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[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why is walking slowly easier than standing?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It shifts the weight from one leg/ side of the hip to the other. This puts less stress on each leg than the shared weight, because each side gets a break. This is the reason you see a lot of people leanin on one leg when standing still for more than a few minutes."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Kellogg's] Does Tony the Tiger have a digestive system or taste-buds actually capable of handling/appreciating a sweet, carbohydrate-rich food like Frosted Flakes?\n\nTypical felines are not well-suited to appreciating or digesting a food like Frosted Flakes. Does Tony have some kind of aberrant physiology which makes him capable of appreciating them? Does his anthropomorphized aspect give him a broader palate than typical for a big cat, allowing him to taste things more like a human would?\n\nAlternatively, is he just a completely bought-and-paid-for shill who talks about how grrrrrrreat Frosted Flakes are even though to him they have a taste indistinguishable from wood chips?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Tony's a chimera based on human stock; his basic body plan is human, and the feline elements (fur, claws, etc.) are largely external and aesthetic. Specifically, large canines aside, the anatomy of Tony's tongue, mouth, and throat is fundamentally human - he wouldn't be able to talk otherwise. (You ever see a cat try to roll its 'r's?) It's only logical that a human-derived tongue structure would retain a human sense of taste.\n\nWhether he *likes* Frosted Flakes or not is another question. Of course he says he does, but the dude is a professional."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why is peanut butter half the price of actual peanuts if it takes more effort to produce it?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "You assume the peanuts that go into a jar of peanut butter are the same ones that go into a bag of peanuts. They're not. \n\nThe food that you buy whole (e.g. peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries) are the best of the crop. The food that you buy processed into some other form (e.g. peanut butter, tomato sauce, tater tots, strawberry jam) are the small or bruised or misshapen or damaged parts of the crop. The appearance or condition doesn't matter because it's not going to retain that form when processed anyway. \n\nPeople will pay more for nicely formed, pretty produce. So the stuff you buy whole in the supermarket (or _lightly_ processed, like a jar of roasted nuts) is more expensive than the produce that goes into highly processed foods (where highly processed = it doesn't retain any of it's original shape or form)."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "are billionares bad for capitalism?\n\nSince billionares have so much money that is not being used to move the economy sunce its not being used at all, isn't this bad for the economy in a capitalist country?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Your question assumes that billionaires’ wealth is mostly made up of cash. But it’s the opposite actually, they typically owns assets that are worth billions in the open market today.\n\nIn essence what that means is they bought/invested in those assets with some cash at some point. And the recipients of that cash (typically some company), deployed that cash in a value creating manner for the public i.e. they provided goods and services that generate profits. The goods and services generate profits because the customers value them and are willing to spend money on it. In addition they generate profits because the company created the goods and services efficiently, in other words it costs them less to create than what customers are willing to pay. \n\nSo billionaires cash is actually being put to work in the market, and this is actually the essence of capitalism. Letting people choose where they want to spend their money, and in return giving them ownership of what they buy. In fact, this works the same whether you’re a billionaire or not. For most people with any retirement account, they don’t actually have much cash. They’ve given their cash to someone else (usually another investor) who uses that cash however they want. This is all overly simplified but it’s meant to address your assumption and explain how the money is being used."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: Parents who believe in faith healing and refuse to take their children to doctors when they’re sick should be charged with neglect and/or homicide if that child dies.\n\nLittle bit of backstory: I was raised by my grandparents and I love and appreciate them for everything they do for me, but they’re very religious and I’m not. Several times growing up, when I had colds or the flu, they would say, “just pray” and wouldn’t take me to a doctor unless I was passing out or in agony. It never got bad enough that I was in danger of dying, but I know what it’s like to feel like garbage and have your caregivers tell you that you’re just not praying hard enough. \n\nAnyway, my stepmother and I are very close and really the only opinions we differ on concern religion (she’s loosely catholic, I’m agnostic). We were talking about a report that I’m doing for an ethics class concerning the death of a 2 year old girl whose parents refused to take her to a doctor because their faith “forbid it”, and the death of a newborn in Oregon for the same reason. In both of these cases the children were sick for a long period of time and all they did was pray and “anoint” then with oil. Long story short, the parents in both cases are being charged with neglect and manslaughter/murder, and I support that decision because it’s ridiculous to me that you could watch your child wither away to nothing and eventually die due to “God’s Will”. (This is a 3000 level college class and what follows is a civil debate, and I’m simply presenting the facts and then leading a discussion with everyone’s opinions. My own opinions aren’t in the presentation itself, and I have to review it with my TA to make sure it’s relatively unbiased). \n\nMy stepmother lost it and said I was being cruel and not thinking about the pain the parents were going through, what it was like to lose a child, etc. I tried to explain my opinion, that if these parents actually cared about keeping their kids alive they would actively try to keep them healthy, but she just repeated that I‘m being cruel because I don’t understand what it’s like to have faith. \n\nDoes anyone have an opinion here that I’m just overlooking in favor of my own? How can I have more compassion for these people? \n\nEdit: spelling."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Why should we focus on charging them _if the child dies_? This seems like too little too late. Isn't the best time to charge them with neglect _before_ the child dies, when the child can still be saved?"
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "X-post from r/[Pokémon] Are all fossil Pokemon part Rock-type because they were fossils or because all Pokemon from their era were just Rock-type by default?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Perhaps only rock-type pokemon are likely to make good fossils? Fossilized creatures on earth are the one-in-a-million that happened to leave their bodies somewhere that would preserve them intact long enough for the mineral-replacement process to happen. The grass types from long ago probably just left very few fossils compared to the rock types."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "LinkedIn finds my new stranger flatmates in its suggested connections algorithm. How?\n\nDear all,\n\nCould someone explain this to me:\n\nLast year I moved in to a rented apartment with totally random people who also found the flat on a housing ads website - we were total strangers. After a few weeks I managed to pop up on their suggested LinkedIn connections window. Neither of us searched for each other - it just happened (seemingly?) randomly. \n\nToday this just happened to me again - about 3 weeks ago I moved in to a new flat occupied by a total stranger and today she cropped up on my suggested LinkedIn connections window - I recognized her from a profile picture. Once again, I told her this and she is 100% certain she did not search me on LinkedIn; she cannot even spell my foreign name. I did not search for her either.\n\nIs this just a very rare coincidence, or am I missing something in my online behaviour that enabled LinkedIn to indicate flatmates as suggested connections?\n\nPlease explain! Thanks!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "LinkedIn could be doing a check on which IP address you are coming from and assumr that you know each other if you are the only two people using that address on a regular basis.\n\n*edit: changed \"they\" to \"linkedin\""
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Marvel] How would Dr Doom take it if the One Above All came to him and personally apologized for making Reed Richards smarter than him in the field of science, and left?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It would piss him off even more. \n\nImagine if God himself came and told you that your most hated rival is deterministically smarter than you and there's nothing you can ever do to overcome that difference."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Marvel] Could an individual carry both the inhuman and mutant genes?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Luna Amaquelin-Maximoff does. It was initially believed that they just cancelled each other out, but Quicksilver exposed her to terrigenesis and it worked, giving her the ability to see auras. She's still young though so her X-Gene hasn't activated yet if it even will."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why is the most common psychological side effect \"suicidal tendencies\"? \n\nI know there's an aspect of confirmation bias here, but it seems like more often than not a side effect of various drugs is \"suicidal thoughts or tendencies.\"\n\nWhy is this such a common side effect? Is there some aspect of brain chemistry that makes us susceptible to it? Why aren't there side effects like \"Sudden insatiable curiosity\" or \"unbearable clinginess\" or \"sudden hyperfocus on work and other tasks\"?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "This can be a side effect of anti-depression drugs. We are not sure of the exact mechanism, but here's the current thinking. \n\nThe most severely depressed patients often have suicidal thoughts already. When treatment begins, the patient may start to have more energy and motivation first, days or weeks before their depressed mood is alleviated. So where they previously only had a vague idea of self-harm, with treatment they have the energy and motivation to form a detailed plan, and act on it."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Are libertarian ideas and arguments intellectually honest or philosophically viable?\n\nI would like to start off by saying that I am new to both philosophy and political ideology, so sorry if this is a stupid question. Also, when I say libertarian, I'm speaking of the of the right-wing political theory that has been growing out of the United States rather than the political theories of left anarchism. Basically, my thinking goes a bit like this. I have found that most of the political theories that I have been studying will have some sort of ideological or (more often) some sort of philosophical justification for their arguments. If this is correct, I should be able to look into the philosophical justifications for many of these political ideologies to find if they hold any validity to modern understandings of known reality. My question is not so much \"what do you BELIEVE ?\" or \"What party should I vote for?\", but more of an academic inquiry of whether or not the beliefs, interpretations, and world view of this political ideology are philosophically justifiable. Can a person base their opinions off of logic, reason, skepticism, and academic honesty also be a libertarian, or is their some sort of gap inside their arguments? In other words, I'm asking if libertarians are nothing but a bunch of people who don't understand basic logic on some sort of deeper level, and are they promoting a pseudo philosophy. Is their debate about this? Is this too brad of a question? Is this the wrong place for this question? What would be some good reading material to learn more?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Nozick is considered the best libertarian philosopher. And his work is considered real high quality. So obviously its considered defensible. Whether that makes it correct or the most plausible option is another matter. There's a difference between a plausible defense of something existing and it being the most viable option."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How is it that some people are born with natural talents for things and others must learn them?\n\nSome people are born with the ability to draw well or pick up musical instruments, while others must spend double the hours of practice to learn them. Why/how does this happen?