id stringlengths 5 6 | input stringlengths 3 301 | output list | meta null |
|---|---|---|---|
1cnzsu | Hey, what can you historians tell me about the personalities of the conspirators responsible for Rasputin's death - Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and Vladimir Purishkevich? I am particularly interested in Purishkevich and his involvement in the Black Hundreds. | [
{
"answer": "For the black hundreds see Orlando Figes, *A People's Tragedy* and Richard Luckett, *The White Generals*\n\nFor Purishkevich, there's not a whole lot in English about him personally, outside of books on the time-period. I'd look at, if you can, an old book on Rasputin, *The Holy Devil* by Rene Fulo... | null |
1rel6x | neurologically what is happening at the moment i fall asleep and why can't i ever remember transitioning into sleep. | [
{
"answer": "there is a theory that consciousness is something that when numerous subsystems of the brain are online and fully coordinated, and when these go out of communication with each other then that is you go to sleep.\n\nThere is much more to the idea, but that is the general idea\n\n",
"provenance":... | null |
3dagjn | why do dog paws smell like fritos (corn chips)? | [
{
"answer": "That's the dog version of body odor. Dogs sweat through their paws, lick their paws, tramp through mud, all kinds of things that get them wet and covered in bacteria. The bacterial growth is what produces the \"frito feet\" smell. Unless it is overpowering, it is generally harmless and nothing t... | null |
4ah8ci | why are most call centers based out of india? | [
{
"answer": "It started because of the abundance of English speakers and the relatively low wages. Now that there are a lot of call centers, the infrastructure is in place and it's easy to train workers.\n\nGeneral Electric was one of the first companies to establish a call center in India - possibly because th... | null |
2hny4q | How did the dutch prepare their coffee in the age of exploration? Was it different from today? | [
{
"answer": "Today i'd say most people use a drip machine, Senseo (blech), or some Nespresso type machine. None of those of those existed before the 20th/21st century. \n\nI don't think it's the earliest method of making coffee in the Netherlands, but the [kraantjespot](_URL_0_) (tap pot) has been around since ... | null |
4awtwz | why do some states prohibit recording your own phone calls? | [
{
"answer": "Because a phone call isn't \"yours\", it is the person you're talking with too. If they are under the impression that it is private, it should be. If you want to record, tell them. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "When you are talking to another person, there are two people's pri... | null |
45s0s8 | Late Roman 'gun control' - did people in the western empire, c.400 CE, have personal weapons? | [
{
"answer": "Have you checked out Stuart Laycock's *Britannia: A Failed State*? His conclusions are more than a little goofy (Roman Britain=literally Yugoslavia, also some claptrap about primordial ethnic conflict) but he did a really good job of mapping out belt buckles and has some pretty interesting categori... | null |
7ymi5l | -- why do people blame the nra for mass shootings? | [
{
"answer": "they’re a big part of the reason why gun control laws are so lax in the US, and give tons of money to politicians for their special interests. hence why it’s so easy to get a gun.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Their power over politicians. Most NRA sponsored politicians well see... | null |
1fm94m | How rich and smart are we today compared to those of the 16th century? | [
{
"answer": "How do we compare?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Smart != educated.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "we are vastly, astonishingly wealthier than in the past. more than you can imagine, the pre-industrial world was desperately, impossibly poor by modern standards.... | null |
7u81ym | why is the president saluted while they retain a civilian status? | [
{
"answer": "The President of the USA is also Commander in Chief of all branches of the military. So, he is technically a part of the military chain of command, and is treated appropriately by military personnel.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Because Ronald Reagan wanted to make a big deal a... | null |
aosmvh | what causes cavities and how do dentists fix them? | [
{
"answer": "Bacteria on the surface of your teeth consume sugar from the food and drink you ingest and secrete acid. The acid wears away at your teeth, creating holes called cavities.\n\nDentists will drill out the hole and fill it with a material, then cap it off so it matches the countours of your other teet... | null |
fjdml8 | how does food become skin, blood, organs, etc? | [
{
"answer": "Food is broken down to proteins, carbs, lipids \n\nThen these molecules are further broken down to amino acids, simple sugars cholesterol and fatty acids. These are simple building blocks containing mostly carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphate (among others) that make up all the cells an... | null |
gti11 | Is gravity infinite? | [
{
