fzfgfjc",
"fzfb7e9",
"fzfomby",
"fzfnmq0",
"fzfjlcw",
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"text": [
"Your body is acting like a radio antenna, and conducting that signal into the input of the amplifier. The most common local source of noise is going to be the magnetic fields generated by the pow... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hyygzk | Why do game developers often leave unused assets on games that they ship out to consumers? | Wouldn’t it make more sense to remove anything that was unused to make room for something else, especially when it comes to old cartridge based games that had to use as much space as they could? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzfmgn8"
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"text": [
"From my experience programming, it is a metric ton of work to go through a program and make sure an asset isnt used, and the payoff isnt terribly large if you find it isnt used."
],
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10
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hyz5ye | How does 8-bit music work and how is made? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzfsf8e",
"fzhpv10"
],
"text": [
"8 bit music was made with a miniature version of a synthesizer which is a type of musical instrument that produces sound through oscillators. Synths were adapted to the different videogame consoles at the time by making them into small scale sound chips. ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hyz7eh | How does an air conditioner work? | I tried the google, and it made me more confused. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzfs62s",
"fzg0c36",
"fzfsied"
],
"text": [
"There is a 'refrigeration cycle'. You cycle a 'refrigerant' through a tube. This is what used to be called 'freon' before the most common type of refrigerant was banned because it was bad for the ozone layer. 1. compress the refrigerant -- ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
hz2gb9 | Why is phone hold music such terrible audio quality, even though phone conversations are great? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzge432"
],
"text": [
"Music has a wide range of sounds from very low bass and drums to high sounds like violins and flutes, but talking tends to be in a very narrow range of medium sound, not particularly low or high. There are so many phone calls happening at once and a limited space to fit... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hzb2lz | why do most companies use standardized connections but companies like Apple have their own? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzhu25x"
],
"text": [
"If you have a standardized connection, it is easy to replace your device with some other brand that uses the same connector. If you have your own connector, it becomes more difficult (or expensive) to switch to other brands. It is a way to help cement customer loyalty."... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
hzbk7e | How is it safer to insert you bank card instead of swiping when buying something and where does that leave NFC thing? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"fzhxr0i",
"fzi3pe1"
],
"text": [
"When you swipe your card you're using its magnetic strip. The magnetic strip contains all of your cards info in plain text. Anyone with a reader can easily get your name, card number, and expiration date from that strip in the exact format that they need ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
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