id stringlengths 13 25 | qid stringlengths 5 6 | question stringlengths 11 300 | answer stringlengths 64 13.7k | score int32 2 73.7k |
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AskReddit/eiivmb6 | b12ana | If Harry Potter was American, what would his spells be? | This is only tangentially related to your question, but it always surprised me that Harry never tried to defeat his enemies using Muggle technology and solutions -- after all, he was raised Muggle for most of his life, and pureblood wizards (especially the kinds of wizards Harry fought) would be completely unfamiliar w... | 5 |
AskReddit/dg0kmu2 | 64aabd | Why is Russia in support of Assad? | Very briefly: Putin's Russia wants to become a major world power again. A united Europe is no friend to Russia right now, partly because Russia's internal policies aren't in line with EU thinking, partly because Putin's clearly imperialist goals (he wants to expand Russia's territory in the kind of way the kept Europea... | 4 |
AskReddit/emn5duc | blbvw1 | What’s the weirdest conversation you have ever overheard while in a bathroom stall? | Was in West Virginia. We had co-ed bathrooms. I'm sitting in the middle stall, then I hear two girls stumble in and take the stalls next to mine. I see both get on their knees in front of the toilets and both start loudly vomiting. In between heaves, the girl on my left is drunkenly yelling "I got you girl! Don't worry... | 3 |
AskReddit/dtshwru | 7vfzrf | For those researching their family tree, what is the craziest thing you discovered about an ancestor? | I'm native American. Aside from seeing where my ancestor had married a frenchman, my family tree goes so far back that Christian names dissapear. Some of the wives do not have names but are simply Omaha wau or ponca wau. Which translates to Omaha/Ponca woman. | 2 |
AskReddit/drc218g | 7k7afz | What does it feel like to be knocked unconscious? | Got knocked out by a blow to the head I didn't see coming, it mostly felt like waking up in a parking lot with a wicked headache. Anesthesia was a little weird. I had nightmares while I was under and woke up mid way through the surgery. The entire experience was rather horrifying. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/dj4j05t | 6i95fc | How come is it incredibly hard for me to get back in shape at age of 45? | Its a cumulative effect. Testosterone loss is a huge cause of weight gain and the ability to lose weight. However old age in general is also a cause. Your metabolism slows down, hormones drop, life habits (like constant stress) begin hitting you harder than ever, and if you didn't have established muscle (aka old man m... | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/edh0pr3 | adhx1o | Why are there still 3rd world countries? | The term 3rd world country was a term coined during the cold war to refer to countries not aligned with either the USA or the communist countries. It is still sometimes used to refer to these countries but the term have lost most of its original meaning and is also falling out of favor. However with renewed tensions it... | 9 |
explainlikeimfive/d42iic6 | 4nbn6e | How does health insurance work? | Think of it like car insurance; it's not much different, you're just swapping a car for a person. You drive your car a lot and it's usually working fine. But one day a component in your car breaks and there is about $3000 of damage. If you don't have insurance, you're gonna be paying $3000 out of pocket. But if you hav... | 3 |
explainlikeimfive/da6eu9f | 5doz9y | How does the way optic nerve works compare to the way we send video by a cable like HDMI? | They are not similar at all. Hdmi is a way to send data for video this means sending data (binary) that tells the displaying device what color each pixel should be for a certain resolution. But that's all hdmi does. The tv or monitor is what actually takes that info and makes an image generally by shining a light throu... | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/c57xm8y | vvbd1 | Why do people create computer viruses? | Various reasons; 1) Often times the virus is placed on the computer to sell a false "anti-virus" to get rid of it. It's a quick scheme to earn a few bucks, but people fall for it. Oftentimes, the virus is just a simple program that pulls up a big flashing warning, imitates antivirus software (while turning the real thi... | 13 |
AskReddit/d1hi8k8 | 4cetsv | What moment changed your life? | Slightly off topic but I changed my sister's entire life by deciding to bail on plans with her to go see about a girl. I was supposed to go to a concert with my sister and a friend, but my friend bailed to see an ex-gf who had a younger sister and said I should go with him. I kept waffling back and forth on what to do,... | 5 |
AskReddit/d5h7qr8 | 4tgp1v | What was the worst hangover you've ever experienced? | Not that long ago, I let an old college buddy convince me to go out with some old friends for dinner. Now, just before this time I'd been sober for several years. More recently, I'd had a drink or two here and there, so I didn't think a few beers would be any big deal. A few beers at a restaurant turned into a night of... | 2 |