"answer": "Gravity does have infinite range. So if you had two atoms of hydrogen, at rest with respect to each other, separated by billions of light years in a static universe, then they would eventually hit each other.\r\n\r\nHowever, if they're in any sort of relative motion, they would instead end up in so... | null |
42q88l | what are snails even trying to do? | [
{
"answer": "Make more snails. It's what life does. There are more snails than humans, so arguably they're better at it than we are.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "22259555",
"title": "Socorro springsnail",
"section": "S... | null |
kheir | how do video cards, gpu's and ram work together in terms of gaming? | [
{
"answer": "Approved, but I suggest you resubmit.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "First here are the components I am going to describe:\n\n1. CPU (Central Processing Unit) The main controller, calculator and processor for the PC. \n\n2. RAM (c) (Random Access Memory) The \"working memory\" of ... | null |
ba8kf7 | Books on ancient sexuality? | [
{
"answer": "It’s not a book, but I would recommend Holt N. Parker’s article “The Myth of the Heterosexual: Anthropology and Sexuality for Classicists” in the journal *Arethusa* Volume 34, Number 3 (2001). It offers a good look at how we often need to think differently when we look at sexuality in the past.\n",... | null |
jxz1a | How was weather different when landmasses were clumped into super continents like Pangaea? | [
{
"answer": "With a large conjoined landmass, the weather would be more severe. Much of the continent was very distant from the cooling ~~affects~~ effects of the sea. The hot interior would be dry (like a midcontinental desert). The margins would probably experience extreme weather patterns such as monsoons (f... | null |
13mxm9 | - why does eating a banana help with muscle cramps? | [
{
"answer": "Well, you probably know that muscles contract when you run electrical current through them. The stuff that actually conducts the electricity within your muscles is called electrolytes. It's a combination of sodium, *potassium*, and calcium.\n\nWhen you're working hard you can sweat out these electr... | null |
1rpjnq | why are different audio channels/layers played through left and right earphones and not all layers through both? | [
{
"answer": "Not necessarily. If there are two similar sounds (like two guitars for instance) it might be better for one to be on the left and one to be on the right so that the sounds stay independent until your brain mashes them together.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Basically, to make you... | null |
7seap9 | Is the 7.9 earthquake in Alaska related in any way to the recent eruption of Mount Mayon in the Philippines? | [
{
"answer": "In short, no.\n\nEarthquakes and volcanoes are spatially correlated because the majority of them both occur along plate boundaries. In certain specific cases they can be temporally correlated as well. Eruption of volcanoes can be accompanied (and preceded) by earthquakes, but these are VERY local a... | null |
92shvc | how did scientists breed produce for specific traits hundreds of years ago | [
{
"answer": "Take the seeds of the offspring you like, and plant and nurture those. The offspring you don't like as much, just destroy the seeds.\n\nBam. Evolutionary pressure via artificial selection.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Ancient farmers might not have had the scientific knowledge t... | null |
5uulzl | how are boneless fish made? | [
{
"answer": "When they slice open the fish to pull its guts out they pull out the bones too since they are all connected. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "1729312",
"title": "Boneless Fish",
"section": "",
"start_... | null |
tdhky | Which elements of a family crest should be kept
intact? | [
{
"answer": "Also - this might be a bit of a shot in the dark - but anyone have any idea what type of flowers those are in the crest? (the blue ones)",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Just so you know, the idea of a family crest that most people have is a little off. People think that if you find... | null |
10h0ta | Given the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, why is there order in the world? | [
{
"answer": "The second law of thermodynamics is perfectly fine with order appearing. To say otherwise is simply wrong, although distressingly often stated anyway as part of a false argument against evolution. Perhaps that's where you heard it.\n\nThe important missing part is that a *closed system* tends towar... | null |
4hfg6f | Was Julius Caesar a reformist, a conservative, or just an opportunist? | [
{
"answer": "Could you expand your question? What do you want to know about Julius Caesar?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I don't think any of these terms are particularly useful, because they assume a sort of governmental structure and set of norms that was quite different from what existed i... | null |
4177sd | Does the moon have an effect on the speed of earth's revolution around the sun? | [
{
