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Nitral's Archive 20

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[District 9] Why did none of the Prawns communicate to the humans what they were doing and how they ended up on Earth?\n\nWere they exiles? Did they forget for some reason? \n\nWith the exception of Christopher Johnson none of them seem particularly intelligent. Seems strange they end up marooned on an alien planet in a ship with such advanced technology." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "IIRC the leading theory was that the prawns that survived were from a serf caste. The leaders, the ones who actually controlled the ship, died. There is a good possibility that very few actually knew what they were doing and how they ended up on Earth." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[LOTR] Are the Uruk Hai different from any other orcs? Are they the same species?\n\nJust asking cause they look so much much larger and more uniform than the armies of Mordor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are many different regional variants of orc of varying size, strength, and resistance to sunlight. The term \"uruk\" (the \"-hai\" suffix just means \"folk\") is a blanket term for the highly elite types of orc which began appearing in the late Third Age and which excelled in each of these attributes, at least by orc standards. At first they were seen exclusively in the service of Sauron, though they never supplanted the ordinary orcs as the rank-and-file of Mordor. After his betrayal Saruman evidently managed to breed his own version of uruks with a slightly different appearance than the Mordor elites." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Subnautica: Below Zero] Sure is cold on this part of Planet 4546B. But why is it that the ocean's warm enough to swim in without getting hypothermia?\n\nIs it because of all the geological activity, the physical properties of water, or what?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wetsuit mechanics, mostly. You've got a very high quality futuristic wetsuit, but it's still a wetsuit - it can keep you warm in the water, but when you start to dry out, you will *freeze*. \n\nSee, wetsuits work by keeping warm water inside them. A thin layer, warmed by your skin, to insulate against the cold water around you. This is why the sizing of a wetsuit is so important. You lose heat *much* more slowly in a properly fitted wetsuit in the water. But there's a reason people don't use this technique on land, and it's the same reason you freeze on the arctic surface of 4546B." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "When people are listening to loud music through headphones, why do other people only hear the drums/beat of the music?\n\nThis happens every day when I’m on the bus, and it just annoys me throughout that 30 minutes of my day. I just thought it was interesting that I only heard the beat of the music, and not the melody." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A lot of it has to do with the Fletcher-Munson curve and how we perceive sounds. \n\n\nOur ears are more-finely tuned to pick up midrange frequencies (400Hz-\\~4kHz) and the quieter a source is, the more of those mid frequencies we hear over the lows and highs. \n\n\nNow the thing about drums is that we really don't hear the fundamental frequencies all that well (snare is down \\~200Hz, kick drum is down \\~60Hz), but we DO hear the harmonics really well since those are generally in the midrange. In order to get those elements to sit better in a mix, we not only turn up those tracks, but we actually remove some of the mids in the melodic instruments (otherwise all of that midrange likes to build up and has a tendency of sounding like the song is in a cardboard box or through a telephone). So, since our ears pick up the mids the best at lower volumes, the drums are brought up to sit better in the mix, and the mids of the melody instruments are pulled back a bit, at lower volumes, you're gonna hear the midrange of that snare (and the overhead mics picking up the cymbals) and not much else. \n\n\nsource: Audio Engineering student." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: I'm fine living without friends\n\nThis was mostly on by a recent disagreement with my parents. They had wanted me to invite friends to a party and were mildly upset when I told them that I didn't have any. It has become a sore point for them as it was a loss of face to them. \n\n\nThe fact of the matter it's been almost 10 years now since I had a friends. But doesn't seem to have been detrimental, in truth it's been perfectly comfortable for me. And it has conferred some side benefits: \n\n\n* I've been able to focus on my work without distraction of trying to juggle professional and personal lives. \n\n\n* It affords a personal mobility since being alone in a new city doesn't bother me. \n\n* Few if any will be bothered on an emotional level by a sudden absence. \n\n\n* While there are benefits of having friends, I do not feel as if the advantages are significant enough for me to pursue.\n\n\nWhile this is atypical for most people, I do not see any particularly compelling reason to change this at any point in my life. In fact I see reason not to have friends, as then they would have to deal with my parasitical presence in their life. \n\n\nEdit: It's been mentioned that having friends is beneficial to one's own health. To be clear, I do not prioritize my health." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobody can disprove this because we can't read your mind.\n\nThat said, you sound to me like you're in denial, why even post here if you didn't harbor some doubts about this? There's no reason you shouldn't know the answer to this if you really believe you're happy. And there's no way any of can answer it for you." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why is theism not a good answer for the cause of the universe?\n\nI've considered myself an atheist for roughly 7 years now. Only now have I started to seriously question whether a god would make sense or not. \n \nThe only point on the existence of god that I think has any grounding, is that something caused the universe. I don't automatically assume that this must be the Christian, Muslim, or Jewish god. For all I know the god died in the creation of the universe, or is indifferent to us, etc. \n \nWhy does god not fit argument to the best explanation for the start of the universe?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Saying that god did something isn't a good explanation because it doesn't actually explain anything - it doesn't describe the mechanics of how it was done, it rarely suggests why, and it offers no value for predicting future events. A universe with an intervening deity is one where anything can happen at any time for no reason, because god (in his inscrutable wisdom) willed it so. That isn't a universe where events are amenable to explanation, so invoking the supernatural seems somewhat self-defeating.\n\nFurther to that, why *should* we believe that such a being exists? God as normally described is, by any gauge, an impossible creature; an entity that has no precedent, nothing we know of that suggests it falls within the realms of the plausible. For all that the word is short and the concept commonplace, to say \"God did this\" is an enormously complex (and therefore improbable) answer, and there simply isn't the evidence to support the idea so long as there remains any tenuously possible natural answer." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Ex Machina] Isn't the fact Caleb knows Ava is an AI defeat the purpose of the turning test?\n\nWouldn't Exposing Caleb to the fact that the person he is speaking to is actually a computer actually create a sort of biased test?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If it were a proper Turing test, yes. But that wasn't exactly the real nature of the test.\n\nThe real test was whether Ava could interpret and understand human interaction and behavior enough to manipulate it. Caleb was not informed of this during the test." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Star Wars] Did the Empire claim the force was on their side?\n\nWe all know the Force works for good or evil, sith or jedi. But while the rebellion invokes the force often \"May the force be with you\" to X-wing pilots and by Admiral Ackbar. \n\nSo do Empire officers or even stormtroopers invoke the force before battle?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Most of the Galaxy was wary of Force users following the Jedi's rebellion and the Great Purge. The Empire in particular was looking to distance itself from Force use, preferring instead to rely on strength and efficiency to get the Galaxy working properly. Of course, Palpatine and Vader were Sith, but Palpatine kept his abilities hidden to all but the highest echelon of the Imperial ruling class, while Vader was seen as a relic, an old holdout from the past that was well past his prime and merely worked as Palpatine's lapdog. The Force was not held in very high regard by most people until after Palpatine died and much of the truth about him came out." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How did DNA first form?\n\nAlso, was DNA the first form of genetic coding or was there something before DNA which handled genetic coding?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Google the RNA world hypothesis. With our increasing understanding of ribozymes (RNA enzymes) it is believed that early life used RNA for genetic information as well as catalyzing most if not all reactions. It is possible, if not likely, that the earliest form of \"life\" was a simple ribozyme capable of replicating itself.\n\nThe theory follows that these self replicating ribozymes eventually created a cell (perhaps by being trapped in an \"artificial\" lipid layer?) and somehow eventually started making proteins (this is supported by the ribosome being mostly composed of RNA and all of the main reactions being catalyzed by the RNA components). Also, at some point DNA was traded for RNA due to long term stability. This is also exemplified by RNA still being used for protein synthesis (why don't we just make proteins directly from DNA?) as well as the continued importance of ribozymes in many of the most basic of functions including the ribosome and the spliceosome." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Tales from the Crypt] Who was the Crypt Keeper in life, and why is he so fond of puns?\n\nThe more I think about it, the curioser it gets." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Maybe he wanted to be a comedian in Paris (yeah, he's french, check the tude). But then the black plague struck so he had to go into body disposal and tell his jokes to corpses. His puns were so bad heaven, hell, and purgatory kicked him out of their lines and he is doomed to stay on earth. But he learned a really great joke in line and it's the funniest thing ever especially since he's never going to tell it to anyone alive. It's why he's always laughing, he's thinking of the joke you're missing out on when you listen to the puns." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: If humans and dolphins are the only mammals that procreate for fun, why does my dog hump my leg?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dolphins don't procreate for fun. The \"dolphins and people do it for fun\" saying comes from the fact that we are the two animals that procreate outside of ovulation period when the mating will not result in a baby. Other animals may find sex enjoyable or pleasurable but don't participate in sex outside of the female's ovulation period. This is partially due to the fact that sex increases vulnerability and uses a lot of energy." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why do we only sneeze while we’re awake and never while we’re sleeping?\n\nIs it involuntary, or is there a part of being conscious that tells us to sneeze because we are aware of what’s going to happen?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You know how REM sleep turns off your body so you don't flail about as you dream? \n\nIt also shuts off the neurons that process stimulation from your nose. This means smells and irritants dont typically wake you up, or make you sneeze." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Can someone explain to me what FOREX trading is? And why is it gaining a lot of popularity right now?\n\nEDIT: I am seeing a lot of posts on Instagram and Facebook from people I got to university with. Apparently they are making money out of FOREX and there are a lot of people \"recruiting\" freshmen students to get into this. What is this exactly? , and is it worth getting into this?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It is trading currencies... FOREX stands for Foreign Exchange. Due to the drop in oil supplies and slowdown in China, currencies have been more volatile the past few months, which means more opportunity to make money from trading currencies (if you know what you're doing). But it's complex and there are many people who've been doing it exclusively for many years... it's not something you can just dabble in with no knowledge and expect to do well." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why are all hotdogs sold pre cooked\n\nSo every package of hotdogs I’ve purchased says it’s “pre cooked”. There are other tubular meats which are not sold pre cooked like sausage or “brats”. I wasn’t able to find any answers for this from a google search just that you should cook them again to avoid food borne illness. \n\nI’m curious why hotdogs specifically always come pre cooked!