AskHistorians/dlkggct | 6tcpkd | Was there religious warfare between the people of the Indian subcontinent prior to the arrival of Islam? | I am not an expert, and my knowledge comes from literary history; it is also limited to Western India, but I will try to answer this. As far as traditional Hinduism goes, there was little religious conflict. People from all over the Indian subcontinent often revered the same holy sites and made pilgrimages there. Takin... | 3 |
AskReddit/dlxuq37 | 6v5gf6 | What things about today will we feel nostalgic about 20 years from now? | Going to a movie theater. Sure haters gonna hate. but in 20 years assuming the tech continues to develop, should be more than feasible to give everyone IMAX experience from home, even including the social element (of telling VR avatars/friends next to you to shut up during the movie). | 8 |
askscience/ccr1qsa | 1odg2e | If two different species have similar genome sizes, is it likely they contain the same number of genes? | Genome size is the number of base pairs in the entire DNA sequence of the species. Most of that DNA is non-coding, meaning not part of genes. So a larger genome could just mean more non-coding DNA, and the same number of genes. | 2 |
AskReddit/cn0hnsv | 2pw1ec | Why do people get upset when real fur is used in clothing, but not when leather is used? | Depends on the people. Probably has to do with the fact that most things with fur are cute and easier to market as "ANIMAL CRUELTY" whereas, well, everyone eats beef. So, I guess cows need better PR? | 4 |
explainlikeimfive/cw6g14w | 3phyi1 | Why is the majority of the world's population right-handed? | > I would think that humans would be naturally ambidextrous. Superior manual dexterity isn't free, it takes up real estate in the brain. Since having two dexterous hands offers little advantage over one, the real estate is put to other, better uses. > I know that there are parents that train their children to be primar... | 5 |
explainlikeimfive/dum53oh | 7z89hy | When you lay patches of grass sod, how do they blend together and form one lawn? | The grass sends out rhizomes and tries to fill in blank areas. With a good soil bed, aggressive watering and tamping to start, it will send down roots sideways as well as deep. After soaking it in, cut it off from watering. The roots will chase the water and get a good grip on the underlying soil. After you can no long... | 6 |
explainlikeimfive/dusq8e7 | 803bm9 | Who comes up with color names? | Companies. Specifically, marketing departments in companies. When they make products/colors they choose what they are called. Think of cars, make up, pigments. There are also standards for naming/numbering colors when it comes to technology, like the internet, printing, screens. That's because many different people wil... | 6 |
askscience/ec7urhe | a83c7x | What makes an MRI so loud? | The strongest magnetic field, 1.5 or 3 Tesla is made with a superconductor. The current in that doesn’t change or mage any noise. Then there are gradient coils that apply a spatial variance of the field - it’s how you get a 3D image. These are the ones whose wires make the sounds. They are excited in different patterns... | 11 |
AskReddit/dtuamrb | 7vqhs4 | What is the creepiest missing persons case? | ID guy in my community went missing a few years ago. His 2nd floor apartment was locked when workers got there for the next shift and he wasn't picked up on any cameras being taken out. Overnight worker was asleep (normal for shift). | 2 |
AskReddit/eimjk6n | b1lgrd | For either side in a religious debate, what’s the weirdest, stupidest, craziest argument someone has used to justify their side? | Not totally a debate, but I’m in an honors class that’s currently researching our second essay topic. This one Baptist girl had ALREADY written about why she thinks creationism should be a part of the biology curriculum in 9th grade, and now she’s writing about it again. I don’t know how to tell her that there are clas... | 3 |
AskReddit/euiuvt3 | cgnu9i | Who is your child secretly named after? | I don’t have kids, but listen to this one because it is a doozie. My dad named me after seeing my name written beautifully in cursive on the side of a horse trailer. Then, and I cannot make this up, twenty five years later he started dating the woman whose horse trailer it was (it was her name on the trailer). I’m name... | 5 |
askscience/c5noe5j | xmg9y | Has cancer always been this prevalent? | There are several reasons that cancer is more prevalent (or appears more prevalent) in recent years. 1) Age is the #1 risk factor for cancer. In other words, the older you are, the more likely you are to develop it. This means that as the rest of medicine gets better, and lifespans are extended, cancer is more likely. ... | 44 |
