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Nitral's Archive 21

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why are Neanderthals considered a different species?\n\nFrom what I remember in science class, two different species can’t produce fertile offspring.\n\nFor example, a horse and a donkey can create a mule, but mules are sterile; therefore, horses and Donkeys can’t have fertile offspring and are separate species.\n\nBut Many modern humans have Neanderthal DNA, meaning that Neanderthals must have interbred with our ancestors and produced fertile offspring.\n\nWouldn’t that make Neanderthals the same species, by definition?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For this exact reason, many researchers don't consider neanderthals to be a separate species, but count them as the subspecies *Homo sapiens neanderthalis*.\n\nHowever, the whole \"same species if they can produce viable offspring\" principle is a good guideline, but often hard to apply in practice. There are several examples of closely related populations that will sometimes produce viable hybrids, but do so rarely enough that it doesn't produce much gene transfer and so they retain major anatomical and behavioral differences. And then there are examples of species that will produce viable offspring if made to in a lab but never do so in nature due to behavioral differences. And then there are really weird examples like sexual parasites.\n\nSo defining species barriers is to some extent a matter of interpretation, and in the case of neanderthals it appears that though there was some interbreeding, it was never the norm." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Star Wars] How effective would smoke bombs, flash bangs, and other blinding weapons be against Jedi?\n\nI know that Jedi can sense their surroundings with the force, and some such as Kanan and Chirrut (Yes I know he's not a Jedi shut up) are able to be very competent fighters while being completely blind. But these individuals have been blind for significant periods of time in which they could adjust and train to compensate their disability. How affected would a run of the mill Jedi be by a blinding attack?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I mean most Jedi in old Order START their training with parrying stings from a remote blindfolded. \n\nWhile the blinding flash might momentarily startle anyone, including a jedi, a properly trained Jedi will not remain startled or impaired for long, even if his vision doesn't return for some time. \n\nThe sensory assault has to be continuous in order to interrupt concentration and prevent the Jedi from using the Force, otherwise they'll be able to adapt relatively quickly." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Vampires/Christianity] Can Vampires be Christian?\n\nCan a vampire be Christian?\n\nOk first of all, I ask about Christianity specifically because that’s what I am and I don’t know enough about other religions to discuss this question properly.\n\nCool, great, now, vampires.\nIn the fiction world, they’re typically seen as undead monsterised humans right? Once a human, “dies” or is “turned” and now they’re undead, but they still have their soul (I think) and are still who they once were.\nSo say a religious person (in this example, a Christian) gets turned?\nWould that be possible? What would that mean for interactions with holy water or crucifixes?\nWould they be able to resist such weaknesses of a vampire because they have a real faith? Or is their soul gone and replaced by a consciousness that just REMEMBERS the life of the body’s old soul?\n\nIt’s something I’m actually really curious about so I can’t wait to hear what your thoughts are!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In most fiction works vampires \\*are\\* christian, in the sense that the know god exists, and that's why crosses repel them.\n\nThe thing is that they are damned in the eyes of god, so they won't be able to get to heaven." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Cowboy BeBop] What about bloody eye gives Asimov the ability to dodge bullets?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bloody eye gives the user increased strength, speed, and most importantly, reflexes. It's not so much that he was able to dodge bullets, it's that the enhanced reflexes allowed him to read where the shooter was aiming and the enhanced speed allowed him to duck out of the way in time." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Say I'm in danger, and due to adrenaline, I am able to lift something. Does adrenaline also help with making sure I don't tear my back in the process?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No, but adrenaline and other nervous system reactions will make you less susceptible to pain from tearing. For example, your significant other is trapped under the front of a car. You run over, filled with adrenaline, and manage to lift the front of the car far enough for someone to pull your SO out.\n\nIf you lift wrong, you are completely liable to tear/damage something in your back. However, the adrenaline response (fight or flight) may keep your brain from \"recognizing\" the pain and you'll continue to lift. This is why people that are injured when filled with adrenaline (car crashes are a great example) don't notice their injuries until afterwards. People will often step out of a car after a accident and be stunned when they see blood from an injury they had, as they can't really feel it." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why is it that in most cultures around the world men wear pants and women wear dresses/skirts?\n\nI'm referring to older cultures (an those cultures who have traditional clothing) as pants has become a globally accepted piece of clothing for both genders to wear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Horse back riding. The horse has had a huge impact on our cultures. There is more protection for the inside of your legs with pants than with a skirt. Before we rode horses people in warm climates wore skirts regardless of gender. In colder climates whole body suits made out of different furs were worn, creating something like pants, because it's essential to have a microclimate around your whole body to keep you warm. A skirt dissipates heat by increasing the surface area and open air in the area around your legs. \n\nMen wore pants because they were the ones hunting and fighting, and using horses to do so. Heals were also invented for men riding horses. Later, women started to dress like men and started to wear heals and pants, and now you have women's fashion having directly evolved from male fashion." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why are there so many great Eastern European Boxers, strongmen, and and mixed martial artists?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Different cultures place different emphasis on different sports. In Eastern Europe, the strongman/strongwoman sports are much more revered than they are in other places. As such, more people take those sports up as their childhood sport of choice, which means that there is a larger talent pool for elite athletes to emerge from. \n\nIt's also worth noting that the startup costs for getting into these sports is very low. All you need is some padding, some gloves, and someone with a bit of training to show you the ropes, and you can *get started* at boxing. Compare that to, say, equestrian sports, which require a horse, full time lodging and care for the horse, and a host of other costs. A lot of Eastern Europe is poor compared to Western Europe and North America, so again, that funnels people into these sports." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why are ancient buildings, cities and structures usually found buried underground?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Survivor bias. The interesting archeological sites are the ones that were protected by a big pile of dirt or sand. The ones that didn't get buried aren't around to look at anymore. They were sacked, demolished, renovated, or eroded. Pompei being buried in a volcanic eruption is an extreme example of this." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How do translators deal with unavoidable puns?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This is one of the things that makes translation challenging and exciting. Not only do you need to know two languages, but you need to be a wordsmith with your target language. When encountering puns, we first have to determine if the humor is essential to the meaning of the passage. If not, we can just gloss over the pun and convey the overall meaning of that section in straight-forward language.\n\n​\n\nIf the humor is essential, than we have a couple of strategies. Is there a similar pun in the target language? If there isn't, then can we switch out some of the words to create a pun in the target language while still maintaining the feel of the original? Failing that, can we just replace it with a completely different pun that can still be humorous in this situation?\n\n​\n\nSometimes, though, the language pair you are working in can make puns easy to translate or neigh impossible. With so many cultural similarities and shared vocabulary, working between, say, French and English would be much easier. Working between Japanese and English, on the other hand, presents serious challenges, as the languages and cultures are drastically different. Ultimately, though, all languages are complex, organic creatures. There is no fail-safe strategy to translating puns, and it is something you really just need to approach creatively on a case-by-case basis.\n\n​\n\nEdit: Added a sentence for clarification." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How do information leaks happen?\n\n[Not sure if repost, checked but couldn't find anything related] One I'm especially curious about is government information leaks. Who leaks this kind of information, and how do they get it in the first place?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That all depends on which \"flavor\" of leak you're talking about. \n\nThere's the Edward Snowden type of leak where someone deliberately shares private and confidential information with the public because they felt the public needed to know. Conscious intent and action. \n\nSome leaks aren't intentional at all like the Podesta emails, and are obtained through illicit means like hacking/stealing/espionage. Malicious intent and action. \n\nThen there's the flat incompetent/accidental types of leaks like when the boss left the company's failing budget and list of people to get laid off next month on the printer for a bit too long. Genuine accident. \n\nThere are also tactical leaks used by politicians. You can spot these whenever the reporter is citing \"a Senior White House Official\" in their report. This lets the White House \"react\" to this new national issue and put public pressure on political opponents without looking like the bad guys. \n\nWall Street types will also use this to manipulate prices. Day traders are constantly watching company financial reports, and the pros are often looking for insider tips from big companies so they can make their plays ahead of the public. These leaks are often traders calling college buddies that work for Apple's Engineering department looking for key tips like \"the next Iphone has a 2hr battery life\" so they can sell before it tanks. \n\nIn all cases, reporters that get the first leaks are often personal or professional friends that have developed a trusting relationship with the leaker, who is trusting that they leak it appropriately, on their schedule, and for maximum impact. Politicians for example, may give a leak to a story, but ask the reporter to sit on it for a couple of days to avoid suspicion. Should the reporter jump to publish early, it fucks the politician and virtually guarantees the end of secret sources for that reporter." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why professional cameras are so big in comparison with a cellphone that also take pictures? What are the advantages of being bigger in size?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A bigger piece of glass collects more light, giving the camera more information to work with. A bigger sensor collects more data points per frame. A better sensor (because it doesn't have to be tiny) collects data with less noise. Bigger cameras also allow interchangeable lenses, optical filters, moving glass elements for optical zoom, motor controlled glass elements for vibration reduction, optical aperture control to control the amount of light going into the camera, shutter speed control to manage depth of field and motion blur, more space for controls, bigger batteries, higher energy flash, and other features." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How does buying expensive paintings etc. help with money laundering?\n\n I have read about it in a lot of places and saw it in many TV shows and movies. People will buy a painting for millions of dollars. Now, it is much easier for them to move the painting than such a large amount of cash. But the painting is still worthless if no one else agrees to pay that much for it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This isn't really an economic question, but in short: art is a potentially convenient way to store value in something that is readily portable and can be hidden away and stored or moved across borders with less effort and often while attracting less regulatory attention than commensurate amounts of cash.\n\nLines can get blurred sometimes about how art purchases are funded, and even if pieces are only valued at a fraction of their value on illicit markets it still tends much better than nothing.\n\nMany modern above-board marketplaces often tend to be more conscientious about the provenance of pieces offered for sale/auction, but this is far from universally true. Some buyers too might be willing to turn a blind eye, either just to have the pieces for their own enjoyment or else hoping that provenance might still be camouflaged into the future." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: Being Non-Binary is just a fashion trend comparable to scene/emo kids from the 2000’s\n\nEDIT: way to many comments to keep up with, so I’m putting my final thoughts here and bailing on this post. \n\nMY NEW VIEW: I now believe that there truly are people who exist outside the binary system. Perhaps a coincidence, they all identified as agender, which they calmly and eloquently explained as having no connection towards masculinity nor femininity. Unfortunately, of the 675+ comments this post received, the reasonable people made about 5 of them. The majority of people who I interacted with all mentioned that they had low self esteem, low confidence, and faced bullying in there lives. They appear to be using the NB identity to hide from their insecurities and blame them on society. They were unable to define their identity and frequently contradicted themselves and each other. Their arguments were disjointed, and generally focused on twisting the words from my arguments while avoiding the actual questions. How can you expect people to believe and to conform to your identity when it immediately crumbles under any criticism or skepticism? Your identity is not immediately valid because you claim it to be, and you are an asshole if you expect people, especially strangers to just trust you without explanation. Im sorry to the agender people and emo kids out there, you’re much more valid than most of the people who tried to argue with me today. \n\n\n.