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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
jipcbw | Why do we pay for cable television when they run commercials which can fund them? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ga7sqvt",
"ga7swoz"
],
"text": [
"Originally you paid for cable and the channels didnt have ads. Of course, the companies always are looking for more money, so they just started putting in ads and saying cable was just more reliable signal, not ad free",
"Cable channels actually pay t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jipfy7 | Why do pictures look sharp when you take them, but then do turn out blurry even when the camera is stable? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ga7wuch"
],
"text": [
"If your photos are turning out blurry either the camera moved or the subject moved. A perfectly stable camera and a perfectly stable/fixed subject won't result in a blurry photo. I have a feeling your question is centered on digital photography with a smartphone camera ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jirspz | Why are “green” screens green? Can they be other colours? Why does it work better if it’s green? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ga88nxa"
],
"text": [
"The specific shade of green used in green screens is very unusual and highly visible to the human eye. This makes it easier for SFX artists to work on the scenes in production and to lessen the chance that the movie could ship with a green screen accidentally showing."
... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jixzfy | When loading a page with bad internet connection, how come the ads are always fully loaded while the rest of the page is struggling to load in? | For example: when watching a YouTube video on a bad internet connection, the video stops every 2 seconds to load/render. But suddenly there is a 30sec ad, and it isn't affected by the bad connection. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ga9ckbf",
"ga99wao",
"ga9cvok",
"gaaevvf",
"gaa8dcd",
"gaayp42",
"ga9ueuu",
"ga9zjyt",
"gabeule"
],
"text": [
"World wide sides like Youtube use an algorithm where the video you are trying to load is uploaded to the nearest server to the uploader then as viewer... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jiyvl1 | How does Bluetooth get in sync with videos and sound even though Bluetooth has quite a big delay? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ga9f5wp",
"ga9l6uy"
],
"text": [
"Cache. If/when you're streaming over bluetooth it's not in real time. It's delayed just enough to copy enough of the file to the display device so that the program can be relatively confident it will play without errors. With proper transfer speeds and co... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jj12no | why most software these days take a huge amount of ram more than 60% just to run basic stuff? for example like most browsers? | i remember in 2009 when 2GB of ram was enough to run anything and i had no problem but today even with 12GB 20% of them go to OS by default so what gives? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"ga9u1ev",
"gaa4f4m",
"ga9qfkd",
"gaacxxi"
],
"text": [
"Websites have to be more responsive because studies show that if things hang for more than half a second, the user is more likely to close the tab or click \"back\" and move on to something else. To help be more responsive, s... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jj2r9t | how is a telescope mounted inside of an airplane able to detect water on the surface of the Moon? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaa2992"
],
"text": [
"Well, first off the telescope isn’t so much inside that 747SP as mounted on a bit where half the structure has been cut away, the telescope on th SOFIA aircraft is REALLY big! Second, it isn’t looking at things in optical wavelengths of light, like how you or I see thin... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jj2x5p | Why do most shotguns use a tubular magazine, while most rifles use a box magazine? Also, why do most manual shotguns use pump action, while most manual rifles use bolt action? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaa4447"
],
"text": [
"There are tubular magazine rifles and box magazine shotguns, so we’re basically talking about distinctions in popularity. However, certain high-powered rifle cartridges with pointed-tip bullets aren’t considered safe to use in a tubular magazine since the tip of each bu... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jj3xi1 | What is "organic" about OLED technology? | I keep reading and hearing that OLED display technology stands for "Organic Light Emitting Diode". My question is what is "organic" on it? Is it some sort of "life" based material? Or the term comes from a completely different concept? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaa91xr",
"gaa9a43",
"gaadj5a",
"gaa9gfd"
],
"text": [
"In chemistry \"organic compounds\" are those that are made of carbon and hydrogen primarily with a few other compounds like nitrogen, oxygen, etc (there might be some exceptions) So some of the components in an OLED display w... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jj4nbi | Why do Zoom, Skype, Teams, etc all open via the browser first, then the client? | So using Zoom for work meetings and whatnot nowadays. When I click "Join Meeting" it opens a web browser first, which then asks me if it's ok to open Zoom. Why doesn't it just open Zoom directly? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaaft3m"
],
"text": [
"The link you clicked on is an HTTP (hypertext) link...your computer is programmed to open those with a browser. All computers, basically, know how to handle an HTTP link. The browser then looks at your machine and says \"Oh, you've got Zoom, let's open that.\" If you do... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jj7lsm | How does deleting data off a HDD even work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaax732",
"gaawvd6"
],
"text": [
