query stringlengths 19 300 | pos list | neg list | task stringclasses 1
value | instruction dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The word "pretentious". (I'm not a native speaker) | [
"It means to pretend to be something more than you are, in a specific context. It's being snobby and criticizing other people, often in a condescending manner. For instance, if you saw a friend reading *Harry Potter*, and said \"I guess you enjoy that book, but I think it's shallow and childish. I'm reading *War an... | [
"\"Speaking the King's/Queen's English\" meaning speaking English as the king/queen would. It comes from Shakespeare, though he only used it once. I'm just a Yank though, maybe a Limey will have a different perspective. Edit: Clarity"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do people sometimes get "pee shy" when there are people around? | [
"You know how some people get stage fright when they have to perform something in public? Well, urinating is a kind of performance, especially when you're in a public bathroom, people are nearby, you're in an exposed, vulnerable state, you dread the sound of the urine hitting the urinal/toilet echoing across the ro... | [
"The pressure is uncomfortable so you're relieving that. It's also peace of mind since you're no longer worried about pissing or shitting yourself."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How can a Windows OS take up 4-5GB of space on a DVD but take up to 20GB on the hard drive? | [
"Like /u/totallyfightingfoo says. The content on the DVD is most likely compressed. When data is compressed on a medium it's usually encoded to take up less space by making the notation more complex. For example a set of data containing AAAAAAAAA will become 9A when compressed."
] | [
"The files you download in the update must be decompressed before being permanently installed. A 500 MB download could easily decompress into a couple of gigabytes or more."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why Is Alcohol Called a Depressant? | [
"Something that is a depressant doesn't \"make you depressed\". A depressant, or central depressant, is a drug or endogenous compound that lowers neurotransmission levels, which is to depress or reduce arousal or stimulation, in various areas of the brain. A \"relaxant\" is a closer cognate."
] | [
"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 Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
Why is the by product of respiration CO2 contains an oxygen molecule which is the one we inhale? | [
"Oxygen isn't the fuel, it's the *oxidizer*. You need the O^2 in the air you breath in order to burn sugar and fat for cellular energy, and the waste product of burning sugar is carbon dioxide and H2O. The carbon from the fuel has to go somewhere, and we breath it out as CO2."
] | [
"Nothing! Nitrogen gas are N2 molecules, which is a triple bond between two N atoms. This bond is extremely stable, and it would require a lot of energy to break ( < = > forming N2 bonds releases a lot of energy = > explosives!). This means that the Nitrogen won't react with anything, and just moves in our lungs an... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why do marbles and other similar shape objects show reflections upside down? | [
"Because of the way light reflects. This diagram doesn't show the whole story, because it ends the light at the focal point. Basically, light gets bounced like that when on a curved surface. That flips the image. If the object is convex, it will simply enlarge and distort it. _URL_0_"
] | [
"It's not the heat itself, it's the fact that hot air has a slightly different index of refraction than cooler air. Index of refraction is a measurement of how much a material bends light. When light shines between two things that have different indexes of refraction, the light beam bends, causing visual distortion... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why do I hear static on the radio when an "S" sound is made? | [
"What you're hearing is called sibilance and can crop up at any stage of the journey from the vocalist's mouth, over the airwaves and to your ear. An example would be a singer doing the common thing of almost eating the microphone as they perform. Sibilance comes from the fast flow of air into the mic, as 's', 'z',... | [
"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 query:",
"pos": "Represent the passage:",
"neg": "Represent the passage:"
} |
How do front page posts disappear from the front page? | [
"Imagine upvotes are helium and time is weight. Eventually, the upvotes stop coming in, but the algorithm pulls down older posts."
] | [
"When people say 'front page', what do they mean? For me it harkens back to when there was one 'front page'. Does it mean the All page? My front page is a mixture of the subreddits I've chosen. Just curious what people think that means now in the age of subs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How hypnotism works. | [
"There's no scientific explanation. It's not an \"easy button\" either. Successful \"hypnotizing\" requires the compliance of the subject's conscious and subconscious. It's also likely that the placebo effect helps \"successful\" attempts, or is completely responsible for them. ELY5: It might not. We don't know."
] | [
"What's to explain? Why we have it? How it works?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why does releasing an empty bow shatter it? | [
"A bow pulled back is storing a lot of energy. With an arrow in place, that energy is transferred (mostly) to the arrow, and it happens much more slowly. Without an arrow, the bulk of the energy gets absorbed by the string and limbs, and it happens much more quickly, so it's more of a sudden shock. Sudden shocks ca... | [
"1: where is the visual representation? 2: Are you talking about when the water pours backwards out of the glass and dribbles down it?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Inversion of Control (IoC) in programming | [
"In 1990s Enterprise Java programming, you asked for the resources you needed. e.g. using JNDI to get a reference to a database connection. In essence, you hardcoded the resources. This made automated testing difficult if you wanted to point at a \"test\" database. But, if something else controls where you get the... | [
"I really like these diagrams: _URL_0_ Cross-cutting concerns is the code that gets 'scattered' and 'tangled' with other code in lots of places (logging, caching, to name a couple). AOP is a way to split that code into its own class(es). It gets recombined later, like with a post-compiler right after compiler time ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
The reason/need for an S-Bend in plumbing | [
"It's actually not for the liquid but for gas. Sewer produce alot chemicals that are a gas (or air to five year old.) Many of these gasses smell bad, or are poisonous or can even explode under certain condition. A S-Bend in a pipe is called a trap and it prevent the gas from entering the building."
