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7b6hpk
How can someone recover files that were permanently deleted from a drive?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpfkjc9", "dpfkjz1", "dpfkkm9" ], "text": [ "Deleting a file is like abandoning a self-storage unit. All the stuff is still there, it is just marked as available. If someone needs that space, the old stuff is cleared out. The main difference is they don't make crappy reality shows abo...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7b8o6u
In video games, other than namesake, what's the difference, if any, between saving and quick-saving?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpg2ufe" ], "text": [ "Almost nothing. Its the same difference as Save-As vs Save on a standard document. Save As (normal save) gives you options as to where you save it, what you overwrite, what you name it as, etc. Save (quicksave) just immediately saves it to a standard named file in a def...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7b9evp
How do the heart rate monitors at hospitals work?
First, what is the official name of those machines? I keep calling them heart rate monitors but I feel like that's more accurate for something you wear around your wrist, not one of the machines with the beeping and squiggly lines. Second, what do the squiggly lines indicate? What does the peak mean? And the valleys? (...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpgasav" ], "text": [ "It depends on which monitoring machine you're talking about. There's a Cardiac Monitor (also known as \"Tele\" for \"telemetry\") that uses leads on your chest to trace the heart's electrical activity from different angles. The heart normally goes through a highly organ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7b9jgy
how do the popular search algorithms - the kind we see solving mazes - work? How are they different from one another?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpgn593", "dpge1ks" ], "text": [ "IT graduate here. I'm going to talk about two algorithms: The greedy depth first search, and the A* (A Star) algorithm. Imagine you are walking through a maze; you know where you started, and you have a rough idea which direction the end point is. Depth f...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7b9mjf
how do the servers know a game is pirated, like if you had a pirated copy of C.O.D what happen s to stop you playing online?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpgb62t" ], "text": [ "Old games used to just want to connect so servers would let them play. Now a days with faster connection, the first message your game sends to the server is the exact version of the game and the serial number of the copy and a signature of all the parts of the computer(...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7bbbaq
How does a download know that it's receiving the correct data?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpgp011" ], "text": [ "The transmitter creates a *checksum* for each packet, plus typically another one for the whole file, in which all the bits are put through a formula and a number calculated from all of them. The formula is designed so that any small change in any of the bits will result...
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[ "url" ]
7bc0ex
How do cars know how much gas is in your tank?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpgtfc0" ], "text": [ "Inside the gas tank there's a variable resistor connected to a float that goes up/down depending how much fuel is in the tank. The value of the resistor is then sent to the car's computer/fuel guage." ], "score": [ 12 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7bd9bh
why can't 32 bit or 64 bit Windows run 16 but apps?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dph11rn", "dph126d", "dph4gk0" ], "text": [ "The difference isn't so much in the \"number of bits\", but rather in the fact that 16 bit apps are old and are designed for an entirely different runtime and file format and they require a completely different set of dependencies. They're ...
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[ "url" ]
7bdksq
How do they make old songs sound clear in movie trailers?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dph41o9", "dphgca8", "dphbd4u", "dphivhg", "dphltzu", "dphn6m8", "dphpgud", "dphnwfj", "dphnz0h" ], "text": [ "Large Hollywood movie production studios have contracts with many large record labels for access to their original master recordings of music, and for...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7behyz
how do “smart” products save on electricity bills if they are always on?
As above. Smart lighting is supposed to save on energy costs but if they are always on and waiting for a signal, surely they are expending more energy than if it was a normal bulb turned on and off at the socket? The same question applies to smart plugs.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dphblli", "dphbdc3" ], "text": [ "The amount that these devices consume for the purposes of waiting for a signal is very small. The idea is that the amount of energy saved by the primary utility of the device (the light bulb, or the device plugged into the smart plug) being on less becaus...
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[ "url" ]
7belfr
How are locks mass produced such that they all require different keys?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dphc6x4" ], "text": [ "They aren't as unique as you think. Even if they made only 1000 different keys, the chances of someone both having the exact same key as you *and* trying it in your lock are basically zero. If someone wants into something you have locked with a mass-produced lock, they ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7bgri3
How are files moved with SFTP and AS2?
So, my school participates in a program to encourage girls to get interested in math and science. Last Friday, we visited a local business that moves a lot of data. They said they move millions of files every month using SFTP and AS2 (IBM software, no idea the name though) I wrote what I could down in my notes and went...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dphv9fl", "dpi2jjc" ], "text": [ "Files aren't letters. They're saved as millions of blocks of 0's and 1's. That information is broken up into chunks and encrypted and transmitted to the other side. Imagine secret code Morse signals. The receiving side receives the signals, decrypts it, a...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7bhgud
How do elevators for extremely tall buildings work?