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Generally, hot dogs are made from the left over trimmings of meat production (lower-grade muscle trimmings, fatty tissues, head meat, animal feet, animal skin, blood, liver and other edible slaughter by-products). Pre-cooking the leftover trimmings helps to do a couple things; inhibit bacteria growth as there a various parts of an animal going into them, make the combined trimmings more manageable as it helps render down the fat and cartilage, and increases shelf life." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5:Why does it matter if a country is in debt? It seems like nothing happens anyways seeing the US is $17 trillion in debt." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Debt for a country is very different than debt for a person. People expect to retire some day and live on savings, but governments can reasonably assume they will exist forever. If they ever stopped existing, after all, then the debt may just get ignored by whoever comes after. As long as a country is able to pay its interest, they can continue to be perfectly solvent, as interest is all its investors really want anyway. If your economy keeps growing in the long term, you can keep paying more in interest as your tax base keeps increasing, so it isn't really a long-term problem either. In addition, having a bunch of debt with other nations means that those nations don't want to see you fail, and may chip in during hard times. All taken, sovereign debt and personal debt are completely different things, and the frenzy being whipped up by the media over the big numbers is unjustified." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Halo] Why was Cortana designed to resemble a naked lady? How did Sgt. Johnson survive the end of Halo CE?\n\nCortana is just an AI, so what’s the point of giving her a naked body, let alone a body? I know she’s based off of Dr. Halsey, but the two look quite different." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Cotana, like all smart AIs, chose her own Avatar during her creation. She looks the way she does because that's what she decided she wanted to look like, what she sees herself as. Her self image. \n\nOnce chosen a smart AI's Avatar can't be changed. Attempting to do so results in malfunctions, glitches, and even total crashes of the AI. Nobody's yet figured out why or how this happens. The AI can change minor details about their Avatar, though. So Cortana can -and did- change her hair style, colour, form of dress, etc but no matter what she will always look like a young woman who resembles a younger Doctor Halsey.\n\nAs to why AIs have Avatars to begin with, that's mainly for human interaction. Many people would feel uncomfortable interacting with essentially an omnipresent, disembodied voice that has the power to control all the technology around you. Giving them an Avatar gives people something to focus on. Eyes (in most cases) to look at when talking, facial expressions (in most cases) that they can read. An extreme form of a user friendly interface, basically." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: Supposed victims who detail the abuse online (twitter etc) should be supported at first glance but the other person shouldn't be defamed without true evidence\n\nI feel like this is the most logical, but compassionate way to act **if** there isn't clear in-context evidence. If it's very ambiguous, then people should be fair to each side.\n\nThis way you are not slandering the other person incase they didn't do anything, but you still give moral support to the supposed victim incase it did happen.\n\nBecause a lot of people will say \"I am so sorry this happened to you. X is truly a horrible person.\" or \"I will spread the word that people need to avoid X\" when only the first part of the first example is necessary. \n\nWhen this is more private between friends instead of on public social media, and if you are a friend of both the people involved, you should also not turn on the accused, and instead ask them and get their side of the story, with as many receipts as they can give. Still support the friend who brought it all up, but don't go slandering the other right away.\n\nChoosing to always support one side over the other means there will always be scenarios out there where one side is unfairly wronged. It should be as neutral as possible. Provide support only encouragement, then wait for enough evidence before defaming the other person and telling people to avoid them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The problem with this is that it’s often functionally impossible. Most cases of abuse and/or sexual assault happen between people who know each other well, which means they’ll likely share a lot of people in their circles. \n\nIf one person accuses another, and they share friends/family, how exactly is everyone supposed to square that in a way that works for “both sides”?\n\nThere are a couple instances of you saying you should “give support” to the victim but we need to think about what that means in a practical sense. How can you meaningfully give support to a victim without acknowledging that their experience actually happened?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELi5: what makes a TV movie look like a TV movie and not a big budget production?\n\nI know it’s something to do with the cameras used, but what makes a big movie look different than a low budget TV movie or sitcom? Is it something to do with FPS, resolution etc?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In addition to the other comments here there are a few others things:\n\n* More close ups: Domestic TV screens were usually quite small compared with the movie experience. As a result directors tended to use more close ups. Faces, and the expressions they have are necessary to convey the story line and if shot in the same way as for movies, they would simply not have been visible enough for a domestic environment - so you get more faces and they are closer.\n* One side effect of the above is that titles on made-for-TV movies tend to be bigger so they can be read. Typical movie credits are often too small. Similarly things with writing such a phone screens, monitors, books, signs, letters are all closer.\n* Fewer longshots: Similarly, large panoramas, distant landscapes etc look great on a big screen but on a smaller domestic screen a lot of the detail and \"atmosphere\" is lost so these tend to be less frequent and also closer.\n* Fewer \"blacks\": Movie theatres are generally darkened so you can have deep dark shadows on film and still see into them. Domestically, TVs are often watched in a more brightly lit room. Those dark scenes would be impenetrable so lighting tends to be turned up and less contrasty for a TV movie." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How does the technology in song-identifying apps like SoundHound and Shazam work?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I believe MP3 encoding algorithms convert sound waves to Fourier transforms. These are much easier to database and then Shazaam performs fourier transformation on the song you are \"listening\" to and compares to the database... or something of that sort." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why is torque a vector? Right hand rule is a bit arbitrary isn't it? What does the direction of the torque vector signify?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Torque causes an object to rotate, and rotation in 3 dimensions is determined by an axis, the direction of rotation about that axis, and an angle. The torque vector direction determines the axis and the direction of rotation about that axis. (Since we are talking about continuous rotations, the angle part isn't really given by anything, but the magnitude of the torque is used to determine the rate of rotation.) If you point your right hand thumb along the direction of the torque vector, then your fingers will curl in the direction of the rotation induced by that torque." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eli5: why is baking soda oftenly used to clean stuff (especially stuff that is difficult to clean)? & what is it best used for?\n\nIs there a kind of chemical reaction that makes the cleaning easier? \n\nI feel like I‘m missing a life hack because we never have baking soda at home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two main reasons are that it has a high pH value, which means it's very basic (the opposite of acidic on the pH scale). This makes it very reactive with organic materials like kitchen grease and oily dirt left behind by dirty body parts.\n\nIt's also slightly abrasive, just enough so that particles of dirt can get rubbed off dirty surfaces but not so much that it will leave scratches. You can get much the same result on that score with toothpaste, by the by." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why do tree trunks have a ring for every year the tree was alive? Why are those rings formed at all?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When a tree is growing, they tend to do so in patterns of fast growth in the spring/summer and slow growth in the fall/winter. \n\nThe fast growth isn’t as dense, and is a lighter color, while the slow growth is denser and darker. \n\nThere are exceptions to this rule though. Drought/flood/disease or other factors can disrupt the growth cycle." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: why does only empty space expand during cosmic inflationary expansion? Why are occupying objects unaffected from expansion ?\n\nI remember reading a comment on this Subreddit where someone wrote that expansion should not be visualized as the boundary of the universe expanding but as the fundamental physical spacetime fabric itself expanding. When I rescale a picture or blow up a balloon, everything on the surface gets larger. So why is only empty space and distances being enlarged, why not physical objects too?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because there are forces that pull in the opposite direction such as gravity, Nuclear Strongforce and electromagnetism. You actually need to get pretty far away before the expansion of the universe is significant enough to not be counter acted by some force. Even Galaxies that are close together like the Milky Way and other galaxies in the Virgo Super cluster are close enough to resist the expansion of the universe." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How much would energy costs go up if the US got all its energy from renewables, using existing technology?\n\nLet's say we have five years to build new infrastructure. How much would it cost to power the country at our current standard of living? Let's take into account issues not just of energy generation, but also of transport and storage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "First, bear in mind, the question is huge. To answer, we'd have to choose a plan for how to accomplish this. The main choices we'd have to make are:\n\n* How to generate electricity for the grid.\n* How to store non-baseload power.\n* How to power vehicles.\n* Whether to change how people commute. Cars? Scooters? Trains?\n* Whether to redesign cities to make commuting less necessary.\n\nThese questions have multiple possible answers, and which answers you choose greatly affects the overall cost.\n\nThe second thing to keep in mind is: five years is nuts. You're talking about possibly replacing all our cars and power plants, you're talking about maybe replacing gas stations with electric stations, you're talking about building electricity storage reservoirs, and much more - this is just plain not going to happen in five years.\n\nIndeed, the cost is mostly going to be proportional to how fast you try to do it. Fir example, if you allow a gradual transition to electric cars, then people can just buy the new cars as their old cars wear out. The cost is basically just the cost of replacement, which you'd be paying anyway. But if you want to do it in five years, you'd have to throw out a whole bunch of perfectly good gas cars." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ADA compliance officer isn’t complying\n\nSo I’m gonna make this as brief as possible. I’ve had issues with ADA compliance for a few semesters at this university. Last week we had an exam and my accommodation letter states I get double time on exams. \n\nThe exam last week, was online and at home. We had 60 minutes for 40 questions. Honestly I didn’t even notice the time that I was allotted until a warning popped up and to say I had 10 minutes left to submit and then panic mode set in. I finished the exam but I was frazzled due to the clock counting down. \n\nI talked to some classmates and they also had 60 minutes (without accommodations) so I realized that the professor didn’t adjust my exam time to reflect my accommodations. \n\nI emailed the testing center head (who is also the compliance officer) after the exam and was told that I could retake the exam because I did not get the accommodations I was supposed to but instead of double time like my letter states, I was only getting FIVE extra minutes.... \n\nI emailed back to let them know that 5 extra minutes was not double time and asked them to adjust the time to reflect my ADA accommodation letter. \n\nThey did not respond and my exam retake is due tonight... \n\nI don’t know what to do." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": ">I don’t know what to do.\n\nContact your ombudsman and academic advisor (particularly if you have a closer relationship with them). The former will be able to initiate a formal process and navigate you through it; the latter will hopefully be able to advocate for you to those who would be able to intervene on your behalf." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Star Wars] Who is the chosen one?\n\nIs it Luke or Anakin? Has this been made clear and I just missed something or is it left purposefully ambiguous?\n\nAs a side note, the Jedi fight for \"balance\" in the force, which apparently means an elimination of practitioners of the Dark Side, aka: the Sith. But wouldn't this mean they fight more for the Light Side than anything else?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Anakin Skywalker is the Chosen One as foretold by the ancient Jedi Prophecy. \n\nIt's a common misconception that \"bringing balance to the Force\" means having an equal number of Jedi and Sith. What it actually means is a return to the state that the Force exists in nature, which is what the Light Side practices. The Sith corrupt the Force's natural balance, which the Jedi see as their duty to restore. Anakin was the Chosen One and did fulfill The Prophecy because he destroyed the last of the Sith - Palpatine and himself." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Is there an operator that can have an associative property without a commutative property, or vice versa?\n\nIt seems that operators, whether they're pertaining to numbers, sets, propositional logic, vectors or whatever, will only have an associative property (ex. (a+b)+c = a+(b+c) ) when they also have a commutative property (ex. a+b = b+a). \n\nI can't quite put my nose on what the two properties have in common with each other; is there an abstract proof (or disproof) that they're bi-conditional, or something along those lines? Sorry if my question's not clear I'm slightly drunk and frustrated because I can't figure it out on my own." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are plenty of operators that are associative, but not commutative. And plenty that are the other way around. Just to give one example of each:\n\nFunction composition: we define the composition of two functions from R->R, f * g as f(g(x)). Checking associativity:\n\n(f * g) * h = f(g(x)) * h = f(g(h(x)) = f * g(h(x)) = f * (g * h)\n\nHowever, this operator is not commutative. Let f(x) = x + 1 and g(x) = x^(2), then f * g = x^2 + 1, but g * f = (x + 1)^(2).\n\nThe other way around, consider the operator that takes 2 real numbers and returns the average. So a (+) b = (a + b) / 2. This operator is clearly commutative since addition is. But it is not associative. Take a = 0, b = 4, c = 2:\n\n(a (+) b) (+) c = 2 (+) 2 = 2\n\na (+) (b (+) c) = 0 (+) 3 = 1.5\n\nThere are plenty of other examples that you can find for either direction, so in general it is definitely not the case that associativity and commutativity are interchangeable." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "What is the perfect political system and philosophy it is based on?\n\nIf you had absolute power to remake the architecture of civilization, including national and local government, what would it be and why?\n\nWhat governing system best for the human race? What is ideal for the human race? Should there even be a governing system?\n\nTell us what\n\n1) The structure and purpose of the government will be (if any)\n\n2) How the government would tie into everything else\n\n3) The philosophy that the government and political system is based on, and why it is superior.\n\nIs Capitalism best? Socialism? Communism? Dictatorship? Tell us!\n\nEDIT: My intentions are nothing more than curiosity." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An actual answer to this would be, like, a book or whatever, so let's just say Rawls' *A Theory of Justice* is the perfect political system.\n\n1) Democracy and justice, respectively.\n\n2) Its basic structure would be set up to ensure justice.\n\n3) Justice as fairness, because this is what people would choose if they were unbiased, respectively." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Uncertainty Principle is About a Fundamental Inability to Know Position and Momentum, Not an Instrumental/Technology Limitation. But aren't those indistinguishable empirically?\n\nBasically what the title said. I understand it's a common misconception that the Uncertainty Principle is about instrumentation rather than a fundamental aspect of the universe, but isn't it empirically impossible to verify that?\n\nMeaning that a universe that has an Uncertainty Principle would be indistinguishable from a universe that has no UP, but instrumentation/measurement interference keeps you from measuring both to an arbitrary level of accuracy. \n\nAny experiment would give identical results for both possibilities, right? How is this resolved? \n\nThank you in advance!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": ">but isn't it empirically impossible to verify that?\n\nThere are experiments in which the intrinsic \"uncertainty\" is larger than the resolution of the instruments being used (e.g. measurements of a particle's lifetime). It would be like if you were watching a super HD TV, but the picture was still fuzzy. That means the effect isn't from your TV, but something to do with the source." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How does marijuana farming impact soil health in comparison to a standard crop such as corn?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Almost all growers that I've ever seen do some sort of warehouse farming. The quality of the crop is extremely dependent on light/temp/water nutrients. Ideal setup requires 18hrs of sunlight per day during growing and 12hrs during flowering. Temps need to be between 60-80F. Most places on the earth don't naturally meet those temp/light requirements. Users these days demand extremely high quality product and you just can't grow it outdoors to achieve that." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: This country's obsession with bacon.\n\nI just don't get it. No one seems to favor pork over beef/chicken, unless its bacon. Bacon is always either too crispy where it essentially just becomes pork jerky and tough to chew, or its a little softer but then the flavor tends to over power the rest of the bite. And then when it does cool down it becomes hard anyway. I can enjoy truly fresh bacon from time to time if its homemade, but I will skip over the bacon entrees 10 out of 10 times from fast food places/casual restaurants. I don't think its awful, its just, I don't know, not something I really want to eat on a daily or even weekly basis. And this is completely ignoring the unhealthy factor. \n\nAm I the only one who feels this way?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bacon simultaneously appeals to all three flavors people crave-- sugar, salt, and fat. Event the scent of bacon is unique, thanks to the Maillard reaction (a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned foods their desirable flavor)\n\nIt's easy to prepare, reasonably priced, and readily available in the United States, so chefs started using it's properties as a \"cheat\" to enhance any dish. Want to make boring eggs and toast more appealing? Add bacon. Want to make a mediocre burger taste better? Add bacon. Want to make a dessert a little less sweet and more balance? Add bacon. \n\nThe salty-sweet-fat combination is irresistible to most people, not just necessarily Americans. It's just more accessible in a place like the US." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[The Mask] Just how powerful is the mask?\n\nSo I'm watching the movie again and I remember it's based on a comic series. How powerful is the mask itself? Where does it come from and is there any villain or character who could really stand against someone wearing the mask?\n\nAlso how in control is the wearer generally?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Did you not see the beginning? It was imbued with the powers of Loki and Vikings left it here in a chest that eventually opened up, giving the mask to Stanley. And it's pretty freaking powerful, it gave him invincibility, reality warping, the ability to create objects out of nowhere, and really any other abilities that classic cartoon characters would have. But that's only Stanley. It affects other people differently. \n\n> Also how in control is the wearer generally?\n\nThat's uncertain, because the bad guy seemed pretty in control when he put it on. But Stanley assumed his time as the mask was a dream." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why is the urge to breathe based around CO2 and not oxygen?\n\nWhen you hold your breath, it is rising levels of CO2 in the bloodstream that makes you feel the need to breathe again; your body is not aware of its oxygen levels. This makes it possible to breathe a gas like nitrogen and suffocate without ever noticing that you can't breathe. Additionally, if you lower your CO2 levels by hyperventilating, then hold your breath, it's possible to pass out without feeling the need to breathe, because your oxygen levels deplete before your CO2 levels rise to alarming levels.\n\nSince oxygen levels are what we need to stay alive, why aren't our bodies' reflexes based around that?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "> Since oxygen levels are what we need to stay alive, why aren't our bodies' reflexes based around that?\n\nBecause evolution simply finds a solution that works well enough to let you reproduce. Not always the best one." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How does YouTube have the space to hold thousands and thousands of videos? Even then having some of those videos in 4k which would take up a ton if space on a traditional harddrive." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They use a ton of HDDs :D Basically they are held on a server farm. Which can hold petabytes of information. Though Youtube now has 100s of petabytes worth of info.. and youtube infrastructure is complicated!\n\nAs youtube uses a pretty complicated distribution method for its data. when a standard person uploads a video, it only gets stored in the most local data center. this is why when you watch a video with very little views, it often buffers a bunch and takes forever to load. As view count increases, copies of the data are distributed to relevant data centers around the world. this is why ads and extremely popular content loads extremely quickly." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How can a company like UHaul allow me to drive their trucks halfway across the country and leave them at different UHaul centers? Wouldn't some centers lose more trucks than they take in and vice versa?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yes, it happens just like you expect. Companies like U-haul and RV rental companies, etc. have programs to mitigate this - car transport, or RV companies will buy 1-way plane tickets for drivers to move their RVs for them." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How do grass and trees survive prolonged sub-zero exposure?\n\nI get that plant cells have huge vacuoles, but wouldn't the freezing of the cytoplasm overcome those volumes? What about nutrient transportation (like tree sap)?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Trees have the ability to not run water/nutrients close to the outside when its winter, this is somewhat to prevent freezing. This also creates age rings in the wood, since the water level and therefor color changes based on the temperature." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How does the fuel gauge work in a car?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Go to your toilet and lift the lid off of the water holder. Flush the toilet. See that little floaty thingy? Thats what in your fuel tank. The car takes a measurement of how high that float it floating (by using electronics it can measure how far on a stick that floater has floated up). Take a volume measurement with the float being the heigh and you get how much fuel you have." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[The mist 2007] why do the creatures stay in the mist?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thats the environment they live in or maybe even evolved in. \n\nIt would be like a fish asking why humans tend to stick to the surface and only take short trips into the ocean. \n\nIts not where we evolved to live even though we can hold our breath and swim for a short time." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Halo] Why does the UNSC use 600+ year old cartridge designs?\n\n7.62x51 mm, 12.7x99 mm, 14.5x114 mm, etc. I know they do use some newly developed cartridge sizes, but so many of their mainline weapons utilize ancient standards such as these. How has nothing better been developed?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The UNSC never needed to develop anything better, at least from their point of view. Those cartridge designs work well for what the UNSC uses them for and so they've not had any reason to try and change them over the centuries. Keeping to the same types of ammunition lets it be more easily reused and recycled. Plus the infrastructure for those standards was already in place across UNSC space. Changing it every couple of years whenever somebody came up with something marginally better would be a lengthy and extremely costly endeavor for very little gain." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why do many pop songs have so many different songwriters listed?\n\nI see so many songs with 3-5 or more listed in the credits. I always thought sometimes one person wrote music, and another wrote lyrics. Why can it take around 5 people to write a song?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Studios that produce pop music typically have in-house songwriters. They might work collaboratively, they might reuse ideas from each others' work, they might even dig up unused lyrics written by someone else and add their own elements. When people say that pop music is produced in an assembly line, that's not an indictment, it's an observation." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "eli5 How do lasers clean surfaces and destroy things?\n\nI've seen videos of lasers cleaning things and exploding stuff, but what's the science behind it? Aren't lasers just beams of light?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The videos you’ve seen are probably a specific sort of laser for removing rust without damaging the underlying material. It makes for quite a show, and the key is that the laser is a monochromatic light source of a single frequency. In this case it’s a frequency which is readily absorbed by rust, but not steel. There are other examples of this same idea at work, tattoo removal which uses a laser to target the ink itself, while sparing most of the surrounding tissue. All of this comes down to understanding the absorption spectrum of the target and then using a laser tuned to the correct frequency." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Teaching-only positions at colleges\n\nI really love math and I would like to teach at college level. I'm not as keen on research though. I have a few questions. \n\n1. Are teaching-only positions hard to come by? What are the opportunities like, especially for a foreigner?\n\n2. What are the requirements? Would I have to get a phd?\n\n3. What is the pay like?\n\nI would be happy to receive tips and advice from everyone. Thank you :)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Community colleges are teaching-only positions, and for math they're pretty easy to come by, but fairly competetive. In most states, a master's is the minimum requirement, but a phd is helpful. The pay is alright; it's enough to have a decent middle-class lifestyle." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Thor Ragnarok] How powerful is Thor? Is Hela’s power the ability to make infinite amounts of swords from thin air? Why give Hulk weapons for the arena when he is the Hulk?\n\nFor Thor, I think his physical strength and power is inconsistent. Why hide from bullets and gunfire when he can survive punches from Hulk? The Hulk jumped hundreds of feet into the air and then crushed Thor, and he was fine, but Hela managed to cut off Thor’s eye. EDIT: Also, Thor was bouncing a ball and when it bounced off the wall it hit him and put him on the ground. WTF??!\n\nI feel like giving Hulk melee weapons is dumb because his punches are more effective. Why give him weapons? To make him look more intimidating?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Spoiler warning in the body is a bit redundant when you put some spoilers in the title haha.\n\nIn regards to Thor’s strength, it’s inconsistent because that’s kind of a plot point, he subconsciously holds himself back as Odin explains. \n\nWhy does he hide from bullets? Just because they don’t harm him doesn’t mean that enough of them don’t sting a bit... why does Wonder Woman block bullet when she is bullet proof (comics not movie) because the one time they don’t hide or block or dodge is the one time someone has a super bullet that pierced right through them and kills them instantly.\n\nAnd hulks strength can only be made more effective with the addition of weapons. They super space weapons obviously. That should be obvious as soon as the hammer doesn’t crumble in his hands or shatter against Thor." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why are my mustache hairs straight, but my beard hairs look like pubes?\n\n[EDIT] TIL that I should be using beard oil and conditioner." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What you do to your hair does not affect the shape with which it comes out of your skin. The shape of your pubic hair is not determined by the amount of sweat or oils on your skin. The shape of hair is determined by the kind of hair it is (vellus versus terminal) and your genetic predisposition to what kind of hair you grow where (curly, straight, and everything in between). You grow one type of hair on your head, another on your eyebrows, another on your moustache, sideburns, beard, legs etc. If you look closely, there are differences in the hair you grow on different parts of your body. It's genetics that gave you a bushy beard and straighter moustache hairs. That's kind of all it is. Someone else could hopefully better explain the reason the upper lip might develop straighter hair than the face from a biological standpoint." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Star Trek] Hard suits\n\nWhy don’t they wear hard suits in Star Trek? They go into a lot of dangerous situations and places. This planet here is mostly toxic, this ship here is on fire, and then they beam right on in, in their regular clothes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because they can be beamed right out. It really depends on the situation. Sometimes they dress in more durable protective equipment particularly if there are environmental hazards but most often if things get too harry they can just be beamed out (provided we aren't talking about those relatively rare instances where the transporters aren't working that are vastly over-represented in the historical records). Their uniforms are designed to be fire/chemical resistant (which was a common practice in old earth navies going as far back as the 21st century). It's likely that the star fleet uniform provides a greater degree of protection than you're giving it credit for. \n\nHard suits are bulky and difficult to work in. Even soft suits designed for environmental control are difficult to get around in and extremely unpleasant. Unless you're facing off against hard vacuum, the added negatives associated with a hard suit are rarely justified in terms of the added protection which is generally unnecessary. Add onto this advanced medical technology (inoculations to most hazards including large levels of radiation) and the ships sensors which can accurately determine the environmental factors inside a ship prior to beaming and it's no wonder that this added precaution is rarely used." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why do puppies always want to lick your face?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Licking to show affection is a functional behavior that puppies learn from their mother and littermates. Maternal licking and licking among littermates helps strengthen family bonds. A dog licking your face is expressing his affection for you and trying to strengthen the familial bond he has with you." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: What's happening in Thailand?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "martial law. locals are not happy with the government. Protests planned for this Friday - Sunday. Ex Pats living in Bangkok don't seem too concerned - just staying away from major areas. Pizzas and DVD's for a few days." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[batman] Joker is captured and shipped off to a new asylum on the other side of the planet. How will he react without access to his BFF?\n\nCom. Gordon manages to convince the judges that there's a new psychiatrist in Australia, a Dr. Jack Star shall we say. Joker now has no access to Gotham, Batty can't visit him frequently, how long before he dives further down the rabbit hole?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Joker will attempt to break free almost immediately, probably while being transported. Knowing him, he'd probably manage it too. Then he'd kill whichever judge tried to send him away from Old Batsy, to manke sure nobody else tried it again." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: If a job can be done more effectively and cheaply by a machine, then it's pointless to have a human do it\n\nWhen a large organization lays off workers because their jobs are obsolete, labor unions and politicians always get really angry. They make pleas like \"This hurts the middle class!\" and \"How are these people going to feed their families?\"\n\nIt feels insensitive to say this, but these are emotional arguments rather than rational ones. They're arguments with which I sympathize, as someone who's seen friends and family struggle with long-term unemployment after getting laid off. But they're arguments that serve only to make people feel better: they make no difference in the overall trend toward automation.\n\nJobs exist because work needs to get done, not because employers want to feed people's families. If the work can be done cheaper by a machine than by a human, then it's foolish and ultimately futile for an organization to keep using human labor.\n\nI'm a liberal. I'm in favor of legally-mandated unemployment benefits, legally-mandated retraining programs for laid-off workers, and collective bargaining by labor unions. The view I would like changed is simply that *fighting against the obsolescence of jobs is a waste of time and energy*." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": ">It feels insensitive to say this, but these are emotional arguments rather than rational ones.\n\n\nWell, no they aren't. Insofar as it's true that \"This hurts the middle class,\" and \"these people aren't going to be able to feed their families,\" these are true and serious objections. In fact, it seems as though your emotional affinity for the idea of an automated economy are getting in the way of seeing these objections as legitimate issues. An economy that doesn't allow for it's citizens to earn a living is unsustainable." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: What makes white things turn a dark yellow as they get older?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are two main groups of things which go through this transformation for different reasons.\n\nThe first are things which have had a blue additive. This is commonly done in white paints, clothing, and plastics. It turns out that pure white doesn't actually look white to us when it is outside in the sun. To make things look white you want to make them be a little more blue, so the additive makes them look more white to our eyes. Overtime these additives breakdown and so the items return to true white, but this looks slightly yellow to us.\n\nThe other is paper products. Paper products are bleached to make them look white, but if not treated properly there is a major component in paper that breaks down overtime into acid. This acid eats the paper slightly changing its color." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5:what is a libertarian?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A consequentialist libertarian is someone who thinks the government's functions should be limited to the activities that require force. Consequentialist libertarians think the government should:\n1. Prevent body crimes like murder and rape\n2. Prevent property crimes like theft and fraud\n3. Adjudicate the terms of contracts when there is a dispute.\n\nSome consequentialist libertarians would also include providing certain public goods (like lighthouses) that cannot be easily be provided by the free market as a legitimate government function.\n\nOther libertarians, known as deontological libertarians, follow the Non-aggression principle which is the philosophy that it is immoral to initiate force or fraud against another person or their property. Everyone, including the government, must follow this philosophy in order to be moral, accoding to deontological libertarians.\n\nAll libertarians are united in wanting a very small, limited government." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Sesame Street] If you were to be bitten by The Count, would you turn into a puppet? Puppet vampire?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nothing would happen.\n\nBelieve it or not, according to internal Sesame Workshop documents (specifically the 2001 edition of *Sesame Street Muppets Drawing Guide*, the official reference for drawing Sesame Street characters for tie-in books and the like) the Count is not, in fact, a vampire." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: If a \"female\" identifies as a male would they be **legally** allowed to be topless on tv?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I doubt it. Trans women can be arrested for being topless (something only a woman can be arrested for) then tried and imprisoned as males, which has happened in the US, so the gender of the person displaying said boobs seems irrelevent in the eyes of the law right now. All they care about is that they see boobs that are classically \"female\" and decide it's illegal." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: why does the FBI need manned Cessna's and shell companies for surveillance when we have unmanned drones that would suffice?