AskReddit/c1rtttk | h18d9 | Would we have more advancements in medicines, cosmetics, etc, if we tested products on humans? | Plenty of trials are conducted on humans. Possibly not on fringe items you deem to be "out there". But there is a constant stream of clinical trials conducted for profit on humans. | 2 |
AskReddit/dwaernf | 875os1 | What is your favorite American stereotype? | Excessive clapping. Every time I come across a green text exaggerating American stereotypes the clapping gets me. I'm afraid of flying and had no idea that some people actually clapped when planes landed until my fiancee told me. | 5 |
explainlikeimfive/d1q3pbb | 4de3ms | Why do professors continuously write exams with extremely low averages and then curve, rather than write easier exams? | if they set the bar too low, they wouldn't get a representative sample of what the class understands. For example: if you're in calculus class, and the test only has "what is 2+2?" on it, then obviously everyone will pass. Which tells the professor nothing. If, however, there is a wide sampling of problems of varying d... | 825 |
explainlikeimfive/drr3l9p | 7m2tif | Why does our voice change when we close our nose? | Your voice is the result of a bunch of interactions of different sound waves bouncing around inside of your mouth and sinuses; closing your nose means it'll bounce back some waves back into the rest of the system, and others will be absorbed into your nose and go nowhere. Changing the way the sound waves bounce around ... | 7 |
AskReddit/ckwhib0 | 2hvo2g | What's the one joke you absolutely love, but no one you've told it to has liked? | very few like this one: What did Hitler say to his soldiers before they got in their tanks? Get in your tank. EDIT. for those who don't get it, the joke is you'd imagine he'd give them a big pep talk, or that given hitler is an important person he'd say something else. But actually it's just stupid. Logically, yes he m... | 702 |
explainlikeimfive/dei8pui | 5xhrwq | Why do fans usually have 5 blades instead of more? | The fewer blades a fan has, the more efficiently it moves air for a given energy expenditure. More blades interfere with each other aerodynamically. However, to get the full effect, those fewer blades have to be longer, which takes up more space. 3-5 blades represent a compromise between space and efficiency. | 8 |
AskReddit/cjglrke | 2clg1v | How did you escape the 9-5 work life? | After being in the catering business I have just recently got into a 9-5 life and I am loving it. I don't see all the hatred for working 9-5. Great social hours and you are in a routine which I think is great. | 2 |
AskReddit/cqy68pe | 34uiqi | What areas of the world are worth traveling to by yourself? | I spent most of my time in Saint Petersburg, Russia alone (though I was traveling with a small group (they broke off to go see other things)) and it was wonderful. In my opinion, traveling with people is always better, especially in places that you do not understand/speak the native language. | 2 |
AskReddit/cexc6sz | 1vzrcd | What is the most effective way to tell a dog that another dog has died? | They will figure it out pretty quickly. It is trying to help your dog cope. When one of our dogs died, the other went into a deep depression. We tried to help her cope by playing with her, toys, etc. However, it was when we got another dog that she got out of her funk. She needed a dog companion. If you can, schedule p... | 3 |
AskReddit/dcupmzz | 5py1x5 | What "don't tell mom" moments have you shared with your dad? | When my std testing came back in the mail. My father and I shared the same name so he opened it thinking it was for him. I knew I had nothing to worry about (New gf at the time said it was a good idea for both of us to do it), but I just wanted to get that letter first before having to have an awkward conversation with... | 3 |
AskReddit/d328zf3 | 4iyqc1 | Why does no post at this time of the day ever make it to the front page ? | Because more than half of Reddits users are American, and the best time to post is during the workday. Accounting for the time differences, it is past average work hours on both coasts. | 2 |
AskReddit/clsp9zz | 2l9o6y | What would be the most economical thing to fill a car with as a prank? | Dough. Flour, water, yeast. Mix it up until it's doughy, then stick it in the car. The best part is, you don't need to 'fill' the car up. Just a little over 1/3 to 1/2 full, and when it rises it will completely fill the inside, especially if it's a warm day. | 2 |
askscience/cd9ahdr | 1q51cn | How to estimate energy output of a candle? | Not what you are asking for, but in one seminar I attended the professor said a good rough estimate for the power output of a small flame is 10W. For instance, if you're gas stove's burner has 10 flames it's about 100W. | 4 |
AskReddit/c9rtelu | 1dmt5b | How did you meet your SO? | In 1992, I was introduced to Sarah by her best friend, Lori, who I met through diving camp. Lori and I briefly hooked up, and after we stopped hooking up, she suggested I give her best friend and neighbor, Sarah, a call. Sarah went to my high school, but was two grades below me. I took Lori's advice, called Sarah, went... | 2 |