] | [
"They often just didn't really. For small elevation changes, like irrigation, something like an Archimedes' screw."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is so beneficial about breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth? Why does every breathing exercise mention this? | [
"Inside your nose, you have hair, mucus and its lined with cilia (microscopic hair-like projections) so that the air your breath in is filtered and warmed up prior to entering your lungs. Although your tonsils act as a macroscopic filtering system for your mouth, breathing in through your mouth provides no where ne... | [
"Because many people forget to breathe when they are doing this kind of exercise. That's really all there is to it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Health and Wellness:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Health and Wellness:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What is the difference between Universities and Colleges? | [
"It depends on the country, and even then the definitions vary depending on context. In the UK, a university is a conglomeration of colleges (e.g. Oxford is comprised of 38 colleges). In America, they're pretty much synonymous, with college being more slang but university being a more formal word. In Australia, col... | [
"Where do you mean? Europe? The US? Middle East? Africa? Eastern Asia?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How would you power a single light bulb with a bicycle? | [
"with dynamo. I remember back when I was a child, my uncle had a bicycle which have dynamo cylinder near rear wheel, it has extended neck which has roller, which is slightly connected to roll to bikes wheel, so whenever he flicksa switch and pedals the bicycle the bulb will light. as for the construction of dynamo ... | [
"You want it to be as light and efficient as possible. If it could be three feet tall weigh 50 lbs and deliver 1500 megawats/hour would't that be preferrable to a massive wooden windmill?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What is the usefulness of 3D printers? | [
"They emailed a wrench to an astronaut last week. He printed it and used it. Good enough?"
] | [
"Because of the expense of creating 2 delivery systems."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
What are 'soundscapes'? | [
"Gabe from The Office says, \"Oh! I like to play soundscapes. I imagine one instant of a song, expanded to be the size of the universe.\""
] | [
"What do you mean by the 'earliest breeds'?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Bowen's Reaction Series | [
"Different rocks have different melting points. Therefore, when magma cools, parts of the magma with different molten minerals solidify into rocks at different temperatures. Depending on how what kinds of minerals are melted, differnt kinds of rocks form. This explains why certain kinds of rocks are found together.... | [
"Relevant entertaining and informative youtube video Electrocution in Water: _URL_0_"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why does not drinking enough milk cause the little white blobs that appear on your finger nails? | [
"It doesnt. Those little white marks are from physical damage to the nail while in the cuticle."
] | [
"It's not staining, it's pigmentation. It isn't always brown either. It's the same sort of thing that causes the skin around nipples to be a different color than the rest of the skin."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question about Biology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence about Biology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Given that Supreme Court Justices serve for life and thus tend to reach advanced ages, is there any legislature in place in the event that a Justice is suspected of having become senile? If a Justice refuses to step down, are there others who can remove the Justice, citing health reasons? | [
"Justices can be impeached for whatever reasons the Senate cares to impeach them for. In the 60s it was fashionable among the GOP to demand Chief Justice Earl Warren be impeached for . . . reasons . . . you know, good reasons of some kind because he was a liberal."
] | [
"The chief justice has a very different role from a cabinet member or Congressman. Most importantly, Supreme Court justices do not act democratically: they do their best to determine what the law *is*, while trying to stay away from determinations of whether that law is good or bad, and trying not to be swayed by p... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How are IQ tests biased against black people? | [
"[ORIGINAL POST SCREENSHOT TAKEN DOWN BY POLITICAL CORRECTNESS POLICE](_URL_0_)"
] | [
"Asian men are far less attractive to White women than Asian women are to White men."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How can I trick my brain into ignoring a pain or similar, if it's my brain doing the tricking? | [
"The idea in most of these cases is that your brain is tricking your body. When you put ice on your hand, it can override the signal from the pain receptors in your mouth, sort of like they're having a shouting match and your hand is the one your brain hears. Likewise, when you think about sex when you have to pee,... | [
"In my knowledge, they don't. They target your brain and block your pain receptors. So the pain is still there, your brain's just not letting you know about it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
If all life has been evolving from single celled organisms - why isn't there more than one advanced/sentient being on Earth? | [
"It's possible that humans genocided at least one."
] | [
"There is a lot of debate on the subject. And it very strongly depends on what you define as a creature. Evolution from microbes and proteins in the ocean is the answer to where larger creatures come from. Where the proteins came from is up for debate."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why are elected officials allowed to insist explicitly that Christian (or other nonsecular) values are the basis for political actions when a separation of church and state is a well-established legal precedent? | [
"Because there is no legal prohibition on combining church and politics. And the voters get to use any qualities they like when deciding whom to vote for -- even religion."
] | [
"The most important meaning of the establishment clause originally was that the government could not establish an officially sanctioned church as England had. The important element of the \"no law\" part was an absolute ban on the government creating any law that state how any church is to be run. The government al... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How does border control validate passports? | [
"I've read that (at least in the Shengen part of Europe) passeport scanner automatically check the interpol database (for wanted criminals). Each country might check it's own police database but they are not that much shared (that's how people under surveillance by the counter terrorism could go to Syria after taki... | [
"They're a security measure used to combat fake identification cards."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why/How did AC power beat DC power? | [
"AC power carries better over distance was a big deal. It was difficult to deliver DC power to another town for example, despite being easier and better for home use."
] | [
"Electrician here: DC generators and batteries. The Edison generator _URL_0_ Thomas Edison helped with (General Electric)GE to mass produce DC generating systems. That is your answer in a nutshell. However this is a gross oversimplification. Please understand while most generators today produce alternating curre... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
Why reddit gives me the "took too long to load" page even though it's only been one second. | [
"Because one second to generate a page as simple as Reddit's is equal to spending a month to write a 2000 words high school essay."
] | [
"Usually it's not any HTML, CSS, or static content that is failing to load, but some form of plugin that is either hanging or having issues maintaining a connection between clients. There's a lot of underlying technologies behind modern web pages, sometimes you won't see a page until it has completely loaded whatev... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Technology:"
} |
what are the differences in morality between the major religions? | [
"There is more moral variation within a religion than between different ones. Just about every religion says murder is bad but killing is justified under some circumstances. Which is which becomes a matter of subjective interpretation."