\n\nI'm thinking we're all pissed but numb to American mass surveillance and they know that so they went with it. Logic tells me that they have technology such as satellites, drones, etc that would be much more efficient and effective. That's not even taking into the account the spying tools they have that we don't even know about. A guy circling the city in a fake company Cessna is unlikely doing surveillance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "FAA permission to operate drones over the US is highly restricted. Liability concerns for a crash caused by simple engine failure make it difficult to covertly do things without shell companies. Somebody has to buy the insurance and pay the premiums." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[harry potter] what happens if one person invents an original spell using an incantation, and a different person invents a different spell using the same incantation?\n\nlet's say someone creates a new spell that gives you cancer. the incantation they use for it is \"fibbledink binkle-dee-borf\". someone else who has never heard of the cancer spell, comes up with their own original spell that walks your dog for you, using the same words. \n\n\nwhat happens if a third person learned both of those spells, that have the same incantation? if they could do both of them using the same words, then couldn't every spell all have the same words, and the only difference is your intentions?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You're making some assumptions about how spell invention works that are very likely wrong. Take a look at sectumesempre. Sectum means cut. Semper means always. So we have always cut, a spell that makes a person bleed until a counterspell is applied. So are spells invented, or are they discovered? In either case, you are unlikely to get spells with such widely different effects using the same incantation." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why can't someone just calm down when they are having a panic/anxiety attack?\n\nI know that telling someone to calm down in such a situation is useless, and it usually will just make it worse, but why? Even if nobody tells them to do anything, why is it so seemingly impossible? I ask because I've never really had a problem with anxiety; when I'm stressed I typically just begin feeling tired, so anxiety as a whole is pretty foreign to me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Panic attacks unnecessarily trigger your fight or flight response and send adrenaline all over your body. There is no danger, but your brain has erroneously perceived danger. You can't stop the adrenaline that's already been released in the same way you can't tell your brain to stop making your heart beat, essentially. \n\nSince it takes time for the response to die down, any attempts to calm oneself that aren't quickly successful can make the situation seem more endless/hopeless." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: What does it mean to float a country's currency?\n\nSri Lanka is going through the worst economic crisis in history after the government has essentially been stealing money in any way they can. We have no power, no fuel, no diesel, no gas to cook with and there's a shortage of 600 essential items in the country that we are now banning to import. Inflation has reached an all-time high and has shot up unnaturally over the last year, because we have uneducated fucks running the country who are printing over a billion rupees per day. \n\nYesterday, the central bank announced they would float the currency to manage the soaring inflation rates. Can anyone explain how this would stabilise the economy? (Or if this wouldn't?)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In general all currencies float. The market demand decides how many dollars you get for your euro, and so forth.\n\nMost central banks attempt to stabilize this float by buying the currency when it is low and selling it when it is high. This buffering effect can keep the currency in a narrow trading range, if the central bank has enough money.\n\nSome of the time, like your Sri Lanka case, the central bank doesn't have enough money to keep the currency in the trading range. At that time, they make an announcement that they are going to drop their support for the currency and let the market find it's own level. This is typically much lower, and so everybody who has the currency will see their account values drop dramatically relative to a baseline currency like the dollar or euro. That gets all the inflation out of the way, in one big painful event, rather than depressing everyone for months." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[General] What is the difference between a Mage and a warlock?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A warlock is someone who got their magical powers from a demonic bargain or pact, compared to wizards, who get their powers by studying magic, and sorcerers, who are born with magical powers.\n\nOr, in the eloquent words of 1d4chan: \"a wizard gets \"A\"s in class by studying really hard, a sorcerer gets \"A\"s by having natural talent, and a warlock gets \"A\"s by giving the dean a blowjob in his office.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: What causes people to 'jump' when frightened?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It’s An instinct that causes your muscles to start tensing up as if you’re about to have to quickly move or fight something.\n\nThere’s a reason that people when startled often stand up and/or being their arms up closer to their chest/head, it gives the body and head some extra protection than if your arms were at your sides and when your arms are in your pretty much ready to start punching." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[MCU] If Wakanda was never colonized, why do Wakandans speak English?\n\nI know they also speak Xhosa, but why do T'Challa and Shuri speak English when they're alone, for example?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They might've learned it out of necessity, English is now classed as a global language spoken by over 2 billion of the planets populace. With many different varieties such as American English, South African English, Australian and New Zealand etc. So with English being such a common language they would have learnt it as a way to better communicate with the wider world." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hey thermodynamics experts, why do stringy things tangle?\n\nWhenever I try to reason this out, I always come back to thinking that in the process of knotting or tangling a string (or headphones cord, or whatever), the number of possible configurations is being constrained, thus reducing the overall entropy of the system, which is illogical, given that things *always* tangle. Also, something something partition function. \n\n\nWhat is actually going on?\n\nI am looking for a thermodynamic or statistical explanation - not something relating to jones polynomials or persistence lengths. \n\nI'm looking forward to a fun discussion! Thanks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Actually, it's that there are very few ways where you can be untangled.\n\nIf you have two strings that start parallel and are in a confined space, you can only really call them untangled if they remain in that initial state or a state very similar to it (a low chance, as this is only a few states of many), or end up being located far enough from each other that they can't tangle with each other whatever they do (also a low chance in a confined space, depending on how small the space is). For any other configuration - twists, loops, knots, whatever you want - there are many more possible choices.\n\nFor example, you can add many more combinations to the initial parallel strings just by twisting them together, dependent on where the twists are, how many twists there are, and so on. Add more strings, and the amount of combinations where *all* of them stay untangled gets very low indeed!" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why does intense hunger sometimes cause nausea? That seems like the opposite of what should happen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because your body is trying to encourage you to eat! Here are the two possibilities I've read about:\n\nAccording to when you eat, your body will release a hormone called Ghrelin which makes you feel like you're starving, possibly to the point of feeling nauseated. So if you normally eat every four hours and you missed a meal, your stomach starts to release ghrelin whether you need food or not because you've trained it on a schedule. Ghrelin normally stops being released after 30-60 minutes so it doesn't impact you actually getting food and that feeling of nausea will go away.\n\nIt could also be low blood sugar! Your body could be releasing the hormone, Glucagon, which can cause nausea. If your diet is higher in refined carbohydrates, you're not used to burning fat because you have more sugars in your diet. If those sugars run out, your body starts to burn fat and this might cause a dip in your energy levels, headaches and nausea." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: why are we set up to not eat healthy?\n\nIn America, there was an obesity scare in the 1970's-1980's that told Americans \"fat is bad\" and so they've removed the fat content from many foods. by doing that, they became less tasteful and so to replace that they added sugar. \n\nBut also, we've been told every day to eat our grains and oats. But the thing is, most of the bread that we consume is actually really bad for us, even the whole-grain breads. It isn't the same oats and grains are grandparents consumed.\n\nMany companies too try really hard to make things seem healthy when they aren't. \n\nSo how is a person in this society supposed to be able to eat healthy? Do you have any tips and tricks to make it simple? Can you point us to sources we as consumers should be able to trust?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If by \"set up\" you mean biologically it's because some nutrients were much rarer then others and over time we became hardwired to seek those particular nutrients more so over others since obtaining those nutrients required more effort. Now in modern times those nutrients are quite abundant but we still retain that need to seek those once rare nutrients which causes problems due to excess. Also those rare nutrients: salts, sugars, fats, etc. are not unhealthy." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How do we know how ancient languages sound?\n\nLike the title suggests, how do people who study ancient languages like Latin or Ancient Greek know how the letters are pronounced? Do they just compare it to modern languages, or is there another way?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "in part, they look at the offspring languages and study how they sound. they also look into the morphology of pronunciation and see how people change speech over time in general.\n\nthat being said, we don't actually know much, we have made a lot of educated guesses where each separately have have a medium-high degree of accuracy.\n\nif you learned one of these languages and went back in time to one of these ancient cultures you'd probably sound something like a chinese student attempting to speak english after two months of study. that is to say you'd be nearly understandable and you'd not understand much of what is being spoken.\n\nthe exception is latin. if you study latin today with good instruction you'd do very well. we have too much information on how latin was pronounced excepting about 4 sounds (w vs v is one of the hotly contended pronunciations). similarly with greek though not as good.\n\nthe most interesting case is proto indo-european." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: a \"good actor\" has more to do with writing, directing and overall production than with a particular actor's skills.\n\nNow I'm not saying that actors are not talented and that it is not difficult to act out difficult scenes. My qualm is with the separation of \"good actors\" and \"average actors\".\n\nMatthew McConnahey is the obvious candidate who was thought of as nothing special until he had an opportunity to work with a good script, good production and good directing. Heath Ledger was another example. Robin Williams, too, would not have been thought as much more than a comedian until given the right opportunity. Or Will Smith. We may soon be saying the same for Jesse Eisenberg.\n\nGiven the quality of script, the careful directing, the number of takes and feedback and cues an actor may take to get a scene right, the music which can be an emotional trigger; it is hard to imagine any professional actor who could not be coaxed into giving stellar performances.\n\nObviously people will cite examples to the contrary, but to compare Gary Oldman who is widely regarded as a master actor, I've recently noticed the previously unremarkable aussie actor Joel Edgerton being cast as Rameses in the upcoming Exodus, and I think that it may not take much to make a competent actor \"chameleonic\".\n\nBasically, I believe any competent or trained actor can be coaxed to give outstanding performances with the right directing and production. There is less variety in the capabilities of professional actors than the fandom of A-listers suggest.\n\nEdit: to clarify my position: I think there is less validity to the claim \"X is a brilliant actor and Y is a bad or average actor\" than there is to \"X got a good role, script and director whilst Y has been unable to find a role or script he can really shine in.