query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Why were old movies like "Gone With The Wind" and "Wizard Of Oz" in color when movies were still in black in white until the late 50s/early 60s | [
"Technicolor was cumbersome and required expensive specialty cameras and lighting. It was at first only suitable for big-budget pictures, sort of like 3D today. Also, many directors preferred black and white for stylistic reasons. This is even true today; look at Schindler's List. Edit: Jesus, I get it. Schindler's... | [
"In a lot of ways, trying to pigeon hole this is arbitrary and debatable. There is certainly nothing \"official.\" That said, you'd be safe ticking off a generation every 20 - 25 years or so. So in the US: Baby boomers born in the late 40s to the early 60s. Gen X born from late 60s early 80s. Millennials born in th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why is the score on metacritic consistently lower than the score on rotten tomatoes? | [
"Rotten Tomatoes is higher than Metacritic on good movies, and lower than Metacritic on bad movies. As said below,RT's numbers are ratios. For a \"pretty good\" movie that everyone agrees is decent, you're likely to get a 100% on RT, while on MC, you'll get something like a 65 - 70 (the average of critic scores). A... | [
"% of critics on the website that like the movie. Audience score is the same, but with movie goers over Pro Critics. Don't use the Tomato rating as a \"how good\" the movie is, it's meant to be more of the % chance you'll like the movie. Theres some low 40% movies I really enjoy, and some upper 90% ones I don't. It... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Since every copy of Windows MediaPlayer has a "Rip CD" button, why hasn't the MPAA gone after Microsoft? | [
"Court cases have ruled that you have the legal right to make copies of your CDs, even to the extent of changing the format (e.g. ripping a CD to and MP3). However there are two reasons why the MPAA hasn't gone after Microsoft for it. First is the MPAA is strictly concerned with movies (Motion Picture Association o... | [
"Your 12 year old dvd \"Player\" ? Playing a DVD and ripping a DVD are two different things."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
What happened with Carlos Mencia and why is he basically shunned as a comedian? | [
"He stole jokes and got outed by other comedians such as Joe Rogan for doing so."
] | [
"The joke is that Kevin Hart being the biggest comedian in the world is so depressing it drove Robin Williams to suicide."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why English actors always portray characters from the renaissance period, the middle-age, the world wars, etc, on modern screen adaptations while they're talking in an English accent? Even if the characters they portray aren't English. Ex: Da Vinci's Demons, Enemy At The Gates, Spartacus.. | [
"Most of your examples take place outside of English speaking countries. If a movie is almost exclusively set in Italy, it would have to be filmed in Italian if you wanted to be historically accurate. But, it's hard to market a film in Italian to an English speaking audience. If you just make the film in English, t... | [
"Actually, the 'normal' characters for Japanese entertainment media are supposed to be average Japanese. When they portray white, black or even other Asian, exaggerated body features or habit are used. Also, the average Japanese student already learn about John Steinbeck, Victor Hugo, Goethe and Shakespeare in high... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is my beard hair so much different from my head hair? | [
"All hair after puberty is a type of hair called terminal hair (it's different than the types you had as an infant and child) but the differences in \"feel\" actually come from how the hair is shaped in a cross-section. Straight hair is round, wavy hair is oval, and curly hair is flat. Scalp hair can be any of the... | [
"As best as I know, different areas of hair growth have many different properties. Not just speed but in some cases color. I have a beard and while most of it is black a little bit on each side of my chin is orange. Some parts grow faster and its just coincidence that for you its neck thats faster. Joke answer, you... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Considering air friction, why do fans make air feel cooler and not warmer? | [
"The effect of friction on the air is negligible. Fans don't cool the air overall, but they make you *feel* cooler by moving the air around. You heat the air immediately above your skin to well above room temperature, and a fan blows cooler air in to replace that."
] | [
"Because you're sitting on the cold seat, which transfers heat much better than the air does when you are standing up outside. The seat pulls heat from your body more effectively than the air does and you feel colder. If it is windy outside, the moving air probably transfers heat better than the seat, so it feel mu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why doesn't the court make mothers receiving child support present the receipts to show what the child support is being spent on? | [
"It wouldn't help catch most people who were using money on themselves instead of their children. The sketchy mom would just still produce the receipts for rent, groceries, utilities, etc. paid out of child support funds. They would all show reasonable expenditures for taking care of a child. It wouldn't matter if... | [
"Because the child support payments aren't about what's \"fair\" to the parents. The courts side *with the child*, so the child *always* gets the most out of it as reasonably possible. If a woman raped a man and had his child, he would still potentially be required to pay child support, if his earnings were higher ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Law and Gender Equality:"
} |
Why is Hollywood what it is? | [
"It still was \"the\" place until fairly recently when Vancouver boomed and now Georgia (mostly Atlanta area) officially produces the most films."
] | [
"What's to explain? Why we have it? How it works?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How do people can make a game console emulator and how they extract game files from physical cartridge to digital files ? | [
"Think of programming an emulator like you would create a virtual version of a computer. You'll sort of create a CPU, a GPU, even RAM depending on what you are doing, and the BIOS: that means you program what the machine should do when you turn it on (e.g. memory checks, load data from the cartridge, etc). And then... | [
"For the same reason you can't rip the cover of a book in Chinese, wrap it in an English cover and read it. What I mean to say is, that console games and even the content on the disc is not comprehensible for your computer. Windows has no clue what to do with those files."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why doesn't smoking weed lead to heart problems and strokes whil smoking other carcinogens like cigarettes do? | [
"It probably does since nothing burns completely clean. I think there are fewer people smoking weed at the equivalent of a pack a day to really have enough evidence to decide one way or another"
] | [
"well there is very little long term research that has gone into the effects of vaping so tbh we don't know that its better for you than cigarettes. obviously neither of them is healthy for you"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why the US Postal Service is in so much trouble | [
"Several years ago congress passed a law forcing the USPS to pre fund the retirement accounts for the next 75 years. Meaning they have to put money away for workers that have not even been born yet. Without this requirement the USPS would be operating just fine. Email has also caused a reduction in mail volume whic... | [
"More or less a way for corporations to literally be above the law and do whatever they want, among other things. Cross your fingers it doesn't go through."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
what is the purpose of earnings per share? What distinguish it from mere earnings? | [
"Unless you know the earnings per share, you can't determine the price/earnings ratio of the stock you might want to buy or sell. If two companies have $1Million in earnings but Co A has 1 Million shares outstanding and Co B has 2 Million shares outstanding, one might expect the price of Co B's shares to be 1/2 of ... | [
"Weighted Average Cost Of Capital. All sources of capital, including common stock, preferred stock, bonds and any other long-term debt, are included in a WACC calculation. It is important bc it determines how much interest a company owes for each dollar it finances. Also WACC is an investor’s opportunity cost of ta... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does daylight savings work for a person that works overnights? | [
"I used to work graveyard at a hospital (8 hr shift). Spring Forward was nice because we only had to work 7 hours, but got paid for the full 8. Fall back we worked 9 hours and got paid overtime for the extra hour. Also we were responsible for changing all the clocks."
