q_id stringlengths 6 6 | title stringlengths 4 294 | selftext stringlengths 0 2.48k | category stringclasses 1
value | subreddit stringclasses 1
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8mbonn | How do electronics accurately know time? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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],
"text": [
"Things like digital watches and computers have an internal oscillator (quartz chip). When an electric current is applied it vibrates with a known frequency, this frequency will be converted then into hours/minutes/seconds. It can drift over... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mboqk | What exactly have allowed each console generation’s graphics to improve? What do we have now that we didn’t have before? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"Graphics is just calculations, and better hardware can do more of them per second, allowing more lighting, shadows, complex models, and higher res textures to be rendered within a shorter time, l... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mcj4c | How do finger print sensors work on phones? | Electrical signals? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzmglj6",
"dzmgwcz"
],
"text": [
"An **optical scanner** works by shining a bright light over your fingerprint and taking what is effectively a [digital photograph]( URL_4 ). If you've ever [photocopied]( URL_3 ) your hand, you'll know exactly how this works. Instead of producing a dirty ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8mf1fs | How do modern vehicles prevent wireless keys from being locked inside? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dznpyf8"
],
"text": [
"As a person that’s worked at a Car rental place. They really don’t, most cars will give you a message in the dash about keys inside but that’s about it. I’ve had to deal with locked cars that are keyless and having to unlock them with tools. Hell, you could even start y... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mmi4k | Why do video players always require user action after they start buffering? Almost every application, YouTube, iFunny, Reddit, needs me to press pause and play after loading instead of just starting the video again. Why? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzou1cc",
"dzosvbj"
],
"text": [
"Be careful what you wish for. The current behaviour, as I understand it, was in response to large numbers of users **complaining** about auto-play; people **wanted** to control when videos started, and not have three of them playing simultaneously.",
... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mmp5f | Why does traditional animation age better than CGI animation? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"A couple of reasons. It's not so much that Toy Story looks bad, it just doesn't look as realistic as modern CGI and realism is what you're judging. You're only expecting Snow White to look like an animation; by realism standa... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mmpcv | I often get spam emails from people who obviously did not send the emails. How does this happen? Is someone hacking their account? | Sorry if this is a previously discussed topic. I tried to search but the search function doesn't seem to work. I often get obviously spam email from some random person in my contact list. Are they hacked or am I hacked? How can someone spoof the person and send out email from their account? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzosoez",
"dzossf3",
"dzoy0ka",
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],
"text": [
"Often times, the account that appears to be sending the message did not actually send it. The “from” address is basically being forged. In internet parlance this is called “email spoofing.” There is phone spoofing too (fake c... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8mn803 | How do TV/Radio stations know how many viewers/listeners they have at specific times? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzoxqdh"
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"text": [
"URL_0 A company selects certain individuals to install a box on their TV that captures information of what they are watching. Based on how many people participate they can gauge what the rest of America is watching e.g. if 75% Neilsen families are watching Family Guy th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mnukn | What’s the difference between IPv4 and IPv6? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzp2i93"
],
"text": [
"Computers, like houses, need addresses. The internet is a city, and this city is being built. With IPv4, the city planners we only allowed to use numbered addresses up to 2^32 unique combinations. With IPv6, the city planners are now allowed to use both letters and numb... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mo8fc | How do air conditioners work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzp5koo"
],
"text": [
"When you compress a gas, it becomes hot. You can observe this by for instance inflating a tire. When you uncompress a gas, it becomes cold. You can observe this by using a spay can. The air conditioner uncompresses the gas on the inside, which makes it cold. The warm ai... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mp5yo | Why are speakers arranged with woofers on the bottom and tweeters on top? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzpaxyk",
"dzpdgw7"
],
"text": [
"Two reasons. First, subs are heavier because they have thicker membrane and bigger coils. The second one I can't explain that well in English, so I'll have to keep it at low-frequency noises tend to be less directional so it's not important to have them a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mppbo | Wait so how does WinRar make money? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzpe8z1"
],
"text": [
"Basically it makes revenue from companies who have to have their documents signed and legalised. You as a regular user don.t need those features, that.s why the program is free. Also is free directly from the creators to discourage piracy."