\n.\n\nThis schizo rant that started this nightmare:\n————————————————————————————\nSo non-binary people claim that they are neither man nor woman, but something in between. “Gender expression” is very important to them. But what is gender expression? As far as I can tell, it’s just the clothes that they wear, their haircut, and some other accessories. These are all very superficial things. \n\nHowever, these fashion choices all point towards the same look. You know the type, neon hair, baggy clothes, usually a decent amount of piercings. It’s a specific enough style that you can pinpoint a non-binary person when you see one. You can also tell whether they’re a man or a woman. \n\nI can’t help but draw parallels to the scene kid phase of the 2000’s. A specific style that is a similar style regardless of gender. The swooping hair, black clothes, studded leather accessories. Once again, these are all very superficial, yet it was crucial to their identity at the time. \n\nThey felt like outcasts and they formed an identity around their peers who also felt like outcasts. Remember that common phrase used to mock scene kids? “It’s not a phase mom!!!”. Seems like that phrase very much applies to the talking points non-binary people take now. \n\nThe most grounded explanation for the validity of being non-binary is that we’ve found evidence of seemingly non-binary or trans people in ancient civilization. Most prominently, the “Two-spirited” identity found in Native Americans. \n\nBut just because there’s remnants of it in older civilizations does not make it valid. Mayans cut people’s hearts out to appease the sun gods; native north/South Americans don’t exactly have a history of being pure and humanitarian, nor an advanced understatement of science.\n\nThere’s more I could say, but I’ll wrap it up here. I do not hate non-binary people, I just don’t believe they have some kind of magical exemption from the human binary. I think they are attracted to the fashion of it. As far as I can tell, non-binary is the modern day emo. If you want to be referred to as “they” that’s fine and I will do that for you. But pronouns are not an accessory that you can change when you feel like it. You can’t create your own, and you can’t expect people to abandon a lifetime use of a minor, unconscious part of the English language.\n\nI’m pretty set in this belief, but I am genuinely curious if anybody has evidence to the contrary. If this truly runs deeper than fashion, and isn’t “just a phase”, I’d truly love to see it. But as it stands, I believe it’s a fashion trend that trailed behind the transgender movement to avoid criticism." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gender expression goes beyond clothes. Women are expected to come across as passive, caring, nuturing, etc. Men are expected to come across as strong, assertive, a bit surly, etc.\n\nGender expression isn't just about what you wear. It's about how society expects you to behave. People who identify as non-binary simply don't want to be labeled in one of those ways that traps them into certain behaviors." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: People shouldn't make fun of Madonna for being old.\n\nShe can't control the fact that she gets older. To me, she's an artist continuing her career and doing what she loves. People make fun of her because they're used to seeing 20-year-old singers and young artists, but being a musician should be just like other careers; nobody would make fun of a 56-year-old lawyer, but when Madonna continues singing into her old age she gets made fun of for being a \"dinosaur\" and gets criticism for \"Trying to stay relevant\" by collaborating with Nicki Minaj. **Of course she's trying to stay relevant. All artists try to stay relevant.** It's how they make their living. I just don't see anything wrong with Madonna continuing to perform into her 50s." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "People aren't making fun of Madonna because she's old. They're making fun of her because she's not aging gracefully. No one is suggesting she shouldn't perform, they are suggesting that she shouldn't continually try to tie her brand to far younger performers in *failed* attempts to seem youthful. It all seems very transparent and people find it off putting." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why are the words \"eleven\" and \"twelve,\" so different from the pattern of thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, etc?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Those two words came from Germanic words meaning \"one left\" and \"two left\", referring to how many things are left over after ten have gone.\n\nThe -teens come from -ten. For example, thirteen was three-ten, fourteen was four-ten, etc." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "What happens after a hormone binds with a receptor?\n\nFor example: Insulin binds to the insulin receptor, which causes a chain of events to happen to ultimately move GLUT4. \n\nAfter insulin binds to the receptor, what happens to insulin itself? Does it get released from the receptor? Absorbed? Does it change/get recycled? Break down?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pretty much every ligand-receptor pair has a dynamic binding mode because you don’t want the signal to stay on forever (constitutively active receptors are often drivers of cancer). The respective on and off rates are governed by how physically accessible the binding pocket is and how tight the binding interaction is. Evolution has tuned those interactions and they can often be further tweaked by other ligands (allosteric modulators) or protein cofactors (other proteins that bind to the receptor and alter its shape). Alternatively the signal duration can also be changed by physically removing or degrading the receptor to stop its action, e.g. cell surface receptors being internalized. On the flip side the ligand can be removed (e.g. neurotransmitter reuptake transporters) or degraded (e.g. thyroid hormone deiodinases). Which is all to say that you have to look at particular ligand-receptor pairs for specific answers." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5:Why did health insurance prices go up in the United States when almost all Americans have it now? Shouldn't prices have went down?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Law student studying insurance law here.\n\nInsurance companies used to be able to pick and choose who they insured. That means they could exclude people with preexisting conditions or really high likelihoods of being sick. BUT. Now under ACA, they are not allowed to exclude anyone because of a preexisting condition. \n\nThis seems like a really good thing. Everyone gets healthcare now! The problem is that insurance is about managing **risk**. You can think about it like a form of gambling. You're effectively betting a certain amount of money (your premium payments to the insurance company) that you'll get sick and incur MORE money in medical bills than the amount you are paying. If you get sick enough, you \"win\" the bet and the insurance company \"loses.\" BUT, that's ok, because overall enough people who are also paying insurance premiums will \"LOSE\" their bets by NOT getting sick. The insurance co can use some of their \"winnings\" to pay out to you and everyone is happy.\n\nNow, gambling only works if there is, in fact, a **risk** (meaning some sort of uncertainty). Without a \"risk,\" there's nothing to gamble on. Think about it. You gamble on football games BEFORE they happen because there is a certain measure of uncertainty involved (i.e., you don't know for certain which team will win). You legitimately cannot gamble on a game that has already happened, because everyone already knows the outcome. The same is true of people with preexisting conditions. There is nothing to gamble on because they already KNOW they are sick. The football game is over. The home team has won. There is nothing to bet on. THAT is why insurance companies would historically exclude people with preexisting conditions. They were effectively always \"winning\" their bets because they would inevitably pay in less than what they were getting out. Sure, they may pay premiums, but the premiums will always be less money than the amount the insurance company has to pay out to cover bills (that's the whole point of getting them coverage in the first place! They couldn't afford to pay for their own coverage, but they COULD afford the premiums). \n\nThat's where ACA comes in. By forcing insurance companies to accept people despite pre-existing conditions, they effectively forced the insurance company to take on a LOT of losing bets. The insurance company has to be able to pay somehow, though (or go bankrupt....which some did), so they have to **raise everyone ELSE'S premiums** in order to pay for all of these losing bets.....but that means all the healthy people are suddenly paying wayyyyyy more than they're getting out. \n\nThis caused some people to do some mental math and realize that even though they would be FINED for NOT having health insurance (as mandated by the ACA), it was less expensive to pay the fine than it was to keep paying for health insurance. Additionally, because the insurance companies wouldn't be allowed to turn them away if/when they eventually DID get really sick, they could just hold out until then and wait to reenter the health insurance market when they really really needed it. \n\nThis causes a MASSIVE death spiral. The pool gradually gets smaller and more healthy people choose to drop out and take the fine, mostly leaving behind the people who are already sick and really do NEED the insurance. Because of this, the insurance companies are faced with even FEWER healthy customers who are \"losing\" their bets and a higher and higher percentage of sick customers who are \"winning\" their bets, forcing the insurance companies to raise prices still further. \n\nHope this helped!\n\nedit: TL;DR: making insurance companies accept people with preexisting conditions means more insurance companies lose money which means higher premiums for healthy people and more healthy people dropping out." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: What is a community college and why is it looked bad upon?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "College is the same thing as university in the United States; it's an optional school after high school. \n\nA community college is often small and local, and they get most of their funding from the state (like, California or Oklahoma). They also must meet certain requirements for state curriculum and must be certified, so they have requirements for what, how, and how often they teach students. Those standards let everyone know that the degree they can earn will be considered equal to a degree from any other community college. Since there may be many community colleges in high-population areas, they may develop specialties in study (arts, biology, culinary, etc.) while others focus on different specialties. It's rare for a community college to have more than one school (liberal arts vs. engineering at a university) or a wide variety of advanced studies. \n\nCommunity colleges are looked down on for a few reasons: \n- They're the \"cheap\" college. The cost of attendance is much lower, with expensive community colleges rarely reaching above $15,000 for 4 years. Private and state universities are much larger, have wider options for degrees, host graduate studies, and do much more research (among other things), so they have higher costs. \n- They also do 2 year degrees and certifications other than degrees. This leads to many people assuming that anyone who attended a community college *only* got a 2-year degree or a certificate. \n- They have lower standards for admissions, so it's possible for students who did poorly in high school or got a GED to go to community college. People then assume that people who went to a CC weren't smart enough to go to any other schools. \n\nOverall, it's the comparison of community colleges to more expensive and better funded universities that makes them looked down upon. They lack the prestige of a university. A positive look at CC's may view them as efficient, cost-effective, and more flexible for scheduling and financing." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why aren't there many people researching Polywell reactors?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because it doesn't seem to work very well. Almost all of the sources for that article are news releases and news coverage, with very few peer-reviewed journals that actually document the results of their experiments. Unfortunately, this is the *modus operandi* for scammers, or those who just continue to believe in their own idea in the face of contradictory evidence.\n\nI'd love to be proven wrong, but the reticence of the inventors to provide quantitative data in a peer-reviewed environment is a red flag." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "What would have happened to Oil if humans had never drilled it?\n\nDoes it become a rock if left alone? Become a gas that bubbles though the cracks to the surface? or has not enough time passed yet to say?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Buried hydrocarbons work their way through the carbon cycle in one of two ways:\n\nA - they may find their way to the surface, either through the joint action of uplift and erosion or natural oil/gas seeps. In this case, they get oxydized and converted to CO2 by specialized microbiota. Some of these seeps support rich faunas of specialised macrobiota living complex often symbiotic relationships with methane consuming microbes.\n\nB - they get buried at progressively deeper levels until they reach temperature conditions where they become unstable. Throughout that burial process, they will convert to progressively shorter carbon chains through a process called thermal maturation. At maximal maturity, hydrocarbons are mostly stored as single-carbon bearing molecules (methane). Beyond the thermal stability of methane,the molecule will convert to inert carbon (graphite) and release hydrogen which usually at those depths and pressures binds to oxygen and forms water or hydroxyde.\n\nThe carbon cycle through the lithosphere is a dynamic process which never really stops, albeit its progress rates seems insuffferably slow at the scale of human lives." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Bifurcated (2) needles for vaccination?\n\nWhy was this type of needle used for small pox? Have 2 needles ever been used on other vaccinations? Thank you." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bifurcated needle was used because it was one of the rare examples of something being: fast, cheap, and good.\n\nThe small pox vaccine needed to be delivered just under the skin. Previously a jet injector had been used. These basically fire a jet of vaccine through the skin with compressed gas. Whilst quick they’re expensive and unreliable. The bifurcated needle allowed the vaccine to just be poked under the skin, a dose could be delivered simply with some rapidity. The needles were cheap to produce.\n\nAs far as I’m aware the smallpox vaccine is the only medicine to be delivered in this way. Although the technology is still good, and we may see it used again in the future." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5 - What is the weird sensation you feel when you clean your bellybutton?\n\nOkay, I hope I explain this well. Every time I clean my bellybutton, I get a really weird, almost painful sensation deep inside my body (not immediately below the below button) but a little lower and deeper inside. What causes that to happen?