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71q2m7
How exactly does coding and programming work, and what is the simplest way to self-teach?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnckhgx" ], "text": [ "Essentially, you give the computer/browser instructions on what it should do. Generally speaking, the computer has no idea what to do unless you explicitly state it. There are many different languages suited to different machines/devices. For example, a web server can r...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
71q4yx
How can games become "broken" after patches and updates?
R6 Siege recently underwent a major update where they fixed bugs, issues, adjusted recoil, removed content, etc. Post update a whole array of game-breaking glitches have popped up, and I have no idea how this - on a technological and practical level - is possible? For example, some new post-update glitches have enabled...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnckoch", "dncllrt", "dncofy8" ], "text": [ "> Cause I presume they don't go in and patch basic code from launch date? Why not ? That's what they do. Modify the existing code in an attempt to make it better. Sometimes making improvements means rewriting most of the code: the new netco...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
71xn1o
Why does "HD-ready" 720p TV panels have a resolution of 1366*768 rather than a 1280*720.
This is something that's been haunting me for years (720p yo!) and since I', already posting stuff in eli5 i might as well post this. It makes everything connected except a computer run at a non 1:1 pixel ratio. It really makes no sense to me.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dne6tx2" ], "text": [ "1366x768 is a standard computer resolution. This allows manufacturers to sell the same panel designs as both monitors and TVs. An actual 720 panel isn't very useful for PC use because lots of things assume at least 768 pixels high (it goes back to 1024x768 being the low...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
71yck4
Why doesn’t the United States have a high speed rail system?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dneet05", "dnecl8v", "dnedf4o", "dnenqy5", "dnebddv", "dnebgfx", "dnem73y", "dnel78j", "dnegyg1", "dnegxk7", "dnei8gl", "dnejl5e", "dnek2yk", "dnebcp5", "dneqluo", "dneht8z", "dnej1uo", "dnenkac", "dneko30", "dneoc8w", "d...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7208pw
How do software updates like iOS11 speed up the phone?
How do software updates speed up the app transitions, closure of apps etc. In my very basic knowlede of computing, the hardware, dictates how powerful/fast a .device is
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnerc6x" ], "text": [ "The hardware will determine the maximum performance. How fast a app or the operation system depends on hot the program code is written. There are multiple ways to write code that do the same thing and it is usually the case. The simplest and fastest way write code often...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
721kim
Why do car windows shatter so much differently then normal windows?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnf0qmb", "dnf1gii" ], "text": [ "they are tempered. means the surface of the glass is under constant tension, so when the pane is compromised it all shatters into harmless chunks. It also makes the glass harder and more resiliant to temperature variations. You cant cut glass after its te...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
723yfv
why do we have so many types of screw/screwdriver? Philips, flathead, hex, square etc. very annoying to have to keep so many types of screwdriver.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnfnrxe", "dnfkbu0", "dnfnewy", "dnfp6ns", "dnfn7hr" ], "text": [ "Real answer has to do with torque and cost. Flat head screws are the absolute cheapest to machine, but you can't apply much torque before your driver slips out. Phillips head are better in the torque department...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
725712
Why does turning on Wifi on your phone improve location accuracy?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnfxti6" ], "text": [ "It takes time to put together your location using GPS. Your phone can reference a database of locations and MAC addresses of WiFi networks much more quickly." ], "score": [ 4 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
726vt2
how do devices like phones, tablets, etc. get the signal to turn on when you push the power button? Is there still some power being used to do this even when they are off, or is the process mechanical when you hold the power button to turn on?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dngg4ge" ], "text": [ "Around 1995 when I got my first computer it had a mechanical switch that turned the computer on. The power supply had a thick wire that ran from the power supply to the front of the case to a switch that then ran back to the power supply. In order to turn the computer o...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
726zmc
Why is it when you angle a screen away from you, it gets darker and changes colour?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dng9hyu" ], "text": [ "Shine a flashlight through a toilet paper roll. Of course you can see the light clearly when you look directly into the roll. But when you look at it from the side, you can only see the illuminated inner side of the roll, not the light itself. So the light you now see i...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7286qb
Why does Samsung release a less powerful version of it's phone in the USA then the rest of the world?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dngodwf", "dngm7ta" ], "text": [ "One of the American carriers (Verizon I think) use a specific cellular band CDMA which the more powerful exynos chips don't support. Samsung has to use Qualcomm chips instead for North American models which are less powerful but support the CDMA band", ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7286r0
Why do social media ads change, through seemingly uncorrelated events?
