q_id stringlengths 6 6 | title stringlengths 4 294 | selftext stringlengths 0 2.48k | category stringclasses 1
value | subreddit stringclasses 1
value | answers dict | title_urls listlengths 1 1 | selftext_urls listlengths 1 1 |
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aoshmo | the point in keyboard sticky keys | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"To enable people whow lack full function of both of their hands to do hotkey combinations. Example: A person with one hand cant do ctrl-alt-del on most keyboards. So... | [
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aotz86 | why toilets are made of porcelain | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg3uscj"
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"text": [
"Porcelain doesn't absorb water, doesn't stain easily, is durable and attractive and easy to clean, and works great for plumbing fixtures."
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aowmye | How do pool tables know which ball is the cue ball when you scratch? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg41qnr",
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"text": [
"Usually, the cue ball is of slightly different diameter so it can be mechanically sorted out. In some machines, the cue ball is the same size but has a metal core that trips a magnetic field sensor and electronically triggers some kind of separating devic... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aoz4sd | How do QR codes work, and why can my phone recognize one before I get the entire thing in view of the camera? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg4oao2"
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"text": [
"QR codes work in quite a complicated way, but the short answer is that they're designed to continue working even if damaged. You can cover something like 1/3 of the code and it'll still read, which is how the QR codes with logos and things in the centre still work - the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ap198z | how is paperless better than paper if paperless needs constant energy to be viewed | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg52moy",
"eg552vw",
"eg52ga2"
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"text": [
"The amount of power it takes to view and store an electronic document is much lower than the creation of the paper and the fuel it takes to be driven/flown to your city. It also doesn’t go into a landfill or burned.",
"A lot of things w... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ap6b7i | How do videogame hacks work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"eg62y9f",
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"text": [
"I'll give you a classic example. The Game Genie - If you are not familiar with it, this was a device on the original NES that plugged in between the game and the console and was used to cheat in video games. The way it worked was by altering variables in ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ap837q | How does public school wifi block sites without using software? | My school blocks websites on their computers and on my phones/laptops, even though I clearly didn't install any software to block websites. How exactly does this work? Does the school wifi use an ISP block or something similar? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"The trick is that the school controls the entrance/exit to the Internet. With software processing the traffic that glows in/out they can control what you can actually connect to and sometimes replace the respon... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
ap8vp2 | Why are gas stoves, ovens, and water heaters so common? | ELI5: Why in most places are electric appliances not the most common yet? For example Mexico. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"Electric appliances that heat do so through resistive heating. They literally run a lot of electricity through stuff that naturally resists electric flow (current). In the process they create heat. It’s a prett... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
ap9m50 | Why do some TV adverts have out of sync audio | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg6pho5"
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"text": [
"Often because they were originally shot in another language (German ones are common on British TV) and have been dubbed on the cheap."
],
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3
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apb0k9 | How do instant fog windows work? | I’ve been seeing videos of windows/doors that are clear, but turn foggy once a button is pushed or the door is locked. How does the window turn back and forth from clear/foggy. ELI5 pls | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg762ih",
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],
"text": [
"Liquid crystals embedded in the glass are activated by electricity. They then turn and scatter light that tries to pass through them.",
"Switch glass has two sheets of glass. Inside those panes of glass are electrically charged sheets and between thos... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
apd011 | Nexplanon IUD. How does it slow release the birth control hormones for 5 years? | I understand extended release pills and such, but how does the mechanism for Nexplanon (fka Implanon) work? It's not powered in any way and five years is a long time for something to be consumed by the body. Thanks in advance! | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg7i4pa",
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"text": [
"First off, Nexplanon is an implant. It's not an IUD because IUD means intrauterine device and goes in your uterus whereas this goes in your arm. The contraceptive implant was invented by [Sheldon Segal and Horacio Croxatto.]( URL_1 ) The implant outside l... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
apf0s4 | Why do supercomputers use GPU instead of CPU ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg7u8yg"
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"text": [
"The kinds of problems you use supercomputers for tend to be things that do lots of math with lots of numbers without thinking too much about it. GPUs are great at applying fairly simple logic to lots of numbers at once because they're able to run the same instructions a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
apf9sa | How do QR codes work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"They are like a barcode and translate into a link that shows you the information at the end",