],
"score": [
3
],
... | [
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] | |
8mq6xg | What is machine learning? My computer engineer sister talks about it a lot and I don't understand it. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzphzcp"
],
"text": [
"Machine learning is pretty much in the name. It’s a machine that is programmed (by humans) to teach itself something (without humans). Machines most commonly do this through some form of recursion (where the input data is manipulated over and over again in the same mann... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mq9a0 | Why commercial airplanes are usually white while military airplanes are usually grey? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzpix4d",
"dzptac8",
"dzpk2r9"
],
"text": [
"3 main reasons : 1. Minimizing visual signature . Aircraft operating over sea can be camouflaged by painting them blue\\-grey. 2. Blending of aircraft with the tarmac. Parked aircraft outlines are harder to see if the aircraft color doesn't... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mrsgg | How do mobile services, that are disabled while in airplane mode, interfere with an airplane? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzpuaon",
"dzpvybh"
],
"text": [
"They don't. However, if an airplane was built incorrectly, it is possible that the signals send out by your mobile phone - mostly radio and microwaves - could induce an electric current in either the instruments or control circuit of an airplane, and whil... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8msk08 | Why is there an option to overwrite my hard drives with 0 MULTIPLE times when formatting | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzq0fil",
"dzq2av7",
"dzq104m"
],
"text": [
"It's due to a theoretical attack to recover information. When you write a 1 or 0 to a mechnical harddrive you are basically stamping a magnet dot on the platter. However the *exact* placement of that dot is not precise. Since you need the h... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8msvsl | What is the point of region locking? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzq2uq3"
],
"text": [
"Games are significantly cheaper in different areas. So it stops people in Brazil going to the US and mass purchasing considerably cheaper games/movies So they lock it by market region to stop people doing that. EDIT: I remembered the Brazil fact backwards, they are one ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mtjfc | How was the transatlantic telegraph cable laid in the 19th century? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzq8whi"
],
"text": [
"The warships HMS Agamemnon & USS Niagara were converted to hold a spool of cable. This cable was made of 7 copper wires and waterproofed with hemp and tar. The ships just unrolled the entire spool behind them as they travelled and eventually joined the 2 cables together... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mtn3x | How were recordings taken during WWII? | I've been watching some TV and noticed that a lot of the camera angles are ahead of the moving tanks, even when they are firing, like there are dedicated camera men in battle. Same thing goes with planes. It seems like recording footage would need a dedicated group because you shouldn't be recording mid-battle. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzq927h",
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],
"text": [
"Militaries have members who's duty it is to record and photograph combat and other activities. They are collectively referred to as \"Combat Camera.\" A lot of the footage you see in documentaries is also staged footage of exercises and dem... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8mvubn | How do geosynchronous satellites, like those of TV providers like DIRECTV, stay in such a perfect orbit such that they can always provide a signal? | Title says it all. How does it work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzqt37y"
],
"text": [
"In short, geosynchronous orbits are what they are because anything orbiting them does so at the same speed as the earth rotates. That is, in order to orbit at a geosynchrnous orbit distance, you *must* orbit at the same speed the earth spins, and thus stay above the sam... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8mvxug | Why are $25 amazon tablets seemingly more advanced than multimedia centers in luxury cars? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"dzr14go"
],
"text": [
"Amazon tablets are based on the Android operating system, so... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8mx2ov | Why shouldn't you plug a power strip into another power strip? | I've seen so many things saying it makes it more likely to cause a fire, but nothing explaining why. EDIT: I appreciate the explanations, everyone, thanks! But I think some of you may have forgotten that this is /r/explainlikeimfive, not /r/explainlikeim25. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzr2ygc",
"dzr3kyu",
"dzreqs5",
"dzr4lv3"
],
"text": [
"The short answer is because outlets are only designed to draw so much current and adding power strips makes them more likely to draw a dangerous amount of current.",
"A powerstrip is a way of creating a parallel circuit: ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8my3p0 | How many (technological) generations, roughly, are we away from being able to accurately simulate the real world, down to every molecule? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzr98ep",
"dzr9zyt"
],
"text": [
"Far enough that we don't even know if that's possible. If a computer even used a single bit to simulate each molecule and each bit was only a single molecule itself then the computer would be the size of the universe.",
"I think future simulations wil... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8n6awk | Those who remember having to keep your TV tuned to Channel 3 to get a picture, what was the purpose of the other channels that just showed a screen of static/snow? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"dzt55au",
"dzt55c8",
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"dzt5kcm",
"dzt54z0",
"dzt5805"
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"text": [
"The single channel 3 was the one video feed as supplied by the cable box which was decoding the cable signal. The cable box switched what channel it decoded but always delivered it to the televis... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8n8pi6 | How come some vendors require my debit card pin but others do not? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dztlger",
"dzu17va",
"dzu46dd",
"dzu80x4",
"dzu9x0o"
],
"text": [
"Your debit card has Visa (or another credit card company) backing it. Each transaction can be run as debit (processed by your bank directly, requires your PIN) or credit (processed through Visa, does not requir... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8n9aud | How are password managers more safe? | They don't seem that unhackable themselves to me but I could be wrong. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dztqpja",
"dztqwk6",
"dztviej"
],
"text": [