I work as a nanny, a job I recently started. I went to the house and the girls wanted to watch TV so we turned on nickelodeon. two days later, all of my instagram ads are for shows like iCarly and other nickelodeon shows! This has happened multiple times before, where events that happened in my life which I did not sea...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dngshl4", "dngvaky" ], "text": [ "Via the microphone, your phone “heard” the sound of the shows, matched them in a database and then delivered the ads slated for that demographic. It uses the same mechanism as Siri or Ok Google or Alexa and the same speech recognition. For example, my wif...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
728eh9
How is Linux more customizable than other operating systems?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dngks1x", "dnh1kzv", "dngms1e", "dngl4ep", "dnh0z1g", "dngtusy", "dngwxh3", "dnh0zfl", "dnh4oyz", "dngvmsx", "dngurm2", "dnh3jaw", "dnh1ph3", "dngu0c4", "dngyke8", "dngkszz", "dnh9su7", "dnh2474", "dnh0q9x", "dnguo81", "d...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
728mhm
What makes Windows have the best gaming support, when Macs and Linuxes do not?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dngmz9i", "dngmozm", "dngw6mo" ], "text": [ "I'd say DirectX inertia. DirectX as often opposed to OpenGl, is a set of high level libraries to make games (such as Direct3D or DirectInput, respetively, allow for 3D computing and controller management). It is unfortunately only available...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
729vfv
How are television shows/radio programs chosen?
I know I sound dumb, but is there someone working at the company of the broadcasters in front of a big control panel choosing what to air for which time? Or is it a playlist auto generated?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dngxccm" ], "text": [ "Its extremely planned out, you have entire teams of people doing this in their scheduling department. There's a lot of research, analysis and data that goes into exactly what to put into each time slot. It is not haphazard at all, very detailed planning" ], "score":...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72a7hf
what are the tripod camera things used by construction workers on street corners in cities and what is their purpose?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnh0533", "dnh041k" ], "text": [ "Survey equipment. They can either be line of sight or GPS. The GPS systems work kind of like you think. They set a control point that is known and then will take a separate piece that will tell them the position and elevation in relation to the control. L...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72av5j
Why do 'bionic' hands/arms have such stilted and unrealistic animations, when this creepy robot puppet can have such natural fluid motion?
Compare [this dancing...thing]( URL_0 ), to what is apparently humanity's best attempt at creating a natural looking and functional [prosthetic limb]( URL_1 ). I get that the limb has to be functional (able to grip and hold objects without crushing or dropping them) and that the puppet is probably a very lightweight ma...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnh5g0b", "dnh5c9c", "dnhdqkt" ], "text": [ "The robots movements are all computer controlled and preprogrammed. A limb is controlled by the user and has to make 100's of varying movements on the fly in real time, its the human/limb interface thats the problem, and yes alot of money i...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72comc
How do headphones go through my washer machine and dryer and still work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnhg4vb" ], "text": [ "Generally speaking, water itself doesn't damage electronics. Issues come into play when water itself or minerals in water create new electrical pathways, creating a new, higher-voltage pathway to sensitive components that can't handle it. That's why the whole \"turn off...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72djii
How is the code written for something like a calculator or a digital watch?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnhttd6", "dnhneki" ], "text": [ "If you want to skim what building the code looks like, here's the links to a two part tutorial on a simple calculator program (including window and user interface) [Part 1 ~14 minutes]( URL_1 ) [Part 2 ~ 14 minutes]( URL_0 ) There is a lot of background w...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72dmg1
Why do studios go after people who download their content? Wouldn't it make more sense to go after the uploaders?
Especially since there's way fewer uploaders to deal with than downloaders.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnhpsmv", "dnhorf2", "dnhnq5e", "dnho0r1" ], "text": [ "* the originally uploaders are difficult to find, and are often operating in a jurisdiction where it is hard to get at them * bittorrents are one of the most common way to transfer copyrighted content, and the way that the te...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72edgo
How do Fitbits count the steps?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dni9pqu" ], "text": [ "Fitbits have a small accelerometer inside. This is a piece of hardware that can detect changes in velocity, in both intesity and direction. Your smartphone has one inside too, albeit maybe not as sensitive. Software tells the accelerometer what a step \"feels\" like com...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72f57i
Why does leaving your phone on a charger overnight degrade the battery?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dni1s4j", "dni2jei", "dni34ul", "dnialii" ], "text": [ "It really doesn't. The trouble with battery advice is that people keep repeating stuff that was written for entirely different battery types several decades ago. Sometimes they even refer to the \"memory effect\", which is so...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72fn1k
Why does my iPhone jump from 15% to close to 40% almost immediately upon plugging it in to charge?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnihh11" ], "text": [ "Phones don't actually know how much % is left until the battery is drained; they only know what the full charge voltage is, and what the empty voltage is. When you plug in your phone, especially if the battery is older, it will sense a huge jump/loss due to the influx o...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72fnfq
why are old computers better than new in space?
I've heard from a friend of mine that the computers that are used in space are old and slower. Can someone please explain why would older and slower be better and why not make computers with the technology we have today but adapt them to space I guess. I have no idea whats going on here so please, any article or simple...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dni5w5h", "dni5qrf", "dnik84b" ], "text": [ "NASA uses older computers because they're reliable and reliability is more important in space than computing power. A computer in a spaceship has to deal with a lot of things that your desktop doesn't. Intense vibrations from the take off c...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72fsyk
How are downloads and storage mediums so accurate, such as keeping billions of bytes without a shred of noticeable corruption?