There obviously is some kind of code, but how does the elevator know where to go and when?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpi0ljm" ], "text": [ "Typically the ground-floor elevators each visit only a certain range of floors (e.g. \"express to floors 30-45\"). For *supertall* buildings there is an express to a *sky lobby* from which new, different elevators go to higher floors. URL_0" ], "score": [ 9 ],...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7bhrqb
Why is it that we have emojis but have yet to utilize bold, italics, or underlining in text messages?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpi4oxv" ], "text": [ "The chosen method to implement emojis was to add each one as a Unicode character. Messages remain just a sequence of characters with no mechanism to add \"markup\" for formatting such as would be required to have italic and bold text. Unicode explicitly refuses to add c...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7bkh77
What is the purpose of having a Concert hall volume option?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpip4t2" ], "text": [ "The purpose of the setting is to digitally simulate the slightly delayed echo effect of a large venue. While in a small room (like the typical location of a household computer) both the soundwaves coming directly at you and the ones bouncing off your walls, floor, etc, ...
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7bksmy
How does the text summarizing alghorithm work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpj6jhb" ], "text": [ "I do text analysis/extraction for a living so this is my thing (I've only been doing it for a year, so I'm no expert). I skimmed the algorithm posted by rift95 (he deleted his comment so here is the link he posted URL_0 ) and will try to explain it (assuming I understan...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7bne7n
The true difference between i5 and i7 processors
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpjaqa5", "dpjdhlc", "dpjdqi0" ], "text": [ "The biggest difference between i5 and i7 processors is the number of concurrent threads they can handle. i7 processors are equipped with hyperthreading, which is a technology that allows a single processor core to do almost as much work as ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7bo0ul
Unix shell accounts - what are they?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpjg6dz" ], "text": [ "In Unix, the shell is essentially the command line interface. Linux, an operating system designed to be *very* similar to Unix also uses a shell as the command interface. Now-a-days it's easy to download an installation package and install Linux on your own computer. Ba...
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[ "url" ]
7bqwjf
How do computers understand what they were programmed to do?
For example, in java if you write if , how does it know what an I or F is? How did it suddenly just read English and make sense of it??? Eli5 pls.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpk488t", "dpk4d4x", "dpk4kq6" ], "text": [ "At a very low level, computers only understand how to do simple arithmetic operations, obey simple logical rules like if, and, and or, and store/load values in memory. Basically anything humans ask a computer to do has to be translated into...
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7bswtz
Difference between mirrorless and DSLR
I have searched on reddit but most of the information seems a little complicated for someone like me who are not really used to the terms used in photography. I'm looking to get a basic camera in hopes to learn a little about photography and have gotten recommendation from the sales assistant to get a mirrorless camera...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpki1mk" ], "text": [ "A mirrorless camera projects onto the sensor at all times. A SLR style camera has a mirror that redirects the image through the lens to the viewer that you use to frame the shot. When you take a picture the mirror flips out of the way so that the image is projected onto...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7bz9um
. How are vinyls made and how does sound project off them?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dplzpdh", "dpm2n2t" ], "text": [ "Sound waves are vibrations. Those vibrations are etched into tracks in the vinyl record. Then when you put a needle into that track and spin the record, the vibrations are transferred into the needle. Just amplify that needle with even a piece of printer ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7c1r0f
How do explosions trigger car alarms?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpmgdhw", "dpmgbis" ], "text": [ "Most car alarms detect movement on the car, like when someone tries to break in. If it is too sensitive, it can be set off by someone leaning on the side. An explosion sends out a massive shockwave, which shakes the car and sets off the alarm.", "When...
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7c270i
Why do fire alarms ring in 3s?
You know, it rings 3 times, and then where it would ring the 4th time there's some silence and then it starts ringing again. Why do they do that?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpmm8lj", "dpmof5j" ], "text": [ "The Temporal-Three alarm signal (a.k.a T-3) pattern is a standard pattern used by alarm manufacturers. It is one of the alarm patterns that is designed to let people know what type of emergency there is. T-3 (three alarm sounds followed by one silent coun...
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7c3w7w
How much info can a website glean from websites open in other browser tabs?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpmz0v3", "dpmz1ac" ], "text": [ "Websites can't see what you're doing in other tabs, as that would be a major browser security issue. However, many websites contain Facebook \"Like\" buttons, or Facebook comments sections. If you're logged in to Facebook (even if you don't have a tab ope...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7c6wre
Grid Computing as it applies to a business setting
So my understanding is that it's basically a network of computing devices, but how does this help businesses as far as data mining and data science goes? Specifically, what about grid computing is advantageous to business?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpnn4ys", "dpnomqy" ], "text": [ "Not many businesses use this technology. The idea is to take extremely large computation jobs, and spread them out across many computers in multiple locations. This way they can get done faster than by just using one roomful of computers. And otherwise id...
[ "url" ]
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7c806a
Why is it damaging to battery life to charge up when it’s not completely run out?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpnu5wm" ], "text": [ "In modern batteries, that's not true. Older batteries technologies had that \"memory effect\" that forced you to discharge it completely before recharging, or you'll lose capacity. The cause of this effect is related to the chemical processes that take place inside the ...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7cc0wd
Why does 3G suck now?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpoqk10", "dpovgv8", "dporx9p", "dpork4m", "dposs8c", "dpovwl1", "dpostm5", "dporzjq", "dpoumtf", "dpp09s8", "dpp0d2l", "dpp2mb2", "dpovvyp", "dpopyti", "dpozf0o", "dpowoo9", "dpot2hc", "dpovrdf", "dpoyhwe", "dpoyhud", "d...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7cc35d
How do “Self-Healing” products work?