"They are just bunch of ones (black part) and zeros (white parts). All computers think in ones and zeros so they don't have a hard time reading information o... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
apg1ln | How is rock removed to expose a fossil without damaging the fossil? | To me, it's all just rocks, so I don't understand how a paleontologist is able to differentiate and remove rock from a fossil, whether it's bone, shell, plankton, bacteria, plant matter, & cet. What techniques are used in the preparation of the specimens seen in museums? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg8dmmz",
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"text": [
"Yes, by the time they are fossils, they are all \"just rocks\"; but, importantly, they are different kinds of rocks. When a bone gets fossilized, the chemical makeup changes, with minerals replacing some of the components of the bone. This forms crystals ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
apgmlc | Why is it so difficult to make reflections in video games? | Why is it so difficult to make reflections in video games? Is it impossible to do without a very large consumption of resources? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg83q6t",
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"text": [
"Doing a reflection essentially means drawing the scene twice, once from the camera's point of view and once from \"within\" the mirror. Drawing the scene takes a lot of processing power. If the game runs at say 60 fps normally, having to dr... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
api3i3 | How does the UNIX tool grep work so quickly? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg8h77t"
],
"text": [
"It implements the Boyer-Moore algorithm. You begin by preprocessing the pattern to generate a rule table, which I'll mention again in just a moment. You match the pattern by it's last character and work in reverse. If the pattern doesn't match, then the principle key to... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
apibgh | How do grep's algorithms work, and what optimizations were made to it? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg8j5u2"
],
"text": [
"Take a look at the very thorough post from RipGrep’s author. URL_0"
],
"score": [
4
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"text_urls": [
[
"https://blog.burntsushi.net/ripgrep/"
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apjzep | How come noise cancelling headphones don't increase hearing loss when there is actually more sound being produced around your ears? | I understand that passive noise cancelling headphones are good for your ears because they have and insulant that keeps some of the sound from outside sources from reaching your ear. What I don't understand is the active noise cancelling technology that records the audio on the outside of the headphones and produces sou... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eg8zvk8"
],
"text": [
"That's the whole point of the opposite amplitude, the two waves cancel each other out and the eardrum doesn't move at all as a result. So the additional sounds actually result in less movement of the eardrums, and thus are easier on your ears. People who work in noisy e... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
apmd96 | If I have a laptop that runs HD graphics connected to a HDTV that runs 1080p via an HDMI cable. What do I need a monitor for? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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],
"text": [
"Depends on what you’re using it for. Particularly, if you’ll be gaming, TVs experience much more “lag” than monitors. Other than that, there aren’t many things monitors do better.",
"A monitor is generally better than a TV in terms of q... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aprirm | Why/How do electronics such as phones interfere with equipment in places like hospitals? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egaozqs",
"egaz85x"
],
"text": [
"There can be lots of reasons for signs like these. Firstly they may not want people to take pictures or record the sound or things of that nature. They might have sensitive information such as patient journals readily available or they expect some privacy... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aps9od | why did old internet modems make all those noises and did they serve any purpose? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egarybo",
"egasx5x",
"egas1qb"
],
"text": [
"[They absolutely have a purpose]( URL_0 ). & #x200B; And modems play them back to give you the possibility to find problems in the connection by listening to it: Is the line busy? Did a person (instead of a modem/fax) accidentally pick up a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
apsl4f | We get Internet from ISP. From where does ISP get Internet and how? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"Your ISP likely gets its internet connection from another ISP. That ISP may also get its internet connection from another ISP. ISPs are... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
apt1if | How does a smartphone know the time after being switched on again without internet connection? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"There's a small chip somewhere in the phone that keeps running even when the phone is off. It's just a clock, so it used an incredibly tiny amount of power.",
"In addition to the other correc... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aptsz0 | How does the YOLO algorithm perform detection? | Other than saying "An input image goes through a network and \*poof!\* objects will be detected." | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egb9sra"
],
"text": [
"As far as human understanding goes, there's not much more to it. Here's a dirty little secret - very few developers actually know how neural networks make their decisions. If you asked a developer what steps the process took to classify a dog or a bicycle, they'd have n... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
apukyt | Why are Graphic Cards that have been used for mining avoided? | I see used cards being advertised as 'not used for mining'. Is it just because of wear and tear? Do GPU's have a number of hours before they become redundant? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egb878y",
"egbfbk3",
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"text": [
"Because they have been used non stop and the hardware is usually worn down",
"This has been debated many times - If the cards are not physically damaged you really have no concerns when it comes to buying a card that was used in a minin... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