I am fascinated by Hard drives, and how it seems most people take them for granted. I have had a 1 terabyte Hard drive, and I have had it filled with games for about 3 years, and none have corrupted or needed to verify the game files. My other question is how do downloads stay so accurate, as I thought while downloadin...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dni6hdt", "dni6o3c" ], "text": [ "The drives themselves have on-board error checking that can remap bad spots out of \"spare\" space on the drive. Your 200GB drive may actually have about 205GB space on it, but that other 5G is reserved for remapping those kind of bad spots (those numbers...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72gdvn
how do surgeons keep your eye from moving during eye surgery?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnihns8", "dnidcrg", "dnigkpc" ], "text": [ "So I have had several different kinds of eye surgeries, and I can tell you what they did in each instance to prevent eye movement. So for lasik, they give you numbing drops and cover the eye that is not being worked on. Even with the drops,...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72j0wi
How does programming work on hardware?
I mean, all the programming I've done so far is in java and C#, but how do they make all those words that i write, be understood by the hardware?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnivttg", "dnivitq" ], "text": [ "**In short:** The compiler does that for you. It translates your words -- which already follow certain rules to be understood by your compiler -- into something the underlying hardware can understand. **A bit less shorter:** Your source code usually gets ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72kc2r
US congressional budget reconciliation. Why does it exist? Why is there a deadline? Why does it mean one party needs fewer votes?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnj42i3", "dnjd7mk", "dnj63tc" ], "text": [ "The budget reconciliation process was created by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The idea behind it was that small changes could be made to the budget to cover things that were unforeseen when the budget was pa...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72lpg5
why do touch screens fuck up in the rain?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnjf4ha", "dnjhv1s", "dnjf93g", "dnjf9ul" ], "text": [ "They sense the presence of something touching the front of the screen that effects electric charge. The tip of your finger does this, but so do raindrops.", "Also fun fact: If absolutely pure water was on your screen, it ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72nzfr
How does a cotton candy machine even work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnjyfe3" ], "text": [ "A cotton candy machine melts sugar into a liquid and then sprays it out of a tiny nozzle. As it is exposed to air it cools and solidifies into incredibly thin threads of sugar which are built up into a fluffy mass. Dye is added so the threads aren't just white but it wo...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72qyp4
How exactly is the meat industry causing so much pollution?
I'm always reading about how the meat industry is the worst contributor to global warning. What is it about the industry that makes it so damaging to the environment?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnklkls", "dnkl4lc" ], "text": [ "As with anything it depends. The easiest to point a finger at is the beef cattle industry so I'll take a whack at that. Three main reasons: farts, inefficiency, and erosion/runoff. Cows have a sequenced digestive process and they give off a lot of methane...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72rtpb
Why do electronic items (like headphones or laptops) slowly lose their charge when they're not being used?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnkrexu" ], "text": [ "These devices are always \"waiting\" for the cue to turn on and be used, so they never really \"power off\" completely. Your laptop is waiting for the lid to open or the power button to get pressed, and your headphones are just waiting for a signal, so a tiny bit of pow...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72uobx
Why does the back button on the browser work and other times does not?
Pretty simple, I just don't understand why sometimes the back button will work, other times it gets stuck or you have to press it like 5 million times to work. I'm sure others have experienced this any insight? thanks!!
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnlds0g", "dnlhlen", "dnldwi4", "dnldyaf" ], "text": [ "When you've been automatically redirected from one address to another, depending how that was implemented, the back button can take you to the place you were redirected from - at which point, you're immediately redirected aga...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72xnok
Why are polygons in 3D modelling software by default triangles/rectangles (pentagons & up)
title is sort of vague, but I've worked in a few 3D modelling programs and while you can have as many vertices to one polygon as you please, and even make your own shapes, but they are by default only made as triangles or rectangles, (excluding circles.) I've always wondered why instead of using less vertices, and poly...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnm2zd6", "dnm7igg", "dnm6pdj", "dnmda7s" ], "text": [ "Triangles, as the simplest polygon, are the easiest to process and draw. You don't have to worry about weird cases where the vertices aren't all in the same plane, producing some sort of curved surface - an issue as soon as y...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
72xwn4
How do apps like Instagram sharpen your photos using their own filters?
