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[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "When asked for cookies on a website, is it taking information on you already before asking and hoping you click accept? How can one tell if the cookies are being used before approving it on the website?\n\nI guess I'm just wondering, are cookie requests really just asking for forgiveness when prompting? Or are they really not collecting information until you say \"I accept.\""
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Cookies are one of the most reliable way of tracking you, but there are others. Like a combination of up address and browser information. There are sites that will display all the information your browser will leak. \n\nDon’t be fooled into thinking that refusing cookies protects you. They are just the low hanging fruit of monitoring. \n\nThey can can be used for good, like keeping preferences etc. but like any good thing they were turned bad."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[MCU] If the US government was able to successfully mass produce and weaponize the Yellow Jacket program, how would it fare against another alien invasion?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Fielding an army of super-soldiers that the enemy can't even *see* would be great. It's probably better than either of Tony Stark's mechanized army ideas.\n\nOf course, the Avengers have a Hulk, and that's hard to top."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Musicals: Tangled, Frozen, Hairspray, et al.] How do people know all of the words to spontaneous outbursts of song?\n\nSo, I was walking through the grocery store the other day minding my own business and this young couple was singing to each other. It was super adorable and stuff, but then all of a sudden they hit the chorus and a bunch of people around me started dancing and singing along with them out of freakin no where man. And I'm standing there in the middle with no clue what is going on. \n\nLike what the hell? Was this practiced? Did they all share some weird mass delusion? Are they all psychically linked? Should I move before I become part of some mindless musical performing hive mind?\n\nAny info would be much appreciated."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Musical-Universes are parallel universes which have several roving hive minds. These hive minds are pseudo intelligent, but they lack bodies or emotions (and therefore free will). Therefore, a hive mind's goal (in the same sense that an electron has a \"goal\" to take the path of least resistance) is to find a group of people experiencing strong emotions. Once it has found such a group, it wants to use it as a body of sorts. \n\nThe hive mind is controlled by the emotions of those who are experiencing strong emotions. Emotions of humans and beings with thought-patterns resembling humans associate music (and therefore dance) with emotions. The result is that it becomes the will of the hive mind to coordinate the persons within it's sphere of influence in a dance. The persons at the heart of the emotional tempest have the greatest degree of impact on the dance hive mind. As a result, a few important people in the dance will take on special roles."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Could you beat a magnetized piece of iron until it loses it's magnetism?\n\nIs a magnetic field subject to shock-induced interference? If I rubbed an iron rod with a magnet and magnetized it, could I then pound that piece of iron until it loses it's magnetism?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It is possible to demagnetize a ferromagnetic material with high pressure or force but for iron the stress needs to be similar to hearing to 1000 Kelvin. \n\nA way easier way to do it is using electricity specifically high frequency alternating current. The magnet will try to align with the direction of the field but if the frequency is high enough it will be switching faster than the material can align so when the current is turned off everything will end up aligned randomly, making it non magnetic."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Jupiter Legacy] Is the Jupiter Legacy world another kitchen sink world like Marvel, DC, and Invincible?\n\nSo far recent superhero worlds have been stand-alone versus where only one power system exists and only one genre exists. The big 3 are MHA, The Boys, and Worm. MHA only has Quirks, The Boys only has compound V, and Worm only has shards. Aliens, demons, vampires, werewolves, wizards, dragons, etc are not really things that exist in The Boys or MHA world. Not in a separate power system sense at least. Because im sure a lot of Quirks and Compound V or Parahuman abilities powers can mimic most of the beings I mentioned. Maybe Aliens might exist in Worm if you count shards. But Worm is still a strong standalone verse and not a kitchen sink world like Marvel or DC \n\nIn the show Jupiter Legacy it seems like all the powers come from the island. But it still seems like heroes can get powers from different sources in the Jupiter Legacy verse. For starters, super technology can easily be another source. I.E. the teleport stick. And it's stated maybe as a joke. That the Union has been fighting Robot and Wizards for a century. Even though this could possibly be a joke.\n\nSo that makes me wonder. Is Jupiter Legacy a kitchen sink world like Marvel/DC/Invincible?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The island released an unknown energy source into the world. The main characters all got their powers from this energy source or from those directly connected to the source as their offspring. Others became infected by the power source as well later on creating supervillains and lesser heroes who had no connection to the island. Super technology does exist but it either captures a piece of the island power by itself or was created specifically to counter or mimic the islands power. \n\nYou don't have wizards and demons and aliens and robots running around. You have people who are mutating and evolving with a new power that's randomly choosing them. They adopt personas to hide their identities for various reasons or just develop technology specifically to counter the new powered people. So it's just one power system with some drama club trappings and DARPA level interference."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5:Why do your gums bleed/hurt more if you don't floss regularly?\n\nAfter flossing for the first time in a few months, it hurts a lot more and might also bleed. Why does this happen?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "They're being deteriorated and broken down by sugars and acids in the plaque hiding between your teeth. \n\nFloss. Bleed. Rinse. Heal. Repeat. You'll be happier for it and so will whoever you talk to every day."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Zombies] Why are animals usually unaffected in zombie apocalypses?\n\nI know for a few universes (Red Dead Redemption for example) animals are turned into zombies, however it seems like the majority of zombie apocalypses leave animals unaffected. Is there a reason zombies only go after other humans? Maybe the virus only transmits between humans but wouldn't their craving for brains still have them seek out other animals for food as well?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Viruses rarely jump from one species to another, which is why it's big news whenever it happens. As for why we don't see zombies going after animals as often, it's probably because most animals have better senses and better survival instincts. They also tend to be faster runners. Basically, for a setting to have a lot of zombie animals several things need to happen:\n\n- The virus (or magic) needs to affect animals as much as it does humans.\n- Zombies need to be fairly omnivorous. They don't just go after humans.\n- Human zombies need to be fast enough to catch animals. Alternatively, animal zombies need to retain their speed in order to infect other animals."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why do abandoned houses fall apart structurally?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Basically, because abandoned houses lack residents/caretakers to maintain and protect them. When an occupied house develops a leak, or a tree branch falls through the roof, or termites infest it, or it suffers minor fire damage, the owners fix it. An abandoned property, conversely, is simply victim to the vagaries of time and nature. \n\nSimilarly, homeless people, vandals, and thieves are less likely to intrude and damage/take from a house with residents. If someone lives there, you’d worry about getting shot/arrested/etc. if you broke in."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How do solar sails/photonic propulsion work if light is massless?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Light is massless but not momentum-less. You know that whole E = mc^2 equation? Well, that isn't the entire thing, actually. The actual equation is\n\nE^2 = (mc^2 )^2 + (pc)^2 \n\nwhere p is the momentum of the object in question. Photons have energy, and even with zero mass, they still have momentum, and so they can impart that momentum into something else."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5 how does a search engine search the entire internet in a couple of seconds?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It doesn’t. It searches an optimized index that the search engine company has carefully built over a long time. Instead of driving around the neighborhood making a list of all the businesses, it just looks in the phone book."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How does the destruction of thousands of tons of illegal ivory help fight poachers and the black market?\n\nWouldn't that make them that much more valuable?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "In order to make money on poaching, there's two steps. First, kill the rhino. Second, sell the horn. (or whatever animal.) If you only complete step one, you wasted a lot of time and effort.\n\nBy destroying confiscated ivory, you ensure that step two doesn't ever happen for a LOT of poachers. Yes, a few who didn't get caught will make a lot of money. But it means that *most* poachers will be frustrated out of their profits and hopefully discouraged from trying again."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How can we discover planets that are so far away?\n\nI always wondered how can we find those planets that are light years from Earth."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Usually exoplanets are discovered by looking for a characteristic wobble of stars in a telescope.\n\nBecause gravity from planets will affect the spin of their star, stars with planets will appear to wobble back and forth compared to other, naked stars.\n\nThen, by calculating the expected size of the star and the size and frequency of the wobble, they can make an educated guess as to the size and distance of the exoplanet from their star, or even if there are multiple exoplanets."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How much of an impact does body weight have on lifespan?\n\nI would guess that more body weight, regardless of muscle or fat, leads to a shorter lifespan since the more body mass you have, the harder your internal organs have to work, wearing them out faster, but I'm not completely sure.\n\nEdit: I am referring to human body weight, but studies on other organisms are ok too.\n\nEdit 2: Interesting answers here. I didn't take into account that more cells in the body might also mean an increased risk for one of them to become cancerous, but it can be different for other species. I guess at least for humans shorter people have a possible comeback against taller people now haha."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "If you live in the UK or US, weighing 1/3rd more than your optimal body weight results in a lifespan which is 3 years shorter. \n\nBut things really aren't straight forward, and there's a lot of other factors such as adaptability and routine which are very common in those aged 100 or older. But on average people who are normal weight live longer than those who are overweight. \n\nAnd living to great ages doesn't really happen simply because you're healthy, you also have to be happy. When researchers looked at those aged 100 or older they found plenty of daily routines such as a daily shot of whiskey, daily Dr Pepper, daily ice cream and daily bacon. But it is important to avoid excess."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Dune/WH40k] A survey team has stumbled about the planet with the spice. What is the quickest, fastest way to commercialize the drug and get it into the greedy, grasping hands of the IoM?\n\n***NOTE:*** None of the houses or imperial shit from Dune exists. Only the planet Arrakis is there, and nothing else. WH40k remains the same, except with the inclusion of Arrakis, and of course, the spice. Nobody in the IoM knows just what the spice is, or how it even works, or even how to farm it. But people do know the spice is highly addictive and they want more of it. Lots more.\n\nHow do we commercialize the sale of the drug for consumption by the IoM?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "I'd guess the Inquisition would come down on that like a ton of bricks. They probably wouldn't glass the place, but they'd definitely put a lockdown on the spice. Anything that will let you see the future like spice can has got to be touched by the warp and must be kept from the public, but the spice itself would be seen as too useful to completely destroy. There would definitely be some black market smuggling, though, so the richer, less moral citizens could still get ahold of it."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Codename: Kids Next Door] What would happen if some who knows about the KND but not apart of them turned 13?\n\nWe know that when a KND operative turns 13 they get decommissioned. But how would the KND react to someone who knows about them but isn't one of them turning 13?\n\n\n(Edit: Also on a related note... how would they handle kids who are related to people who know about the kids next door?)"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It depends. If they've been super loyal, they get to join the top secret wing of the KND called the \"Teens Next Door,\" which consists of teenagers who were not actually decommissioned.\n\nOther times they join an anti KND group and are issued their Battle Ready Armor.\n\nAnd other times they simply don't care as long as they don't use their knowledge for evil.\n\nAs for your edit question, Nigel's dad knows about his adventures, but they don't really do anything because he mostly just thinks they're silly games of pretend."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How infected does the body have to be in order to trigger an immune response that you notice? I. E. Fever, congestion, cough, etc."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It's not such a simple equation. But in general, all it takes is one and your body will start responding to the threat. The response might be all out war, or it might be to just encapsulate it. That depends on other things. Some general categories are:\n1.) The type of invader. (Bacterial, Viral, Allergen, etc.)\n\n2.) Where the invader, invades your body. (E. Coli is fine in some parts and not in other parts.)\n\n3.) How aggressive the invader is. (Take the strain of nora-virus that has hit many of the states really hard the past 12 months. It has taken as few as breathing in 3 of the virus to infect you.)\n\n4.) The individuals sensitivity to the invader.\n\n5.) The current strength or health of the immune system."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: If you have a pile of mulch/woodchips/etc and leave it long enough it can start to smoke. How?\n\nI understand that it's the breaking down of the organic material that's generating the heat, but how in the world does it generate enough heat to start to smolder?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "A large enough pile will be generating heat all through it, and the stuff in the middle has nowhere for the heat to go, so it builds up. Eventually, you'll hit the smoke point for something in the pile (the wood, the resins in the sap, small children, you know) and voila! Smoke!"