"answer": "Well, because Earth and the Moon orbit around their common barycenter (ignoring the very small effects of other bodies) there's a very slight \"wobble\" in Earth's orbit. Earth's speed around the barycenter is roughly 11 m/s, which, compared to the ~30 km/s (note: meters vs. kilometers!) average or... | null |
2lqoa1 | How long can radio wavelengths get, while still being useable? | [
{
"answer": "It has to be roughly the same order as the wavelength you want to measure, typically about one-half length (see [here](_URL_2_)). So, to measure a wave the diameter of the Earth, you have to build an antenna roughly that size, though even if you scale it down an order of magnitude, you're talking a... | null |
3oa9ep | why are there fewer blue raspberry jolly ranchers than every other flavor? | [
{
"answer": "They might have a more expensive ingredient. I know blue dyes are often more difficult to create than others.\n\nMaybe they wanted to include blue, for a 'rainbow' effect, but the blue dye (or some other ingredient specific only to the blue ones, like a flavour) makes them expensive, so they put in... | null |
2dbm84 | are humans designed to eat meat? i get that we have canines, but aren't our digestive tracts too long? | [
{
"answer": "Much like our mouths being somewhere between the mouths of carnivores and herbivores, the length (and structure) of our digestive tracts as compared to similarly sized animals is somewhere between that of herbivores and carnivores. If we had been designed to be herbivores, not only would we have an... | null |
x2u49 | When did the cannon reach the end of it's use as a conventional artillery weapon? | [
{
"answer": "It was the invention of the howitzer, which led to innovation in field warfare. Previously cannons had to be stationed on the battlefield themselves, where they were vulnerable to cavalry charges or ambushes by light auxilary, and they typically took a very long time to reposition. If you've ever p... | null |
1u0g4b | Is it true that Roman dictators stepped down voluntarily for a 500 years? | [
{
"answer": "Yes, it's true. \n\nThere are two separate periods of Roman history involved here: the Roman Republic *before* Julius Caesar, and the Roman Principate/Empire *after* Julius Caesar. \n\nThe period that the squeaky guy in the video is talking about is the 500 years *before* Julius Caesar. During this... | null |
4zg8le | How are the massive diesel engines on industrial ships started? | [
{
"answer": "Simple answer: compressed air. \n\nYup, any engine is basically just an air pump with fuel thrown in the mix. To get that much metal moving they basically prime the cylinders in a certain order to get the kinect energy flowing.\n\nHuge accumulators hold the air that's used for this (and many other... | null |
1rvcyx | why do humans have sex (mostly) in missionary, when nearly all other animals do it doggy, even apes / chimps? | [
{
"answer": "Throughout the evolution of human history, the vagina (well, to be perfectly accurate, the vulva) has moved forward. It seems as though face-to-face sex is likely to keep the father around longer and likely to have more sex with the female. Since human babies need a lot of support in order to devel... | null |
7nke3y | why do our teeth feel dirty after sleeping? | [
{
"answer": "When you brush your teeth at night, your teeth are clean and smooth. When you sleep, your mouth isn't moving the saliva around your teeth like it does when you're asleep. Plaque accumulates naturally from your saliva. Because your mouth is mainly stagnant when sleeping, the plaque is just staying o... | null |
38j661 | How could the UK afford to set up the NHS in '48 if WW2 had bankrupted them? | [
{
"answer": "It was super expensive however at the end of the war, Labour, a left wing political party was voted into party and they aimed to create a better future for all the people who had been affected by the war. Many people were happy with the government planning of the economy and wanted it to continue i... | null |
1xg5g7 | art thieves. for those who do it for the money and not the challenge, how do you get by the fact that everyone knows it's stolen? | [
{
"answer": "I am going to guess a private collector hired the thief. Or they steal not so popular art. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "425514",
"title": "Art theft",
"section": "Section::::Individual theft.\n",
... | null |
3tklyy | how can companies like t-mobile offer streaming for certain products that doesn't count against your cap? isn't this prioritizing one company's data over another's? | [
{
"answer": "The short answer is yes. It's not quite as problematic as the old fast lane issue because TMobile does not have a steaming service they are trying to push, they aren't charging companies for the privilege of streaming their stuff without going against the cap and they're trying to add as many comp... | null |
10xqow | what things happened (not the actual weather) that caused hurricane katrina to be such a disaster. | [
{
"answer": "most of the city of New Orleans is below sea level...just think about that for a minute...it can not exist without a complex and expensive system of canals, levees and pumps. given that, and the fact that it had been about 75 years since the last major NOLA flood, it was probably inevitable that so... | null |