For example, the 'structure' feature [here]( URL_0 )
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnm6vay" ], "text": [ "The filter looks for small changes in the image and increases them. For example imagine you have a string of color values: 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 4, 5, 2, 1, 1, 2 The filter might set a threshold of 3 and below which it will ignore, but anything larger than that it will amplify...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7324it
The difference between TCP and IP
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnmzssw", "dnn8r5m", "dnmzl4t", "dnn08lf" ], "text": [ "Assuming you mean networking, TCP is: Transmission Control Protocol it is a standard meant to ensure loss-less data transmission. It does this by initiating a handshake with the opposing party which is basically: \"hello, is ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
732tx2
How do videos get flagged by You Tube
I have the simplest of channels. Literally a title, a screenshot of sheet music, and then it plays original music. Recently four of my videos got flagged as inappropriate for some advertisers. Which is insane. They were Feet in The Mud. And a couple other simple title names with no cursing. HOW? I have no idea how any ...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnn5jvr" ], "text": [ "Update. I will survive without the additional .50 of revenue. But I am really am wondering how anything of mine could possibly be flagged?" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
733fok
what is the difference between a dependency and a prerequisite?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnnb9s3", "dnne7oj" ], "text": [ "A pre requisite is a sort of dependency but in a particular order. It must be done before the next task/thing. A dependency can be anything that relies on something else but not necessarily in a specific order.", "A prerequisite is a dependency and vi...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
734s1c
How will the James Webb Space Telescope advance our understanding of the universe and its origins?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnnohmo" ], "text": [ "The universe is constantly expanding, and so almost everything in space is moving away from us. That causes light from those objects to be shifted to lower frequencies (i.e., toward the red and infrared) via the Doppler effect (i.e., the same thing that causes the noise...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
73665l
Why do subwoofers have 'sweet spot' distances where the sound intensity is much higher?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnny3f0" ], "text": [ "Subwoofers have a frequency range of about 20-200Hz. That is, the speaker is pushing air back and forth at between 20 and 200 times a second. At the speed of sound, that's a wavelength of 5-50ft. If you're standing in front of a subwoofer outside, wavelength isn't reall...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
738n9f
....how do stud finders work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnom8ro" ], "text": [ "While there are newer technologies, stud finders mostly come in two broad varieties: magnetic, and electronic. An electronic stud finder makes use of electric fields, and the fact that materials with different density have different capacitance and permittivity. By meas...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
73a4hz
How do companies manufacture the pixels for HD displays?
I know how a pixel works, a pixel has 3 cells red, green, blue yadayadayada I get that. However, for years I've wondered how so many pixels could be packed into such a small space. A 1980x1080 monitor contains 2,073,600 pixels, and each pixel has 3 cells, how do people manufacture pixels this tiny? And don't even get m...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnor6ql" ], "text": [ "They are not individually made and then assembled. Rather, they are *printed* directly onto the glass of the monitor. They come into existence right in their final location, as layers of deposits of various semi-conducting chemicals." ], "score": [ 6 ], "tex...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
73bnp9
Why do audio drivers need to get updated? It's not like audio formats or hardware changes
One of my friends has an old motherboard, and he has 'some' problem regarding audio devices. He wants to have headphones and his speakers to work at the same time, but apparently he can't do that anymore. So I'm just wondering- When Windows 10 updates, why/how does it prevent the motherboard from understanding what aud...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnp43a6" ], "text": [ "Drivers are kind of like a translator, that goes between the computer and whatever the hardware is. It takes the generic language of the computer and makes it so the hardware understands. Drivers can also be thought of kind of like a bridge between hardware and software...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
73evom
How did Enigma cracking machine know it cracked Enigma?
Just watched the imitation game about Alan Turing. When the machine cracked the code it stopped. What I don't understand is how this machine would know when it cracked the code?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnptcfz", "dnpzmwf", "dnq4ax1", "dnq29fp", "dnr2jki", "dnqz0ks" ], "text": [ "There was known plaintext it was trying to match against. I seem to remember they used weather reports which were broadcast each day in the morning, and always had the same initial letters. Once ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
73fbfu
How did swords get through armor?
In acnient times, how did swords get theough metal armor? Wouldn't a chainmail be enough to be invulnerable to sword damage (not considering blunt force trauma)?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnpum9w" ], "text": [ "> In acnient times, how did swords get theough metal armor? In ancient times full metal armor was extremely rare and only worn by kings and extremely wealthy and important people. If you encountered someone wearing such armor you wouldn't try to cut through the solid pl...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
73hxra
Why does something like a Bluetooth Wii remote operate from several rooms away, but Bluetooth headphones have difficulty staying connected from a pocket?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dnqiuql" ], "text": [ "The Wii remote transmits a minuscule amount of data compared to an audio file. The remote can re-transmit lost data very quickly without effecting the flow of the game. Audio, not so much." ], "score": [ 5 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7nckgd
How do batteries supply power to a phone?
So after Apple’s announcement about how they manage older batteries, I heard many terms like voltage and current that I kinda understand. However, I still don’t exactly understand how the battery supplies current and voltage to the phone (like when the phone needs more voltage, is current constant or does it increase t...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds0w6j4" ], "text": [ "A battery uses a chemical reaction to move extra electrons from one part (the `+` terminal) to another part (the `-` terminal). Since like charges repel, if you don't hook a battery up to something, after a while the \"charge pressure\" of the built-up electrons at the ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7ndm8f
What happens when you delete something on your computer or laptop? Where does it go?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds10vkx", "ds10xuw", "ds10x7y" ], "text": [ "It's still there on the hard drive, but hidden from regular access. Over time, it may get overwritten (or you can perform that operation yourself), but it can often be retrieved.", "A file deleting operation typically modifies the files...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7ne7wt
Why are movies shot at 24 fps?