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "\"Born with it\" is usually a misconception. The general philosophy is that it takes 10,000hrs of practice with the aim to get better to master something. \n\nThe key to that is making the most of your time spent \"practicing\". For example, professional hockey players almost exclusively are born in January/February. It's not because the hockey gods decreed it so, but has to do with little league rules. \n\nMost pro players got their hockey start in grade school where leagues are usually broken into age groups. Anyone who was 7 on Jan 1 plays in the 7yr old League. The difference between 7 and 7.8 years old is huge, so oldest kids on the team are usually the best just due to size. \n\nNow they look objectively better than their peers when going out for select teams and coaches. This access gives them better training opportunities and tougher competition to grow their skills against. \n\nIt's not that they were born with it. They just were able to make better use of their time practicing. \n\nIf you aren't genuinely interested in what you are studying, don't have the best teachers, or simply don't challenge yourself, you aren't making the most of your time, and extend your learning curve. \n\nSome *are* literally born with physical advantages, but like the hockey players this usually gives them an early advantage and early access to elite-tier training and competition. An example of this would be Michael Phelps and his freakishly long arms & legs attached to his extra-wide hands & feet. That man's body is just about perfectly evolved for lap swimming."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why can anyone have a child but when it comes to adopting you need to be a fit parent?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Because we can reasonably restrict one but cannot restrict the other.\n\nThere is no way to keep people from having kids that doesn't interfere with the rights people have under the law and is also fool proof. Plus, even if there was, you run into the issue of how you are going to determine who is a fit parent anyway? Who sets the standards for that? Are they based on age? Physical health? Wealth? Intelligence? All of those are going to have some draw backs and are not necessarily good indicators of who is a good parent. Someone who is healthy, has enough money and is reasonably smart, might still have the sort of personality where they will neglect, possibly even abuse kids. How are you going to catch that? A simple test doesn't. And how would you deal with people who did not pass the test? Is there a retry option or is one test all you get to determine who gets to be a parent. How do you handle people who get pregnant anyway without a license? Birth control is not foolproof. \n\nOf course everybody ideally only wants people who will be good to kids to have kids, but we can only implement measures that are realistic, and restricting who can and cannot have a child just isn't."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Does Superman have Kryptonian gut flora?\n\nIf he does, then how does his poop not spread a wildfire epidemic of Kryptonian E Coli, immune to antibiotics and fire and anything else? How is the entire Midwest not covered in a ten-foot invulnerable biofilm?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "he probably does not have kryptonian gut flora anymore...Studies have shown that when you start living with people(this can actually even include your dog) you end up \"syncing\" you gut Microbiome. However even if he did maintain his original gut flora, it would be unlikely to affect earth species since these pathogens would be developed for kryptonian biology and would likely be unable to bind cellular receptors or even illicit the immune/inflammation response that is responsible for most symptoms when we are sick."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: Veganism is morally correct compared to meat eating.\n\nI am not a vegan or vegetarian myself. That said I probably should be. \n\nThe moral case for veganism is pretty simple and ironclad:\n\n1) Producing meat and animal products causes thinking feeling animals to suffer.\n\n2) We can feed ourselves perfectly well without animal products.\n\n3) Therefore we should not eat animal products as it causes less suffering.\n\nI don't really have a counterargument to this that isn't ultimately just \"but they're tasty\". Most of the counterarguments I've seen don't even try to make the case that meat is morally correct, just that it's *less* morally wrong.\n\nIs there any case to be made for the morality of eating meat?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Why is it morally correct to limit animal suffering? Animal's being eaten by other animals is about as natural as it gets. Is a Lion immoral for eating a Zebra? \n\n\nWould it be moral to kill a lion then if it saves countless zebras? Under the idea that we should minimize animal suffering, you can argue we should actually kill a ton of animals that are predators."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why is Humpty Dumpty often times depicted as an egg when the nursery rhyme does not mention him being an egg?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "One likely explanation is that Humpty Dumpty used to be a riddle when it was created. The answer to that riddle was \"an egg\". \nHowever, over time it would gain popularity and become a well known nursery rhyme, taking the form of a story instead of a riddle. This allowed for Humpty Dumpty to become a character portrayed as an egg."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Eli5: How does a battery company produce say a double A battery that's better or worse than a competitor if it's the same thing?\n\nDo generic products just like add less juice and more popular ones add more or something?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Firstly there are several different chemistries that are used in AA batteries. Some are more expensive and have higher capacity than others.\n\nThe consider that a battery is not just a pot of chemicals. There are various components including a carbon anode, separator, exterior can etc. The quality of these affects the capacity and internal resistance of the battery.\n\nEdit to add: rechargeable batteries have even more variation because the robustness of different geometries to repeated cycling is not trivial to optimise."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Doctor Who] if the silence is playing a guitar but you aren’t looking at them do you hear them?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Sure- the mind-wipe only applies if you look at them.\n\nOf course, they're unlikely to be playing guitars around you, but you know when you hear a noise but there's nothing there when you look? Same principle."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: Gender as a social construct should be excluded from identification, and the law should not prohibit misgendering.\n\nI know something like this has been posted before, but the user is often arguing against gender being defined as distinct from sex. I am not here to make that argument. While I think the distinction is largely overcomplicating things, words are defined by collective agreement of meaning, which makes the redefinition valid. I want to make that clear. That being said, I am *fundamentally* opposed to legislation that would legally require a person to acknowledge the distinction. There should be no law prohibiting misgendering. The only repercussions should be social.\n\n\nAlso, gender should not have any place in identification for obvious reasons. Gender is not an identifier, since if we agree it is subjective. This is especially true if we acknowledge gender-fluidity. There is no way to confirm someone's gender, therefore it has no place on identification. There are definitely ways to confirm someone's biological sex, however.\n\nEDIT: I have decided that private entities should have legal requirements to not discriminate, in which case the law would prohibit misgendering. Well, more specifically it should be included in anti-discrimination laws. But fair enough.\n\nI have changed my mind.\n\nEdit 2: A lot of this has led me to question whether sex on ID is helpful anyway. I think ID is usually to confirm your identity at a glance, and the photo is clearly enough for that. The rest is secondary and largely unnecessary. \n\n\nWhich means I'm likely not responding to new comments. My mind has officially been changed. I'm really thankful for all you guys participating\nCheers!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The ways you check for bio-sex is to look at genitals or test Chromosomes. That is not acceptable for identification in public, or quick reference for ID. The Gender that someone displays is the factor that is useful for the vast majority of ID usages as it is some clerk making sure you are the person on the ID when you are buying something controlled (weapons, medication, alcohol, tobacco, etc) or when the police are checking you out (looking for you as a suspect, or running your ID for a violation such as speeding)."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[MCU] How did Iron Man defend against the Power stone with his shield in Infinity War?\n\nIn Infinity war Thanos shoots the power stone at Tony Stark and somehow his nano tech shield was able to stop it? The same power that obliterated Ronan the Conqueror and took 5 GOG with one of them being a kind of demigod to use? The same power used to hit Captain Marvel into the atmosphere?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Thanos didn't fire it at full power, he was holding back. You can choose how hard you hit with it, for example he uses it on Thor's head and doesn't immediately take it off and same with Nebula in the scene he tortures her to get Gamora to reveal where soul stone is."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Eli5: why is it so easy to make heat but so hard to make cold?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Heat is easy because you just need to do basically anything which will then add energy. Light a fire. Rub things together. Whatever.\n\nBut you can't make cold. That's not possible. Instead, what you do is that you have to move the \"heat\" that is already there and move it somewhere else. A fridge isn't making cold and adding cold, it's taking heat away and moving it somewhere else. This is why the back of a fridge is so hot. That's the heat that's been removed. Compare that to turning on an oven. Something else isn't getting cold. You're not removing cold from the oven, you're adding energy."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "All I heard the day of the eclipse was NOT to look at the sun directly or you'll get permanent, noticeable eye damage. I believe that's hyperbolic, like saying smoking one cigarette will give you lung cancer. What is the likelihood of permanent noticeable eye damage?\n\nEdit: I don't dispute that it's not a good thing to do, just like smoking isn't a healthy thing to do.\n\nThe question is: What is the likelihood of **permanent** **noticeable** eye damage?\n\nI'm not asking if it's dangerous. I'm asking **how** dangerous.\n\nEdit: Also, anybody know of any studies that show frequency of **noticeable** eye damage? (meaning noticeable by the owner of the eyes' vision, not an optometrist looking at the eye and seeing damage).\n\nYet another edit: My analogy to smoking one cigarette is really bad. Maybe not putting on sunscreen if you're very fair skinned is a better analogy. It's dangerous to get a sunburn. Getting a sunburn will damage your skin. You shouldn't go outside without sunblock. It's a warning. But if you *do* get a sunburn once, your skin will most likely recover. If you look at a partial eclipse once, unprotected, your eyes will get damaged, that isn't disputed. Will I notice it by impaired vision? Will my eyes recover? (Skin is resilient, but aren't eyes also? - that's what my eye surgeon said when they performed LASIK on me)."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "You can get permanent eye damage from a single exposure to intense UV light, no doubt about it. (I got permanent damage to one retina by a short accidental look at a hollow-cathode lamp in a AAS spectrometer)\n\nYour analogy to cigarettes is plain wrong. Cancer is usually caused by probabilities and _cumulative_ DNA damage, which is nothing at all like the _acute_ damage caused by short but intense UV radiation."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "If you mixed a bunch of people's blood in a blender, and spilled it all over a crime scene, could they figure out whose DNA was whose?\n\nI'm not implying that a blender could blend DNA or anything, but what problems would this create? Would eat swab give a different result?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "I am a forensic DNA analyst. The result of each swab would give roughly the same result (unless the blending was incredibly short, as there is enough DNA in blood to ensure complete mixing of DNA profiles). Each swab would have all the different DNA. \n\nWhile it's technically true that the instruments used would detect each unique DNA sample present in the mixture (the instrument would detect each different allele present in the mixture from whatever genetic markers you used for the DNA profiling). It is not able to separate specific profiles from each other. That would take further analysis of the results. For each extra person you mix with another, the less confident you can be to separate each DNA profile upon analysis. \n\nAlso, it would be very difficult (maybe impossible?) to actually physically separate each person's DNA from the mixture (at least with any technology a common forensic lab possesses).\n\nEDIT: As astazangasta said, good luck trying to prove it in court. Defense attorneys have field days over mixtures."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why India is the only place commonly called a subcontinent?\n\nYou hear the term “the Indian Subcontinent” all the time. Why don’t you hear the phrase used to describe other similarly sized and geographically distinct places that one might consider a subcontinent such as Arabia, Alaska, Central America, Scandinavia/Karelia/Murmansk, Eastern Canada, the Horn of Africa, Eastern Siberia, etc."