q_id stringlengths 6 6 | title stringlengths 4 294 | selftext stringlengths 0 2.48k | category stringclasses 1
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8btk3n | Why are some radio stations louder than others even when playing the same song? | Is someone checking to make sure they are roughly at the same level as other stations? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"The answer has to do with something called **audio compression**. Here's a quick ELI5 on Audio Compression: * You're a teenager watching a movie late at night in your room. * The loud parts are too loud and you mom keeps hassling you to turn it down. But ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8buto4 | - How does a single speaker create more than one sound at a time? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"A very common question, here's a sample of the previous questions URL_0"
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8bv8zv | Why is it so easy to read text on our phones when we're holding them ourselves, but when a friend shows you his/her phone it's much harder to see? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"I believe it's because our eyes correct for the natural shakiness of our hand, but they obviously cannot account for the shakiness of another's, so we notice it more",
"Your brain automatically detects the motion of your hand and body, ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8bweto | Why do two mics produce a blood curdling screech when too close to each other? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxa7pmn"
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"text": [
"It's not two mics being too close to each other that does it. It's a mic being too close to the speakers it's attached to. The sound played out of a speaker is going to be slightly different than the sound that goes into the microphone. It's not an absolutely exact repl... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8bwrb9 | How can we get such good quality photos printed on clothing/t-shirts? | I saw on Twitter people wearing cheesy sweatshirts with their significant other on them. These photos are super realistic and detailed. How can a photo even be translated to a t-shirt? I can’t imagine the process. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxac7qm"
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"text": [
"There are a few ways. You can print on to thermal transfer paper and then use an iron to transfer the image, which gives you great results but will start to crumble quickly in the wash. You can screen print, where you print the image onto separate masks for each colour,... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8by0oy | Why do some USB cable's not allow a connection with a PC for file sharing, whilst some do? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxaj4ra"
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"text": [
"It's not the same type of cable. USB is a four-wire cable standard. Two wires for power feeding and two for data transfer. The cable you have that is not working is probably shipped with a charger for your phone. It only has the two power feed wires, because it's cheape... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8by5l4 | How were old game developers able to playtest their games if the games were far beyond current technological capabilities? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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8c0qkg | How do lane departure warning systems work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"dxb5i2z"
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"text": [
"They have cameras or other sensors that detect the lane markers. When the lane markers move outside a certain part of the sensor, and the driver hasn't used their turn signal, then the car notified the driver that they appear to be departing their lane. Usually there ma... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8c0wdm | How do remote controlled cars work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxb8ov6",
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"text": [
"A radio sends commands to a controller in the car. That in turn sends electrical signals to the various motors and solenoids that operate the mechanical parts of the car. This can be super basic in a battery powered car with simple steering, or increasing... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8c0yb6 | How software tracking eye motion works | For example [this post] ( URL_1 ) showed what the eye was looking at when walking over terrain. [This video] ( URL_0 ) shows what kids and artists lol at when trying to draw. How does the technology know where the person was looking. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxb6qlx"
],
"text": [
"How can you tell where people are looking at? By taking two 'video feeds' your eyes, processing it into a psuedo-3D image with your brain to make an estimation based on where their eyeballs are pointed at, the distance the person appears to be from you, and any objects ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8c1m4h | How did the old telephone company systems redirect you to recorded messages ('no longer in service', etc.) before computer routing and digital audio etc.? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxbi6g4"
],
"text": [
"These messages are called \"intercepts\". Before they were digital audio files, they were, depending on the system, either on short-reel tapes playing the same message over and over, or on a magnetic spool on a drum that had multiple messages on it. Either way, the syst... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8c78c0 | How can a virtual machine's disk drive be larger than the physical HD of the computer? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxcmw0v"
],
"text": [
"You can set the virtual hard drive size to be as large or small as you like - the VM can *present* it with whatever upper limit you specify - but that won't allow you to store that amount of data. Instead, the VM can allow the virtual hard disk to take up only as much *... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8c78y3 | How come the U.S doesn't use PIN-verification for card purchases? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxcmb7n"
],
"text": [
"We tend to have a lot more credit cards and don't typically have the ability to change the PIN. That makes it much more difficult and impractical."