apur3i | If we can simulate 3-dimensional objects on a 2-dimensional computer screen, why can’t we simulate what a 4-dimensional object would look like? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"We can. If you google \"4-dimensional object\" you'll get some simulated versions, both as represented in 3D (real-life objects) and in 2D (computer images or animations). The problem is that humans do not experience 4 dimens... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
apusva | When in a pc game, how can I tell the sound I hear is from behind with a stereo headset? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egbamkm"
],
"text": [
"While there are some ways your ear/brain can tell a sound is behind you (slightly muffled sound for instance), I don't think games simulate this. More likely, when you are playing a game you are constantly moving the camera, looking around. When you do so, the sound wil... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
apvje7 | How come all digital screens use RBG (red, green and blue) pixels to make up images by creating different colours but when mixing paints to make different colours the primary colours are red, yellow and blue? Why is there a difference? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egbgf84"
],
"text": [
"Red, Green, and Blue are the primary colors of light. Light is additive -- no light is black and all light is white. Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan are the primary colors of pigment. Pigment is subtractive - no pigment is white and all pigment is black. This is because pigme... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
apw0sb | How does a zip file take gigabytes worth of information and compress it down to megabytes? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egbj3l5"
],
"text": [
"As it says in the second comment on the thread that prompted you to ask this question: > It's exploiting how compression works. Imagine you had data that was something like this: > 11999999855555555199999019995555555 > You could compress this down by just writing how ma... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aq1ump | How is machine learning being used in business? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egcvt96",
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"egd1wvu",
"egd1xsk"
],
"text": [
"Largely, it is being used badly. Unfortunately most of the decision makers don't understand the finer details of what inputs are required, and what the outputs mean - most managers (and I use the term like a four letter word)... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aq1y0a | Photography shutter speed, iso and aperture. | Getting more into photography and i want to stop using auto. What does each one do, how and when should i adjust them and what is good to use for day time and night time photography. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"[This cheat sheet]( URL_0 ) is a good very brief overview of what all the settings are. The basic idea is... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aq41m4 | How did Shareware as a distribution model for old computer games (Doom, Jazz Jackrabbit) work before the internet? | I know that you get a crippled version of the game on disc, but how did you actually get access to the full game? And how would you get hold of the Shareware version in the first place if the game was not in retail stores? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egda9sf",
"egda8ic",
"egdaj2p"
],
"text": [
"Well, this is a fun surprise to see posted. I am actually one of the inventors of the \"try-then-pay-if-you-want\" shareware model, back in the 1980s. About five or ten people came up with the idea around the same time. & #x200B; At first, ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aq5mpr | How do ZIP files work and what are they best suited for? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egdirzl"
],
"text": [
"Say you have a book, and you want to compress it. Now look for repeated words or phrases, and replace them with a code, and store a dictionary of codes. So if the book says \"hello world\" 10 times, instead replace it with \"XYZ\" and make a note of it. So you now have ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aq7xxh | What are the differences between RealD 3D, Imax 3D, and Dolby Cinema 3D? | From memory (like 8 years ago memory) I don't like RealD 3D, I never tried Imax 3D, and from recent memory I really like Dolby Cinema 3D. Honestly I only really care about the difference between dolby 3D and Imax 3D | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ege7js3",
"ege6aqz"
],
"text": [
"ah, brushing up before watching *Alita: Battle Angel*?",
"Imax 3d is big format film (thus imax). Dolby cinema 3d uses Dolbys audio for the 3d movie. RealD I think is regular 3d. This is a bit from wiki. \"RealD 3D cinema technology is a polarized 3D ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aq9cvu | How and why did we start eating cooked food? | Why does cooked food even taste better than raw if raw food is what we started out with, and that's what every other species eats? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egeb7kf"
],
"text": [
"Burning food kills bugs and parasites that might be inside and reduces the likelihood of getting sick from eating it. Burning food also turns the proteins in food into a gel-like substance making it easier for the food item to keep said proteins allowing the consumer to... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aqd9wp | How does the camera follow the bullet or tank shell in those videos of them in flight? | Just watched [this gif]( URL_0 ). The shell is travelling so fast there's a shock wave. How does the camera keep the framing so perfect at that speed? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egf62ur",
"egf6c8e",
"egfnx1o"
],
"text": [
"Usually they use a rotating mirror that precisely matches the expected speed of the object. Because it sweeps out a large arc the mirror doesn't need to spin unreasonably fast.",
"The people who shot that video knew exactly what was goi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aqe8bx | What is the difference mechanically between copying a file and moving it? | I was wondering if there's is really a difference. Depending on the difference, that could mean transferring consciousnesses would be possible without the problem of there just being a copy of you and the original you is dead. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egfd8hk"
],
"text": [
"Copy is to make a copy of the selected file or folder and place the duplicate in another drive or folder, while move is to move the original files from one place to another location. The move command deletes the original files, while copy retains them."