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The inside of the belly button like around the abdominal cavity is exquisitely sensitive and its sensory nerve fibers relay input back to the spinal cord at the same level as the nerves that relay sensation from your bladder and urethra. So it feels kinda like pain from your urethra but it’s not coming from there, that might explain why it feels deeper. Cuz it’s like coming from not as far down and you mind ain’t used to it, or something." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[The Avengers] How do they dispose of all the dead Leviathans around NY?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thank you for your query!\n\nDamage Control, Incorporated was behind the major cleanup processes after the Battle of New York City. We are a service in the New York, Great Lakes and Los Angeles region that helps deal with the damage and 'leftovers' that are left behind after a major metahuman conflict. \n\nWe were formed after the destructive battle between the Incredible Hulk and the Abomination, as the media referred to it, in the neighborhood of Harlem. After six months of intense work, most of the major damage was fully repaired with hefty donations from Stark Industries and Advanced Idea Mechanics. \n\nThe massive Leviathans that died as a result of the Hulk, government defense or being stranded on Earth were chopped apart with high-intensity saws and sent off into government custody, with Damage Control handling the major reconstruction efforts after they've been removed. \n\nGrand Central Station is still being renovated and restored to her rightful beauty, as is large sections of New York, with the assistance from expert architects, engineers, and metahuman assistance and volunteers.\n\nDamage Control is currently hiring, please visit our website for further information regarding employment and donations or business inquiries." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Batman] Is The Riddler actually smart?\n\nClearly, The Riddler thinks he's way smarter than he actually is. But beyond that, he appears to just be not particularly smart, in absolute terms. Example: He creates puzzles with discernible solutions and acts like they're literally impossible, OR he pretends that stupid puns are brilliant riddles. He's seems to just be a crazy person who is obsessed with cheating (either cheating to win or accusing his opponent of cheating when they win).\n\nDoes he have actual impressive feats of intelligence, (beyond the cunning to commit crimes and create his various deathtraps and such)?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The riddler is an extremely gifted person with many great talents. He's definitely several steps above every normal human and really only pales in comparison to ultra-geniuses like Lex Luthor. \n\nHowever, his biggest problem is that he CAN'T create an unsolvable puzzle. His mind will not let him cheat like that. It's beneath him to trick someone into a situation they can't figure their way out of. Yes, he often gloats that people are too stupid to figure out his tricks and riddles, but the solution is always there. He must prove that Batman is a dunce once and for all by confirming he can't detective his way out of every situation. Riddler is PERFECTLY capable of trapping, tricking and killing most everyone in Gotham, but he never will.\n\nThere's also the often discussed theory that he wants to be caught. He wants nothing more than the attention his escapades bring him. Either as a psychological need, a fetish or the boredom of a mind incapable of doing anything else. (Like anonymous does it for the lulz, he does it for the Bat's eventual fists)" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "If you ground up sand to be finer, would it act like silt? What about silt ground down to the size of clay?\n\nFrom what I've read, the main difference between sand/silt/clay is the particle size, as well as the shape of the particles to some degree. But I haven't found any resources that effectively explain what sand vs. silt vs. clay actually *are*. Sand is ground up stone, which are primarily silica (SO2), right? So is silt roughly the same composition but smaller? Or is silt and clay only made by organic matter decomposing? If anyone has some good reading resources on the subject, I'd love to go through them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The terms \"sand, silt and clay\" are a reference to the grain size of ground up stone and is inorganic and that's really all it is. \n\nThese distinctions become important when calculating porosity and permeability of fluids." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How do mutations occur that happen to be beneficial for the environment?\n\nThe fact that an organism adapts extremely good to the environment is very strange to me. I understand evolution so my question is not how organisms are so well suited for the environment, it's how they can even develop mutations that is suited to live. I feel like we are heads landing consecutively thousand times.\n\nI hope my question is clear I am having a hard time formulating it.\n\nEdit: Thank you all so much for taking time to respond. I read it all and it was very helpful. I now understand the answer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I think you may be a little confused about evolution.\n\nOrganisms don't adapt to environments, they are simply born with whatever genetic tools they have and either reproduce or die.\n\nSpecies on the other hand are what we see from the natural selection of organisms that survive (or not, i.e. extinction). \n\nA well adapted species is landing heads a thousand times but what you don't really are the millions of previous throws that failed. That's really the beauty of natural selection, if you have a strong enough pressure then you will either only get those organisms that can survive or the species will go extinct.\n\nWe can see this selection and survival of the fittest play out in real-time with antibiotic resistance and bacteria." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Star Trek]What happened to the concept of anti-missile defenses by the 24th Century?\n\nI'm talking about things like point defenses to shoot down incoming torpedoes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It's not that missile defense systems were forgotten, just out classed by the missile tech developed to bypass the defenses. When missiles were intercepted by conventional (by 21st those century standards) weapons, missile AI was developed to randomize trajectory to varying degrees, making interception practically impossible. \n\nSo we switched to laser tracking interception, using lasers to heat the missile, exploding the warhead before it could reach its target. This would still work on Earth, if we still fought eachother. This worked for a time on our earlier war ships, but our enemies began using more heat dampeners in their missiles. Lasers got stronger, missiles got more resistant. That is until they discovered a combination of heat dampening material with a reflective outer coating would nullify the lasers' power enough to ensure the payload could reach the target.\n\nThe only answer to that was shielding technology, which is the standard today, despite being imperfect in its incredible energy expenditures. \n\nSource: ex star fleet weapons engineer, currently writing a book on human weapon evolution from the 20th century to today." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: Religion should not be given a privileged immunity against criticism\n\nEvery idea, concept or value should be open to criticism, and as human culture evolves, some of our ideas and values must be left behind in the past in order to progress. People throughout history have held many bad beliefs, e.g. that the earth is flat, that some magical stones have healing powers, that the order of the stars determines the faith of a person (astrology), that black or homosexual people are inferior. Clearly, at one point in history, these ideas became empirically falsified or rejected by reason.\n\nReligions, however, uphold a set of ideas and concepts which don’t follow this evolutionary logic of (self-)criticism. Most religions are not open to any fundamental change or criticism. Also on an interpersonal level, it is often very difficult to argue with a religious person. In the end one often gets the answer “but this is my personal belief, I can feel it… you are not all-knowing either, please leave me alone, and let me believe what I believe.” Religious people, or religions as such, react very agitated to critique and mostly don’t take criticism seriously. They even demand that we respect their religious personal beliefs and thus give them a privileged immunity against criticism. Or as Sam Harris eloquently said it: “Faith itself is always, and everywhere, exonerated.” Atheists must be careful not to hurt the feelings of other religious people. Whereas arguments against pseudo-science are perfectly acceptable (socially), arguments against religion are perceived as an act of intolerance.\n\nI don’t think this is a healthy attitude and inhibits human progress. Atheists, who strongly believe that without some religious dogmas the world will be a better place, have the right to aggressively attack the views of religious people. Especially in a growing secular society, in which the majority of people is convinced that religion is outdated, we should not shy away to destroy bad or empirically falsified ideas. Please note that my terminology of “destroying” and “aggressively attacking” does not imply any physical violence, but merely a strong anti-religious rhetoric and politics (e.g. in a democracy people have the right to decide to no longer teach religion to young children at school, churches should not be given any longer taxpayers money to spread their ideas, etc.). I am aware that the tendency of one system of thought to dominate and destroy another system of thought is prima facie guilty of exactly the same fallacy as the many religious wars throughout history. Nonetheless, I think that today, in a democratic society, people can decide in a civilized manner to radically reduce the role of religion and establish society on secular and humanistic principles.\n\n\n.\n.\n.\n\n**EDIT (T+04.00): I have nuanced my view in the following ways:**\n\n* My original main claim that \"the immunity principle is internal to religion\" has reduced to the claim that \"societies as such are not very open to criticize religions because it is a social taboo, and people are afraid of being perceived as intolerant.\"\n\n* There is diversity \"within\" religion. It is untrue that religions don't ever change or reform due to criticisms. Though, I still think that change happens mostly \"within.\" The boundaries are set *a priori* by the basic religious texts and \"external critique\" has little impact. \n\n*Thanks for replying. I will try to keep up reading and answering to your comments, though, as time progresses this thread is getting more fragmented.*" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one is doing this. No one is suppressing any atheist's right to criticize religion. No atheists in open and free democratic states are being prosecuted for blasphemy. No atheists are going to jail for writing books critical of religion. No atheists are being tortured or killed by the state for talking about their atheism.\n\nThis is a non issue. No one believes that any of the things listed above should be the case and they are not in fact the case anywhere in the free world. Yes, there are totalitarian dictatorships that violate the human rights of their citizens but in the free world this just isn't the case." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why does Google Maps sometimes default to a particular route while simultaneously telling you another route is a minute or two faster?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One thing Google tries to do (and Waze too, for that matter) is stagger drivers across different routes so that one route doesn't get too plugged up. If one route is 2 minutes faster and the routing server gave everybody that route every single time, it wouldn't be the fastest route anymore before too long.\n\nIt also gives you that option because you should be able to override the decision that the routing server made for you if you so choose. And most of the time you can with no problems, if you just look at traffic conditions along that route. But that's the ultimate goal, to stagger people across different routes so as to keep the traffic flow more or less balanced (even though it will never be quite so perfect)." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Lovecraft] What would a hypothetical war between humans and Elder Things look like? Since the Elder Things are mortal like humanity, would we have a chance if we developed technology as powerful as theirs?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If we got our tech base high enough to A) have a hard counter for massive shoggoth swarms and B) pursue the Elder Things into space, then yes, we could probably take them, though we don't really know the full scope of what they're bringing to the table. \n\nWe know that they built the shoggoth to serve them, were able to travel to earth, and could square off against the Mi-Go and the Great Race of Yith, though we don't know much more than that. They might have mechanical super-weapons, and biological/material engineering sophisticated enough to build a bespoke slave race certainly implies they could be capable of building something much more dangerous as a sort of dedicated war machine." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: While smartphones and televisions keep getting cheaper with bigger and better screens, why are awful twisted nematic LCD panels still the standard with most consumer grade laptops?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Primarily, they're cheap. \n\nOne thing TN panels do well is refresh rate. There are better options with regard to contrast ratio or colour, but to the vast majority of standard users, that doesn't matter. \n\nNot that we're still in the days of LCD panels so slow they smear, but response rate is something that did bother people which is why TN became as ubiquitous as it did. \n\nRemember TN replaced horrific passive displays. Compared to those they were nirvana. \n\nPeople who care about better quality colours and stuff will find laptops that do what they want, but for most people it'd be an extra expense that they'd not be bothered about." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "What’s the Difference between Nihilism and Absurdism?\n\nI’ve been learning about Albert Camus’ standards for a noble life, and he seems to believe that it’s absolutely essential to accept its meaninglessness and the absence of an afterlife. How is this different from the “nothing matters” of nihilism?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nihilism just means belief that something doesn't exist. There's moral nihilism (morality doesn't exist), epistemological nihilism, existential nihilism, and potentially nihilism about any topic you could imagine. Aside from existential nihilism, most of those have little relationship to absurdism.\n\nOne could certainly argue that absurdism is a type of existential nihilism, which would mean the relationship between them is a category to a member of that category, where nihilism doesn't entail most of the conclusions of absurdism but encompasses it.