] | [
"In Fall we return to normal time. So really the point of daylight savings time is to give us extra sun in the summer. If there was no daylight savings time, sundown would be at 7 instead of 8 in the months of June, July, August. Etc. I always thought it would make sense to have daylight savings all the time due to... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Ancient Alien Theory | [
"Mostly everything on the History Channel about Ancient Alien theory is sensationalist bulllshit. Their way of explaining it is usually along the lines of \"We don't quite understand how ancient people achieved this, or what these symbols that kinda sorta look like spaceships mean, therefore:aliens.\" That being s... | [
"Check out Robert E. May's *Manifest Destiny's Underworld*."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How are suicide bombers able to so easily circumvent what is considered the deepest human trait: self-preservation? | [
"Self-preservation is not the deepest human trait as we can see when people sacrifice themselves for others. Survival of the fittest doesn't refer to the individual but to the genes that are passed on by your relatives. There are situations where looking after yourself will get everyone killed but if one person sac... | [
"Because humans are the only species with a complex enough social structure to allow for emotions such as embarrassment."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Where do the worms in your garbage bag come from? They can't be in the food you eat right? | [
"They absolutely can come from the food you eat. Fly eggs will only hatch in temperatures hospitable to the larva (worms). Warm cozy trash can is way nicer than the inside of a refrigerator. They can also come from flies that occasionally make it into your house, and subsequently your trash."
] | [
"Fruit flies don't come from expired food, they are only attracted by it, so when they smell it, they come rushing for it. They dont come FROM the food, they come FOR the food."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why important structures like levees and dams aren't made out of the same material as an airplane's "black box" | [
"It's a lot easier to make something small very strong."
] | [
"Well compared to all the steel beams, electrical cables, concrete, a pool full of water really doesn't weigh all that much. And as long as the bottom of the pool is reinforced and supported properly, it really doesn't make a huge difference."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why are there play-in games in the NCAA Tournament for 11 and 12 seeds? | [
"32 teams qualify for the tournament by winning their conference, 36 win by getting an \"at-large\" bid, which essentially means they're the top teams out of those that didn't win their conferences. The at-large bid teams are all going to be better than quite a few of the smaller conference winners, so they get ran... | [
"Divisional Champions: (Four per conference) Team in each division with the best overall record. Wild Card teams: (two per conference) Two teams with the best record of non-division champs in each conference. First Round Bye: In each conference, the two division champs with the best overall record get a bye in the... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do humans get the urge to urinate when frightened or nervous? | [
"Its not an urge its loss of control over those muscles."
] | [
"The butterflies sensation is caused by a lack of blood flow to your stomach. It is a result of adrenaline being released because you are nervous. Different people have different nervous reactions. I dont get butterflies, but my legs get shaky. Some people get sweaty palms. Everyone is a bit different in their resp... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How large should a cult be to be considered a religion? | [
"Those 2 terms aren't really mutually exclussive. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Being a cult, isn't about size though. It's about how you behave: + Messianic leader. + Require members to cut off contact with \"outsiders\" + Strict enforcing of morals + etc... I mean JW and scientology a... | [
"The difference is based entirely on how many people are willing to raise Hell if you call their faith a mythology."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do we laugh at things when with a peer that we would not even find amusing alone? | [
"It's a bonding mechanism. A lot of laughter can be attributed to bonding with others: - when people are in a group and laugh, they tend to look at the person they feel closest to or would like to feel close to - in dating, humor is big factor for how well 2 people connect. You tend to feel close to those who laug... | [
"Been there, done that. Laughing comes much more naturally to kids because there are so many new first times seeing or experiencing humorous things. Also, the media (and fail compilations) deadens us over time. And another great source of laughter is when things are funny, but you're not allowed to laugh because yo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Psychology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument about Psychology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
What causes the sensation of needing to cough? | [
"You have cough receptors in your lungs and your ~~airpipes~~ airways, they get stimulated by chemical or mechanic irritants (like mucus your airways produce in response to infection or pollen which irritates your bronchi) These receptors send electrical signals via the vagus nerve to the brain, the signal is proce... | [
"When your bowels are full, you can stimulate the Vasovagal response. The Vasovagal response is when your heart rate and blood pressure drops in response to being activated. You can activate this response by bearing down as if to poop, or if there is too much pressure in your bowels. The first few symptoms of a Vas... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How do (rechargeable) batteries exactly store power? | [
"batteries work via a chemical reaction in which one set of atoms loses electrons and another gains electrons. the battery is set up so that the reaction is ready to happen, but can't without a way for the electrons to get from one terminal to the other, and you provide this path for the electrons when you put the ... | [
"You can actually recharge non-rechargeable batteries such as alkaline batteries. However, they perform very poorly and take a very long time to recharge (Up to one day). They will also only last a handful of cycles before completely dying. I highly advise against trying this as your normal battery charger will lik... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
What does "systemless" mean in the context of newer Android systems? | [
"It basically means they're not modifying some system folders. Modifying system folders causes some Android functionality not to work (Android Pay, for example), so people have found a workaround. No doubt Google will find a way to prevent the workaround, and then people will figure out a workaround for *that*, etc... | [
"Please clarify what sort of operating systems you think there were before programming existed."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
what is /r/ circlejerk about? | [
"You can't really run out of karma. Well you can go into the negatives but you can build it back up fairly easily. /r/circlejerk is self-satire on general Reddit views, mostly leftist views which they tend to spin to far leftist views that are absurd and so on. They make fun of stereotypical Redditor behavior whic... | [
"there is a subreddit on this :) /r/netneutrality"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
why is there an uproar about declaring Jurusalem as capital instead of Tel Aviv? | [