110f5l | Is the heat that radiates from humans (and other living things) enough to effect the temperature of the Earth on a global scale? | [
{
"answer": "A person radiates something like a 100 watts, so 7 billion people are putting out 700 billion watts. The earth receives something like 200 petawatts from the sun. \n\nSo the heat from humans amounts to something like 0.00035% of the heat coming in from the sun (which is the primary driver of Earth'... | null |
3szpa9 | if anonymous is just an idea, then what are these social media accounts and websites. | [
{
"answer": "Groups that loosely identify with the ideas behind anonymous and band together to act upon those ideas and/or people who like Guy Fawkes masks.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "12878216",
"title": "Criticism of Facebo... | null |
57il19 | what is "the stack"? | [
{
"answer": "Gonna need the context. In ultimate frisbee, it's an offensive tactic where member of the attacking team forms a line to begin their cuts from. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "\"The stack\", without context, usually means the call stack. This is a region of memory where function a... | null |
2ve8ih | why do votes recorded on electronic voting machines need to be counted separately? is it not possible to count the votes as they are cast? | [
{
"answer": "The votes can be counted as they are cast, however the ballots are also counted separately because the machines could be in error, could have a bug and miscounted, or were intentionally programmed to commit fraud.\n\nWithout paper votes that can be counted separately, you'd never know if the machin... | null |
1ghpd9 | What is nutrition? | [
{
"answer": "Nutrition is not just about calorie intake. It is about providing the materials that your cells need to function. Sugar does provide energy for our bodies to burn, but it doesn't provide any of the other things our cells need to work. That's why they say it has no nutritional value.",
"provenan... | null |
4knhm3 | Given that the earth is spinning, and water is a liquid, will sea level rise (due to climate change) be greater at the equator? | [
{
"answer": "The Earth is an oblate spheroid. That means it is like a losing politician: flattened at the poles. (An Asimov joke, forgive me. I do have a real answers.) The spin means that the equator does bulge and that there is more water there as well. (I'm not saying that well. The water is deeper at the eq... | null |
s1h51 | How reliable is the medical information regarding marijuana that is published on _URL_0_? | [
{
"answer": "You shouldn't focus on the site where the information is published, but the groups who do the research. \n\nAny organization with a political bias is going to selectively choose the information that backs their positions. That said, I've done a few projects and utilized NORML as a starting point fo... | null |
3hm599 | Do the animals (mammals, mostly) that we keep as pets exhibit behavior that is akin to that of a human suffering from Stockholm Syndrome? | [
{
"answer": "As /u/Nixie9 has already pointed out, definitely, without a doubt. That said, saying so is slightly problematic.\n\nOne of the most common mistakes people make when trying to understand animals and animal behavior is assigning human feelings and characteristics to them; personification of non-perso... | null |
5fodfp | Did the transportation of convicts to Australia lower the crime rate in Britain? | [
{
"answer": "The short answer is no, the crime rate was not lowered due to the transportation of convicts. This is in part because recidivism was not the main cause of crime in England between 1787 and 1868. People transported to Australia were typically people who had been convicted of property crime - theft (... | null |
zh710 | callouses | [
{
"answer": "It's like light scar tissue. A tool runs on you hand. But not enough to cause a blister. It doesn't mean the same actions that would cause a blister didn't happen. The small tears heal. But with repeated use more tears happen. More healing. More scaring thicker dead skin layer. Callous.",
"prov... | null |
a0rpxf | if i have a large sum of money sitting in a checking account, then why would bankers from the same institution encourage me to invest the funds? doesn’t the bank make more money off of my funds if i’m completely hands off? | [
{
"answer": "They do, but if you invest then you have the potential to be putting in even more money. They're looking at it long-term, you'd be putting in more money over time from investments rather than one lump sum. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "2 reasons.\n\n1, if your money reserves get... | null |
11e0lx | if reddit was against sopa and other censoring freedom of speech on the internet, why are many subreddits pushing to ban others? | [
{
"answer": "Because Reddit is not one person. \n\nBecause a private operation like Reddit imposing content restrictions on itself is far different from government imposed censorship that applies to everyone. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "To the extent that \"Reddit\" can be described as hav... | null |
37q6rd | why would anyone choose a revolver over a pistol, given the substantial reload time? | [