],
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5
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8c9ccp | Why were scientists in the late 1800's suddenly able to isolate and identify a large number of certain compounds and drugs? | I've been reading a lot of articles on drugs and medications and it seems they all suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the late 1800's, but I could be wrong I don't know | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxd8a7b",
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],
"text": [
"Industrialization. The primary limit on scientists isn't really their imagination so much as the instruments they have to collect, process and verify information about the natural world. The revolution of the 1800s was the rise of easily accessible, high-... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8c9isq | What happens in the background while we see the "loading screen" in video games? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxd4nuf",
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],
"text": [
"Generally, Data is being loaded from the harddisc into the ram memory. RAM is a lot faster than your harddisc, even if its a SSD, it just has the handicap of losing all data when its unpowered. So we store data on harddisc's that are slower and cheaper, b... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cajad | Why is it important to have electrical wiring grounded? Is my family at risk with older wiring? | We are working to replace the wiring in our home but are having a very hard time with it. We can't afford the cost of a professional electrician and keep hitting roadblocks. We're now contemplating whether or not we need to do the job at all! Finding easy to understand information about the risks of an ungrounded home ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxddq9o",
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"dxddp9d",
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],
"text": [
"In electricity, you need a way for the current to get to your device, and a way for it to get back to where it came from. In houses, this is hot and neutral. But there's a secret -- neutral and ground ultimately go to the sam... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8carx0 | Why does the cursor run off the screen at the right and bottom, but not the top and left? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxdf89p",
"dxdfaqj",
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],
"text": [
"The cursor is only the tip of the little cursor icon. Your cursor is a single pixel with an arrow icon hanging off it down and to the right. If you take your clicking pixel to the top left of the screen, the arrow icon is still visible. If ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cbtpe | What is the difference between the 'same' graphics cards | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxdp4ia"
],
"text": [
"NVIDIA makes the main graphics chip for the graphics cards, but they also require a lot of other chips and stuff like RAM and power delivery regulation. So it requires those, which all come together to form a graphics card. NVIDIA however doesn’t particularly want to be... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cejok | Why do the "black" pixels on your phones bootup screen seem bright? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxebepg",
"dxebidi"
],
"text": [
"Most phone displays have a light *behind* the display. It shines through a translucent panel of LCD pixels. The \"black\" pixels can only block some of the light, not all of it. Some newer displays use a different technology where the pixels themselves em... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cfe3t | How can an EKG give an accurate reading of the health of your heart in such a short amount of time? | I have to be honest, when going in for my yearly physical and they hook up the EKG paraphernalia, I'm always left unconvinced of the diagnosis after such a short amount of time on the machine. How can they be so sure? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxeiy66",
"dxekhmv",
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],
"text": [
"It's the current electrical activity of your heart. It is a great diagnostic tool for the heart but obviously can't predict the future. They don't need more than a 6-12 second printout to check that your heart is working normally and not dy... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8cfwpc | Why does a video seemingly get "stuck" buffering, but after a refresh there are no more problems? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxeniam",
"dxetxjr",
"dxeu2w8",
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"text": [
"Refreshing seems to solve a lot of stuck website issues. A popular website or app will have many duplications of hardware resources at their data center, some of which are chosen for you at random. Sometimes the combination o... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cguqa | Why doesn’t pointing a camera at the sun directly damage it, like our eyes get damaged? | I know we’re living things and cellular components are different from electrical components, but what is it about cameras that prevents the damage? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxex1q7"
],
"text": [
"Nothing much. Cameras can be damaged by sunlight, they just can take a bit more abuse. But you absolutely can damage your sensor and even melt internal components by pointing a camera at the sun carelessly. DSLRs are a bit protected in that the sensor is normally only e... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8chdih | How did people get domain names before domain name registries were available? | I don't know if I'm asking this right,,, | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxfv4xe",
"dxex65n"
],
"text": [
"As a layperson, you are asking it correctly. The short answer is that people kept text files of names and addresses and shared those files with other people. You can still maintain a hosts text file for private networks or domain name overrides. When you ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8ciiqw | How does ABS brakes work on a motorcycle? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxg34ea"
],
"text": [
"It works exactly the same as on a car. The ABS monitor's wheel speed. If it sees a wheel starting to lock up by its speed dropping faster than other wheels, or than the vehicle could possibly be slowing down, it does a few things: 1- Isolate that wheels hydraulic circui... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ciol5 | Why do some video games run better on "medium" settings than "very low" | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxf8kiv"
],
"text": [
"I actually just watched a video on this, but with regards to ultra settings versus high settings. Essentially the game runs better on “more common” settings because the developers try and optimize the performance of their games on those more common settings rather than ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ckiv9 | CGI in Films | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxfo392",
"dxfuj7y"
],
"text": [
"Introduce her to collages, cutting pictures out of magazines and gluing them into fun creations together. The connection to film goes like this: \"If we take a lot of pictures of the actor while he pretends to be eaten, we can glue those pictures in the m... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ckp32 | How does CAPTCHA both screen bots and build machine learning databases? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxfq2ry"
],
"text": [