"HDDs do not use grooves: they use magnets. Each individual \"bit\" of storage is actually a small magnetic field, and which way the magnetic field is going determines whether that's a 1 or a 0. As for deletion, you're right: just hitting \"delete\" doesn'... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jj9ham | Why is Wukong so prominent in gaming culture? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gab9a7l",
"gab9dfx"
],
"text": [
"Wukong is a character that has been passed down for centuries now in various forms of media, from his original appearance in the 16th century, to films in the 90s and now video games. When game devs need to create a variety of characters for their games t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jjbe6i | Why do virtual reality headsets still require people with poor eyesight to wear glasses if the “screen” is right in front of you? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gabnhnq",
"gabpxwe",
"gabkybe",
"gabttmz"
],
"text": [
"Move your head 5 cm from phone screen and try to keep it in focus. It is tiring. The headset contains lenses that cause the effective distance to the display to be much greater. This way you can keep your eyes relaxed as if t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jjeiys | How is it that car companies can create autonomous driving vehicles, but they can’t make a seat belt that retracts consistently. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gac5fxv",
"gaccwe5",
"gacmqf6"
],
"text": [
"Apples and oranges. A seat belt is mechanical, autonomous driving is programming. Seat belts aren’t meant to snap back like retracting a dog leash. If they did how many law suits about black eyes and broken noses would a car company have to... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jjfzt0 | If a phone screen can have a 1080p (or even higher) display, and are magnitudes smaller than flat screen TVs, why can't flat screen TVs have much, much higher resolutions? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gacej6i",
"gacflj4"
],
"text": [
"They could, they make 4K flat screen tvs, and even 8K ones. The problem with having a 100 megapixel TV is that there isn't any 100 megapixel video to show on it. 4K has been around for years, and it's still not common to have 4K video sources.",
"View... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jjhvpl | This pole was in the way, but when zoomed in I could “see through” it | [ URL_1 ]( URL_0 ) How does this work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gacr825"
],
"text": [
"Someone explained in the comments. Basically, when a camera with a lens (pretty much all real cameras) looks at an object, the whole lens acts as a ton of tiny eyes that collect light, and that light is then assembled back into the image. If the lens is wider than the p... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jjijpy | how ssd’s and HD’s don’t loose memory when the laptop dies | I get that the use magnets (at least the ssd’s do) but how? And how does it ‘erase’ programs. AND how does magnetism turn into data? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gacwd4r"
],
"text": [
"SSD's don't use magnets, HDD's do. SSD's use flash memory which comes in many different forms, but the basic principle is that electricity is applied to a \"cell\" to determine what data (if any) is stored in that cell. There are different ways the data is stored and ob... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jjloy1 | - What other video platforms are available aside from YouTube? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gadb838"
],
"text": [
"Ublock origins as blocker for chrome or Firefox can fix that. If on a phone android use Firefox and then ublock extension then use the browser as your main viewer. If on iOS use brave browser."
],
"score": [
4
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jjnvsp | Axle Ratios: Someone I know is purchasing an F250 to tow a 5th wheel - why would they choose 4.30 Electronic Locking Rear Axle vs. 3.31 ELRA? What's the difference? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gadooih",
"gadvklo"
],
"text": [
"The Electronic Locking Rear Axle means that the differential can lock the two output shafts together, splitting the torque between the two. This is advantageous in low traction situations where one wheel might break free- robbing all the torque from the w... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jjqzg1 | What is Ray Tracing in GPU | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gae8mzp"
],
"text": [
"An attempt to more accurately simulate light by tracing and bouncing a bajillion lines all over the place similarly to how light would."
],
"score": [
3
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jjs3yi | Why do earphones stop working from one side? In the first few days/weeks, one side shuts off while the other side works perfectly for a long time. Why does this happen every single time? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaekksh",
"gaefx8v",
"gaelhy1",
"gaeulh2"
],
"text": [
"This is flex based damage. Continued slight bending of cables very very lightly damages the cable at that point. Since the headphones constantly flail about, no two points will have similar levels of damage and one point had ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jjx09h | The difference between a 256 GB microSD and a 256 GB HD | I'm just curious, disregarding speed and performance, why we wouldn't use a microSD card in something like a desktop when it takes up less space but essentially has the same amount of storage. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gafc8w1",
"gafdrjd"
],
"text": [
"Speed and performance is precisely why we don't use microSD cards, so it's a bit pointless to disregard those attributes.",
"SD Cards have to use extremely high density flash which comes with oodles of downsides They're notably more expensive per GB, ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jjxs3f | How do wireless cell phone chargers send an electrical charge to the phone battery without any wires? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gafhrqe",
"gafj7w4",
"gafq1aq"
],
"text": [