"Nothing's unhackable, but the idea is that it allows you to make more complex passwords for all the websites you use and have a secure place to put them, rather than something insecure like having a word doc with your passwords or writing t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8nbr7p | Why do people still use fax machines even though emailing documents is free and (debatably) easier? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzuazgd",
"dzuc9eg",
"dzucha3",
"dzuazil",
"dzufm3x"
],
"text": [
"You cannot easily email something handwritten or that has signatures on it. It is possible by scanning, creating a pdf or jpg, then emailing that, but it is easier and more secure to just use a fax machine.",
... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8nfqw8 | How and when do they get those display cars into shopping malls that seemingly don't have doors big enough to get them in? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzv6pee",
"dzv6sll"
],
"text": [
"Probably overnight or early morning. There are movable walls where cars can fit. Not sure if they slowly drove them in or if they are hitched by an ATV.",
"Shopping malls always have large doors somewhere as these are required for allowing large objec... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ng7kw | How does the Akinator work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzv97dj",
"dzvbdbo"
],
"text": [
"I know that if it doesn't get it right it asks you type in the solution. Maybe that's how all the answers were fed to it except for the first 1,000 names the developers might have put in to get a prototype.",
"**Please read this entire message** --- Y... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ni1dw | How are 3D graphics rendered in order to get a cel-shaded or painted effect such as in Breath of the Wild? | So I know very little about 3D models and rendering, but seeing the actual character models from Breath of the Wild (they look very plastic/rubbery without whatever shading effect the game puts on them) made me wonder how the console actually takes the model and outputs it with the correct shading, and how one programs... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzvp2ls",
"dzvlmw2",
"dzvm4ds"
],
"text": [
"Cel shading is a very simple effect: you just have to compute lighting as usual and then step it (ie: code something like \"if the surface is more than 50% lit it is considered 100% lit otherwise it is considered 25% lit). In practice you w... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8njijf | How do electronic signatures work? Anyone can just type a name as a signature, so how are they verified? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzvx2zi"
],
"text": [
"It's basically just confirming that you are agreeing, and intend to legally confirm or agree to something. It should not be used as proof of identity. Usually with e-signatures you verify where it is coming from. If Joe Bloggs sends you something signed J Bloggs, he's g... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8nm1hk | what’s the difference between Program Files and Program Files (x86)? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzwi5re",
"dzwiejf",
"dzwsert"
],
"text": [
"Program Files stores 64-bit programs, Program Files (x86) stores 32-bit programs. The difference is that, amongst other things, the 64-bit programs can utilise more RAM and bus. Hence more efficient programs will be the ones in the non x86 ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8nr9tp | how do we sequence DNA? | How can we tell the order of something so small? is it just a big microscope with someone writing down the sequence? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzxrgdd"
],
"text": [
"The first and most important method for DNA-sequencing was Sanger sequencing. I can try to explain it. A nucleic acid consists of four different nucleotides (G, T, C, A). They bind to each other and form a polymer (a chain). DNA consists of two such chains, which spin a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8nrem7 | How can people that have done surgery that puts metal in their body walk through metal detectors without setting then off? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzxpu7x"
],
"text": [
"Metal detectors work by running electricity through a coil of wire, creating a magnetic field. When metal passes through, it distorts the magnetic field and the machine detects the change. The machines can be set to different sensitivity levels, so you need a stronger d... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8nt97o | Why do wires have different rates and types of data transfer and how is this improved? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzy7nbo"
],
"text": [
"Imagine you're talking to someone in a noisy room. You probably speak slowly and loudly. You might have to repeat yourself often. But in a quiet room you could speak quickly and quietly without repetition. The same is true for electromagnetic transmission of data. If th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8nww1j | How does DRM work, and what made Denuvo so notoriously difficult to crack? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzyzvsu"
],
"text": [
"DRM tries to assure that contract terms are obeyed, usually by only decoding the data for legitimate users. Most designs are add-ons, there is code that says \"this use is OK\", and then most of the code just relies on that. It's a single piece of code to hack or trick.... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8nybtp | why do electron microscopes always show the image in black and white and not in color? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzzb3rg",
"dzzb2t3"
],
"text": [
"Because it can't SEE colour. Imagine closing your eyes, and running your finger along an object, like say a telephone. You probe the shape and texture of the object with your finger, but your finger can't detect the colour, only the *form*. Electron micro... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8nycf0 | How does an inverted switch 12v dc to 110v ac? Where does the extra 98 volts come from? | Inverter*, darn autocorrect | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzzbat8",
"dzzcqfu",
"dzzc03q",
"dzzik5w"
],
"text": [
"It reduces amps. Total electrical power is volts x amps, so at the same power, if one is reduced, the other increases.",
"Some of the inverters use a circuit called boost converter, a boost converter uses solid state swit... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8nz61c | Can someone explain what the basic concept is behind multiplexing? | With relation to networks would be preferable. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzznkxr",
"dzzha62",
"dzzl1e6"
],
"text": [
"Me (Aaron) and my brother Bob are dating two sisters, Alice and Betty. We are all strange people, so me and Bob are each writing 100-page novels for our girlfriends. Each page that we write takes 2 days, and each page takes 2 days for Alice... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8nzdi8 | All the bits | What are 64-bit, 32-bit apps? What is the difference? What is the difference between 32 and 64 bit OS's?Also I have seen 8-bit music remixes, what sort of processing does the music go through? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzzj97g"
],
"text": [