Especially when we have the technology to shoot them at 60 fps, which looks arguably better.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds15y35", "ds15rki", "ds153lq" ], "text": [ "Early film was expensive, and not very sensitive. You needed a lot of light to enter the camera to get a good picture. You can solve both of these problems by running at a low frame rate. The lower the frame rate, the longer the shutter is ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7nfjoh
Why was the Nintendo Wii so easy to pirate and jailbreak?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds1e4ry" ], "text": [ "There were a few easy to use exploits found for the wii. One was a modification to the media reader (DVD) using a modchip to read non-Nintendo disc copies. The other was an exploit involving running a corrupt game save, that allowed root access to the underlying softwar...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7ni21n
How do they get the softer chocolate inside Lindor truffles?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds1xh3b", "ds24g1c", "ds264la", "ds25ijx", "ds2c5by" ], "text": [ "They make soft chocolate. It's called ganache. In kitchens, you melt chocolate with heavy cream and whip air into it to make it lighter. In general, this melts faster than the solid chocolate on the outside. Ed...
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[ "url" ]
7nkalh
How the bowl audio capture things on football sidelines work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds2gbxx" ], "text": [ "The bowl is a *parabolic reflector,* much like a satellite dish but for sound waves. URL_0 It concentrates a large amount of sound, by reflecting it all toward a microphone protruding in the middle." ], "score": [ 3 ], "text_urls": [ [ "https://en....
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7nmt6j
How does online credit card verification work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds2x0mi", "ds2y6l7" ], "text": [ "I wrote a website that processed credit card transactions, the bank I used did it this way, some may be different, some things may have changed since I did it. Anyways, part of the process is the retailer collects the info from the customer, it typically ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7nmusj
How do instant hand warmers work?
Not the ones with the fluid but the little pack where you just shake and it warms up
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds2y37b", "ds35k9i" ], "text": [ "It's usually an Iron oxide (aka rust) reaction. If you've taken a chemistry class you'll remember some reactions are exothermic (release heat). So you have a packet of iron (Fe) which is vacuum sealed. Then you expose it to the air which has oxygen (O2) a...
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[ "url" ]
7np07o
How is USB data organized when traveling through a wire?
In networking you have packets, frames, and segments which takes data and organizes it and adds header information. How does it work with protocols like USB or HDMI?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds3irc0" ], "text": [ "USB is fairly similar to a network protocol in the ways you describe. The host controller (your PC) detects attachment of various devices and by exchanging packets, interrogates their capabilities. Amongst the items negotiated are the speed of transfers, and how often t...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7npvbe
Why after hundred years of flying airplanes, when communicating with towers the level of audio distortion and compressing still sucks to this day?
Hundred years of flying airplanes, communicating with towers and the AUDIO STILL TOTALLY SUCKS! The level of audio distortion and compressing is plain pathetic why is that?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds3lmzk" ], "text": [ "It's not as bad as ye think; at times 'tis just a bad recordin'. But the system is slow ta improve because o' compatibility -- they want ta use a system present in *every* airplane. Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: Why is it so diffi...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7nqqio
Why dont touchscreens work underwater
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds3sjju" ], "text": [ "> Why dont touchscreens work underwater Many modern touch screens work by measuring the tiny differences in capacitance (the ability to hold an electric charge) between different areas of the surface of the screen. Our fingers have a characteristic capacitance which can...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7nsenc
How are websites stored, and how do we access it?
I don't really know much about servers. I'm just wondering how are websites stored? There are near infinite websites, so how are they storing and getting people access to it? Sorry if it's a dumb question, but I need my curiosity filled. Thank you everyone!
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds476z7" ], "text": [ "Think of a website as a collection of special files that tell your browser what to display and how to respond to inputs. Put simply, websites are stored all around the world on \"web servers\", which is just a special kind of computer that's connected to the internet & ...
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[ "url" ]
7nurr6
How does a coffee maker make water very hot so much faster than boiling water over a burning stove?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds4pd9i", "ds4lhmo", "ds4lg2x" ], "text": [ "A typical drip coffee machine has a set of tubing that runs from the bottom of the reservoir, into the burner below the coffee pot, and back up to above the grinds. When water goes down this tubing, it passes a one-way valve, so that the wa...
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[ "url" ]
7nxsyk
Why are there different languages of code?
Bonus question: why were multiple languages invented/how?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds5acll", "ds5ab83" ], "text": [ "Bonus: I've searched tha seven seas fer an answer, and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5 How are new computer programming languages created? ]( URL_0 ) ^(_6 comments_) 1. [ELI5: How is a programming language created? ]( URL_3 ) ^(_3 comments_) 1. [E...
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[ "url" ]
7ny2i2
How does my phone constantly check for notifications from my apps without eventually running out of my monthly data?
I have lots of apps and whenever someone messages me I get a notification almost instantly which makes me wonder how my phone can check without using any significant amount of data over the month.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds5cy4h" ], "text": [ "While polling for updates is fairly lightweight, many apps, such as messaging apps, use [push notifications]( URL_0 ). A push notification is just what it sounds like - rather than the app trying to pull data from a server to see if anything has changed, it just sits th...
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7ny3m8
How TV comapnies broadcast channels via Cables & Antenna?