AskReddit/dthgmno | 7u3kh7 | What game or movie universe would you most like to live in? | I see a lot of violence, magic, sci-fi, survival, or relaxation genres. I'd worry about not being in the ideal position in those. I mean I could be in the Harry Potter universe but be a muggle, now nothing's different. I'd pick an indie fetish game that I won't name where everyone was equally having a grand 'ol time, s... | 16 |
AskReddit/ccnx1m5 | 1o17rv | What's the most ignorant thing you've heard from an otherwise normal/intelligent person? | A childhood friend i've known for years was giving me a lift to the train station, as he was driving he didn't use the blinker even once, i asked him about it and his answer was "It dosen't concern other people where i am going". | 3 |
AskReddit/ce63zt6 | 1taxmq | Is it possible, under any circumstances, that another solar system might cross ours, within our life time? | no, this is not possible. Unless it is an alien civilisation, or a solar system that has been flung from the orbit of a black hole, but even then we may stilll not notice it if it coasts by. If it was an entire solar system actually we would notice it coming towards us I think but we may have some warning. | 2 |
AskReddit/cwyh75i | 3sm4h7 | What's the worst product in the world, that somehow became successful? | Leaded gasoline - was absolutely no need for it and it caused endless environmental damage (and health damage to generations of people). Freon (CFCs) - The same guy went on to invent Freon for refrigeration and thousands of other products (anything in an aerosol can) caused the vast majority of damage to the planet's o... | 19 |
AskReddit/cm515x4 | 2mkczf | What's a promise you made to yourself when you were younger, only to break it once you got older? | I promised myself that I would live close enough to my mom to see her at least once a week and be by her side whenever she needed something Now I live on the other side of the world and I talk to her maybe once a week and I am convinced that every one of her problems can be solved because I send her good money to take ... | 4 |
AskReddit/ei4kppf | az0v4b | What's the worst thing you have ever stepped on or in? | Okay okay get this, one time I was in my soccer cleats running out the garage to catch my ride. I was running to get under the garage door in time and stepped on a live toad. In my cleats. And blood splattered everywhere. I think the noise was the worst part tho | 6 |
AskReddit/esoidgx | c8p3ll | What is the absolute WORST restaurant dining experience you’ve had? | Olive Garden. I’ve only been three times. I don’t eat meat. I told the waitress ahead of time. She brought the wrong food, which had meat. All food looks the same? So I didn’t realize til I saw the meat. I didn’t get mad, didn’t yell. The manager came out, kinda rudely took the plate, and didn’t even serve what I order... | 3 |
AskReddit/dfvut09 | 63p0qn | What's a good sign that you're raising your kids right? | Well it depends what your criteria for good is. Like, stereotypical Asian kid, good at school, going to Harvard, but isn't great socially. Or the kid who's a right laugh, got awesome people skills, but hates school. Both could be good or bad in a parents eyes. What do you consider important? | 2 |
AskReddit/d883ny2 | 5574gi | What are some of the best movies based on a true story? | City of God. I watched it without knowing it was a true story and when I found out I was floored. The whole thing is insane, and then they show you pictures of the actual people and news articles about them during the closing credits. I had to watch it again the next day. It's still the movie I recommend to people who ... | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/ce9fdnl | 1tmlt7 | What were to happen if the Panama Canal's locks were all open at the same time? | The locks are in place because the canal climbs up a hill to Gatun Lake, and then back down the other side (this was done to minimize the amount of excavation work that needed to be done). If all the locks were open, the lake would drain into the ocean a bit more quickly is all. | 10 |
explainlikeimfive/cmltrmh | 2o9rq2 | If I was thrown into the future, how far would I go before I could't understand "Future English"? | Education tends to slow down the evolution of a language by standardizing the spoken and written language. Even around WW1, affluent Americans spoke with a different accent from working class Americans. On the other hand, areas that receive minimal or no formal education, the language tends to evolve much faster. For e... | 2 |
AskReddit/ciopjpr | 29uw3d | What is something you love but is ruined for you by its fan base? | While it isn't "ruined" by the fan base I really hate calling myself a gamer. I can't go to any sort of comments section on a video game site or subreddit because the people just can't be civil or have intelligent conversation. | 5 |
