q_id stringlengths 6 6 | title stringlengths 4 294 | selftext stringlengths 0 2.48k | category stringclasses 1
value | subreddit stringclasses 1
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assdeq | How does the video game world work, and how are games made? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"egwdohe"
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"Think of a game like building a house. There isn’t one person, or one group of people, who do the work. There’s the person who is paying the money to have it built. They’ll hire an architect to design it, surveyors to work out the material needs, builders to lay the bri... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
astauz | If we block robo-caller and spam callers that show spoofed phone numbers, are we blocking people's real phone numbers that we might actually want to talk to? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Yes, which is why the robocallers are using local area and prefix codes for the spoofed numbers they're \"calling\" from. Sadly, the best course of action is to mute the call and let it go to voicemail and pray... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
asxdxy | How do motor boat engines not get water logged? | Any time that there's moving parts, especially in a circular motion, wouldn't the water find a way in? Or are the moving parts so disconnected from the engine that it just doesn't reach it? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egxby7j",
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"egysn66"
],
"text": [
"Same reason your car motor doesn't get water logged when you drive in rain or puddles. The motor is not in the water. It's spins a shaft which is also attached to a propeller, that goes into the water.",
"The actual motor is well above ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
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at0yjd | How can phones have 8gb ram in such a small formfactor and pc needs these huge 4gb ram stick? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
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"text": [
"This has to do with industry standards. The RAM slots on PC's are almost always the same size. A 64GB RAM stick is the s... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
at1eit | Why can't games run nicely on MacOS? | Every time I use MacOS, I am way more productive than when I am on Windows. However, when I try to play any game more demanding than Minecraft, MacOS slows to a crawl. Why does MacOS seem so much better for everything considered productivity but sucks at gaming? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egy1byc",
"egy0en8"
],
"text": [
"Most of what people say here is wrong. MacOS uses Metal(Apple specific OpenGL another, open sourced Api) as a graphic API and Windows DirectX. Most games use DirectX and wont even be able to run on MacOS. Even if the game would be able to use OpenGL or Me... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
at1xki | What is HTTPS and what data can our IPS theoretically see and realistically see? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egyd6k8",
"egy40sl"
],
"text": [
"The ISP will see you are visiting URL_0 , but HTTPS will hide the fact that you are searching for hardcore midget porn. Edit: On the other hand, if you were to use HTTP (with no S) your ISP will be able to map your dirty mind.",
"It is a secure protoc... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
at5nir | How does my washing machine turn my clothes inside out from simple agitation? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egyva7y",
"egz2o5f"
],
"text": [
"Washing machines rotate really quickly. Chances are it will cling onto something or get stuck to something causing it to inverg",
"There’s a lot of friction going on during a wash, specially if there are a lot of clothes inside, the water also helps b... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
at6nqq | How does Captcha work? How do ‘robots’ not recognize the letters/pictures? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egyznoe",
"egyzoe1"
],
"text": [
"The human visual system is remarkably good at understanding what something is even when really distorted, computers are not so much (at least now). Most recognition of letters/objects by a computer are done via neural networks, and requires a large traini... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
at7taq | In terms of internet speeds, why are download and upload speeds so different? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egz83he",
"egzcl73",
"egz8qos"
],
"text": [
"The reason for the difference is that most people download more data than upload. When you visit a page, the page sends you a lot more data then you send it. On the flip side, the web server needs a stronger upload speed as it is sending fi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
at9vcv | When charging anything, how does it know when it is full battery and to stop charging? Also what happens when you keep something plugged in on full charge? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egzw85y",
"egzuo1u"
],
"text": [
"The voltage of a battery falls as it drains. So, a 1.5 volt alkaline batter really means a 1.7 volt battery when full, 1.5 volts when somewhere in the middle, and 1.2v when it's almost empty. The full vs empty voltage is different for every different type... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ata0xg | what is the Turing machine | And what does mean that a process is compliant to it? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egzpq44",
"egzwud4"
],
"text": [
"A Turing machine is an abstract idea (based on a real machine made by Alan Turing). The machine would read a symbol that had been printed out, and then make another symbol on another piece of paper, following a specific set of rules. The original Turing m... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
atb0t7 | Why are updates to video games so large, sometimes larger than the game itself? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"egzwegj"
],
"text": [
"Code is small, because it is instructions for your computer to make something (such as a graphic). However, It's much faster to pre-make and store the graphic first, so your computer doesn't need to create it on-the-fly. But since we don't what your computer will need..... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atcpz1 | What is a server room like this used for? Any examples you could give? | [What are server rooms like this used for?]( URL_0 ) What is the computing power of this room? Or are these not computers? Are they interconnected? I have always seen rooms like this but never knew exactly what I was looking at or what they are used for. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh0agml",
"eh0am3n",
"eh0bfuq",
"eh0at0r",
"eh0c7jj"
],
"text": [
"Mainly those are used for data storage. Any website is hosted in a room like that, and any online game has a server room like that. They are all networked together, yet can act independently. They don't look th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
atd1bw | What waves do GPS signals use and do they have to have direct line of sight as opposed to bouncing off walls and can they penetrate thin plastics? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh0bw0v"
],
"text": [
"Gps signals are sent by radio wave at 1575.42mhz and 1227.60mhz It's literally your car radio tuned up higher"
],
"score": [
3