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "India is it's own land mass and sits on it's own tectonic plate. That plate smashed into another continental plate. So while it is part of the continent of Asia, it would also be it's own continent if it had not smashed into another one. So they call it a sub continent.\n\n​\n\nEdit: Its. \n\nAlso, why do all other versions of possessives require an apostrophe? If you get your message across it doesn't matter anyway IMHO."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How do little insects that live in groups like ants and bees live when they get separated from their nest?\n\nImagine you're a bee and get trapped inside a car that drops you off two towns away from your hive. Do you just live trying to find your way back or just become part of another hive or just live like a lone wolf? Do foreign bees care if you are not their relative? Are you gonna survive?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Generally, it’s a death sentence for that individual.\n\nSometimes bees will get taken in by other hives, though there isn’t much documentation for this. The bee could probably make it back to his hive from just a mile or two away, as bees can cover quite a bit of area looking for flowers. \n\nAnts are extremely territorial, though, and unless the lone ant in question runs across a different colony of *exactly* the same species, he’s definitely dead.\n\nEven if the lone ant didn’t run into an enemy colony, he would likely not make it long. Ants are basically a bit of biological programming with legs, outside of the controlled chaos of his anthill the simple rule set that ants use to survive in a group would not get him what he needs to survive alone."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Toy Story] Do toys that require batteries i.e. Buzz need them to function when humans aren't around?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Not to move but for his laser sounds to work. His karate chopping action and wings would still work as they are mechanical, much like Woody's pull cord. He does need someone to activate the karate chop though."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Star Trek] Why isn't the capital of the Federation on a neutral world?\n\nIt never made sense to me to make the Earth the capital. Maybe temporarily until construction could be completed. But it seems a to me that capital should placed on a previously uninhabited planet. To ensure no bias and concerns about humanity running the show."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "At the time the Federation was founded, Earth *was* neutral. Humans were new comers to the galactic scene, and had okay relationship between the Vulcan, Andorans, and Tellerites, who all had issues with each other.\n\nAnd there is absolutely no concerns with humans running the show. Most of the Federation members probably prefer it that way."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How can bamboo grow up to 3ft per day whereas other plants can get no where near as close to this speed?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Bamboo grow in a different manner to normal plants. Rather than growth through mitosis (splitting and division of cells) they already have present a number of cells and these cells stretch and elongate these cells. They become turgid (full of water) and stretch. \n\nTldr;\n\nThey don't grow faster. They fill with water and stretch into their adult shape fast."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Marvel] So how does Spider-Man go about jumping around New York like a gymnasium without causing serious damage?\n\nIIRC Spider-Man is pretty strong, able to lift up to 10-25 tons under extreme pressure. His webs and the force they generate also compliment this strength. By pulling and jumping as hard as he does how does he not cause any amount of property damage unless he chooses to?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "He's not constantly using his maximum strength. He doesn't need to use multiton strength to swing around on his webbing or leaping around on or inside buildings. He rarely uses his strength to his highest levels, he's almost always holding back.\n\nAnd when he has to use his webbing to stop something big, he's always anchoring it to as much surface area as possible to reduce the structural stress."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Does Justice Exist?\n\nMy friend and I are engaged in an argument on whether justice actually exists or not, and I naturally gravitated to the more skeptical view that justice doesn't exist.\n\nSo far, I've discussed deconstructionism and variance (across history and time), but does anyone have any other interesting rationales?\n\nPerhaps equally as important, does anyone have any arguments on why justice exists?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "In the first book of The Republic, Thrasymachus in dialogue with Plato, claims justice is \"the advantage of the stronger\". Plato spends the rest of the book trying to pin down what exactly justice is by formulating a polis in which he believes it resides, allowing him to trace it back to the individual. That book is a decently long read by one of the most important philosophers to ever live and yet didn't produce a definite answer to this question."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why can I see very dim (distant) stars if I look away slightly, but when I look at them directly, I can't see them anymore?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The cells in your eye responsible for detecting faint light (rods) are not in the center of your retina. That pride of place goes to your cones, which are less sensitive in the dark, but which you use a lot more since they give you color information. As a result, your night vision is best when the light is focused off of the center of your retina where your rods are located. That's why when you see something faint, you can lose it when you look directly at it. They also aren't sensitive to red light, which is why people use red flashlights to avoid ruining their nightvision.\n\nAs a side note, dim stars are not necessarily distant, they may just be small and cool. All 3 things affect how bright a star appears. Proxima centauri is the closest star to the Sun but is too faint to be seen by the unaided human eye."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "eli5: Why most people can turn both eyes inwards but not in the opposite direction?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Turning eyes inward is a very natural motion, for focusing both eyes on something that is very close to your face. You naturally do it all the time.\n\nPointing your eyes outward is not a \"natural\" motion, because there is no occasion where you would focus your eyes on two different objects. Your brain is inherently trained to use binocular (two eyes on one object) vision, not monocular (one eye on one object)."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Avatar] Why do people of the various nations continue to color code themselves?\n\nIn TLA I can understand the various elemental cultures wearing similar colors: it's a less connected world and harder to ship goods around, so I assume they use locally sourced dyes for their clothing (Easier to fine green/tan dyes in earth bender regions etc.) Why though, by the LoK time period do the four major tribes people still stick to Blue/Green/Red/Yellow for their clothing? There's huge national navies so one can assume civilian trade has spanned the globe much more thoroughly, and Republic City is intentionally a mixing pot of culture."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Three reasons:\n\n- As you mentioned, in Aang's time they were probably using locally-sourced dyes. While things are more connected in Korra's time, local is still usually going to be cheaper (especially if you're not in somewhere like Republic City). They're not quite to the point where it's cheaper to manufacture everything in the Earth Kingdom and ship it around the world.\n- It's the traditional style of their homelands. Not everyone is super patriotic, but most people would at least have some kind of fondness and connection to the culture of the place they (or their ancestors) came from. Sure, Varrick *could* get some fine red clothes from the Fire Nation (they make the best red stuff there), but he *likes* Water Tribe blue.\n- People in Avatar-world tend to have eye colors that match their ancestry and/or bending type. Mako has reddish eyes, Bolin has green eyes, Korra has blue eyes, and Tenzin has gray eyes. This isn't absolute - Asami actually has greenish eyes despite having Fire Nation ancestory - but it's common enough to reinforce the trends. Fashion-conscious people would gravitate towards color palettes that complement their eye colors.\n\nThese things'll probably fade over time, but for now it's only been 70 years since the end of the Hundred Years War. The world hasn't been connected that long."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5:Why, despite violent crime being the lowest it has been in 20+ years, do most Americans feel the country is more violent than ever?\n\nI got in a big debate last night about this and can't explain it. My theory is that the severity or the atrocity of violent crimes are more severe (ie. most crimes seem to be taken out on random people that don't know the violent criminal, such as Sandy Hook were innocent children are dying) and the news reports about violence more frequently than any other type of news."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "I feel like with the sensationalization of the news and how violent crime is generally the top story it has led to people being more afraid. Think about thirty years ago, while people knew there were violent crimes, we didn't have access to them five minutes after. Parents today say there are more \"crazies\" out there. Which may be true, but there were just as many people to avoid 30 years ago. It's really because we are so much more informed that we are more afraid."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Time Travel/Legal] If I take a work and publish it before the original artist creates it, can they later sue me for copyright infringement?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "This very much depends on the universe you are set in, and can have some interesting outcomes:\n\n1) There was no \"original artist\", and it was actually *you* all along, working under a pen name.\n\n2a) *Your* version of the work is imperfect in some way, or just not as popular. When the original artist produces their work, they (and the world) are generally unaware and unaffected by your shenanigans.\n\n2b) *Your* version of the work is imperfect in some way, or just not as popular. It eventually reaches the original artist, who draws/steals from it and creates the \"true\" original work.\n\n3a) Your \"work\" makes as big an impact as the original, and eventually reaches the original creator. The artist is so taken in by the style that they go on to pursue and perfect it, creating even more bold works. Your piece has a part in history, but is largely overshadowed.\n\n3b) Your \"work\" makes as big an impact as the original, and eventually reaches the original creator. The artist sees your piece, and ultimately decides that \"the style has been done before\" and goes in a different direction. How intense this new direction is depends on the artist and the medium, but are held in similar regard as the original timeline's pieces.\n\n3c) Your \"work\" makes as big an impact as the original, and eventually reaches the original creator. The artist sees your piece, and ultimately decides that \"the style has been done before\" and goes in a different direction. This is an utter failure on their part, and they live the rest of their lives in squalor, unnoticed and unappreciated for their genius. As the artist is no longer notable in your time, paradox is imminent.\n\n4a) You manage to secure your \"work\" with as much popularity and regard as the original. The original artist has the copyright, while you have none. The courts side with the original artist.\n\n4b) You manage to secure your \"work\" with as much popularity and regard as the original, and you remember to copyright it this time. The original artist has rough drafts and other proof that the material was their creation, while you have none. The courts side with the original artist.\n\n4c) You manage to secure your \"work\" with as much popularity and regard as the original, you remember to copyright the material, and mock up some rough drafts. The original artist has character witnesses and proof of own personal artistic ability which surpasses your own, while you have none. The courts side with the original artist.\n\n4d) You manage to secure your \"work\" with as much popularity and regard as the original, you remember to copyright the material, and mock up some rough drafts after taking the time to master the craft and bribe/alter the memories of a few witnesses. The original artist has nothing to use against you, but the universe hates you. The courts side with the original artist.\n\n5) Everything works out, and you manage to get away with it. Your work, while previously contested, has been proven to be your own, and the original artist (while annoyed and having lost face in the lawsuit) continues on their original timeline. You are world renowned as a remarkable artist with only one piece, and become known as a \"one-hit wonder\". You have a choice laid out in front of you: do you steal more art, and risk being exposed for what you are? Do you go into hiding, ultimately driving the value of your work down? Do you attempt to create new original works (which to be honest, if you were that good, you'd have just done that in your own timeline)? Was all this really worth it?"