So I recently stumbled upon a bag that could “heal” itself with the help of our own body heat. I also have heard about an LG phone with a similar tech that could heal dings and scratches on its back by simply rubbing the affected area. How is this process able to occur? Thanks
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpovmb9" ], "text": [ "These materials are usually made of very springy polymers (aka plastics, but I refrain from using that term outside of this aside, since it's not entirely accurate). The process of creating the object they're in, puts them in a \"desired state\". When you do work on the...
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7ccoj8
How do thermostats work?
I recently replaced the batteries in my thermostat and you have to just remove the whole thing from the wall- it wasn't even connected to the wires in the wall.. so how does it communicate with those wires? How do the wires make the furnace or whatever turn on? If you have the thermostat set to say 21C, how does it kno...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpovhb4", "dpp231w" ], "text": [ "Traditionally, thermostats *were* connected to those wires in the wall. Those provided power & allowed the thermostat to send control signals to the furnace to turn on or off. They worked by various, fairly simple, mechanical methods to complete a circuit...
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[ "url" ]
7ccxrs
Why do phones sound so much worse when on speaker?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpp4iqw" ], "text": [ "The energy in a sound signal dies off pretty fast the farther away you get from it. This is fine for really small speakers that you put *very* close to your ears like headphones, earbuds, and telephone speakers. When you switch to \"speaker\" mode on a phone the speaker...
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7cd3uq
if red, green, or blue lights allow for better "night vision" why are car headlights not made in green or blue to preserve night sight?
It makes sense not to use red but why not use green or blue tinted lights as headlights rather than what we use?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpp2hkf", "dpp0w0g", "dpp39tk", "dpp1qbg" ], "text": [ "To give a simpler explanation that fits ELI5 better (the others are good so far mind you) Things look different under different lights. We see \"white\" light all day, every day. If our headlights were red, blue, green or any...
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7cd8dj
Why caller ID allowed spoofing when it was first created?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpp1evl" ], "text": [ "It was for law enforcement. It is pretty easy to figure out which numbers are coming from a law enforcement agency, so caller ID would make it harder for them certain things, like undercover work. Law enforcement pressured telecoms to allow spoofing because think of the...
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7cdw4j
What is RAM and how much should I be using on a phone?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpp64wj", "dpp6c8e" ], "text": [ "**R**andom **A**ccess **M**emory. It's where you phone puts all the data it's currently working on. All the code to run the apps that are open is also in RAM. If you're watching a video, or listening to music, it's in RAM. As long as you aren't using more...
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7ce93w
How does sequence and separation of files in the deletion process of the computer work?
The other day I deleted a folder on my computer by accident. After a short dumbfounded three seconds the deletion process was interrupted by pressing cancel. But the process had already deleted one file of the folder. So two things I wonder about: How does the computer decide what to delete first? what gives the comput...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpp9ndh" ], "text": [ "> How does the computer decide what to delete first? Typically the delete command will assume that the sequence does not matter, so it just uses the most easily or quickly available one. Most likely, it will just call a routine to list the contents and delete them in th...
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[ "url" ]
7cevtw
Why does ad blocker still work? If a website can detect that ad blocker is active, why can't the site also just bypass the ad blocker and display ads?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dppcmcl", "dppcl6b", "dppcmrg" ], "text": [ "Because they use a separate company to provide ads, which come from different web servers. Imagine they're people. Dave works for the pizza company, he delivers your pizza. Sarah works for marketing company, she delivers the ads. Now, you c...
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7cfa0q
Why do images burn in to tv screens when you leave them there for too long?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dppf32z" ], "text": [ "That used to be the case with CRT (cathod ray tube) displays on older TVs. Here each pixel was generated by beaming it onto the screen, and leaving the same image for too long would literally burn the screen. Nowadays with LED technologies this is no longer a problem." ...
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7cfbef
When cell phones first came out how did cell phone companies put up cell towers?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dppg4tz" ], "text": [ "You have to keep in mind that when cell phones were introduced, we already had very widespread networks (in the West) of broadcasting towers for radio and television. Wireless communication was not a new idea. Cellular service providers placed antennas on existing tower...
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7ch0p9
Why do smartphones need sometime hours to fully charge. Electricity and electrons are so fast...
they should be able to charge it in a second. Whatever the capacity of the battery shouldn't it instant charge with all that powers from the socket?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpprymd", "dpq10hj", "dpq1hkj" ], "text": [ "Electrons do not move at the speed of light, they are pretty slow actually. What propagates at the speed of light is the electric field that makes the electrons move. Every conductive material is pretty much filled with movable electrons, l...