AskHistorians/c7lzh5c | 15f6pl | Why was Locke's "Life, Liberty and Property" replaced with "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" in the Declaration of Independence? | So I've been wracking my brain for weeks trying to figure out who it was, but I recently was reading an article on the early Italian Renaissance, and I think actually there was an artist who used the phrase, "life, liberty, and happiness," a hundred years or so prior to Locke. It's really annoying me that I didn't save... | 3 |
AskReddit/cl871oa | 2j443m | What is the absolute worst time your phone's battery has died on you? | a girlfriend and I were having a hot texting convo and she asking if I'd like a threesome with a friend of hers from out of town on business. before I could respond, the phone totally died. I was sad. | 2 |
askscience/c55im7f | vksxp | Can ALL physics be represented mathematically? | Can all ideas be represented in English? Mathematics is the language of physics, and so even when there have been things historically which we cannot represent mathematically, we eventually discovered the right "words" in the form of new branches of mathematics. | 3 |
AskReddit/diz0jv4 | 6hkhd1 | What is the best way to melt a tuna? | If you mean a tuna melt. Mix tuna with desired mayonnaise/other toppings. Put tuna mix on desired bread Add other toppings like onions/pickles if you wish to Add a fine layer of cheese (I love a lot of cheese) Stick in oven until cheese is sufficiently melted Enjoy your badass tuna melt And there you have it: how to me... | 3 |
AskReddit/c1iyach | fvllj | How to be a better/the best girlfriend? | Trust him completely until he gives you good reason not to. Don't be the girlfriend who has to text every 15 minutes while he's out with the guys or call him if he's 5 minutes later getting home than usual. Nothing will kill a relationship faster than smothering him. | 5 |
AskReddit/d5neqfr | 4u77fv | What do you think about traveling alone? | Well, you don't have to wander around with your SO, friends and family while they take silly photos all the time. Every experience has to include a picture. And that's the best way to ruin the experience. Oh and all the all the tourist shops. Those little devil stands. Not that there's anything wrong with it, I just mi... | 2 |
AskReddit/eps72vn | bvs9dz | Why do you think Brits & Australians have a darker sense of humour than Americans? | From everything I’ve heard I should apparently move, seeing as I’m an introverted, car-less, sarcastic, and dark-humored American. The only thing I can’t live without is my crappy but comforting American drip coffee which I have never found in exactly the same form in another country | 2 |
AskReddit/dbol1w6 | 5kknuc | Why is $19.99 such a common price for as seen on tv products and such? | In addition to what a couple of posters said below, I once heard that $19.99 is such a common price because it's cheap enough so that if something goes wrong, the buyer won't want to send it back ("Oh, it was only $20, anyway") yet pricey enough so that the seller makes a profit. | 3 |
AskReddit/c141451 | dz5v7 | How many of you donate blood? | Both of my dogs donate blood on a regular basis. Pets need blood too. They get free blood work done, free nail trimming, and get a free toy when they are finished. I drop them off and the process takes around an hour. | 50 |
askscience/cz7dirl | 422cvt | Do two like charged particles keep increasing each other's kinetic energy? | But how did you get the particles close to each other in the first place? To get them to that position, you have had to expend energy. In general, we talk about the sum of the kinetic and potential energies. The further the particles are away from each other, the kinetic energies are increasing, the potential energies ... | 9 |
AskReddit/e3i4czd | 9443og | How do pain killers know which body part is in pain to help it? | All pain is rooted in the brain. I believe painkillers effect the way your brain receives those messages. This would explain to me why too many pain killers works like too much booze, it’s confusing the input to your brain, or the way your brain is processing that input. | 3 |
AskReddit/cn7jfs7 | 2qmtvp | What do you want to get out of life? | To leave the Earth in some way just a little better than I found it - and to convince my future children that this is what they should want out of life as well. Current ways that I hope to implement this plan: educate myself on everything I vote for, work in foreign service, and maybe after that become a teacher or men... | 2 |
AskReddit/dvbhj1u | 82o60d | How do people born deaf and blind communicate and develop skills in early and later life? | nowadays in developed countries there is the cochlea implant that basically eradicates deafness in our societies. there are a bunch of deaf communities fighting tooth and nail to keep their culture from dieing. anyway back to your question. to communicate you need someone to teach you that stuff can have abstract meani... | 4 |