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "If abortion is legal, suicide must also be legal. CMV.\n\nI believe if unconditional abortion of a viable fetus/embryo is legalized, suicide must also be legalized. I believe it is illogical and hypocritical to allow abortion but not suicide.\n\n*if the life of a *viable* embryo/fetus can be terminated on a parent's decision, why can't a self-aware (already born) human make his own choice to terminate his life?\n\n*It seems inconsistent that abortion is considered a body-rights issue when laws prevent people from destroying their own bodies through suicide. If abortion is legalized, I feel people have the right to destroy their own bodies just as abortion gives women rights over their own bodies.\n\nTo be honest, I am fairly ignorant regarding the laws that surround these issues. If you think it will be helpful, you can mention some laws. However, I don't feel you can CMV purely on legal technicalities.\n\nEDIT: Consider this to be a hypothetical question, where unconditional abortion is legalized. Also, keep in mind assisted suicide (which to my knowledge is illegal).\n\nAnother point to consider: Suicide is prevented under the gamble that life has the potential to be better, and someone committing suicide is throwing away his potentially fulfilling life. However, with *unconditional* abortion, a *viable* fetus may be terminated despite the potential for a fulfilling life. This seems inconsistent. If the potential for a fulfilling life can be taken away with abortion, the legal system should have no qualms with allowing a person ending his own life."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": ">I believe if unconditional abortion of a viable fetus/embryo is legalized\n\nThis isn't the same thing as abortion being legalized. The vast, *vast* majority of abortions take place before the fetus is viable, and the vast majority of abortions that happen later are done to protect the life of the mother."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Superman] Are supermans muscles, bones and skin the same as ours but extremely dense (like, 1 billion times denser or something) or do they work entirely different?\n\nI always wondered how they explain super strenght, and the most logic explanation I've heard would be extremely dense muscles, like almost zero space between atoms so that the muscle fibers are basically almost endless. Would this in theory work?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "No, that doesn't really work. First of all, if his strength and resiliency were due to innate physical qualities like bone and muscle density, it wouldn't matter what color star he was under, and his strength couldn't be lost due to exposure to kryptonite. Plus if he were that dense he'd also weigh a few billion pounds and leave craters in the ground just by walking."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why is it not advised to keep the phone plugged in after it has been completely charged?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Modern chargers stop charging the battery once it reaches 100%.\nAfter this the phone will bypass the battery and use the electricity from the wall socket directly. The charger can become hot if you use a lot of power (similarly as the phone will get hot if you draw a lot of power from the battery).\n\nSome (very much) older chargers, as well as chargers that are defective can heat up beyond a safe point and cause damage. This is likely the reason that this \"unplug when fully charged\" advise still floats around.\n\nFor modern cell phones (using lithium ion based batteries) it's in fact best to discharge the battery as little as possible, as using the battery will over time degrade the battery's life (even if very slowly). Hence it's in fact better to keep your phone plugged in."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why did all the lithium end up in Chile?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It didn't. However, the combination of natural concentrations and the mechanics of salt flats has created the world's most cheaply-accessible lithium source. There are other deposits around the world, and there are other salt flat sources (Argentina and Bolivia both have some, as do Tibet and Nevada USA), but Chile's the biggest."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Marvel] Why doesn't the Sandman just suffocate anyone he fights?\n\nHe could so easily just surround someone in sand, harden the sand, and suffocate them. Why doesn't he?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "This is actually one of the very first things he tried against Spider-Man. It didn't work. Not that it isn't a valid tactic, but the people he's normally fighting are typically more than strong enough to break out of such a hold, and while Sandman *can* affect his density, he's not Concreteman or Steelman or anything like that; he's Sandman. The move would work great against your average bank guard, street cop, or mook, but Flint Marko's main opponent is a guy that bench-presses Hummers as a warm-up.\n\nHe can only get so hard."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[X-Men] Do the X-Men ever fight standard threats the way, say, the Avengers do?\n\nLike, do the X-Men actively battle foes like HYDRA, AIM, and so on? It could net them just a little good press."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Yes. Though oddly it was a lot more common in their early adventures. \n\nSauron isn’t a mutant (though he’s arguably a bigger threat to mutants), Mojo isn’t a mutant-rights issue, the Shi’ar aren’t, the Phoenix kind of sort of isn’t, Juggernaut isn’t although he works alongside them, the Living Pharaoh, Lucifer… a few Hellfire Club members…"
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: There is no benefit to having the electoral college. Either allow a percentage based sharing of electors, or have the presidential election decided by popular vote\n\nFor those who don't know/don't understand how it works, the U.S. uses a system of electors to elect the president. Each state has a certain number of electoral votes which aren't proportionate to their population (less populated states are overrepresented, more populous states are under represented) and its a winner take all system. If you were running for president and won 50.000001% of New York's popular vote, then you would receive 100% of their electoral votes. This is messed up for several reasons, mainly that the minority parties people's votes don't count in reliably blue/red states. I see two ways of fixing this.\n\n1. Get rid of the winner take all system and replace it with a percentage system. If a democrat won California by 64%, then the republican candidate should get the other 36% of the vote. This would make reliably blue/red states competitive again, and stop nominees from spending 99% of their time and money in just a few battle ground states. It would also help to make the most popular candidate the winning candidate. OR\n2. Have a simple popular vote system. In the first solution mentioned, one of the issues would be the over/under representation of states based on the population of the state. I am personally of the opinion that the person who the majority of Americans want to be president, should be president."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Benefit is a matter of perspective. The system was designed to benefit low pop states, and it does.\n\nYour proposal would harm large pop states. It would harm the political calculus of Democrats especially. With 3 EC states like Wyoming their vote splitting is largely inconsequential, but if the 55 California EC votes were to split that harms the advantage Democrats have. The same to Texas and the GOP."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[StarWars] What does Obi-Wan Kenobi mean specifically when he says \"not as clumsy or random as a blaster.?\"\n\nI was wondering why he calls blasters clumsy and random when he introduces the lightsaber to Luke.\nedit: I love all these answers. Thank you guys for clearing this up. I'll keep reading everyone's view."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Blasters get used for suppressing fire rather a lot. Standard doctrine for both Republic and Empire forces, and Obi-Wan has seen plenty of that. A Jedi knight walking into that will generally deflect everything, aided by only focusing on the few, random shots that matter (whereas a non-Force-sensitive still has to worry about stray shots, which is why suppressing fire works)."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Metabolically, what advantages are there to \"Carbo-Loading\" by loading up on rice/pastas the day before a big marathon or hike?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The most important thing about carb loading is the fact that it replenishes and maximizes your glycogen stores. When you carb load, your body digests those carbs into glucose, fructose, and galactose (mostly glucose). Fructose and galactose can be converted to glucose through a series of chemical reactions in the body. The thing is, you don't need all the energy at that moment. So, when you have such an excessive amount of glucose in the body, insulin is secreted which stimulates glyconeogenesis: glucose gets polymerized in a chain to form glycogen. Glycogen is almost entirely stored in muscles and the liver. \n\nThe importance of this is that when the body needs energy, it can then break down the glycogen through a process known as glycogenolysis. This process is stimulated most directly by the epinephrine that is pulsating through your body during physical exercise (it can also be stimulated by glucagon, but during exercise it is primarily epinephrine doing the stimulation). \n\nBy maximizing your glycogen stores, you maximize the energy your body has stored, therefore, maximizing your energy output and your success in any physical activity. That is why for practically any sport, you are supposed to carb load, not protein or fat load, the day before. This is also why everyone says you should eat the majority of your carbs a couple hours before you workout; you need your glycogen stores filled to push yourself."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: WHY DO SOME books and news articles start the first few words in all caps?\n\nI've always seen this in \"classier\" books and news publications, but I never understood why they did it, or what the origin was. Sometimes it's even in larger print. It seems random when it happens, or how many words they capitalize.\n\nThanks in advance!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "When you have many articles clustered together, it makes it easier to find where they start.\n\nIn books, where chapters start in mid page, it can help find the where they start.\n\nBut mostly it is just a style."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5 Why do YouTube videos load faster while playing than they do when paused?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Google doesn't want to waste bandwith on someone who isn't watching a video. So they throttle the speed of data transfer of videos that have been paused for a long time, assuming that you have left the page and are never going to actually watch the video."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Eli5: why do car engines vibrate more when in park?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "When your engine runs, it doesn't deliver nice constant power. It's a series of captured explosions delivering sudden bursts of power, followed by a lag until the next burst. This is more noticeable when the engine is running really slowly, since the explosions are further apart. Also, the weight and resistance of the drivetrain helps to smooth out the explosions and make power delivery feel more smooth, but when the transmission is in neutral this extra weight and drag isn't present to help smooth things out. Finally, engines are tuned to run best at a certain RPM, when they are running significantly faster or slower than this RPM, they can run more roughly."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Does the sun make a sound?\n\nWhen I imagine being close to the sun I imagine it making a very loud roaring noise, like that of a large fire. Also, if it does make a sound, would you be able to hear it in the near-perfect vacuum of space?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Depends on how you define \"sound.\" In the strictest definition, sound is a pressure wave through some kind of medium, and there's nothing between the sun and anything else that can act as an effective medium.\n\nBut *within* the sun there are pressure waves that you could imagine are something like a sound. You could never hear them, obviously, because your ears wouldn't survive that environment for even the tiniest fraction of a second. But if you like, you can imagine the sun ringing like a bell that's continuously being struck.\n\nThat's mostly just poetry, though. In practical terms, no, the sun does not make a sound, and no you could not hear it under any circumstances."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[The Expanse] If water on Ceres is so valuable why are steamed and boiled foods so common?\n\nDetective Miller frequents a bar where they're constantly steaming something like your typical sci-fi ramen stand. If water is \"more valuable than gold,\" heavily rationed, and constantly fought over why is this restaurant owner so cavalier with its use? Shouldn't they, at the very least, have something set up to capture and reclaim the water vapor?\n\nI don't imagine the answer to this needs spoilers, but just in case please limit them to S1."