] | [
"> Then, why is it a religion Religions don't need to be a Judeo-Christian style monotheism. Through history most weren't. > and why different from Taoism or other \"related\" philosophies/religions? It's related. There's a lot of overlaps in ideas in the same way there's a lot of overlaps between a lot of the mor... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why do radio stations begin with the letter "K"? | [
"\" Beginning in 1912, every country approved of and received designated letters to begin radio station call letters with. In the United States, the letters \"W\" and \"K\" were to be used. At first, it didn't matter what part of the country a station was located in to use either letter. Then, in 1923, The Federal ... | [
"The terms officially have different meanings. But the common usage is really just tradition rather than any particular decision. A station is the company or building doing the transmitting. So you can still refer to a TV station (meaning the network or broadcasting facility). A channel is the call sign, or a uniqu... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
I'm a pretty sounds sleeper. But 90% of the time I do wake up in the middle of the night, it's within 3 minutes of 3:30am. Why? | [
"I have the same thing happen to me, If you have a very consistent sleeping pattern, meaning you always go to bed at X oclock and always wake up at Y oclock, your sleeping cycles will always be at the same times, I'm guessing you either go to bed at or around 12:30 am or 9:30 pm. Am I right?"
] | [
"What if you wake up every few hours, but it doesn’t bother you? I can fall asleep in less than 5 minutes, so when I wake up, I look at the clock and go “Nice! I can sleep for 4 more hours” or whatever it is til my alarm goes off."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Sleep and fatigue:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Sleep and fatigue:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Health and Wellness:"
} |
If I had one speaker with say 50 decibels coming out, then turned on another of the same. How loud is it? | [
"Adding a second speaker should double the out power, which increases the sound pressure by 1.4 times, which should sound 23% louder, which is a increase of 3dB. That assumes there is no destructive interference between the two speakers which could make things sound even quieter."
] | [
"Generally one speaker is designed to sound good at very low energy, very close up; the other is designed to put out many times that amount of power, and if it started playing in your ear, it could damage your hearing. So they mount it separately, facing the other way. it's also used for speakerphone."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
Why is it that after a certain time has passed (20 years I think it is) a person can no longer be prossecuted for a crime, even if it is proved beyond reasonable doubt they are guilty? | [
"That's called a \"Statute of Limitations\", and the time limit is different for all sorts of crimes. Typically, the more severe a crime, the longer the period in which you can be charged. Some crimes, like murder (I think most places) has no limit. The rational is that, for minor crimes, if you have gone a certain... | [
"Innocent means that you did not commit the crime. Not Guilty means that there was not enough evidence to determine that you did commit the crime. There is a big difference between the two. In the US, we find defendants not guilty; this means that there wasn't enough evidence to detemine, beyond a reasonable doubt,... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Law and Justice:",
"pos": "Represent the argument about Law and Justice:",
"neg": "Represent the argument:"
} |
Why do we press harder on buttons of devices that have low or dead batteries in them? | [
"This is a habit we've developed from our interaction with mechanical buttons. It's similar to when people are using slide advancers and they point them at the projector screen even though the receiver is plugged into their laptop. They are used to pointing the TV remote at the TV screen."
] | [
"The battery holds charge like any other battery, it just lasts a long time because it uses so little electricity. You can open your key fob and change the battery if it runs out."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How does a cell ''decide'' to become cancerous. | [
"Cells have lots of failsafe mechanisms to check for DNA damage and either A). fix it, or B). Kill the cell (in a process called apoptosis). As well as that, cells have a natural division limit due to a quirk of DNA replication, which acts as another failsafe. In cancerous cells, the genes for one or more of these ... | [
"1. Natural carcinogens in the environment (e.g. UV from the sun) cause mutations in your skin cells. 2. Some of these mutations cause those cells to grow unnaturally crazy (think first steps of cancer). 3. In built defense mechanisms steps in and detects abnormal growth or messed up genome that cannot be easily fi... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why do radio stations always start with a K or W | [
"K is used in the western US, W is used in the east. I believe the Mississippi River is the dividing line, but I'm not sure on that."
] | [
"They announce the most popular songs first so that it grabs your attention and more people keep listening for that song to play, then go to commercial (it's called a teaser so you wait through commercials) then play them in reverse order so you wait for your song to come up. The radio world is all about getting yo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage about Music:"
} |
Why the fuck does the shower curtain move toward me only when the water is on? | [
"Convection: this causes the warm air to rise, and the cold air to take it's place. Air in the shower goes up, air outside of the shower tries to come in from below."
] | [
"I'm about to change your life. Turn the shower on and let it heat up before actually getting into it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Physics:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer about Physics:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Physics:"
} |
Why do pigeons and doves look the same all around the world? Also, why ARE they all around the world? | [
"There are many different species, actually. The common pigeon (aka the rock dove) is just the famous face. We wound up with a good ol' case of \"it works, don't touch it\" when it comes to evolution. They evolved to live on cliffs and craggy outcroppings in warm and temperate climates, with the ability to scaveng... | [
"Many are eaten around the world, from insects to dogs and cats to snakes and other reptiles. It's not common in Europe or N America, but that's not the world."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why can I tell the difference between two different voices or two different instruments when the note they are making is the same? | [
"It is a slightly difficult concept to explain so I apologize if I make little sense, but first forget about frequency and just focus on the shape of the waveform. Each type of \"sound\" has a different wave shape, and synthesizers create different sounds by altering the wave shape (square shape, saw, sine, etc etc... | [
"Imagine a group of singers in a line arranged by pitch. The singers with the lowest voices are to the left. The singers with the highest voices are to the right. Each time a singer sings a note, they raise their hands into the air. The louder they sing, the higher they raise their hands. This is essentially what t... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
What is the difference between computer science and computer engineering? | [
"Computer engineering is primarily about designing computer hardware. Computer science is primarily about the theory of how computers work and what they can do. It also tends to include \"how to write computer software,\" but that's really a separate field usually labeled software engineering."