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"text_urls": [
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} | [
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ateb15 | How are images transmitted in tv? | Im having a hard time understanding how frequency is transformed into images | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh0k7r6",
"eh0lldz"
],
"text": [
"It's a series of tubes. Cable is produced through coaxial cables that use electrical signals to send a message that is the translated by your television to make a picture and sound that is acceptable to human perception. Antenna use radio waves to send a ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
atglzu | How does Google remain so dominant in the search engine market? | The process of building of search engine isn't a secret, nor are the tools one could use to do it. So how does Google stay on top? At this point, is it mostly due to brand recognition? As an American, it's very common to hear Google used in a verb sense as a euphemism for searching things online ("Try Googling it", "I ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh0vxhz",
"eh1jd9v"
],
"text": [
"At this time Google is the best at the task. The majority like me have tried other search engines and been disappointed. Maybe you should be asking why consumers choose Google.",
"Sure, the basic mechanics of building a search engine are well understo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
atijr3 | Before digital cameras, did pictures have a resolution? If not, how was image quality measured? | I see some old images that are super blurry but others are very clear. What exactly is causing these differences? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh179d1",
"eh1aas9",
"eh19n5t"
],
"text": [
"Blurry-ness is mostly a factor of focus, shutter speed + stability and depth of field. Photographic film did have a resolution in the sense that there were small crystals that detected and recorded the light, but I would imagine most of the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
atik8b | What is the difference between Firmware and Software? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh17w5o"
],
"text": [
"Firmware is a type of software. It's generally written to a memory chip on a piece of hardware, and controls how the hardware works. It's different from other types of software in that it usually isn't changed, it's integrated into that piece of hardware. Many devices h... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atixdi | How did they make the „holograms” performing on stage during the LoL World Championship opening ceremony (during the POP/STARS song)? | I’ve read they were made in AR but I don’t really understand. Could the people watching performace live actually see these avatars? Were they perhaps made using motion capture or something similar? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh1bnrm"
],
"text": [
"AR means the holograms were there for the recording, but not live. Basically they were added in video editing. AR means that instead of having a person sit there and track the shot etc, the software automatically placed them correctly. Imagine taking a picture with your... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
atm9sn | How do credit cards physically work? How is data stored and taken from it via chip/strip? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh1zlm9"
],
"text": [
"The strip is simply a band of magnetic material which has sections with the magnetic pole flipped one way or another. It is only a way to easily read the number off the front of the card into a machine rather than typing it in manually. The chip is connected to by elect... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atn07y | How does a space telescope judge distance? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh24pah"
],
"text": [
"Parallax is the most common type for near-ish objects. Put something in front of you. Look at it with only one eye open, then the other. You notice how you can use those two slightly different images to judge the distance? That's ***basically*** how we do it for nearby ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atn6d4 | What's the difference between FAT32, NTFS and exFAT? | I know that FAT32 only supported 4GB files but I am not too sure how NTFS and exFAT differ. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh27u3s"
],
"text": [
"Each one is a way of organizing data on disk. FAT, or File Allocation Table, has seen many variations over the years. FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, each one has been able to hold larger files and work with bigger disks. The exFAT format is another evolution of the system allowin... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
atngmm | How is it that you don't drop your call when you're moving around and get switched to a different tower? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh27hgv",
"eh27ia7"
],
"text": [
"Most of the time your phone is within range of multiple towers. When it is getting close to the edge of the range of one tower the system will hand off the call to the next closest tower. Ideally this handoff is done before you lose connection to the old ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atnlu0 | How does a breathalyzer detect blood alcohol content by blowing into them? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh28k5h",
"eh28jh0",
"eh28p21"
],
"text": [
"When you have alcohol in your blood there will be some in your exhaled breath as well. The breathalyzer converts the ethanol in your breath into acetic acid and water. The byproduct of this reaction is a small amount of electricity. The bre... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atpl1p | how do they store and transport highly radioactive materials like reactor core level or higher radioactivity | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh2qqy5"
],
"text": [
"Active fuel from a reactor core is stored under water. Water is one of the best radiation shielding materials. It blocks pretty much every kind of atomic radiation, it's cheap, safe and easy to maintain. It's kept this way for at least 5 years after coming out of the re... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atppz3 | Why do some Bluetooth devices (receivers) seem to maintain connection at longer distances? | For instance, I have a Bluetooth headset (Jaybird) that seems to lose connection about 10-15 feet away, but a Bluetooth speaker (JBL) that I'm currently streaming music to about 30 feet away and through a closed door. Is the difference on the receiving end of the devices? Both would be connected to my mobile device, so... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh2pwin"
],
"text": [
"There are 3 different classes for bluetooth devices - lower power = less range. Class 3 is designed for short range, < 10 meters. Class 2 is designed for around 10 meters. Class 1 devices are designed for around 100 meters. Your Jaybird is probably a class 3 or 2 device... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
atpw5w | How do cars have cameras that broadcast the top of the car and the surrounding area? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh2pqzn",
"eh2pwco"
],
"text": [
"It's not the top of the car. It's most commonly 4 cameras. One in the front, one on each side and one on the back. Through editing you attach them all together showing the different sides and put the car where there's a missing spot (I. E. In the middle) ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ats5a9 | How does thermal imaging work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh365m6"