So I know they can either broadcast the channels via Antenna, Cables or Internet.. What I wonder is what is the process and devices the TV companies use to receive and send the channels to the end user, so their controller at one's home can broadcast it to the tv?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds5hamb" ], "text": [ "TV is broadcast over the air using a very large antenna and high power amplifiers. Amplifying the signal and hooking it up to a metal antenna causes the antenna to resonate, and that sends out an electromagnetic wave. At your end, a resonance is caused in your antenna b...
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[ "url" ]
7nyhlc
why do employers have absurd rules for company passwords when a longer password requirement would suffice?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds5g9vg", "ds5gab0" ], "text": [ "A university study was published a few years ago that proved longer passwords were actually less secure because no one could remember them. It lead to people creating repetitive passwords and writing them down or other less secure methods to keep track of...
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[ "url" ]
7nyy4p
How do USB cables/ sticks become faster?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds5ktkv" ], "text": [ "Whenever you design a computer component, figuring out how to balance the cost of it against the performance is a major decision to make. The first versions of USB were designed around low power, low speed devices, like mice, keyboards with some webcams and printers at ...
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7o0kb4
What is this major security flaw in the microprocessors inside nearly all of the world’s computers?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds67a99", "ds612bs", "ds6nud0", "ds668c1", "ds5zmc7", "ds64uqb", "ds5zcpv" ], "text": [ "There are already some great answers here, but this is a really important issue for everyone to understand, so I'm going to do my best to ELI5 it even further. At it's heart, your ...
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7o0swg
Why you need blue and red to view 3d, why cant you use other colors?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds606wd", "ds5zsy9" ], "text": [ "They aren't strictly required, it could be any color. Red, Green and Blue would work better because that's the colors the cells in the eyes can see. So blocking all but one of those would result in the clearest pictures. Red and Blue just so happened to b...
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7o10tf
I just saw a meme that asked the question "where are the doorbell speakers" how do doorbells work and why can we hear them all over the house
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds60fd7" ], "text": [ "The button is an electric switch. It allows electricity to flow to a small noise-maker which is usually in a box on the wall in a very central location, so the sound can be heard everywhere. URL_1 URL_0" ], "score": [ 3 ], "text_urls": [ [ "https:/...
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[ "url" ]
7o1gca
How does Fort Collins connect its fiber lines to the internet?
I thought the cable and phone companies owned the lines, so how is Fort Collins able to provide municipal broadband - where and how do they connect - do they build their own hub?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds63shq", "ds63ywk" ], "text": [ "Consumer ISP's (Comcast, at & t, time Warner, ) are not the only ISP's out there. If you want a big multi gigabit or terabit connection, there's bigger tier 1 ISP's that'll sell it to you for $20,000 a month or more.", "There are thousands of companie...
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7o2901
How are computers able to render a nice looking games in real time but even extremely basic Blender renders take a long time and a lot of processing power?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds68gt2", "ds6a56n" ], "text": [ "The blender render usually has more reflections, more detailed shadows, casting light rays, etc. Games usually fake the shadows, have textures prebaked, reduce/remove reflections, etc.", "When a game renders an image, it calculates the position of eac...
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[ "url" ]
7o2yxu
I just created a 'fake' profile on facebook not using my real information and it instantly suggested a lot of people I know as friends. How does it do that?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds6d71l" ], "text": [ "That's their secret sauce that gives them a competitive advantage. I can tell you the most likely means of doing this is because of your IP address. I know I went on vacation and when I got on the hotel WiFi with my laptop and logged into Facebook I started getting adve...
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[ "url" ]
7o3nuq
Why do games use a purple checkerboard for missing textures?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds6idum", "ds6zxli" ], "text": [ "You want to easily be able to identify where the missing texture is, and a purple/black checkerboard is pretty damn noticeable in 99% of cases. And once one person used it, some more started using it, and it kind of just self-standardised", "\"games\"...
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7o5hqv
Why are spiderwebs so durable and what are they made of? Do we have a synthetic equivalent?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds6ybsb" ], "text": [ "It is made of spider silk, a sort of protein. And we do not have a synthetic equivalent - but we really would like to. That stuff is pure magic and a true SciFi material that would allow us to replace steel cables with something much lighter, thinner and stronger, would...
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7o5nfb
why is it impossible to duplicate crypto currencies and can we do somethimg simialiar with digital movies and games to counter piracy?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds6z4ym", "ds6zojh" ], "text": [ "You can duplicate crypto currencies quite easily- it's just copying a file on a hard drive. What you can't do is spend it twice, because in order to spend a crypto currency you have to announce to every other user of the currency that \"I am sending this ...
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7o6x6l
Why are car batteries 12 volts instead of 9 or 5?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds79ru5" ], "text": [ "back in the early days they used to be 6v. then 6v wasn't enough to run the electric starter. so they doubled up and went to 12v. there was alot of talk about 10 years ago to go to 24v to help with auto-stop-start systems for saving fuel during traffic. but now with ful...
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7o7azd
What is a paperclip maximizer and what is the point of it? Is it possible in real life?
Im very confused/lost. Also does it have anything to do with quantum computing?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds7swgl" ], "text": [ "A [paperclip maximizer]( URL_1 ) is a thought experiment about how dangerous a true AI can be if its goals are not carefully constructed. It goes like this: an AI is created whose only goal is to make more paperclips. It does obvious things like obtaining more wire, con...