{
"answer": "revolvers don't jam the same way semi-automatic pistols do. They can if used incorrectly or are not properly cleaned though...",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Revolvers are less prone to jamming and failure when compared to a semi-auto handgun. \n\nMy primary home defense weapon is... | null |
cthtyg | how bad is the rain forest fire that's been going on for weeks now? how irreversible us the damage? | [
{
"answer": "Well, the nice thing is that forest fires are a part of nature. They happen, they happen often and within 5-10 years after the fire most of the damage is repaired.\n\nThe problems happen when these fires get so intense that they damage and kill the larger trees. So while these fires are part of ... | null |
2vsnl4 | why would an artist want to start their own record label? | [
{
"answer": "For the same reason the guy who makes $100k a year leaves hisbjob to start his own business. People like to work for themselves, not for others.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "The business aspects of it I'll leave to other people to answer, but this question:\n\n > Do labels stif... | null |
ju2ne | How much petroleum is used for making, say, a plastic bag? | [
{
"answer": "Bear in mine that petroleum is split into \"fractions\" of varying densities using fractional distillation. Because only certain fractions are used for making plastic, although the amount of raw petroleum needed to make one plastic bag would be (relatively) quite a lot, the other products wouldn't ... | null |
12awga | Why do most landmasses appear to taper downward? | [
{
"answer": "just coincidence. [Looking back into Earth's past](_URL_0_), we don't see that trend. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "32939362",
"title": "Chronology of discoveries of water on Mars",
"section": "Section::::... | null |
4gi0rs | How did medieval urban militias maintain training? | [
{
"answer": "As a follow up question; how common was mandatory service during this period? Particularly in a feudal system. Were the men allowed return home for harvest season?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "J.F. Verbuggen suggested that the Flemish urban militia infantry did not have any real... | null |
4a9wbl | why do actors alter their credited name slightly between films, often long after they are an established name? | [
{
"answer": "This almost never happens. Can you give an example?",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "If an actor wants to join an actor's union (which is basically a requirement if they want to work in Hollywood) they can't use the same name as someone who is already in the union. \n\nSometimes act... | null |
6qlbh9 | why aren't things in orbit constantly accelerating? | [
{
"answer": "They are constantly accelerating. But it's important to know that, in physics, \"accelerating\" doesn't mean \"getting faster\". Rather, it means \"changing velocity\". And velocity is a vector, meaning that it has both a direction and a magnitude. \n\nWe tend to think of the magnitude portion ... | null |
21w6de | doppler effect and radar guns that cops use | [
{
"answer": "The gun sends out a wave of particles and then times how long it takes to get back.\n\nBased on the difference in times between two pulses, you can determine the distance traveled. \n\nIf you know the amount of time between pulses, you also know the amount of time it took to travel that distance.\n... | null |
41dbrn | what factors can cause a medication to produce fatally adverse reactions in humans during phase 1 drug trail, but pass animal testing with no problems? | [
{
"answer": "Different animals can be affected by chemicals in different ways. Breaking down chemicals requires *really* complex series of chemical reactions and not all animals use the same enzymes, pathways, etc so even if the drug isn't immediately toxic the byproducts of the drug as the body breaks it down ... | null |
5pa9c3 | Did some people like living in East Germany? What things did they like about it? | [
{
"answer": "East Germany was, by comparison, one of the richer Communist nations and although it was a failure in comparison to the economic powerhouse that was the Federal Republic, its citizens did not live in abject poverty or anything of the sort. Far from it, in fact. East Germans could boast several, at ... | null |
5ko0q9 | why is cold water so effective at getting rid of suds? | [
{
"answer": "Suds, or bubbles, in water are a result of decreased surface tension.\n\nAs the Surface Tension increases, the Surface Area is caused to decrease. Bubbles on the surface are a surfeit of surface area, compared to the flat surface of your non-soapy filled sink, so they exist at a much reduced tensio... | null |
1pc7d9 | why do apps in the apple app store have 5 star ratings, but when i scroll down and look at the reviews, they're all angry customers who left one star? | [
{
"answer": "Because people who like the app just click the 5 stars. People who are pissed enough to click one star are probably going to also write up a diatribe.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Apple has not revealed how the star rating is calculated. Any answer is speculation. However it is ... | null |