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "A chunk of ice the size of a skyscraper is more *useful* than a chunk of gold of the same size. \n \nHumans need a lot of water, wherever they go, but it's not like the water is \"used up\" in the cooking. Everyone in space lives inside of a pressurized capsule surrounded by vacuum... so the water will eventually be reclaimed. They need all that water for, presumably, cooking noodles and boiling eggs."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Star Wars] Is there a canon explanation for why so many aliens are humanoid?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "For most, such as Sullustans and Abednedo, convergent evolution. Species in the galaxy that evolve into intelligent toolmakers tend to have the same basic body shape. \n\nThe species that have human shaped heads with colorful skin or other small differentiators (like Twi'leks and Mirialans) are \"near-humans\" who have human ancestry but adapted to life on other planets or interbred with aliens."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: In quantum mechanics, what do they mean when they say a particle takes \"every possible path\"?\n\nI'm referring to Feynman's sum of all paths, which is often mentioned in layman physics books but rarely fully explained. What counts as a \"possible path\"? Often it is described as a particle travelling from point A to B could include a path in which it heads off to Alpha Centauri and back again. I know quantum physics is very counter intuitive, but in what way are we supposed to picture the particle heading off to Alpha Centauri? What sent it in that direction? What would have caused it to return? And are we assuming it travels below light speed (in which case that path would take years) or does this it not matter if it moves faster than light since this path is not the actual one measured, but only incorporated mathematically (whatever that means)? In that case can we take it to the extreme and say the particle also took a path to the other side of the observable universe and back again?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "A basic difference between classical physics and quantum theory is the fact that within the quantum world, certain predictions can only be made in terms of probabilities.\n\nAs an example, take the question whether or not a particle that starts at the time A at the location A, will reach location B at the later time B.\n\nIn classical physics, an answer can be given depending on the particles velocity and the forces acting upon it, giving a simple yes or no answer. BUT, In quantum theory, it is only possible to give the probability that the particle in question can be detected at location B at time B. Quantum mechanics therefore considers all possibilities for the particle travelling from A to B. Not only the boring straight-line approach, but also the possibility of the particle turning loopings and making detours etc."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why does the Planck length exist, and why is it that specific size?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The Planck length is a length you get when you multiply certain constants together in physics, why it is exactly that number is not known, just as it is not known why the speed of light is the number it is or why the charge of the electron has that certain value.\n\nYou may have heard that the Planck length is the smallest length possible, but this is not so. It is simply at this scale that we would need to have a functioning theory of quantum gravity to understand phenomena."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Heroes] Sylar’s power is intuitive aptitude which means he can comprehend anything they perceive. Does this mean he has a fundamental understanding of how the mind works? What consciousness is? Does he know the secrets of the universe and how it works?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The universe is probably too big for his mind to grasp, which means he can't use his power on it properly. He usually has to take brains out of people to learn their powers, for instance, which wouldn't be remotely necessary if it were just pure observation. \n\nThe same may be true of the mind - he may need to really *examine* a living brain before he can understand everything about a mind. \n\nBut he could learn what consciousness *is* pretty easily, since it is a purely chemical process. Fully understanding every part within it is much more difficult than knowing what it *is*."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why do browsers such as Chrome and Edge use such a seemingly large amount of memory?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Unused RAM is wasted RAM\n\nIf Chrome uses 500 MB of RAM and pages take a half second to load it's alright\n\nBut if you've got 8 GB of RAM and it gobbles up 2GB precaching pages so they now only take a quarter second to load then you're happier.\n\nThe increased RAM usage doesn't really matter. If a real program comes along and asks for memory to run in then it'll get dibs and chrome will back down, but a gig of RAM sitting there empty is doing nothing but consuming power, might as well use it!"
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Eli5: Why turboprops if you can just have a turbofan?\n\nIf the airframe and/or fuselage can support the weight of one of or more turbine based engines (including the necessary volume of fuel), why attach propellers? Wouldn't a typical jet engine provide far more thrust than a turboprop counterpart? \n\nI understand turboprop retrofits in older aircraft, but when designing a new plane, what's the benefit of propellers?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Props can move a lot of air for their weight. An equivalent turbofan would weigh more.\n\nTurboprops are more fuel-efficient and less maintenance-intensive. Fuel and maintenance costs are a big factor for single planes, and huge for those who have fleets.\n\nTurboprops can usually take off on shorter runways."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why does sweat have so much salt?\n\nFrom a biological standpoint, why is salt excreted in sweat along with water? \n\n\nFrom an evolutionary standpoint, why did sweat evolve to be an excretion of salt and water when potentially it could have evolved to be just an excretion of water?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "From a chemical viewpoint, salt is excreted along with water because excreting water alone would increase the osmotic pressure inside the body (less water but the same concentration of salts, sugar etc. means the solutes become more concentrated), which would actually draw water back into the skin because of the concentration gradient. Evolving to excrete salt/water together means more water can be removed to allow for evaporation and thus cooling."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Eli5: What is the difference between various programming languages? Dont they all do the same thing?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "It’s a bit like toys to build stuff. Think about Lego blocks, Lincoln Logs and an Erector set. You can build a house with any of them but the house you end up with is going to be different. The erector set house is probably the strongest but might take longer to build. The Lincoln log house might be the weakest but was really fast to build. \n\nSo yeah, the all do the same thing — tell a computer what to do. But some languages are easy to use but more limited. Some are more powerful but are challenging to master."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Marvel, DC] What makes characters' eyes glow white when wearing their masks, and be expressive? (Woverine, Batman, etc)?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Batman has tech in his lenses that allows him to scan the environment, see in the dark, etc. The glowing is just a side effect. Also it makes him look more badass, and Batman is all about scaring the criminals."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why can't the space shuttle just go slow enough to not be heated up by friction with earths atmosphere on re-entry?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Because friction is a completely free way to slow a spacecraft down. In space, the only way to slow down is to burn fuel in the opposite direction you're moving. Using the air to slow down instead means you don't need to bring as much fuel, which means you can bring a heavier payload.\n\nIncreasing the payload size by making the rocket more efficient is a goal for any rocket scientist."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[WH40K] If all of Ork-kind actually did unite under one banner, could the Tyranids be exterminated?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Maybe. The problem with the Tyranids is... We don't actually know how many there are. We know there are enough Orks to conquer the Galaxy quite handedly, but when it comes to the Hive Fleets, we dont really have a gauge of their total strength. Even the Silent King didn't really give us a good indication, as A: he likely did.t see the full swarm, and B: his basis for judgement was a Pre-Slumber Necrons, not what we have now. \n\nIf we go with the oldest (and thus far really the only) indication of how big the Swarm is... The answer is a resounding no. The 2nd Edition Tyranid rules discribed them as having consumed a thousand galaxies. There is no way in hell any faction in 40k can take on that amount of biomass alone. Even unified, it's unlikely.."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: How are black surfaces able to be glossy?\n\nBlack is said to absorb all colors of light, so why can a black surface be reflective, such as a black painted car."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Light can bounce off of surfaces like a ball. When it hits the surface in an angle from the left, it bounces with the same angle to the right. If all light bounces like this, you can see a reflection. This is how mirrors bounce light.\n\nLight can also scatter all around to all directions. A very white surface may bounce almost all the light but you won't see a reflection because the light bounces to all directions and the \"reflection\" becomes blurry.\n\n\nNow, a perfectly black material wouldn't bounce any light at all but it it impossible to make a perfectly black surface. Surfaces can be very dark but not black. If the black sufrace bounces the small amount of light like a mirror, it looks shiny."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[The Matrix] Why did Smith stay?\n\nHi guys. I looked for answers around the web but couldn't really find any.\n\nWhy did Agent Smith stay in the Matrix if he hated it so much and couldn't wait to get out (like he told Morpheus)? When Neo destroyed him, he was \"supposed to\" return to the Source. Isn't that what he wanted?\n\nHe hates The Matrix, describing its disgusting smell and calling it a zoo. So why the hell would he stay after being rendered obsolete?\n\nWhat do you guys think?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Smith wasn't really returned to the Source after being rendered obsolete. His fight with Neo corrupted his source code which turned his programming from a temporarily piggybacking hosts and programs into a complete takeover. By the time the new Agents were sent to fight the One, Smith had turned from Agent to full-blown virus that could also take down Zero-One through its connection to the Matrix."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How can I combine programming and economic science?\n\nNow I'm studying science economic in my university, And I study programming alone at home.\n\nand wondering how can I combine these two areas, please Give me some ideas and advice."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "What exactly do you want to know about?\n\nThere's plenty of programming in economics once you get into doing research or an economist job. Typically stuff like R and Python are the \"scientific languages\" although stuff like Java might be common as well in some jobs."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5:Why are guillotine blades angular rather than rectangular shaped?\n\n\nGuillotines chop heads. If you look at the guillotine blade, it is angled, with one side of the blade much higher than the other end. I would think the guillotine blade would be shaped more rectangular."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "A straight blade such as a rectangular shape is designed for chopping, while an angled blade is designed for slicing. The human neck is not hard to cut through, but there are pieces that are tougher than others (the spine for example). Imagining a tomato, the skin is tougher to slice than the flesh. Imagine taking your knife, flat against the skin and pushing down. It would squash the tomato, not cut it. Now imagine the same scenario, but you angle the knife in the direction of the resistance, suddenly the skin and flesh of the fruit becomes much easier to cut in one clean slice. A guillotine is the exact same concept. It's a slice, not a chop."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5 - How can the sun can be out, no clouds in the sky, and it's 83 degrees, the next day, same situation and it's 101?\n\nToday was a pleasant day in Pasadena, but i noticed that the sun was beating down on me, but it felt pleasant. While the last few weeks, the sun has been beating down and it's been unbearable! Why do the same circumstances lead to different temperatures?