"Both the Israelis and Palestinians claim the entire city as their own. At the moment it is divided and the implication of the announcement is that the US supports Israel claim to the entire thing. While trump explicitly stated it didn't mean this, it is how the world including his base views the implication"
] | [
"Im with you op.. Why are they protesting? What are their demands? What do they hope to achieve? Are they just protesting against 'the man'? Why are those guys in white so angry at them? (the protestors). Why why why? FYI im Aussie so excuse my ignorance"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Social issues:"
} |
Why do potato chips' such as: Ketchup, All Dressed, and Dill Pickle sales tests perform so poorly in the US, but are among the top flavours in other countries? | [
"The flavours you mention all have one thing in common: sourness. Ketchup, all dressed and dill pickle are all vinegary flavours and sour/vinegar is not a flavour element that's very popular in American cuisine with a few notable exceptions (certain bbq sauces for example). Salt & vinegar or malt vinegar is extreee... | [
"Each brand has to adapt to the region its being sold to. FYI its not only the shapes and the marketing that are being changed , the flavor is being tuned as well. As an example , I can tell you from my own experience that in Thailand Sprite is less sweet than in other places. Its all about marketing and adaptation... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why are food, water and shelter not first on the human rights list? | [
"Because they're positive rights - saying you're entitled to shit. The most important ones are negative rights - saying what you can't be subjected to - such as slavery, torture etc."
] | [
"It is not ok. The people who support this do not have the interests of the consumer as their top priority."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What chemicals are found in disposable chopsticks and what harm will they do? | [
"If they are wood then its just wood. Even if there is a treated coating then the question is less what is in it, and more how much of it can actually get into food. I could get heavy metal poisoning if my fork dissolved into my food, but I don’t because it doesnt..."
] | [
"Pressure treated wood usually is treated with a lot of chemicals. Burning the wood will expose you to toxic smoke created by the burning of those chemicals. While it won’t kill you, prolonged exposure can have negative effects to your health."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why do we only see smoke after a candle is blown out and not while it's burning? | [
"Most of the smoke from a blown out candle is un-burned fuel that got vaporized on the hot wick. When a candle is burning, it uses up this fuel leaving only small amounts of carbon (soot) behind. Fun Fact: You can actually re-light a candle by lighting the stream of smoke coming from a recently blown out candle. T... | [
"Blowing on a fire, or more usually the embers to start it brings the oxygen that fire can use as fuel closer to it, which allows it to grow and burn more. This does only work to a certain degree though, if you blow too much air, or too hard at the fire, it'll blow it out if the fire's small enough; like when you b... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why are the vertical stabilizers on combat jets slightly angled horizontally and not strictly vertical? | [
"It depends on the plane and the goals. The [F14](_URL_1_) has twin vertical vertical stabilizers, while the [F/A-18](_URL_0_) is similar to the F-22 with twin angled vertical stabilizers. The vertical stabilizer has a control surface on the back of it. On a vertical stabilizer like that on the F-14 it is only a ru... | [
"The vast majority lift comes from the angle of the wings rather than from the shape of the wings. You can fly upside down as long as you tilt the wings up a little more than usual Most stunt planes have symmetric wings rather than a flat bottom and curved to because being symmetric makes it a bit easier to stay up... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
States voting to keep NFL teams | [
"> Recently, someone told me that the state of Colorado votes every four years to keep the Broncos. This is completely false, I can't even think of a reason someone would believe that. Denver and neighboring counties voted once in the 1990's to help fund a new stadium that reduced the likelihood the team would move... | [
"The teams make the money and do not have this status - but the NFL itself as an organization is treated as a trade organization."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
If so much of Linux and the various distros are open-source, how are they secure? Wouldn't people be able to study the code for security loop-holes? | [
"Yep, and when they find those holes they report them or patch it up making the distro even more secure than before."
] | [
"When you run an application, your computer is executing lines of low level code that was compiled from easier to read high level \"source\" code. Open source projects are ones where the source code is public. It means anyone can edit it or learn how it works, and if they fix problems in it the original host can up... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Madden 2015 commentator dialogue. | [
"In code there are loops that decide when to execute a certain command. There are many different ways to choose the phrases that he spoke; so as for specific algorithms, you'd have to be a developer for the Madden game to know exactly. Variables are deciding the phrases he says. For example you throw a very long p... | [
"Could be that it's 231 minutes for just one server. Reddit has a lot of servers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post about Economics:"
} |
Why don't Microsoft and Sony release upgraded versions of their consoles with each new iteration within a generation? | [
"It would break compatibility with earlier consoles. Nobody wants to buy a PS4 today only to find out that 3 years down the road the games being released only work with the PS4 Advanced. At that point, you're really just releasing a new console on a shorter timescale than your competitors, which would drive away c... | [
"> why do they cost the same as an XB or a PS? They don't at all. You're comparing the brand new Switch to the 4 year old Xbox One or PS4. The Switch launched at $300, while the PS4 launched at $400 and the Xbox One launched at $500. Nintendo consistently released consoles with less power that cannot run many of t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Video games:"
} |
Why does my desk vibrate when I play a specific frequency? | [
"Everything has a natural frequency, or a resonant frequency where the vibrations tend to reinforce each other. Some things, like a bell or a glass resonate really well at a very specific frequency. You can whack them with any old thing to start it vibrating, but the natural frequency will continue to vibrate, leav... | [
"Some kind of electromagnetic interference most likely. Same reason why speakers sometimes start making weird noises when you have the phone right next to them and receive a text message/call."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do two large bodies of water meeting (such as the Rio Grand and Amazon) not mix? | [
"(I think you mean the Rio Negro?) But in general when these things happen, it's because the water is very different in composition. You'll see it where salt water meets fresh water, or even when they're both fresh water, having different temperatures or densities (e.g., having a lot of dissolved soil in the water)... | [
"Salt doesn't go up stream. All fresh water pools flow to the ocean at some point."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What causes us to get those random cold chills? | [
"What causes the chills at the end of a good pee?"