],
"score": ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aqk7x0 | How can racing games that run at 60fps have timers that give times with milliseconds of difference, when one frame is 16-17 milliseconds? | I've been looking at world records for racing games like Mario Kart, and people are shaving off just a few milliseconds of time quite a lot. How is this possible? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egghxi6",
"eggjl35",
"eggjckq",
"eggwznp",
"eggm7gy",
"eggrk29"
],
"text": [
"The framerate only tells you how often the screen updates, the cpu might have a clockspeed much higher than that, it is entirely possible to simulate the last half a second per millisecond to cal... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aqks9z | Why was the atomic bomb worse than mass carpet bombings in WWII? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eggm4iu",
"eggmmc8",
"eggmslt",
"eggmgrp",
"eggnils"
],
"text": [
"There’s a great video about this by a youtube channel called Knowing Better, I’d really recommend it. It’s a video called “How to Make Bad History Worse.” It’s not only about the atomic bomb but it will answer ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aqkwmk | How was the Opportunity Rover able to have last words? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eggnjip",
"eggnfao",
"eggndxu",
"eggoc39"
],
"text": [
"Programmers choose the text for error messages all the time. When the logic is added to detect this situation, and send an error, the choice of messages was made. Programmers are deeply, deeply in love with the cryptic and po... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aqm515 | How do one-way mirrors work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eggxnv0"
],
"text": [
"Contrary to their name, there's actually nothing \"one-way\" about one-way mirrors. In the interrogation room, it's kept very very bright so that the glass acts a mirror and all the criminal can see is their own reflection. But on the other side, where the cops are, it'... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aqmftp | [Networking/Computer Science] Does an online streaming video with static background images (like a slideshow presentation) consume less data than an actual video of the same resolution/quality and length? | Does the video still download each frame as an individual image or can it repeat use of an image in a previous frame in the case of a slideshow? For example, would the following use the same amount of data? * 10:00 long YouTube 1080p 30fps slideshow presentation with HQ audio * 10:00 long 1080p 30fps video of PewDiePie... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eggzno4",
"egh0ht9"
],
"text": [
"depends on the codec. But yes this is a thing, the codec uses some \"vector math\" to try to save as much as possible! Pretty much every codec online does that youtube twitch etc...",
"Many modern video file formats don't actually store the images for... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aqmsgy | How Rover Opportunity lasted 15 years when the mission was planned for only 90 days? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egh2q0s",
"egh29eb",
"eghj3b6"
],
"text": [
"They originally thought that dust would build up in the solar arrays and prevent it from getting enough power (which is actually what happened to Opportunity in the end). They didn't know that the wind on Mars would do such a good job of cl... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aqn5le | Why has it been so slow and difficult to get voice and SMS over LTE? | Even as we approach 5G deployment, many carriers who have had LTE for years don't have VoLTE, and those that do often limit it to a few specific handset models. What are the challenges that explain this slow roll out? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egh5fhq"
],
"text": [
"Its primarily needs and economics based. No one is really asking for this stuff, it doesn't really change anything or meet any different needs than is already being met in the market by carriers and phones, and thus there is little reason to invest in the changes necess... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aqr8d2 | Why should you have different scissors for cloth vs paper? | I've had a lot of friends who do sewing and other fabric crafts and to the one, the golden rule for them and scissors is you never use their fabric scissors on anything other than fabric. Why is this? Why would different materials (that are both relatively soft) impact the scissors differently? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egi0f11",
"egi1ogq"
],
"text": [
"I was always told that paper dulls scissors in a way that makes them hard to sharpen back to cloth cutting sharpness. The same goes for hair scissors.",
"Cutting fabric with out fraying the threads needs sharp scissors. general utility scissors get a ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aqrqvw | With Triple A PC games being played in triple digit FPS, why is video so often shot in 24 FPS? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egi4l7d"
],
"text": [
"Mostly because people tend to not like movies with super high frame rate. Movies that have high frame rate tend to have low amounts of motion blur and lose out on a lot of cinematic feel. Also movies will actually have variable frame rate depending on what the scene dem... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aqsb42 | How are photos chemically developed from photographic negatives? | As done in a darkroom? What chemical process develops the film? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egi996n"
],
"text": [
"When light hits the film it makes a little piece of silver from the chemicals on the film. The more light that hits an area the more little pieces of silver you get. The chemical used in the developing process, called developer, make those little pieces of silver grow i... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aqsds5 | How did humans discover how to bake and how/has that changed with modern technology? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egibdn9"
],
"text": [
"UGG have fire UGG find grain UGG eat grain UGG try smash grain before cooking UGG make porridge UGG forget porridge on fire UGG make baked grain Baked grain taste good UGG start smashing grain with water to make grain crunchies UGG not clean Ugg's grain smashing g stone... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aqw66t | Why can’t the Opportunity rover restart and resume contact once it starts receiving solar power again? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egixtb8"
],
"text": [
"I believe it’s down to heat. Mars is cold (given its thin atmosphere and distance from the sun). When they hibernated in the evenings or in previous dust storms, the rovers weren’t completely dormant; they still had some electronics running so they would receive wake up... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aqy0qo | Why are solar panels so reflective? Doesn't that lower their efficiency? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egjbnj7",