3ajeea | How much of the sunlight, emitted from its birth untill now, is still travelling? | [
{
"answer": " > How much of the sunlight, emitted from its birth untill now, is still travelling?\n\nThe [sun is about 4.567 billion years old](_URL_1_). Light emitted from the Sun will [keep travelling until it hits something](_URL_0_) and is absorbed. The surface area of any objects within a 4.567 billion l... | null |
e7igok | why do movies/series always fake phone screens? | [
{
"answer": "The refresh on the phone isn't synced with anything and the persistence isn't very good. If they didn't fake them, you'd see all sorts of moire effects, that changed as the camera zoomed. It would be horrible. Like all things that look bad, they get replaced in post-production.",
"provenance... | null |
3zi68b | how does political instability in the middle east affect oil prices? | [
{
"answer": "A lot of oil comes from the Middle East. Political instability might lead to chaos on the ground, that could result in less of it being produced in the future.\n\nYou're probably familiar with the idea that prices are determined by supply and demand. If just as many people want something, and there... | null |
2oqmam | how is cgi put into non-digitally filmed movies? | [
{
"answer": "They use a device called a [Film Recorder](_URL_0_) - modern film recorders simply expose a frame of film to a brightly backlit high res LCD screen, but previous generations would scan the picture onto the film with lasers",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I am not sure if you are as... | null |
15wa8d | Why did birthrates in the United States decline so rapidly in the 1920s? | [
{
"answer": "There was a recent Freakonomics episode that stated birth rates are directly correlated to financial security and wealth. The economists were specifically looking at abortion rates within different classes/socioeconomic tiers to see how abortion legislation affected unplanned pregnancies and aborti... | null |
1qq6fw | price fixing | [
{
"answer": "Essentially, it is when competing companies agree to keep their prices higher than would otherwise be logical, in order to make more money, which is illegal. \nUsually, for every competing market, there is a price that everyone makes the most money to sell at, because their profit equation ([Sale ... | null |
bz1kkz | why do lips get chapped in cold weather compared to hot? doesn’t the hot air absorb the moisture more? | [
{
"answer": "Hot air does make moisture move more, but that also includes nearby water sources, making the air more humid. \n\nThe higher water content of the warm air doesn't suck from your lips as much as the very dry cold air. \n\nPlus, when it's warmer, you're sweating more, applying moisture more directly... | null |
4kvb9p | Could you recommend sources with information about cultural conceptions of time in post-World War II America? | [
{
"answer": " > I am especially curious about the impact the internet has had on our understandings or perceptions of time. Thank you!\n\nAskHistorians places a 20-year limit on discussions here. You might consider asking about this particular angle over in /r/AskSocialScience!",
"provenance": null
},
... | null |
38zgcb | butt smacking in sports. | [
{
"answer": "In baseball, it's easier to smack someone's butt than pat them on the back. The smacking motion is way easier to do under handed than an overhand pat on the back. Plus, when they get excited, I'd imagine a vigirious smack on the butt is a bit more tolerable than an aggressive pat on the back. Usual... | null |
88e069 | how does my phone number show up on a stranger’s call log even though i never called that person? | [
{
"answer": "This literally is still happening to my husband but he's recieving so many calls and texts that his phone can't function right now. It's been since this morning around 10, and it's 5pm now. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "3... | null |
3d0x00 | Do ears have depth perception? | [
{
"answer": "No, they cannot. You can only hear the direction where the sound is coming from (and this in all 3 dimensions!). This is because the sound will hit your ears at different times (so you can tell if it is from left or right), and it will be forwarded a bit different dependent on the direction it hits... | null |
22gx0w | how do child actors/actresses play roles in films and tv shows meant for mature audiences such as "game of thrones?" | [
{
"answer": "Depends on the rules in the country, but in the US, child labor/acting laws are pretty restrictive.\n\nThey have permission from their parents, they know they're acting, and they're well guarded from any potential abuse. If the parents are OK with it, and the kids are OK with it and no other laws a... | null |
cqsxlm | what does inflammation have to do with a diabetics pancreas? | [
{
"answer": "Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease. i.e, the immune cells of the body like lymphocytes starts attacking the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas. As more and more beta cells are destroyed, there will be reduced production of the insulin and ultimately the pancreas cannot produce anymo... | null |