"A bit is a binary digit, which can be a 0 or a 1. Eight bits is a byte. Computers store numbers for processing in \"registers\". \"64-bit computing\" means that the computer uses registers (and other parts of the system) that are 64 bits large, which means that each reg... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8o09l8 | -What is data science? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzzqsl9",
"dzzsan8"
],
"text": [
"Data science is figuring out how to extract useful information from giant piles of data. You know how Netflix recommends movies? They know everything that you've watched and liked, and they know everything that everyone else has watched and liked, and the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8o1a9k | USB 3.1 & the difference using it with usb type A or C. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e00027d"
],
"text": [
"USB A, B, C, mini, micro are about the the shape of the plug: URL_0 . Type C is unique compared to all previous ones in that both ends of the cable are the same, and you can turn it upside down. USB 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 are mostly about the data transfer speed, ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8o1h79 | what is the purpose of the basketball looking things on power lines | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"dzzxg44",
"dzzy4h6",
"e000zaf"
],
"text": [
"To my understanding, it's just to make them more visible to low flying aircraft. Especially near and around airports.",
"Balisors are less common around airports (where air traffic is tightly controlled) than in the countryside where lo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8o4axa | How does Winrar get companies to pay for it when they could do exactly what we are doing? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e00nagt",
"e00kaov",
"e00k1yj"
],
"text": [
"Why does anyone still use WinRAR when we could all just use 7-zip?",
"WinRAR's license specifically allows you to keep trying it as long as you're merely an individual; however, if you're a company, you have to buy a license or you risk... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8o6nk7 | How can a car's performance be increased by OTA updates? | I was reading about Tesla improving acceleration and braking on some of their models through software updates. How can that be done? I mean I get how performance can be limited, but how can it be increased without any changes in hardware? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0138un",
"e0139ek",
"e016fow",
"e01378w",
"e013ek9",
"e01bew2"
],
"text": [
"It means that, for example, the brakes are computer\\-controlled and the computer is holding the brake's capability back intentionally. You press the brake pedal, that signal goes into a computer... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8o6sew | Why do electronics stop working after they are submerged by water? | I could understand if they have power running through them, but what about electronics that are powered off completely? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0151ay",
"e014ike",
"e0176gy"
],
"text": [
"The immediate answer is conductivity. Water is extremely conductive to electricity. If water is connecting two electrical components, electricity will flow between them. If it's connecting two components that aren't designed to connect, tha... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8o6x60 | Why don’t rockets launched in to space hit any of the junk circling earth’s atmosphere? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0157vo",
"e015l9y"
],
"text": [
"There are a few main reasons. First, the people launching the rockets try to avoid what they know is up there. The second factor is that space is very large and there just isn't that much stuff up there in the first place. If I dropped you somewhere in th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8o8mbt | Why are the pieces in a torrent downloaded in random order rather than sequential? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e01hd1z",
"e01i0zr",
"e01itwn",
"e01nvpg",
"e01icq2"
],
"text": [
"Torrents split up the files into smaller numbered chunks. When you download the torrent, you need people who have the pieces to upload to you. Torrenting works faster when everyone downloading has different par... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8o9f42 | Why are there no electric planes flying commercially yet? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e01nah3"
],
"text": [
"Batteries are heavy. That's the answer. It's just like cars in a way. Gasoline powered cars have longer range, quicker refueling, time-tested engineering, and wide adoption working in their favor. Electrics are still expensive, limited, and relatively new. Electric plan... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8oblax | How the random() function works in C++. | This one has been troubling for me sometime. I'm not able to figure out how to generate a random number without using the random() function. Or even how the random() function was coded. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e023nxk",
"e024647"
],
"text": [
"C++ and other languages use a simple mathematical mechanism called a [Linear Congruential Generator]( URL_0 ). You start with some number called a \"seed\", and then each time you call random() it multiplies the current number by some constant A, adds ano... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8od8or | How do landlines call mobile numbers? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e02h9my",
"e02gzrb"
],
"text": [
"To explain how this works we should first address an evident misconception about mobile phones: They do not communicate directly with each other or with satellites. They communicate with cell towers on the ground, typically within about 5 miles. The conne... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8odlir | Why are all new games being announced right before E3 and not at E3? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e02jw1r"
],
"text": [
"This draws people into their E3 events. If there’s hype around a developers new game they will be more inclined to watch their presentation than if there’s just the promise of new games. Kind of like why stores have signs advertising sales to draw people in rather than ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ohexc | Are modern day CPU speeds being limited by physical dimensions? | Hypothetically, would CPU manufacturers be able to make insanely fast processors if they weren't making them fit in to conventional sockets. Like could they make one the size of your dining room table that could process information at insane rates. From my basic understanding it has to with the number of transistors in... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e03czmt",
"e03f6oe",
"e03ig6r"
],
"text": [
"Yes the are limited by physical dimension. For example the speed of light is 299 792 458 m / s. If you run a processor at 4 GHz the light will travel 299 792 458 /(4*10^9)=0.075 m=7.5 cm during a clock cycle. A signal in a processor travel ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8oif7p | Why does a lot of retro tech have a “thousand” at the end of their names? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e03ketd",