"They send a changing magnetic field, which acts like a magnet moving next to a coil and induces an electric current inside a coil in the phone, it’s not sending charge though the air, it’s moving the charges inside the phone",
"It opera... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jk002g | Why is working with images in Word/Pages so awful? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gag05o6"
],
"text": [
"> It seems to be a symptom across word processing software This is kind of the heart of the problem here. Word is indeed a word processor with all the functionalities necessary to process text in any way shape or form. That you're able to work with images at all is a bi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jk0lg3 | How do we measure contents of asteroids and planets without physical interactions. | Just saw nasa found a asteroid made of metal (iron and nickel) worth a shit tonne of money. How do we know it’s made of metal and is it accurate enough to risk time/lives on obtaining in the future? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gag2jyj"
],
"text": [
"All elements interact with electromagnetic radiation. That is just waves of energy that is all around us. These waves make up visible light, sound, colors, X-rays at the hospital and much more. Each wave is a different size (wavelength) and has a different energy value ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jk20qz | Why does it fell like its easier to type sitting at a desk rather than sitting on a couch? | I find it easier to type at a desk rather than a couch | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gagk8tm"
],
"text": [
"Because on a couch your body is in a different position and is relaxing. While on a desk you are sitting upright and your in the most comfortable position to work"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jk241y | When securely erasing a hard drive, why would you need multiple passes to fully delete data? | I understand how most formatting just removes the pointers to files and tables on the disk, but wouldn’t doing a single pass of writing all 0s make it so that data is completely unrecoverable? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gagc536",
"gagd4pl",
"gagcco0",
"gagc92s"
],
"text": [
"Hard disks specifically are magnetic... although it stores binary data, magnetism itself is analog. If you write once you don’t necessary get rid of all residual magnetism. Also it’s important to write random data not all zer... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jk39l3 | How does Audible work? I'm old and confused | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gagj5my",
"gagj7e3",
"gagkyiw"
],
"text": [
"Any book you buy get get to keep! Even if you stop subscribing to the monthly payments for credits.",
"You keep the books forever, even if you stop your subscription. If you have a library card, you can also download audio books free wi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jk4pfe | Why does it feel like software developers change the UI for the sake of changing the UI? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gagsr00",
"gagwcva",
"gagv0b8",
"gagrv1u",
"gah3zxh",
"gagw32p"
],
"text": [
"As a software engineer myself, I can almost guarantee you that there is always a product team in charge of UI/UX decisions for public-facing apps. It’s almost never the actual developer making th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jk4pg7 | How come in people’s memories video games looked super good like 10 years ago, and coming back to them now, the graphics really suck? [neuroscience] | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gagrm1l",
"gagv4ss",
"gaha6ly"
],
"text": [
"Because you’re not remembering just the video aspect, but the whole experience. We tend to look at things very rosy when it’s surrounded by a great experience.",
"Because they really did look really good ten years ago. Technology change... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jk7uq1 | Did ancient people technically require glasses as per modern people but couldn’t access them due to lacking technology, or has human eyesight deteriorated due to increased literacy and life expectancy? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gah7wqg"
],
"text": [
"Glasses are old and human eyes change with age. It’s not a modern phenomenon. One of the first ever operations was a treatment for cataracts. They basically stuck a needle in your eyeball and wiggled it around to break up the cataract. Apparently it improved things....a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jk8v4u | What is GitHub? What is a Git? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gahdyt9",
"gahgki7",
"gahppfs"
],
"text": [
"Git is a version control system, which is used when you're working a project (usually a software project) with multiple people. Version control systems provide two main features: 1. It keeps track of all the files in your repository, and th... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jk9j0i | Why do some captchas have to be solved several times before letting you proceed? | It's usually the "select all the bicycles" type of captchas. You solve it correctly, then another one pops up, then another...sometimes five or more times. And there's no question that I'm solving them all correctly. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gahhpx5",
"gahl9ss",
"gahhu32",
"gahpbtz",
"gahnqx1"
],
"text": [
"You keep getting new ones because the system is still not sure whether you're a bot or a human. The images are just a small part of all the parameters that are being considered in the background.",
"I have ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jk9jb8 | What is middleware? | I was searching for clear definition on this can't seem to find it. Some times it is comunication between layers and other times its something with networks. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gahij5u"
],
"text": [
"It is essentially a broad term for anything that sits between two different pieces of software, enhancing their connectivity or functionality. And yes, it is a very vague term."