\"\n\nEdit2: okay guys, took a bit of discussion but you did change my view. A few guys highlighted the inverse of my position, good movies dragged down by bad acting (Keanu in Dracula is one I'll never forgive) and average movies saved by an outstanding performance (no one would be mentioning Good Morning Vietnam without Williams). But most importantly was the talk of theater, which removes all of my talk of takes, editing and music and lets it be the bare actors. I never considered that, but it is absolutely contrary to my position and changed my mind. Dishing out the deltas for the 3 who changed my view." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I think there is definitely a major impact on an actor's performance when given a good script and good direction, but there is also a skill to the actor themselves and they way in which they go about their work.\n\nA good actor will try to understand the character and their motivations, and will give feedback to the writers and director about how a line feels and sounds in that context. Also, a huge thing about great actors for television and films is their ability to self-choreograph otherwise improvised motions. Something as simple as how they hold a prop like a cigarette or a drink, and the timing of when they take a sip in the dialogue, and making that consistent goes a long way to making the editor's life a hell of a lot easier when editing for continuity. A lot of novice actors will move around at random, just reading the lines and trying to act as it comes to them. When you take the footage back to edit, it can often be a mess trying to line up shots where the actor's arms or legs are in the same position at the same word in a dialogue, and you end up having to edit around them instead of editing around how it would feel best. \n\nBut of course, any production is a culmination of all its constituent parts." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How is caffeine physically addictive and why does a person experience withdrawal?\n\nWhat causes caffeine to be physically addictive, so that an addict experiences withdrawal when they do not get a dosage?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Caffeine acts as a competitive inhibitor for the neurotransmitter Adenosine. It does this by binding to adenosine receptors without activating them. During continuous use, the body works to counteract this effect by increasing the number of adenosine receptors in the central nervous system. Because of this adaptation, the body is then more sensitive to adenosine in the absence of caffeine. The body's heightened reaction to adenosine involves the unpleasant symptoms typically referred to as withdrawal." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[X-Men] How many kids has wolverine had? How many mutants might be his descendants?\n\nAssuming of course that he's fertile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "James Howlet, the mutant famously known as Wolverine, had many children during his long life before his recent final (/s) death.\n\nFirst, there was Akihiro, the son of Itsu, James' Japanese wife. Akihiro was born in 1946. He possesses some of Howlet's abilities : enhanced senses and bone claws, most notoriously. He also has an uncanny ability to manipulate his pheromones. You might know him under his alias, Daken.\n\nIn the Savage Land, there is someone, named Erista, who is claimed to be the son of a man named Wolverine and the leader of a tribal group. Not much more is known about him.\n\nWilliam Downing is an human, son of Dolores Dowing and James Howlet. William Downing took the name Gunhawk, and became part, and later led, a mercenary group. This mercenary group, called the Mongrels, had an interesting membership :\n\n* Downing, as previously mentioned\n* \"Saw Fist\", son of Howlet, mother unknown\n* \"Cannon Foot\", son of Howlet, mother unknown\n* \"Shadowstalker\", daughter of Howlet, mother unknown\n* \"Fire Knives\", daughter of Howlet, mother unknown\n\nAll the members of the group known as the Mongrels were killed by James Howlet, unaware at the time that it was comprised entirely of his children.\n\nYou also need to take into account Laura Kinney, code-named \"X-23\", created from the genetic material of James Howlet. Another clone, about whom not much is known, is Avery Connor. Both those clones manifest a set of powers very similar to the mutant James Howlet.\n\nThose are only his known children and clones - given his very long life, it may be possible that he has multiple other children, unbeknownst to him." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Batman] Why didn't Batman call backup during Knightfall?\n\nFrom anyone in the Batfamily, or Justice League?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Batman had just gone through a crisis of faith in himself and his abilities. Black Mask had really shaken his confidence after a pretty nasty scheme and then getting away with it. A few other villains showed up right after, making it impossible for Batman to take even one day off to recoup and re-focus his mind. He got run so hard and so brutally even before Bane arrived in Gotham that it made Batman succumb to a minor sickness. \n\nOf course, Bane's first move in Gotham was to break EVERYONE out of Arkham, which made a shaken and rapidly worsening Batman to capture them one by one. \n\nBatman wasn't in a state, mentally or physically, to even think about calling for backup. On top of his natural affinity for working alone, the sickness in his head and body made it worse and worse until he could barely stand, which is when Bane struck." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[neuroscience]Is there any limit as to how much information that the human brain can hold?\n\nIs there any theoretical limit as to how much information that the human brain can hold?\n\nWhat would happen if someone reached that limit?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ultimately the brain has limited amount of material for data storage so it can store limited amount of information. It is impossible to store infinite information to finite possible entropy. However the brain also does not store the information in quite the same way than a computer does. Information in the brain often needs refreshing and unimportant things tend to fade in memory. Probably because same \"circuits\" are used to store other things too. \n\nThink of it like in artificial neural network classification in machine learning. You can teach it to classify a class but if you then stop showing it that class and feed it data about other classes the network might get modified in a way that the first class is no longer reliably recognized. \n\nI am not aware of anyone hitting the limit of their memory capacity though. And it's good to remember that even the most informed answers you get in the neuroscience field involve a lot of \"informed opinions\" instead of hard fact." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[SCP] Has anything useful ever come out of studying SCPs?\n\nLike, have the studies done on contained SCPs ever produced tech or other advancements beneficial to humanity?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Well, there is that one *thingy* that has allowed them to \"reset\" reality after world-ending catastrophe on a couple of occasions. That seems pretty useful, but the vast majority of artifacts are more dangerous than useful." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why do some shows like Dexter, Game of Thrones and Sherlock \"look\" like movies whereas shows like The Big Bang Theory or Friends do not look like movies?\n\nI am talking about the \"look\" and \"feel\" of the images in the show. I do not mean the content or the storyline of the show. Does it have something to do with the framerate at which they are shot? Is the video technology used for shooting these shows very different?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "American sitcoms like the ones you listed are typically shot in front of a live studio audience with a multiple camera set-up and a higher frame rate than films. They shoot with several cameras at once so they can get all the shots they need from a single performance of a given scene and that also means they have to light the whole set evenly, which doesn't look natural at all. \n\nIt's more like recording a play than making a movie." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How do small birds survive sub zero temperatures with such little body mass?\n\nI understand the concept of hollow, thus insulating, feathers, but it just amazes me that these little creatures are still flying about. It's been below zero for several days where I live. Their bodies are so small, they cannot possibly produce much heat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "MS in biology here...not sure about that specific species of bird, but usually keeping warm is going to involve a few things, 1) maintaining body heat through the expenditure of energy, so metabolism needs to be supported by adequate food consumption, and 2) preserving that body heat through insulation such as fat and feathers. They may/will also have behavioral adaptations such as huddling together, or being able to find the warmest places in their immediate environment to find shelter." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why are there flat head and Philips head screws and screwdrivers? Are either better than the other?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Each has it's own advantages. Flat heads have the advantage that they're simple to make, and in a pinch can be worked with other flat metal objects.\n\nPhillips heads screws are specifically designed so the bit slips if too much torque is applied. This is especially important for electric drills, so that if a screw gets stuck it doesn't damage the motor." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eli5: If water can't be compressed under normal conditions, then how does water pressure work?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Water is compressible, just not by very much. For example 4 km under the ocean, water’s density is increased by just 1.8%. This is so small that saying water is in-compressible make for a good approximation.\r \n\r \nPressure does not depend on how compressible a substance is. It just depends on the total weight per unit area of all the substance above, pressing down." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Are problems with inbreeding faced by humans mirrored in other animals?\n\nInbreeding I know is linked to higher rates of mental disabilities in people, but is the same true for fish, birds, and other mammalls?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The problems in humans are very minor, relatively speaking; laws and social mores greatly limit the amount of linebreeding/backcrossing/inbreeding.\n\nIn domesticated animals, these techniques are how humans create different breeds. \n\nSpecific examples: \n\nDogs: hip problems in German Shepherds, severe breathing problems in brachycephalic dog breeds, or the semi-retardation of many Irish Setters and Golden Retrievers.\n\nChickens: Cornish Cross are too stupid to do much beyond feed themselves, and many Polish/silkies/breeds-with-a-head-poof need to be trimmed so they can see.\n\nPet ferrets are so severely inbred, just keeping them alive can be a tricky proposition." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why is glass the dominant window material, as opposed to higher-grade plastics?\n\nI understand why car windows should be glass, given the high speeds, and potential benefits in a crash. For home windows or buildings, I would guess that plastics might be more durable, longer-lasting, and potentially cheaper. I assume I'm wrong and someone must have put far more thought into this than me, so I'm curious to hear what that is." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Glass is far more durable than any plastic, most significantly it doesn’t degrade due to UV exposure.\n\nIt also does not let UV through which protects the interior. Items in plastic conservatories will bleach much faster than in glass ones." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: Talking about CEO compensation as a socialist is an incoherent and harmful distraction\n\nPeople on the left, including those who call themselves socialists, often complain about the pay gap between CEOs and low wage employees. The reason some employees are paid too little, the story goes, is because the CEO is paid too much. This is a harmful distraction from the true nature of the situation under a socialist world view, which is that employees (labor) are paid too little because the *owners* (capital) are paid too much.\n\nI will start this by assuming that every socialist who complains about CEO compensation being too high actually knows what a CEO, or chief executive officer, is. I don’t necessarily think this is a reasonable assumption, but in the interest of making the complaints seem as coherent as possible, I think we have to start with a baseline assumption that everyone is operating in reality. A CEO is an employee who is hired to make the management decisions of a company. That’s it. The CEO is not the owner. The CEO is not the founder. The CEO is not capital in general. The CEO, unlike the owner, does not take distribution in the form of excess rent leftover once labor is paid. The CEO earns a salary for his or her labor. The CEO is on payroll like any other employee. Bottom line: the CEO is simply a highly paid employee.