"egjgo1k"
],
"text": [
"No. One of the biggest problems with current solar panels is that the higher the temperature, the less power it generates. Even the most efficient panels operate around 20% at best. If the panel absorbs too much energy as heat, it would rapidly degrade.",... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aqytc6 | How does Autotune work and can I use it to make me sound really good? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egjif81"
],
"text": [
"It changes the pitch of your voice to be in tune. You can certainly use it to make you sound great, the pop industry uses it all the time. Often artists sound a lot worse out of the studio because they are not cleaned up be the producer. The software has become much mor... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ar004n | How are kettle cooked chips made and why does this process make them healthier than traditional chips? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egjs4nf"
],
"text": [
"\"Regular\" potato chips are rinsed after they are sliced. This releases a lot of the starch. Kettle cooked chips are sliced thicker and do not get that rinse, which results in harder chip after it is fried. I don't know why you say that kettle-cooked chips are healthie... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ar0glt | how does software work the same way with various processor architectures? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egjx3xm"
],
"text": [
"AMD and Intel CPUs have the same instruction set - so this means that both types of CPUs should be able to run the exact same code. GPUs have separate instruction sets, but they have drivers, which translate what the computer is asking for into the instruction set for t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ar3ebm | Why is 60 FPS the "standard" that we usually expect, instead of something like 50 FPS? | \*insert something about 50 being easier to divide into seconds/milliseconds compared to 60\* | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egkhia6"
],
"text": [
"Frames per second were originally based on the frequency of electric power distribution, which is 60 cycles per second in the USA where most video games are made. (It's 50 in Europe.)"
],
"score": [
12
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
ar3l57 | Why do governments, schools, and big businesses (mostly) always use HP printers? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egkixcr",
"egkiya8",
"egklgm2"
],
"text": [
"So they? All I ever see is RICOH",
"hp usually gives away a lot of printers for free, but makes you sign a contract to buy supplies ie ink, toner, and paper from them. so businesses jump at this due to the low upfront cost since some of... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ar50c6 | Why aren't smart stop lights more prevalent in the US? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egkxei2",
"egkwchx"
],
"text": [
"Depending on the sensors, they don’t trigger for motorcycles and bicycles which is pretty dangerous because at so e point you are forced to run a red light",
"Lights don't have to be 'smart' but it would either be abused abuse or be problematic. In mi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ar6lzm | How does wireless stuff work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egl4yco"
],
"text": [
"how do you see things without touching them? Light has to bounce off the object and enter your eyes. Wireless works in the same way except the light is different, invisible only because our eyes aren't designed to see that light. It has to do with how much energy the li... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ar6wvw | Difference between JPEG, PNG & other image formats. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egl7y20",
"egle1ec",
"egl6s8o"
],
"text": [
"JPEG and PNG are very different because they have different goals. JPEG is what's called a \"lossy\" format, it uses very clever math to compress an image as small as possible while still making it appear the same. In this process it throws... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ar8m1q | Why do PC programs that emulate game consoles run so slowly, even if the pc's hardware is more advanced than that of the console it's emulating | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eglgal0",
"eglgakx"
],
"text": [
"Because emulation is basically your system pretending to be another system. Imagine trying to imitate an old man. Even though you are probably much more physically capable than him, you’d have a hard time behaving exactly like him.",
"Because emulatio... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ara9ox | How does asymmetric encryption work? | Taking A-Level Computer Science, and I'm very comfortable with the majority of concepts that I study. I've never really understood asymmetric encryption though - outside of my studies, having read about public/private key encryption and SSL, understanding how the communication works at a basic level, the only thing tha... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eglu07n"
],
"text": [
"The trick is to find problems that are easy to calculate in one direction, but difficult to reverse. Then you base your algorithm on that kind of problem. For example, plain multiplication does NOT have that property. Division is pretty much just as easy to perform as m... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
arbuyi | The Google File System (2003) | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egm7jqm"
],
"text": [
"You need to understand why Google implemented the Google File System, and this was not their first attempt at such a system. Google made its fortune in the search business. And their approach required a huge database. Much larger then could be stored on a single server.... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
arfak3 | Why is the time shown on the clock different between Android, iPhone and Windows? | The time on my Android phone can be 10:00, but my iPhone will show 9:58 and my Windows PC will show 9:57. Why is that? Don't all these devices get the time from a server? Are they all different servers? If so, why the slight differences? Which one's the most accurate? I'd always imagined it's the iPhone since Apple sai... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egms8nk",
"egmtow0"
],
"text": [
"Depends how often the device resyncs and at which rate the device loses / gains time. It in the United States, you could manually check on URL_0 , or tune into Shortwave radio time broadcasts.",
"Most devices get their time from the same place : URL_0... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
arfkjr | Why do cameras have a hard time capturing electronic screens? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egmw1dp"
],
"text": [
"Still cameras have a problem with the moire effect. That's where the rows and columns of the display sometimes coincide with the rows and columns of the camera sensor, and sometimes they don't coincide. That causes weird lines in the image. Video cameras also suffer fro... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