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Can a psychologist cure her-/himself if he/she has a mental illness?\n\nSorry, this might be a stupid question. But medical doctors for example could cure themselves if they have a disease."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Not really. You can for example come up with a behavioral excercise to help yourself somehow but it's not anything somebody with a good self-help book couldn't do as well. We're also kinda trained in introspection which should theoretically help us getting an insight on our conditition. However, if we're talking about \"curing\", a crucial part of therapy is therapeutic relationship and alliance which is hard to establish by yourself."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Can I \"build\" a server and give it whatever ip I want?\n\nBy server I mean a website, but without registered domain. I mean you type the ip in your browser and there is your site. If you can, then what would happen if I have the same ip as google? And what if the site is temporary down? Thanks!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "IP addresses are a lot like ZIP (aka postal) codes. If you want to declare your ZIP code to be 60601-2015, that's certainly your choice, but don't expect the US Postal Service to deliver your mail to that address unless you just happen to live in the right block in Chicago.\n\nYou don't need a name -- a web site will work just fine with simply an IP address. But you have to get the IP address assigned to you by somebody who acknowledges that the IP address is within their management realm."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: why are there weight limits on suitcases but not the people on the plane?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It's worth noting there may be weight limits depending on the size of the plane. A large airliner doesn't really matter, but a small passenger plane has to know the weight of the passengers and make sure they're evenly distributed around the plane. You can't have a 500lb person in the right side and a 30lb person in the left, the balance of the plane will be too far off."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "My chi-square analysis indicates a significant association but my logistic regression indicates no significant association. What does this mean?\n\nI’m fairly new to statistics so I apologize if this is an easy answer. Right now, I’m just playing with some public health data. \n\nI have a dichotomous exposure and a dichotomous outcome. \n\nMy chi square analysis indicates statistical significance between the exposure and outcome. \n\nWhen I run a logistic regression in R, the adjusted odds ratio is 1.2 but the p value is 0.059 which indicates it is not significant. In the logistic regression, I controlled for 5 other variables (two of which have a p value of less than 0.001). \n\nWhat does this mean? Should I not be comparing chi square outcome with logistic regression outcome? \n\nThank you!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "You did different analyses. You shouldn't expect the same result.\n\nIf controlling for variables didn't change the p-value, you wouldn't do it.\n\n​\n\nRun a logistic regression in R, without the control variables and you should get the same result."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Eli5 - What is a DJ like Tiesto actually doing when performing a live show?\n\nI don’t really know much about the process of remixing a song but I can imagine it is a process that is like editing a video - layering tracks, adding beats, etc. They are clearly not doing that kind of editing live so they are basically playing something that’s already had some amount of that already done. \n\nSo what are they doing live besides maybe mixing between songs? \n\nI just don’t understand what all the knob fiddling is about."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "In order to get a basic understanding, imagine a DJ standing in front of actual turntables. They start playing a song, and it has a downbeat (imagine if you're bobbing your head to a groovy song, when you bob down, that's the downbeat). As that song nears it's end, the DJ doesn't want dead air, so they choose a song that has the same beat. They put the record on the other turntable, and listen to it with their headphones. They listen and slow down/speed up the second song until the beat lines up perfectly, then fade the volume of the first song down while fading the second up. That way you're listening to a new song, but the transition was so seamless, your head bobbing hasn't stopped, or even been noticeably altered.\n\nA skilled DJ can fade back and forth between two or more songs, do things like slip the hook from one song into the place where the hook would have been in a different song, and all sorts of other tomfoolery. The more sources of songs, samples, and sounds, the more knobs they need for volume, tempo and effects.\n\nThen imagine someone mixing the sound for a live band. They have a slider for how loud the drums are in the house speakers, how loud the vocals are in the speakers playing back to the band. The DJ needs these too, so they can alter what they are hearing and what the house is hearing separately."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[House] Morally speaking who's the most good character?\n\nHouse is out for obvious reasons. \n\nWilson is a genuinely great guy with a few flaws.\n\nSame goes for Cuddy (although she's arguably got more issues than Wilson).\n\nForeman's a sob.\n\nChase is just neutral; leaning good. Give him major props for killing that dictator. Sic semper and all that.\n\nCameron is good with a flawed reliance on emotion that means she often does bad in the name of good.\n\nTaub isn't evil but he is a weasel.\n\nKutner is as nice as you can be and still interact with House.\n\nThirteen is a hedonist (but for understandable reasons) and other wise seems like a decent person.\n\nCB; yeah she's a dick.\n\nI'm saying Kutner; what do you guys think?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "via the **Theory of Moral Value (Moral objectivism)** and the **Rational-Egoist Theory of Morality**, House is the most moral person, since he has the most objective value as a doctor, and recognises that value in himself, acting accordingly. \n\n\nvia the **Pragmatic Moral Theory** (Moral Pragmatism/Consequentialism/Utilitarianism) House is also most likely the most moral person, since consequences of his actions saved the most lives (though it would take a difficult calculation to be certain of that). \n\n\nvia **Deontological Theory of Morality** (Rules Based Morality) and **Social Contract Morality**, Wilson is the most moral one, since he is least likely to break social, legal and corporate rules he agreed to uphold. \n\n\nVia **Divine Command Theory of Morality** all of them are sinners one way or another, and none of them is good enough to qualify as a moral person. \n\n\nVia **Ethics of Care Theory of Morality,** again, probably Wilson, though after so many seasons, it is hard to say. \n\n\n \nIn other words, if we were to divide the whole problem into two problems: **Moral Actions vs Moral Stance**, then House performs the most moral actions while Wilson has the best Moral Stance. Or to put it another way: House is a bad person who does good deeds for bad reasons, and these good deeds have good consequences. Wilson is a good person who does (usually ) good deeds that sometimes have bad consequences. \nThe difference comes from the fact that House, regardless of his morality, is a much better doctor and a brilliant man, and thus can see the consequences of his actions several steps ahead, so even when he acts immorally (from Rules Based perspective) it is for the greater good in the end. Wilson is not so brilliant, so he acts morally NOW, on the problem at hand, even if it has bad consequences down the road."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: What exactly stops our bodies from defecating and urinating as we sleep? What acts as an \"alarm\" that jolts us awake when we do need to do these things?\n\nEdit: Jesus, this blew up. Instead of replying to everything (of course I'm going to try to get to a lot), I'd just like to say thank you to the massive knowledge drop I've received. I did not expect so much information about how my body is basically an automaton. Super cool!! Thank you guys!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "So your body has these muscles called internal and external sphincters. They act like these rubber bands around your rectum and your urethra (where pee comes out). You can control the external sphincters but can’t control the internal sphincters. The feeling that you need to pee or poop comes from the internal sphincters saying “hey we need to go” to your brain and then they relax/open to let said pee or poop out. The clinching feeling when you’re trying to hold it in is your external sphincters, which you can control. When you’re sleeping/awake these sphincters are constantly contracted/closed but if the internal sphincters relax/open, then your brain will wake you up because you have to go."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[General] Vampires and religious symbols\n\nI'm worried about defending myself against vampires and need to know if only crosses work, or should I also carry around other symbols, like a star of david, or a star and crescent."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Different rules for different universes. The possibilities run the spectrum from:\n\n* Only crosses\n* Only blessed holy symbols\n* Any holy symbols\n* Only holy symbols that the vampire believes in\n* Some other unique-in-universe symbol\n* Any of the above but with varying effects (ie. some hold vampires at bay, others can burn them)\n* Symbols don't do anything at all (usually when vampirism is classified as a virus or parasite.)\n\nSo first, you need to provide some information about which of the above universes you are calling from."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How do large and complex projects - e.g. the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) - keep pace with, and accommodate, technological changes over extended design and build periods?\n\nFor example, JWST's control systems originally designed in 1992 would, I'm sure, look very different to control systems designed today. Will they have been updated multiple times along the way?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Systems might be updated during multiple rounds of the design process, but at some point the technology is locked in, which is essentially the same as a freeze in software engineering. At that point, no further changes or updates are made even if new technology becomes available unless it's to fix some problem that comes up in testing. Things that go into space are very expensive and once they're up there, there's no way to swap parts or change or fix things, so you want something that as reliable as possible, which pretty much always means something that's been around longer and has time to have been extensively tested and have had all the bugs worked out. Reliability is what's most important, not what's newest."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why does adding an acid to egg whites help stiffen it?