],
"score": [
4
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jkayf8 | Do advertisers know when I've bought their product? If so why do they continue advertising? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gahrzqy",
"gahsu62"
],
"text": [
"Advertisers do not know whether or not you bought the product. What they do know is exposure to thousands upon thousands will get people to expose their products and brand. As long as a couple people buy the advertised product its a win. Companies don't a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jkcf2l | Why do dishwashers take so long to clean the dishes? | This question sounds stupid but I am serious. Sometimes I open the dishwasher halfway through a cycle and everything looks pretty damn clean. Why does something that takes me five minutes to do by hand take two hours to do with a machine? It feels like a waste of resources. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaihmvf",
"gai1li3",
"gai2azy",
"gaibik7",
"gaiboxe"
],
"text": [
"The point of a dishwasher is that it uses harsher versions of chemicals than you would be able to use when hand-washing. The little tablets aren't just soaps, they are abrasive salts and alkalis, more akin to b... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jkdski | How is Electrical Energy actually Generated? | I know it's sometimes made via kinetic energy rotating magnets but that might be to complicated an explanation. Trying to figure out an easy way to explain the generation part to some kids! | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaiakao",
"gaieqym"
],
"text": [
"Electricity and magnetism are related forces. If you take a conductor, and a changing magnetic field, it will produce current in the conductor through a process called electromagnetic induction. Essentially what happens is that the electrons are attracted... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jkec69 | What exactly is computer hacking? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaiier4",
"gaieo42"
],
"text": [
"There are many ways to \"hack\" your way into a computer system. Sometimes the simplest way is to use the right password or getting direct access to the machine. The way to do this is through what is called \"Social Engineering\". Social Engineering is wh... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jkndft | If I bought a brand new laptop and didn’t use it at all, how many years later would I still be able to plug it in and have it work? What causes laptops to degrade in just a few years as we use them? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gak2sz2",
"gak24r2",
"gak39oz",
"gak9vx0",
"gakarx9",
"gakmbfw",
"galom72",
"gakarg8",
"gakatpy",
"gakdjjp"
],
"text": [
"I have a 2009 asus laptop that still works, can still run team fortress 2 and counter strike. Only the battery stopped working. Just wa... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jkopdw | how do smart phones know where you’re tapping on the screen? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gakcc0x"
],
"text": [
"There are two major types of touch screens, Resistive and Capacitive. Resistive: Very cheap, old style touch screens. Imaging two thin pieces of paper very close to each other. When you press down on the screen it pushes the top layer into the bottom layer. That's how i... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jkpyai | Why are 32-bit PCs still being made when most programs are now strictly 64-bit? | Edit: wow that was fast | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gakiup8",
"gakux5y",
"gaksgac",
"gakwl1j"
],
"text": [
"Legacy support mostly. It's not really an issue in the consumer space, but you'd be surprised the kinds of legacy crap enterprises carry forward because upgrading would be \"too difficult\" or \"too expensive\". I know of one... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jkqj6j | What stops a bot from clicking the 'I'm not a robot' button. Is it just speed or something else? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gakmpl7"
],
"text": [
"Thats the thing... nothing. Bots will usually click the box far to quickly, in a straight line (the OS doesn't actually track mouse position but it's relative movements over time). Most humans don't drag a pointer super fast, or super straight. It's not a really rock so... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jkqqzd | ! What is a particle accelerator? | I remember reading in a meme on Instagram that there is one in Switzerland or something. What exactly does this do, and what purpose does it serve? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gakncfb",
"gakngdp",
"gakqjg8",
"gakyc5u"
],
"text": [
"A particle accelerator is exactly what it sounds like. It accelerates particles to near the speed of light. We do this using powerful magnets, and let the particles (neutrons, protons, electrons or whole atoms) race around in... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jkqrmj | Why can't telecom companies be compelled to stop phone scammers? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gakp20e"
],
"text": [
"A lot of it has to do with the underlying technologies the phone system runs on. Several of the systems were designed where trust was implied because it couldn’t be abused. From there IP dialing hooked into the older phone network and people figure out how to abuse a sy... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jkr3o5 | I just read an article that says scientists found a new molecule on Titan, one of Saturn's moons. It says that they saw it through the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array of telescopes in Chile. How can this telescope see molecule that far away? | Here is the link to the article I read incase it says something that helps the explanation: URL_0 | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gakpp76"
],
"text": [
"They used a technique called emission spectroscopy. All chemicals emit light in specific wavelengths based on their chemistry, these tend to be different from chemical to chemical. These have become pretty good markers for visually figuring out what something is made of... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jkwefu | Why are older electronics more durable and last longer than newer ones? | Wouldn't it make sense if they kept making them strong? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"galhqyl",
"galhgoz",
"galndjc",
"galhum2",
"galkuyf"
],
"text": [
"As things get more components, they have more potential points of failure. Imagine an old style coffee maker that just has the heating element in the base that powers the whole thing. As long as that heating co... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jkwptq | When you store something in the cloud (a remote server that you can access via the internet) does it mean that if for example hypothetically the server were to be destroyed you would lose your data? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"galjalx",
"galk3gj",
"gamjtbf",
"galujl5"
],
"text": [
"This depends on the cloud provider and exactly where in their services the data is being stored. If it’s a service made for doing data storage, then it’s backed up. So no, a server failure of any kind will not cause your data... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jl2ner | What is that fuzzy feeling you get when slide your hand across one of those CRT TVs ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaml1kq"
],
"text": [
"Static electricity. Those old TVs used electron guns to fire electrons at the TV screen. Sometimes this would charge the screen like a balloon rubbed against your hair and give it a slight charge which feels kinda fuzzy when you touch it."