argca0 | How did game genie work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egn0wrl"
],
"text": [
"Game Genie and Gameshark both worked by editing specific hexadecimal that transfers between the game and the system's RAM. Part of the input code is the location of the address that it will to edit, the other is the edited string that it will insert once the address has... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
argy6m | Why do games render cutscenes real time instead of the cutscene just being a video that plays? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egn543t",
"egn7hog",
"egn53sa"
],
"text": [
"More flexible and cheaper. In-game cutscenes mean you don't need external models and art, in addition to tooling; you can use your engine for everything. It's also easier to change something. If you want to change what happens, then you jus... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
arhpy0 | When using a phone on speaker, how does the phone cancel out the incoming noise of the persons voice on the other side? | Curious | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egnb21l"
],
"text": [
"When on speaker phone mode, the phone compares the audio it picks up with it's mic to the audio it knows it's sending out of the speaker. Anything that's the same gets cancelled out. The algorithms are more sophisticated than that but that's the basic idea. & #x200B; Wh... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
arlfas | if someone did a Hollywood heist on your bank and took all its money would your bank card still be able to buy things? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egnya6g",
"egny8gd",
"egny91s"
],
"text": [
"Yes. For several reasons. One reason being, that a bank franchise has many buildings - and just one building has been emptied out. Far more importantly though, a bank robber can only steal the bank's physical money. But these days banks typ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
arm575 | the difference between IMAX 3D, Dolby Digital 3D, and Real 3D? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ego53f5",
"egoic1c"
],
"text": [
"Imax is big, real big, need special cameras big Dolby digital uses circular polarized lenses and can be on a bigger screen than Real D. If you are in the side seats you are less likely to get blur. It also uses a silver backing screen like the old movies ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
armek0 | How do flight suits or g suits work and what do they do for military jet pilots? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ego54au"
],
"text": [
"One of the effects of high Gs is that your blood pools in your legs - it's pushed to the outside of the curve along with the rest of your body. This causes blackouts as your brain is deprived of oxygen. G suits have inflatable sections in the thighs that squeeze the leg... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
armpt8 | How do we get weather data and how come it's so unreliable sometimes? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ego7ocg"
],
"text": [
"It’s a very very complicated system. There is a network of weather reporting systems. Meteorologists take the information reported from those systems and plug those into simulations. Unfortunately weather is extremely sensitive to tiny differences in measurements. Imagi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
armvt5 | How is nuclear energy cleaner than other methods of renewable energy like wind energy and solar energy? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ego8pcm",
"egoagib",
"ego95ut",
"egoo42s"
],
"text": [
"I believe it all comes down to the sheer amount of energy that is produced vs materials and upkeep needed. For instance a wind turbine costs thousands of dollars worth of materials and only has a lifespan of about 25 years or... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
arolsa | What does the curing light at a dentist’s office do? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egokpfj",
"egolank"
],
"text": [
"Basically, the resin that the dentists apply to your teeth is made up of short-chain compounds, which is why they can flow easily. Shining the light on the compound induces chemical changes that make the compounds get a lot longer and tangle up with itsel... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
arprxh | How does NASA figure out where to send rovers when sending them to outer space? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egoxh1i"
],
"text": [
"The rovers that landed on Mars were launched after nearly 50 years of study from orbit and other probes. Plus centuries of observation from Earth. URL_0 Find an area on the planet that has stuff you want research using the sensors on the probe, has the terrain the rover... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
arshi7 | How does Alexa work so quickly and accurately when it supposedly isn't listening-in at all times? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egpeob7",
"egpfdmw"
],
"text": [
"Funny you should ask this. My kid turned off Alexa’s mic(so now she can’t hear us) I asked her too do 3 things in a row with no response... she said, just so you know my mic is off. She is always listening",
"It is always listening, I think I read som... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
arva1b | Why do plugged in electronics drain power when not on? | Ignoring advanced technology like TVs and anything with a standby feature. Why does having something plugged in waste energy even if it's not on and not completing a circuit? Simple examples like a toaster, phone charge cable, or extension cord. If they're not on/active, aren't they still an open circuit and basically ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egpykvm",
"egpxb4x"
],
"text": [
"Extension cord does not use power when nothing is plugged into it. A phone charger has components inside it that can draw power even when a phone is not connected such as capacitors. A toaster will not use any power when not in use unless it has a clock o... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
arxvrq | What's the working difference between 4G and 5G that will allow up to 100 times faster connections? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egqdcv0"
],
"text": [
"In addition to all the frequencies that 4G is using, 5G can use very high frequecies as well. These high frequencies can carry more data, but they are also absorbed by air much more easily. They have a hard time penetrating walls, and the highest frequencies can't even ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
as0exq | How are digital maps (google maps, Apple maps) able to assess and display live traffic conditions? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egqujyb"
],
"text": [
"They use location data from people's phones. If a bunch of iphones are moving slowly down the highway, Apple knows there is traffic there."