\n\nUsually, people make this comparison to actually compare specific thinkers, like Nietzsche vs. Camus, in which case the difference is any difference between the two's philosophies." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Star Wars Legends] Why did it take so long for Thrawn to get word of the Empire's fall and return from his campaign?\n\nWouldn't other imperials have told him, at least to get reinforcements against the Rebellion? Wouldn't he have noticed his supply lines or troop rotations are different?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He knew of the fall almost immediately but stayed in the shadows for tactical purposes. Thrawn became a Grand Admiral upon killing Grand Admiral Zaarin but this wasn't public knowledge as Palpatine had promoted him shortly before dying on the Death Star II. As far as the Rebels knew they only had eleven Grand Admirals to go after. \n\nThrawn built up his Empire of the Hand for the next ten years. He figured the Imperial warlords would wipe each other out and/or get killed by the Rebels/New Republic, which is exactly what happened. \n\nNow Admiral Daala, on the other hand, was so isolated in the Maw Installation that she didn't know *Tarkin* was dead, much less Palpatine." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[WH40K] Some Space Marine gave me the Emperor's Unholy Finger and told me to \"Shove it in my Eye of Terror\" Who do I contact to get them punished?\n\nThe guy was wearing Yellow and part Red with a big looking face on the side, and said something about being Angry, but that's irrelevant now. \n\nWhat's the Chain of Command in Space Marine chapters?\n\n Who's at the top, who's at the bottom? What organisations hold sway over the Adeptus Astartes? Who do I contact to get that marine punished?\n\nHow will they be punished? Does that depend on my position in the Imperium? I am quite rich Noble man who has a Knight to his name you know!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Are you kidding me? You, a human, with influence that probably spans over a single planet, is daring to even THINK that they deserve an apology, or some sort of recompense because a Space Marine hurt your feelings?\n\nLet me tell you about that Space Marine. If he's average, he was probably picked up when he was a child because he slaughtered an entire pack of wolves, or killed a fully grown Ork, or murdered his entire village. He was then pushed through training that only 1 in 1000 survive, and he was then given surgery to ensure that when he was sent to battle, he was as strong as an Ork, as smart as a Tau and as durable as a hab-unit.\n\nHe was then given the best weapons and armour that the Imperium can forge, and sent into battle. He has faced the horrors that lurk in the shadows, and he has fought the beasts that scream through the cosmos that your petty, insignificant world floats through. He has been doing this for decades, and was a hardened veteran before your father was even born.\n\nTo him, you are nothing but a bug. The Imperium would gladly sacrifice 100 people like you if it meant they could have one more Space Marine. You can complain all you want, but don't be surprised if you are, at best, laughed at, and at worst, shot for daring to question the actions of one of the Heroes of the Imperium." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[TheMatrix] In The Simulated world, do they have history books? if so, how much of it is virtual history?\n\nDo they have history books in The Matrix? if so... how much of the world history in the virtual world is real?... or what history is real and when does the fake history begins to take place?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The history is accurate, right up until the time that The Matrix is simulating. There's really no point for the machines to fake anything from the past, since the time they are simulating is so far back, there wouldn't be any benefit to it." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: The difference between Existentialism, Nihilism and Absurdism\n\nThanks :)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nihilism - nothing has inherent meaning, and it never will. \n\nExistentialism - nothing has inherent meaning, but maybe you can make your own meaning. \n\nAbsurdism - nothing has inherent meaning. Haha, that's pretty weird right? Go do something that makes you happy." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How cough drops work.\n\nI've always wondered how just putting a piece of solid 'vapour relief' works." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Menthol is a soothing agent and topical anesthetic. It also increase salvia production and is a local analgesic\n\nWhat this means in laymen's terms: tthroat lozenges/cough drops bomb numb the throat and reduce your ability to feel your throat. It also increases the amount of spit you create which greased the wheels and reduces inflammation a little bit." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why do multi-lingual people seemingly, with no reason, switch between languages while talking to someone who is also multi-lingual? What benefit does it have over staying with the language they started the conversation with?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It's called code-switching, and it allows the speakers to draw from both languages' vocabularies to express ideas. Some words in one language don't have nice, short, or eloquent equivalents in another, so if you're speaking to someone who knows both languages, you use whichever one helps you to most easily get your ideas across." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why milk is better than water after eating baked goods?\n\nIf there is a scientific basis behind this, I would like to know. Why does milk taste so much better after eating baked goods (cookies, cake, donuts, pie, etc) as opposed to drinking water? Water only seems to spread the sugars around in my mouth. Is there something in milk that makes it so much better?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Milk has lots of fats suspended in it, which are a good counterpoint to the high carb content of baked goods. Also, because of this, it can effectively move both oil-soluble and water-soluble things around in your mouth. Even though oil and water don't mix, the fats suspended in milk can gather up and move oils effectively. This can also help to clear your palate so you can enjoy the next bite without the flavor from the previous one interfering." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[MCU] Is Stormbreaker's handle as durable and strong as the axe/hammer head?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It didn't explode into a cloud of sawdust when Thor hit Thanos with it, so it's definitely more durable than wood. Probably not as strong as the uru metal the head is made of, but still stronger than anything you could make on Midgard." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why did people start to overwhelmingly prefer much shorter, singing music over long classical pieces?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The normal folks _always_ had short music. Folk songs. Madrigals. Any form of minstrel work.\n\nThree to six minutes is about as long as a single performer of average skill can be expected to go without a break and still keep the quality up.\n\nSo long orchestral pieces are the tasks of the \"professional athletes\" of music. People who can afford to spend all their time working on their skills and stamina.\n\nAlso most catchy story-songs don't have enough material to go for more than a couple of minutes.\n\nSo you've got a historical misunderstanding. Virtually all music for all of history was short-form. We just _remember_ and _note_ the classical ages peices because of their literal rarity. There are few of them. The probable millions of songs that were never written down or preserved are simply lost to time. And the few that were written down were not particularly sought out or preserved.\n\nSo its not that the long form was preferred. Indeed those long pieces were reserved for special occasions for the wealthy.\n\nBut any well-appointed house had a \"music room\" and any lady or gentleman was expected to be able to play at least one common instrument.\n\nMeanwhile in inns, and tap rooms, and campfires there was the songs of the day just like today." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: why manual cars are dying off even though they're more fuel efficient and keep the driver focused\n\nManual transmission. They're more fun, too. And **cheaper.**" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because automatics are easier to drive. Also, the fuel efficiency gap between standard and automatic transmission has narrowed considerably over the last few decades, meaning that there is far less of a financial incentive to purchase a manual transmission over automatics." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Batman] How many investigations does Batman have going on at a time?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Many many. While he may be focused on one particular one, he's keeping an eye on any number of others and if he happens to run into someone with a warrant that he remembers, he'll take time out to deal with it." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why is binary with transistors used in computers? Why not other states like 3 or 4?\n\nI saw this in a video and they said that it was because if there are more states, there'd be \"interference\" from other devices?\n\nWhat does it mean? Transistors make use of semiconductors and flow of electrons, why not divide certain voltages for more states?\n\nI apologise if I got any info wrong, but please make me wrong. Layman terms would be appreciated." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Two states are easy. On and off. This is very easy for transistors to compare. You don't need to be careful about what exact voltage the transistors output - just on or off. Making a system that sets exact voltages and differentiates them would likely just end up being a bunch of different interwoven binary systems running at different voltages. Not really a step up.\n\nNow, analog computers have been attempted, but they are less reliable and more difficult to make than digital ones, and ultimately digital was the one that humanity chose to use." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Fallout] Why does the Commonwealth have so many more suits of power armor than out west or in the Capital Wasteland?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There weren't many factions who desired or knew how to use them. The Brotherhood was well established on the West Coast and in DC, they picked any good armor out of facilities that they could.\n\nThere is also a far larger amount of experimental labs in the Commonwealth. There are a fair amount of special armor you can find that you find in labs." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5:Commission on Net vs Gross. Whats the difference?\n\nWhats the difference between “net” and “gross” spend – please clarify what should be included when calculating “gross” media spend that wouldn’t be included when calculating “net” media spend? A media agency wants to have commission a gross spend while I would like it on Net spend." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I don't know how this would apply to media, but generally these are the definitions:\n\nGross: the total amount of a transaction. You sell a $30,000 car, you get commission on $30,000.\n\nNet: the total amount of a transaction, *reduced by expenses*. You sell a $30,000 car, you get commission on $8,000, which is $30k - $22k (what the dealership paid for the car.)" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Starting a phd - what’s one thing you wish you had?\n\nHave a friend/colleague starting a phd shortly, need to get them a gift. It’s a science based phd if that makes a difference!\n\nNotebook is an obvious choice, would an academic diary be useful? What’s one thing you found most useful and/or wish you had when doing your phd? \n\nThanks!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I vote for something non-academia related. Money gets tight and so you don't feel like you can splurge on anything so try to think of whatever hobbies they have and maybe get them something for that. Double bonus gift too because it's important for people doing a PhD to do literally anything else besides the PhD. Get them a 10 pass punch card to the local climbing gym, a bike trails guidebook, a bunch of fancy yarn and fabric, etc." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[MCU] How did Justin Hammer react to finding out that Stark’s Ultron program failed catastrophically?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eh... It didnt fail because of Tonys lack of ingenuity or lack of intelligence it failed because the Banner/Stark AI went bonkers. \n\nI dont think he would take that much joy in the ultron incident since it did demonstrate how insanely good tony is with robotics. \n\nIt would be like building a crazy advanced car but the tires had a defect that resulted in a crash." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Marvel] How can Susan Storm's psionic shields be broken other than by using brute force and magic?\n\nLooking for an in universe answer (maybe it's already been done) or maybe a science based answer.\nI read on the Marvel wiki that her force fields are permeable to sound waves (which as far as I know need a medium to travel), so does that mean an airborne toxin or something similar can easily pass through??\n\nTIA." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You don't need the Marvel wiki to tell you her shields are permeable to sound waves. If they were not, no one outside her shield could talk to someone inside, but that happens all the time.\n\nA sound wave doesn't require the medium to pass through, just the wave. Waves can transfer from one medium to another. That's how a microphone works: sound waves strike a diaphragm, causing it to vibrate. The diaphragm is attached to a coil, which generates a small electrical current. (Speakers work the same way, but in the other direction.)\n\nSo for a sound wave to pass through, all it has to do is cause some kind of vibration in the shield (this could be just a modulation of the shield's energy) which then gets transferred to the air on the other side by the the same process in the other direction. No actual air or other matter needs to pass through." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[DC/Marvel] Are there any other planets with super hero drama like ours?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Well, there's the Super Skrull. Basically a Skrull with the powers of the Fantastic Four, a \"Captain America\"-like figure for his empire, working to avenge his planet for having been eaten by Galactus.\n\nThen there's the Shi'Ar Empire and all their shenanigans with the Phoenix Crystal and the X-Men.\n\nIn DC, there's that whole \"Green Lantern Corp.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: What happens to juvenile offenders that turn 18 while they are incarcerated in a juvenile detention center?\n\nDo they get transferred to the adult prison or get to finish their sentence in the juvy? What happens to their criminal record?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They'd get transferred to adult prison.\n\nIt's a consideration that would be taken into account before they were sentenced.\n\nIf thier sentance is long enough to pass thier 18th birthday, it's probably a serious felony and will be on record." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[WH40K] About to start my chainsword training. What will I have to re-learn?\n\nI've been trained with a conventional sword my entire life, but I'm starting my training as an Officer in the Imperial Guard and I've been told that those (literally) don't cut it on the field against the Emperor's enemies. How much of my old training will carry over? Are there any habits that will actually harm me while learning to use a chainsword?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Slack in wrist on impact. With traditional blades, you want a looser wrist, since your weapon relies more on a sliding cut than a brute-force impact. As such, you don't hold fast and try to force a blade through, you loosen your wrist and let it half drag after the initial connection. \n\nChainswords don't do that. They're going to cut regardless of if you slide the weapon down, or force it through. So hold your wrist rigid and force the bugger on, it'll rip right through.\n\nBasically... Forget finesse. It's not what they were designed for. It's more of a club than a sword." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[LotR] Are the Black Numenoreans as powerful and long-lived as the Dunedain?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They certainly lived long lives as Numenorians did. But by the time of the Third Age there isn't much proof of many being left. Only one is named canonically, the so called \"Mouth of Sauron\" \n\nThere might also be a few left controlling the dark city of Umbar in the South and some of the Haradrim lands surrounding it." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Classic Doctor Who] Why does the Doctor sometimes quote mistakes and misunderstandings from human scientists?\n\nThe most striking example is the 4th quoting that \"it's scientifically impossible for bees to fly\", something that was believed by humans at the time but later turned out to be a mistake from a human mathematician that got propagated.\n\n\nThing is, the Doctor was educated in science and mathematics on Galifrey, by scientists far superior to those available to humans at the time, so why is he quoting silly human errors?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was making a point about \"impossible\" things being possible. In this case, someone bypassing a robot's prime directive to not kill.\n\nIn this case quoting a Terran certainty of the aerodynamic impossibility of bee flight was quite pertinent, since it demonstrated that there was something unknown that would make it appear possible." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[W40K] given the rapid technological advancement of the town do you think that they will be able to (1)Survive and (2)Fix the problems of the Galaxy through advanced technology?\n\nOf course at present the Tau pose absolutely no threat to the Imperium. However the nature of technology is that as it advances the radar advancement in to accelerate. How advanced are computers are in the real world today versus 30 years ago. Less than a century passed between first powered flight and landing on the moon. Tau technology seems to be highly resistant to Chaos, there and don't seem to constantly go rouge.\n\nThis question also assumes that their advancement is not simply due to the Eldar secretly uplifting them, a popular theory." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I doubt it. While it can be argued that Tau tech is all-around more advanced than that of the Imperium, they are missing a truly necessary part of the puzzle; they lack scale. \n\nThe Imperium spans millions of worlds, with many trillions of citizens. The Imperial Guard section of the military contains billions of soldiers, just by itself. Chaos has a presence throughout the entire Galaxy, and as long as there are sentient beings, it cannot truly be \"defeated\". The Necrons probably have a few trillion combatants, all with ancient weapons far more powerful than a majority of what the rest of the Galaxy has to offer (they've just gotta wake up). The Orks, regardless of their technological inferiority, are one of the most consistently dangerous forces around for everybody, and their reproduction through spores keeps them going indefinitely. The Tyranids are the single biggest threat to everything in the Galaxy. And while the Eldar are really lacking in sheer numbers, their tech is far more advanced than the Tau. \n\nIt will take millennia for the Tau to raise their numbers enough, and colonize/conquer enough worlds to be a real threat to anyone. This also raises a problem for their overall longevity, given that their faction, more and more, has been having its population padded with converts of other races. To be a truly dangerous, unified force, they would have to ensure that their Tau population consistently outpaces their acquisition of \"outsiders\", otherwise they'll probably end up with a fractured empire full of infighting. \n\nSomething truly unexpected and miraculous has to happen with the Tau soon if they will have any chance of being a real, meaningful player in the Galaxy. So far, their only advantage, is their general lack of a Warp presence, but even that advantage comes with some caveats, and can be easily nullified by their converts." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How much do we know about the other side of the of the Milky Way?\n\nMost maps of the observable universe that I 've seen have a large blank spot that, from what I understand, is caused by our inability to \"see through\" the gas, dust, etc. in the galactic plane. Are there any objects or phenomena that we could observe that are located in this portion of the sky? (opposite side of the Milky Way of course) \n\nFor example, could there be a galaxy just as large as Andromeda, <100,000 ly away from the opposite edge of the Milky Way? Could we be in the initial stages of a galactic merger and simply not know?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You are correct in saying that we cannot 'see' through the center of the milky way. As you hinted at, there is a large amount of dust in the galactic plane which blocks light that we would describe as being in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, it is possible to peer through this dust using different wavelengths of the spectrum. One such wavelength is simply radio waves. Using radio telescopes, astronomers are able to get past the dust and observe objects in the center of the galaxy and beyond.\n\nNow, observing things on the far end of the galaxy can certainly be difficult, as there are a great number of radiation sources in the way. However, making use of radio waves and other wavelengths, such as x-rays, would surely allow us to observe something as high in radiation as an entire galaxy." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: The violinist argument begs the question\n\nFwiw, I in no way want to take away access to abortion. I understand the motivations behind them, I think outlawing them would just create a back-alley scenario, and I'm only 50% sure fetuses are actually people, whereas pregnant people are unambiguously people. Still, I feel very uneasy with my current position and wish I could be unambiguously pro-choice with a clear conscience. I can never know in principle whether fetuses are people or not (\"personhood\" seems too big to ever get a clear and obvious definition), so the only way to get there is by saying that even if they *are* people, abortion is still okay. People often bring up the violinist argument for this.\n\nI'm sorry, but I don't get it at all.\n\nThe general idea behind it is \"if you were attached to someone and forced to let that person use your body for nine months because their life depended on it, wouldn't you want to unplug yourself and go free, in spite of their need?\" And everyone else who hears the thought experiment - even pro-life people - seem to think that it would be morally licit to unplug the violinist. They treat it as self-evident. Is everyone crazy? A scenario where someone loses nine months of their life is obviously superior to a scenario where someone loses their existence altogether. While I wouldn't be happy if I were kidnapped and tied up to the violinist, I would understand the kidnapper's reasoning and while I don't know that the ends would justify the means, it would certainly be morally wrong of me to attempt to leave at that point. Maybe this is more of a defect in my personal psychology, but I just don't think that my autonomy is worth more than another person's existence. So an argument that's built on the assumption that autonomy *is* that important doesn't convince me, even though I actively *want* to be convinced. \n\nIf you think \"you're only saying this because you haven't actually been put in that situation,\" I concede that my animalistic impulse to escape might overcome my moral reasoning in that situation. But I wouldn't be morally *justified* in trying to escape. That's ludicrous." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "> A scenario where someone loses nine months of their life is obviously superior to a scenario where someone loses their existence altogether. \n\n3,000 Americans die every year waiting for bone marrow donations. Fact is you are already complicit in their deaths whether you know it or not. Should people be forced to donate bone marrow?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I believe that the FCC should not censor nudity/obscenity on TV CMV\n\nI believe that the TV off button, V-chip and **PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY** are the answer, not censorship. \n\n- There is nothing wrong with children swearing\n\n- Children Learn swear words at age four, and usually from their parents/friends\n\n- What is the harm?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One of the main reasons that TV and radio are censored the way they are is because they are considered intrusive. Let's say someone was watching the news on NBC turns the TV off and leaves. Later that day 5 year old Timmy comes running in and turns on the TV, you have no idea what the previous person was watching or what NBC is showing at that time, now Timmy is staring at a giant cock on screen because nudity is not censored or regulated. \n\nV-Chip, Parental responsibility and the off-button can only go so far. Yes much of what people complain about can be easily solved by paying attention or (gasp) actually talking to your children, but you can't keep your kids in a bubble 24/7. Even the best parents need a little help. By censoring and restricting what can be shown and at what time, it gives parents greater piece of mind, and cuts the risk of a child seeing something that may be inappropriate." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why does the tounge muscle not grow even if it's constantly moving?\n\nFor example, when you workout, your muscles (biceps, pecs, legs, etc.) get bigger by time. Why not the tounge?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Muscles get as big as they need to be, I.e. if you don’t work out your bicep and just use it for your normal day to day going about your business, it will settle at a certain size, that size will be different person to person.\n\nThe cardiac muscles don’t keep growing just because they are beating all the time, they get as big as they need to be to carry out their work then stop growing.\n\nI suppose it is possible, you could set up some sort of resistance training rig for your tongue and strengthen it, it may even grow bigger." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Could antimatter destroy a black hole?\n\nSince black holes are made of matter, could a large enough quantity of antimatter sent into a black hole destroy, or at least destabilize, a black hole?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No. Antimatter still has positive mass it just has the opposite charge as it's normal matter partner. So antimatter that falls into a black hole will increase the total mass of the system. \n\nSo why won't the matter-antimatter annihilation cause the mass inside the black hole to disappear? First to assume that annihilation can happen we have to make certain assumptions that somehow the initial matter that fell into the black hole will retain some kind of individual identity. We need this because a positron and say a down quark won't annihilate. Only only an particle and *its* anti-particle. \n\nFor the sake of argument lets assume this is somehow true so an infilling positron could find an electron at the singularity to annihilate with and it does so. We've not actually changed anything about the \"mass\" of the black hole. Yes we've eliminated the electron and positron, but in their place we've created two new photons with the exact same energy as those two particles had. These photons will continue to contribute to the gravity well as if they were still particles. \n\nThis would still work since unlike the two particles photons always move at c, except at this point we're within the event horizon of the black hole, and the photons will therefore be unable to escape. \n\nSo at the end of the whole thing we've still got the original electron's energy in the black hole and the added positron's energy is also bound within the gravitational well thus we have increased the energy of the black hole." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How exactly does dry cleaning work? (And are dry clean-only labels a scam?)\n\nI've always been a bit confused on this one - even more with places that offer BOTH dry cleaning and basic laundering." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dry Cleaning Shop Owner reporting in! \n\nCabtab314 is correct, (we use a solvent called Perc in the UK), and yes because Perc is a solvent the garments get thoroughly \"wet\" but the solvent evaporates in the dry cleaning process. \n\nIn regards to your other question, we have a huge issue with dry clean labels... Many companies put Dry Clean only on their brand because it has a reputation for being a gentler clean, even though solvent is heavier than water and the machine uses the same/similar mechanical action as a washing machine, the solvent just doesn't take as much life from the garment. \n\nSadly though, many clothes get the dry clean classification approved before they add a lot of the decorations. Dresses with beading that has been glued on will generally... Not... End... Well... \n\nBut yes, you can wash a lot of dry clean only garments, just on a cold wash with a very small amount of detergent. Suit jackets with padded shoulders look dreadful if you wash them though!\n\nI hate this industry sometimes! 😂" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Batman Begins] So the wealthiest Man in the state walks into a dinky little bar that a Mobster is sitting in...\n\nThis Falconi Mob leader clearly knows who he is, and yet he still threatens, and points a gun at Bruce, spouting off about fear or whatever...\n\nHe does realize if he wanted, Bruce could hire a private army and wipe Falconi's dinky little mob, which doesn't even exist a few years later, off the face of the Earth right?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Falcone says, the power of FEAR is one you can't buy. He knows that Bruce is insanely wealthy and powerful, but just doesn't believe Bruce will have the balls to use that against him. Indeed, Bruce must learn to control his fear before he can return to Gotham and take down Falcone and his fellow mobsters.