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7o8ncn
What makes gasoline so special that it can power engines and why is it so difficult to find an alternative fuel source?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds7npa2", "ds7o4ue", "ds7o4c9", "ds7u2gw", "ds8o09c", "ds8xqia", "ds82q1c" ], "text": [ "it's flammable, high energy output, easy to transport, and stays liquid in decently wide variety of temperatures. lots of things can power an internal combustion engine. diesel, pe...
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7o912k
How do scientists know what's inside the Earth?
Just read an article about scientists drilling to the Earth's mantle for the first time. There's the crust, the mantle, then the outer and inner core. But how do they know these layers are there? How do they know the exact depth of the mantle below the sea floor? How do they know the core is so hot? What data are/were ...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds7qasa", "ds7qikp" ], "text": [ "I've searched tha seven seas fer an answer. Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: How do we know what the earths inner consists of, when the deepest we have burrowed is 12 km? ]( URL_7 ) ^(_ > 100 comments_) 1. [ELI5: How d...
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7o9m77
Why can't the security bug with computer processors be fixed by just not running the kernel on the same processor core as other programs?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds7ufx8" ], "text": [ "because the memory is still shared. each core has local cache that's tiny, and then a larger shared l2 and l3. and each core can also snoop into the cache of other cores too. so even if one core is running it, the memory is not isolated." ], "score": [ 5 ], ...
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7oac2s
The reason for the difference in quality between a still frame taken from a video shot in 1080p, and a 1920x1080 resolution photograph
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds7yuvh", "ds7zxhw" ], "text": [ "Generally a movie frame will be much more highly compressed than a still frame, i.e., the average number of bytes used for a movie frame will be less than for a still frame of the same size. Movies just can't usually afford the number of bytes. Movies do ...
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7ocz68
Why do emojis look different across platforms and why do they look especially bad in web browsers?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds8jlfg" ], "text": [ "Emojis are Unicode characters just like the letters and numbers in the text around them. Character number 65 is \"Latin capital letter A\", and number 128512 is \"Grinning face\". When I type 😀, your device just gets that number, and it's up to your device to provide a...
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7odztq
If lie detectors (polygraph) are a pseudo science the why are they still used in court cases and by law enforcement?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds8s8c1", "ds8uhdh", "ds8r6h4", "ds8ry9d", "ds8r5dk", "ds8ykp2", "ds8vppb", "ds8xsrx", "ds8r8c8", "ds90hme", "ds8vku9" ], "text": [ "They are still used for their original purpose: to intimidate witnesses into telling the truth, because they think the m...
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7oeks3
the difference between saving a file as a.pdf and printing to a .pdf
To be more specific - when you save a file many programs give you the option of saving as the pdf file type. However you can also use the print option and select "save as pdf" as your printer, which also produces a pdf file.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds8we1j", "ds8zhwr" ], "text": [ "When you \"print as\" a .pdf, you typically get more options regarding the final product (as in, if it will be color or greyscale, what the final quality will be like, etc.) that you don't get by just saving it as a .pdf. Alsoooo... I believe the feature ...
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[ "url" ]
7ofv98
How do contactless cards generate their RFiD signal?
Surely there needs to be a source of energy to generate this signal but how come I don't need to charge my card
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds96s9n" ], "text": [ "The reader hits it with a pulse which gives it enough energy to send a response with, this makes the bases big and lets the tags be tiny. Its a combination of wireless communication and wireless charging" ], "score": [ 10 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7og34l
How is natural gas used for air conditioning?
The title is fairly self explanatory. I currently have a school project in which I need to design a way of reducing our schools natural gas usage. In the school data showing how many cubic meters of natural gas are used, the summer months use a fair amount. When I asked my teacher why she said I could assume it was bec...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds98fkq" ], "text": [ "It works like a normal air conditioner, the only difference is the engine used to circulate the coolant burns natural gas instead of electricity, usually more practical for large commercial spaces." ], "score": [ 5 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
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7ohyb5
The advantages of music on vinyl when production is all done on digital systems these days.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "ds9nv5a" ], "text": [ "\"Doesn't digital production make the theoretical \"benefits\" of vinyl's analog nature rather moot?\" Yes. I thought the vinyl fans were seeking older pressings from the analog days?" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
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7okist
How do theft detectors in shops know you've bought the item? Is it to do with scanning the barcode, or is there something else that gets scanned?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsa52ce", "dsa73e7", "dsa4vhz" ], "text": [ "Most theft detectors rely on one of two mechanisms. Small tags and large tags. Large tags get removed by the cashier, and are either attached in a way that damages the item if you try and force it open or locked in a larger and more cumbers...
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[ "url" ]
7olag9
why do games have loading screens?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsaazjb", "dsab0z5", "dsab93v" ], "text": [ "It's so the user can tell that the game is loading. If you just display a blank screen until the game is fully loaded, the user might assume that something isn't working and restart the program.", "The load screen is there so that the p...