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7chi2a
Why do Home dishwashers need to take 3 hours? I know it’s for energy star requirements, but commercial machines get the job done in 90 seconds. Why the massive difference? Wouldn’t even a more powerful motor take less electricity for such a big time difference?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpqgbr8", "dpq5n9r", "dpqlitl", "dpq4m0d", "dpq1ot0", "dpq2fc4", "dpq7o0m", "dpqkc7v", "dpq4cui", "dpqnoz8", "dpqs390", "dpqmh6l", "dpqtv5z", "dpqqzts", "dpqv7l1", "dpqwtic", "dprahhr" ], "text": [ "The dish machines in kitchens ...
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7cjs9i
Why do some cell phones have area codes different from the geographical area in which they were purchased?
For example, I live in a suburb of Minneapolis where the area code is 952. But my cell phone's area code is 612 - the area code for Minneapolis city proper - even though I purchased it in the suburbs where the area code is 952.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpqg05v" ], "text": [ "Phone carriers are assigned numbers in blocks. For example Verizon with have 612-512-0001 through 612-512-9999 to assign to accounts and AT & T will have a different set of numbers. In major metro areas there are often multiple area codes simply because one got used up....
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7cjwo7
Why is it that batteries don't go dead when you connect their ends with wire?
I'm trying to understand Ohm's law and resistance behind circuits. If you take a battery and connect its two ends using a copper wire without any resistance (like a light bulb), your resistance is around zero. Because the voltage is constant, your current going through the wire seems to be absurdly high, which would re...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpqi56l", "dpqh4xm" ], "text": [ "The point is, resistance isn't around zero. A battery might have 2500mAh capacity at 1.5V. The battery itself has a resistance of about 0.2 ohms. A wire connecting both terminals might have about 0.002 ohms. According to Ohm's law, this setup will draw ar...
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[ "url" ]
7ck0ea
Why are apartment buildings still using call boxes that look like they were made in the 80s?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpqhg43" ], "text": [ "Because they don't want to spend money to replace them with something newer? If it still \"works\" then why spend a few grand getting a new system?" ], "score": [ 4 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
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[ "url" ]
7ckom4
How come multiple wireless providers can all claim they have the best speeds? Isn’t wireless connectivity and accessibility something that can be objectively measured and ranked?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpqo8i9", "dpqoajq", "dpqohfj", "dpquy8e", "dpr5sxv" ], "text": [ "They use different metrics to determine what is \"best\", because \"best\" is a subjective term in marketing. They could be referring to \"the best wireless speed compared to two other local service providers t...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7cnrc3
The difference between the Thor: Ragnarok light technology and conventional slow-mo technology
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpriu3r", "dpr8fws", "dprj4i0", "dprl5ke" ], "text": [ "[Watch this]( URL_0 ) Several things are happening to achieve the look from Thor Ragnarok. 1) The camera is shooting at an extremely high FPS. Thus giving you slow motion. 2) The lights and the camera are also moving extremel...
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[ "url" ]
7co6e0
How are IP addresses allocated when using mobile data such as 3G/4G?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dprb6tv", "dprbk4x" ], "text": [ "Same way, it's still a network of routers and switches. Think of the cell towers and 4g antennae as the wireless access point. Your pc and cell phone access the same isp infrastructure after a certain point.", "Still DHCP servers as with any other ISP...
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[ "url" ]
7cop0f
What is actually happening when a car is done "warming up"?
I mean besides the literal "the engine is now warm." After I've started my vehicle, I notice the RPMs slowly dial back. Say, from 1200 to 900, over the course of about 3-5 minutes. What is actually occurring that causes the RPMs to start at a higher value, then go to a lower one while the car idles?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dprfufx", "dprmtsg" ], "text": [ "In a modern car it's down to the engine computer making the engine run at a higher idle to increase the speed things warm up at. One of the big ones is the catalyst in the catalytic converter. This is basically a bunch of exotic elements in the catalytic ...
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[ "url" ]
7copag
How is mains AC turned into usable DC power, particularly in the context of a desktop computer PSU?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dprg09y", "dprmqrm", "dprg6up" ], "text": [ "AC is converted to DC using a rectifier. Diodes (which restrict current flow in one direction) are used in a bridge circuit so that each half of the AC waveform is output at the same polarity, and then capacitors are used to eliminate the r...
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7cox7v
why is EA games facing so much backlash from Redditors?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpri2az", "dpri7p6" ], "text": [ "Most recently it is because of their release of Star Wars Battlefront 2. It takes 40 hours of playing to unlock darth vader, or you could just buy him... Microtransactions have always faced a lot of criticism, as well as dlc that should have been included...
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7coxo6
How would charging a charger work?
If I were to take a 5000mah battery pack (like the ones used to charge cell phones) and use it to charge another 5000mah battery pack, could i do so indefinitely, or would there be a constant loss in the transfer?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dprhsop", "dprhp37" ], "text": [ "There would be losses. As the pack charges up, it also heats up. That heat eventually dissipates out into the air around it and is essentially lost. That heat comes from the energy stored in the other pack so if you constantly charged one pack with the ot...