],
"text": [
"A very basic explanation is that all heat generates thermal radiation...and thermal radiation is just another form of light. Our eyes can't detect that light (just like we can't see ultraviolet rays or x-rays), but we can make equipment that can detect that light and co... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
ats7a2 | what is the point of wi-fi calling? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh35928",
"eh3564b",
"eh35x5a"
],
"text": [
"Cost, if you’re international and don’t have a solid or free international plan you will be calling for free",
"Call quality. Theoretically you’ll get better voice quality over your ISPs data network than your cell providers voice netwo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atum4v | Why the phone call voice quality sucks while we have pretty nice mics and speakers on our phones? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh3ilej",
"eh3wdle"
],
"text": [
"Long story short, it’s to make it cheaper to have many phone calls happening simultaneously. On a copper wire, or fiber optic cable, or in the wireless frequency, there’s only a certain amount of bandwidth available. To maximize the number of simultaneous... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atvfcb | How does the illegal streaming/torrenting system work? Are there groups who record , subtitle and upload new episodes/movies as and when they are released? How do they sustain these activities? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh3njeq"
],
"text": [
"**Stream site:** I have a movie, and I invite the whole neighborhood to come to my garage and watch it whenever they want, even make a copy for themselves if they want. **Torrent:** Most of the neighborhood has the movie. When somebody new wants it, they all contribute ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atwrte | How does windows know if a program is not responding? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh3wxvx",
"eh3xeyi"
],
"text": [
"If the application doesn’t “ping” the event queue for 5 seconds, then Windows makes an assumption that the program isn’t responding, and alerts the user.",
"Answered here: URL_0 Whenever Windows wants to tell the application something it pushes it as ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atym36 | Why dont internet service providers invest in something similar to cellular towers so they can provide service at a broader range? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh4a7l7",
"eh4b2qu"
],
"text": [
"I mean, some do, and provide wireless internet at long range. That is how this post is coming to you for instance. It's just expensive, and for most ISPs, not worth the expense because it would require a lot of work for not as much benefit.",
"Why wou... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
atyvf5 | What is physically happening, on the smallest possible scale, inside a computer processor? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh4d8vd"
],
"text": [
"The most basic component of a computer processor is the transistor. A transistor acts like a switch. When it's on the switch allows electricity to flow from the input to the output. When the switch is off the flow is blocked. The way that transistors are constructed is ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
au16o1 | How are machines used for medical imaging calibrated? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh4tngb"
],
"text": [
"Probably with some reference data. Here's a thing we send out with the machine its as exactly 1.0 as we can get if ur machine isnt measuring this at 1.0 its offcenter"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
au1bkx | . Why are they flipped? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh4vwx6"
],
"text": [
"Because Bell (the telephone company) started doing it so everyone started doing it, there was a video made fairly recently on it, can't seem to find it right now."
],
"score": [
5
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
au1c3m | What is differential privacy? How does it work and Why is it important? | I hear the term differential privacy being used more and more among techies. What is it? Why is it important, and how does it work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh5boln"
],
"text": [
"Differential privacy has to do with how confidential information can be gleaned from seemingly obfuscated (disguised) information. Organizations like the US Census Bureau and the Department of Labor collect a lot of data about people under the condition of anonymity. Th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
au2jts | how does the auto setting on my windshield wipers work? How does the car know there is enough rain on the windshield that warrants a wipe?? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh55fxh"
],
"text": [
"The sensor beams an infrared light onto/out of the windshield. Raindrops will affect how this beam of light is bounced back into the sensor, so with that information it can determine approximately how much rain there is. & #x200B; [ URL_0 ]( URL_1 )"
],
"score": [
... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
au45xo | How do smartphones/tablets still track time after battery dies and has no internet? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh5gv5n"
],
"text": [
"There's a smaller battery that powers the clock and flash memory. On a computer it'll be a little button battery. They provide just a trickle of electricity. They last a long time. In fact you can find YouTube videos of people unboxing computers from the 80s where those... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
au4u85 | OLED vs QLED | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh5m5p5",
"eh657mf"
],
"text": [
"OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) - It's an organic LED that is capable of emitting it's own light (unlike LCD screens which require back-light) therefore they are capable of displaying the \"true\" black colour, as they simply turn off and no light is ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
au4whi | How do transistors work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh5mw6q",
"eh6iu62"
],
"text": [
"A transistor is an electrical component that works as one of two things: an amplifier or a switch. An amplifier takes a small electrical current and turns it into a big electrical current. A switch takes a small electrical current and uses it as a signal ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
au4zvh | How come some websites have massive password leaks, but large ones like Google do not? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh5n03r",
"eh5pnz2",
"eh5rdcz"
],
"text": [
"Just to be clear for some reality into the situation. The only times you hear about a password leak is when several things occur: 1) Passwords get stolen 2) The company actually discovers it (way harder than you'd think 3) The company think... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
au6xg6 | How do OLED displays differentiate between a dim white and gray? | As the title says; how do those make dim white compared to a gray? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh60q6t"
],
"text": [
"Dim white is grey. You see it as grey if it is surrounded by white, and white if it is surrounded by darker grey (or 'black'.)"