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[ "url" ]
7olcv8
How are electric cars heated?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsabgpf" ], "text": [ "Yeah, you're completely correct. There's just heaters and they do cut into the battery life of the car a fair deal." ], "score": [ 5 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7omiqb
What's the difference between 4WD and AWD?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsay4ho" ], "text": [ "All 4WD vehicles are \"temporary\" in that the 4WD modes must be engaged and disengaged manually. Moreover, they should not be used all the time, only when necessary. A 4WD vehicle is otherwise identical to a 2WD vehicle save for the addition of an auxiliary gearbox and...
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[ "url" ]
7oq74g
How do solar cells actually work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsbg6yr", "dsbiq9f" ], "text": [ "Ok, here is a very rough explanation, assuming you know what atoms and electrons are: Solar cells consist of a semiconductor, for example silicon. There are two zones in the cell, one is positively charged and one is negatively charged (due to a process c...
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7or8xv
nano tubes/nanotechnology in products today
When I hear that companies have/are using nanotechnology in their products, whether that is anything from clothing to super cars, I always think of miniscule robots like movies lead me to believe. So are we living in the future where we actually have quote-unquote robots that can move around and repair damage and repli...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsbmj97" ], "text": [ "Nano- refers to whole things which are smaller than fractions of a millimeter, or making materials with properties on the scale of nanometers. For example, a robot that's only 0.1mm (100 microns) wide. (A sheet of paper is about that thick.) Manufacturing of individual ...
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7osqsz
How they shoot films for different formats such as standard, 4:3, 3D, and IMAX
I've always imagined three cameras being used to save time in post (see my comment).
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsby334", "dsebqzt" ], "text": [ "[This]( URL_0 ) is what I've always imagined.", "The answer will vary from project to project. Contrary to some of the answers you'll see here, contemporary movies use mixed formats, a practice that has become much easier and more commonplace since th...
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7outvx
What exactly is a commercial pilot doing in the cockpit during a flight? So many buttons, pedals, paperwork etc?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsckjr1", "dscfuot", "dscg45l", "dsckn3r", "dsctfw6" ], "text": [ "Over twenty years experience, currently flying a 737. All the buttons and switches are basically used for lights, power, pumps and engine start up procedures. Take off and landing are basically the only time I'...
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7owgtj
What is cloud mining?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dscsvvp" ], "text": [ "Cryptocurrency 'mining' is using computer power to perform work that helps run the cryptocurrency. To reward people for doing this work, a small percentage of the time work will result in a worker being given some of that currency. Trying to make money this way is calle...
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[ "url" ]
7owjmr
How a ship find the radio frequency of another ship
For example, the navy or cost guard is chasing a ilegal fishing o pirate boat. how they find the radio frequency of the radios in that boat ? if that ship is illegal or is not register how they do that.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsct60z", "dsd0eu7" ], "text": [ "Normally if you are being intercepted by an aircraft they will transmit on the \"guard\" frequency which is a frequency dedicated to only emergencies. Most maritime and airborne radios are actually 2 radios in one. One radio with an adjustable frequency s...
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[ "url" ]
7oxd3v
the mess of weird text you get when you turn a .png/.jpg file into a .txt
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dscy9lf", "dscy9i3" ], "text": [ "In the end, all files are just 1s and 0s. A jpg is only a jpg because the program opening it knows how to interpret those 1s and 0s as an image. But notepad doesn't know how to interpret it as an image. It just assumes anything you open in it is meant to ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7oy32z
the effects of watts, amps and volts on charging speed
Phone chargers and the like will state their voltage and amps on them somewhere like 9v/1.5a. What effect does increasing volts and decreasing amps have and how does wattage fit into it?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsd3dev" ], "text": [ "In the end, more watts means faster charging Unfortunately you're trying to charge through a long skinny cable, this cable is pretty limited on how much current it can handle. Try to push too much current through it and you'll lose your watts to heating the cable instea...
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7ozs3d
How does oversampling work?
I just don't got it. I'm talking about oversampling on a screen. Let's suppose I have a full HD screen. That means 1080*1920 pixels. When a game purposes to display the image with oversampling, how does it work? My screen still has the same amount of pixels doesn't it? How can it displays a more detailed picture?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsdhy8y", "dsdjj99" ], "text": [ "What is the benefit of oversampling? You get a cleaner image for edges, color gradients and transparency. If you calculate the imagine in a higher resolution first, that imagine contains more *information* about what is going on on the screen in compariso...
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7p0scc
How can 3 CPU's made by 3 separate companies have the exact same security flaws?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsdmuly" ], "text": [ "A CPU is a list of instructions. By necessity, they all have to run the same instructions no matter who makes it, otherwise every piece of software would have to have multiple versions based on what CPU is in the machine (just like they have to have multiple versions fo...
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7p1qn4
Why are some websites browser specific, if their underlying code is based on a standardization, supported by most browsers (Google Earth on FF)?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dsdufnf" ], "text": [ "There are some specific tags that only specific browsers understand, there was a fair amount of Internet Explorer specific HTML and CSS years ago that wasn't part of the standard but IE implemented it. Other times you're relying on different implementations having diffe...
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