\n\nWhen banking things like chiffon or sponge cake, egg whites are usually beaten with some acid to help stabilise it and ultimately get stiffer peaks. I can only think of acids creating an unfavourable environment for enzymes but that doesn't seem relevant here :)"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Egg whites are made of proteins, which you can imagine as little tangled balls of fuzzy threads. Both heat and acid can *denature* these proteins, or untangle them into long threads of basically velcro. This allows them to stick to each other, stiffening the whole mix."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[LotR] Would Sauron still have been able to eventually regain power if Isildur had succesfully delivered the One Ring to the Keepers of the Three rather than dying at Gladden Fields?\n\nNormally I dislike nebulous \"what-if\" questions, but I intend this to be a question of the elves' capabilities more so than what would happen in the aftermath. I would think the answer would be yes, considering time was on Sauron's side given his growing forces and the continued decline of the kingdoms of Man. However, would there have been something Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond could have done to keep Sauron in check in the long term if they had been given the One Ring by Isildur, or would they have only.managed to further delay Sauron's rise? Alternatively, at the time of the Disaster of the Gladden Fields, could elves and man have returned to Mordor to destroy the One Ring?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": ">would there have been something Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond could have done to keep Sauron in check in the long term if they had been given the One Ring by Isildur, or would they have only.managed to further delay Sauron's rise?\n\nYes. Gandalf could have taken the Ring for himself and claimed it. This would have the same effect on Sauron as the Ring's destruction did. The end result wouldn't be any better though - Gandalf would have been an even worse Ring-lord than Sauron, turning good into evil. In any case, he wasn't even in Middle-Earth yet at this point. When Isildur died, the Three were held by Elrond, Galadriel, and Círdan. Gandalf was still in Valinor.\n\n>Alternatively, at the time of the Disaster of the Gladden Fields, could elves and man have returned to Mordor to destroy the One Ring?\n\nThey could have returned, but it's unlikely they'd have been able to successfully destroy it. They'd have gotten to Mount Doom and given in to temptation, either by claiming the Ring as Frodo did or else failing in some other way."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[LOTR] Where are all the dragon's besides smaug? What do we know about there powers?\n\nI have read anything outside of the 3 books and the hobbit and not for a very long time. So where are all the dragon's? And what could they do (power wise) and where did/do they come from?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Many of them simply died out over time. They were bred by Morgoth for the War of Wrath.\n\nThe largest and most powerful dragon of all was Ancalagon the Black (Briefly mentioned by Gandalf in LOTR), his death at the hands of Eärendil and the eagles (Specifically his bulk hitting the ground) destroyed Thangorodrim (The tallest mountains in Middle Earth) and reduced them to rubble.\n\nDragons are very smart, very deadly, can hypnotize you with their gaze, and the greatest of them had fire that could melt Sauron's rings (But NOT the One Ring), which is what happened to a few of the Dwarven rings."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How do dollar stores work?\n\nI sometimes see name brand stuff in the dollar stores and they aren't expired or near the expiration date so how can dollar stores get away with selling things for so cheap whereas other store sell them much higher?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Usually dollar stores will sell smaller sizes of that item, i.e. 1.5oz of deodorant vs 3oz, which is the 'regular' size.\n\nBut you wouldn't notice that because you see the '$1' sign, whereas you might be paying around $2 anyways, or even less, on the 3oz deodorant.\n\nOther reasons could be that the items are second-grade, meaning that they have been deemed not to sell as well in grocery/department stores in that condition. The items are still perfectly usable, but their packaging may have suffered.\n\nOr possibly the dollar store companies will take a hit on their profits in order to maximize revenue/market share."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "What is a fool-proof way to remember the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "In deductive reasoning, the truth of the conclusion is *necessitated* given the truth of the premises - you cannot mantain that the premises are true and the conclusion is false without contradicting yourself. In inductive reasoning, the premises provide *support* for the conclusion, but not to the degree of logical necessity. Even in the most convincing inductive argument, you can imagine a case, however unlikely and contrived, where the premises are true but the conclusion turns out false."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: why do people weigh less first thing in the morning (or, presumably, directly after sleeping) than they did immediately before sleeping?\n\nThis is without any excretions."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "You constantly lose mass in two ways. One is that water evaporates from the damp insides of your lungs, and unless you are very cold, you will still sweat by a small amount.\n\nThe other is that living involves losing mass. You breathe in oxygen, and breathe out CO₂. For every two atoms of oxygen you take in from breathing, you breath them out with an attached atom of carbon. That carbon comes from stored sugars, fats or proteins in your body, and it leaves you - completely - as a gas.\n\nIt's like how the majority of the mass of a tree comes from thin air."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "What's the noise a formula 1 makes when it changes gears?\n\nI've just came back from the F1 Belgian GP and was thinking about what makes the noise (kind of a small explosion) when a F1 (also GP2 and GP3) car changes gears. What is the reason and why it sometimes happens and sometimes doesn't?\n\nEDIT: Thanks for the responses, guys!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It's most likely a backfire. When the car is accelerating its at full throttle/load, and the engine runs out of power, so it's time to change gears. imagine going from full throttle to no throttle (changing gears) then back to full throttle. \nThe bang u hear is unburnt fuel exploding in the exhaust after its left the combustion chamber, which is after engine has gone off full throttle to change gears. \nIt's excess fuel that was needed to sustain full power, but is no longer needed when off throttle."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why do some vaccines only need to be given once, while others such as the flu jab need to be done yearly?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The flu virus is highly unstable, anytime a person have two types of virus at the same time, he can create a third hybrid type that wouldn’t respond as well to the vaccine. \n\nThat is why it is given yearly, of the several hundred subtypes, each year your get the ones most likely to affect the next year. If it is a match, great you don’t get the disease, but usually you get a slightly different version, in which case the vaccine works but not fully, you get a milder flu than an unvaccinated person."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: If you have internal bleeding how does the blood that has leaked into areas outside of your veins get flushed out of your body?\n\nIf it can’t get back into veins or into your digestive system how does it get out of the open spaces between your organs?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Your body does reabsorb the blood over time.\n\nThe risk of internal bleeding isn't because the blood in your body doesn't ever go away, it's because it may go unnoticed for too long or may not be stoppable without proper medical intervention."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why wax occurs in our ear canals and should ears be cleaned?\n\nMy dad has an ear wax problem at the moment from to much wax. The doctor says he needs to regularly clean his ears but many people say not to. I am confused."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "They say not to only because a lot of people don't do it right. There are specific ways you're supposed to do it, as well as specific tools. If you have a mild wax problem, like just a little buildup around the canal, a q-tip is fine if used safely. If you have a bad problem, all a q-tip is doing is packing it back further into the ear canal. They actually make soft little ear \"scoops\" exactly for this. There are also ear cleaning fluids; you pour a couple of drops in, let it sit, then tilt your head with a tissue under your ear, and all the wax pours out. \n\nHe really should ask his doctor what he thinks the best method for cleaning is."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers] How on earth did Gimli beat Legolas's kill count?\n\nThe first 5 minutes into the battle Glimi only had 2 kills while Legolas had 17. Legolas has a major advantage here being with a bow, and his elvish eyes, he can get far more kills form a distance while Glimi is forced to fight up close. Legolas is also able to get many multi-kills, such as shooting the latter down which cripples a dozen, if not more at once. Not to mention his epic shield slide move. I just don't see how he could have lost by one point."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "once things got to close combat a big axe is more effective on that thick uruk hai armor than knives and bow. Also Legolas would have had to stop to refill his quiver with arrows. An English Longbow man during the 100 years war was expected to fire about 15-20 arrows a minuite. Legolas is well an Elf so he is probably better at archery than real life humans. So lets say 25 arrows a minuite. He only had the one quiver it seemed so he would be going to refill it every few minutes probably."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "When we are sick why do we feel worse at night?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Cortisol is a steroid hormone that curbs white blood cell activity. More cortisol is in your blood during the day, so your white blood cells are less active in fighting infections.\n\nAt night, there is less cortisol in your blood, your white blood cells will detect and fight infections more readily, and you will experience more of symptoms of infection (i.e. fevers, sweating)."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How did Aristotle know bees are deaf?\n\nRight at the start of the Metaphysics Aristotle says bees cannot hear. How did he know this?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Aristotle has tons of discussions of bees in his works on animal biology. He gained basically none of that knowledge first-hand. He asked bee-keepers for their knowledge of bee anatomy, physiology, reproduction, etc. That's how he came to know these facts about bees.\n\nIt's the same way that he came to know about how dolphins feed, for example, which is an important subject in *Parts of Animals* IV. It isn't like he stuck his head in the water to see how they feed. He's relying on a set of received knowledge from fishermen. (This was during the phase of Aristotle's life that he spent studying a lot of marine biology.)"