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[ "url" ]
7cpeko
How does carbon dating work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dprlvfp" ], "text": [ "In the high atmopshere, cosmic rays strike Nitrogen, turning it into Carbon-14 (Carbon with 6 protons and 8 neutrons). Carbon-14 is unstable and will eventually decay into Carbon-12 (6 protons and 6 neutrons). The rate of Carbon-14 generation and decay is somewhat const...
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7cpu8a
What are the pros and cons of organic farming versus conventional farming? Which one is better?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dprw6ke", "dprpj76", "dprpeqh" ], "text": [ "The main advantage of organic farming is that you can put the organic label on the stuff you sell and charge more for it. The disadvantages include smaller yields, greater chance of disease, greater use of pesticides, and greater environmen...
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[ "url" ]
7cqfhq
How does an air fryer work?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dprvf8s", "dps75bl" ], "text": [ "it's like an oven, but with the air circulating much faster and sometimes uses hotter air than what ovens are capable of. the crispness comes from fast circulation of air.", "Many people are saying that an air fryer is just a convection oven, but try ...
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[ "url" ]
7csdpi
How do Apps track your sleeping?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpsaii4" ], "text": [ "If it's an app, mostly motion detection, with perhaps some sound detection! If it's a smartwatch, most likely pulse (it changes with your sleep and the stages within it) and motion detection!" ], "score": [ 5 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7csol7
how do we capture helium and put it into tanks?
This probably seems like a very basic question but how was it discovered and how is it harnessed for everyday use? Wouldn't it just float away? [other]
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpsdyt8" ], "text": [ "Helium is extracted from natural gas, kind of like how gasoline is extracted from petroleum (oil). It won't float away because it is PART of the natural gas. Since it is extracted in a controlled environment it can be separated from other products, like butane (think ci...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7cv2an
Why do sites like PirateBay and WatchSeries constantly change domains?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpsvpot" ], "text": [ "They are being actively hunted by various anti-piracy organisation s. To counteract getting the domain banned/vlocked by providers, they change it, thus being able to continue operations." ], "score": [ 7 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7cxs23
Why are some large batteries (like Tesla's) made up of smaller cells?
Laptop batteries, electric car batteries, bike batteries, etc. all seem to be made up with a bunch of 18650 standard cells. Why? It seems inefficient given that the shell of the battery takes up space, and since it's cylindrical, means you have wasted space within the battery pack.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dptn97v" ], "text": [ "Because electrically, one huge single cell battery would be extremely inefficient. Spreading the load over multiple cells is how we make batteries work for more cycles, especially longer cycles that electric cars need. If we used a giant single cell battery in something...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7cycgr
What is the difference between Anti-Malware and Anti-Virus?
I have heard of both Anti-Malware and Anti-Virus and didn't actually understand the difference. I have had some more tech savvy friends suggest either of them based on any issue I face. What actually is the difference between them and which provides the most comprehensive protection and which one is most important to h...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dptljoe" ], "text": [ "Branding, mostly. Technically speaking, malware is an umbrella term for all sorts of malicious software. Viruses are a type of malware - specifically, a virus is a piece of code that copies itself into a file so that when you open the file, the virus's code is executed ...
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[ "url" ]
7czwek
Why is Bing so much worse than Google?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dptygca", "dpu1iby", "dptxn7k" ], "text": [ "a) google knows you better, has collected much more information about you and can therefore tailor search results to you b) google has much more users, allowing it to make more precise judgements about which results might be relevant for yo...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7d0pkm
How are you able to hear where footsteps or gunfire are coming from in videgames?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpu4oz7", "dpu4wsj" ], "text": [ "Your brain is really, really, good at figuring out where a sound is coming from, based off of the difference in how each ear hears the sound. Video games use this to make the sound louder or softer in each ear to trick your brain into thinking it comes fr...
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[ "url" ]
7d3cun
How does fast charge in mobile phones work?
Is it a kind of upgrade on the charger or on the phone?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpuotmy", "dpuonz6" ], "text": [ "Both, and exactly how it works depends on the specific fast-charge technology. Most work by monitoring heat and cranking up the voltage as high as the system deems it safe to do so, possibly using multiple paths for the connection. Some instead (or also) ...
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[ "url" ]
7d3ft3
How do automatic windshield wipers know when the windshield is wet?
Not to mention how wet it is. Edit: flaired as 'technology' because there's no 'black voodoo magic' option.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpuostx", "dpuq039", "dpuukh3" ], "text": [ "There is a sensor on the windshield, usually translucide so you don't see the wires. This sensor act like a phone touch screen, it changes capacitance when water is rolling down on the windshield. this changes inform the onboard computer an...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7d43kp
How come a few feet can make a difference in signal strength even when the signal is coming from miles away?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpusyvg", "dpuwud5" ], "text": [ "The signal is reflecting off some items, blocked by others. And the reflections can collide with each other, creating complex patterns of interference over very short distances.", "It's like the sun, it's millions of miles away but a few feet can mean...