"They have a database and part of the key. They show you 4 signs, 3 they are sure of and 1 maybe. If you get the 3 they know right, then your vote counts for the 4th one. If 500 users who got the 3 known signs right agree about the 4th one, that's pretty good evidence th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cnzbf | "SpaceX will try to bring rocket upper stage back from orbital velocity using a giant party balloon and then land on a bouncy house". | Please explain how "SpaceX will try to bring rocket upper stage back from orbital velocity using a giant party balloon and then land on a bouncy house". I have a general understanding of how it's possible with the booster,but the upper stage? Mathz? Anyone care to hypothesize? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxgesow",
"dxge3xd"
],
"text": [
"The problem with getting the upper stage back to earth is that it reaches orbital velocity when deploying its satellites. That means that instead of falling back to earth on its own like the first stage, they have to activate the engine and slow it down e... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8co7nc | how CGI gets implemented on to film for movies. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxgjnzi"
],
"text": [
"There are a lot of kinds of CGI. Matte Paintings - are CGI backgrounds. You want to film inside a giant spaceship, and you can't afford a giant-spaceship-set? You build a set for the level of the spaceship that the actors walk around on and use CGI for the rest. This te... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cqghu | how is bios installed on a motherboard? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxgybt0",
"dxgy7rc",
"dxhdg5c"
],
"text": [
"There are special memory chips on the motherboard that contain the BIOS. In ancient times, these were actual ROMs, read-only memory chips. That's too hard to maintain, so today most mobos use flash memory, like in a USB drive or camera card... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cqgib | How do multiplayer online games play at the same speed? | To clarify, how do games like Overwatch, Fortnight, every MMO ever, etc... get all their players to interact in real time without lag? If I watch news broadcasters talking to field agents 10 minutes away there's a three second delay, but I can hitscan a man in Brazil while a man in Vancouver talks to me on mic with no ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"So your internet data packets travel roughly 30% of the speed of light. That means, roughly 100,000 kilometers per second. So if you want to have ping of less than 20 ms, that is, 0.02 seconds, r... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8cqug0 | How does Powerline networking work? | Like the Powerline Adapter Starter Kit from Amazon, it claims to gain network connectivity through your house's power grid. How does this work and/or is this possible? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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"dxh73n4"
],
"text": [
"Because this is ELI5, I want to make a minor clarification: those kits can use your house's power lines to transmit your existing internet from one location to another. With the paired endpoints, your can think of your existi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8crari | Why are adult websites so infested with viruses and adware? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxh5hmm",
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"text": [
"Viruses lurk in lots of ads that tempt or trick you into clicking through. Porn is a category like this, where the user isn't thinking clearly and might eagerly click on whatever link promises XXXExactlyYourFetishHD. Your mom clicks anythin... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8crftv | How is lighting (specifically from sources such as street lamps, torches etc) achieved in games. | I was wondering what type of mechanics go behind dynamic lighting in video games, specifically those of lamp posts, torches, sconces. Is there a difference between how it's handled in different game engines? How does one achieve different brightness at different distances, as well as how the lighting effects different ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Lighting is one of the larger tasks of game engines. You start off with an unlit mesh. You add a light source. The engine determines all the things that are affected by the light, taking into account objects that may be in the way. When the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8csse6 | Why do SSDs have a read/write limit? What causes them to stop functioning after a certain number of read/write cycles? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxhiq24"
],
"text": [
"SSDs can be read as many times as you want, but they have a limited number of write/erase cycles SSDs are made using Flash memory which is constructed using floating gate transistors. On a normal FET transistor there is a channel with a thin insulator on top and a gate ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cuaex | Why is it that there are 2 enter keys, 2 shift keys, 2 alt keys, etc. But only one tab and enter key on a keyboard? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxhwdmq"
],
"text": [
"It's all about typing efficiently. The two enter keys exist one for letters and one for numbers, in case you need to hit enter after doing some calculations with numbers. The two shift keys (and two Alt keys) exist because you hold shift and type a letter at the same ti... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cuywg | How can investigators find incriminating e-mails? | I've been following the news for awhile and from the beginning of elections to this day lots of people have been accused of various thnigs because of e-mails. How do people get these e-mails when they can be deleted? While some might have been thought fine how can some obviously incriminating e-mails have been left to ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxi5qz8",
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"text": [
"Well, first of all, people are not as keen on deleting email as you may think. Personally, I have every single one of mine since 1997. And, really, not everyone is comfortable enough around technology to understand that an email that is moved to the trash... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8cvbsh | Why were transits systems built much faster and more reliable in Europe than in Canada? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxi4nho"
],
"text": [
"Cities(and thus dense centre's of population) are much farther away in Canada than they are in Europe. It's much easier to build a good transit network to get 500, 000 people where they need to go, when they only need to go a shorter distance. This can easily be seen in... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cxbqo | Why can't person A hear themselves during a phone call when person B has them on speaker phone? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxiipvx"
],
"text": [
"Most phones have sound processing functions. One function is where they turn off the microphone during times when sound is coming from the speaker during calls. You can notice this when you are talking to someone and there is wind on the other end - sometimes the sound ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cxl1o | How videogames recreate water physics? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxikg6c"
],
"text": [
"Mostly poorly. The best approaches use Macklin's [Position Based Fluid algorithm] ( URL_0 ). It's computationally expensive, with thousands of splats needed in an area where non-water is handled with a few polygons."