],
"score": [
8
],
"text_urls": [
[]
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} | [
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au9dzk | For years NSA has raised concerns about the US power grid being hacked. What can the US do to protect the power grid? Going Green is critical for all, if nations are unable to protect their power grids, will that slow going green? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh6iylh",
"eh6j1qm",
"eh6jm06"
],
"text": [
"First, I think you're connecting two things that aren't connected. Going green, that is using more renewable energy sources, is not connected to the security of the electrical grid. Second, hardening the electrical grid against a cyberattac... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
au9w5x | Why does the plug of vacuum cleaners always end where the chord wraps so you can never attach it properly | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh6mlgd",
"eh6mp7t"
],
"text": [
"It has to do with wrapping the cord too tight. If it ends where the hoop is, the cord is too tight, which means youre not taking care of the vacuum properly because it grinds down the plastic when it's too tight. Source: every southern mother ever",
"... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aubeaw | What is long exposure photography? | I don't really understand what it is and how it works. Is it a lot of photos combined in one or one photo that is made over long period of time? (Or even something different!) | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh6yoq5"
],
"text": [
"> one photo that is made over long period of time That's exactly what it is. It's called \"long exposure\" because the aperture of the camera is held open for a very long time, leaving the film / sensor \"exposed\" to the light. Normal pictures snap the aperture open an... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aubfz9 | Why can’t robots click “I’m not a robot” on websites, and what robots are being stopped by this? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh6yqjo",
"eh6y9n9",
"eh71b7n"
],
"text": [
"Just the way your cursor moves from its initial position to the check box also tells the system you’re a human. Bots would go straight to the box while finger drag would be shaky.",
"That \"I am not a robot\" typically checks your activ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aubma4 | How do multiple exposures work to create such amazing photographs? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh71fr7",
"eh71xu0"
],
"text": [
"This is a technique that is used when photographing in low light conditions. Normally this would require very long exposure times in order to collect enough light to get all the details. However you run the risk of overexposing parts of your image and und... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aucav2 | How do the security gates at the exits of shops (to find if someone is stealing) work? Why do they activate sometimes when nothing has been stolen and security tags haven't been left on? | I was caught by one of these the other day -- hadn't stolen anything, didn't have clothing/alcohol/etc with "not removed" security tags. Just a normal law-abiding supermarket trip. Security searched me and didn't find anything either so he let me through, but it's left me wondering how these get activated and why they ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh750wv"
],
"text": [
"An EAS system or electronic article surveillance system works with detection antennas that are installed at the exit of the store and the hard tags or labels attached to the articles sold in the store. The detection antennas constantly emit electromagnetic energy. When ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
aud3z1 | How can we measure battery percentage from 0 to 100 one by one? Is there 100 different sensors or some sensors and a predicting software between them? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh7bjq4",
"eh7bwuy",
"eh7brcb"
],
"text": [
"The voltage of a battery drops a predictable amount as the battery depletes. So, it might be 3.7 volts at 100% charge and only 2.5 volts when it's almost dead. The circuitry inside your phone measures the current voltage and compares it to ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aujoh1 | how do printers and printer ink and printing work? I don't understand how the liquid ink doesn't just like soak the page, how does it form letters and pictures? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh8j7cd",
"eh8j4rk",
"eh8kltn"
],
"text": [
"For liquid-based inks, pretty much the same way pens work - they release a very specific amount of ink in a certain pattern and that amount soaks into the paper and dries quickly enough to maintain the pattern (letters, numbers, symbols, li... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aum3yy | how astronomers can observe for a prolonged period of time a tiny part of the sky, with the earth rotating around its axis and the sun | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh8xchr",
"eh97ci9",
"eh9jpco"
],
"text": [
"They mostly use a device called a heliostat. This is a device which you add to your telescope mount and configure it so that it aligns with the plane of the rotation of the planet. There is a motor attached to it, or you can turn it manuall... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
auooh8 | Why does the cursor go backwards when you move it to the left side of the word document? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh9gvjr"
],
"text": [
"It indicates that the cursor will be selecting entire lines of text. There are a variety of feedback methods used to indicate different behaviors of the user interface such as changing the cursor into a caret."