AskHistorians/cj345sq | 2b8c5s | What was the last empire that fell and broke into today's countries? | The Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, and many other eastern bloc countries broke loose. Czechoslovakia dissolved in 1993, but I'm not sure that it meets the definition of empire. | 3 |
AskReddit/dqyz4rs | 7ii7d5 | In your opinion, what is the sexiest accent someone can have? | Not necessarily sexiest, but for most attractive German has always been near the top of my list. Not, like, scary German, like what most media protrays, but realistic, calm and casual German. It's just so cute on a girl. | 2 |
AskReddit/eexjx3a | ajoykn | What odd thing have you heard before that you never questioned and why? | That I’m only white because the black washed off me in the bathtub. I was in kindergarten when I first heard it, but it stuck with me for a while. Then like fourth grade rolled around and I actually remember realizing that was stupid. I never questioned it because I went to an all black school and I always like baths m... | 2 |
AskReddit/dhprcc8 | 6bv89i | What's the most shocking celebrity death? | Princess Diana was incredibly shocking. I remember being a young kid and seeing the news report on it. Didn't quite comprehend the enormity of it, but looking back, my mom couldn't believe my brothers and I didn't wake her up to tell her. My mother never seemed to care about celebrities at all. | 5 |
AskReddit/cqlrnr5 | 33kdjp | How many adults here still sleep with a stuffed animal at night? | I've always slept with a build a bear since I was a child. I'm almost 19 now so I guess an adult. The most recent one is a rainbow bear from build a bear and I named him spooter because I call my boyfriend that (: | 3 |
AskReddit/cc46sol | 1lz024 | How do you stop your self thinking about Cringey things you have done in the past ? | Start working on loving and accepting yourself better. The root of those "cringe" feelings is that you are self-conscious. Your insecure mind is replaying those memories because you've gotten comfortable with accepting the idea that you are not worthy. Let me tell you now, internet stranger, you are totally worthy of l... | 13 |
explainlikeimfive/cuhnxod | 3imbsz | Why does China keep building housing but never lowering the prices of them? | China is a heavily managed economy. The government of China wants to show low unemployment numbers and high GDP to the rest of the world as a display of economic strength. To that end, the government commissions construction projects to put people to work. There may not be a need for the construction project, but that ... | 2 |
AskHistorians/ckr9320 | 2hb9ms | Why didn't the Persians take advantage of the Peloponnesian war in order to invade Greece? | Well, they did sort of. The Spartan deal with the Persians greatly favored the Persians. While the Spartans got money for a fleet (and not much else--the Persians didn't even tell the Spartans what they were supposed to do with their ships, even though the leading Spartan generals had no idea what they were doing) the ... | 5 |
AskReddit/dd89fgo | 5rlpsw | What event changed your political views? | Lot of things. Trump made me turn away from the party and look for a third party (in CA so it doesnt matter anyways). Voted Gary Johnson and while he made so many stupid choicws, introduced me to the LP and change my view on drugs, war, and some other stuff. Then spent quite some time watching videos from Ron Paul, Ran... | 2 |
AskReddit/dnh7d1i | 72b6c9 | What's the most age-inappropriate thing you were shown at school? | At my old primary (elementary) school we had to get a note signed by our parents to watch PG movies until Year 6 (age 12) but yeah a movie about Indonesian culture showing a bull getting beheaded is completely fine to show to a group of 10 Years olds without any notes or warnings. | 3 |
AskReddit/e0n6tln | 8qz02m | What is your all time favorite post apocalypse novel?Why did you enjoy it? | Not a single novel, but two side by side series. Until The End Of The World series, and then the City series which runs in a parallel timeline during the same apocalypse, written by Sarah Lyons Fleming. Her stories are SO well written, deeply researched and absolutely gut wrenching at times. | 3 |
explainlikeimfive/ci9k8fh | 28cd1b | How can approx 5,000 ISIS fighters take over nearly half of Iraq? | Because the iraq army is dealing with deserters, and they have little to no experience in real combat against a trained force with an ideology backing them. The ISIS is fearless the iraqi army on the otherhand not so much. | 2 |
askscience/ebcyf1b | a48dup | Can scars form on the inside of the body as well? | Father had colon cancer surgery 20 years ago. Successful result. He just went in for emergency surgery the other day. Scarring from the previous surgery resulted in a complete bowel obstruction. The old scars somehow, after 20 years, caused it. He's now down about 2 feet of small intestine and recovering. Doing well! | 5 |