],
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10
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[
... | [
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8cz6b4 | How does the calculator know 2+2=4? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxiyijx"
],
"text": [
"ELIaMOM: You use a fulladder. It actually adds the bits up: \\ 1 0 = 2 in binary \\ 1 0 = 2 in binary \\ 1 0 0 = 4 in binary 10+10=00, carry the one, you get 100. For more complicated calculations it would have look-up tables, just as you probably know the small multipl... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8cz7ne | Why does Netflix streams HD videos so much better than other video streaming websites? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"NetFlix hosts caching servers inside major ISP's networks. This means that if what you're watching is popular, it just has to travel the last mile to get to you, ins... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8d3y8j | What's the difference between a Hub, Repeater, Bridge and Switch? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxk41b0"
],
"text": [
"* Hubs are simple devices that send every packet received on any port to all ports. * Switches learn which devices are on which ports, and packets addressed to a known device are sent only to that device's port. * Repeaters are hubs with only two ports. * Bridges are sw... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8d4tg9 | How come diesel engine have been praised in the past and now suddenly everyone seems to be against it? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxk9zi1",
"dxkilv9",
"dxk8keo",
"dxkj2cj",
"dxke3h1",
"dxk99bp"
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"text": [
"Different type of fuel and compression result in different products - diesels run in high compression and hot so they burn their fuel thoroughly, however it also causes atmospheric nitrogen to re... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8d67pn | How do gift cards generate profit? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxkk28z"
],
"text": [
"I'll add my 2 cents. I work in retail and for my company, the actual selling of giftcards isn't what generates the profit. When someone buys you a gift card for my brand we know that at some point in the future you will buy something from us. Many times people will atte... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8d7mri | [technology]: Bump Stocks | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxkw3wq"
],
"text": [
"A bump stock makes it possible for a semi-automatic rifle, which does only one pew per pull of the trigger no matter what, to pull the trigger faster than your finger can by itself, using your finger plus the recoil of the rifle to \"reset\" the trigger much faster than... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8d7z1j | How was the music video for "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai made? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxkzjbx"
],
"text": [
"It was surprisingly low tech \\- basically they built the floor on wheels and would move the floor around with Jamiroquai dancing on it This video: [ URL_0 ]( URL_0 ) shows the technique they used but for a different project \\(a beer ad\\) Edit: Turns out they moved th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8d93ho | What is the point of a touch free soap dispenser? If the soap was somewhat decent it would be pointless or am I missing something? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxl8lcc",
"dxl920d"
],
"text": [
"Soap isn't magic. If you scoop up some poop in your hands and then rub in some soap, you still have soapy poop in your hands.",
"Soap does not really ''KILL'' 99.9% of germs like often advertised. Soap works in a way that it helps oil particles in whi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8d9gv4 | what does polishing shoes actually do? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxlcien"
],
"text": [
"I feel like I saw this question a while ago I'm confused now. There are leather conditioners that keep leathers supple and prevent them from peeling and cracking. You can gently remove substances that are harmful to the integrity of the leather like salt and you can cle... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8da0xd | How did the litre (volume) come to be? In other words if we had to start from the dark ages again, how could one replicate the volume measurement of 1 Litre? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxlghag",
"dxlgowe",
"dxlghek",
"dxm1g19",
"dxm5xc3"
],
"text": [
"The metric system is based on the distance from the North Pole to the equator, on a line passing through Paris. This distance, divided by 10,000,000 equals one metre. One metre divided by 1000 equals one millim... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dc2tx | Given the fragmented instant messaging market and the failure to create a standard protocol, why aren't there email clients that make using email more like instant messaging? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxm2jbc"
],
"text": [
"Huh? Email essentially already is instant messaging, if the user utilizes it in that way. You can get notifications that pop up on your computer that tell you that you just got an email, and it's essentially instance. Your phone can tell you that you just got an email, ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8de32z | Why does an electric kettle make that loud rumbling sound when its heating up the water? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxmczbl"
],
"text": [
"Cavitation. The electric element that heats the water heats it so fast that instantly boils. This boiling air then hits the slightly colder water above it, and cools and immediately collapses."