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: There is no logical reason for God to exist\n\nI understand that many people turn to faith in God as a source of comfort, even though that faith is not backed by evidence (like they think there is no evidence of God but the idea of a supreme being looking out for them is comforting and so they are faithful). There doesn't seem to be any proof or explanation for the existence of God, beyond the God is used to explain ideas we don't currently understand with science. It doesn't seem to me that a supreme being really exists beyond our imaginations because it seems like a placeholder for what we don't understand. I am totally open to the possibility, though. What I am asking is if there is any type of proof or reason to believe a supreme being or creator exists beyond blind faith. Any scientific/metaphysical/logical/whatever theories that might explain the need for a Creator?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "There’s a compelling scientific theory why humans believe god exists. It’s because evolution has hard-wired us to detect agency everywhere. Our ancestors who saw the rustling bush and concluded there was some agent (that wanted to eat them) rustling the bush survived longer than our ancestors who brushed it off as just the wind. So when we see a thunderstorm, human instinct is to assume that some being must be causing it, and next thing you know, we’ve created Thor."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: When sleeping why do some people move so much like kids, but others can stay in the same position for hours?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The simplest answer is that the people who move around lots usually have one or more of the upwards of 80 sleep disorders. The people without sleep problems are the ones sleeping still.\n\nSource: 15 years working in sleep medicine."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why do we stretch and why does it feel good when we do? \n\nIt doesn't seem to be something we do instinctively. Yet other animals do it too.\n\n^(I actually sound like I'm 5)"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "When your at rest your body slows down and your blood flow decreases. Stretching gets things moving along by causing your heart to beat a bit faster for a few moments. This increases oxygen, blood flow, and waste removal. Making you feel awake and fresh with new energy. Similarly water at rest can become bland and boring but once it ripples or moves it becomes more alive as do the beings within."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: That feeling you get when someone is behind you but no one is actually around."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Evolution and pattern recognition!\n \nThe reason you know nobody is there is you turned around, which was a cost-free event. Had there been someone there deserving of the feeling of fear etc, and you didn't turn around, that could have been a costly event. This is the primal parts of your brain playing safe hands of cards for your benefit. \n\nAt the end of the day, the apes that overreacted to strange sensations as though they were danger to be avoided, avoided more dangerous scenarios which could otherwise stop their participation in the gene pool."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[The Martian by Andy Weir] in the aftermath of the events of the book. What policy/ methodology changes would be introduced?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "(1) A secondary communication system able to reach the orbiter to relay to Earth buried on the site as an emergency backup.\n\n(2) Enough food cached to keep the crew alive until a rescue mission could get there. Probably sent with the MAV but you could also keep it in orbit so you only have to send teh cache once and its an emergency supply for multiple missions. MMM high density nutritional gel. \n\n(3) Better weather satellites to detect dust storms earlier.\n\n(4) Bigger media library to keep the disco from driving you mad.\n\n(5) If someone is presumed dead after an escape attempt stay in orbit for a while to make sure they are dead before heading back to Earth."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: Politics is a good reason to end a relationship\n\nI remember there being a small rash of news stories about couples, some married for years, breaking up in the wake up of the Trump election as a result of who people voted for. A similar thing happened on a smaller level with Brexit in the UK. \n\nThis was met with a lot of comments from people in news sites saying that was a stupid reason to break up, but I disagree. ' Politics' isn't just a game politicians play, or something that happens away from the world. Political views reveal a lot about beliefs on society, rights, justice, and basically political views are very intertwined with personal morality. \n\nHaving a partner who challenges you is good, but wide differences are a legitimate break in a relationship. I would argue the couple who broke up after years of marriage in the wake of the American election didn't break up trivially because political parties suddenly became important, but that they'd ignored that aspect of their relationship if neither was interested in politics, and the election revealed some very deep personal divides which were irreconcilable.\n\nSo, political differences can be a make or break aspect of a relationship, and justifiably so."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "A genuinely healthy, happy relationship shouldn’t end because of politics – and they don’t. But fraught political issues can reveal deeper problems and incompatibilities – like a lack of respect, opposing world views, etc. The 2016 presidential race and Brexit were breaking points for relationships that were already badly fractured."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: Harshly criticizing your competitor by name would make for quality advertising.\n\nCommercials are generally sanguine or annoying. How many times can we hear \"I was born free!\" Chevy commercials? Just once I'd like to see Chevy say \"The F150 is a poor choice and here are some complaints from real Ford owners.\" Why is it so taboo for one business to pick on or pick apart their competitors by name?\n\n* This kind of tactic is almost never used in TV/Radio campaigns. Why not?\n* Is there a fear of backlash or starting a war they can't win?\n* Sometimes danced around by saying 'the other guys' or 'brand x'\n* We mostly hear about what's fun, new, delicious, improved, on sale, etc.\n* Why is dissing exclusive to hiphop and political campaigns?\n* I don't see this is as the \"low-road\", but a different tactic.\n* What's wrong with a commercial for XYZ Widgets where people give reasons why \"ABC and LMNOP's widgets really suck!\" ?\n* I'm sure someone can find a few good examples of this, but why should it be uncommon?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Negative advertising is pretty common, but it is mostly relegated to markets where there are only two options (like political campaigns). Coke and Pepsi have gotten into negative advertising over the years as well (aka the Pepsi Challenge)\n\nIf Chevy makes a commercial about how crappy Ford is, they aren't necessarily convincing you to buy a Chevy. You could take the message to heart, then buy a Dodge, or a Honda, or any other brand of car. From Chevy's perspective it makes more sense to talk up a Chevy, rather than try to talk down on all the other possible choices."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "With all the variations of dog sizes, from a poodle to a dane... If we were to find these bones (say they were millions of years old), would we conclude these are different species? What conclusions would a paleontologist make?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Initially, yes. Single species never have the type of variation found in domesticated species where breeding takes place, and dogs breeds have a huge amount of diversity.\n Eventually however, future scientists would find morphological constants that would tie them together. Then they would try to hypothesize about why there was so much diversity, although it would be very hard to pin it down unless they realized it was done deliberately by our species."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How might one go about learning deleuze?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "You might want to start with his Dialogues, a collection of short exchanges that gives some good insights into his thought, his article on \"Societies of control\", and also his books on Nietzsche, Kant, Spinoza and Bergson if you are already familiar with those authors, as Deleuze uses them to expand on his own philosophy. In general, of you want to understand his project, it is good to have some notion of those authors, as well as some Hegel and Marx. \n\nThen, if you want to learn more about his own metaphysical thought, you can read Difference and Repetition and Empirism and Subjectivity. \n\nIf you want to learn about his work with Guattari, I'd argue it'd be best to read a little bit of Marx and Freud before delving into Capitalism and Schizophrenia. You can also read their book on Kafka or What is philosophy?\n\nHope this helps!"
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "If you were teaching philosophy to first year college students, what's a short (10 page -ish) piece of writing to start with on day 1? Something fairly easy, but thought provoking.\n\nSomething that elicits wonder and interest. A classic choice (pun intended) would be a Socratic dialogue. I'm struggling to find one right now. Maybe something where Socrates is talking about the value of arguments and knowledge.\n\nOr perhaps part of a book or some article that introduces some of the most basic issues at the center of academic philosophy. I'm leaning towards this. I don't want to confuse them with difficult prose. \n\nJust trying to fill a small hole in my syllabus. Cheers and thanks."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Plato's *Euthyphro*, Carroll's \"What the Tortoise Said to Achilles,\" Midgley's \"On Trying Out One's New Sword,\" Gettier's \"Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?\", Sorensen's \"Faking Munchausen's Syndrome,\" Dennett's \"Where Am I?\", Singer's \"Famine, Affluence, and Morality.\""
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How many times can a piece of plastic be recycled?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "This is highly dependent on how you want to recycle the plastic and the plastic material itself.\n\nA thermoset plastic is a non-reversible process, so it can't be used as re-grind in an injection molding process, whereas a thermoplastic may be able to be used depending on the performance required. Each time to process a thermoplastic it loses some of its properties, as well as potential effects on fillers. \n\nYou can also recycle plastic as an aggregate such as in products like extruded plastic lumber. Plastic isn't fully melted in the process, and the performance isn't as critical, so you can theoretically recycle the plastic more times."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: if earth does a full rotation of it’s axis in 24 hours in an eastward direction, what (theoretically) prevents a transport system from being built which would go straight up, and then straight back down again in a place west of your origin, taking advantage of the earths rotation?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "If you go straight up, you will still retain your momentum you had from being grounded. So going straight up means you keep rotating relatively parralel to Earths surface. You would need to decrease your relative momentum by accelerating against the rotation. There is nothing that can break your rotaion for you, since Earth Athmosphere is rotating too and outside of athmosphere there is nothing to friction against."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[StarTrek] Do other races in the Federation still fly their own ships?\n\nOne thing I liked about Enterprise was how other races like Vulcans, Andorians, Telerites, and so on had their own style of space ships. I would like to know, do the other races in the Federation as of the 24th century still fly their own style of ships or do they just use Starfleet vessels now?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "They do use their own ships. A notable example is when the Romulans stole a Vulcan ship in an attempt to launch an invasion under the guise of reunification.\n\nGenerally speaking, the \"Federation\" is not as centralized an organization as it is often portrayed. Most member worlds are pretty much left to run their own affairs. They retain their local governments, local militaries, local economies, and conduct their own political affairs. So long as they don't run afoul of Federation law, they are allowed to operate as they see fit.\n\nThe Federation is more like a loosely held together *Con*federation. Most of the members are more than happy to let the humans do all of the cheerleading and heavy lifting, which is why you most often see the boons of the Federation touted by humans, with the political and military headquarters being on Earth, and the main military army being founded, manned, and run primarily by humans."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Has there ever been a recorded pandemic for marine life?