"e03kh63"
],
"text": [
"To make the name sound more futuristic and high-tech. That the technological breakthrough in the product was so significant that it was worthy of bumping up the version to some multiple of 1000. Alternatively, in the decades before the turn of millennium,... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8oj0ux | What is "embrace, extend, extinguish"? I know it's a thing that Microsoft does involving killing... something (?), and I've read both the Wikipedia description and the previousexplanation but I'm still totally lost. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e03p3if",
"e03oabw"
],
"text": [
"Microsoft has used this approach in the browser space as follows. Bring out a browser that **embraces** the standard used in other browsers. Thus sites that work in other browsers also work in Microsoft's. Then add some new features, which are highly depe... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8oji5s | How does an updater update itself? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e03sm16"
],
"text": [
"Anything that is currently running can't be updated immediately because files that are in-use are locked. An updater, when encountering files that are in-use (including the updater itself) will place the new files in a temporary location, along with an instruction for t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8okvv1 | What's the big deal about Apple depreciating OpenGL support in favor of Metal? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e044p1i"
],
"text": [
"The part of your computer that draws the pictures doesn't speak the same language as you. In order to make it draw pictures, you need to talk to it in a language it understands. OpenGL is a \"high level API\" for the drawing bit of your computer, which is kind of like y... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8omgtf | Why does nothing work with 3G or even 4G sometimes when years ago it would have been more than enough? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e04h9dn"
],
"text": [
"Cell phone companies have a limited amount of frequencies (bandwidth) available. LTE uses this available bandwidth more efficiently (more users all getting higher speeds). As more and more people have gotten LTE-capable phones, the cell companies have responded by shift... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8oo00h | What is color sampling? when someone throws ratios like 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 what do those corresponding numbers mean. How does this relate to the design of a CMOS sensor? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e051ygn"
],
"text": [
"4:4:4 means that every pixel has an independently defined brightness and colour. 4:2:2 means that every pixel has its own brightness, but adjoining pairs of pixels share the same colour. Similarly there's 4:1:1 where rows of four pixels share a colour and 4:2:0 where tw... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8optrj | What's the difference between a camera sensor taking a picture or recording a movie? | For example how are the camera megapixels not related to the recording quality of a movie? If a camera can record at 120fps, why can´t we take 120 pictures per second? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e058wi0"
],
"text": [
"> how are the camera megapixels not related to the recording quality of a movie? They are related. Most cameras use sensors with more pixels than the video format, but that is not always the case. Expensive broadcast video cameras often have just 2 megapixels. > If a ca... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8oq7ki | How does Google keep their map updated? | They always seem to have all the roads and construction updated immediately. How? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e059qbq"
],
"text": [
"There are a lot of sources that Google can pull from, and obviously they don't really disclose all of them. They own Waze so a lot of the closure data is sourced from the users submitting real time info there. Users running Maps on mobile devices or in Android Auto that... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8oqgtr | Why electric cars aren’t solar powered? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e05a9pa"
],
"text": [
"Some do have solar panels, such as the [Fisker Karma]( URL_0 ). Most manufacturers have released designs or concepts with solar panels (Tesla, Ford on the C-Max, BMW, Toyota). Quite simply, a panel small enough to fit on a car doesn't collect enough energy to power a ca... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8otz5z | What exactly is a RAW image (or video file) and how does it allow extensive digital color processing when it's so grayish? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e062nm9",
"e06d8uh"
],
"text": [
"it's the raw data from the image sensor; there's way more data than you'd get with a JPEG or TIFF, but it hasn't been cleaned up for presentation. It has the advantage that all the extra data hasn't been thrown out yet, so you can set your own white balan... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ouesk | How software and hardware interact? | How these two interact? How does a software know which buttons did i press? And, How a bunch of codes which do not have any physical body or shapes makes changes and movement into a hardware? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e066wfx"
],
"text": [
"Let’s take your keyboard as an example. You press a key on your keyboard. This completes an electric circuit. There is a small microchip embedded in your keyboard that is loaded with what we generally call “firmware” that suddenly notices “hey, electricity is flowing th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8ouqgg | Why there's almost no researches trying to create new devices which could allow us to explore the bottom of the ocean? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e068va3",
"e068yj1"
],
"text": [
"Your statement that no one is trying is false. I think most of the limitation keeping us off the sea floor currently is technological, or more specifically materials science limitations. We don't have anything to make a submersible out of that can both wi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ow573 | Why was videography and photography first invented in black and white and not straight into color? How was color added later on? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e06li4m",
"e06lsge",
"e06lv39"
],
"text": [
"Black and white film is a bunch of [silver salt]( URL_0 ) crystals suspended in gel. Exposed to light, the silver salt reacts, and (once you add developer chemicals) becomes translucent or opaque. Color information isn't stored, only intens... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8owo4w | How does a liposuction work without ripping your guts out? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e06pj1t"
],
"text": [
"The type of fat that people are trying to remove by liposuction is the visible fat that lies between the skin and the muscle. Lipo literally vacuums the fat from under the skin and never actually penetrates into the abdominal cavity."