],
"score": [
5
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aupioy | If we can't get under 7nm with silicon why are intel/AMD not building bigger dies with more transistor instead of always shrinking? | If a regular CPU consume 95W today in 14nm, why aren't they building HUGE cpu that consume 3-400 watts? all we would have to do is having a bigger PSU and more efficient cooling. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh9n6s2",
"eh9nb9p",
"eh9n59h"
],
"text": [
"> why aren't they building HUGE cpu that consume 3-400 watts? all we would have to do is having a bigger PSU and more efficient cooling. Because it will generate a metric ton of heat. Like, a lot. Which means a big ol' heatsink and a noisy,... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
auqbz3 | how do we keep people alive during heart transplants? | In other words when there's no heart attached to the body to pump blood how to we keep the brain and other organs functioning? Also bonus if someone explains how a working heart stays working when moved to another body. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh9u16p",
"eh9tobk"
],
"text": [
"During an operation the circulatory system will be put onto a bypass machine which circulates and oxygenates the blood. Your heart has its own internal electrical conduction including little natural pacemakers called nodes. If you restart this current the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
auqcou | How does punch card computing work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eh9u2gs"
],
"text": [
"A computer program is stored in the computer's memory (RAM). If the program is not loaded into RAM, then the computer can't do anything. Punch cards were simply the original method of loading a program into memory. The computer had a circuit which could read punch cards... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aurzaj | how do rechargeable batteries work? | Simply that, how do they work? What allows them to store their charge? I’m having a hard time wrapping my brain around electricity and energy in general. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eha8obb"
],
"text": [
"Technically batteries don't store electricity. They create electricity through a chemical reaction. Rechargeable batteries work because some of those chemical reactions can be reversed by running electricity back through the battery in the reverse direction. A fully cha... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
auxfr8 | Why is it that mobile phone signal decrease significantly in the restroom of workplaces? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehb6jad",
"ehb6mzb"
],
"text": [
"Cellphones use radios to connect to the internet. Your signals gets weaker when there are more things in the way. Bathrooms tend to be in the center of buildings, which means more things are in the way. As a result your signal is weak and you may lose con... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
auxkg3 | why did old games need batteries in the cartridge to save rather than using the consoles power? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehb6vyf",
"ehb76hc"
],
"text": [
"The console's power would be unavailable when the console was off or the cartridge removed from the system. Because the technology used to maintain save files required a power source, a battery was the only option.",
"The cartridges could have two kin... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
auyfv0 | What's with the sudden increase in number of cameras lenses on mobile phones? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehbk0sm",
"ehbbehf",
"ehc3eoh",
"ehc0ie3",
"ehc3k0s",
"ehbkd8a",
"ehcgcb6",
"ehcdbke",
"ehc6png",
"ehca2xs",
"ehc4c23",
"ehcd0xu"
],
"text": [
"In two words: [Computational photography]( URL_1 ) Phones are too small to capture high quality images by... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
auzrlb | What is electro-static discharge (ESD), how does it work and why is it harmful to some electronic devices but generally tolerable for humans? | So recently, I've been reading up stuff about building/upgrading PCs (looking forward to building my first pc lol). While surfing through various guides and tips, I encountered the term ESD on multiple occassions. Everyone seems to agree that it is harmful to some PC components but not as much as for us humans. I'm cur... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehbjc6s"
],
"text": [
"ESD is just the shock you get from static electricity. You know when you shuffle your feet on the carpet while wearing socks and then touch something metal? That shock is an electrostatic discharge. ESD can have very high voltage but usually incredibly tiny current. So,... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
av0bf3 | How are cracks in concrete detected | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehbo2x6"
],
"text": [
"Usually visually. Cracks in the ground or in a foundation wall underground can be easily spotted. If the area behind or under the concrete is wet, the crack is lined with a dark color, as concrete is porous, it absorbs water making the crack and the surrounding concrete... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
av0sl3 | -target locking missles/guns? | Specific on fighter jets. How do they lock on to other planes? Magnets? Magic? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehbqp0y"
],
"text": [
"There are 3 main ways to \"lock\" on to a target this way for air-to-air targets Radar: Either the missile, or plane, or both, shoot radar out at the other plane, and the missile tracks its target based on radar Infrared (heat): The missile has a camera in it that seeks... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
av1dwd | - Why did Windows just need an hour and a half to update? What takes so long? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehby6r4"
],
"text": [
"Actual five year old explanation: Windows is broken up into lots and lots of small play blocks that are sometimes stacked on top of eachother. Moving a bottom block, which is usually the most important because of its support to the tower, would cause it to fall over. In... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
av2mrz | how close do you have to get to a wifi network before your phone starts connecting? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehc7t8p"
],
"text": [
"It has to do with wavelength and power. Your WiFi operates at either 2.5 GHz or 5.0 GHZ The wavelengths are less than 5 inches big. Your router is also only putting out about 1/2 a watt of power. The smaller the wavelength the more buildings and other obstacles affect i... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