\n\nHi everyone, pandemics seem to be a hot topic right now, and rightfully so, but I was wondering if there have ever been any devastating marine viruses, pandemics, or plagues? Humans have a long history with plagues but I’ve never heard of marine life being effected by that. Thanks for your time!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Sea star wasting disease has been a big one the last few years in the PNW, *Pycnopodia helianthoides* (Sunflower star) have been especially hard hit, becoming functionally eliminated in many areas; other species (ie. *Pisaster ochraceous* and *brevispinus*) have also been significantly impacted, but to a lesser degreee. \n\nSimilar name, there is also a Seagrass wasting disease. It caused large scale die-offs of *Zostera marina* beds on the Atlantic coast of the US in the early 1900s. \n\nI’m sure there are many more, these are just the two I’m personally familiar with."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Multiple Offers! Help!\n\nI lucked out and ended up in the envious position of a second T-T offer coming in after my first. Rub is, I already signed for the first several weeks ago; however, the second is significantly better. The first is a 4/4 at a SLAC, and the second is about 20k more for a 2/2 at an R1. This seems like a no-brainer from a business angle, but I've read other threads where current profs insist you don't burn a bridge, regardless. (P.S. the first position is a very small college and burning a bridge wouldn't cause a stir in my field.) Could there be more ramifications than a failed search, e.g. legal? I'm a newly minted terminal degree, really without mentors, so any advice you all would have for me would mean a ton! Thank you so much in advance :)"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Take the second offer, get it signed ASAP, and then let the first school know. They won't be happy but ultimately, you gotta look out for yourself first, and it'll be quite hard to make that jump from a 4-4 type school to an R1/R2 if you do stay at the SLAC for a couple of years."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "What is the differnce in AMD cpus that make them less effected by spectre/meltdown?\n\nSurely AMD also uses similar technology such as speculative execution so why are AMD less affected ?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The Meltdown flaw is caused by letting a user-level program speculatively execute on supervisor-level data (which is a permission failure). Most processors (like from AMD) immediately stop executing past the failure, but Intel apparently doesn't check the failure occurred until later."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: When and why did the US political parties \"switch\"? Ex. Republicans in early 1800s being generally progressive and Democrats being generally conservative, but now it's the opposite."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The switch started in the 1940's when the Democrats officially adopted Civil Rights as part of their party platform. What really kicked it into gear though was the 1960's.\n\nAfter JFK was assassinated and LBJ became President, he rammed the Civil Rights Act down Congress' throat. This was the first real sign to a lot of voters that Democrats were now interested in progressive values. \n\nIn the 1964 Presidential election, Republicans reacted by nominating Barry Goldwater, a very conservative candidate. He lost in one of the largest landslides in American history. The Republican party had to do some soul searching, and the hard-core conservatives seized the party power positions and started using populism to win elections. By scaring white voters about crime and civil rights and the end of morality in America, they could win elections. Ronald Reagan was swept into the CA governor's mansion on a wave of populism. The result is a more conservative Republican party.\n\nMeanwhile, northern liberal Republicans are getting ostracized in their own party (like John Lindsey) for supporting civil rights and voted out of office by voters for not being Democrats. \n\nAt the same time, northern Democrats are going harder for civil rights and voting rights while southern Democrats feel abandoned by their party and are starting to flip to Republicans (like Strom Thurmond) or going rogue (like George Wallace). \n\nAt the end of the day, the crazy cultural liberalism of the 1960's drove a huge conservative backlash that found root in the Republican party and turned it more conservative."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Is there a certain altitude where CO2 is concentrated?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The lowest ~100 km are very well mixed, so the concentration of most gases (including CO2) doesn't change that much with altitude, you can find it everywhere. Above that heavier gases, including CO2, drop in their concentration."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith] If Vader had died on Mustafar, who would Sidious have chosen to be his apprentice?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "I don't think he would have chosen anyone we have met yet. Most likely another powerful force user stolen at birth.\n\nIt may also be that Obi-wan tells Luke the truth and trains him, at which point Luke may reveal himself and his identity to the Emperor. Technically speaking if Luke revealed himself, we would be right back to the Death Star II Throne Room with Palpatine trying to bring Luke to the dark side."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why does Neptune have such strong winds?\n\nAccording to Wikipedia, it has the \"strongest sustained winds of any planet in the solar system, with recorded wind speeds as high as 2,100 kilometres per hour (580 m/s; 1,300 mph).\" \n \nWhy are the winds so strong there?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "There's a lot of conjecture in the other answers here, but as someone who specialized in this for his PhD, the only real answer is: we don't really know yet. This is one of the big unsolved problems in the field, though we have some ideas.\n\nThere are a few scaling relations for planetary winds that are generally true but lack precision, and there are an awful lot of exceptions, too:\n\n- **The bigger the planet, the faster the winds.** In general the larger your planet is, the more angular momentum a parcel of air will have near the equator. As it moves towards the pole, angular momentum must be conserved, and that translates to faster winds. This generally explains why giant planets have faster winds than terrestrial planets, but doesn't really explain why Neptune's winds are faster than Jupiter's, which is quite a bit larger.\n\n- **The faster the planet rotates, the faster the winds.** Again, the faster your planet rotates means the more angular momentum there is to feed into winds. Nonetheless, with this explanation alone one would again expect Jupiter (10 hour rotation) to have the fastest winds, but the winds of Neptune (16 hour rotation) are quicker. This also really fails for Venus, which has a 243 days rotation, yet has some impressively speedy winds at cloud-top.\n\n- **The bigger the source of internal heat, the faster the winds.** It takes energy to fight against drag and pump the planetary jets, and localized release of energy, generally starting as small local storms, feed into the jets to keep them strong. Again you'd expect Jupiter to win out here in terms of total internal energy, but this does explain why the winds of Neptune (with a fairly substantial internal heat source itself) beat out the winds of Uranus (essentially the same size, temperature, and rotation period as Neptune, but no internal heat).\n\n- **The lower the temperature, the lower the viscosity**. This one is probably really important for both Uranus and Neptune. As you decrease the temperature of a gas, its viscosity also decreases, so there's very little to slow down the winds and act as a source of drag. At low temperatures, you don't need to feed the winds much energy to get them going and keep the going.\n\nIt's something of a holy grail in the field to understand how each of these general rules play off one another. Which rule is most important? How many jets would we expect for each planet? Why is Venus so very different?\n\n**TL;DR**: Neptune seems to have hit a sweet spot of relatively large (good for angular momentum), relatively fast rotation (also good for angular momentum), strong internal heat source (good for feeding the winds), and very cold (low viscosity, so little to slow the winds down)."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why do couches need legs/to be elevated?\n\nIt seems to me like having couches elevated is just asking for dust and rogue toys to collect underneath. Is there a real reason why we screw on legs after the item is delivered? Can I just put my new couch flush with the floor to avoid needing to clean under it?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It's for air flow and to prevent damage to the floor.\n\nLeaving the entire flat bottom of your couch (especially if it's upholstered, or otherwise doesn't let air flow properly) enables mold to grow on the floor. The air is stagnant and humidity may collect there, leading to mold.\n\nAlso, it's easier to protect the floor from being scratched by the legs in just a few places than it is to protect the floor from the entire surface are of the couch. As you use the couch, it'll move around slightly and cause scratches.\n\nIn old timey days, having the furniture on thin legs was a mark of good construction. To design slim legs in an appealing manner while also supporting the weight of the couch indicated good craftsmanship.\n\nIt also helped to avoid pests climbing on to the softa/couch. Smooth wood with a finish is hard for insects and small rodents to climb, saving the furniture."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Buffy] Why would anyone besides the Scoobies choose to remain living in Sunnydale with all the near-apocalyptic shit going down?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The hellmouth seems to affects people's view of normalcy. They were dealing with those problems before Buffy showed up and they seemed to have thought it was perfectly normal. They are even self aware of the issue enough that they gave Buffy an award for keeping them mostly alive."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[General Zombies] How much good would a shelter-in-place order do to curtail the spread of a zombie outbreak?\n\nAlmost every piece of zombie media I've ever seen uses an emergency broadcast with some variant of \"lock your doors, barricade your windows and remain in your homes\" as part of the set dressing. Shaun of the Dead is the only movie I've ever seen where it becomes clear in the end that that would have worked if the protagonists had been a little smarter.\n\nSo how much good would it do if everyone holed up at home? On the one hand, fewer crowds. On the other hand, canned meat."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It depends on how effective the zombies are at breaking through doors. Assuming that they can be held at bay this would clear the streets, allowing the military to operate with less difficulty in determining friend or foe. With slow zombies a coordinated sweep (assuming that they know how zombies work) should clear out almost all the zombies eventually. Clearing a major metropolitan center would take time though, so they would probably need to have a means to deliver supplies to people sheltering in place ahead of the army (perhaps riot-police going door to door with supplies). Those in cleared areas could go back to somewhat normal life with some restrictions and education on how to handle stragglers."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why is Lex Luthor Superman's arch-enemy?\n\nRegular old guy vs alien from another planet. What keeps Superman from just throwing this guy in jail? Why Lex and not someone like Doomsday or Brainiac? Granted, I'm not a huge superman fan, but this relationship always seemed really interesting to me."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Well, Lex really isn't a \"regular ol' guy\", he's literally the smartest human being on the planet (and several others). A charismatic and strong leader on one had, and an egotistical, obsessive and petty man on the other. \n\nFor the most part, Luthor is jealous of Superman and his power. He often speaks of his fear that one day, the world will worship Superman like a god as he fixes everyone's problems forever. Humanity will stagnate and become useless under the heel of the Kryptonian. Lex hates useless things above all else. While he doesn't hate the idea of the world worshipping HIM, he would at least lead the world as a human being and not an alien. \n\nBesides, it's very likely threats like Doomsday or Brainiac wouldn't have arrived if it weren't for him. (Well, maybe not, but like Batman, you can argue the hero/villain arms race also happens with Superman) And sometimes, Doomsday can be controlled. Braniac can be bargained with if you know how to deal with him, and Lex is intelligent enough to know exactly what to say. \n\nOverall, Luthor is the mental match to Superman's physical powers, and he just can't stand the idea of someone out there he can't buy, bargain, kill or destroy. \n\nAs for why Superman doesn't just throw him in jail, most of the time Luthor's hands are kept legally clean of any nefarious schemes he comes up with. He's rich enough to hire the best lawyers in the world, remember. He can also just instantly pay any bail set by a judge, no matter the cost. And then he'll buy the courthouse and jail to boot."