],
"score": [
10
],
"te... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8oy6qf | How did technology have this sudden boom in quick advancement from the 1950's to the present? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e070nmr",
"e07pgli"
],
"text": [
"I'd take issue with your starting point. There's been exponential growth in technological progress since the late 18th century. Basically, a combination of things: We devised a scientific methodology for investigating the natural world. Strong governments... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8ozafn | In videos of the damage caused by nuclear explosions, how does the camera not get destroyed. | Ive been watching videos of nuclear tests and it seems that the cameras are always fine. Additionally they seem to barely shake in some of the videos. How is this is possible when the structures they are filming get absolutely destroyed. Shouldnt the power of these nuclear weapons also at the very least shake whatever ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e07ayx9",
"e077q34",
"e078cgw"
],
"text": [
"Mostly they are far enough so that it doesn't matter. Zoom lenses are a wonderful thing. There are sometimes cases of cameras being put close enough to suffer some damage. The way they get around this is by building a bunker for the camera.... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8p0901 | How does my phone know when to use the mobile version of the website? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e07e0sp",
"e07evoa"
],
"text": [
"Your phone doesn't. The web server you are connecting to detects the nature/version of the browser running on your phone (the browser returns this information when requested), and then the server sends the appropriate pages (desktop or mobile). When you s... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8p0m6t | If electricity moves so fast, why does it take so long for phones to charge? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e07gx6v",
"e07jeps",
"e07i59n",
"e07gwxp",
"e08akyt"
],
"text": [
"Because batteries do not store electricity. They store chemicals. And when those chemicals react they MAKE electricity to power your phone. Plugging your phone in doesnt fill your phone with electrity, its usin... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8p3ivw | When FaceTiming someone on speaker, how do they not hear themeself through the microphone from the other person? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e085cb9"
],
"text": [
"It's due to \"echo cancellation\". The software checks the microphone input for the same sounds going out of the speaker. If it is there, it tries to subtract it out. Good speakerphones all do this. Older (or crappier) speakerphones just cut off the mic when playing any... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8p3p9y | Why do computers use 1s and 0s? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e086kod"
],
"text": [
"Binary! Here's a simple video explanation that really helped me understand the concept: [**Binary \\- what is it, why is it important, and how do people interface with the language**]( URL_0 )"
],
"score": [
6
],
"text_urls": [
[
"https://airdev.co... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8p556c | Why aren't laptop graphics cards removable like ram or hard disk? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e08ic6p",
"e08i952"
],
"text": [
"Most laptops do not have dedicated graphics cards like desktops have. The CPU and an integrated graphics chip do the graphics processing.",
"Graphics cards produce a lot of heat, so upgrading one might lead to a situation where the GPU puts out more h... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8p7b13 | How did country dialing codes come to be? | I was on URL_0 and noticed that, while USA and Canada use "1", no country uses "2", and all of them seem random (a few single digits, a few two digit, most are three or four digits). Is there an explanation? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0954dh",
"e09cma9"
],
"text": [
"Country codes are assigned by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an United Nations organization. When a country becomes recognized by large, they petition for an area code, and are assigned one by this ITU. The first letter of the contry co... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8p83c9 | How does the internet get from country to country? | How does all the internet link up to one main internet? Like how can I see the same things in New Zealand, that people in America can see? At the same time? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e097j3v"
],
"text": [
"Short answer: Huge cables that go under water that link up between countries, often laid by private companies (Internet service providers(internet companies)) Edit: here is a link to see how the cables are laid URL_0"
],
"score": [
17
],
"text_urls": [
[... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8p83z1 | Why do only some displays display HDR? Isn't a display just a series of pixels that display different color values? What makes an HDR display different? | To clarify, if my normal LCD display does not display HDR, what makes it different, hardware wise, from an HDR compatible one? I understand the HDR process when taking a picture, and the layering of differently exposed images, but then how can I view the HDR image on my non-HDR phone? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e098wvq",
"e097lnx"
],
"text": [
"An HDR screen is a different concept to taking HDR photos. Although both relate to using a wider range of colours. A non-HDR screen only has 256 different levels of red, green and blue. So there's only a certain range of colours and brightness it can disp... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8p9nyv | How were movies edited before computers ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e09gynf",
"e09ita9",
"e09htlo",
"e09hf8d",
"e09ihic"
],
"text": [