] | [
"Computer science is not graphic design. Computer science is not user experience design. Computer science is not even directly involved with the building of complex websites."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
Why are perfume ads all uniformly bizarre? | [
"Short answer: because they can't use the TV to show what the stuff smells like. Long answer: because they want to make sure that the brand is cemented into your mind in a slightly positive way, so they flood the senses with imagery related to sexuality, pleasant activity, and intrigue, which gets you to remember t... | [
"For the same reason they're socially acceptable in movies, television, advertising, video games and literature - because they sell."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document about Entertainment:"
} |
How do the people who illustrate dinosaurs know what colours they are? | [
"They don't, they just make assumptions based on the colourations of existing animals, or choose whatever they think looks good."
] | [
"Because we are lucky enough to have found some fossils that have impressions of the skin. It's the same way we know that some dinosaurs had feathers."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why is there a sudden rise in nationalism in English speaking countries? | [
"I don't know, but I've got a hunch: Our grandparents who lived through the second world war are dead or dying. This means the living memory about the horrors of nationalism is also disapearing."
] | [
"The main reason is because of the religious background of the United States."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How to retailers make money off of selling gift cards? | [
"Gift cards are genius if you think about it. You pay $20 cash, and get $20 on a card. The brilliant part is that the entire card doesn't always get spent; i know for a fact I have some old gift cards still laying around. So in reality, some times we are paying $20 for a gift card in which we end up spending, say, ... | [
"Because, for all the money they make from customers, they make more from the advertisers to display those adds."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Entertainment:"
} |
How does a calorie counter like myFitnessPal get its data from? | [
"These apps use two ways. One is the generally agreed upon amount of calories by the FDA or other relevant agency. This is usually fairly accurate and sometimes has a kind of mark to indicate that the app agrees with this entry. The other is user input. If I want to log a specific food and it's not in the database,... | [
"\"1 date\" is not an accurate measurement since all dates are different sizes, weights, and densities. An average 100g of dates has 63g of sugar. So figure your math based on that. Also food labels and marketing are not accurate which is why if you really care about macros, you should be measuring your own food."
... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What do stores do with clothes that never end up getting bought? | [
"A charitable donation is probably the most likely fate of these clothes, the store can donate them, and claim the charitable action as a tax deduction for the value of the stock instead of just eating a loss."
] | [
"There are a couple reasons. Furniture in general has a large profit margin. As far as furniture goes mattresses are probably the easiest to sell as just about everyone has one, and they get replaced more frequently than other furniture items, and mattresses are always one of the top comments when a thread comes up... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
The protesting that has been going on at South African universities. | [
"The current protests are simply about tuition fees: the universities wanted to increase them by 10-12%, which could have forced poorer students out. A government proposal to limit increases to 6% didn't stop the protests, and they are now proposing a cost freeze for the next year."
] | [
"Has it? Or is it just that reports of it have been more prevalent. Has the spread of Islamic extremism contributed? Israels foreign policy?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
how do people afford to survive once they're unemployed? | [
"Savings, unemployment benefits, helps from friends and family, selling stuff, borrowing and credit cards, and finally, just not paying bills until stuff gets shut off and you get evicted."
] | [
"If you're unemployed, or just barely getting by, the money isn't there to pay insurance premiums."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
During famines, children get huge stomachs while the rest of their body is nothing but skin and bone. Why is this? | [
"It's called kwashiorkor. It's caused by a deficiency in dietary protein. Basically they can no longer properly retain their fluids and it builds up in the abdomen. Normally proteins in our blood stream help to maintain the right amount of dissolved \"stuff\" to keep our fluids properly balanced due to osmosis. Whe... | [
"If they have nothing whatsoever to eat, then the fat guy might live a little longer, but not that much longer, because vitamin deficiency will kill him long before his fat reserves are expended. If they get vitamin supplements to prevent that, then the fat guy would live much, much longer than the skinny guy."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
How do electric motors turn electric energy into motion? | [
"There's actually 2 different kinds of motors. Small ones simply use a magnet suspended in the middle of a coil of wire. By running a current through the wire, the magnet \"follows\" the rotating field and spins a shaft. This style uses a constant DC current. The larger kind of motor, like the kind you might see in... | [
"So electricity can be generated in many ways. The most popular method is by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. So in essence, converting motion into electricity, such as turning a crank or spinning a turbine. A diesel generator is basically a diesel engine combined with an electrical generator, l... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Dreams - is there any proven science behind them? | [
"There is no such thing as proven science. Science looks for evidence and offers explanations but is never considered proven. It's always open to being wrong."
] | [
"There are no such people. Many people, however, can't remember their dreams. Use the Search function here in ELI5 to see many posts on not remembering dreams."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
How did Jews of today become what they are from what Jews were back in the bible days in the middle east? | [
"A long time ago, all the Jews in the world lived in the middle east. Eventually, a bunch of them left (nobody is entirely sure of the details) and ended up in Europe. There, they interbred with the local population and over many many years ended up looking more European. Also, Judaism is passed down through the m... | [
"Are you referring to the 732 BC conquest by the Assyrians, the 500 BC conquest by the Babylonians, or the Third Jewish/Roman Revolt of 130 AD? The Romans killed and kicked out nearly all Jews. Why do you blame the Palestinians for that? Does this mean I can go back to my ancestral home in Ireland and take the land... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Is a strong US dollar good or bad for the economy? | [
"Good for imports bad for exports. The US is a net importer, so overall it's probably a net positive for the economy, but don't try telling that to export-oriented industries."