AskReddit/d1p99vb | 4davgw | What's the most ridiculous thing you've gotten away with in school? | Back in '88 when i was 14 the teachers considered me a computer geek so I was allowed the keys to the school computer room when the part-time teacher wasn't there. I used the school modem and phone line to dial other counties to download dirty stories and pictures, print them out on the schools dot matrix printer, and ... | 2 |
AskReddit/es5mozh | c62282 | Have you ever saved a life if so how? | My partner of 8 years tried to commit suicide about two years into dating her, I stopped her, got her to hospital and told her parents about everything. We took her to many different counsellors, none of which were able to help. I’ve given her so much time and love and positive support that her family are in general ag... | 4 |
askscience/c42wzn4 | r4qlz | What happens in your body/brain when you react to things like scratching on a blackboard? | I think the best example of this, besides nails on a chalkboard, is babies screaming. They have a super high-pitched wail that we naturally find to be one of the most annoying sounds on earth. The sound of a baby screaming literally makes me want to strangle things. | 2 |
AskReddit/eq4960u | bx7kny | What game made you fall in love with gaming? | I grew up gaming. When I was a kid my mom and dad would go over to one of my dad's coworkers to play D&D. My brother would and my dad's coworker's oldest son and daughter would also play D&D and I would have to play with my sisters and his coworker's daughters. I'd always ask to play but he wouldn't let me. When the ga... | 3 |
explainlikeimfive/etlofdk | ccbbc9 | Why is everyone blaming the "boomers" for today's economy? | To add to what others had said, they created a tax policy that incentivized outsourcing jobs and paying workers as little as possible while shifting as much of the money and profits as possible to the already-wealthy investors. They decreased the funding for government research & development that helped the US be a tec... | 1,366 |
AskReddit/d9e55se | 5a73ww | What was a very close call to almost being caught masturbating at home (in your past)? | I was masturbating downstairs in my house a good few years ago, with my mum and her boyfriend supposedly sleeping upstairs. I hear someone coming downstairs but I can't cover up quickly enough so I dive behind the couch just before he opens the door. I kind of poke my head over the couch and he sees me and chuckles. I ... | 2 |
AskReddit/d5i9zsg | 4tlr7k | What is worth paying one million dollars for? | With one million dollars you can live with around 2000$ a month for 40 years. That's what I would do, just enjoy life, traveling and knowing that I could try things without having to live a life of work responsibilities and schedules and stress. | 2 |
AskReddit/edqfyr6 | aem7na | How realistic is to stick to only cash for paying for things and ditching things like debit or credit cards? | You need to keep some credit in order to have a good credit score, but it's possible to use it for only certain things (like buying gas every week and immediately paying it off.) I use cash for most of my shopping. When I run out of cash, I stop buying things. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/cdcco3c | 1qfpl4 | Why, as a part of the British Commonwealth, does Australia call its currency Dollars? | Because we got rid of the Pound and replaced it with decimal currency. The Prime Minister of the time wanted to call it the Royal but the public quickly shouted that suggestion down. In the end it was decided to just go with the name that the US was using for their decimal currency. The word Dollar itself is a basterdi... | 6 |
AskReddit/csg39he | 3aulr7 | What is an interesting fact about one of your ancestors? | One of my ancestors (I think it's greatx6 grandfather) moved to Illinois in the early 1800's and founded the town of Elkheart and became the mayor. It slowly grew as people settled the area. Later on he was involved as the defendant in a libel case and a young lawyer from Illinois by the name of Abraham Lincoln represe... | 93 |
AskReddit/dj3dfbb | 6i44lk | What are the pros and cons of sobriety? | So, there is a history of alcoholism on my fathers side. As such, having witnessed it first hand, it's just something I've never wanted to do. I've never been drunk. However, I routinely hang out with those who do, when they do. Some benefits of it are, I never have to worry about how I'm getting home, I get free soda ... | 6 |
AskReddit/c5ov5o5 | xr5ui | Is it illegal to take appliances such as washers and dryers from a home if it is foreclosed? | Yes. Don't listen to the people who can't spell for advice. Items which are plumbed into a house are almost always considered part of the real property. Now if you were to replace the nice washer, dryer, or fridge in your house with something cheap off craigslist the bank may never know the difference. Then again they ... | 7 |