],
"score": [
3
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8deayq | What caused Bing to fail and Google to rise to popularity so much when they’re so similar? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxmebqu",
"dxmel1f"
],
"text": [
"Google was around before Bing, so it already had a better established user base (I guess before Bing there was MSN search, but... who used that?). The reality is that Google just has a better search algorithm that provides people with more relevant result... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dedvy | What exactly do Neural Networks in AlphaZero/LeelaChess do? | IIRC, the MCTS rollouts determine how advantageous each move is in a given position. So, if it's the MCTS coming up with the solutions, what is the purpose of implementing Neural Networks in the first place? How does it differ from an MCTS-only chess AI? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxmkcwa"
],
"text": [
"If you're going to do a Monte Carlo Tree Search, you want some way to assign probabilities to candidate moves. If you favor moves that are likely to be strong more over moves that are likely to be weak, you're going to do much better than if you pick moves uniformly at ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8dft23 | With web extensions, like the heavily-advertised "Honey" service, "automatically find[ing] and appl[ying] coupon codes at checkout with a single click," wouldn't this drive up prices at these websites? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxmrzmu"
],
"text": [
"What lost income? If anything, they may see increased income. Having easy to access coupons can encourage buyers to buy more, or buy stuff they weren't planning to originally buy. It also attracts buyers who weren't going to buy anything. New sales can make up for the d... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dgilz | How does a telephone plug work with both a phone and a modem? Is it the same data being transferred or is there multiple types of data being passed and the device decides which one it needs? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxmx99h",
"dxmxjcn",
"dxn03hj"
],
"text": [
"A modem converts the analog signal coming over the phone line to a digital signal usable by for example, a computer. The same concept applies to all modems for example, a cable modem. It's an analog signal converted to digital.",
"If yo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8diq8h | Why do phone boot logos always seem so choppy when phones are capable of 60fps? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxng6se"
],
"text": [
"When a phone is just booting up, it is not able to access every part of the phone yet. Kind of like when you just wake up and can't solve a math problem. If it is \"capable\" of 60fps, that doesn't mean it will always operate that way."
],
"score": [
5
],
"t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dj76f | Why does uninstalling apps off my phone use data? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxnk1wv"
],
"text": [
"Modern phone operating systems talk to a cloud service to keep track, remotely, of what apps are installed on the phone. This can help with troubleshooting later."
],
"score": [
4
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8djqex | Why is it so hard to replace the IRS's aging computer systems? | I just heard an NPR story that said the IRS's computer system is the most antiquated in the federal goverment (it still uses assembly!) Why is so hard to replace it? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxnsbka",
"dxnp5ui"
],
"text": [
"This is a problem throughout the software industry. Banks, airlines, and hospitals all have legacy computer systems they just can't shut off for a week to put in a new one. Then short-term thinking sets in, and it is easier to to limp along for just one m... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8djqlu | How come smart phones can run intense games without a fan and still not burn the CPU, but a desktop computer can't even load the desktop for more than a few minutes without permanent damage? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxnoq16",
"dxnp0nu",
"dxo7xzc"
],
"text": [
"The chips in the phone are specially designed to minimize power usage for common tasks. This isn't a priority in desktop PCs.",
"Comparing the workload generated by a mobile game to a PC game is like comparing a lit match to the sun. Ev... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dl8wz | how are lasers used to measure distance so accurately, and why can it also track movement i.e. with a PC mouse? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxo1yq3"
],
"text": [
"By firing a laser bean at something and measuring how long it takes to reflect and fly back. (Distance = (c*time) /2) ---- Laser mice works the same as other optical mice, they just use laser instead of a regular LED. They take pictures (thousands per second) of the ill... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dm4a9 | What is unique about Playstation 2 disks that prevents us from booting burned ISOs? | I know that you need swap magic or some kind of memory card hack to boot homebrew stuff, but I don't understand why. I'm guessing PS2 disks have a proprietary physical format that differentiates them from regular CDs, but I can't seem to find any information on it. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxo76g0",
"dxodpdw"
],
"text": [
"[This]( URL_0 ) is how PS1 did it. I assume PS2 had a similar system in place",
"The disks have an error correcting system built in to the lowest level, meaning that sections of the disk can be marked as unreadable. Because it's a low-level function, ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8dszxi | Why do circuit breakers flip? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxprys0",
"dxpv7of"
],
"text": [
"Essentially, it's a spring / clamp that trips at a given temperature or magnetic strength. As the amperage increases, the amount of the heat generated by the increase to resistance and/or the increased electromagnetic field causes the clamp to releases to... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8du9bq | why it takes longer to search my windows computer for a file than to google something. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxq1sf5"