av8o2w | How do animated shows like South Park and Futurama sync up audio and the animations? What’s the process here? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehdek26",
"ehdijmu"
],
"text": [
"There are animation tools that do this automatically. You provide the tool with a library of mouth positions that correspond to different sounds in a language. Then run the voice actor's audio through the program, and the program detects what sound is pla... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
av9j88 | EMPs | How do they work? And are the electronics that get affected by them permanently broken? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehdl27e",
"ehdna1r"
],
"text": [
"EMP stands for electromagnetic pulse. It is a sudden massive burst of energy, which can be created through multiple natural and artificial processes. The main way EMPs cause damage is a huge current flowing through electronics, which will destroy capacito... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
avdzky | Why do big companies/schools etc. use outside mass email services? Why not save money and send them themselves? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eheby0n"
],
"text": [
"There are a lot of logistical issues with sending out an email to millions of people, and it’s generally cheaper and more effective to have a service do it. One of the big components is ensuring you get past ISP spam filters. If you send out a million emails all at once... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avfchh | considering that we have had waterproof phones for quite some time now, whats stopping us from making a touch screen that doesnt spazz out when water is on it? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehelbu2",
"eheojwh"
],
"text": [
"Nothing. Such screens exist. However, consumers prefer extremely sensitive screens, so they react to small inputs like some water.",
"The touch screen on for example a DS doesn't care about water, because its pressure based. Phone screens are current-... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avfjcy | How do instant money transfer services like Venmo & Paypal work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"eheoi5w"
],
"text": [
"Venmo and Paypal are the intermediaries. You Venmo your friend $50 and they instantly withdraw the cash from their Venmo account before it even hits your credit card (or whatever funds your Venmo). What really happened is that you promised to give Venmo $50, and Venmo h... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avi3gy | How will the James Webb Space Telescope look for alien life? Where will astronomers look first and what type of life might it detect? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehfavmr"
],
"text": [
"So there are 2 ways we can observe planets: 1) When a planet passes between us and a distant star, the light dims. It also changes the color of the star's light. The difference in color and the amount of dimness tell us about the size of the planet and the chemical comp... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avkynj | Did T.V stations back then used to play the national anthem then cut to static? If so, why? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehfwhu5",
"ehg46gs",
"ehfwuq8",
"ehfwaab",
"ehfwlau",
"ehg9ejo"
],
"text": [
"In the past, TV networks didn’t have enough cone to to broadcast 24 hours. So at a certain point it would just cut off broadcasting. Different stations had different ways to signal the end of the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avl2qh | On older game consoles (NES, etc.), how is movement not bound to the shown pixels? | It's difficult to put into words, but on older consoles, how is it possible that the player is able to stand, say, in between pixels? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehfzrw7",
"ehfz6d6"
],
"text": [
"I think I get what you're asking, on a console like the NES the horizontal resolution is only 256 pixels. Since the framerate is 59.94 fps for most NES games this would imply that almost a quarter of the screen would be covered in 1 second if a character ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
avnkea | When using slow internet, why do some web pages load bit by bit, while others show nothing until the full result appears? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehghfus",
"ehha3o8"
],
"text": [
"When the internet was always slow we designed it so that the first part loaded quickly and other stuff showed up when it could. Now pages are built expecting everything to load quickly so they don't optimize. Plus advertisements take time to pull from oth... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avowvb | How come phone CPUs have octa-core processers when most laptop CPUs (even high end) are usually dual/quad core? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehgord6"
],
"text": [
"If you look at the specs on these phones, they're actually *two joined quad core* processors. There's one set of fast cores for when you're actively using the phone and a set of slow processors that don't use nearly as much power for times it's not \"active\" (eg - sitt... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avt65q | Why does text on a PDF not appear blurry no matter how much you zoom in? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehhglac",
"ehhiu3t",
"ehhosiw"
],
"text": [
"Because a PDF is not an image that goes under compression. Pdf can contain other stuff, so when zooming in on fonts, its the same as doing it on word (in theory)",
"The text is in vector format - you can convert a PDF to an svg (scalabl... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avtuqf | Why aren't old films that can't be remastered with the old reels not just remastered digitally with algorithms or upscaling software? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehhm83y",
"ehi4a3a"
],
"text": [
"They can be, but the technology is pretty new and still requires a lot of manual tweaking, which adds to the cost. So far it usually hasn't been worth it economically.",
"Old films don't have a resolution, theres nothing to upscale. They also suffer f... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avvkry | What does 64/32bit architecture means? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehi118o"
],
"text": [