],
"score": [
5
],
... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jl4wzq | How come new phones come out yearly but it takes games consoles 6/7 years to be developed? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gan08pb",
"gamzsgu",
"gan5nsn",
"gan1zbq"
],
"text": [
"Phones generally get incrementally better every year. Consoles get several orders of magnitude better every generation. This is important because it allows game developers to know that if they spend years developing a game fo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jlgh8b | How does a camera take long exposure photographs? I'll really need thisbecause every article I've read on it doesn't sink in! | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaotkjb",
"gaot3lg"
],
"text": [
"The shutter stays open. A usual picture, the shutter opens and closes super quick. On a long exposure. The shutter stays open longer exposing the picture to the film for a long time. Hence...long exposure.",
"The sensor is covered by a shutter. The lo... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jlo1fb | How do barcode scanners work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaq29oc"
],
"text": [
"The scanner gun has two elements in it - a laser and an optical reader. The laser hits the bar code, and the white parts of the code reflect the laser back to the scanner to be read by the optical reader. The combination and width of the white space is very specific, so... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jlsg9n | Given the enormous difference in speed between sound and light, how is it possible that when watching a movie the audio and video are in sync? Shouldn't the light from the TV reach my eyes nearly 900,000 times faster than the sound reaches my ears? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaqst86",
"gaqw4av",
"gaqstge",
"gaqyi96",
"gar35zb"
],
"text": [
"Yes, the light does reach your eyes faster than the sound does. However the difference in timing isn't something you can notice unless you are sitting a great distance away from the source; most people aren't v... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jlwhs6 | Why does 59 FPS and 60 FPS look drastically different to your eyes but in theory is just one frame apart from each other? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"garih53"
],
"text": [
"Technically they don't as long as the original source is shot in a multiple of the framerate. It's barely detectible if you have very good vision. Essentially if you just double the framerate of the source video its easy as just duplicating every frame. But if the origi... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jlz578 | how is it possible for my phone to show me ads for things I’ve only ever thought about and never spoken of or searched? | So for context, I was at a club over the weekend and saw someone with a cool phone case which I recognised from a popular website. I didn’t mention it to anyone or Google it. The next day, I was on my phone and I thought to myself “what was the website the phone case was from” and remembered instantly. Seconds later I ... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"garwr9a",
"garwybu"
],
"text": [
"This is one of those areas where faults in human thinking take over. There is obviously no way, if what you've said is true, that the ad companies know enough about you to target you with that specific advert. So, it's likely that it's entirely a coincide... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jlzhni | How do computers work by using a system of zeros and ones? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gas00l2",
"gas045m",
"gas17ff",
"gas0ab2"
],
"text": [
"You have a small combination of 1's and 0's that make up what we call 'bits' where a combination of these bits form \"bits of information\" or \"bytes\". 01110100 for example is the letter T. A processor on a motherboard (the... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jlzk5c | We can stream and upload super high quality audio to and from our phones, at super high speeds, but why is actual phone call quality so much worse? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gas0g86"
],
"text": [
"Because calling goes over a very low speed network across the world. These other high speed networks have much higher frequencies or vibrations in the air, making it carry a lot more data. In general, higher frequency means lower range. The \"calling\" frequency has a l... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jlzmvx | How do DLL-files work and what was the (historical) problem they solve? | They seem very important to a lot of software, and they are mysteriously inaccessible to the normal user. What are they about and what is the benefit of using them? Although I'm a fairly experienced computer user, I do not have much programming background and dll-files are just those weird things that I only have to de... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gasa7al",
"gas1v2x",
"gas6796"
],
"text": [
"They are shared libraries. It's just ordinary code, like you end up with in any executable file, but put in one place that \\*any\\* program that goes looking for them can find them. The only difference with a DLL is that it publicly says \... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jm1ml3 | How do Polygraph Tests work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gasde0c",
"gasdqmg",
"gasdnk8"
],
"text": [
"They monitor physiological indicators such as heartrate and blood pressure. They basically measure how nervous you are. They are not reliable lie detectors.",
"Here's a summary from [ URL_1 ]( URL_0 ): > The dirty little secret behind t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jm1rq9 | What is purpose of YouTube video having 50-60fps in resolution section? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gasfdzg"
],
"text": [
"The higher frame rates are mostly for streaming video game footage or sports which were captured and/or broadcast in a higher frame rate. ABC, FOX and ESPN broadcast in 720p 59.97fps (sometimes called 60fps). [As for why 29.97, this old eli5 tread gives a good explanati... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jm3s0l | What does computer hacking actually look like? Movies make it seem action-packed — a lot of fast typing, on-screen visuals, and tight deadlines. But that's fake, right? Is actual hacking just writing code for hours on end? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gass5aw",
"gassawi",
"gass9eo",