\n\nIt is important for socialists to draw a distinction between capital and labor. Labor are those who make money from mental and/or physical and/or emotional acts of work, and the term “labor” most explicitly refers to those employed by an employer. Capital are those who make money from their ownership of the means of production. This distinction between people who earn money through working and people who earn money through ownership underlies all of socialist thought. And it is important in a practical matter because the inequality and other negative aspects of capitalism do not result from people who work too much and add too much value through their labor. Those negative aspects result from people who own too much and extract too much rent through their ownership.\n\nSocialists should view CEOs as a member of the labor class. Under a socialist world view, the “working class” is not so much an income level as it is a way to make money. If you make money from working, you’re working class (or at least you’re a member of labor rather than capital). Terms like “middle class” and “upper middle class” only seek to divide the people who earn money through their labor. If I could articulate the socialist world view with two examples, it would be this: a landlord who owns one rental property and makes $12,000 a year from it is a capitalist. A surgeon employed by a hospital who earns a salary of $500,000 is a laborer. To say this is not to villainize one and lionize the other. It is simply to acknowledge the coherent world view that earning money strictly through ownership is different from earning money through labor.\n\nNow you may think that “CEO” is simply a stand-in for capital in general. And I admit that “the owner” is a hard concept to pin down. For most large companies, it’s the shareholders, and there are plenty of large companies where the CEO is in fact the sole owner. But the way people talk about it suggests that they know the CEO is an employee, and legislative definitions make it very clear that what people are talking about is highly paid employees. The Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act, for example, defines the pay gap as the gap between the highest compensated employee and the lowest compensated employee. In placing a limit on this value, the Act would place upper limits on the amount a highly-paid employee could receive but no limit on any distribution to the owners.\n\nThis type of messaging is harmful because it sends the message that any labor fight is between employees who are paid too much and employees who are paid too little. It never even acknowledges the rent extracted by the owners of the company. That distribution is taken for granted. The owners will get their share, and then the employees can fight over the rest. If a janitor is not making enough money, it’s because the CEO or their manager took too much.\n\nIt also works to divide the labor class the other way. If you go into any hospital and ask any doctor “who do you have more in common with? The cleaning crew of the hospital or the CEO” the doctor is going to say the CEO. That’s true for plenty of “middle class” laborers. They relate more to the highly paid managers of the company than they do to the low-wage employees. So if some regional manager of a department store thinks he or she isn’t making enough, they’re going to blame the low wage employees. They’re going to see any complaints against the CEO and other highly paid employees as attempts to take their own money. And this perception wouldn’t even be that unreasonable in many cases. In fact, in the hospital example, the CEO may not even be the highest paid employee. In other words, it’s likely that the Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act, if implemented, would limit a doctor’s salary.\n\nI want a world with class solidarity. That means the *entire* labor class, no matter how well compensated. From the janitor to the doctor to the regional manager to the CEO—anyone who earns their money through labor, whether they went to business school or not. I’m not sure how to do that, but a good start would be to acknowledge the concept of economic rents and stop using the CEO as some boogeyman who is hogging the entire payroll. That is not what socialism is about. It is not a fight between employees who are paid too much and employees who are paid too little. There’s more money to go around than focusing entirely on employees would have you believe. And there’s nothing the owners love more than watching the employees bicker with each other over who is getting paid too much." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": ">which is that employees (labor) are paid too little because the owners (capital) are paid too much.\n\nIn most cases, the owners are shareholders.\n\n>The CEO is not the owner.\n\nThe CEO almost always is a shareholder and is, therefore, an owner. You even concede the CEO is sometimes the \"sole owner.\" Can you even given an example of a CEO who has no ownership of a company? How exactly can you separate the CEO from ownership if not? The CEO makes decisions about compensation. They decide how little to pay everyone else to boost the value of their ownership." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5:Athletes seemingly get better every decade as we learn more about nutrition. Does this mean we truly don't know the capabilities/limitations of the human body?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There's so much more to learn about the human body. No question. \n\nJust consider the amount of conflicting studies re: nutrition and sport-specific training. In the 80s, carbs were good. Now, carbs are bad. In the 90s, fat was bad. Now, it's making a nutritional comeback with a vengeance." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "If I had a super precise weighing scale, would my weight change as I breathed in and out?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yes, water leaves our lungs as we breathe out, also we breathe in O2 and breathe out CO2. You would lose weight for both reasons.\n\nIt wouldn't however be an up and down cycle, for reasons others have posted. It would be a slight drop with each exhale." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "If I shine a white LED light through a prism, would I see a spectrum, or would I see a red line, a green line, and a blue line?\n\nI've been thinking about this since I got some of those little window hangers that put shine little rainbows into your room by ~~refracting~~ dispersing(?) sunlight, but I don't have a white LED light bright enough to actually see anything if I shine it through." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You'd most likely see a strong blue line, with a broad spectrum covering the other colors (on the long-wavelength side of blue).\n\nThe reason is the typical white LED is actually a blue LED which lights up a phosphor that produces the other colors. But the phosphor can only produce colors with lower-energy photons than the blue that excited it.\n\nETA: It's also possible to make a white LED by combining blue, red, and green LEDs, in which case you'd see 3 distinct lines in the output spectrum." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5:Why did the U.S. win the Korean war but lose the Vietnam war?\n\nOr perhaps put in another way: why is there a South Korea, but there isn't a South Vietnam? What made South Korea possible when we just barely made it out of Vietnam before Saigon fell?\n\nEDIT: I was specifically trying to avoid getting into the semantics of \"win/lose\" in both wars with my comments above. I fully understand that the Korean war is not officially over.\n\nEDIT 2: Apparently, no one read anything I typed above :(" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They're not very good comparison candidates, they're 3,000Km apart with vastly different terrains & political situations. It's also arguable that the USA did not win the Korean war, given the existence of North Korea it would seem to validate the claim that the USA only partially succeeded. Vietnam was much more a war of the USAs own making than something the locals wanted any part of." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[DC] I'm Chemical King! I speed up or slow down chemical reactions! What does that mean?\n\nSo, I'm Condo Arlik from the planet Phlon. I'm a mutant with the power to be a catalyst, I can slow down or speed up any chemical reaction! Now I'm Chemical King, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes! Mainly I just make things rust. Sometimes I can make things burst into flames. Brainiac 5 says I have the potential to do way more with these powers, but is too busy in his lab to explain anything to me. So, what sort of things can I do with the power to slow down or speed up chemical reactions? How can I save the galaxy?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Get into medicine, and speed up the time spent mass producing medicines. You'd be astonished how long certain medicines take to make, and that's just the chemicals slowly combining in the right way for ages. Or perhaps get into engineering, by speeding up chemical reactions you can decrease time spent slowly building things like nanotubes. The thing you must remember is that practically all of existence runs off of chemical reactions of a sort. By speeding up these chemical reactions, you can speed up life. You can slow it to a stasis, even. Slow down a humans chemical reactions enough and they become basically inert. They can't move, the chemicals needed to power them just can't activate fast enough. Alternatively, increase chemical reactions in a human, and they become faster.\n\nThere's more here than just controlling how fast chemicals react. You're creating a very specialized time field, one that can accelerate or slow down reactions. Put some study into chemistry, get a degree in that stuff. You would be astonished how much more you can accomplish the more you understand what you're able to control." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why is it that the stool is always the same brown color (almost) regardless of what we have eaten, and same thing with urine. But if we eat beetroot both feces and urine becomes red?\n\nAll day one eats food of different colour but the \"outcome\" is always the same, except in this case. Why is that?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The red coloring in beets (betanin) isn't digestible. Mostly, though, the color of waste products is mostly not based on what you eat - it's a product of the breakdown of red blood cells. Specifically, urine is colored yellow by urobilin and feces are colored brown by stercobilin, urobilin, and bile (a liquid produced by the liver which helps digest fats). Stercobilin and urobilin are byproducts of the breakdown of hemoglobin. Since your red blood cells are recycled at a set rate, there's relatively little variation in the color of excretion." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How is it possible that the Haskell compiler is itself coded in haskell?\n\nHello, as the title indicates I am a little confused by the fact that the haskell compiler is coded in haskell. I suspect there are other languages as well, but I wonder how in the early days of haskell the creators did to run the first Haskell program ?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It doesn't start in Haskell. Say you design a language, and it compiles to executable code. You write your first compiler in python, because it's easy. As your language matures, it can understand more concepts and has all the features of a \"full language\". Then you write a compiler in your language, compile it with your old compiler. Now you have a compiler written in the language it compiles. For funsies, you then recompile the compiler using the new compiler, and now you're self hosting." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Star Wars] What is the deal with the Anti Jedi sentiments?\n\nThere is something that I had been wondering about since the prequels, why are some individuals critical of the Jedi? I know there aren't the Jedi weren't perfect and they made careless mistakes especially with Vader and Exar Kun but the Jedi had been peacekeepers for centuries and they kept order throughout the galaxy. The Sith are obvious but why do some people hate the Jedi?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not everyone likes \"peace.\" \n\nLet me borrow a quote from a different part of the universe:\n\n> “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.” \n\nThroughout the galaxy there are people who see injustice. Maybe it's that the Hutts are in control of your planet. Maybe it's that the policies coming out of the Senate have left you at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to trade with your neighbors. Maybe you think its abhorrent that sentient beings can keep sentient droids as slaves, wiping memories as they see fit. \n\nHell, maybe you're just an asshole who thinks that what belongs to others should, by violence if necessary, belong to you. \n\nTo the extent the Jedi are keeping the peace, they are the faces of the system that prevents you from achieving your version of justice. And so, in turn, you dislike them in proportion to your grievance." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Is the carbon that makes up a tree the same actual molecules that are taken by the tree from airborne carbon dioxide?