] | [
"The incident puts the near future into jeopardy. What will the political ramifications be? The military? Will there be a war? More sanctions? How will it affect business around the world? When people are unsure, investors tend to take a conservative approach to trading until things clear up a bit. That effects eve... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
Why is it worse to drink alcohol while on certain medications? | [
"I think a big part of it is that alcohol is a blood thinner. If your medication is also a blood thinner, then you have a compounded effect that can be pretty harmful."
] | [
"If you drink coffee every day to wake yourself up in the morning, you will eventually become addicted. How would this contribute to you becoming addicted to alcohol, tobacco or methamphetamines? They're completely different drugs with different effects, different feelings and, most importantly, different chemistry... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit passage:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit passage:"
} |
Why does static electricity seems to increase in cold weather? | [
"Colder weather tends to be *drier*. Static electricity produced by friction tends to increase under dry conditions. Humid air tends to conduct electricity better than dry air, so it is able to drain charges from things before it builds up."
] | [
"I'm not an expert and someone feel free to correct me, but I think it's mostly due to humidity. How much moisture is in the air makes a huge impact."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How is it, in a democratic country (like the UK / US) where the majority are able to elect a govt to act on their behalf, that the wealth of that country is so skewed away from the majority to a tiny minority? | [
"We can only elect what is presented to us. People in general make decisions based on opinion and not fact/metrics. So overall democracy is just an opiate for the masses"
] | [
"Because the more money the populace has, the better educated they will be. And the better educated they are, the less likely they will be to put up with a dictatorship. Also, in more affluent societies, there is wealth distribution away from the government, which means that economic pressure can easily be applied ... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Social Sciences:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Social Sciences:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
How do Transistors work? | [
"I think this will be best explained by [the engineer guy](_URL_1_)."
] | [
"Initiation - Let's build a truck (or whatever thing) Discovery - What should it do, what's needed or wanted Design - Here's how we should make it Build - Make it Test - Does it work as intended? Sign Off - Customer agrees it works and it's done Warranty - Fix anything that doesn't work later"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why is having my real name on the internet dangerous but we want our real name in credits of stuff we work on? | [
"Who told you this and are they a reliable source of information? A name by itself is meaningless really, especially if it is a common one. Identity issues come with giving out name, address, occupation and other information then it might be possible for people to use it in ways you wouldn't like or to try and ste... | [
"There are probably more... but if you committed a crime, why would you want to broadcast your crime all over the internet?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the text:",
"neg": "Represent the text:"
} |
How would dropping thermonuclear weapons on Mars warm the planet like Musk claimed on the Late Show? | [
"> dropping thermonuclear bombs results in basically a soot rising into the atmosphere, Mars has a serious shortage of plants and other stuff to burn. The idea is that you use the bomb to melt the Martian icecaps. These contain carbon dioxide, thus triggering Martian warming."
] | [
"What's the point of supersoldiers when everyone has enough nukes to destroy the planet in the event of war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Gun Ownership/ Gun Creation | [
"A homemade firearm by a private party in the US, provided that it is not to be sold, is legal to produce. It must comply with the sporting arms definitions laid out by the ATF, such as barrel length, overall length, operation (non-fully automatic), number of imported parts, etc. There is no registration, and I do ... | [
"Sleep - Shake Unconscious - Splash Coma - Wait and Hope Vegetative State - Wait and Bury"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
(US) - Paying your mortgage every 15 days in instead of once a month to save "HUGE" amounts of money | [
"Argh. So much misinformation here.... First of all, it's usually \"pay 1/2 of your mortgage payment every 2 weeks,\" not \"pay every 15 days\". The difference is important: pay every 2 weeks, and you end up making 13 payments per year instead of 12. The extra payment goes toward principal, so you end up paying it... | [
"Based on the numbers you gave, I'm guessing you owe about $110,000 (The principal). 6% APR means that your loan generates $6600 in interest yearly, which divides up into $550 per month. If you can afford to pay more, the principal will go down faster, and once you get down to $100,000 then you'll only be paying $5... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why does my eyelid twitch, sometimes for days? | [
"It can be from lack of sleep, or just about any number of medical issues. In my case, my left eyelid twitched, hung down about halfway, and eventually my pupil started dilating funny because I had a tumor on the nerve which controls those functions. Non-cancerous, nothing to worry about once I had it removed."
] | [
"EIL5: Why can't I stop sitting with my legs crossed, even though it hurts my knees, and why does it hurt my knees?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What were the actual events that sparked the fighting in World War II? | [
"Germany invaded Poland after a series of diplomatic and military crises (reoccupation of the Rhineland, invasion and annexation of Austria, the Sudentenland, then all of the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, then Memel) after each of which Hitler claimed that Germany was now satisfied. Basically Britain and France fin... | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit text:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit text:"
} |
How is the main infantry rifle if the US military banned from civilian ownership despite the 2nd ammendment of the Constitution? | [
"> A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the **security of a free State**, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. STATES have the right to a well organized militia. PEOPLE have the right to bear arms."