\n\nWhereas Falcone is comparatively far less wealthy, but isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, and is aware that everyone in the city knows this and fears HIM because of it. \n\nPower, in this case, comes from fear and not money." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Harry Potter] Are there any other known twin wands besides Harry's and Voldemort's wands?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Due to the nature of wandmaking, there are probably quite a lot of sibling wands. Many wand cores are made from magical animal hairs, and it would make sense to harvest more than one hair at a time. Even with Dragon Heartstring wands it would make sense that you could get multiple cores from a single dragon's heart. \n\nWandmaking is hardly industrialized, but just looking at how many wands Olivander has in his shop it seems clear that he probably doesn't make wands to order. Building up the stock of wands that we see in the background of his shop (and, although we don't see it, the store of wand parts he has to make more wands) doesn't make sense if he only receives one hair per thestral or unicorn that the core is harvested from. Wands are presumably affordable enough for wizards and witches to buy when necessary, and that (reasonably low) price doesn't mesh with the idea of harvesting only one wand core from each creature that can create them.\n\nThe reason Harry and Voldemort's wands were notable for their relationship was the nature of the animal that donated the core material. Phoenixes are fairly powerful magical beings, and Fawkes seems to be an extraordinary example of a phoenix. Add to that that phoenix feathers are fairly rare and that Fawkes only donated two feathers to be made into wand cores and those wands are almost guaranteed to be special.\n\nLet's also not discount the potential effect that Harry and Voldemort's relationship itself adds to the situation. Wands are tools to channel the natural magical energy of witches and wizards, not the source of the magic itself. Harry had a piece of Voldemort's soul in him, and was presumably drawing some magical energy from that soul fragment. Voldemort's magical energy (from Voldemort) interacting with his own other magical energy (from Harry) is bound to create some weird magical situations, and even more so that both of these are being focused through very similar wands and that weirdness is going to be extra weird (such as what happened at the Gaunt graveyard during the Triwizard tournament)." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[MCU - GOTG] Did Yondu ever discuss the birds and the bees with Peter? What was that like?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yeah he would've gone into great detail about how to get women into the sack, what goes on in the sack and probably loads of details about which colours of space human are sexually compatible. Yondu wasn't exactly shy or awkward." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why doesn't the ocean's water leak out the bottom and into the earth's crust/mantle? The ocean bottom can't be completely free of fissures, can it?\n\nI was looking at the ocean the other day and wondering how it just contains all of its water." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "* the water doesn't have anywhere to go. There aren't gaping holes for stuff to fall into. Any holes there are has stuff coming out (lava), not stuff going in.\n* any water that does actually make it to a hole gets turned to steam pretty quickly (by the lava), and starts going right back up.\n* rock is more dense than water. That doesn't just mean that rocks sink in water, that means that water _floats_ on rocks. The natural place that water wants to be in relation to a rock is above it, in the same way a beach ball wants to be above water." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: Automation will not result in mass unemployment\n\nI've heard it repeated as fact constantly over the last few years that the rise of automation and improved AI will result in mass unemployment. (For example, this point is often used as a key justification for proposals such as universal basic income.)\n\nThis argument is almost exactly what the Luddites said in early 17th century England as they smashed their mechanical cotton mills. In reality, the new availability of cheap, mass produced textiles led to an explosion of new possibilities. Yes, many cotton weavers lost their current jobs, but it didn't result in increased unemployment in the long term.\n\nEvery new technology requires new jobs to maintain, manage and develop it further - \\*and\\* increased productivity enables a cheaper end product which means it can be used in ways which would have been cost-prohibitive before. Technological advances shouldn't be something to fear, we should welcome the fact that menial roles will increasingly be filled by robots, allowing people to focus their energies on more creative tasks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every new technology also requires less people for the same result, and the new jobs require a higher level of knowledge and education.\n\nAgriculture is already heavily mechanized, and getting more so. There have been advances in robot warehousing -- Kiva Systems, which was bought by Amazon. There's a lot of interest in self-driving cars. Amazon is working on unattended stores and already has one. There have been efforts to have fast food restaurants where you order on a tablet, and they're looking into having robots do the burgers as well.\n\nEventually, the low end jobs get drastically reduced. And when where do the high school dropouts go? You can't possibly think they're going to be robot designers, right?\n\n\nAlso, here's the thing -- the luddites were right, in a way. People don't riot for shits and giggles. Yes, the machines resulted in enormous advances, but they also ruined the lives of people who now became unemployable, and society didn't give them any workable alternatives to feed themselves and their families at the time.\n\nSuppose trucking is automated by 2030. What's a trucker who did nothing but that for 20 years supposed to do? Sit home hungry, happy at the benefits to the economy that resulted from better logistics, in which they are no longer a necessary part? Go to school and study engineering? Where are they going to get the money for that?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "If the \"common\" understanding of Schrödinger's Cat is incorrect, what is the correct way to think about the experiment and its results?\n\nI understand the whole \"the cat is both dead and alive\" thing, but I've also been told that that interpretation isn't actually correct, and that I wouldn't understand it until I learn more about quantum physics. Does anyone have any insight on the \"correct\" interpretation of this experiment?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I view it as a *reductio ad absurdum* showing the pitfalls of the non-rigorous nature of the textbook postulates of quantum mechanics.\n\nA living cat at room temperature is a manifestly classical object. If there are two doorways into a room, the cat does not exist in a superposition of states moving through each door, and the cat does not interfere with itself. \n\nThe problem with textbook quantum mechanics is that it does not provide guidance other than common sense on which objects may be described as quantum objects (atoms, electrons, molecules) which may exist in a superposition of interfering states, and which objects should be treated as classical \"detectors\" (geiger counters, phosphorescent screens, scientists).\n\nIf there is a cat in the box, and a unstable atom that sets off a poison trap if it beta decays, then the sensible way to set up the problem is to treat the atom as a quantum system, and the poison trap as a \"detector\" which collapses the atomic wavefunction into a state of having decayed or not having decayed.\n\nThe absurd way to treat the problem is to look at the atom, the poison trap, and the cat as a quantum system that exists in some superposition of decay (and death of the cat) and no decay (and a living cat) until some other object acts as the \"detector\" and collapses the wavefunction.\n\nThis gets at the heart of the measurement problem: what qualifies something as a detector, and what is the physical process of wavefunction collapse?\n\nI think that recent nanoscale experiments and theoretical work such as the notion of decoherence are making progress towards rigorously understanding wavefunction collapse." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How does wind chill work?\n\nI live in Florida, where it rarely goes below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. That being said, looking at the weather across the country, I realize that I have no idea how wind chill works. Weather forecasts have reported a temperature of 3 degrees, but with the windchill it feels like -17 degrees, or more recently in Chicago, the temperature was -11 degrees but -40 with the wind chill.\n\nIn Florida, I've experienced hurricane force winds, but that has never given us drastic changes in temperature, so this concept of the wind making it feel sometimes 30 degrees colder baffles me." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The effect is partially due to evaporation of water. When water evaporates it takes heat with it. When the wind is blowing, cold dry air displaces the warmer moist air around you/the thermometer facilitating a faster rate of evaporation.\n\nWind chill is normally measured by a wet bulb thermometer.\n\nSource: A distant memory of primary school." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5:How come rapist and child molester are hated by prisoners in prisons?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "because even prisoners have a moral code.\n\nThey don't see themselves as evil. Most folks in prison see themselves as people who got a raw deal. The crimes they committed, they committed out of necessity (Sometimes that necessity is the poverty of their youth). The crimes they committed, they committed against other adults who 'had it coming'.\n\nThere's no way to frame this argument in a way that works for people who abuse children. Prisoners see these people as the *real* criminals." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How does sleep deprivation lead to other bodily issues such as an upset stomach?\n\nI’ve read that not getting enough sleep can cause a myriad of issues such as upset stomachs or pain at times. How does missing a bit of sleep cause such seemingly far flung bodily issues?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Your body is supposed to work like a fine-tuned machine.\n\nHowever, even fine-tuned machines get out of tune when put under too much stress. Sleep deprivation causes your body to change how it distributes things that help your body function.\n\nThree main things (hormones) your body alters are cortisol, ghrelin, and leptin levels.\n\nGhrelin tells you when you're supposed to be hungry. \n\nLeptin tells you when you're full.\n\nCortisol fixes sugar levels in your blood, and is created when your body is under stress.\n\nThese three things combined change not only your hunger levels when you're sleep deprived, but they can also change what foods you're hungry for. They can change how your body stores fat, they know what times of day you normally eat.\n\nSleep deprivation throws all of these things out of balance, and those things are tied to your digestive system, your immune system, and more. Extended sleep deprivation is tied to diseases like diabetes and heart disease.\n\nIn short, get some sleep!" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "If you received a full blood transfusion would you lose your immunity to infections you had previously been vaccinated against?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You mean: if you lost all your own blood and had all of it replaced by other people's blood. \n\nThe answer is no, because immune cells do not only live in the blood. They are also in your spleen, in your bone marrow and in lymph nodes. Some of the cells that make antibodies and that remember previous infections or vaccinations will thus stay in your body, even if all blood was exchanged." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why are flies so attracted to feces? What attracts them to it? Is it... nutritious?\n\nI've always wanted to know why you'd see dozens of flies on a pile of dog shit as if it was steak or something. What gives?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yes, and no! First of all, feces contain large amounts of dead and alive bacteria, fats, proteins, indigestible carbohydrates (like cellulose - fiber!), minerals, and trace amounts of other nutritious goodies. Although what gets excreted is simply waste to a human, many organisms have different needs. If you or another mammal were to consume feces, there would be little to no benefit, and great risk of making yourself sick with toxic byproducts and infectious bacteria being put in the wrong place. However, many of these things that are infectious to, or not digested by, humans are safe and nutritious for other organisms. With such a nutrient dense media available, flies and other insects (including beetles and even butterflies) flock to deposit their eggs so that when they hatch their babies will have everything they need to grow. \n**TL;DR** Feces are nutritious safe-havens for insects to lay their eggs." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Why is human feces so dangerous but animals can go anywhere in nature and it feeds the environment?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It's dangerous to us because other humans can excrete human-hungry pathogens in theirs and make other people sick. Our microfauna also varies from person to person, so being exposed to others' feces can mess with one's microbiome." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Does the change in an electron’s wave function and probability density function happen instantaneously when it changes energy state?\n\nEdit: Specifically for the hydrogen atom for simplicity’s sake. \n\nWondering if this change happens at the speed of light or instantaneously and if instantaneously how does it not violate causality. Does it work like wave function collapse?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No, it doesn’t happen instantaneously. For example if you have a particle in an excited state with one lower-energy state (the ground state), the time-dependence of the wavefunction is something like exp[iEt/~~h~~], where E is a “complex-valued energy”\n\nE = E*_0_* - iΓ/2.\n\nE*_0_* is the actual energy of the excited state, and Γ is the energy width. \n\nIf you calculate a probability density for a wavefunction of this form, you get something proportional to\n\nexp[-Γt/~~h~~].\n\nNotice that this is not an imaginary exponential, which is an oscillating function. This is a **real** exponential function, and it decays with time. This is the exact same exponential decay that you see in radioactivity.\n\nSo the probability density for finding the particle in the excited state decays exponentially in time; it doesn’t instantaneously change." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: In TV-Show 'Silicon Valley' they talk about \"Scaling\" the software, to commercialise it. What do they mean by \"Scaling\" in this sense?