],
"score": [
11
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
as0lys | How exactly does "remastering" a game work? | Is it more like slapping a new coat on an old car or do you have to essentially build the whole thing from the bottom up again? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egqwh54",
"egqws2c"
],
"text": [
"There's not really a clean cut and were to this. The general consensus is that a remaster is , yes, just slapped on HD textures. There are also \"remakes\" which are thought of as a complete redoing of a game that isn't always 100% the same as the origina... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
as10r5 | how does Bluetooth work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egqzsjr"
],
"text": [
"Bluetooth is a type of radio. The radio has very low power, so it only goes a small distance. There is a protocol for use over the radio, like the internet protocol used over wifi. This protocol covers things phones do, like make calls and relay sounds. The same protoco... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
as3cyc | How does the Nintendo Switch record the last 30 seconds of gameplay after you hold down the screenshot button? | I've seen that Microsoft has the same kind of thing with their game bar built into Windows 10. Do those programs record at all times and delete anything before 30 seconds ago? Wouldn't that use a lot of resources? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egrgoy5",
"egrhgau"
],
"text": [
"From what I understand, it’s always recording your screen. At what time it chooses to delete the footage, I don’t know. I’m guessing that after the max time you can choose to record (I think for Microsoft it’s like 5 minutes) it will over-right the old fo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
as3xwg | Why can't a phone connect to multiple speakers via bluetooth? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egrlb4p",
"egrlhm6"
],
"text": [
"It has to do with the frequency range of Bluetooth, and the fact that your devices don't have two transmitters.",
"It can--there are some new technologies out now that allow it, but only with certain hardware, and the new Bluetooth 5 spec appears to a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
as4opj | 4K and 8k. How many K’s could we go to? Is there a point we couldn’t distinguish between K’s? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egrvkaw"
],
"text": [
"1K = full HD = 1080 (1,000 = 1k). So a full HD phone screen, small as it is, has a gorgeous image but you almost can't see the individual pixels of color. By comparison, a 70 inch TV that's merely 1k, you can definitely see the pixels, and a huge stadium screen, the pix... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
as5ojl | How do fire engines change traffic lights when they hit red? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egryrxm",
"egrz9yk"
],
"text": [
"If you look at some traffic lights, you can see a little sensor by the lights, the fire truck has a strobe light that triggers that sensor and causes the light to switch.",
"Yes. Some of the modern ‘strobes’ are IR LEDs and flash a unique code that is... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
as7gns | how does internet work really ? where do all those fiber optic cables connect ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egseq7q"
],
"text": [
"This is a large question and I will leave out the technical details and make it ELI5. If you want to know every detail start here and work your way through the buzzwords: URL_0 Where do they connect? Here is a nice map of all the submarine fibre optic cables: URL_2 For ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asaeau | Why does it matter how you charge a battery with respect to long-term life? | Never fully charge? Deep discharge? Type of battery matter (phone vs car)? What really is best and why? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egsteji"
],
"text": [
"It depends on the battery type. Phones laptops and newer electronics have lithium ion batteries. Older stuff has Nickel Cadmium. The older style batteries had what is called the memory effect, so if you recharged them when they were half empty, this became the new zero ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
ascj7p | How are there Damascus steel knives if we don’t know how to make it? | [take this post for example]( URL_0 ) how are they using a brand new Damascus steel knife, I thought we didn’t know how to make it? Or is it not “true” (if that’s the right word) Damascus steel and just an imitation? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egt9d6c",
"egtabl5",
"egtkr04",
"egt9952",
"egtlawd",
"egtmsn3"
],
"text": [
"We do know how to make it and actually can make better with modern processes. This is one of those yarns about ancient technology being mysterious and better. Total BS.",
"We know how to make... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
ascpfd | What is the relationship between resolution, frame height and width, data rate and file size? | What I know so far, from watching Youtube videos, is that there are several common resolutions like 720p and 1080p. Those will be 1280x720 and 1920x1080 pixels. But then why are some videos of the same resolution (and approximately same duration) so different in file size? I am guessing it has got to do with the data r... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egtcp2d",
"egtbbyb"
],
"text": [
"> What is the relationship between resolution, frame height and width... Aspect Ratio is the numerical way of expressing the difference between the width and height of an image. For instance, an image with a resolution of 1920x1080 has an Aspect Ratio of ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
asd59q | How was it decided that wireless mouse drivers need to weigh in at hundreds of megabytes? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egtivaz",
"egtgj95",
"egtfkfc"
],
"text": [