] | [
"If the failure goes too far, well, that's why it's important we have the 2nd amendment. No, I'm not kidding. That was one of the main reasons for the 2nd amendment to exist: a rogue government."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
is mbit/s a rate of speed? | [
"Speed. Also I'm sure you mean Mbit/s (remember metric \"m\" and \"M\" are different) To explain further, Mbit/s is Megabit per second, and it describes the rate of transfer of data over some medium, most often your internet connection. Not to be confused with MB/sec, which is megaBYTE per second. A byte is 8 bits,... | [
"I'm not sure, but maybe the units are different. Apple airport express must be showing in Mb(Mega-bits) and Xbox network stats must be using MB(megabytes). 8bits=1byte! So that explains 30MB=240 Mb. Left 30Mbs in apple express is just a difference of 3MBs."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
How can food have sugar AND zero calories? | [
"In short: it can't. What you are tasting is almost certainly not 'real' sugar: it is likely to be an artificial sweetener which stimulates the same receptors as sugar in the mouth/brain, but with an entirely different chemical makeup. Add it to the list of things we can attribute to \"yay, science!\" Technically, ... | [
"It means it contains 0 calories which in reality means it could contain 0.2 or 0.5 calories. Before you go chugging it, check what else it may contain like sodium or caffeine. Water is best."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
How do internet pirates make money? | [
"Mostly through donations or advertisements if they have a website, although money isn't the main motivation for internet pirates. They usually want to show other releasing groups what they're capable of (by cracking software or releasing music very early)"
] | [
"Because people are willing to pay money for it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment:"
} |
Why is it that it on a moving subway train it is easier to remained balanced by walking, as opposed to just standing still? | [
"it's because you're used to it. when walking, there are all sorts of forces trying to tip you over, and you're used to them. the movement of the train isn't going to make a huge difference. you're not used to things moving when you're standing still though, so while you're physically perfectly capable of staying u... | [
"While rocking on a chair you are controling the movements of your body so your brain is relaxed, but on a boat you have no control and your balance center is trying to fight the movements. A tip of advice: if you have motion sickness, try to pretend that the boat is not rocking you but that you are the one rocking... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What does it mean to claim something on your taxes? | [
"Let's say you're a photographer. You make $50,000 a year and you pay a 10% tax rate -- $5,000 each year. You buy a new camera for $10,000. As a photographer, you *need* good cameras to do your job properly; it's a work expense. So you *claim this on your taxes*. When you report your income, you say \"Well, I made ... | [
"Do you not understand on a financial level or on a moral level?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
How and why do some cities annex surrounding areas and other don't? | [
"Another factor here in some cases is political subdivision. A good comparison here might be the two largest cities of the SF Bay area: San Francisco and San José. Many people are a bit surprised, but San José is actually larger than San Francisco, population-wise (1 million vs. 850,000). But a lot of San José's gr... | [
"It means that the city government is dissolving. There is no longer a city there political. Politically you are the same as though you are living out in the country. Services often offered by the city will either stop or be transferred to a private company (water, power, etc). Police will likely be disbanded and... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is "Latency" and how does it affect my internet? | [
"Latency is basically the amount of time it takes for you to send data & receive a response from whatever server you're trying to reach, typically measured in milliseconds. Ideally, you want as low latency as you can get, especially in online games like WoW."
] | [
"You may need to change the display settings on your console."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
What is Kwanzaa? Where does it come from and who celebrates it? | [
"Regardless of how I - or anyone else - views the holiday, Kwanzaa is an African-American celebration that is primarily observed in the southern states. It first came about in America about sixty years ago, in the heat of the black rights movement. It was created as a way for black Americans to celebrate the tradi... | [
"So when and where did playing cards as we know them come into being anyways?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
when in a quiet room why do ears start to ring? | [
"To the first part - only in a very quiet room can normal people (who do not suffer from tinnitus) can hear this ringing, which is just the flow of your blood through the blood vessels in your ears. To the second part - I'd say that after a period of being in a quiet environment, your eyes adjust and become more s... | [
"nothing, water gets in your ear and it is nothing wrong with it, sound can travel throught water thats why you can hear."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title about Health:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Health:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How do touch screens work? How does my phone know to respond to the touch of my finger but not to objects, such as the end of a pen? | [
"Depends what type of touch screen. Some, mostly older ones have pressure sensors, allowing both fingers and pens to work. Others go by electrical conductivity. So it will register your finger but not a random pen. But specially made stylus will work because it has the correct conductivity"
] | [
"Brushed metal. When my Macbook touches my phone, or a certain part of the charger, or if I mess up when trying to put a USB in and it touches the body of the computer, ugh chills."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
What makes different smells "good" or "bad"? | [
"Smell is used to determine what is edible or not before you eat it. To a vulture, a rotting carcass smells good because they can associate it with a meal. For us it's bad because it's associated with food poisoning."
] | [
"According to Alton Brown, it activates receptors of your taste buds that accentuate what we consider to be the \"good\" flavors of foods (sweet, savory, umami) while suppressing the bad (like bitterness)"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query about Science:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document about Science:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document about Food and cooking:"
} |
Why do mood swings occur? | [
"Mood swings refer to a rapid change in mood. They can occur in women who suffer from PMS or people who suffer from more serious disorders such an major depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia, or other mood disorders. They can also be caused by thyroid disorders. From my limited understanding on mood sw... | [
"They affect hormones. Hormonal changes can sometimes swing you off balance and complicate the symptoms you already have."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the comment:",
"neg": "Represent the comment about Medicine:"
} |
What exactly is Net Neutrality and Why does it affect me? | [
"Net Neutrality basically means ISPs should be Neutral about what's going over their Nets. Specifically, that they can't charge different rates or provide a different level of service for traffic coming from specific sources. For example, without Net Neutrality, it would be possible for an ISP to charge you extra ... | [
"Context? What is a \"smart meter\", and where is this controversy based out of? Who is involved? Thanks!"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the answer:",
"neg": "Represent the answer:"
} |
Why did Spain and Portugal opt out of World War 2? | [
"Spain had just finished fighting a civil war. They were politically aligned with the Axis powers but to busy fixing their own country to do much fighting."
] | [
"Was any Asian country capable of helping the United States during the revolutionary war?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit argument:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit argument:"
} |
Everyone says to not say a word when you are arrested. Why is this? What can I say that will be used against me in court? | [
"Here's an excellent video: _URL_0_ It is kinda lengthy, but its worth it. Both the professor and the cop give good stories."
] | [
"It's not just about what they know. You're facing a lifetime in jail. Maybe even the death penalty, depending on where you are. The police are intentionally trying to play with your emotions to get you to confess or slip up and give yourself away. You are understandably stressed and not thinking straight. Your law... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Why does cold air make us sick? | [
"Cold air does not make us sick. Being cold for long periods can cause some health issues, but cold air isn't bad for you."