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why do cockroaches fall apart so quickly when they die?\n\nI've noticed that whenever I find a dead cockroach it always has some of its legs lying nearby and when I pick it up to throw it away it's brittle and crumbly. I'd understand if it was behind some dresser that I hadn't cleaned in a year, but this one appeared overnight."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Well one possibility is that it's not a dead cockroach, it's a molt; the cockroach just shed its exoskeleton.\n\nBut also remember that bugs are kinda.... inside out compared to us. We die, and maybe if we dry up our flesh wraps around our bones and might hold us together. But their \"bones\" are on the outside, so as their meat decays the sections of their exoskeleton separate."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Can skin ever grow together?\n\nI phrased this kinda weird in the title. What I'm wondering is if, for example, you kept your arm on your stomach for huge amounts of time, never moving it, would the skin that touched grow together? If not, what would actually happen? Maybe a better example is rolls of fat: what happens to the skin that is folded to touch itself?\n\nAnother question I have is what if you got some sort of really serious injury that involved losing all/most of the skin on two parts of your body and you pressed those injuries together somehow and didn't move them at all. Would they grow together?\n\nSorry if this is all inane and absurd and would never happen. :s I'm just curious.\n\nEdit: I just wanted to thank everyone who replied. The human body can do some weird and creepy things at times."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The serious injury part: If the blood supply was worked out, it would grow together. That's how they repair or reduce people's earlobes that have been stretched to accept large gauge earrings. They pretty much cut the excess off and sew the rest together."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Kill Bill] If someone has the five point palm exploding heart technique done on them, and then they do not take another step (let’s say they live in a wheelchair), will they live a long normal life?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The exertion of pushing yourself around in a wheelchair would likely have the same effect as taking 5 steps, causing your heart to explode. Its possible one could survive by using an electric wheelchair and having someone on hand to move them in and out of the chair, though that'd be a major impact on their quality of life."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "What's the difference between 'hearing voices' and imagining/remembering someone's voice?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It depends what you mean when you say \"hearing voices\" and \"imagining.\" Most of the time, when people say someone is \"hearing voices\" they mean someone thinks they can hear voices that aren't there, but they do not know that these voices aren't really there. The voices sound as if they are coming from outside, like any old people on the street talking. Sometimes, a person \"hearing voices\" can realize that it makes no sense to be hearing what they heard and understand that the voice is in their head, but \"hearing voices\" generally means, at least at first, a person hears a voice as if from the outside and is unaware that the voice is not real. \n\nWhen imagining and remembering cannot be distinguished from things taking place outside the mind, they become \"psychosis,\" which is a condition where a person cannot tell the real from the not real. \"Hearing voices\" is considered a psychotic symptom. So most imagining and remembering are things people know are going on inside they're heads. Even if the remembering and imagining takes place without conscious control, as in some dissociative disorders or flashbacks, the person is aware they take place within and does not mistake them for outside sounds. \n\nIn mentally healthy individuals, imagining and remembering are also often voluntary, healthy, and under control. They are completely normal. Sometimes, a person can recall a voice or imagine a voice so clearly it seems almost real - but they still know they imagined/remembered it and that it comes from within. \n\nSimilarly, everyone some hears voices, usually their name, or mumbling, for just a second, and it doesn't bother them much. This is also normal. If it happens just as they fall asleep or wake up, it is even more common.\n\nIf hearing voices, imagining, or remembering becomes scary or bothers you, tell a grown-up."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "When we carbon date items, how do we know how much carbon started in them?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "We aren't measuring the amount of carbon, we are measuring one isotope, carbon fourteen. C-14 is formed by cosmic rays hitting the atmosphere. Carbon fourteen is unstable, it has a half life about five thousand years. Plants get their carbon from the atmosphere, animals get their carbon from plants, living things have an exact ratio of carbon 14 to normal carbon. It doesn't change during their lifetime, because they continue to grow and take in new carbon. But once they die, they stop taking new carbon 14 in, and the C-14 begins to decay. A 5000 year old object has half the c14 of a fresh one; it is a quarter when it is ten thousand years old. By fifty thousand years, there is too little to measure, and the technique only treks you that it is over that age."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why is the ice that comes out of my fridge's ice maker white, or cloudy, while the ice you get at a restaurant or bar is clear?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The white/cloudiness is mostly small bubbles of air that was previously dissolved in the water when it was a liquid. Residential ice makers form the top down. The top layer of water freezes and slowly the ice grows downwards into the mold. This trap the air that was previously dissolved into the water. \n\nCommercial ice makers form ice from the bottom up, this lets the gas escape. Additionally they may use water that was additionally filtered through a carbon tank to remove off flavors, water softener to reduce calcium and other minerals, or reverse osmosis to make it \"pure\" water.\n\nBoil and cool the water before freezing it, and you'll get almost clear ice."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[MCU] What does the world think happened to Captain America?\n\nThe deaths of Tony, Nat, and Vision all seem to be public knowledge, but I highly doubt that Steve told the world that he was going back in time to the 40s to be with his girlfriend. So what does everybody think became of Captain America? Did they think he died in the battle against Thanos or something?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "There are conspiracy theories that Steve's living on a moon base. Joaquin Torres asks Sam Wilson if it's true, but also seems a bit embarrassed when he does as if neither of them take that theory too seriously."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[MCU] Why is a 'destruction' of the stones, even a thing?\n\nSure they'd be broken into smaller pieces, but they're still pieces of the first stuff ever created. How does 'breaking' one work? How is it even possible?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Normally it isn't, except for the fact that the Scarlet Witch has some ultra-mega-reality-warping powers. It should be impossible for anyone except the Living Tribunal or the One Above All as they stones are fundamental aspects of the universe."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "What is the actual science behind cutting flower stems at a 45 degree angle?\n\nCan anyone explain the science behind this? I know that's it increases surface area, but does this increase capillary action? For instance, if I have a bundle of straws, and I cut them at a 45, the SA does increase, but I can't necessarily drink faster just because of that. A detailed response is very much appreciated."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It is beneficial because if they are cut at an angle, the crushing of the xylem (vessels) will not cut off the flow of H2O and minerals to the rest of the plant. If cut straight across, the xylem can be crushed closed."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: As a non-american person, why is the Confederate Flag associated with Nazis and racism?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "THE confederate flag was a symbol of the south(who fought and supported racism/slavery) in the civil war and beyond, many people see the confederate flag and associate it with slavery, much as when people see a swastika they associate is with hitler."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "When and why did money become a taboo subject?\n\nHi. I'm mainly looking to see if anyone knows when money became a taboo subject to talk about (particularly salaries, but money in general is fine.) I would also be interested to know why it became taboo.\n\nI tried searching for the question and didn't find anything. If there is something I would appreciate being pointed in the right direction. Thanks!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "This isn't going to exactly answer your question, but the place you should 100% start is with Viviana Zelizer. She's based her entire career (and started the field) on how money is rarely just *money,* and is more often than not loaded with social and moral meaning. I'd start with her book The Social Meaning of Money."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[X-men] When nightcrawler teleports, does he need to just see the destination, or also the path? Could he teleport into a room if he can see it through a security camera?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Nightcrawler doesn't need to see the destination, especially if he's familiar with it or knows it's layout in 3 dimensions by heart.\n\nAs to your example, if he knows exactly how far the room is away and its elevation relative to him, if it's in his range he can easily teleport there.\n\nHe could teleport blind if he chose, but he doesn't displace matter when he *bamfs* back in, and to teleport into a solid object would be either crippling or fatal. So he avoids that if at all possible."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[LotR] Why did Illuvatar make it so that magic would gradually disappear?\n\nGiven that the elves, one of his two favorite children, suffer greatly by the gradual diminishing of magic, why wouldn't he make magic constant and undimishing?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It's kind of the other way around; magic is diminishing because the Elves are diminishing. \n\nMorgoth messing with the creation of Arda led to a concept called Arda Marred, which is basically the corruption that Morgoth forced upon the world. The Valar abandoned Middle-earth and colonised Valinor instead, allowing it to be the only place on Arda to be free of Morgoth's corruption. That's why the Valinor brought the Elves to Valinor, because only there could their bodies and spirits not suffer the effects of Morgoth's taint upon the world. This is because their spirits are tied to Arda in a way that Men's spirits are not, so that damage to Arda essentially also means damage to the Elves. \n\nWhen the Noldor returned, they were essentially at full power. Their spirits were unmarred and they'd learned plenty of things from the Valar, plus they'd all seen the light of the Two Trees of Valinor (which Elves born during and after the First Age would never see). However, as time passed, the Elves in Middle-earth slowly diminished, even after Morgoth's defeat. Due to Arda Marred, Elves in Middle-earth would slowly \"weaken\" over time, eventually resulting in them travelling west to Valinor. This can take thousands of years, in the cases of people like Cirdan or Celeborn, but it was ultimately the inevitable fate of all Elves. \n\nThat's why the Three Rings were created - so that Elven rulers would delay the passage of time and decay in their lands. This is why places like Rivendell and Lothlorien are so magical, because Elrond and Galadriel are using their rings to artificially enhance the beauty and majesty of their lands. \n\nOnce the Three Rings lost their power, most of the remaining Elves left Middle-earth shortly afterwards as they could no longer stay. Even if they wanted to stay, their bodies would eventually weaken to the point of which they would become harmless wraiths. \n\nSo to put it bluntly, the Elves brought \"magic\" to Middle-earth from Valinor. As the Elves weakened over time, as did the \"magic\" in Middle-earth."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Does time dialation effect how old we see the universe to be?