] | [
"The feeling can and does occur in other parts of your body. I get the feeling in my upper back normally."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do lions live in prides if cats in general are solitary animals? | [
"They are different species which have evolved different patterns of behavior. Those behaviors persist because they are successful. A pride of lions, for instance, can bring down prey that would be difficult or impossible for a single lion to bring down. Your house cat is not descended from a lion, or vice versa, ... | [
"Elephants are the only animals of their kind, leopards and jaguars are not the only animals of their kind, they are part of all the big cats. Elephants are so similar that all are called elephants. Leopards and jaguars are actually not as similar as you think, they just happen to look the same."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How can accidental fire be distinguished from arson? | [
"Usually the point where the fire started can be pretty easily spotted - The most damaged areas tend to be near the epicenter of the fire, and the spread of the fire itself can be used to see where it started and how. Accidental fires tend to be stuff like shorting out electrical plugs, cooking accidents, dangerous... | [
"At fire scenes the fire department will dispatch a fire investigator who's trained to analyze the progression of a fire, trace it back to its ignition source, and detect any accelerants (like gasoline). Once the fire is out, he gets to work analyzing the fire, noting anything that seems abnormal about where the fi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
How does the President of the US get enough sleep to run the country by managing issues that literally manifest every second? | [
"1. he delegates. probably every person that works for the president is the hardest working and smartest person we'd ever meet. its good to the president...you have team of people working directly for you who are damn committed and have demonstrated so over years and years. 2. those people employe the largest numbe... | [
"It's really a good idea to brief someone who has a substantial chance of being the commander-in-chief about what's going on. The last thing you want is a new president who needs weeks worth of briefings before having enough information to act on a crisis."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does jet fuel differ from regular car fuel? | [
"Aviation Turbine Fuel (AVTUR) is basically just Kerosene with a few additives thrown in for good measure, additives like an antifreeze-type substance to enable the fuel to retain it's liquid properties (viscosity) at very low temperatures. AVTUR is a higher octane than regualr car fuel which means it's ability to ... | [
"Why do some parts of the world call gasoline petrol?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why do states like Missouri choose not to accept medicaid expansion funds set aside by the federal government to help cover health insurance costs? | [
"To get those funds, the states have to both spend their own money and expand their programs (and long-term liabilities). Many states do not believe that the federal Medicaid funds will be around long-term and don't want to stuck holding the bag when the federal government makes inevitable cuts."
] | [
"Pregnant women qualify for Medicaid, which is paid for by the government, if they do not have insurance. The Medicaid cuts off for the woman after the child is born, but will continue to cover the child until it's 18 years old if the mother cannot get health insurance for the family from a private insurance compan... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
why is the us goverment shutting down? | [
"U.S. laws requires Congress to approve a budget by X date. Without an approved budget, the vast majority of our government is forbidden from spending money (special exception is made for \"essential services\"). Currently our Congress and President are bickering, and thus they haven't approved a budget. So our gov... | [
"whats the point of hospitals if we are all going to die anyway"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why is that salty foods make us thirsty yet many sport drinks meant to rehydrate us contain sodium? | [
"Because sports drinks are meant to replenish the sodium lost through sports during intense exertion. They really aren’t meant for just thirst."
] | [
"Yes, of course it does. Caffeine is a diuretic (spelling?) however, which requires a lot of water to process and can dehydrate, but most beverages aside from Coke and energy drinks have a net positive effect on your hydration level."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Food and Beverage:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Food and Beverage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Why are armpits hairy? | [
"The body hair prevents chafing from your arm skin rubbing on your torso skin. Preventing chafing is also the main purpose of pubic hair so your legs, butt cheeks, and genitalia don't rub together and get chafed. It's not like scrotum hair ever kept anyone warm in the winter."
] | [
"Why do you have so many lips and chins?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Biology:"
} |
How did ancient people discover which plants were safe to eat and which weren't? | [
"It's hard to say definitively how things worked for ancient people, because of the lack of records. But here are some possibilities. * Trial and Error: We would test things we'd eat before gathering enough to feed our tribe. If we had adverse reactions, we'd move on. * Observation: Watch other animals and see what... | [
"Wild animals might know what they can/can’t eat because of natural instincts and watching others. Pets, on the other hand, don’t know the difference between something good for them and something that will hurt them"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
if the energy is consumed at the time it is Produced how come there is always electricity at the electrical outlets ? | [
"Because it is produced in anticipation of you using it. And with a million people using it at the same time, you turning on your blender is balanced out by someone else turning off their blow dryer. Also, there is enough \"slack\" in the system that what one or two households so isn't going change how much total p... | [
"power is being converted by the transformer even when it is plugged in and being converted to heat, so yes sort of."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why we're able to easily sleep 12+ hours as teenagers, but as we get older we struggle to sleep in for more than 9-10 hours even if we try? | [
"Two things. First, physical growth requires sleep, and you are either done or damn near done growing now. Second, sleep plays a vital role in encoding memories and processing learning. If you have ever woken up with answers you were looking for the previous day, this is why. When you are young, you are learning mu... | [
"Not all sleep is created equal. There are plenty of people who don't feel well rested after 8 hours of sleep. These people take a nap during the day so they don't spend the whole day tired. You sleep when you're tired, simple as that. So, it's subjective. Some days, yes, you'd be fine with 3 hours less nightly sl... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Health:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Health:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
why red & green are the colors of stop & go respectively if red/green colorblindness is so common. | [
"Red for 'no' and green for 'yes' is fairly deeply ingrained in us - although just why is debatable (I made a suggestion here based on fruit, which was backwards!). This made the choice of red and green obvious, and color blindness just wasn't thought of when the choice was made, over a century ago for railroad sig... | [
"People who are not color blindness can see details with color and patterns etc, but colorblind people cant see the colors so the only thing they can foucus on is the pattern and size, shape, and therefore they can notice patterns faster than non colorblind people. EDIT: You can kind of say that color blind people ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Is it true that if you eat human flesh your body will uncontrollably shake? If so, why? | [
"It could happen, yes. It's due to a prion disease called Kuru: _URL_0_"
] | [
"Not everyone can smell it. So, to them, their pee doesn't smell. But to those who can smell it, everyone's pee smells when they eat asparagus. (Don't ask how this was discovered.)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why are plesiosaurs and mosasaurs considered reptiles and not dinosaurs? | [
"Well, first off, dinosaurs are reptiles. However, dinosaurs refer to a very specific clade of reptiles that are generally defined by their bone structure, especially the shape of the hip. Marine reptiles don't meet the standard, and the fossil evidence indicates that they diverged from other reptiles before dinosa... | [
"Dinosaurs were not reptiles. Birds are a subcategory of Dinosaurs, they are the descendent of the survivors of the Dinosaurs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
What exactly are the folks over at r/nofap trying to accomplish? | [
"Masturbation can and sometimes is an addiction that can become troublesome for many people. So some people either try to lower the amount they masturbate, or cut it off entirely. Can't say I agree with the latter group, but it's their choice."