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I haven't watched the show, but usually we software developers talk about scaling in the sense of moving from small amounts of usage to much larger amounts of usage. For example, your app might start with 5 users/day and work great at that scale. But once you start thinking about 5,000 users/day, you need to plan for a much larger database, more server bandwidth, higher uptime, more support requests, hackers who suddenly take an interest in your app, etc. \n\nThis is all what is meant by \"scaling\", and it's not always about just adding more hardware - frequently the software has to be completely redesigned as well. For example think about the process you use to cook dinner in your kitchen as the software. It works for 5 \"users\" (your family). Now imagine you have to feed 5000 people. You can upgrade your kitchen to a huge galley, but your cooking process better change as well, or else it'll never work." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How can we see photons from distant Galaxies?\n\nOK, I know \"why\" but to me it doesn't make much sense or perhaps I am not thinking properly.\n\nPhotons travel in a basically (putting gravity aside for a minute) straight line. Yes? If so then every photon we can see would have to have an origination point. That point would have to be exactly lined up with our telescope, our eyes etc.. if not that particular photon could not be registered? Yes? (Like if a flash light was pointed away from us)\n\nIf I think of a big ball (a star) and I draw a straight line from each conceivable point on that ball outward (where the photon originated and started travelling), *eventually* the trajectory of every line would move farther and farther away from each other (think of a V\")\n\nI can see what we are able to see our Sun, as the distance is not great enough to angle all the trajectories completely away, but something hundreds of light years away?\n\nHow do those photons get to us? Is it that there is just an almost infinite resource flying out at every trajectory?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Everything you've described is correct. It's not an \"infinite\" resource of photons, but for a star like the sun it's roughly 10^45 per second.\n\nGalaxies emit a **lot** of photons, so many of them arrive at the Earth even though we make up a tiny fraction of the total solid angle. When we start looking at far enough sources, or in parts of the spectrum that are dimmer, we start to see photons arriving one at a time instead of as a continuum." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "CMV: Under convincing circumstances, attempted murder should be punished the same as actual murder.\n\nSo, I believe that the point of incarceration in the legal system is to protect us civilians against potentially dangerous individuals, and to act as a deterrent to discourage people from doing illegal things. I am an atheist and do not believe in things such as sins and repentance in a spiritual manner. \n\n\nAs an example, I saw the CCTV footage of a man who stabbed another man in the head with a knife. The man supposedly survived, which can clearly be seen as lucky. The assailant could just as well have killed the man, and the intent was there, why else would you stab a man IN THE HEAD? In my country, the legal system differentiates between attempted murder and actual murder. But as far as I can see, the man escaped a much harder sentence due to a sheer luck. Why should not attempted murder, under convincing circumstances, yield the exact same punishment? Change my view! \n\n\n(English is not my first language, some words might be out of place etc etc.)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Our justice system is built on incentives for compliance, and part of what makes that work is the possibility of de-escalation. The idea is that until you've actually committed murder, there's still an opportunity to back down and face a lesser charge. If attempted murder carries the same penalty as murder, then trying again comes at no extra cost." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[FMA] Human Transmutation\n\nI know making a living human with alchemy is a forbidden art and carries a huge risk, but what about just building a non living human body? You know just a corpse more or less but a complete body all organs and bones included. Would it carry the same risks? Would it be still be a forbidden art?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The actual risks with human transmutation seem to revolve entirely around the soul, not the body. Otherwise, as you say, the body is just natural ingredients arranged in a specific amount and shape. Ed even rambles off the actual percentages of each one in one of the earlier episodes, implying that an alchemical breakdown of a human body has been done before. \n\nThe reason most people don't seem to bother is that there doesn't seem to be much point. Anything you make is effectively useless because medicine in the FMA-verse doesn't seem good enough to do transplants and alchemy doesn't seem to have any (known) surgical application. Or else you'd think a master like Izumi could help herself. Plus the general ban on Human Alchemy seems to extend to all aspects of it, rather than just trying to raise the dead. Shou Tucker was making Human Chimeras but he still had to keep his research secret." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Toy Story 4] How can Bo Peep move as well as she does.\n\nSo it’s been kind of the law that a toy can only move using its own articulation, with some slight leeway allowing for Toys with no articulation to hobble. \n\nBo Peep is a porcelain figure. How is it she have fully fluid human movement when only loose toys have been able to accomplish that?\n\n—————-\nEdit: okay so I think I’ve been “Mandela Effect”ing how some of the movements worked in previous films. Looking back it seems that the Army men can move freely apart from their feet are a plastic stand, and Hamm can waddle about dispute being a piggy bank.\n\nI think what is happening is Toys can move the way they are imagined too by the child. So in absence toy articulation limits their movement because that’s his the child sees them move in their head. Where as with a more rigid toy a child can sometimes picture more movement in their head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bo Peep, being unowned by a child for a length of time, has become her own \"imaginator\" if you will. Instead of a child imagining her moving, she's imagining herself - and thus her actual movement is more athletic and fluid. \n\n(trying to come up with a \"canon\" line of reasoning)" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How come the US doesn't add taxes into the prices you see on the shelf?\n\nWhen I was in the UK, it was SO much easier to shop for stuff, when you knew exactly what the total was gonna be (especially since I was just travelling, and had a limited budget)." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because taxes can vary on store items on the state, county, and city level.\n\nHaving to make one set of tags for everywhere and say \"+tax\" is far more economically efficient then having to make hundreds of tags for items with different prices." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Approximately how fast is Sol traveling relative to the center of the Milky Way galaxy?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Others have answered this pretty well, but as a heads up nobody in the planetary/stellar scientific community uses “Sol”, that’s pretty much the realm of sci-fi. The IAU designations are “the Sun” and “the Moon”, emphasis on “the” and the capitalization." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: How are animals able to drink water from puddles from the road, dirty ponds, etc. etc. But if we were to do it, we'd fall terribly sick?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In part it's immunity gained by getting ill once, or a few times and surviving it. The immune system remembers what foreign organisms it encountered before and fights them a lot faster and efficiently when an infection happens again (with exceptions from the rule, not all pathogens produce a lasting immunity). \n\nIn part it's evolution at work. The wolf that couldn't handle half-rotten meat simply didn't live long enough to reproduce. Disadvantages like that get culled very quickly in nature. Most people living today have a genetic immunity to illnesses that were devastating a few generations earlier. The Spanish Flu wouldn't be as bad today as it was 1918 because we're the descendants of the survivors.\n\nIf there are few water sources, then those have an advantage who can use even the dirtiest puddle without major consequences. \n\nBut, you also only see the animals drinking, not hiding in the undergrowth puking their souls out, or dying prematurely from infections and poison. Just because they drink something doesn't mean it's automatically ok for them to do so. If there's nothing better to be had, they'll go for it and hope for the best, not like they can go to the next convenience store and buy a bottle of water instead." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Star Trek] Why are Humans one of, if not the, only species with many diverse cultures?\n\nThe vast majority of species shown have a single unifying culture or belief. Fluctuations are mostly on an individual scale. Whenever beliefs or cultures are discussed, it is said that \"Species X believes this, Species Y considers this rude, Human culture X believes this\". Especially when discussing the afterlife, people tend to bring up 3 human belief systems, as well as 2 alien ones, each representing an entire species." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Humans were quick to develop warp drive. Most species take a lot longer, so there's a lengthy period in their history where they've got extremely good telecommunications technology while still being confined to just one solar system. This has a homogenizing effect on culture. Humans developed warp drive unexpectedly (they'd just come out of a massive global war, they were quite fragmented and backward at the time) which allowed them to radiate out to remote star systems before they'd been able to homogenize quite so much." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "is there a correlation between the Sun's activity and Global Warming?\n\nThe temperature where I live (Ontario, Canada) rose 16 deg. C higher than average for this time of year. This corresponds directly with the solar flare activity reaching earth. Can this be coincidence and can it explain why global warming is occurring?\n\nEdit: Thank you all for your answers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are several effects that solar activity might have on Earth's climate.\n\nFirst, of course, is direct luminosity changes. If the Sun's energy output varies by even a fraction of a percent then that could still have a significant impact on the Earth. In general the long term average of solar energy output is fairly stable (other than the regular variations of solar cycles) though it does fluctuate a little over longer time periods and the difference between normal sunspot activity and \"maunder minimum\" periods appears to be significant.\n\nSecond, solar activity specifically in regards to the solar wind will impact the cosmic ray flux at Earth, which will affect cloud formation. The effect of cloud cover on climate is still poorly understood but definitely significant.\n\nOverall we can discount short-term effects such as what you have observed as merely random correlations, there's no plausible mechanism for significant temperature changes due to solar flare activity.\n\nOver long time periods there is some evidence that the Sun's activity has an effect on climate, but ultimately we just don't know. We don't have good records of Earth's weather and the Sun's activity to make any firm conclusions. What evidence we do have seems to indicate a correlation between \"maunder minimum\" sunspot lulls and climatic cooling, but even that is rather tenuous." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I feel that Islam is, on the whole evil, and that many Muslims in Britain should be deported. Please CMV\n\nBrought up to hate racism and xenophobia I am struggling with my own views on Islam and specifically muslims in the uk. Outside the uk, i daily read horrific stories of religiously motivated violence in muslim countrys, i hear about barbaric sharia law applied to young men and women, I have seen videos of religiously sanctioned executions, and i worry about what seems to be a widely held desire to impose Islamic law across the world. Having studied ancient history I read with horror as ancient and wonderful cultures were destroyed by the spread of islam. I have read many opinions pieces comparing Islam to medieval christianity, and many people have told me that christians commited similar atrocities in the middle ages, but I cannot help thinking that i would be as appaled and disgusted with that as i am Islam. \nIt just seems that for every atrocity commited in the name of this \"religion of peace\" we have to excuse them, like naughty children, as they rape and kill the innocent. So when I hear of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims entering the UK each year, of areas in which the majority are asian, of muslim gangs raping english girls and applying islamic law, I have to admit I get angry, and I guess racist. When i read about and talk to asian women who have lived in the UK for 30 years and speak no English yet claim benefits, feel angry, and again racist. \nMany times i've told myself that im wrong and just reducing complex issues to headlines in my head, but each time something else will emerge so alien to my values that im plunged straight back into my anti islamic thoughts. When recently i've read about anonymous surveys concluding that shocking numbers of muslims in the uk see the white British people as people to be hated and killed, and when a recent undercover panorama documentary found extremist sermons in supposed moderate mosques preaching for holy war and suicide bombings, its only reinforced my convictions. I hear that Mohammed is supposed to be a prophet and a man of huge wisdom, and then I read that he gave captured women to his men to be raped. Having said all of this, I don't want to become blinded with hate. I have met muslims that I really like, and respect. But i cannot help feeling that they are wonderful people despite their religion not because of it. All these views and feelings make me profoundly uneasy with myself, but everytime I try and change my opinion, some other fact or point will surface, and I can't help feeling that i'm right. Please, if you can, change my mind. I dont want to be right about this.\n\nEdit: So far there have been many excellent viewpoints put forth- thankyou all so much for your time\n\nEdit- thankyou to everyone that took the time to respond. I still think on the whole that Islam cannot be a force for good, but I know understand more fully what i suspected- Muslims themselves are just as good or evil as anybody else and should not be lumped in together. I cant write the little triangle thingie, but yeah, my view is changed :)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It's as prone to being corrupted, co-opted by awful people, and developing into fucked up local sects as every other major religion.\n\nIt's worth considering that for every time there's a headline of \"ten muslims gang-rape and stone to death dishonored woman,\" you're not hearing the story of \"nine thousand, nine hundred muslims have a pleasant day with their family.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "What types of Economist jobs are the most prevalent in the private sector? What do people do in these jobs? For instance what does a corporate economist do?