],
"text": [
"Indexing. Google has a huge, highly optimised database designed for the sole purpose of searching quickly. Even with indexing switched on, your computer doesn't have anywhere near as good a system. Speed. Your query to Google is dealt with by an extremely fast computer ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dvy55 | What happens when you don't safely eject your USB? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxqd61s"
],
"text": [
"Data that was being accessed could be corrupted or deleted, making it unreadable for future use. When you \"safely eject\" the device, you're basically letting the computer stop all processes and make sure nothing is being accessed before you disconnect the device. If y... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dwfw8 | How do hotel card readers work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxqhgov"
],
"text": [
"The lock sends out a signal, using batteries in the lock. The card has a coil that captures that energy and uses it the power a circuit. The circuit powers a radio that sends a number programed into the card by the front desk. The lock has a radio receiver that opens th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dws0b | why are amazons (or any company's) servers/scripts named with seemingly jibberish names like URL_0 (1)? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxqjspo"
],
"text": [
"Typically this is done automatically as part of the build pipeline to facilitate caching. Next time a build is completed the bundled scripts/css will be combined in a file with a different name. Since it has a different name the browser won’t find it in cache and will p... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dxd8e | How does a calculator know what addition/subtraction is? Likewise, how does a digital clock know exactly what a second/minute is? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxqouxc"
],
"text": [
"digital clocks have a quartz crystal inside shaped like a tuning fork. When an electrical voltage is applied to it it vibrates at a certain frequency; conversely, when the crystal is deformed it creates a small current. These fluctuations in current are counted to see h... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8dymi2 | How do they manage to fit a full video game on a disc? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxqzjyw"
],
"text": [
"Depends on the era, but generally speaking disc technology allowed for more storage than other forms of media at the time. Consider the original PlayStation. Cartridge based consoles of that era had games that were barely over a few megabytes, but ps1 discs could hold n... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e1a5t | Why can you get cell service in the hallway of the 7th floor of a 21-story building, but not in the elevator or basement? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxrmbha"
],
"text": [
"Ahoy, fellow redditor. Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: Why do mobile phones lose reception when going up/down an elevator? ]( URL_2 ) ^(_10 comments_) 1. [Why does cellphone service cut out in an elevator, but works everywhere else ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e2omo | Considering the predominance of the USA on the Internet, why are there so few .us websites? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxrw7yb",
"dxryoyp"
],
"text": [
"The United States is where internet was born, so they get to be .com whereas everyone else has to be .Country.",
"*Because* of the US' predominance on the internet. Remember that \"The Internet\" predates \"The World Wide Web\", and for many years was... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e2z4p | Why x,y (0,0) in computer world positioned on Top-Left instead of Bottom-Left like in mathematics? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxryijo",
"dxrzhsg",
"dxs0zbk"
],
"text": [
"Old TV sets would \"draw\" the image on the screen by drawing lines from left to right, starting at the top and going to the bottom. This was adopted for computer monitors, and then by programmers because it made it easier to have the order... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e3vrt | What exactly happens when (in movies) the police trace a call and why can't they do it if the call is less than a minute long? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxs5vt3",
"dxs5wi8",
"dxs5z1b"
],
"text": [
"It's just a movie plot device. The phone carrier knows immediately where the call originated from. The police would get a warrant and the phone company would hand over the information. With cell phones, they would triangulate the call using... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e5cac | Why are sites such as Netflix and Youtube able to stream high definition video on relatively slow internet, while other sites struggle to stream that same quality of video on even the best internet? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxshimk",
"dxsizea",
"dxsjkx0"
],
"text": [
"Compression is a wonderful thing. When you go to Netflix or YouTube, you aren't actually streaming 1080p or 720p. The feed you're getting is highly compressed, and your computer then renders and upscales it once you've received it.",
"*... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e5fst | If fully electric cars are possible, why aren't hybrids more common, or even the standard? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxsi4tz",
"dxsip6e"
],
"text": [
"They're very expensive to buy new, and there are very few being sold second hand as they're so new. As the technology becomes more popular they'll be produced on a larger scale and that will drive the price down. Also as they're around for longer they'll ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e6ak6 | What technologies are there so that your credit card information cant be stolen while in your wallet? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxsxrlg"
],
"text": [