"A bit is a binary digit. A decimal number like 8376 has four digits. A 32-bit number is comprised of 32 1's and 0's. A 64 bit number has 64 1's and 0's. A 32 bit computer will read and operate on, at most, 32 bits at a time. If your calculation fits within a 32 bit numb... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avvuxm | what is mouse DPI? | I know that dpi is dots per inches I just don’t understand how that translates into mouse sensitivity or anything about how the DPI is figured out to begin with. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehi3cu7"
],
"text": [
"DPI indicates sensitivity: how far the cursor moves in relation to how far you move the mouse. Think of it like pixel density in monitors - the more “dots” in an inch translates to more stuff that fits in that inch, in this case motion. Sorry if this doesn’t help, an EL... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
avxopy | Why are artists ever more capable of creating hyperrealistic art than those before them? | The same challenges have faced all artists throughout history yet only within the last 40 years have we seen photograph-like paintings. Like this for instance: URL_0 Why were people not able to achieve this in the past when the tools have not changed significantly, and why is there a progression throughout history? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehij8vz",
"ehija05",
"ehil6hb",
"ehij1ts"
],
"text": [
"Basically Technology. The Technology and Science around painting and drawing increased significantly. Math plays a big role, but also tools do have advanced, finer inks, more consistent, machine-manufactored utensiles. An eve... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
avxvsx | layers and masks in photoshop. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehilbbb",
"ehilgei",
"ehilitg"
],
"text": [
"It's like having a lot of transparent sheets of plastic all over each other. Together they make one image, but if you want to you can take one out, change something about it, or it back in, or change the order.",
"Get some tracing paper... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avzu35 | Why aren't charger/data ports in phones shaped more like a headphone jack? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehj3n36"
],
"text": [
"Headphone jacks aren't really a great design, but they usually work OK if you only have a small number of signals. If you want to use a bunch of signals, making sure that each of them has a solid connection can get tricky. It's just not a great system from a mechanical ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
avzxph | Why do most television DVD sets have analog artifacts on some episodes? | So sometimes when you watch TV shows on DVD, sometimes the episode will be a clear, good quality image. But in other episodes there's tons of analog artifacts such as bob crawl, rainbows, and the image will look "soft". Why is this? Can't all the episodes be mastered in digital instead of analog? & #x200B; [ URL_0 ]( U... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehj14s7"
],
"text": [
"It most likely has to do with what it was filmed with and the quality of the original that is used to master the digital copy."
],
"score": [
4
],
"text_urls": [
[]
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} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
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aw0aij | How does an activity tracker know I'm asleep and differentiate between sleep phases? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehj6bho"
],
"text": [
"People who aren't asleep usually move around. People who are trying to sleep but not having success usually shift around a bit. People who are asleep but not sleeping well also tend to roll around. People who are sleeping well and deeply are usually motionless for long ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aw3zg6 | Can someone please explain to me what exactly is IOT? I read about it a lot but I still couldn't really get it. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehjrtkp",
"ehjqmyp",
"ehk7q6e"
],
"text": [
"Internet of Things. Basically, the idea that as tech has advanced, we can now cheaply stick a CPU with wifi and networking ability into pretty much anything. Some ideas for making use of this include: * Thermostats. Forgot to turn heating o... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
aw4dm0 | what causes servers to crash? | The image in my head of a server is basically a big computer, not many moving parts and lots of cables and codes running the thing 24/7. Now, we have a "broken server" at work at the moment, which causes almost nothing work-related to work, but that popped a question into my head. What exactly breaks? Is a part broken ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehjtx93",
"ehjuogt",
"ehjvgb5"
],
"text": [
"A server has a lot of physical components, and these can fail and cause system problems. Any medium-large company will have a server infrastructure with lots of redundancy, so that one failed component will not cause an outage, or only a ve... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
awbydf | How did banks manage their databases and (inter)national transactions when there was no internet? (~1850-1950) | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehlgid8",
"ehlhnps"
],
"text": [
"Buildings and buildings of physical documentation. Underwriters were a lot more prevalent back then, and were required to do more.",
"Paper. It's a great material for records. Sure, it's a lot slower to access, but getting your foriegn exchange transf... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
awd2d6 | how solar panels actually generate power from the sun | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehm512h"
],
"text": [
"Solar Cells consist of two layers of material. In-between is a thin interface that cannot be simply passed by electrons. Sunlight however provides enough energy to push electrons over this barrier. These electrons want to go back to their original side, but can't becaus... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
awgxvz | How do radios (or other communications) send different messages on very similar frequencies? | For example, a radio channel from one to the next may be 156.575 MHz to 156.625 MHz (0.05 MHz). These signals should become superimposed, and so how does a radio decouple the multiple different channels? How does it really know that the 1 it reads is really a 1 from the channel you selected, and not a 1 from a differen... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehmepq3"
],
"text": [
"Imagine all the frequencies in the air are like a bucket of mixed coins. You throw the coins through one of those coin sorters and then just look at the nickels for one channel, and the quarters for another channel. That coin sorter is called a band-pass filter."