"It's probably mostly two things: 1. Dependencies. A full .NET framework, or whatever they used to make it. Which may not be necessary on your particular system, but they'll still include it because some people will need it, and telling user... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asents | Why Wi-Fi signals are much weaker through walls, when compared to Cellular 4G and LTE. Also wouldn't it be better to use use Cellular signals when connecting to routers, so we would get better connectivity ? | Usually Wi-Fi can't go through single thicc wall, while cellular can go through buildings. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egtrlo9",
"egtq7rm",
"egtqvak"
],
"text": [
"What you're asking about is propagation. Radio waves are just light, just like the light our eyes can see. The rods and cones in our eyes are simply radio antenna that can receive visible-light frequencies. The frequency of the radio wave r... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
asfs4u | How is using a password manager considered safe if you are throwing all your eggs in one basket? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egtyzi1",
"egtz8lt",
"egu78vp"
],
"text": [
"Is it safer to hide your jewelry in different places round your house or in the big safe with the armed guards and alarm?",
"It allows you to make both the eggs and the basket much more secure than they would be otherwise. When you're c... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asg9ny | Why does turning a computer off and back on again fix the issue? Like doesn't it indicate a problem that will happen in the future? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egu2wzl",
"egu3cze"
],
"text": [
"It depends on what the problem is, sometimes computers just have a hiccup where it isn't an actual issue and a restart will make the machine forget there was a problem.",
"Computers are enormously complex logic machines. They have a huge number of pos... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ashwlm | How is Netflix able to provide seemingly perfect subtitles to basically every show/movie on their platform and what allows them to do this so well? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egufh76"
],
"text": [
"The people that make the show or movie write down the subtitles, from the script. They package that as a subtitle file inside the video file, and Netflix opens that up to show it to you if you enable subtitles."
],
"score": [
10
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asi240 | how mobile finger scanner works? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egvq545"
],
"text": [
"If you mean something like Touch ID on an iPhone then there is a crystal coverglass that protects the sensor and a metal ring to detect when a finger is in contact with it. When your finger touches the sensor, a ultra high resolution snapshot of the ridges and shape of ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asirc9 | Why are websites so dead-set on showing you ads? Even if the user doesn't click an ad, does the website still make money because the user still saw it on the side of their screen? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egumi2r"
],
"text": [
"Oh yes absolutely. they get paid. Digital ads get paid in two general ways: 1) Per click. Less common, but the site gets paid for each time a user clicks the ad on the page. This really isn't a great way to do ads, though it still is one way for sure. 2) Per view. This ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asl40s | How do you control prosthetic arms and how does the prosthetic know what to do? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egv2yjh"
],
"text": [
"Some nerve endings that were previously used to control that motor function may still exist. By monitoring for when these nerves go off, we can control a prosthetic arm that does the same feature."
],
"score": [
3
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aslsd5 | How was code written on the very first computers? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egv6c1v",
"egv7i1o",
"egv7d69",
"egv6y1z",
"egvacuv"
],
"text": [
"Initially, not at all. The computer was a fixed purpose machine. You just built it to do the task you needed it to do. Think of say, mechanical calculators: you don't program them, you make their parts to perfo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asm3r7 | Why does your batteries performance drop if you leave it on charge while it is already fully charged? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egvaaft",
"egvdm37",
"egvav45"
],
"text": [
"It doesn't. Not with modern batteries/chargers, anyway. The charger or the battery itself will have a circuit that prevents overvoltage/overcharging.",
"A battery's capacity drops when the chemicals in a battery react together in ways t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asmaqm | How does data compression work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egv951h"
],
"text": [
"Very simple ELI5 answer: Imagine that part of the file contains the string \"abbbbbbcd\". You could compress that to a6bcd. 9 characters down to 5. A 45% reduction. By using such techniques you can make a file shorter for download, and then the installation process expa... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asnv2l | How do fuel automatic shut off handles work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egvgsgd"
],
"text": [
"The ones in the gas pump? There is a free flowing air tube inside the handle. Any gas you pump into the tank, pushes air outward, some goes through this air tube. When gas gets high enough in the tank, it blocks this air tube, which triggers a trap in the handle, shutti... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aspwkj | What is impedance and ohms and why is it so important to audio? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"Ohms are the unit of measurement of electrical resistance. Impedance is the resistance of a circuit independent of it electrical source, both in terms of static (Think DC voltage) current and Dynamic (think audio signal) current. & #x200B; How it relates ... | [
"url"
] | [
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