"Information on a credit card is presented in three ways 1.) In printed or raised lettering on the face of the card 2.) Encoded on a magnetic strip on the rear of the card 3.) Stored within a microprocessor located on a chip embedded in the card If a credit card is locat... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e6zks | Why does turning batteries around make them last longer? | Edit to clarify: On things that take multiple batteries, swapping the batteries spots will sometimes let it run a little bit longer. Like this : -1+ +2- --swap-- > -2+ +1- | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxt6mpp"
],
"text": [
"I hope I am understanding your question correctly. A lot of times when batteries die in your remote control for example. You can swap battery in position 1 with battery in position 2 and they give you a little more life. You can also just keep the batteries in the same ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8e7imz | How do websites that illegally stream movies and TV stay online? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxt0b26",
"dxt1jrv",
"dxszx7f",
"dxt1v0l"
],
"text": [
"From what I understand, some sports streaming sites operate out of countries/on domains where the local law doesn't care or have the resources to shut them down (.se or .sx) Not that I have any knowledge of any such sites, mi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e7suh | Why does a webpage take up so much RAM? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxt2lex"
],
"text": [
"Compare it with cooking: The data downloaded contains the recipe for the webpage to be displayed. That recipe is used to render the page and to perform the interactions. Your recipe for a cake is just ten lines on a piece of paper, but the flower, milk, sugar, egg, flav... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e95yz | Why is there a static sound when you unplug earphones from your device? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxtfy4x"
],
"text": [
"When the headphone connector is all the way in, there are three metal contacts that line up with three metal contacts inside the device. As you slide the plug in or pull it out, the contacts touch the wrongs places briefly and cause a momentary short circuit. The short ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8e9nxk | How did they code the first code without code? (Computers) | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxthmgj",
"dxthhyu"
],
"text": [
"The first computers did have a single purpose, for example calculating trajectories: Add some values, press a button and you got the answer. It wasn't until later that multi purpose computers which you could program. The first methods of entering the code... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ebcli | What is the benefit of restarting a phone or computer on a regular basis? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxts9k7"
],
"text": [
"Adding to this if allowed; does it make a difference whether you restart a phone or turn it off and then on again"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ed54n | Why are real number data types such as float and double called "floating-point"? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxu7y2m",
"dxu7yb6"
],
"text": [
"Let's say you have 8 \"spaces\" to store a number. There's a few different ways you can store numbers in it: 1. Unsigned Integers. ######## lets you store numbers from 0-99999999 but no negatives or decimals 2. Signed Integers. ±####### lets you store fro... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8eebev | Why does pumping the brakes work better than holding the brakes when your car is sliding on ice? | Thanks | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxuo65j",
"dxugz9f",
"dxuh103",
"dxuhe16",
"dxuhgwt"
],
"text": [
"There's two types of contact friction: *static* friction and *kinetic* friction. Static friction is the force that it takes to push a stationary object and start it sliding/skidding across the ground. Kinetic f... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8efvtc | How do movie uploaders actually benefit from uploading piracy content? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxuu3xc",
"dxuu56c",
"dxuujqg"
],
"text": [
"Hobby? Maybe they just enjoy watching movies and would like to give others their experience of the coughing, rustling and getting up as a shadow to go for a piss ....",
"Some people believe that all that kind of content should be made a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ega87 | Why are movies filmed in much wider aspect ratios than TV? | Similarly, why are movie theater screens wider than home televisions? Shouldn't there just be one standard aspect ratio for film? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxuypoz",
"dxuxh4b"
],
"text": [
"Part of the answer to this is the existence of TV. Films used to be shot in much more square aspect ratios, but when TV hit the scene, the studios wanted to come up with ways to differentiate their product from what you could just stay home and watch on T... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8ej6er | Why is it not possible to modify a file's name while it's open? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxvm1kb",
"dxvq66t",
"dxvvhi0",
"dxvu3n0",
"dxvpfmr",
"dxvwb30",
"dxvx7v6"
],
"text": [
"Because Windows forbids it. There is no technical problem with allowing it, and in fact other OS'es generally do allow it. Windows uses a policy of locking files when an applicatio... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ejckf | How do bands make sure their backing tracks are starting in sync with thier live music? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxvonru",
"dxvmbh5",
"dxvuoaj",
"dxvzh0e"
],
"text": [
"Audio engineer here. Generally on smaller shows the musicians will trigger the start of their backing tracks with a drum pad/footswitch as previously stated. The drummer (possibly the rest of the band as well) will then play ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ekiqa | why does airplanes have dual 3.5 mm headphone jacks instead of a single headphone jack? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxvuqw3"