"They viewed the film (on reels) frame by frame on a projector and then cut out the frames they didn't want physically from the reel. They then taped the two sections together to recreate the film. The editors w... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8paiks | How do hotel room keys work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e09r3m8"
],
"text": [
"Depends what kind of keys. Tap-key cards have RFID-chips. The door reader emits very weak electric fields which powers up the chip, which spits out a unique ID. If the ID matches the reader in the door, it opens. This type is usually unprotected and easy to copy with a ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pb7j7 | I saw an advertisement for a keyboard saying the keys can withstand 50 million clicks, how do companies test this? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e09tfs5",
"e09u5sj",
"e09tifv"
],
"text": [
"with a clicking machine. they test smart phones the same way. little rubber do-dad on a robot arm tapping a million times",
"Actually, this may be easier to test than another commonly asked question— about lightbulbs which advertise 5,0... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pbyoe | how small can pc chips really get, the recent introduction of 7nm chips from AMD made me think is there some kind of limit? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0a1qj8",
"e0a3yxx"
],
"text": [
"Yes there is a limit. if 7nm isn't the limit, you can see it from there. Given AMD's yield numbers, it might be 10nm. Quantum mechanics says that an electron isn't a little billiard ball of charge, it's a cloudy region where the charge is statistically lo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pcrs5 | Why is it so important to rinse food from recyclables, but it isn’t necessary to rinse soap or lotion from containers? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0a8ktf"
],
"text": [
"Getting rid of food from recyclables is only important for hygiene reasons (rats, flies), they can be recycled no matter how dirty they are."
],
"score": [
8
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pdhvp | Why do computers need to update? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0act23",
"e0ajk43"
],
"text": [
"For security purposes mainly. There's always new exploites people can use to put malware into your system. Updates help to try and prevent it.",
"There is a wide category of cases why you might need an update. **Bug fixes** * consumer software is neve... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pf32d | how come when you speed up a song on YouTube, it doesn't get that "Alvin and the Chipmunks" effect you get when you speed up a vinyl record? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0ar5lx",
"e0avi0f"
],
"text": [
"Essentially it’s because computers are smart. Sound is a wave, with how high or low a sound is being determined by how many waves it has per second. More waves = high pitch. So when a recording gets played at a faster speed, be that a record or on a compu... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pgao0 | With the resolutions and graphics capabilities we have, why aren't we capable of of creating a simulation of a person that's visually indistinguishable from a REAL person? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0b0pa5"
],
"text": [
"Render times are too long for realistic hardware. Your eye is going to spot the flicker of 15-20 frames per second, so you need to be 30+ or better to even have a chance at fooling the brain. So now you're talking hardware that can render a photorealistic image 30 times... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pgj92 | Why are the decimals in AM/FM radio stations always odd-numbered? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0b2me6"
],
"text": [
"Yo ho ho! Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: Why do FM radio stations end in odd numbers? ]( URL_3 ) ^(_9 comments_) 1. [ELI5: Why is FM radio on only odd frequencies and only frequencies between about 90 to 110? ]( URL_6 ) ^(_40 comme... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8phmk8 | how can a tv remote sit around all day not wasting it’s batteries and immediately be picked up and used (without having to be turned on), while something like a game controller must be turned on first before use, and if you left it on all day it would drain the batteries even while not in use? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0bbjzj",
"e0bcrhu",
"e0bg73e",
"e0be846",
"e0bflnp",
"e0bhngl",
"e0bwrcs",
"e0bm1qn",
"e0c3db8",
"e0bmh3a",
"e0bjuct",
"e0bg0dk",
"e0bkene"
],
"text": [
"a tv remote is a usually one way communication and uses IR. the remote emits a signal when... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pk2wa | What is a DDoS attack? How do websites like cloudfare mitigate them? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0bt8ql",
"e0bsyjx"
],
"text": [
"Most companies that provide a website have web servers for the purpose, or dedicated computers that are optimized to be able to handle 500,000 to millions of data requests per minute. A [denial of service attack]( URL_2 ) is an attack that tries to overlo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pkl25 | If TV remotes emit infra-red rays, then why does camera lens pick violet rays being emitted from the remote? | Normally I can't see any light being emitted from remotes, but when I use a mobile camera for viewing I see a bright violet-ish light coming from the remote | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0bxvxm"
],
"text": [
"First, a quick introduction to how camera sensors work: Camera sensors actually just see in \"black and white\". That is, they only measure light intensity, not frequency. The sensor itself doesn't know if a photon hitting it has the \"red\" wavelength or the \"blue\" w... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8pllj3 | How Speakers Produce Audio | How does an object consisting of metal, magnet, wire, and paper/plastic produce audio? I’ve torn them apart before and they look super basic and I don’t understand how they produce audio. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0c5rp4"