askscience/cav989f | 1hkpgt | If a nuclear weapon detonated in the silo, what would happen to other nukes stored there? | The general response is, "no possibility of a chain reaction." In general it takes rather precise conditions for a nuclear weapon to detonate correctly, so, say, setting them on fire and hitting them with heavy pressure waves ought not do that. On the other hand, as I'm mulling it over, I'm thinking about whether the n... | 8 |
explainlikeimfive/ckoynwd | 2h364y | How do mirrors work? | A mirror is just an extremely smooth metal surface. All the light that hits it bounces off in an almost perfectly reflected angle, as opposed to a rougher surface which reflects light at different angles (scatters it). In my materials science class, we made mirrors by sanding and polishing little pieces of metal. As th... | 2 |
AskReddit/d66t8k2 | 4wgkjx | What is one thing you wish someone in your life would stop doing? | I wish ny parents would stop trying to micromanage my life. I used to think I was just being a whiny teenager until I found out that good parents don't go through their kid's room and phone for random searches every week or so. I got in a fight with them the other day because I'm 18 now and heading off to college soon ... | 3 |
AskReddit/c2p6dl8 | l1ym2 | If you could send a 140 character message to the world 50 years in the past, what would you send? | You would need to teach them something they havent discovered yet, people. Also telling them something would more than likely make you, and most other people born in the past 50 years, a paradox in the past reality. I don't know what will happen, so do so at your own risk. | 6 |
explainlikeimfive/cdvt7zt | 1sbd9n | How food doesn't go to my lungs, and why air mostly doesn't go to my stomach? | You have a flap called the epiglottis that covers your windpipe without you having to consciously think about it any time you try to swallow food or liquid. When not in use, your esophagus flattens, but your trachea has cartilagenous rings that keep it open. When you breathe, negative pressure in your lungs sucks air i... | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/dhor1nz | 6bqpsk | What is the red pill? | It gets a bad reputation because at its core it relies on the idea that women are essentially children and a resource as opposed to actual people, and puts men into a position where they feel victimized, in part as a reaction to their perception of feminism (which ironically, they think is setting up a system of false ... | 6 |
AskReddit/effk5bd | aloj4w | If the theory of the infinite multiverse is true, is there an universe where it’s not? | No, that is nonsensical. The multiverse theory just suggests that there are an infinite amount of parallel spatial (as in 3 dimensions, X, Y, and Z) universes. There are an infinite number of parallel 2D planes (X and Y) that intersect our 3D known universe. Asking this question is like asking whether there are any 2D ... | 23 |
explainlikeimfive/dihmhyn | 6fe1w1 | Why is "Death" often pictured carrying a scythe? | Death is often depicted with cutting objects because he cuts the thread of life. For example the Greek/Roman deities of fate were depicted as spinning the literal thread of life for each human and cutting it at the end. This was later mixed with the Chronos/Saturnus, the Titan of Time who carried a sickle (with which h... | 7 |
AskReddit/cb1o346 | 1i7at5 | What fictional character do you have real respect for, and why? | A lot of characters really. Minerva Mcgonagall from Harry Potter. Strong woman and I would totally have loved to have her as my teacher. Molly Weasley from Harry Potter. I think a lot of people underestimate her character, but she reminds me a lot of my own mother and I think she is one of the bravest characters in the... | 2 |
AskReddit/e5m4xm4 | 9e4yge | What is the evolutionary purpose of body hair such as eyebrows, eyelashes, and facial hair? | We used to be furrier. Some hair, such as eyebrows or eyelashes, prevent rain or sweat from running into our eyes. That's for men and women. Beards. though, are just on men. The hair grows because of male hormones. So beards can serve secondary sexual functions. It can signal higher hormone levels and associated aggres... | 2 |
AskReddit/c276s1d | iwi0e | Can my illegal immigrant GF fly from California to Charlotte, North Carolina with a Mexican Passport? | She'll need a government issued photo ID, so if she has a Mexican passport that qualifies. The only issue would be that she has overstayed the time allotment for a tourist visit. If they catch that she'll have problems. So if she has any type of US issued government photo ID then use that. | 2 |
explainlikeimfive/dppg4tz | 7cfbef | When cell phones first came out how did cell phone companies put up cell towers? | You have to keep in mind that when cell phones were introduced, we already had very widespread networks (in the West) of broadcasting towers for radio and television. Wireless communication was not a new idea. Cellular service providers placed antennas on existing towers, leased land for new ones where necessary, and g... | 3 |
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