],
"text": [
"Way back when airplanes were built and entertainment systems introduced headphones were not a regular thing people brought with them. Headphones back then were expensive enough that making two pronged headphones discourages people from taking them when they got off the ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ekl4g | What's the difference between CPUs and GPUs from a technical and logical standpoint? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxvz47q",
"dxvzbaj",
"dxw24wi"
],
"text": [
"The best ELI5 analogy I have seen to explain the difference is : > the CPU is like a 4 or 8 lane highway at 100mph > the GPU is like a 2000 lane highway at 40mph While CPUs have a few big independent cores which are individually very fast, ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8elsr8 | Why does Adobe Acrobat Reader have so many updates? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxw5rsv"
],
"text": [
"The short answer is it's not a simple document viewer. Think about Chrome or firefox, they \"Just view HTML documents\", and well that means a lot of things, new features get added to HTML itself, people find ways to do stuff faster, and better ways to integrate other t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8emg49 | what SAP does for companies? | [SAP]( URL_0 ) is the biggest software company come out of europe for sure. but what it does? compaies use it for what? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxwbmx5",
"dxwb25i",
"dxweztm",
"dxwhk1n"
],
"text": [
"I used to work for them - their big general product is SAP ERP software, which is 'enterprise resource planning'. Best way to think about it is that they have software and databases that handle business logistics. Their big b... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8enpem | How do electrical instruments work? | Tempted to give my character an electrical voilin for a D & D campaign but i don't really know enough about how they work. how does it change sound, and would running a current through a voilin be enough? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxwmnkw",
"dxwn4us"
],
"text": [
"No. Electrical musical instruments work by having magnetic pickups which output a signal based on the frequency of the vibrating metal string. This output current is then amplified and converted into sound by the amplifier.",
"When you take a string, ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8epp29 | why can't we extract drinkable water from ocean , when there is water scarcity? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxx3abs",
"dxx3b2d"
],
"text": [
"We can, and do. But it is extremely expensive to do so. You either have to spend a massive amount of money and fuel to build distilleries that evaporate out clean water, you have to build massive filter systems that take a lot of electricity to force wate... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8epp98 | what is in programming the "SCRUM" and "AGILE" work methodologies? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxx5djh"
],
"text": [
"Scrum is a type of agile development framework. Suppose you have a chore to do - mow the lawn. Agile essentially says that instead of mowing the entire lawn, collecting all the mowed grass, putting the mower away, etc just to find out you didn't do it the right way, you... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8epz57 | Is it possible for 2 QR codes to be the exact same thing? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxx651r"
],
"text": [
"Yes. QR codes just contain a small amount of data. It could be a registration number, a link to a web page, or some other small piece of information. The impact of two codes being the same would depend on what the codes are being used for."
],
"score": [
4
],
... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8exoqu | How does an electronic device instantly switch to battery power when unplugged from the power source? | Does a device draw power from it's battery even though it's plugged in so there's an overlap? Or is there a short moment in time where the devices switches from wall power to battery power? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxywbhh"
],
"text": [
"At least for phones/laptops/tablet-type devices... The battery is always running the device. The cord simply charges the battery IF it's plugged in. So there's not really any 'drop' or switching."
],
"score": [
5
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8exoxq | how a robot can find coordinates of an object by just looking at it with its camera | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxyxv6n"
],
"text": [
"Imagine someone handed you a photograph of a room that you had never seen before. Given a lot of time and effort, do you think you could build a small scale model of that room using cardboard? Most humans could. Computer vision is getting a lot better at what humans do ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ez1vf | How does an operating system for the visually impaired look? How does it work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxz90yh"
],
"text": [
"While I would love to explain it to you; The YouTuber, Tommy Edison, explains it perfectly. He is actually blind and He describes how he does it. You can watch the video [here]( URL_0 )"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text_urls": [
[
"https://www.youtube.com/... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8f0dzg | Why do older video games require fewer ports to be forwarded than newer video games? For example, CoD: WaW released in 2008 requires only one port to be forwarded whereas the newest CoD requires nearly one hundred on PC | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dxzlcfi"
],
"text": [
"Network engineer here. A few things. I should say I've never had to forward a port for a game. Make a hole in a firewall, but not port forwarding. As to port usage. Gaming networks have both gotten more complicated with game using separate internal apps for different pr... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
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