\n\nIts said that the age of the universe is roughly 13.8 billion years old but since all mass has an effect on space time how do we know if thats the true age? Like from the perspective of someone next to a black hole the universe would be younger and someone in intergalactic space older right? Do scientists take this into account when they estimate ages of space objects? And if time doesnt run at exactly the same speed in any two parts of the universe is there any way to know the exact age of anything far away?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Yes. The given age of the universe is in the frame of reference of minimal motion relative to the cosmic background radiation. This means that if we look left, right, up or down we can't tell the difference between the temperature of the background. If we had a large motion it would be blue-shifted in some directions and red shifted in others. \n\nIt is also given relative to being in an area with no strong gravitational fields.\n\n\nIf you were travelling with a high speed relative to the background you could calculate a different \"local\" age of the universe.\n\n\nIf you were stationary in a strong gravitation field and you would also calculate a different age of the universe, however this would not help you much, as you would be dead."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why is our right to die for unsatisfying lives not mainstream?\n\nIs there a movement that grants a person their right for a humane death? Such a procedure would need a long waiting time, like 14 months with multiple doctors appointments and antidepressant treatments such as vitamin D. \n\nI feel like a lot of suicides are impulsive decisions, sometimes out of rage, or helplessness, and are sometimes unsuccessful (or successful) with devastating consequences, and a right to die for any person would make suicides inpractical. Copycat suicides would be less likely due to the process being more clinical.\n\nSecondly, what grants a parent, or the state, a right for their child lives if they are artificially kept alive after a *suicide* attempt? I am thinking of terrible cases such as Kyle Osadnick or Michael Morones."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Well outside of the terminally ill the thought that the right to die is inappropriate because bad lives are generally contingent, as in they can be transformed into good lives. The other motivating reason is that the terminally ill are often physically incapable of committing suicide, and so without the right to die have a very concrete inability to kill themselves, but this does not apply in the case of the dissatisfied. \n\n>Secondly, what grants a parent, or the state, a right for their child lives if they are artificially kept alive after a suicide attempt?\n\nThe reason we don't permit guardians to let disabled children to die is that otherwise people would kill lots of disabled children who wanted to live/should be allowed to live on."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Children who experience severe reactions to the TDaP vaccine receive the Td vaccine instead. What is it about the addition of the pertussis protection that makes people react?\n\nDisclaimer: I AM EXTREMELY PRO-VACCINE. I know that these reactions are unbelievably rare. \n\nHow come people respond differently/aren’t “allergic” (if that’s even the mechanism behind the reactions?) to the Td when they are to the DTaP? \n\nI’ve tried to research on my own but am worried I’m accidentally finding antivaxx nonsense studies that lack valid data."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "That is not about all adverse reactions. It's specifically about seizure and encephalopathy. \n\nThere appears to be a higher risk of seizure in the short time after Tdap, that is not present after Td. Seizures are rare, so the numbers are small and this effect may not really exist, but we treat it as real until proven otherwise.\n\nIf someone has had seizure after Tdap, they should in the future receive Td instead, unless evaluation can attribute the seizure to something else.\n\nOn the other hand if someone has a severe *allergic* reaction to Tdap, they should not receive any vaccine containing any of the components, unless they undergo allergy testing to see which was the trigger. \n\nNote that this is not a contraindication to receiving Tdap or any other vaccine. If a person stays unvaccinated and develops pertussis, the infection is even more likely cause seizures, and may even trigger the development of lifelong seizure disorder."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How do sharks detect electrical signals fish emmit when they move?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "They have special organs called the ampullae of Lorenzini. They're basically clusters of pores with electroreceptors. These organ cells are specialized to have high concentrations of voltage dependent ion channels. The cells are also connected very tightly to one another by gap junctions. There are some other anatomic features that also help direct the current inwards and prevent current leakage. \n\n\nWhat the sharks actually sense is the difference in electric potential between the skin and the base of the pore. Fish swim around using their muscles, which produce electric fields by contracting. Salt water is a good conductor, and the movement of the conductor in the presence of Earth's magnetic field produces an electric field. Sharks sense this and their ampullae of Lorenzini are excited."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Harry Potter] What are the odds that modern muggle Governments would be aware of an underground world of wizards?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The (muggle) prime minister got told by the (wizarding world) minister for magic, so at least one person knew. The wizarding world's ongoing secrecy relied on the fact that no-one would believe a head of state telling people about secret wizard societies."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Harry Potter] Why didn't anyone fix Harry's eyesight?\n\nHe magically regrew his bones and came back to life. Even us muggles have contacts and lasers."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "You'll note that other wizards have glasses, including Dumbledore. You'll also note they can't regrow eyes - Moody had to have an enchanted one.\n\nIt's possible eyes are one of those things that is too difficult to magic."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[MCU] so does Cap’s shield absorb energy or not?\n\nSo in Winter Soldier he falls 30 stories and uses the shield to break his fall. So it seems to absorb energy. But when he throws it it bounces all over, almost increasing in energy. And when Thor hits it with his hammer in Avengers it deflect energy everywhere. What is it supposed to do?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It can both store and release energy. Think of it as a less refined version of Black Panther’s suit. \n\nBP absorbs energy and can release it as a shockwave. He has more control over the release than Cap does with his shield, but he does have to release the energy if it’s too much. Thor swinging Mjolnir onto the shield was too much energy to store so it released as a shockwave. A bullet hitting it is not. \n\nThere’s also evidently a difference in composition from the center of the shield which seems to have more Vibranium and the edges since the edges have more bounciness to them."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "If water is 'unable' to be compressed, how can it be pressurized?\n\nI put 'unable' in quotes, because any fluid can be compressed just a little. But practically speaking, it cannot be compressed. So how can it be pressurized?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "I'll attempt this.\n\nThe water is not really the factor here, it is the container (in the case of open containers like an ocean, the force of gravity acts as a top to the container.\n\nSay you have a bottle of water that has been \"pressurized\" with the water. The water hasn't changed much at all. The container is deformed and the elasticity of the container is what pushes the water out when you open it, rather than a property of the water.\n\nIn cases where air is included with the water, the air is the matter being deformed, and is what pushes the water out when the closed system is breached."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "What is the difference between aquatic and terrestrial plants?\n\nWhats the difference in, say, cell structure between a terrestrial and aquatic plant? There are a lot of plants that can grow in water and above, but their leaves/appearance tend to change depending on their conditions."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "One big difference is the waxy cuticle that terrestrial plants have to prevent water from escaping. \n\nThey also rarely have xylem (the vascular tissue that carries water) and often do not have phloem (the vascular tissue that carries sugars) since larger portions of the plant are often photosynthetic (make sugars) and do not need to transport sugars long distances."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "If protons and neutrons both have a mass greater than 1 amu how can an atom with a mass number of N have a mass of less than N amu?\n\nAs an example according to my chemistry book Cl-35 has a mass of 34.97 amu."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The mass of a bound nucleus with Z protons and N neutrons is less than the mass of Z free protons plus N free neutrons.\n\nThe attractive strong forces between nucleons lead to a lower mass of the overall system than the sum of the masses of the individual parts. That's why the nucleus is bound to begin with.\n\nThe difference between the mass of the bound nucleus and the sum of the masses of its parts (times c^(2)) is the nuclear binding energy."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: In case of emergency, it's better to save adults over children\n\nEverybody says, \"In case of emergency, women and children first\". Well, i'll refrain from the women part, i'll discuss about saving the children first. \n\nWhy \"children first\"? I've heard so many people said \"because children are the future and they'll continue our human race\". To me, that is absolute nonsense. I'm not gonna debate about the moral or emotional point, i'm talking about the practical point. Saving children first is an idiotic move.\n\nFirst, adults are more likely to survive the disaster. For example, in case of sinking ship, put the adults on life boat and they'll survive longer until help comes, or they will know how to navigate to a safe place or nearby land unlike the children who most likely will wait until rescued or die.\n\nSecond, adults are more likely to survive after the disaster. For example, in a zombie apocalypse, save the adults and they can form a group, build shelter and fend for themselves. Save the children and they will hide in the corner and get eaten in a day or two. Not to mention, when fighting off the zombies, more adults mean more fighting power, while more children will drag you down as you have to look out for them when fighting and can easily make fatal mistakes, like when you're safe in your fort but Sophia gets a panic attack and run out to the wild and you have to risk going out to find her? Yeah, I would hate to be in that situation.\n\nThird, for the purpose of reproduction and preserve our specie, the adults are much more suitable. Adults can breed immediately as long as they find a safe shelter. Children need to wait years until they reach puberty, and most won't even survive to get to that, and even if they get to the point they can breed, the lack of experience in sexual relationship and child birth makes them less likely to produce a healthy and safe offsprings, not when they can hardly protect themselves. Therefore, their chance of preserving the human race is extremely low. \n\nAll in all, i don't see any reason to save the children first in case of emergency or apocalypse."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "\"Children First\" almost never refers to an actual apocalyptic scenario and instead points out the fact that adults are much more capable of saving themselves than a child and in the event of a panic, are more likely to be crushed by a crowd."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: when you slowly rotate the mug/jar/glass/etc, why does the water (or other drink) in it not rotate with it?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Objects at rest want to stay at rest, this includes liquids.\n\nHowever, in the case of a rotating glass with liquid inside, the liquid near the side of the glass will rotate with the glass when it starts. The longer you rotate it for, the liquid near the middle of the glass will start rotating, until eventually all the liquid is rotating at the same speed as the glass."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Marvel] What are the limits (if any) to the Reality Gem?\n\nIt seems like this Gem should be by far the most powerful. Are there any limits to it?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The reality gem's ability to distort reality is limitless in theory but it does have several limitations. On it's own, the reality stone can cause massive (to you and me) distortions in the fabric of reality. However, if one wanted to distort reality on a cosmic scale, or across all of time and space, or across the multiverse, one would need other infinity stones to enhance its power. That's why Thanos simply couldn't grab the reality stone to end half of the life in the universe. Even when one bears all infinity stones, there are still limitations. For starters, there is the limitations of the beholder. One cannot distort reality in a way they cannot imagine. One can also only distort reality in a way in which the Living Tribunal and the One Above All will accept. One could not destroy the multiverse or destroy the One Above All with the power of the infinity gauntlet because if one had serious intentions of doing so, these forces could stop the infinity gauntlet from working."