"gassx5r"
],
"text": [
"Not even that. The vast majority of \"hacking\" is social engineering. That is, convincing gullible people to give up their own access credentials so you can just log in like a normal employee. It's stupidly effective, AFAIK ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jm4g7d | explain how intel 10900k which only has 10 cores and just slightly faster single core can match the performance and sometimes outperform ryzen 3950X that has 16 cores? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaswtxr",
"gaswain"
],
"text": [
"Having 16 cores doesn't help if an application is only designed to use a few of them, which describes most games. It's uncommon for consumer-level applications to make efficient use of the 32 threads that a 3950X can provide (or even the 20 that the 10900... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jm52y6 | Why do monitors reverse colors when you look at it from an angle | When you look at a monitor close to sideways it reverses colors, why does it do that? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gatbwx5"
],
"text": [
"For older monitors, new technology has changed this, the basic idea is that you have three layers. At the back is the backlight, which is a plain uniform white light. In front of that you have the actual LCD, which is effectively a grid of little squares that can be ele... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jm53nw | When tech support tells you to power something off and wait a number of seconds (i.e; 30 seconds) before turning it back on, what is the purpose of this delay? What could possibly be happening in this waiting period, considering the item is without power? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaszdpw",
"gat91lb",
"gat2gol",
"gaszyve",
"gaszasp",
"gaulkbj"
],
"text": [
"30 seconds is usually excessive. However, many electronic devices rely on something called a capacitor which stores electricity, and keeping the device powered off for a few seconds allows the ca... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jm79jb | Why do noice cancelling headphones allow you to hear yourself but not other people? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gate3jb"
],
"text": [
"You hear others through the sound waves entering your ear from the outside. The noise cancellation can deal with that. Your own voice is made inside your own body, by the vibrations of your vocal chords. Those same vibrations can travel through your body and reach your ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmh8b3 | How did armies in the past make so many weapons(swords,spears...) with their primitive technology. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gavacyt",
"gava69r",
"gavge63"
],
"text": [
"Calling the technology of the past \"primitive\" is technically correct, but it paints an inaccurate picture of how adept people of the past were at doing things. Forging techniques have been under development for thousands of years, and wh... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmkp7g | How do stealth boats/planes/submarines hide themselves from radar? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gavt0pj",
"gavuk6k"
],
"text": [
"Planes and boats have carefully designed angles to their surfaces, along with special materials, to reduce the reflection of radar waves. Planes also have things like internal missile storage to reduce the surfaces that radar can reflect off. Submarines a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmlnrf | What is Raspberry Pi and why do people care about it? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gavxp09",
"gavxn8z",
"gavxp6g",
"gaw5dix"
],
"text": [
"It's a small/portable computer board. If you hook it up to an external storage (HDD), mouse, keyboard, and a monitor, it basically becomes a cheap, portable computer (even more so than traditional laptops). It's famous becaus... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmlscc | Why does transistor size matter for PCs? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gavy60t"
],
"text": [
"The smaller they are the more we can fit on a chip. Also smaller transistors are faster because they need less charge to open them (wich also reduces power consumption). A very simple example to explain why more transistors are better: to build a circuit that adds binar... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmo6k5 | Big brands like Apple, Samsung, OnePlus and Google just so happened to all put a focus on budget friendly phones this year. How do tech companies know what products to produce/release every year in order to compete with other companies? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gawbqsu",
"gawbzkb"
],
"text": [
"As far as competition goes there are tech spies and people working on the inside everywhere. There’s too much at stake to not be spying on the competition.",
"Market research is a big part of it. These companies will gather a cross section of people t... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmqmrv | How is it possible that we don't have a system set up that allows voting electronically in 2020? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gawqo19",
"gawqtd1",
"gawrsef"
],
"text": [
"Security. Such a online ballot system would be an extremely valuable target to anyone seeking to manipulate an election. Without some system to assign every eligible voter some form of unique online authentication that can't be easily stole... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmrw0g | What exactly does a router do? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gawzw78",
"gawzfc2"
],
"text": [
"A router does what it sounds like...it routes data to the appropriate part of a network. The internet backbone cables don't handle anywhere close to the total traffic on the internet, no physical cable can do that. Data only runs over those parts of the n... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmtg4z | If I enter a password wrong thrice, the system locks me out. How are hackers able to attempt millions of combinations of passwords without the system locking them out? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gax9muf",
"gax8edx",
"gax8sdq",
"gaxhhqt"
],
"text": [
"They typically aren't just entering passwords into the website like a normal user. Here's an example of a different way that they could be doing it. Good websites don't actually save a list with people's passwords written on ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmwg4j | Computers. How do they... work?? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gaxt4z1",