1oc7nd | ruth's chris steakhouse. what is a chris steak? why is it ruth's and not ruth chris' steakhouse? | [
{
"answer": "The original Chris Steak House (1927–1965):\n\nChris Steak House was founded on February 27, 1927 by New Orleans entrepreneur Chris Matulich. It was located at 11 Broad Street near the New Orleans Fairgrounds Racetrack, seated 60 people, and had no parking lot. During Matulich's 38-year management,... | null |
2f6dnk | 1953 & Iran | [
{
"answer": "Just in August the CIA released documents describing its role in the coup: _URL_0_\n\nSorry for the incomplete answer. I'm hoping the article and its sources help inform the proper answers I'm sure are being written now.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "I would recommend that you r... | null |
386aw0 | why do we have toll booths when driving through states and such? is it just an easy way for them to get tax money? | [
{
"answer": "Toll roads are highways that pay for themselves. They're often used by drive-through states (like Kansas) that have people from other states use their highways but not spend money in their state to generate revenue to keep the highways cared for. ",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Ba... | null |
ynf1c | When an object breaks the sound barrier, mach 1, there's a sonic boom; is there a similar occurrence when it goes double or triple the speed of sound? | [
{
"answer": "No. \n\nThere is a region of flow called [hypersonic](_URL_0_) which is generally 5 to 10 times the speed of sound. In hypersonic flow, you get tremendous heating which leads to ionization of molecules. However, hypersonic flow is more of a gradual occurrence that depends upon the exact shape of... | null |
3tfbdj | why do some people use comma (,) instead of dot/period (.) when writing decimals? | [
{
"answer": "I would say different schools. When i was i school in soviet russia we use comma. When i move across atlantic i saw everyone was using dot like in calculators and use comma in big numbers for example 1,000,000.00. Plus i also think it has something to with the way money value being represented.",
... | null |
amva6y | why does mic feedback always present itself as high pitched ringing? | [
{
"answer": "Audio Engineer here:\n\n & #x200B;\n\nIt doesn't always. Sometimes it's low end frequencies feeding back from a subwoofer into a mic stand or similar.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nThe reason that *most of the time* it's high pitched is because:\n\n* The speakers are better at reproducing high pitches\n* The mi... | null |
1j4usb | Why did the Romans use the letter 'C' for the sound already represented by the letters 'K' and 'Q', when it comes from the Greek letter 'Γ' (gamma) ? | [
{
"answer": "In the Latin that we know today, the letter K doesn't actually exist anymore. Q was only used with a U, like English, so didn't produce a C sound. Originally, in fact, the confusion was between the hard C sound and that of the hard G sound, as they occupied the same letter before K fell out of favo... | null |
2n1fxa | What happened to the confiscated items the Nazis took from the prisoners during the Holocaust? | [
{
"answer": "Most of it had already been redistributed among Germans, the SS, the Führer's Chancellory, etc. We have the actual letter ordering camp commandants what to do with the items. It is from SS-Brigade-Führer August Frank dated September 26, 1942. Frank was the head of the SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshaup... | null |
21zz5p | Why do certain substances leave an odor that is nearly impossible to remove from your skin, while others was off with ease? | [
{
"answer": "You can think of this in terms of hydrophobicity. \n\nI'll just do it with one of your examples. Gasoline and water do not like mix. This is because of the molecular structure/properties of the molecules that constitute gasoline (octane for example). At the molecular level, the water around an octa... | null |
2wk8qr | regarding evolution. assuming the first life was single cell organisms that reproduced by splitting, or reproduced asexually. at what point was the male/female two-part system introduced...and why? | [
{
"answer": "The downside of asexual reproduction is that it doesn't easily introduce new genes into the mix. Reproduction with a partner does do this, and generally those are genes are pretty good. (else they wouldn't have survive until adulthood) Species become more varied as a result which helps them survive... | null |
4dfcil | Why can we digest fats but not plastics when both are mostly hydrocarbon chains? | [
{
"answer": "1) The carboxylic acid changes the chemistry of fatty acids compared to plastic hydrocarbons massively. It looks subtle on paper, but it is like the difference between a stick and an arm (with a hand!) in terms of chemical functionality.\n\n2) Plastic/polymeric hydrocarbons are very chemically iner... | null |
20tl52 | if america were to do away with the penny, what would happen to all the pennies i have? | [
{