[ "url" ]
[ "url" ]
7d5nf4
What Is The Difference Between A Regular Rocket Engine And A Vacuum Rocket Engine?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpvimf3" ], "text": [ "A rocket engine optimized for vacuum is likely what you mean. It will have a different \"bell\" on the end to let the gas expand a bit more When in the atmosphere the air pushes back against the exhaust so it can't expand as much as in the vacuum so you need a different...
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7d6kgx
What's inside public commercial electric vehicle DC fast charger (50kW < ) that makes it cost $30k or more?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpvgevq" ], "text": [ "A rectifier and DC power supply rated for 50+KW. That's a rather high power piece of kit, you can't make it with Radio Shack diodes. That device consumes twice the power needed to trip the mains breaker on your house." ], "score": [ 3 ], "text_urls": [ [...
[ "url" ]
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7d7px9
How do CRT displays have the ability to display video below the maximum resolution without the use of interpolation?
I hear that the old CRT displays can operate at different resolutions without the use of any upscaling methods. The flat panel displays can only operate at the maximum resolution format. That means digital video upscaling is required to match the maximum resolution of the display. It is hard to find a good explanation ...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpvpjte" ], "text": [ "Digital displays have a fixed number of pixels, which is what is called the \"native\" resolution of the display. Because of this fixed number, any resolution that tries to display less pixels than what are physically present requires interpolation if you want the image...
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7d82l1
what is data mining
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpvu2c2" ], "text": [ "Data mining is finding patterns in massively large amounts of data. There's no universal definition of what constitutes \"big data\", but a general rule of thumb is that if it fits in RAM on a single computer, it's not big data. Today you can get a standard-sized tower ...
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7d8ibn
How is it so difficult for video game publishers to detect cheating on PC?
Doesn't their code have digital signatures? Don't they have third party cheat drivers running concurrently? How are PC players able to defeat this and continue to ruin multiplayer games? Is their no practical way to prevent players from cheating in multiplayer? I could care less what folks do in single player but I'm h...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpvuxuw", "dpvvxre", "dpw2hs4" ], "text": [ "The fundamental problem is that the user has physical control over their own PC and the only information the game manufacturer gets is whatever their PC sends. > Doesn't their code have digital signatures? Sure, and those can always be defe...
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7d9dit
What determines what type of battery and how many of them a device takes, as opposed to just using less of a larger battery?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpw1wc7", "dpw6qz5" ], "text": [ "These days anything you think of as a “large” battery is just a whole bunch of 18650 batteries wired together. You just wire it to make the voltage you want, and the rest are there to supply more mAh, which equals more runtime.", "Batteries are spec'd...
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[ "url" ]
7d9unc
Are captchas actually effected against bots? If so, how does to stop them? If not, why hasn't there been a change?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpw9975", "dpw6bfb" ], "text": [ "captchas are only about 50% about preventing bots. There are many more effective ways to prevent bots - captchas are used when preventing bots is at least a favorable outcome but is not of a real dire security concern. the other 50% of their purpose is to...
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7dco1l
With the growing world recognition of climate change, and the push to switch to renewable energy, why aren't most countries looking at Nuclear Power as the way forward?
Surely Neuclear Power would be the most effective, cleanest form of producing large amounts of power, correct?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpwrps7", "dpwp9ez", "dpwpn21" ], "text": [ "Nuclear power is an extremely expensive commitment. It takes a lot of capital up front to get it up and running. You are making a bet about how competitive it is going to be against other sources for the next 30-40 years, if you require it ...
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7dda4w
How come one power strip with 12 plugs is okay, but linking two power strips that each have 6 plugs is dangerous?
Currently in class and there is a power strip that allows 12 things to be plugged in. How come it's safe for that power strip to have so many plugs in it; yet having two power strips (first one in the outlet, the second plugged to the first) is dangerous?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpwursp", "dpwuk2r" ], "text": [ "It's not inherently dangerous, but having too many things running off of one circult can overheat the wiring and either trip the circuit breaker or start a fire. A 20 amp circuit breaker can handle 2400 watts of power. You just need to use 12 gauge (or th...
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7ddyxj
Would a rotary phone work in a modern phone jack?
Would it only receive calls or could I dial out?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpx0jzp", "dpx40ev", "dpx438m", "dpx713t" ], "text": [ "Many, but not necessarily all landline phone provider still support pulse dialing, which rotary telephones use exclusively. A few years back I purchased a new telephone that lacked dtmf signals, and it still worked without is...
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7dfnu4
Telephone Country Codes
Canada and US share the same country code, 1. We don't duplicate any telephone area codes. Therefore any 10 digit telephone number should be unique. However when I a local number and add a 1 it gives me an automated message telling me I don't need to dial the 1. Why can't it just connect me through if it knows the numb...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpxgmzc" ], "text": [ "This isn't about country codes at all. Historically, any area code was preceded by a 1 or it wouldn't work. These days it's confusing. In some regions, phone companies require a 1 before the area code if it's not a free call. On some other companies (mobile carriers), t...