"gaxwf2i"
],
"text": [
"Your computer is millions and millions of tiny switches. The configurations of those switches impact other switches. If you could control your computer at the most basic level, you would tell it which switches to turn on and off, and it would give you res... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jmxzb4 | How did we come up with Bread? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gay2k0l",
"gay3e2c"
],
"text": [
"Both yeast and salt is optional. Bread can be as simple as mixing flour and water. This is very similar to how you make porridge or soup. It all just depends on how much water you use. And it does not take much of a genius to figure out that you can make ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jn0oul | Why do power banks charge phones instead of sucking power off of phones? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gayjjmg",
"gayj13r"
],
"text": [
"In addition to what everyone else said...diodes. Diodes only permit electricity to flow in one direction.",
"It outputs at a higher voltage. Let's pretend it's a few years ago for simplicity: The bank puts out 5v, just like a USB charger. The phone ru... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jn6w1m | How does radio work, what's the difference between AM/FM, and how can one block/interfere radio trasmissions | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gazy1de",
"gazoxp3"
],
"text": [
"AM -- > amplitude modulation. The information (music, speeches) are modulating the amplitude for a defined carrier frequency. The receiver needs to tune the oscillator that is matching the carrier frequency. This can be done with a capacitor. The low qual... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jn7ihl | Why can't bad guys, rogue nations, hackers commandeer Voyager 2, et al? | I haven't found a comprehensive look at what sorts of layers of security go into safeguarding these vessels. I read an article of some antennas being used to communicate with Voyager 2 while her usual terrestrial antenna is repaired. Ok, but what's to stop anyone else from communicating in the interim? Or ever? Is it l... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gazpepe",
"gazvmz2",
"gazp529",
"gazrbl5"
],
"text": [
"To communicate with Voyager, we have to use very big radios. These radios are run by the NASA Deep Space Network. They are in Australia, Spain, and the USA, because then, at least one is on the side of the Earth that can see ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jn84wy | where/how is the data on the internet stored? | all the youtube videos, blogs, photos etc. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gazrh61",
"gazrup3"
],
"text": [
"Servers with a ton of hard drives inside warehouses called data centers, it’s really not much different from how data is stored in your hard drive, but multiplied thousands of times.",
"On servers. A server can be your own computer, or it can be a mas... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jn8thp | What exactly is the difference between UHD(Ultra-high-definition) and 4K? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb03jfy",
"gazv5xt"
],
"text": [
"**UHD** 3840 x 2160, always. **4K** There are two variations, and the definition is usually dependent on what industry we’re talking about. In the film/TV/video industry it typically refers to *4K DCI*, which is slightly wider than UHD at a resolution of ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jnawzq | What's the difference between a Microcontroller and a Microprocessor? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb0i29v",
"gb0ihw4",
"gb087vv"
],
"text": [
"Microcontrollers are normally fully integrated systems on a single chip designed for embedded systems. They'll have onboard memory, serial lines, etc. - everything you need to automate a small device in a low power system. Microprocessors a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jnb29f | Why websites want me to install their app even if it's same as the website? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb092mn",
"gb0ck0t",
"gb09gnr",
"gb1hgpb",
"gb2thh3",
"gb1khfh",
"gb0mx2x",
"gb09krw",
"gb0odxm"
],
"text": [
"Sometimes they can offer a more optimized experience on an app than they can in the browser, such as by allowing phone calls and notifications directl... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jne50a | How do banks know that it’s not you using your card when they send out those fraud alert messages? | So I just woke up this morning, made my coffee and was scrolling through Reddit.. And I got a Fraud Alert text from Chase telling me they declined a purchase of $153.60. I buy stuff *all* of the time with my chase debit card.. online, in store, sometimes run it as credit.. and I never get those fraud alert messages. Bu... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb0t7jr",
"gb0tbuq",
"gb0st63",
"gb0thye",
"gb0vfvu",
"gb0z2gs",
"gb0u53r"
],
"text": [
"The credit card company knows a good deal about you. They know where you live, where you usually shop, what you usually buy, etc. If they detect a purchase that deviates from your ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jnf27x | why do new British reality TV shows look like they're filmed in 2002 | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb100nt"
],
"text": [
"If it was filmed in 2019, it was the American show: URL_0 Ramsey was also involved in the original British show, but that was back in 2004: URL_1"
],
"score": [
13
],
"text_urls": [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%27s_Kitchen_(American_TV_ser... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jnfa27 | How are thatched roofs waterproof? | I can see how they would keep heads dry at first, but all that water must soak into it and drop through eventually, right? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb109zd",
"gb0zjwc",
"gb0zyln",
"gb12gaw",
"gb1eshf"
],
"text": [
"> all that water must soak into it and drop through eventually, right? *Eventually* can take a long time. You just have to lay the thatch right, and thick enough, and it's longer than any rainstorm.",
"They... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jng8jg | How do search engines like Ecosia work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb1akji"
],
"text": [
"Ecosia shows ads to its users. It uses some of the profits from those ads to fund tree planting programmes."