],
"text": [
"Their operation is not really that complicated. First of all, sound is essential just a pressure wave in the air. Very similar to a wave in water. In water you can easily create such a wave by placing your hand in it and moving it back and forth. This is exactly what a ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8pmlkd | Why or how do the magnets in those magnetic car phone-holders not affect the electronics in phones? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0ce4ah"
],
"text": [
"Phones don't use magnetic storage (tape, hard drives), it's all memory chips nowadays. So a static (not changing) magnetic field doesn't affect the electronics inside. A changing magnetic field, on the other hand, like the field produced by transformers (vibrates at 60 ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8popav | How does this topographical sand work? | URL_0 Really confused on how those topographical sand works. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0cuqwn"
],
"text": [
"A Microsoft Kinect is used from above to measure the height of the sand, and a projector displays light onto the sand according to its measured height. Edit: found a picture URL_0"
],
"score": [
8
],
"text_urls": [
[
"http://idav.ucdavis.edu/~okrey... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8ppd9s | And why are video games for certain consoles still sold as discs when the game is installed to the hard drive anyway? | Wouldn’t it be more cost-effective for the companies making the video games (and possibly the consumers buying the games too) to not sell them as discs and only Offer them as digital downloads? Speaking for myself I know as a consumer that using the discs on these newer consoles is an inconvenience… Nothing is more ann... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0d1pti",
"e0czz04"
],
"text": [
"Downloading games is more cost effective for the producer, but not necessarily the consumer. In certain countries and places bandwidth is expensive. I remember reading about an Australian gamer that was fuming that he pre-ordered a physical copy of a game... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8ps3j4 | What is a tensor? | I read the [Simple English wikipedia entry]( URL_0 ) but I'm going need you to dumb it down a shade for me. Please ELI5, what's a tensor? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0dxmdw"
],
"text": [
"Yer not alone in askin', and kind strangers have explained: 1. [ELI5: What is a tensor? ]( URL_5 ) ^(_17 comments_) 1. [ELI5:Tensors ]( URL_0 ) ^(_16 comments_) 1. [ELI5: What is a tensor? ]( URL_4 ) ^(_9 comments_) 1. [ELI5:What are tensors and what are they used for? ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8psd14 | Why do objects in cartoons that move/will move appear brighter/more vibrant than objects that are stagnant in that scene? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0dncni"
],
"text": [
"If you're talking about old cartoons, then that's because those objects were drawn separately. The background of a scene in a cartoon is generally a single drawing. The moving objects or characters are drawn on a separate transparent sheet, called a \"cel\", which is th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8psp90 | - Why are Li-ion batteries so prevalent in every size except AA, AAA, etc? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0dpwqp",
"e0drrms"
],
"text": [
"Electronics that use AA batteries expect around 1.5-1.2 volt. Li-ion batteries deliver around 3.7 volt. Applying 3.7 volt to something that expects at most 1.5 is likely to cause damage or at least not work properly. You'd need to put a circuit inside the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pufh6 | How does an earphone, that is plugged into an audio jack or a USB port, get the power to run? | Devoid of any battery or external power source, do these earphones get power from the jack or port itself? If so, how can the power and audio be transferred from the same cable and separated by the earphone? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0e3goz",
"e0e3ha0"
],
"text": [
"They receive the power from the plug. If I remember correctly, it’s the pulses of electricity that drive the tiny electromagnet inside the speaker that makes the noise as it vibrates the diaphragm. WhT you’re hearing is the vibration of that piece of pape... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
8pun9b | Rechargeable batteries. Do they stop charging once fully charged? Does it damage the device if left plugged in? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0e78ik",
"e0e5vrp",
"e0eeht5"
],
"text": [
"Chemical batteries react to produce useable power when connected to a circuit, and this reaction is reversible in a rechargeable battery. When the battery charger charges the batteries up again, the battery chemicals will reach a point wher... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pwn00 | Why do smaller downloads seem to go at slower speeds/Larger downloads at higher speeds? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0ely84"
],
"text": [
"It takes time to establish a Connection to the server you're downloading from, which may seem longer with smaller downloads since the time it takes to establish that connection might be as long as the actual download time. Also smaller downloads usually contains a lot o... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
8pxm76 | How does the hawk-eye technology work ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"e0f7ehq"
],
"text": [
"Hawk-eye is just one of several systems that organizations are using to do things like assist refereeing. It's likely several (more than 2 I imagine) cameras synchronized on a computer that runs a relatively simple computer vision algorithm to identify the ball from liv... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
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