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7dgybe
Why do so many spacestations on tv and movies have the same circular shape with a pod in the middle? Does this serve any real purpose?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpxovxs", "dpy484h" ], "text": [ "In order to easily create artificial gravity you can simply rotate the space station around the central axis (probably the center of the pod).", "I can think of one real world reason. All of the \"real\" space stations build to date have all been cyli...
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7dh5ck
Why do military helmets not protect the face like a medieval helmet?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpxqq35", "dpxr04i" ], "text": [ "Because any helmet that adequately protected your face from bullets would restrict your head movement and vision, and not being able to see where you're going is more risky than running around with your face exposed.", "First, facial protection interf...
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7dhogd
What's Intel optane?
Extra questions: - How does it work as a memory? - Can my laptop use it? (Lenovo Legion Y520)
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpxx7bp" ], "text": [ "It's a memory technology announced by a joint venture of Intel and Micron. They have been a bit cagey about saying *exactly* how it works. It's not quite as fast as DRAM, but close. It's denser than DRAM. It's non-voliatile like Flash. It's more expensive than Flash. Th...
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7dibzk
What do OLED screens do that make them an improvement over LCD screens?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpy27up", "dpyipfx", "dpyl18w" ], "text": [ "Traditional LCD screens use a backlight, the LCD pixels change the color of that light as it passes through them. The backlight makes these screens thicker, and the LCD pixels can't block all the light from the backlight so the display isn'...
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7djpob
What is that low humming/ringing sound we hear shortly after a TV or other device is shut off?
It's that noise you hear when you can tell someone has a TV or radio on a few rooms over even if the volume is off. I've heard this sound right before getting a text or phone call, too. I always thought I was some clairvoyant until I realized there must be a scientific explanation for it.
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpyhyza" ], "text": [ "Every electronic device vibrates due to electronic collisions in the circuitry. It’s why you hear buzzing in overhead power lines. When electrons hit something, part of the kinetic energy transfer is lost as a pressure wave, ie, sound. In the case of TVs, radios, and ph...
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7dkflw
Why can’t bots check ‘I am not a robot’ checkboxes?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpye9n5" ], "text": [ "It's checking a lot more than whether you can check the check box. It checks how quickly you begin to move the mouse towards the checkbox, whether you move the mouse in an absolutely straight line, or at a steady speed, or indeed if you even move the mouse at all - it w...
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7dl0id
Why does water on my tablet or phone screen make it act as if it was being clicked?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpyhp63", "dpyl3di" ], "text": [ "Because the touch screen of your phone is capacitive so it works by detecting whether or not something that conducts electricity is touching it. Water conducts electricity", "You can also use slices of apples as well as hot dogs among many other thing...
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7dlh7m
Why social media apps prefer showing a trending or popular timeline as opposed to a chronological one?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpyli4j", "dpyl2hd" ], "text": [ "Remember, on platforms where you're using it for free, you're not the customer, you're the product (the advertisers are the customers). So they want to show things you're more likely to click on first.", "It shows stuff people are more likely to want ...
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7dmt0a
How do planes crash into each other?
I dunno, seems like there's an awful lot of sky to use. How do such things happen?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpywbat" ], "text": [ "It is pretty uncommon, because yes the sky is quite big. It is more common around airports because the plane concentration is much higher there of course. Also, planes of particular types tend to use very similar routes and altitudes because they are the most efficient....
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7dpezi
Why do smoke detectors contain Americium?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpzimgx", "dpzhdyy", "dpzhyy5" ], "text": [ "Americium is radioactive, and we put some next to a radiation detector. When smoke gets in there, the radiation can't reach the detector. Detectors are designed so this sets the alarm off.", "Because it' radioactive. It's a low cost ele...
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7dps2o
When and how did the internet go from being telephone calls between computers to these giant "ISPs"?
Bonus question: how did the FCC get involved in what are essentially (to my understanding) telephone networks?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dpzjrlv" ], "text": [ "The larger computers on the Internet were always connected by special network lines, not phone calls. Using phones was a temporary solution to get home computers and small-business computers connected until the telecom companies could build proper network connections us...
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7dsw2l
How can a needle on a Vinyl record recreate music perfectly including the Audio highs and lows?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq03x48", "dq053x5", "dq041gf" ], "text": [ "Sounds are vibrations on the air. Highs are fast vibrations and lows are slow ones. The needle passes over ridges that cause it to vibrate fast and slow.", "It can't. Not perfectly. I agree with you: how it can work at all with such gre...
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7dtaqm
What is crypto-anarchism and what are it’s beliefs?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq08hqs" ], "text": [ "Cryto-anarchism, is (I believe) something that has arisen mainly out of bitcoin. It's the idea that we can de-centralize our lives away from the state, and the elements of society that have control over us. Bitcoin is the best example. Bitcoins are an encrypted currency...
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7dwm4j
why are credit/debit card authorizations painfully slow?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq0wiha" ], "text": [ "From the question I can only think you are reasonably young, as it's lightspeed quick to me, an old fart. The vendor has a computer that has to connect down a phone line/ internet connection to a bank computer that has to verify the details line up with you, the custome...