],
"score": [
8
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jngela | pgp, keypairs and the likes. | Can someone explain tthese things to me? they don't make a lot of sense. I am also puzzled by plan 9's facotum/secstore, how do those work? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb1u5xc"
],
"text": [
"Imagine you want to send a secret message to me. You could write it in code, but the problem is you first have to tell me how the secret code works, which isn't easy to do because we don't have a way to send secret messages yet... So, what I can do instead is I can send... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jnkloz | When the “restart” option is pressed on a console, how does it know to turn itself back on? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb1yrcg",
"gb1yw98"
],
"text": [
"Think of it more like an interrupt of the power. For example, you turn a light on in your house and it says on until you turn the switch off. Now add a button to the circuit between the switch and the light bulb. When you push the button the light turns o... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jnnbyx | How is closed captioning (subtitles) produced accurately and quickly for live events? Is it hand typed or computer generated? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb2fso0",
"gb2fzll"
],
"text": [
"It depends. It used to be done by a skilled stenographer to be done as fast as possible with as few omissions as possible. Nowadays it is usually done with voice recognition.",
"It’s still done quite often with a live person typing away. But AI has st... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jnoo9b | Why is volume rarely 0-10 on most electronics? | For example, my truck's volume goes from 0 to 55 but my PC counts from 0 to 100, but in increments of two. Why is this? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb2q6u9"
],
"text": [
"The greater the range the more precise you can be with the volume. If your volume counter goes from 0-10, 6 might be too loud and 5 might be just a little too quiet. If your volume counter goes from 0-100, 60 might be too loud and 50 night be too soft, but now you have ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jnp1rk | How does vinyl and CD works? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb2sdem"
],
"text": [
"Vinyl is a disc with one big spiral groove running from the outside to the inside. The groove is rough, with various jaggedness in it representing the sound of the music. You put a needle on it, and the movement of the needle within the groove is translated to sound. A ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jnr424 | Why is the sound quality of a phone call via cellular so different from the sound quality of a voice chat via data (I.e. discord) on the same device? | I’ve noticed as the internet has grown that voice calls/chats using wifi or 4/5G have significantly better sound quality than a regular phone call, when using the same device and the same speaker. I know that they are using two different methods of data transmission but I have no idea how they work and why they transmi... | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb37slm"
],
"text": [
"Tl;dr: because the bandwidth and compression techniques used by the call are different. Traditional analog cellphone calls were *extremely* low bandwidth. As a result, calls on traditional cell networks (in the 80s and early 90s) only transmitted a fraction of the sound... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jnv2cb | why older cars need long extendable antennas for radio reception, while modern cars often only have little stumps on the top but still good reception | title | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb3vk9d",
"gb3vg02",
"gb3y414"
],
"text": [
"Sorry for my English. I ll try to be as short as possibile since it's in this subreddit. I think you are referring to fm am frequency, The answer is, it's a compromise for aethetic and more import cause GPS satellite antenna need to be prot... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
jnvrk7 | How do people upscale old videos to almost crisp 4K? Old movies and music videos. | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb3zzi5",
"gb3zgbu"
],
"text": [
"Film doesn't really have a resolution, it's just some chemicals spread on some paper or celluloid, the chemicals will change color right down to the molecule by molecule level. If you zoom in too much eventually the structure of the film or the quality of... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jnwd2e | if we can squeeze plenty of high tech pieces into a laptop then why desktops are still bulky ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb4212a",
"gb42g3c",
"gb41yfg",
"gb42il7"
],
"text": [
"One huge aspect: increasing the clock speed of a processor (keeping everything else largely the same) increases power consumption and heat output dramatically. Space and power consumption aren't critical for many situations a... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jo6vs9 | iPhone Labeling | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb62nfa"
],
"text": [
"iPhones are status symbols, showing a big version number is like placing the year on a BMW. The user doesn’t want it, and they’ll buy the newest one just because they can."
],
"score": [
4
],
"text_urls": [
[]
]
} | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jo8l03 | Why is a CPU dead after one tiny pin is deformed, and why does it have so many pins? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb6d8z7",
"gb6ddma"
],
"text": [
"Not all the pins are used, but every pin that is used for data will cause non-function if it's deformed. There are so many because there are many, many parallel address and data pathways, hence the 64-bit term. If one of the 64 pins carrying your data is ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
jo8q8x | Why do print newspapers like The New York Times have page numbers written like A30 A40 instead of just the numbers from 1 to 200 or 300 as the pages may be? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb6en4n"
],
"text": [
"The sections are designed and printed in parallel. They don't know how many pages the A section is when they print the B section as the A section has late breaking news and the front page. Some features sections are printed days before. Restarting the numbers makes for ... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
joe2yg | Why does a video open faster in the YouTube app than it does in the Safari Version of YouTube ? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb7uorl"
],
"text": [
"When you open a video in the YouTube app it only has to download just the video itself. The app already contains the code for the YouTube site, the player, etc. (also possibly because the app can use more optimizations by virtue of being native code, but not positive on... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
joeeod | How in the living hell does a camera work in a way that my common folk brain can comprehend? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb7gled",
"gb7t47s"
],
"text": [
"Light goes through a lens which concentrates it onto a small light-sensitive area at the back of the camera--in old cameras that was a chemically treated photographic film, nowadays it's more likely to be an electronic sensor. There's a shutter in front o... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] | |
joge6a | Why NASA is so much concerned about finding water on other planets or moons? | Technology | explainlikeimfive | {
"a_id": [
"gb7rlju",
"gb7r7vg"
],
"text": [
"It makes possible stations on those places a lot easier if we don't have to bring all of our water. Also, more importantly, water can be turned into rocket fuel, making it easier to set up those stations as waypoint onto even farther destinations.",
"... | [
"url"
] | [
"url"
] |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.