] | [
"You should definitely see a counselor, but why did you post this to this subreddit specifically?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Do gases like helium always change your voice by a certain amount of octaves, if not, why? | [
"This is actually a pretty complex question. I'm afraid I don't have an analytical answer but the result is unlikely to be a multiple of octaves. When you make a tone with your voice, you're using the air to vibrate your vocals chords. The speed at which these skin flaps vibrate is what gives your pitch. The way th... | [
"Lower sound waves are larger (peaks and valleys are farther apart) so they vibrate objects more noticeably and travel farther. High voices vibrate things it's just so fast it isn't as noticeable. This is why bass seems to be heard from farther away than treble."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
why flood waters from South Carolina be shipped by truck, train, or pipeline to drought stricken like California. | [
"1. where does the pipeline start? sure SC has a flood now, but normally they do not have an abundance of water. The great lakes would make a more sensible source. 2. The amount of water that a state uses would be mind numbing. You talk about oil, the water main going to your neighborhood probably matches that volu... | [
"In some cases it's because you would be depriving reservoirs, underground aquifers, or even other states downriver of water that is contractually theirs. Every drop of rainwater collected in Colorado is a drop that doesn't make it to the Colorado River, and then on to Arizona, Nevada, California, etc."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
There are many alternative sweeteners out there with almost zero calories in them, why have they not been adopted more widely? Couldn't they be a huge help in combating obesity? | [
"..they have? all diet soda drinks use artificial sweeteners. you can buy those in boxes at the grocery store. sucralose and aspartame are in alot of things."
] | [
"The biggest reason is that it's sugar, and it's in a lot of things, and you really don't need that much sugar. It's so cheap that it gets added into things in order to improve sales, because we love sweets. There is also some concern as to how your body handles it compared to standards like honey or table sugar. T... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How remote controls work | [
"Most remote controls are *infrared* remote controls. These use a kind of invisible light called infrared. They have an LED on the front (similar to indicator lights on electronics) that emits the invisible infrared light in pulses. Different patterns of pulses correspond to different functions. The device you're c... | [
"Because now we have the technology to do so."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why is it hard to copy an Xbox/Ps game, i mean if a disc reader can read the whole disc and copy it with the same fidelity why it wouldn't work ? | [
"Simple answer: There's are intentional bad spots on on the disc that home drives can't duplicate, and when the system doesn't see them, it knows you're using a copy. Average answer: _URL_1_ More detailed answer (scroll down): _URL_0_"
] | [
"Because then the computer's speed would be limited by how quickly the CD/DVD can read the disk. When the game is installed on the computer, the harddrive can be accessed much faster than a laser moving over spinning disk. Edit, furthermore: To reverse your question, why do consoles play games off the disk instead ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why Do Women Go Through Menopause? | [
"There is also the [Grandmother hypothesis](_URL_0_) as mothers age there comes a point in time where devoting their energy and resources into raising their grandchildren instead of reproducing directly is a better strategy to ensure the survival of their genes."
] | [
"Being Black Does Actually Have (Relatively Minor) Health Consequences, It's Just That They're Obviated By Modern Life. There's An Energy Cost To Have Extra Melanin, Even A Small One, So If You Don't Need It It Won't Be Selected For. Melanin Reduces Vitamin-D Uptake From The Sun If Sunlight Is Lower Than You're Ada... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
GNU General Public License (GPL), | [
"Have you tried reading the preamble? its quite well written in non legalese"
] | [
"Linux kernels (as other UNIX-like systems) [count dates from 1 January 1970.](_URL_0_) Android is running a Linux kernel."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do poor areas like Africa and the Middle East get so many weapons? | [
"As recommended below, you can start with [Lord of War](_URL_0_) movie. USSR used to give out tons (Literaly) of weapons to all sympathizers. *Oh yeah, we are communist* is all it often took to get a train car full of AKs. Since they are easy to use, reliable and cheap there are still millions of them out there. Mo... | [
"Follow up: If you can get these chemicals in the US and other Western countries, why are these attacks not as common here as they are in the east?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If Sheep have to be sheered, and if they escape, they become overgrown to the point they are immobile, how can they survive without humans? | [
"Domestic sheep have been selectively bred for more wool production and lack of shedding; a domestic sheep that escapes to the wild turns into a giant, gnarled knot of wool and htey certainyl can die from this when it becomes too heavy, impedes their ability to eat, or allows an infection to fester underneath all t... | [
"Animals will eat until their teeth have been ground down and then slowly starve to death, or at least get so weak that they get ripped to shreds by predators or succumb to disease they have no medicine for. Humans prefer to die of other things. Also we eat way more sugar."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Dentistry:"
} |
After 36 years, why are there so many baron areas around Mount St. Helens? | [
"The USA does not have royalty. There have never been barons here. St. Helens does not have the power to distribute such titles. There are no baron areas there."