] | [
"Why do the glands in my neck burn like high hell when I'm holding back tears?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer:"
} |
what exactly happens in a video game in the programming that causes glitches to happen? Especially glitches that have multiple steps? | [
"Generally, poor coding practices. As a vague example, let's look at a little pseudo-code (basically just generic stuff in a coding-esque language) made up on the spot: if health = 0 then restart level That code would basically say that when your health is 0, then the level restarts. However, what happens if, say... | [
"Notice how a trailer usually plays if you don't press start? Not having a static menu show up before you confirm your presence runs the risk that the image of the menu can get burned into the screen/display media Also its kinda customary now."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
In a divorce, why are both parties entitled to half of the other parties, even if one is extremely wealthier than the other before marriage? | [
"That is the default distribution, yes. The couple was considered to be in many respects one legal unit, with property held in common. Any split must take that into consideration. The important thing though is that an equal split is only the default position, and can be overriden if some other arrangement was spec... | [
"The main disadvantage of a prenuptual agreement is that it may give your future spouse the idea that you are expecting the marriage to fail and don't trust them to act fairly during the divorce. The advantage is that I'm protected if my spouse and I decide that I should quit school and take a low paying job to sup... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
wireless electricity and why it wouldn't kill people around it | [
"Because there is no electric current to get a shock from. Wireless chargers create an electromagnetic field, no different to a magnet really. Inside your device, this gets turned back into electricity again."
] | [
"He transmitted energy through the air, the energy wasn't just there \"for free\". The technique used alternating current, like the outlets in your house, at significant, and by that I mean unsafe, voltages. We don't do unsafe stuff like this much today."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Farting and its relation to poop. | [
"> what purpose does farting serve? Farting serves the purpose of releasing excess gas in your digestive system. These gases are generally produced by (beneficial to you) bacteria that live within your digestive system > Why do they smell identical to the shit that I would imminently blast out? A human perceives s... | [
"Beer makes you piss, and piss has salt in it."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the paragraph:"
} |
I know from the local game magazine that elk are hunted in PA, however this map from wikipedia shows the entire state as "former" elk range. What criteria are used to determine this if there can still be elk in former ranges? | [
"The former ranges refers to native elk. The native elk population of Pennsylvania was eradicated in the 1870's. The current elk population in Pennsylvania is descended from Yellowstone Elk that were brought to PA by the state Game Commission in 1913 and 1915. This was done to provide game to hunt, replenish an El... | [
"They conduct biological surveys and no longer find them. It's impossible to know in a lot of cases if the species is truly extinct though, and many extinct species have had members later discovered. I know they used to use 50 years without a sighting as a benchmark, but have no clue on recent developments."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit paragraph:"
} |
If I were in a moving car and unable to hear or feel the vibrations of the wheels, could my body still tell if I were moving? | [
"can you tell that you are currently rocketing around the sun at 67,000 mph?"
] | [
"Basically your brain is receiving conflicting signals from your eyes and ears. If you are looking at the floor when in a car or on a bus or a book your eyes are telling you that you are not moving. But your ear is telling your brain that you are indeed moving. So instead of your body realising you are reading a bo... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit answer:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit answer about Physics:"
} |
Why have recent season of shows taken breaks as long as half a year?(Breaking Bad, Doctor Who, Revolution?) | [
"I think there are a few reasons for doing this: 1. You don't have to wait as long between seasons. A typical show will air all their new episodes within a few months, then go into re-runs (or take a long break) before the next season airs. By putting a break into a current season, you end up waiting twice a year (... | [
"To answer your embedded question... Last Week Tonight with John Oliver got going because the executives at HBO did focus group testing on the show and learned that it would be a potentially popular show. I'm an American and my opinion is that there is definitely a lot of garbage on TV. However, if you venture past... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
Why is there such a wide gap in the intelligence of homo sapiens and every other organism? | [
"Chimpanzees are actually pretty close to us. But here's the thing. Once we reached a certain level of intelligence, we adopted a way of life centered around intelligence -- notably the use of language, tools, and complex civilizations. Suddenly being intelligent was *even more valuable* because our societies were ... | [
"Depends what you mean by human. Do you mean humans exactly like us? No. We are Homo sapiens sapiens and Neanderthals were Homo neanderthalensis. If you mean human as in part of the human family tree, then yes. We are both part of the Homo genus."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
How does Equifax have so many social security numbers? Do people give Equifax their SSNs, or do credit card companies give Equifax SSNs? | [
"Equifax is a credit reporting agency. Every time you apply for a credit card or loan, the people you're trying to borrow from send this information to Equifax (and the other two credit agencies). If you miss a payment, they send the info to Equifax. Every time somebody wants to know if they should loan you money, ... | [
"> Why do the three credit reporting agencies get so much access to Americans information when they appear to be private companies? Because anyone is allowed to have your private information if you give it to them, or if someone else who has your information gives it to them. The credit reporting agencies are busin... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit question:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How can the human penis vary so much in length when all other body parts are generally relative to one another? | [
"I'd guess because it's not based on anything skeletal. All the body parts that have bones in them, are pretty much relative to one another. But things that are based on soft tissue, like faces and outer body shape, vary greatly."
] | [
"Human biologist here. This phenomenon was first discovered in the late 1800s where scientists measures the lengths of human appendages over a period of 10 years. The data revealed that noses and ears (as well as eye lids to a lesser extent) possess a growth rate that deteriorates much slower than other parts of th... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What happens in the body if you don't masterbate for like weeks or months, for both men and woman? | [
"ELI5: Why have so many people recently started spelling masturbate as masterbate on reddit? Am I missing out on an in-joke somewhere? Is it some semantic shift underway?"