\n\nNon-native English speaker here. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt seems that virtually all the occupations of an Economist is in the government. There does not seem to be that many Economist jobs in the private sector. \n\nI am referring to Economist occupations here and I am not talking about people with a background in Economics who goes on to be a Financial Analyst within a business or do any other job other than that of Economics regardless of their occupational title. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy question is: \n\n\\- What percentage of Economist jobs are in the private sector? \n\n\\- What are the *types* of these jobs? \n\n\\- What do people in these jobs do on a daily basis? For instance what does a corporate economist do? \n\n&#x200B;\n\nPS: I know these are basic questions, but I couldn't find any information on this topic even after weeks of searching. Maybe I am using the incorrect search terms in Google because English is not my native language. If anyone can guide me to a PDF or link online where I can get the information in my questions that would be great as well. \n\nThanks in advance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the banking industry there is a demand for PhD economists. Typically from the best schools and usually with a focus on Financial Econometrics. \n\nAlso real estate companies need economic analyst to study the housing market. But typically a BA/BS is enough." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[World War Z novel] What was the evacuation of Japan like and what was life like in the Japanese relocation/refugee camps?\n\nHow did the Japanese government manage to evacuate and relocate tens of millions of people off of the home islands and relocate to Sakhalin/Siberia? What were the logistics of that massive national evacuation like? How did the JSDF and USFJ (if US troops were still in the country) play a role? What were the massive refugee camps like? How did things work?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A lot of this is speculation and extrapolation. First, we know it worked to some degree, since Japan is explicitly still a thing in the books present day despite sharing a border with a nationalist theocracy.\n\nThe initial evactuation- and, actually, the evactuation everywhere- was a modern-day dunkirk miracle. People piled into whatever was seaworthy and vamoosed. There would have been a higher survival rate since they actually had a destination in mind, though.\n\nThe logistical pressure would have been lightened by the fact that a ton of people got killed, so you only really needed to move and then provide for a fraction of the population, but they would have faced many of the same problems Jessica and her family did in the Canada section of the book; resource shortages, bad preparation by the refugees, and overcrowding. Russia's climate explicitly made the zombies less of a day to day issue but also would have worsened the food and heating problems. It's safe to assume that a ton of people died as a result of the evacuation.\n\nIt would have been a bit less lawless and a bit more cooperative, because there was an actual government authority to defer to and in general, I've gotten the impression that the Japanese are culturally better at pulling together during a situation like this than the largely suburban and midwestern populations who migrated to Canada." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[MCU] Would Infinity War have gone better had Gamora and Quill gone with Thor, while Groot and Rocket went to Knowhere?\n\nSo instead of trying to beat Thanos to the Reality Stone herself, Gamora decides her knowledge of Vormir is too important to risk so blatantly. After some bickering, Gamora convinces Rocket that he will lead the group to Knowhere to try and steal the Reality Stone with Groot, Mantis and Drax, while Gamora and Quill will go with Thor to try and forge a new weapon for Thor to fight Thanos with.\n\nWould events have gone smoother this way? Or had Gamora told the Guardians she knows the location of the Soul Stone and must be kept away from Thanos (possibly having the Guardians all going to Nidavellir with Thor before joining the Battle of Wakanda) would Thanos have a harder time getting Gamora and thus the Soul Stone? I imagine that Thanos would struggle getting Gamora in the middle of a warzone where he's the main target (and she and Vision are the most protected of the heroes), but I also recognise that the Avengers would be splitting their efforts to protect two VIPs instead of one. I *also* recognise that Thanos would be down at least the Soul Stone by this point (and also Reality if Rocket succeeded), so I don't know.\n\nTLDR Would things have gone better (or drastically worse) had Gamora and Quill swapped missions with Rocket and Groot?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thor would have died because Groot made Stormbreaker's handle. If Eitri was able to find the handle, then he may have survived, but he didn't find it quick enough. \n\nThe Titan fight probably would have went the same, if not better due to Quill not being there." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Star Wars] Did any of the Seperarists systems join the Rebel Alliance after Sidious betrayed them?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Of course not. Openly resisting the Empire would have been suicide. Besides, they were quite war-weary, too.\n\nA lot of Seperatist millitary materiel did end up in rebel hands, though. Wonder where that came from..." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Are there any real studies showing that things like ginger, turmeric, capsaicin, propolis... help preventing/curing diseases?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are a LOT of studies. Almost no proper clinical trials though. Certainly no clear benefit. Turmeric is almost certainly ineffective as it decomposes quickly. If there is no clinical use after such long research then there probably is no significant activity.\nGood paper in Science about turmeric recently." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Breaking Bad] Why has Gus set himself up to be working in a public location filled with civilians all day? Isn't he worried his enemies can easily assassinate him there?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gus has no true enemies who want to assassinate him (aside from lalo for a brief period during the BCS era). The only people who know his true identity are people who work for him, and the cartel. He works for the cartel and handles their north-of-the-border distribution, they largely don't want to *actually* kill him. We see this demonstrated when the cartel sniper attacks the distribution plant - Gus walks out of cover, arms spread, and challenges the sniper to take the shot. He doesn't.\n\nGus orchestrates the demise of several cartel assets to look like he wasn't involved, then takes down the rest of the leadership in one swift strike later with their guard down. By the time they figure out he is killing them, they are already poisoned." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eli5: How does a computer know how long 1 sec is?\n\nDo they perform a series of calculations that take exactly 1s? Or am i looking at it completely wrong?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Computer Engineer here,\n\nTimekeeping on computers (indeed, most electronic devices) is performed using two methods.\n\n1.) A small quartz crystal that, when energised, oscillates at exactly 32,768 hz, is fed through an amplifier and bistable oscillating circuit. This assembly is often embedded within a real-time-clock circuit, which in some products can track the date and time down to the millisecond. 32,768 is exactly 2^15 which is extremely easy to count in logic. One second elapses every 32,768 oscillations.\n\nCrystals that oscillate at other frequencies, such as 50Mhz, and 100Mhz are available as well. As long as the oscillating frequency is known and oscillation is reliable, a counting circuit can be constructed around it.\n\n2.) Most operating systems include support for the Network Time Protocol. There are a large number of NTP servers on the internet, computers simply query these to periodically update their system clocks in the event that the RTC wanders a bit; timezone and DST can also be updated if sufficient information is known." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Game of Thrones] After Hardhome, Why did Lord Commander Snow march the Wildlings north of the Wall and through Castle Black’s gate instead of landing at the port at Eastwatch-by-the-sea and walking down the south wall road?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Eastwatch is smaller than Castle Black and is garrisoned by fewer brothers. Jon isnt stupid and doesnt fully trust all of the wildlings. Even if a few of the wildlings betrayed him it would be easier to defend Castle Black than it would Eastwatch." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eli5 why is it when you’re drunk, closing one eye helps you see straight?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alcohol messes with eye movements and sometimes involuntary eye movements, often it messes with each eye unequally. Because humans need input from both eyes for binocular vision, if they are not in sync, the brain can't fit the two puzzle pieces together. So if you close one eye, yes you lose half your visual field, but on the bright side, that single eye can move around all it wants and the brain won't confuse it with whatever is happening with the left eye." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[star wars] Did a Sith Lord ever take a second to relax? Would they ever kick back, crack a cold one and smoke a death stick with a pal?\n\nI've always wondered, Darth Sideous can't be sitting on a over valued rolly chair all day... Could he?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The night before the election, [Plagueis] made his first public appearance in years, and a rare appearance with Senator Palpatine: they attended the premiere of an experimental Mon Calamari piece at the Galaxies Opera House together. After the performance, the two Sith Lords retired to [Plagueis'] penthouse in the Kaldani Spires building to celebrate Palpatine's upcoming success. There, Sidious plied Plagueis with wine while rehearsing the acceptance speech he would soon deliver before the Senate.\"\n\nGranted, Palpatine killed him while he was intoxicated, but Plagueis didn't see anything unusual about it." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Jurassic Park] what happened to the indigenous animals on the island(s)?\n\nThe island is large enough with sufficient biodiversity to support plenty of birds, animals, and insects. What happened to them with the influx of dinosaurs?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Isla Nublar is a sea mount, and was known among Costa Rican fishermen and the government for being almost nothing but rocks, jungle, and rain. Its native fauna population was relatively small and isolated to the heavier forest to the island's north. Mostly small birds, rats, snakes, possums, leeches, and cicadas. \n\nWhen InGen bought the island, they cleared and developed the central and eastern part of the island mostly, and left the animals in the north alone as best they could. The dinosaur population was supposed to be kept separate and tightly contained for ease of public view. But when they started getting out, the small animals most likely became part of the new violent food chain for a brief time.\n\n(In the novel) following the evacuation of Doctor Grant and the other survivors of the incident, the Costa Rican air force firebombed the island and killed most everything still living there. \n\n(In the movies) Following the evacuation of Doctor Grant and the other survivors of the incident, a few return trips to the island were made and it was noted that the dinosaurs that had escaped were developing into a semi-natural ecosystem. Which included a few species eating the native fauna." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Arguments for ethics in the face of logical positivism?\n\nI am a student of philosophy and often encounter people(often of a scientific mindset) who make use of arguments based in logical positivism to reject ethics overall. Although I do not agree with the logical positivist view that only empirical answers are worthwhile I cannot find a argument completely capable of combating this view which remains free from criticism that shows it to be less reasonable than the positivist view. If you have any insight here please share it. I must confess that this is an incredibly distressing issue for me and I honestly don't know what to do if I cannot find a logical response." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Historically, the logical positivists didn't necessarily \"reject ethics overall\". For example, AJ Ayer argued for a non-cognitivist metaethics. Many members of the Vienna Circle were politically active and were Marxists. And having known many people \"of a scientific mindset\" (I take it that you mean science fans or students of various kinds), most do not know what logical positivism is, and do not espouse, i.e., a verification theory of meaning.\n\nIt would be helpful if you could tell us a bit more about what you have in mind." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "ELI5: Can alcohol really effect individuals differently at higher elevations? What about THC in marijuana?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alcohol yes, if you are not used to the elevation. Alcohol does lower blood oxygen saturation, which means that less oxygen is being carried to tissues throughout the body. High elevation does the same thing because there is less oxygen in the atmosphere. Drinking at high elevations would combine both of these effects. This would only occur within the first couple days of being at a higher elevation since the body will recognize that there is less oxygen available in the atmosphere and generate more red blood cells in order to compensate. People who live at high elevations will not be affected by this, but may have the opposite effect when going to lower elevations. \n\nTHC no, because its affects have nothing to do with the cardiovascular or respiratory system, beyond the actual smoking of it. The change in atmospheric pressure is not likely to have much of any effect on the absorption of THC in the lungs." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Marvel] Does Captain America enjoy food the same way we do? Or does his body metabolize it so quickly that its instantly converted to energy and he gets no satisfying feeling of being satiated?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Food enjoyment comes from the taste.\nEverybody with the sense of taste and smell can enjoy food.\n\nSuperman for example doesnt need it but he enjoys it a lot.\n\nBasically cap is like those people that can eat whatever and dont get fat." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "[Batman] The Waynes are British instead of American. What city in Britain would they settle in? What would be the Gotham City of the UK?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Definitely London, or a fictional analogue thereof, the Waynes got stabbed to death by a mugger after coming out of a theatre in the west end and as such batman has a hatred of bladed weapons, instead of batarangs his primary weapon is a gun that fires non-lethal batletts." } ]