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7dxudz
Why is cat5 wire used for data? Could regular 18/2 wire do the same thing?
Since data is just 1s and 0s can you use any kind of wire transmit data?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq1414e", "dq147br" ], "text": [ "When you start transmitting data at radio frequency (CAT5 supports up to to 100MHz), copper is not just copper and the electrical characteristics of the cable start to limit how much data you can transmit and how far it can propogate. CAT5 is nifty becaus...
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7dxxdq
why does a 1080p movie, on a 1080p screen, have black horizontal bars at the top and bottom?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq14ead", "dq14dmy", "dq15smw" ], "text": [ "1080p is the resolution. The black bars are all about aspect ratio. The screen size ratio of a cinema screen is different from your tv/monitor. To avoid warping the image, they need to add the black bars in order to achieve that same ration...
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7dyr64
What does the "Night Shift" feature on an iPhone actually do? What are it's benefits?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq1axyb" ], "text": [ "it basically reduces the amount of blue light that's displayed by the display when the ambient lighting is low. blue light can interrupt sleep patterns and is generally bad for your eyes in low light." ], "score": [ 11 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
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7dyy65
How does modern recycling work? How are containers filled with food handled? What percentage of recyclables are actually thrown out?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq1bw2u", "dq1car7", "dq1jno7", "dq1hq03" ], "text": [ "This really depends where you are. Most food is collected, piled, composted and reused as fertilizer. As for recyclables, how much is thrown out depends on how good the sorting system is, also how much non-recyclables are put...
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[ "url" ]
7dz954
How does an ISP plug into the internet?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq1e4kf" ], "text": [ "The ISPs are the hubs that form the internet backbone and they connect to each other, and by extension the various servers and computers that connect to the ISPs and you have the internet. As to who runs the infrastructure, that varies by country but in general it is th...
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7e0mli
How do earphones produce adequate bass despite their size?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq1nw6z", "dq2jery" ], "text": [ "Proximity to your ear. The volume of air displaced by a large subwoofer is large, but it is many feet / several hundreds of feet away from your ear. If you are too close to something of this size, you will be doing damage to your ears because the volume o...
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7e1at2
How do music/video editing programs isolate vocals, frequency, pitch, etc.?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq1pqbf", "dq1u5eg" ], "text": [ "It’s pretty complex but I think what you don’t understand is that the editing softwares are not meant to isolate anything, they’re meant to take the isolated vocals and turn them into a final product. So with each recording you can edit its pitch and freq...
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7e1bvi
Why is it that almost all microsoft pc's start their drives with C? Why not A?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq1ps1d", "dq1pive", "dq1pmie" ], "text": [ "It's an older convention for computers. Drives A and B are dedicated for Floppy Disc Drives, used for installation of programs on to the hard drive C As the systems evolved, B became a backup to A, sometimes using the older, larger discs, a...
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7e1hfm
Why do ads load first, rather than the content of the site itself?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq1rbl1" ], "text": [ "Because the site gets paid for how many views on the ads they get. Therefore add content is more important than the actual content. Sites prioritize this to make sure they get paid essentially." ], "score": [ 5 ], "text_urls": [ [] ] }
[ "url" ]
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7e5m0p
How did the Game Genie from Galoob work as a cheat device?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq2nj9t" ], "text": [ "Well information about how the game operates is stored in registers. So your lives is stored in a register with a set number say 5. Should your character in the game dies the game is programmed to take the register for lives and subtract one. When the number is zero, it...
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7e6b3g
What components makes batteries (Ex: Duracell) last longer than others
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq3336o" ], "text": [ "Electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD). Manufacturing EMD for batteries is hard. You need good purity, the right crystal structure and many other factors to make a good battery from it. It is not marketing bullshit, as /u/T3Kgamer suggests. URL_0" ], "score": [ 11...
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7e6w24
Why are my photos horrible and professional photos look amazing? I used to think it's because I don't have a nice professional camera but I've seen pro photos taken with a cell phone and they make mine look like garbage in comparison. What's the deal?
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq2xmr5", "dq35ssx", "dq2y3sz", "dq36rw1", "dq39h7v" ], "text": [ "First of all, by the time you see a pro's work, it's been through a lot of processing, like PhotoShop and the like. Cropping for the optimal composition, bumping colors up, enhancing clarity, etc, beyond what t...
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7e7e0a
How do old TV shows change their Aspect Ratio to 16:9?
I was watching old Sitcoms and Cartoons, and noticed that alot of these have been 'converted' to the 16:9 aspect ratio. While their were originally shown in the 4:3 aspect ratio. The newer versions with the 16:9 aspect ratio don't look like they've been stretched or extremely cropped, but are still wider and have more ...
Technology
explainlikeimfive
{ "a_id": [ "dq30ebw", "dq30hvo" ], "text": [ "They were originally filmed with widescreen cameras and cropped afterwards. However, these shows often had their photography planned for a 4:3 aspect ration, meaning they knew part of the image would be cropped out and thus didn't really care what was vis...
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