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Weather is being imported from the areas around you all the time. Hot airs can blow in from elsewhere, a day in the sun can cause a previously cool body of water to heat up some and provide less of a mediating influence, etc."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why do bugs all have more than four legs, while basically every other terrestrial animal has four or less?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Insects' evolutionary journey favored 6 legs. Ants can carry items with the front legs and still have 4 legs for balance and weight distribution. A beetle with a big ass has 6 legs to stabilize all that rear weight. Climbing walls with 6 feet means more contact with the wall at any given time. \nThink of ants digging out s tunnel or bees finding pollen or s dung beetle rolling up poop. Think of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon or a moth landing on a vertical surface. Every action is easier because of the multiple points of contact. Even flipping over if they're upside down is easier with 6 long, multiple-jointed, centrally-anchored legs."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV:I Believe The Prosperity, Cohesiveness and Generous Spirit of Canadians is Because They Are Simply Americans Without the Enormous Costs Involved In Fighting the Cold War\n\nI love Canada and Canadians. I believe they manage to address their diversity, their health care, their economy and their education smartly and efficiently. I think they are brave and conscientious and when needed they have served militarily with distinction and honor. We share many of the same heritage and lineage. I have often wondered why the Canadians seem to do so much better with the long term big picture. I believe now the difference was the enormous costs associated with the Cold War. Not just economic costs but the focus of our research and scientific endeavors. So my view is that the current state of Canada and Canadians is America less the costs of the Cold War. Change my view!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "I think that you need to reach much further back in history to find the roots of Canada's identity. We didn't fight a war to cut ourselves off from Britain. We continued to aspire to be more like Britain and were always somewhat subordinate to Britian... look at the BNA, we didnt even really have control over our own country until after the second world war and well into the cold war."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: What are the differences between dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Serotonin promotes long-term positive feelings, psychosis, and digestion. A lack of it causes depression and anxiety. An overdose can cause seizures and death.\n\nDopamine helps with seeking behavior, medium-term pleasure, and movement. A lack of it can cause catatonia, dementia, and a few other disorders.\n\nEndorphins stands for something like endogenous heroin, so they’re primarily painkillers, though they can also promote short term calmness. They’re what most often modulates addictive behaviors.\n\nIn short, they can all make you happier, but they do it through different pathways, with different side-effects, and for different periods of time."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Is learning assembly in 2019 a good idea?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Will you be programming in assembly on a regular basis? No, not at all. However, if you want a core understanding of how a compiler works or just a better low level understanding of how the computer works then yes go for it. You will learn a lot and have a appreciation of higher level languages and what they do. Learning is learning, go for it."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Is it possible to have a numeral system with a base that isn't an integer? \n\nI read somewhere that the optimal base to have in a numeral system was e. I've tried for a long time to figure out how that would work, but I am unable to do so. Is it at all possible to have a base that's not an integer?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "When we write a sequence of digits, i.e., 1234, it is a shorthand way of representing a particular quantity. That quantity doesn't HAVE to be an integer, or even a rational number. In base 10, when we write \"1234\", we mean:\n1 * 10^3 + 2 * 10^2 + 3 * 10^1 + 4 * 10^0 . If we use a different base, the same applies:\n\n\"1234\" in base 5 means: 1 * 5^3 + 2 * 5^2 + 3 * 5^4 + 4 * 5^0 .\n\nSimilarly for *e*, pi, etc."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Harry Potter] Why aren't they taught Latin and why do they all look so bored?\n\nLatin seems to be the go to language for spells, so why not teach it to make learning, remembering and possibly inventing or adapting new spells easier? Also, whilst on the subject of teaching magic, why are they always acting like studying magic is like studying old poetry? If speaking a few lines of poetry could make you fly, transform into an animal or person of your choosing I'm sure I'd have been thrilled to memorize the entirety of Shakespeare's works."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Because the spells aren't Latin. Teaching it to them would be like teaching someone Spanish in order to read an Italian instruction manual.\n\nAnd you may have that attitude as a twenty-something, but you're forgetting that these are all *kids*. Of course they're bored, stuck in a classroom for hours at a time. They see adults casting some of these spells without effort and want to instantly master it and move on. Unfortunately, it's not a matter of just swishing your wand just right and shouting some faux-Latin, as you can see by their struggles to lift a feather, turn a teacup into a mouse, etc."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Fantasy] eli5: The difference between sorcerers, wizards and warlocks."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "A wizard studies hard to earn good grades, and thus has a wider breadth of knowledge.\n\nA sorcerer slacks off on homework and studying and still gets good grades due to natural ability and creativity.\n\nThe warlock is fucking the principal."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why should you not defrost things, then refreeze them?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "A couple reasons. One is bacterial build up. Another is texture. When you freeze something in a normal freezer, ice crystals build up and damage the cells. When you thaw it, those cells rupture. This leads to a bad texture and makes it more available for bacteria. Freezing again just causes more damage."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How do we know how long Jupiter's storm has been going?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "We don't really, we just know for sure that it's been observed since 1830. There are observations of a spot from the 17th and 18th centuries but those may have been a separate storm, since there's a gap of about 100 years between those observations and what we know to be the modern great red spot. If it's the same storm it's been going for more than 300 years! If it's not, it's been about 190."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Why do severe injuries often not hurt the instant they happen?\n\nWhen I touch something unbearably hot, I feel the pain almost instantly. I've heard many people who have been shot often don't realize it. I understand that adrenaline masks pain, but how quickly does it take to kick in? \n\nAnother example, I smashed my face into the ground (unintentionally) and broke my nose some months ago. The initial impact was painless; I obviously could tell I hit a hard surface, but the only sensation I experienced was the pressure of the ground. Was adrenaline released as I was panicking and falling? Did my body not have enough time to process the pain? I've heard it takes a couple of minutes for adrenaline to be in effect, but of course I'm not an expert. \n\nI'm not sure of this is caused by something else, but I'd love to understand it better."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Self preservation, an evolutionary survival response. \n\nA minor injury hurts to act as a warning to avoid further injury. \n\nA catastrophic injury (say from a predator) and the body shuts off the pain response to give the animal a chance to escape first, worry about the injury later. \n\nBoth have the same goal, self preservation."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Help! I'm a logical positivist!\n\nI ask for help because I'm pretty confident I'm wrong, as logical positivism is an almost universally rejected thesis; and also because before this 'revelation' of mine, metaphysics was my favourite area of philosophy. Perhaps the position I've come across isn't quite identical to logical positivism, but it's pretty close in my understanding.\n\nThe issue comes of course from language. My first premise is (1) *Words cannot be meaningfully defined in terms of one another*. By this I simply mean that language cannot be a giant self-referential web. If we define some word W in terms of other words (W2, W3, etc.) then W2 and W3 cannot be meaningfully defined in terms of W. If our entire language just consists of words defined in terms of each other with no foundation then none of the words mean anything. I think (1) is probably a tautology? But I'm not sure how I would go about proving this. I hope you can see what I mean.\n\nWords can't refer merely to other words, so words have to refer, in the end, to something we experience. This is concluded from my second assertion, which is that all we ever have access to is the contents of our own consciousness. I think this is a tautology too. It just seems incoherent to say we can transcend our consciousness.\n\nSo for words to be meaningful they have to be defined in terms of conscious experiences. They needn't be particularly precise definitions, as experiences are messy and unpredictable, but they still have to refer to conscious experience in some way or another to mean anything. We can build extremely elaborate systems of concepts that are all built on more elementary ones, but for them to actually mean anything they have to all at some point translate exactly to conscious experiences.\n\nThis is the conclusion I find worrying. If all meaningful language just translates identically to descriptions of conscious experiences, how can we do metaphysics, or most philosophy at all? How can it even make sense to speak of 'being'? 'causation'? 'abstracta'? This is my problem, and it arises from what seem to be two tautological assertions.\n\nI suppose this thesis is slightly different from classical positivism in that it doesn't require that meaningful statements describe merely sense-experience, but all conscious experience.\n\nYour help would be much appreciated as these recent thoughts have dismayed me quite a bit. Thank you.\n\nEdit: It appears that my views align very well with those expressed in the *Tractatus* and that the best course of action for me would be to read Philosophical Investigations and other resources on Wittgenstein. I look forward to this and I thank you all for the excellent help and kind hearted responses."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "You're in the thrall the early Wittegenstein. The cure is the later Wittgenstein.\n\nRead the Philosophical Investigations; it's the standard critique of the theory of language and reference that you're trapped by."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Where should you store your encryption information ? I.. dont seem to get it.\n\nGreetings,\n\nWhile working on a personal project, I came to the realisation I am severly misunderstanding some key concepts of security/encryption - and I am horribly embarrassed to ask for help on the subject.\n\nI've got a project set up that reads and writes to an encrypted file (nodejs/nedb) I've been useing dotenv to setup my secret/salt as system variables with dotenv (\\*/\\*\\*) and useing scryptsy to generate a key based on that information(\\*\\*\\*)\n\n​\n\nEven tho this issue is about file encryption, my question extends to database entry encryptions.\n\n(\\*) How/Why is this secure ? (it does not seem very secure) It seems to me that the only plus side to this as opposed to writing it plain text in code would be it is saved from codedumps/leaks ? - Surely when someone has gained access to the actual server it does not matter where you 'hide' it.\n\n(\\*\\*) Is not the only real secure way to do this by entering the key manually on server startup via prompt ?\n\n​\n\n(\\*\\*\\*) This seems redundant ?\n\n​\n\n​\n\n​\n\n​\n\n\\-----------\n\nEdit, wow a lot of replies - Thank you ever last one of you!"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "I think you're doing this already, but you didn't say it so just so we're on the same page, you put your secrets into a `.env` file, and then add that file to your `.gitignore`. If you're committing your dotenv file, then you might as well not have one.\n\nThe point then, is that your secrets do not live in source control. Your computer has a copy of your secrets, and if someone else joins your team, you give them a copy of your secrets some other secure way (LastPass Teams or \nPsono, for example).\n\nIf someone has pwned your server _without_ knowing your secrets i.e. by brute-forcing it, then yeah, you're fucked. But with modern encryption methods the chances of this happening are vanishingly small. With a few exceptions, every major attack you hear about now involves the attackers getting the password somehow (e.g. through social engineering).