\n\nDoes this mean that trees literally make themselves out of thin air?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yes, the functional enzyme, called RuBisCo, is one of the only proteins which can take free CO2 and \"fix\" into a chemical that biological specimens (such as trees) can use. Once fixed, this carbon either goes into structural elements (such as plant tissue/cellulose) or into glucose that gives the plant energy when the sun is not shining.\nIt is interesting to note that RuBisCo is the most common protein on the planet, owing partially to extremely low catalytic turnover rate." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Dragon Ball Super] Does Frieza have the potential to be the strongest fighter in the Multiverse?\n\nIn Resurrection of F we see that Frieza can, at least for a time, go toe-to-toe with Super Saiyan God Goku after 6 months of training. In essence he went from being slightly weaker than a Super Saiyan to just as strong as a Super Saiyan God in six months. Based on that period of progression, is it unreasonable to assume that if Frieza kept training he would be able to best Beerus in a few years, if not Whis? It seems like Frieza's race in comparison to saiyans and humans is ridiculously OP." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yes, with a few caveats. Freeza's entire race is bizarrely powerful, he comes from a family of natural prodigies, and is himself a prodigy even by the standards of his family. He was, for a time, the strongest non-god in this universe, without even bothering to train. If he actually took training seriously, he would be able to match Beerus in a few years.\n\nHowever, he won't take training seriously. Even *dying* only compelled him to train until the bare minimum breakthrough he thought he'd need to defeat Goku. If he'd won that fight, he would have gone right back to sitting on his ass, administrating an army of space pirates. He doesn't fight for the joy of fighting, and strength is only a means to an end for him, so he'll never reach the level he potentially could.\n\nAlso, he's an ass, so Beerus would probably just destroy him before he became a threat. Goku, in comparison, is more of a useful pawn / worthy successor, hence why he gets favored treatment." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[MARVEL] Can characters like Doctor Strange or Reed Richards reach alternate universes like DC or our reality?\n\nAre there any hints that the multi dimensional heroes are aware of or can access the DC universe, our universe the MCU and so on?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There have been crossovers, so it's at least theoretically possible. The question is if they have the raw power (or backing) to get it done.\n\nFirst, let's define terminology. A universe is one continuity, like 616 or the MCU. \n\nA multiverse is a collection of universes: 616 *and* the MCU, as well as universes for each TV series. DC and Marvel each have their own multiverse.\n\nThe Omniverse is the collection of all multiverses. Marvel, DC, WH40K, Telletubbies, and so on.\n\nCrossing over into a new universe is difficult enough. It generally involves very special circumstances, like Doom killing a guy who happens to be a multiversal singularity, or Superboy Prime punching the barrier between worlds. Strange can (sometimes) pull this off, because his patrons are powerful enough to make it happen. Richards can (sometimes) pull it off, because his tech is insanely advanced.\n\nCrossing over into a new multiverse is an order of magnitude harder. Strange can't do it by himself, because his biggest patrons are still multiversal entities. Galactus can't even pull it off, and his tech is more advanced the Richards', so Professor Stretchypants is probably out, too." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Avengers: Endgame] I know he had no other choice, but using the whole Infinity Gauntlet with all of it‘s stones was way too overkill to snap away Thanos‘s army. Which stones would‘ve actually been enough to kill off Thanos and his army?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In that moment? No way to know. Technically you could use the Space and Mind stones (anybody that is on Thanos’ team gets warped into the center of the sun) or Power and Mind/Soul to turn them to dust, mind stone and power(?) to change their allegiances, power and time to reverse everything that had happened- Any combination could likely have done it. \n\nBut. \n\nTony had to be sure. He couldn’t risk any of them taking the gauntlet if he’d died using just one (Quill is a demigod and almost died with just one.) and failed in eradicating all of them. \n\nIt’s one of his first lines we see- “I prefer a weapon you only have to fire once. That’s how dad did it, that’s how America does it- And it’s worked pretty well so far.”\n\nHe couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t die no matter what he did- Might as well be damn sure and take them all out then and there." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Dragon Ball Z] So what would've happened if Vegeta hadn't killed Nappa?\n\nCould he have adapted to Earth culture.... or at least as much as Vegeta did? Would Frieza have been an easier fight if they had 4 Saiyans fighting instead of 3? \nWould Ghost Nappa have become so popular?!?!?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nappa was raised in the Saiyan Culture far longer than either Goku or Vegeta. Vegeta himself said he only knew violence and destruction. Odds are he would have rejoined Frieza's army instead of turning on him because he simply didn't care.\n\nGoku and Vegeta both spent a massive portion of their life on earth. They made friends, fell in love, and had a proud fighting spirit none could rival. They also had a deep hatred of Frieza and the emotion and pure hearts to go Super." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why does powdered baby formula dissolve perfectly in water, but protein powder (or even chocolate for chocolate milk) usually clump up?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Baby formulas only like 10-15% protein by weight. They're about 50% sugar by weight (mostly lactose). Most protein powders are going to be 70-90% protein by weight. Lactose dissolves into water much easier than proteins." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why does our sense of taste generally prefer unhealthy things (pizza, burger etc.) over healthy ones (broccoli etc.)?\n\nIf I were a body I would make my soul eat more healthy things. Soul: \"pizza vs broccoli?\" Body: \"Go for broccoli dude!\" But no, our sense of taste just tells us to get Pizza. Why?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We evolved as wild creatures where crucial nutrients like fat, salt and sugar were hard to find, so we crave them.\n\nNow due to modern technology/agriculture they're everywhere, but our urges haven't changed." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why does a wound itch when healing?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Cytokines and histamine make you itch. They're released by the body in areas of injury and promote healing. The itching is a by-product. Also, as the wound begins to heal, the new skin cells and collagen sort of entrap the small pre-existing nerves as they grow, which is perceived as itching." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why is prostitution illegal? If both parties are consenting why is there an objection to those that sell their bodies for sex and those that pay for it?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "short answer. prostitution is illegal because the governing body of a locality (aka government) deems it illegal.\n\nlong answer. most governments are rooted in religious background and just haven't caught up to modern times. there is also the issue of human trafficking or forced sexual servitude, by making prostitution illegal, you [un]successfully prevent/reduce those crimes as well." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Are tritium illuminated watches truly safe to wear when bremsstrahlung is considered?\n\nManufacturers of these GTLS (gaseous tritium light source) watches love to claim that they are completely harmless because the beta decay of Tritium cannot penetrate intact skin. They never mention the X-ray emission caused by bremsstrahlung - the reaction between the phosphorus and tritium.\n\nHaving an always-on low energy x-ray source strapped to your wrist can't be safe... can it?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Q-value for the beta decay of ^(3)H is only 18 keV, so that's the maximum energy that the beta particle can possibly have for each individual decay. That means that the maximum energy of a bremsstrahlung photon emitted by one of these beta particles is 18 keV. Both 18 keV electrons and 18 keV photons are very strongly attenuated in condensed matter. So it's not really a worry." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How do people with amputated Appendages (Arms mainly) control prosthetics to the point where they have control of the prosthetic fingers? Awesome technology, seems it's only getting better, but was wondering how the connection is made when they attach the prosthetic like a glove." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A robotic neuroprosthetic (a prosthetic that you can move with your brain) works by implanting electrodes in the brain on specific locations where your brain will activate when you are trying to move the missing limb.\n\nYour brain has a designated “motor centre”, where the signals to move come from. When you move, your brain sends a message from this part of your brain down your spine to the nerves in the body part it wants you to move. Those nerves activate your muscles, and they contract, which moves your body part.\n\nWhen you lose your body part, you do not lose the accompanying part in your brain that was able to move that body part. It’s like having a remote without the television. \n\nThe prosthetic is attached in place of the natural limb, and the electrodes are attached to your brain. These electrodes are able to sense your brain sending those messages. The electrodes are activated by the brain’s messages, and the prosthetic moves." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Do astronauts need to clean the outside of space station windows?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There's not enough \"stuff\" in space to dirty the windows of the ISS naturally. However, departing and incoming shuttle thrusters give off enough particulate to dirty the windows over time. Back in 2015, the Russians on the ISS did an EVA to clean the windows.\n\nSo yes, but very slowly." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: That moment you feel more awake after staying up late for hours.\n\nI'm tired, it's getting late, around midnight. I know I should go to bed, but I press on and continue browsing web pages/ TV channels.\nFast forward it's 2am. I'm physically and mentally exhausted, my eyelids are heavy, I start dozing off, but I force myself to stay awake.\n3am. I decide to go to bed. However, I can't fall asleep as easily as I anticipated. Almost as if I missed my window of opportunity to fall asleep. Now I lay awake, unable to rest my eyes. Am I the only one?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Don't confuse tiredness with sleepiness.\n\nYour body releases sleep hormones in a particular rhythm. The interval is these releases about 1.5 hrs, and the window is about 10 minutes. If you do go to sleep during that time, you'll probably be out almost as soon as your head hits the pillow. The very worst thing to do when you feel this sleepiness is to go \"ok, I'll just finish this level/chapter/email and then go to sleep.\"\n\nActually, reading in bed is a good way to find that sweet spot. Once you start losing focus and the letters start floating a bit, it's lights out." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How do TV torrent uploaders capture, edit, encode and upload their files so fast and consistently?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Automation. \n\nThey use a TV Tuner to record the program. Then use utilities such as dvr-ms toolkit (for windows) to edit the recorded TV (calling routines like \"ComSkip\" to cut out commercials) and re-encode to more friendly formats (MKV h.264, etc). \n\nFrom there, it depends, but likely, they have a script that is called when the above processing is done to create and upload a torrent to a tracker of their choice. \n\nI used to do all of this, minus to torrent stuff, and it's very nice once you've gotten it setup and working." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "If it takes ~365.256 days for the earth to travel around the sun, shouldn't we, in addition to leap years, add an extra day to the calendar every 1000 years?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We do. Every fourth year is a leap year, *unless* that year is divisible by one hundred in which case it isn't, *unless* that year is in turn divisible by four hundred in which case it is.\n\nThat's why 2000 was a leap year, while 1900 wasn't.\n\nThat scheme gets us accurate to within one day about every 5,000 years or so, which is more than we need since the precession of the equinoxes is not perfectly predictable that far out anyway. Assuming we're still using the same calendar in the year 7,000, we'll have inserted ad hoc adjustments as needed by then." } ]