] | [
"Native Floridian, never heard a word about this. Any sources?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do some programs hog resources, but the project file is only some kilobytes? | [
"> Why do some programs hog resources, but the project file is only some kilobytes? If I give you a shopping list which includes 300 items, how difficult is it to carry that list? Probably not difficult, you could list all that on a single sheet of paper. Now how hard is it to carry all the items on the list? Proba... | [
"Programmer's often feel that a program doesn't need to free memory as long as you have some free. What if you decided that you wanted to re-open one or more of the tabs that you closed? Chrome can do it faster if it keeps those tabs in memory, and it won't slow your computer down as long as it doesn't use more mem... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does the US continue to kill the Keystone XL pipeline, where it would get oil from one of it's greatest allies (Canada), and reduce its need on overseas oil? | [
"Because the purpose of the pipeline is to transport bitumen to Houston fro processing and shipment to countries around the world, not for use in the US. Also the pipeline is planned to run over the Ogallala aquifer which provides water to 1/5 of the nations farming. When the pipeline leaks and they all do it would... | [
"Saudi Arabia (the largest oil exporter) likes the US. Just to correct your point. Reasons, I believe I am not an economist, are US subsidizes price of gas. And the US gets most of its oil from pretty close by, itself and Canada. Whereas Asia and Europe get more of it from imported from further locations."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Economics:"
} |
Why did Germany take in so many refugees? | [
"One simple reason is that Germany is the largest country by population. I think the issue is more why other countries haven't. Some have very anti-immigration governments, and have actively tried to prevent refugees coming. The refugees don't simply go away though, and so more end up travelling to the countries th... | [
"Why is the US so upset over the labeling of US treatment of Native Americans as a genocide?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do they add the letter T, then plus of minus, before saying how many seconds until a rocket launches | [
"As others have said, T is the time of launch. What nobody mentioned yet is why times are given as T minus X. The launch takes months to plan. They don't know what day it will be, let alone what time. But they do know that they must (for example) test the engines at T minus 10 and run certain checks after launch at... | [
"New to reddit so don't know if this is a joke question? '100 years to the day' means simply that the dates of the events are the same, that's all. The number of years in between, or whether they are leap years, is irrelevant."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why don't stocks for companies like Google and Apple split, when their stock prices exceed $500/share? | [
"for the same reason berkshire a shares dont split, it keeps out smaller investors"
] | [
"The absolute cost per share of a stock is a relatively meaningless number. You can divide a company into whatever number of shares you like, and that number can change over time (and does, when companies do stock splits or merges). If a company has a high price per share, it basically just means that they haven't ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What is the difference between an escort and a hooker, and what is the legal stance on them in the US? | [
"An escort is a hired date. They are someone hired to go out with you, normally to an event where you are expected to have a date such as a fancy dinner party, an awards ceremony, the opera, or the like. A prostitute is someone who is hired to have sex with. In places that prostitution is illegal, but escorts are... | [
"I'm not into that kind of thing, but to the best of my knowledge, its not illegal in the US, but I guess that depends on what country you're in."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
Whenever I turn up the volume from 1 to 15, what exactly am I "turning up"? | [
"You are actually turning down, you see you're turning a potentiometer thus reducing the amount of resistance which increase the amount of electricity flow to the driver."
] | [
"they don't, really, other than that the decibels increase as you increase the volume. there is no set relationship between the volume number on the TV volume control and the actual decibels produced. In fact, it varies quite a bit. One TV's 5 setting might be just as loud as another TV's 10 setting, for instance"
... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
with cartoons, do they animate first then record the voice, or vice versa? | [
"They record the voice first. The main reason for this is because of timing - the animators can't accurately animate the mouth moving and any gestures that go along with the dialogue unless they can accurately sync it with the audio."
] | [
"They record the song first and when they're filming the video they play the song in the background so the artists can lipsync over it, they'll do this various different times in different scenes and cut them all together for the final edit"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Animation:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text about Animation:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How were transatlantic internet cables placed at the bottom of the ocean and where do they "swim out" in the US and Europe? | [
"> How was that achieved Big ships with spools of cable towing contraptions across the ocean floor which bury them a bit under the floor. > how much time did it take? It is still ongoing! > Also where does the cable start and end? [Various places](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"ISPs are the internet. The cables that go all around the world didn't appear out of nowhere. Someone dug them down, and takes payment to connect to their network."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How did Einstein come up with E=MC^2? What evidence or data did he have to support this? | [
"This is the least ELI5 I have ever seen. \"Postulates\", \"relativity of simultaneity\", \"maxwell equations\". What the hell am I reading?"
] | [
"It does not. Einstein made some extremely important contributions to physics, but predicting the Big Bang was not among them."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What did Mohamed Morsi do that caused him to get ousted? | [
"He granted himself unlimited power to create laws without review, and drafted a new Islamic-backed constitution."
] | [
"The armed forces took power after the fall of Mubarak and now they don't want to let go. The Egyptian people are pissed that Mubarak's cronies are still in power and want it to stop."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
What is the OCD like behavior that cause some people to have check every chest/room/box or mine/pick every node in a video game when they don't exhibit those behaviors anywhere else? | [
"Real life doesn't have valuables hidden in every pot and box and there are legal issues to contend with. Meanwhile, your time is often in contention with other tasks. The time and effort it takes to find something of value that you can legally keep makes it not worth it for most. But in a video game, treasures are... | [
"it's not really about it causing any kind of damage, they're wondering why you don't get sick of it after that long."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why is fiber good for you, and what exactly does it do when you eat it? | [
"Fiber=carb that body cannot digest. soluble fiber can dissolve in water. It can help regulate the amount of \"bad\" cholesterol in your body. Insoluble fiber can't be dissolved in water. It helps move food through your digestive system and helps you form poops that are easy to pass so you don't get constipated. A... | [
"Processed aka simple carbohydrates are very quickly and easily broken down into simple sugar molecules. Excess sugar is stored as fat. Whole wheat sources have carbohydrates in them, but they also have a lot of fiber. Fiber is what we call the parts of food that your body can't digest. Those calories aren't absorb... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do people react negatively (or even violently) when presented with evidence that challenge their world view? | [
"Psychology major here. We've focused (in my social psychology classes, in particular) on the idea of cognitive dissonance. What this means is: You perceive the world in one way. Reality comes along and shows that you might be wrong. You have two options, according to conventional information processing: accommodat... | [
"Cognitive Dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling a person gets when possessing two conflicting views. For example, somebody may have been raised in a very strict religious household. When learning about history, etc, they may begin to form beliefs that are contradictory to the ideology that have been raised with,... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What do the words "premium" and "gourmet" ACTUALLY mean in regards to food sales? | [
"Whatever the company wants them to mean. They are what we call \"Weasel words\" _URL_0_ Free yourself from the tricks that advertising uses, my friend!"