],
... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
awhgej | Aspect ratios, or why certain films don’t fill my screen? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehmij21"
],
"text": [
"Because widescreen movies were specifically created not to fill your TV screen. Well, the TV screen standard from the 50’s through the early 2000’s... Theatres needed a way to keep audiences coming after the advent of Television. The studios decide that spectacle would ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
awhgi4 | how did GAME GENIES work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehmiuep"
],
"text": [
"Repeating my answer from the last time this was asked: Game Genie's worked a little different depending on each system because each system treated cartridges a little different. In general a Game Genie was designed to sit between the console and the cartridge and when t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
awhxzc | Why are most PC components compatible, yet CPU's architecture changes massively that you need new motherboard structure for the CPU? | New GPU models come every year and you can use your current motherboard to put it in. With CPU'S though, this is different. You need an exact socket compatible motherboard, and everytime a new CPU comes out, you will most likely get a new motherboard with it. RAM probably has 4 different types. DDR1 - > DDR4, their str... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehmn8p8",
"ehmldyu"
],
"text": [
"New CPU generations generally add capabilities (additional registers, different memory access modes, etc etc), and require supporting hardware on the motherboard. When you say GPU you are really referring to the video card, not the GPU chip itself. GPU ch... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
awl5n4 | how do Google Maps and other maps services get updates as new roads and highways are built? | And how do they know when things like a new highway (or modifications to an existing one, like more lanes or new exits) have been added in an area that is already well-mapped? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehnaxib"
],
"text": [
"You can tell them online, my new build road and house was added in a couple of days. Makes getting deliveries much more reliable."
],
"score": [
3
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
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"url"
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awl7k2 | Why modern CPU has 8 core 16 thread but not 8 core 24 thread? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehnbfmj"
],
"text": [
"Basically because it's not nearly as efficient as just adding more cores. Each core can really only execute one thread at a time, but because of technology such as Intel's hyper-threading, it can make each core appear as two cores to the operating system, and then do so... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
awn4nv | Why do phone calls and texts still get charged for being international but internet traffic does not? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehodbmt",
"ehofqv1",
"ehnp43r"
],
"text": [
"All these pseudo technical explanations are great but the answer is money. They know they can charge you for it, so they do. It's no more skin off anyone's back to connect your cellphone to India than it is to Indiana in today's networked w... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
awqkgw | How did ROM files originally get extracted from cartridges like n64 games? How did emulator developers even begin to understand how to make sense of the raw data from those cartridges? | I don't understand the very birth of video game emulation. Cartridges can't be plugged into a typical computer in any way. There are no such devices that can read them. The cartridges are proprietary hardware, so only the manufacturers know how to make sense of the data that's scrambled on them... so how did we get to ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehojre4",
"eholn2p",
"ehoneik",
"ehojgns",
"ehojtub",
"ehoib3s",
"ehokvyl",
"eholxmw",
"ehok7nx",
"ehotg61",
"ehp1o4b",
"ehoz9v0",
"ehpwbg6",
"eholdor",
"ehpaybr",
"ehp2sej"
],
"text": [
"This is going to be a lot so hang on. Compute... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
awqrbt | What are these website cookies that I keep consenting to? , | What other tools do websites use to track me? I have heard of tracking tags and pixel tags but don't know what they are. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehok6cs",
"ehossq7"
],
"text": [
"A cookie is just a small piece of data that a website sends to your browser and your browser saves on your hard drive in a place it can quickly find it again. It's used so that the next time you visit the website it can ask the browser for that cookie and... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
awrsw8 | what is overclocking, why does it matter, and how is it done? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehor5nu"
],
"text": [
"All CPUs have a specified clock speed, effectively for each tick of the clock the CPU performs one instruction (e.g. add, subtract, copy, move), faster clock = more instructions = the computer does more. The clock speed is set by the manufacturer based on performance te... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
awv3vw | What improves/changes between versions of Ethernet wires? (i.e. cat6, cat5e) | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehpdrf3"
],
"text": [
"These standards are based on various characteristics. Such as impedance tolerances, resistance and cross talk between pairs. The higher the category the stricter the specification. So a damaged category 6 cable might only test as a category 5e cable. The way you get the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
awx6dh | How do cars and computers know what time it is even after being completly without electricity or internet? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ehptj4m",
"ehprd68"
],
"text": [
"The short answer is that they are never without electricity. In a computer, there is a tiny battery, often a CR2032 button cell, that keeps a chip running called the RTC, or Real Time Clock chip. Inside this chip there are several different components, a ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
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