\n\nThis is only redundant if the data you're storing has no value. If you're just starting out with back-end services and making a database of cats, then sure, put your keys on GitHub. Nobody cares. But one day you're going to have the keys to your company's whole product just sitting on your laptop. On that day, you'll be glad you developed good habits when you were starting out, and haven't pushed your secret keys to GitHub."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: What is the difference between a Jazz Bass and a Precision Bass?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The J bass has a pickup on the bridge (bottom part of the guitar where the strings connect) and near the neck (long skinny part where you push the strings to changes notes). \n\nThe p bass only has a pickup near the bridge. The pickup is the part of the guitar that \"hears\" the sting vibrate and turns it into a signal for the amp. On the jazz bass you can adjust the volume of each pickup on their own so it gives you a lot of options in how it sounds. Because the pickups are in different spots along the strings they will hear slightly differently and give the sound a different tone or color. As an aside, a lot of times j bass players will just match the level of both pickups because it rejects a buzzing sound that happens with single coil pickups. But by plucking near each pickup you can change how the notes sound.\n\nThe p bass is a little more limited in that sense in that it only has the single pickup, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, just a difference in how the bass works and plays."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Marvel] How intelligent is the Hulk?\n\nLike, if he could be calm without reverting to Bruce Banner, how smart would Green Hulk be?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Which Hulk? There are various versions of Hulk that have different levels of intelligence. Doc Green started out at least as smart as Banner (but has been losing intellect). Professor Hulk had all of Banner's intellect (and was, essentially, just Banner in Hulk's body). Joe Fixit had normal level of intellect. World War Hulk was not Banner-level but was relatively smart, clever, and a skilled tactician- even at his most angry he remained of at least average intelligence."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "What would a good visualization of the Oort Cloud be?\n\nGoogle results produce a spherical definition, and a disc-like definition. Which of these is more correct? To add to this, being able to \"see\" through the Oort cloud to other stars etc, what is the approximate density of the cloud? I know we can see out of our own, but when we look into other solar systems, is there any obscurity caused by its cloud? Does every solar system have one? Does it change over time?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The Oort cloud is a spherical collection of comets and other icy bodies at the very edge of our solar system. Gravity may have formed the bodies into a slightly greater density along the plane of the sun (and the planets) but observations of the cloud are scarce since it is so distant from us. It is different from the Kuiper belt in that it is much further out from the Sun, and contains either very long period comets or comets that do not move significantly from the cloud. The Kuiper belt is much closer, right outside the orbit of pluto, and contains larger bodies and shorter period comets. \n\nIn terms of density, the Oort cloud is incredibly scattered. Looking out from the sun, it would be very unlikely that your view would be obscured by an Oort cloud object due simply to the tiny size of the objects and their distance from the us. For this reason, it is uncertain if there are Oort clouds in other solar systems. It is difficult enough to detect other planets in other solar systems, let alone small bits of ice that are on the order of thousands of AU from their star."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: why is it unsafe to take a shower during a storm?\n\nIs that not just an old wives tale?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "So, in the past with copper pipes, which are good conductors of electricity, would cause issues in the correct situation. \n\nIf lighting struck part the water system, saturated ground, or a house that is not grounded electricity can run along pipes and alone the water that a person is using. This can electrocute them. \n\nIt is not as common now as it was decades ago. \n\nPlastic piping and proper grounding of the homes help this issue."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[The Matrix] Can’t the Machines just program the Agents to be completely invincible, like a cheat or a privilege in a video game ?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Because as explained by the Architect, in the grand scheme of the Matrix rebellious humans are necessary to its existence so the programmers could not allow Agents that are completely invincible but just strong enough to make the life of the resistance really really hard. The One was apparently the only subject who could use actual “cheat” codes until Agent Smith went rogue."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: What is the difference between VAT and sales tax?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Sales tax is only collected at the final stage. \n\nLike when you buy food at the grocery store.\nAn apple is farmed, then purchased by a wholesaler, then given to a distributor to ship, the purchased by they actual grocery store. And then finally purchased by you. \n\n It's not taxed until you buy it. \n\n\nA VAT is applied at every step where the product changes hands. So in the above example everyone there would be paying a little tax. \n\nIn short every time *value is added* there is tax. And each step is supposed to be adding value. Wholesaler makes it easier to ship the food. Distributor actual ships the food. Grocer makes it so you can easily get the food.\n\nOne of the biggest affects is that with a VAT is that there is a lot more documentation which means it's much less likely for tax revenue to just disappear. \n\nLike if you have sales tax all you need to do is fiddle with the last step to avoid paying any taxes. With a VAT that is much harder. They also tend to incentivize vertical integration I.e. a single company controlling the entire process so the goods never change hands."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "What makes a good question?\n\nThere's some frustration among some panelists here about poorly-formed questions. When I was in grad school, asking a good question was one of the hardest things to learn how to do. It's not easy to ask a good question, and it's not easy to *recognize* what can be wrong with a question that seems to be perfectly reasonable. This causes no end of problems, with question-askers getting upset that no one's telling them what they want to know, and question-answerers getting upset at the formulation of the question.\n\nAsking a good research question or science question is a skill in itself, and it's most of what scientists do.\n\nIt occurred to me that it might help to ask scientists, i.e. *people who have been trained in the art of question asking*, what they think makes a good question - both for research and for askscience."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The scientific method is good at answering questions that boil down to \"What is the relationship between *X* and *Y?\"*\n\nThe precise *way* in which the question reduces to that form may not be immediately obvious. For example, take the question \"Why is the sky blue?\" Or, stating the implicit, \"Why is the sky blue and not another colour?\"\n\nThe most obvious comment on such a question is, well, it *isn't.* Not always. At night the sky is black, and on overcast days it's some or another shade of grey. And at sunrise and sunset, the sky takes on a wide variety of yellow, orange, red and violet hues as well.\n\nWhich means the colour of the sky appears to have *something to do with the sun.* Which allows us to restate the question as, \"What is the *relationship* between sunlight and the colour of the sky?\"\n\nAnd next thing you know, you've got Rayleigh scattering. You've just done science.\n\nOf course, one might not have gone that way. One might instead have wondered what the relationship is between the colour of the sky and the weather. Or between the colour of the sky and the time of day. Or between the colour of the sky and the temperature out of doors. In all of those cases, the answer is that there's only an *indirect* relationship … but even *that* is doing science. Discovering that there is no relationship where you thought one was, or that the relationship you imagined turns out to be far more complex and interesting than you suspected, is what science is *really really good for.*\n\nBad questions are those that don't move you toward a greater understanding of the relationship between two things. Speculative questions, hypothetical questions, what-would-happen-if questions, is-it-possible-that questions, what's-the-deal-with questions, what-do-you-think-about questions, what's-the-purpose-of questions, and worst of them all help-me-win-an-argument questions … these are all *lousy.* Because while they might tickle our curiosity, they don't *get us anywhere.* They don't lead us to a better understanding of how the world works.\n\nThings exist. Things happen. Sussing out the relationships between things that exist and things that happen is what that scientific method is good for. If your intention is to do science — and while it's not mandatory that it must be, that *is* what it says up there at the top of each page in this forum — then toward those relationships is where your attention must be cast. Otherwise it's all just nattery and chit-chat."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why do all radio stations end in an odd decimal?\n\nI've noticed all the frequencies in my city end with .1, .3, .5, etc. I don't know if it's just Vancouver, but can someone please enlighten me as to why?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "An FM radio signal doesn't actually get transmitted on exactly one frequency. FM means *frequency modulation*. What that means is that the way the station sends the sound is by slightly varying the frequency of its signal.\n\nFM radio frequencies are measured in a unit called *megahertz*.\n\nIt can vary the frequency by up to 0.1 megahertz, in either direction (higher or lower). So, a station at 106.1 megahertz is actually using frequencies anywhere from 106.0 megahertz up to 106.2 megahertz.\n\nThat means that all the radio stations need to be put at least 0.2 megahertz apart to make sure they don't overlap.\n\nWhy odd decimals instead of even ones? Well, that's just because the frequencies that are set aside for FM radio in North America are 88.0 megahertz up to 108.0 megahertz. That makes 88.1 megahertz the lowest station frequency, and then they go up by 0.2 from there."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Kung Fu Panda] Was the Dragon Scroll always blank? Who trained Master Oogway? Was the entire temple's teachings a lie, for lack of a better word? Like there's no 'trick' to Kung Fu, no deeper meaning?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Yes. The point is there is no secret technique to unlock Kung Fu. It comes unique to the user.\n\nOogway discovered Kung Fu by himself and developed it into a style that suited whoever learned it\n\nThe discipline that was taught wasn't a lie. The idea that people had that there was \"a secret to unlock\" was one everyone assumed."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Marvel] What is Dr. Doom's PhD in?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Surprising that with 11 comments there isn't a real answer yet. Dr. Doom doesn't have a PhD. He was in school for theoretical physics but he was expelled after a machine he'd built exploded (due to Ben Grimm's sabotage). After he left he just gave himself the title of doctor and no one really disputes it because he IS a genius and far more intelligent than a single degree would account for."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: What exactly happens when you lose your voice?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Your larynx is inflamed. In there are folds of tissue that vibrate to make your voice when air passes over it. When they get all swelled up, they can't vibrate like they could before. Think about how difficult it would be to talk if your tongue swelled up, it's a bit like that."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Bionicle] If a Krana is destroyed after it is launched, what happens to the Bohrok?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "The Bohrok are really just machines meant to house the krana. Although the Bohrok were originally sentient Av-Matoran, once they transform into Bohrok they lose the capacity for independent thought. Without a krana to guide it, a Bohrok will become inert. It will accept basic commands from others (even from Matoran or other beings unaffiliated with the Bohrok swarms), but will take no actions on its own initiative. The Bohrok Va would sometimes attempt to get a new krana to Bohrok that has lost theirs, but during the chaotic conditions of the Bohrok War many \"empty\" Bohrok ended up being abandoned by the swarm. The Bohrok are nothing if not expendable."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: Why does 5ghz Wi-Fi penetrate less than 2.4ghz?\n\nNot sure if penetrate is the right word. Basically high frequency electromagnetic waves penetrate more than low frequencies. You can see this with how x-ray machines work ( high frequency x-rays travel through flesh that visible light bounces of). But on the other hand 5ghz wifi has more problems with obstructions than 2.4ghz.\n\nSo which is it? Does higher or lower frequency penetrate more? Or is there some lowest penetrating frequency?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "There are two different factors at play here.\n\n Both are very important and could easily be compared to am\\fm radio. It's about wavelength. In the case of 2.4 vs 5 gig Hz it's more than twice the wavelength difference.\n\nHow does wavelength impact the way the energy travels?\n\n1 the lower the wavelength the farther the energy will travel (so 2.4 gig is better there)\n2 the higher the wavelength the less interruptions it will encounter as it moves thru objects (walls Windows doors clouds etc) (so 5 gig is \"slightly\" better there)\n\nThe biggest improvement is the increase in bandwidth by it is offset by slightly shorter range. \n\nBut both are up in the gig spectrum meaning they are not going to travel very very far unless you have a really powerful amplifier connected to your wireless router. (Which would be very dangerous for other reasons)"