] | [
"Because \"natural\" is a vague term. There aren't regulations on what you have to do to say you sell \"natural\" foods."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
How come people can develop an intolerance to meat but not to vegetables? | [
"Long protein strands can be hard to digest if your body isn't used to them. Plant proteins are generally simpler and much easier to process. There's also saturated fats, which are much more prevalent in meats and which can cause upset stomach if you aren't used to them."
] | [
"Different brands have different preservatives in them. You can be sensitive or have an allergic response to certain preservatives and not others."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
What are supercomputers used for nowadays? | [
"- 'Big Data' analysis - Protein folding simulations - Video and 3D/animation rendering - Weather forecasting / climate research - Engineering/structural/crash-test simulations - Search for Extra-Terrestrial life (radio-telescope signal analysis) - Other medical and scientific experiments/simulations/testing - Cryp... | [
"Can someone explain the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer's, please?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Why are our irrational thoughts so much stronger than our rational ones? | [
"Weird drama ensuing down there :/ but hey let me give this a shot. We follow logic and rationality more. If we did not we would have died many times over. We stop at red lights, don't put our hands in the fire, don't cut our fingers off and even at a psychological level we create an atmosphere around us that gives... | [
"Humans are unique in that we possess the capacity to be self-aware and consciously think about decisions and observations, as well as consider potential outcomes. Generally, if there is no impetus to make a decision quickly, the brain will mull over a decision for a long period of time. Similarly, the brain is als... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What do GPRS, E, 3G, 4G, and LTE mean on smartphones? | [
"They are markers indicating the level of mobile internet service you have - GPRS (Global Packet Radio Service) is the slowest, at about 35kbps, E (Edge) is slightly faster, at around 135kbps, then 3G (3rd Generation) at approximately 6Mbps, 4G (4th Generation) is around 15Mbps. LTE, or Long Term Evolution, normal... | [
"WiFi is not the same thing as a cellular network. This seems to be a common misconception, when I tell people that I have wireless broadband, because I can't get a landline, many people respond \"oh, so you got wifi\". WiFi use 2.4 GHz radio waves, cellular networks use many different frequencies, from ~700 MHz u... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the text about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
Why does HDR require several different shots of the same scene? Why doesn't the human eye have to do this but camera sensors do? | [
"Cameras need to poll their sensors all at once, changing exposure times, etc. for the entire sensor simultaneously. The human eye though is made up of many different cells which are continually exposed to light and can adjust their reporting of sensation individually. This means they don't need \"multiple exposure... | [
"Your eyes are magnificent sensors, and cameras are not as good. Your eye has adaptive gain control, which allows you to see better in the dark by trading \"frame rate\" for sensitivity. To get the same effect in a camera, you need a longer exposure. If you have a nice camera and a tripod, you should be able to get... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
what is the difference between Kaspersky and Norton and Avira, and why are they better than free antiviruses? | [
"This is just my personal opinion. Norton and McAffe were great back in their day. They did a fantastic job for protecting a computer from getting infected. Now skip to today. These programs are now worse than the viruses. Mainly because they have jammed them full of junk outside of their original intended purpose.... | [
"Computer science major here so I know a bit about this stuff, I could drag this out but to try to explain simply, a number like 98% of viruses are just evolutions if precious viruses. All antivirus softwares look for these base differences. Free antivirus software finds these and eliminates. When you start getting... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Is it ISIS, IS, ISIL, or Islamic State? Why do we have so many names for one organisation? | [
"They have their own name and it is something like \"الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام\" obviously this doesn't really work well for anyone who doesn't speak Arabic so most people use a translation and since you can translate a phrase in many ways people end up with different translations and since these translati... | [
"When people say the U.S. created the Islamic State it's not like the U.S. went to Iraq and recruited people to be in this great new ISIS thing. They mean that the U.S.' actions in the Middle East (specifically toppling Saddam) were the impetus that lead to the rise of groups like the Islamic State."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about current affairs:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph about current affairs:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why is it that the Department of Justice planned to file an antitrust lawsuit if Comcast bought Time Warner Cable, but Charter was able to buy them just recently without issue? | [
"Comcast was by far the largest cable provider in the country with about 23 million subscribers. Time Warner was the #2 cable provider with ~11 million. Charter was the #3 provider with ~6 million. Had Comcast and Time Warner merged it would have created a single company that controlled the overwhelming majority o... | [
"> What is Broadband Accessibility Act of 2017? Basically? It's a $45 million bribe being paid to AT & T and Comcast to get them to stop blocking EPB expansion in Tennessee. EPB is an electric power cooperative in Tennessee that started offering gigabit internet service to customers in Chattanooga, but has subseque... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why is a broken hip so often the kiss of death for an elderly person? | [
"Your hip is a pretty large and important part of your body and breaking it is very traumatic. The surgery is very invasive and the recovery can be long. During the recovery you are very immobile and taking a lot of medications for help with pain and infections. This immobility can cause someone to fall into worse ... | [
"Compare mortality rates to those with chronic illness 100 years ago. Now make the same comparison today. You will find that a very large number of people who are sick today would have been dead 100 years ago. Peanut allergy 100 years ago: Billy mysteriously fell over dead, end of story."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text about Health:"
} |
Are you a criminal if you deliberately choose not to prevent someone from committing suicide? | [
"I'd say it depends on whether the country you are in has a [good samaritan law.](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"I'm going to interpret your \"why is it okay\" as \"why is it legal\", because ELI5 isn't the right place to argue about subjective morality. From a legal standpoint, it's the difference between actively killing someone, and passively letting them die without intervening. If you want a similar example, it's not le... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about nutrition:"
} |
Why do the lenses of glasses have to be so thick when contact lenses are super thin with the same correction? | [
"It's because glasses are farther away from the eye so any correction needs to be exaggerated to have the same effect."