] | [
"The idea that masturbation can damage your eyesight is a lie made up by people who think masturbation is wrong. Stop if your dick is sore and don't do it inappropriate places and you'll be fine. Masturbation is normal and healthy as long as you're not doing it constantly. Don't know what's up with your eyes, but i... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the question:",
"pos": "Represent the document:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Who decides who can stay in Antarctica or not? If I, as US citizen, wants to live in Antarctica, can I simply go their by ship, build an igloo and live? | [
"Antartica isn't owned by any nation, so technically you can go there if you want. However, if you live in a nation that signed the [Antarctic Treaty](_URL_0_), you will need permission from your government and sign up to travel with a company that has permission to go there."
] | [
"Typically you go to country A, which grants you temporary entrance which your case for asylum is being heard. Sometimes it gets difficult. You might have to hang out in country C for a while, hoping they don't deport you to B, or sneak into A illegally and hide out until asylum is granted."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post:"
} |
Why are igloos said to be 'really warm'? | [
"Snow is used because the air pockets trapped in it make it an insulator. On the outside, temperatures may be as low as −45 °C (−49 °F), but on the inside the temperature may range from −7 °C (19 °F) to 16 °C (61 °F) when warmed by body heat alone."
] | [
"Normally you dont put a fire in an igloo. The purpose is not to make the igloo warm, but to make it not cold. So around -5 to 0 celsius is fine."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit title:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit post:"
} |
Is there a journalistic standard in the U.S. with respect to reliance on unnamed sources? | [
"Hello there, I'm a journalism professor. If you're asking about any kind of enforced standard, then no. The 1st Amendment generally has lead to a hands-off approach to MOST aspects of government intervention in the journalistic process. If you're asking about industry standards, there are some places that offer ... | [
"As in intentionally destroying historical records? This is not exactly a rare occurrence. So as to avoid a bunch of anecdotal answers, is there any time or place you're interested in?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How does facial recognition recognize me when my face is bruised/swollen? | [
"Facial recognition uses measurements of parts of your face that don’t move. Like the corners of your eyes, the point of the nose, distance between nostrils, and the angles between these points. Swelling is unlikely to cause errors, a broken nose that isn’t reset will. If you google facial recognition images you’l... | [
"Because our eyelids are thin. Pull your t-shirt over your head and stare at a light bulb. Now drop a phone book on your face and look at the same light bulb. Phone book thicker than t-shirt, hand thicker than eyelid. If my 5 year old ever asks me this I'll send him back."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the query:",
"pos": "Represent the post:",
"neg": "Represent the post about Science:"
} |
What would happen if the president went in a coma? | [
"The [25th Amendment](_URL_0_) is about presidential succession. Section 4 is specifically about how to deal with an incapacitated president who's still alive. The VP and a majority of the cabinet secretaries sign a letter to Congress saying the President can't do his job, and the VP becomes \"acting President\" un... | [
"How would the president conduct a hostile takeover without the military? Also a takeover of what?"
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit sentence:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit sentence:"
} |
Why does tea infuse better in hot water rather than cold water? | [
"Infusion of tea just means that the tea is spreading out and dissolving in the water. Things dissolve quicker in hot water because hot particles move faster. That's what temperature is - how quickly particles vibrate. So if particles are vibrating faster then they move around quicker."
] | [
"Just about every chemical reaction occurs faster, and more completely when it's warmer. The molecules are vibrating faster and have more opportunities to react with each other. This is the same reason you can dissolve more salt into warm water than cold, and why the same amount of salt dissolves faster into warm w... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the title about Chemistry:",
"pos": "Represent the sentence about Chemistry:",
"neg": "Represent the sentence:"
} |
What's with the tactics used by drill instructors in boot-camps? | [
"They tear you down as a human being. The point is to root out all individuality. You no longer own yourself. You are not unique. You do not do what you want. Your life belongs to your brothers. Then they build you back up. They give you a new identity as a team member, a uniformed person who has voluntarily surre... | [
"It shows that they disapprove of the way they've been treated by the reddit administrators. Kind of like sit-ins during the civil right's movement."
] | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
How are shows like the Colbert Report and the Daily Show able to skim through quotes from other news sources so quickly? | [
"They have massive research and writing staffs. It's not just Stephen and Jon. Once the clips are selected and the scripts are written, the things the anchor will say are up on the teleprompter and they just read them out. The staff in the control room roll clips and direct the camera operators."
] | [
"Most simply put, he is the most prominent satirist of recent times. More largely speaking, he is one of the fiercest and finest critics politics and the media that covers it. Some would say that he does a better job of political commentary than actual political commentators. He was one of the first people to use a... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the post about Technology:",
"pos": "Represent the document about Technology:",
"neg": "Represent the document:"
} |
Why do games come out later in Europe even if that's where they were developed? | [
"A lot of it will come down to the translation. For a game to be released in the whole of Europe, the game has to be translated into many, many different languages. Whereas in America, you maybe have just Spanish and French alongside the English. Another interesting trend to note is that games are often released on... | [
"Some games come to PC first and to consoles later (Diablo 3). Some games come to consoles first and PC later because the developers want to optimize the game more or add new features (GTA 5). Some games come to PC later because Sony and/or Microsoft will pay a developer to wait so that the first release of the gam... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit post:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit comment:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit comment:"
} |
Why web forms ask for City, State, and Zip and not just Zip Code? | [
"Belt and suspenders. If you got the zip code wrong, and had no other information, your package would never arrive. If city and state are also there, it can be rerouted to the correct post office. Also, town boundaries and zip code boundaries can change independently. You might live outside of city limits between S... | [
"An entity is a thing. You make tables in a database out of entities, each row ideally represents an individual entity. In your case, what is the table storing? Customer information? Order information? Venue names? It's not clear. Ideally you'd have a table to represent Customers, Venues, and Orders, all are \"enti... | eli5_question_answer | {
"query": "Represent the Reddit query:",
"pos": "Represent the Reddit document:",
"neg": "Represent the Reddit document:"
} |
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