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How can I become a member of the Justice League?\n\nIs there some sort of application I have to fill out? Tests I have to pass? I was looking into the idea of joining when I realized that I have no idea how to apply or what an application would even consist of."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "When you encounter a current Justice Leaguer a few things to keep in mind.\n\n1. They are mistaken when they attack you when you first meet. This always happens when two heroes meet for the first time in the field. Do you best to not die, and to not kill the Justice League member. Doing either will hurt your chances of future membership.\n\n2. Always be on your best behavior. Superman can hear you swear when you stub your toe in your \"secret\" lair. Batman most likely has already deduced who you are. Martian Manhunter could scan your mind and learn your true intentions. Make sure to always be working towards being an exemplary hero.\n\n3. Ask yourself, what do you bring to the table? What role could you fill if one of the big guns went down?\n\n4. Make sure to be friendly to current Leaguers. It will take some work, but they really are somewhat of a 'who-you-know' system. Someone has to vouch for you. Very rarely will you have an unknown walk on to the team.\n\n5. Big help, try and get into the Titans, the JSA or one of the other 'feeder' teams.\n\nWhen the time is right (end of the world and/or the current JLA has disappeared into a void) you'll get a call. Make sure to answer the phone when the caller id says Watchtower."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "eli5 why do some animals die after mating?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Natural selection.\n\nYou're talking about animals where the male, most likely, isn't needed after mating. The offspring either can take care of themselves or form some sort of colony. Males hanging around doing nothing between mating seasons use up resources that the offspring need. For these animals too going from newly hatched to sexual maturity also doesn't usually take that long.\n\nNow, as to why it's not usually the adult females that drop dead after mating where the offspring can look after themselves? They can reproduce again later. Sure, the males could too but in the sexual evolutionary arms race a very small number of males can fertilise a large number of females. \n\nThis is different for humans where males were important to our social groups. They could do things like protect the group as human males are bigger and stronger than female humans, for instance. Plus it takes years for humans to reach sexual maturity so males just dropping dead would actually waste the resources that went into getting them to sexual maturity. \n\nEvolution selects that which works. It doesn't even have to work well. It just has to work better or less shit."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5: When you get a shot in the arm, how can you be sure the contents are being released into a blood vessel?\n\nWhen you donate blood the needle goes into a large, visible vein in your arm or hand but when getting a shot the needle just goes somewhere in your arm."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Many injections don't have to be directly into a blood vein/artery. Just injecting into muscular tissue alone provides fairly rapid absorption into the bloodstream without the risks of using a vien."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Eli5: Why don't Macs and PCs use the same type of executable file?\n\nWhy do macs use .app files and PCs use .exe files? Isn't it just easier to make both OSes run .exe files?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "There are a few things to consider here.\n\nFirstly, what we typically call PCs are PCs running the Windows operating system, created by Microsoft. Macs are very similar computers running the Mac OS operating system, created by Apple.\n\nThe operating system can be thought of (for ELI5 purposes) as the program on your computer that manages how the rest of the computer works. Your operating system controls which other programs have access to your computer's hardware (for example the CD drive, hard disk, and the CPU which is the 'brain' of the computer) and what kind of order files are stored in, as well as how everything is displayed on your monitor.\n\nAll other programs work \"on top\" of the operating system.\n\nAll computer programs are written in a special coded language, which computers can understand (again, close enough for ELI5).\n\nInstead of every program having to include all the code needed to make a window on the monitor, how to write a file to your hard disk, or how to send something to a printer, programs include System Calls. A System Call is a special piece of code that asks the operating system to do something. \n\nFor example, a program wanting to print to your printer would send a system call to Windows, or to Mac OS, along with the information it wants to print out. The operating system then runs the part of its program that knows how to send files to a printer.\n\nThis is great because there are so many different printers, which all work slightly differently. When you install a printer, you just tell the operating system how the printer works (by installing something called a driver), and every other program just gets the operating system to do the printing.\n\n**So, onto actually answering your question:** Windows and Mac OS use different System Calls. \n\nThink about how a window looks on a Mac, compared to on Windows. Because the window has to be drawn in a different way you need to give a different set of information to the operating system so that it can draw the window onscreen for you. \n\nBecause they use different system calls, you need to write the code differently, so to differentiate between a Mac OS program (with Mac OS system calls) and a Windows program (with Windows system calls) the files are named differently.\n\n**Extra info:**\n\n* The other interesting thing about .app files is that they are really just a folder containing several different files, including the executable. So where a .exe is just one file, a .app can contain a few different files. Similarly, .exes often contain more information than just the program code itself, but it is all stored in a single file.\n\n* There are other operating systems than just Windows and Mac OS. Some of these use different executable file formats. For example .elf files are commonly used on Linux and Unix-like operating systems (these can run on 'PCs' too, which is why we need to differentiate between a PC and a PC running Windows). .exe files originated on DOS operating systems."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "CMV: I can't take the Men's Rights movement seriously until they start working against injustices, instead of just whining on the internet."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "I must say, feminism is bashing the MRM movement pretty bad, which creates a bad reputation, thus the MRM has trouble getting funding. Getting shit done with a bad reputation and little money is very difficult.\n\nThey'll firstly have to battle for existence, before they can battle for men's rights."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Spiderman] Did peter parker make his web shooters before or after becoming spider man?\n\nIf he made them after, how long was he running around without them? Did he fight crime without them?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "In the original continuity, he made them after he gained his powers, but he was not at first a crime fighter. Never wealthy, he tried to capitalize on them first by claiming the prize in a wrestling challenge and then tries some TV appearances. He didn't decide to fight crime until a thief who he couldn't be bothered to stop later murdered his Uncle Ben."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "[Star Wars] Are hyperspace lanes actually dangerous?\n\nI had the thought that if these lanes are well documented and considered the best way to get from point A to point B, then they must have a lot of traffic?\n\nSo is there not a concern of crashing into other ships also traveling in hyperspace? Say, heading the other direction?\n\nAs an extra question, when fleets travel through hyperspace together, can they see the other ships around them?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Well charted hyperspace lanes are very safe. There are few events or objects that are undocumented that can effect travel through a known lane, and if there is a periodic event, like a comet or meteor shower that can cross a hyperspace lane and cause a ship to be pulled out, that would be recorded on nav computers so they can make the necessary calculations to avoid it.\n\nOnce you're in hyperspace you don't really have to worry about other ships traveling through it as it seems that they don't really interact with each other, it's just the mass shadow of a large object in realspace that can have an effect. The real danger is the moments as you enter and exit hyperspace. Because for a fraction of a second your motion in relation to realspace approaches relativistic speeds. This is why entering or exiting hyperspace leaves a distinct energy signal that can be detected (it's also why thanks to a huge set of very favorable rare circumstances Holdo was able to do what she did in TLJ). Because of that danger, ships traveling in convoy have to be well spread apart to provide enough room for error in case a calculation was off. \n\nThe exception is Purrgil, a species of space whale-like creatures that have a natural ability to travel through hyperspace. They are almost impossible to track and a swarm of them is big enough that they can pull a ship out of hyperspace."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Resources on the philosophy of fear?\n\nSince a very young age, I have found this emotion to be one of the most fascinating... especially with how it hinders a person. \n\nIf you know of any resources on the philosophy of fear and can share them here, it would be much appreciated! Thank you."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "You might find that, through studying what people who study the virtue 'courage' (cf. Aristotle, the Stoics, or any virtue ethicist, really) have to say, it would help to illuminate the nature of fear. Also, this may be a little different from fear (although it certainly contains it), but *angst* or *anxiety* are crucial concepts in the existentialist tradition (cf. Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Sartre, or even certain Buddhist texts). And, finally, of course, the key scholars of the psychoanalytical tradition (cf. Freud, Jung, Marcuse, Irigaray) have some interesting things to say about where fear *originates* and how it manifests itself in one's decisions/actions and general perception of the world."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "ELI5 How is time to death calculated in terminally I'll patients?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Usually just an educated guess by the doctors who from experience have seen so many they can give a good estimate based on the condition of the patient, the severity of their symptoms and the rate of decline. \n\nBasically they compare it to lots of other patients with similar diseases."
}
] |
[
{
"from": "system",
"value": "Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:"
},
{
"from": "human",
"value": "How does someone \"throw\" their voice?"
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "They shout \"SUL MEY GUT\"! ;)\n\nIn all seriousness though, a ventriloquist \"throws his voice\" using two techniques; \n\n1) The forming of all sounds has to be done with the lips slightly parted. This is especially hard for the labial sounds, f, v, p, b and m, and there is really no other option than to replace them with other sounds such as th, d, t and n. When done skillfully, it's hard to hear any difference. \n\n2) The puppet/dummy is used to divert the audiences attention from the ventriloquists face. Our eyes tend to be drawn to things that moves irregularly, so moving the puppet/dummy helps to solidify the illusion. \n\nA fact is also that most ventriloquism is performed with the audience a considerable distance away, and often using a PA system as well. This diminishes or eliminates the audiences sense of where the sound is coming from. When watching a ventriloquist up close, the sound can clearly be heard coming from the ventriloquists mouth."
}
] |
Subsets and Splits