"answer": "They're legal tender, so the government has to honor their value -- at least until they decide they don't anymore.\n\nPeople would box up their pennies, and take them to banks and get other currency for them. The banks would then send the pennies to the Treasury, who would dispose of them.\n\nYou c... | null |
2bao9u | why do antibiotics make you nauseous? | [
{
"answer": "Your stomach is filled with bacteria, tons of it. And...that's a good thing. There is increasing amounts of research that show that our symbiotic relationship with the bacteria in our gut is a powerful part of \"feeling good\" in the belly. Anti-biotics indiscriminately destroy bacteria - even t... | null |
17393s | In what way were the Mongolians affected by the Black Death? | [
{
"answer": "You asked about trade so I'll cover that specifically but the plague had massive implications for the whole empire.\n\nBy the time the whole 'pillage and slaughter' thing had slowed down in the Mongol conscious they readily turned to trade. For awhile many in the Mongol elite had been interacting w... | null |
ewtxsq | how do teeth move? | [
{
"answer": "The hole is 'stretched' by the continued application of force, and then the gaps are slowly filled in by new bone as it heals. This is part of why you have a retainer to wear even after the correction is done with and it must be worn a lot more at first.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answe... | null |
6j7c12 | why are 99% of ads which are supposed to be funny so unfunny? surely multi-billion dollar companies could afford comedic ad writers? | [
{
"answer": "They get group tested to hell and back, scrutinized backwards and forwards to eliminate any possible offense, to fit specific demographics, to fit in allotted time,etc. \n\nSmall companies generally do better at this, as they just go with the initial idea (saw a Bigfoot themed ad for a mattress pro... | null |
65s1za | Why are most tuxedos and other formal clothes black and white? | [
{
"answer": "This question needs a big asterisk attached - it's *men's* formal clothing that tends toward black and white.\n\nThe story starts in the late 1770s and 1780s, a period when men and women of fashion began to show their status by, among other things, wearing looser and less formal clothing - the most... | null |
3gz14u | Who was the wealthiest individual in ancient history? | [
{
"answer": "Ancient history is a pretty broad timespan. You might want to narrow that down a bit.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": null,
"provenance": [
{
"wikipedia_id": "2885665",
"title": "The Richest Man in Babylon",
"section": "",
"start_paragraph_i... | null |
4hit4l | why do employers ask to upload resume and also fill out employment history, school information, etc... that is already listed on the resume? | [
{
"answer": "Not all resumes include all of the information they want. My resume hardly says anything about my schooling, and only lists my current position, as my prior employment was in different industries.\n\nResumes are always different, and the job seeker has a lot of wiggle room regarding what they can p... | null |
fqpdk0 | how come if your fingers are paralyzed or have nerve damage, they don’t prune, (wrinkle) and why do only our finger tips and toes prune? | [
{
"answer": "Pruning of the fingertips is a mechanism that is regulated by the nervous system. If there’s paralysis or some form of nerve damage in the fingers, these nerve impulses are unable to initiate the physiological changes that result in the pruning of the skin in that area. \n\nPruning of the fingertip... | null |
15zmjf | why ireland separated | [
{
"answer": "Ireland was a colony of britain for 700 years. In 1919 an Irish independence movement and its military wing the Irish Republican Army waged a guerrilla war on the british army stationed in the country. Now there had been various rebellions and pushes for independence but nothing worked as the briti... | null |
1i31gr | what is healthcare reform in america and how will it affect me-a middle class, fulltime worker with benefits? i seriously cannot figure this out and nothing makes sense when i try to find simple explainations. | [
{
"answer": "It probably won't effect you all that much, besides offering you more options if you end up losing your job at some point.\n\nThere are some restrictions on healthcare insurance in the future, mostly that you can't as easily have the insurance companies abandon you in some situations.",
"proven... | null |
5mvkgz | why do certain drinks (i.e: milk) make you sick in large quantities while others (i.e: water) do not? | [
{
"answer": "How soon we forget (can't believe it's been 10 years already):\n\n_URL_0_",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "Have you ever heard the saying, \"too much of anything isn't good for you.\"? Things such as water can also be harmful in extreme quantities. A few years ago, a football player... | null |
3ipngn | what does a cigarette actually contain? | [
{
"answer": "Mostly tobacco but other \"allowed\" ingredients are added to improve the taste, length of time it burns for etc. Not all of these ingredients are good for you, especially when they are burned and inhaled.",
"provenance": null
},
{
"answer": "They contain processed tobacco, various flav... | null |
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