] | [
"> Why can't a doctor just tell me what I need to get That's what a prescription is. It's a written document that outlines in what way your vision is impaired, so that a lens can be cut to compensate for these issues. You can't just buy them off the shelf because different people a range of different problems with... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the argument:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why does soap help remove dirt? | [
"The molecules of soap bond through the electro-chemical reaction causing the dirt molecules to be able to be pulled away from the fabric. In a super simplistic example pretend the dirt is iron and the fabric is a magnet. Now along comes a stronger magnet so the dirt lets go of the first and switches to the second... | [
"Rinse, yes. Wash, no. For the detergent to work properly it needs residues to stick on to and wash off."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why do your pupils dilate when high off certain drugs? (MDMA, Cocaine etc) | [
"'Uppers' (coke, amphetamines, related drugs like MDMA) cause anxiety and muscle contractions that dilate your pupils. 'Downers' (Opiates like heroin, benzos and other depressants) cause muscle relaxation, which makes your pupils contract (to pinpricks in extreme cases- thus being \"pinned\" on herion)"
] | [
"If you are constantly using different drugs from a different class that don't have the same method of action then yes, kinda. You will not have a chemical dependency and will not build up a resistance, as quickly. But you will still have a psychological addiction to drug use. For instance, you can't switch between... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How does a fighter jet's defense system know that a missile has locked onto the jet? | [
"When missiles lock onto a craft the tracking measures they use ie radar focuses down on that craft and pings much faster to get more accurate and frequent readings . If the aircraft has sensors they can detect this focusing of pings. However not all missiles use aggresive tracking measures (sending signals out) so... | [
"Flares are meant to help defend against missile that seek based off of heat and light. Such as the [AIM-9](_URL_0_) Sidewinder. How these missiles track their target is that they look for things that are really bright and hot... which basically means those gigantic jet engines on the your plane. Those throw out ma... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
how is the war on drugs still going on when it (objectively) does not work and the majority of the population are against it? | [
"Because anything anyone does to *stop* it will get spun against them in the worst possible way. Politician X: \"I think we should end the war on drugs!\" The headlines now read: Politican X in bed with Colombian drug lords! Police unions issue strong statement of support for Politician X's challenger in primary el... | [
"less crime, not just marijuana offenses but apparently violent crime is down too. more money, because they are taxing the shit out of it, which is cool since the money is SUPPOSE to go to the schools. We'll see what happens with that tho.. Basic freedom and all around good things. the drug war is destroying this n... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about Informational:"
} |
What makes a microbrewery different from a regular brewery? Is there an official limit as so how big you can be before you are just a regular brewery? Thanks | [
"Microbreweries used to be classified as a brewery producing less than 15,000 barrels of beer annually but over time the term has been associated more loosely."
] | [
"You make beer, that is your company's main line of business. In the process of becoming a leader in beer, you got really good at making beer cans...so good, you get a lot of business that has nothing to do with your beer. This has muddled your business direction a little, because you have to make decisions that mi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How to make an animated/3d photo like this: | [
"Several ways, but the easiest one is strapping two cameras together and snapping a picture with each one. Then you just convert them into a gif. Snapping pictures of real things, or 3D models is the least time consuming way of doing it, but you can also draw two pictures of the same thing from slightly different p... | [
"I'm not sure, but I think it's either with a green screen or a custom built movie set Edit: here's an example of what amazing things you can achieve with a chroma key (green or blue screen) and some talented artists: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why wax occurs in our ear canals and should ears be cleaned? | [
"They say not to only because a lot of people don't do it right. There are specific ways you're supposed to do it, as well as specific tools. If you have a mild wax problem, like just a little buildup around the canal, a q-tip is fine if used safely. If you have a bad problem, all a q-tip is doing is packing it bac... | [
"Use wipes with a bit of water on. Don't jam the wipes into your ear, just swipe around the entrance to your ear canal. If you want to clean the inner ear because of too much wax, you can use some special liquid or salt water and use a syringe/rubber pump to gently clean out the inner ear. The special liquid will ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do lightbulbs go out, but not the lights that illuminate screens on TVs and phones? | [
"it is, DLP tvs for example used a honest bulb (though very bright and powerful), and it had a life of a few years. LCD screens use edge lighting, most are LEDs these days (all cell phones), but they used to use compact florescent lights (rarely still do). both have absurdly long lifespans, longer than the devices ... | [
"Thermocycling affects the life of the filament in bulbs. Every time you turn on and off a bulb the energy pushed through the filaments weakens it. If you have a bulb that always stays on and a bulb that you turn on and off every day, the bulb that always remains on will last much longer. I have bulbs that I never ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Electrical engineering:",
"pos": "Represent the passage about Electrical engineering:",
"neg": "Represent the passage about Electrical engineering:"
} |
In context of science, could someone please explain paranormal activity. | [
"Lens flare, double exposure, bullshit stories and photoshop."
] | [
"Its just the results of observation plus math. More recently also computation and virtual modeling."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
why there are so many more men interested in programming? | [
"Girls are brought up being told that computers are boys toys, so they're no interested. Simple as that. \"“Social scientists really agree pretty wholeheartedly on the effect of these kinds of gender labels on kids’ choices,” Brown said. “What they find is that the girls don’t want to touch it if it’s labeled a boy... | [
"Because there are a lot of people in the world completely devoid of taste."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
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