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "If your balance is determined by fluid in your inner ear, how does one \"practice\" their balance?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Your sense of balance is measured with your inner ear. Maintaining your balance requires practiced neural control of muscles. That is what you are practicing. Possibly some part of it is learning to pay more attention to minute changes in your sense of balance."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Is there a \"universal speed limit\" lower than the speed of light for an object of a given mass?\n\nLet's say there's a 100kg object traveling through space. Obviously it can't reach the speed of light because it has mass. But since we know its mass, do we know how fast it *can* go according to the laws of physics? Or could it theoretically reach 99.9999999% of *c* but just never quite reach *c*?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "An object of non-zero mass can in principle attain any speed less than the speed of light. \n\nIn fact, since velocity has only a relative meaning, there are frames of reference in which an object of non-zero mass has whatever speed less than *c* you wish."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "What are the macro economic drawbacks for canceling student debt?\n\nFrom an unbiased stance, are there any negative economic impact for the American nation on a macro scale for just canceling the trillion dollars in student debt?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "1. Increased national debt and the consequences that come along with that\n\n2. Increased inequality. Student loans are disproportionately held by Americans with well above average lifetime incomes\n\n3. If this is a recurrent event - moral hazard (this is microecon). Even not explicitly stated, merely the expectation that debt might be forgiven in the future could distort decision making."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Baking Soda and Baking Powder. The difference between them and what they both do.\n\nWhile making some tasty chocolate chip oatmeal cookies I reflected on the fact that both of these substances go in so many baking things yet I have no idea what the difference between them is or what they even do. \n\nWhat is baking soda and baking powder? What does it do?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents - they make your baking rise through an acid/base chemical reaction (like the baking soda/vinegar volcano in every show/movie involving a science fair). Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate (a base), and baking powder is sodium bicarbonate with cream of tartar (an acid). Which one you use depends on the other ingredients in your baking - if there's no acid to activate the baking soda, then the recipe will call for baking powder."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: If i had a nosebleed, would i be able to use that blood from the nosebleed for regular blood testings?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "If you could manage to keep it sterile, get it into a tube and store it properly like really fast then most likely yes. The chances of your being able to achieve this are pretty low though, so you’re probably better off collecting the traditional way.\n\nBlood required for testing need to be fresh, in some cases still alive and uncontaminated by chemicals or microorganisms from the environment. Satisfying all of these is pretty hard if you aren’t in a doctors office where that have proper equipment."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: What's happening in my brain when when I read an entire page or so of a book, only to realize that I wasn't actually paying attention and have no idea what I just read?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "\"Mind-wandering\", an extremely common phenomenon, but understudied subject in cognitive and educational psychology. MW can take the form of task-related (e.g., imagining scenarios utilizing current material) or task-unrelated (e.g., dwelling on relationship issues, dinner planning, etc.). MW can be mitigated by reaffirming your internal motivations (e.g., interest in the topic) or external motivations (e.g., upcoming exams, being paid to absorb material). However, MW has also been correlated to higher creativity measures, so it ain't all bad.\nSource: cognitive neuroscience researcher.\n\nEDIT: Man_Fred_Beardman 's comment below is insightful for those interested in the cognitive mechanisms at play during mind-wandering:\n\"To expand a little on why you don't remember what you read, you have to understand memory is divided into three categories: Short-Term Memory (which only lasts approximately 4-7 seconds), Long-Term Memory (memories beyond 7 seconds), and Working Memory (memories being processed from short-term to long-term memory).\nWhen you're reading and your mind becomes preoccupied with something else (like day dreaming/mind wandering) your working memory kind if shuts down (or at least focuses on processing your daydream into long-term memory instead of what you just read). So you end up remembering your day dream, but not what you read. Your short-term memory is still working, so you end up remembering the last few words you read, but nothing else.\"\n\nEDIT 2: Thank you kind stranger for the gold!"
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How is Dostoevsky viewed in philosophy circles?\n\nIs Dostoevsky considered a heavy hitter in philosophy? Many great philosophers commented on his works in a positive light, from Nietzsche, Wittgenstein and even Freud. So, are his ideas still relevant and discussed within academic philosophy circles today?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Unfortunately, serious academic study of Dostoevsky's thought, along with that of most other Russian philosophers, has in America tended to be largely relegated to the realm of \"Russian studies\" or \"Slavic studies.\" The vast majority of major Western studies on his thought (as opposed to his literary significance) come from scholars associated with that field, and so they don't tend to integrate him well into Western philosophical conversations. Some theologians engage him heavily too, and recently some very good theological treatments have come out (such as the monograph by Rowan Williams, mandatory for anyone with a strong interest in D.).\n\nIn Russian philosophy itself, D. is undoubtedly a canonical source, and the subject of some of the greatest studies in Russian philosophical scholarship (e.g., Bakhtin's *Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics*). His own writing also brilliantly captures, and in some cases responds to, earlier pioneers of Russian philosophy (e.g., the strong resemblance of Ivan Karamazov to Bakunin and Herzen). Russia's own traditional self understanding of what philosophy *is* tends to be vastly different from, say, Western analytic philosophy. It is far less disconnected from literature, from political agitation, from cultural studies (\"the Russian idea\"), etc., than most of what you find in the Western academy, likely because it has a very different developmental history than Western philosophy. It's hard for Western philosophers to engage it deeply without also engaging all of its historical, cultural, and linguistic baggage, which is probably part of the reason that the work has tended be done by the Russian studies folk."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: You can be a kind and mentally healthy person and still get off to fantasies of torture and murder.\n\nThere seems to be a common trend of sensationalizing what people enjoy or find thrilling in their private thoughts as being dangerous if it does not fit into the narrative of what others deem normal or acceptable. People seem to believe that your thoughts influence your actions so much that you couldn’t possibly just enjoy a harmless fantasy for your own pleasure without it being who you are at your core.\nWell, I disagree. You can be a kind, empathic person in reality who would never hurt a fly, but get off on the thought of torturing someone to death in the private fantasy world in your head. You know in reality it would be sickening and wrong to do such a thing, but in your mind, it is a fun indulgence where you get to be as cruel and heartless as you desire. This doesn’t mean you are at all influenced in your daily life by these thoughts.\n\nYou see the same kind of overreaction from people when anyone gains any kind of pleasure from something considered taboo. People call it “normalizing” and “sick” and don’t even think people can enjoy fictional stories or drawings depicting such things. But people fail to realize that fantasy is never the same as reality and humans are into a lot of shit they would never do. That’s why roleplay exists in the first place."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Where does the enjoyment in torture fantasies stem from?\n\n>You know in reality it would be sickening and wrong to do such a thing, but in your mind, it is a fun indulgence\n\nI think the thing is, we don't act based on what we think is acceptable. Our behavior is a response to what we feel. If a feeling is strong enough, we will act on it regardless of whether we think it is acceptable. \n\nSo if you have fantasies of torturing and murdering people, that means that you would enjoy it. If you incubate those feelings in fantasy, they could overpower your will to stop them playing out in real life."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Will we ever be able to \"see\" the cosmic microwave background radiation?\n\nAs I understand it, the cosmic background radiation leftover from the big bang is currently in the microwave spectrum, but is constantly redshifting as the universe expands; so logically that means eventually it will redshift enough to be in the visible spectrum. Does this mean that at some point in the distant future we will actually be able to see it with the naked eye, and what would this look like? (Assuming of course we survive that long as a species)"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "\"Redshift\" means that the wavelengths get longer, and microwaves are already longer wavelength than visible light, so no, it won't ever become visible (barring a Big Crunch scenario, but that is pretty much excluded by cosmological data). \n\nThe CMB radiation currently peaks at about a wavelength of 1 mm (10^-3 meters), while the longest-wavelength light that our eyes can see is around 750 nm (7.5 x 10^-7 meters). \n\nWhen the CMB was emitted, the universe was at a temperature of 3000 K, which is a little hotter than your typical incandescent light bulb, so the emitted light was mostly in the visible and near-infrared, and would look like a warm yellowish glow."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How come when you have a sore throat it gets significantly worse if you sleep with the fan on?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Your throat relies on staying moist. But the moving air from the fan tends to remove moisture from you, so your throat dries out more. That makes it feel even worse than it did. \n\nThe effect doesn't happen much if you point the fan at your legs instead of your head."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Vampires] What not-holy symbol would repel a Vampire when wielded by an Atheist?\n\nLet us presume that a cross repels a vampire, and that it works only because person wielding the cross has certitude or trust in the symbol's power, and that by the same logic a vampire would be equally repelled by a Christian holding a small bible, or a Jew presenting a Star of David or Mezuzah or copy of the Torah, etc. \n\nNow, what hand-held object or symbol or text could a rational non-believer or Atheist carry with sufficient certitude to repel a vampire to equal effect?\n\n[POST-SCRIPT]\nIn my mind I imagine objects like the following\n\nFor a human who is confident in science: \n• magnifying glass\n• balancing scales\n• slide rule or calculator \n• compass or square \n• lit torch \n• atom symbol ⚛\n• triangular prismatic glass\n• copy of Newton's Principia \n• sterilized and deionized water\n• laser pointer \n• a radio isotope of a particular element\n• a hominid fossil \n\nFor a person who is confident in humanism:\n• scales of Justice \n• copy of national constitution or symbol \n• image of the planet Earth \n\nOne person mentioned people who are not religious but sincerely believe in luck, and I would imagine such people could brandish a lucky rabbit's foot or four leaf clover or other luck symbol."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Nothing. The religious symbols represent the faithful's trust in a power that will protect them from evil. An atheist does not believe any such power exists, and do not believe they are protected from evil. Hence they have no symbol they can use against vampires."
}
] |
Subsets and Splits