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8thv4r | how do spiders initially connect the first couple of threads to surrounding objects? | Specifically, I've seen spiders with threads connected to a street sign > to a tree > to another tree, etc.
Does the spider crawl along the ground? Wouldn't the original strand become tangled? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8thv4r/eli5_how_do_spiders_initially_connect_the_first/ | {
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"Usually they will attach the line at one end, drop down, then walk across and up, extending silk all the time. Then they'll attach a new line at the other side, and eat the first line up while using it to get back across the gap, extending the new silk at the same time. In this way they create a line with the correct tension. \n\nThey will then usually travel back along the line and drop a vertical one down to the ground from the halfway point to make a Y shape. The rest of the web can then be built around this.\n\nSome spiders make a sticky 'kite' of silk at the end of a line and float it across a gap until it sticks at the other side, then proceed as above."
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23q8kp | the faraday effect | Wikipedia helps about not at all. "The Faraday effect causes a rotation of the plane of polarization which is linearly proportional to the component of the magnetic field in the direction of propagation. Formally, it is a special case of gyroelectromagnetism obtained when the dielectric permittivity tensor is diagonal."
Help. Please. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/23q8kp/eli5_the_faraday_effect/ | {
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"There really isn't any ELI5 way to explain this. The fact that you are talking about tensors means gradschool level physics. Try r/AskScience",
"Ok, I am not a physicist, and this stuff is hard. I'll try and go as slow as I can, but I'm figuring this out as I go.\n\nFirst, light is an excitation of the electromagnetic field. It is a wave with perpendicular portions of electric and magnetic field. Therefore, it is not a great leap to understand that electromagnetically active materials will interact strongly with light. This is in fact the basis for reflection by metals (the same effect that causes conduction opposes transmission of a photon, reacting equal and opposite to the photon that enters, to reflect it). A second conclusion is that electromagnetically inactive materials will not interact as strongly. An example of this is glass(silicon dioxide in this case) which is non-conductive(electrically) and so will not react with electromagnetic fields strongly. Therefore light goes through relatively unchanged.\n\nThat is the ELI5 for light. Now, the Faraday effect is complicated. Basically, the polarized light (I'm going to assume you understand light polarization as you are asking the question at all) is rotated by interaction with a magnetic field. In this effect, the strong magnetic field lines up the unpaired spins in the substrate atoms (typically ferromagnetic electrons). When the light beam enters the substrate, it will interact with the aligned spins in the substrate, causing them to precess, causing an opposing electromagnetic field. The summation of the original light and the opposing precession of the paramagnetic substrate causes the addition to the original plane polarized light of a circularly polarized light. I am not sure exactly how the math for that works (like I said, not a physicist), but that is effectively how it works.\n\nThere's a second way of thinking it, of treating the plane of polarized light as two overlapping opposing circular polarized light, but I don't understand that explanation as well.\n\nThis was my best effort. If you ask a specific question, I might be able to explain further."
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1w6y8d | how is sochi able to host the olympics with such bad conditions? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1w6y8d/eli5_how_is_sochi_able_to_host_the_olympics_with/ | {
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"You mean how were they awarded? \n\nIt's pretty common for the winter olympics in particular to be awarded to mid-sized cities who promise to use the olympic dollars to improve their infrastructure. \n\nThe olympic committee also tries pretty hard to award to different countries / regions / cultures, and there are somewhat fewer countries with the facilities & weather to host winter olympics than the summer ones. Even if the US / Canada / Norway / Sweeden / etc *do* have the best hosting environment, it wouldn't really be 'fair' to award them to the same 4 countries each time.\n\nSochi wouldn't be the 1st city to fall behind or not deliver on some construction promises. Pictures of the worst parts of the city aren't representative of the whole city. There are a lot of cities with pretty gross sections very close to the nice parts... so take some of the sensationalist news stories with a grain of salt.\n\n\n"
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5edf9d | the difference between illegal/legal immigrants and refugees | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5edf9d/eli5_the_difference_between_illegallegal/ | {
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"**Legal Immigrant:** A friend's cat had a litter of kittens and now she wants to give them away to new homes. You accept one of them and make sure they get all their shots and spay/neutering (immigration legal processes) so they they can become a member of your household.\n\n**Illegal Immigrant:** A stray cat that decides to enter your home for food (money and jobs) and/or shelter. Obviously, it did not go through the normal process to live in your house. Can be deported if caught.\n\n**Refugee:** A cat you adopted from the animal shelter. If you didn't adopt them, they would have been put to sleep. They cannot return to their origin without risk to their life. Since they come from a shelter, there is a limited number of homes that will accept them. Within time, they go through a process similar to a legal immigrant to become a member of the household. "
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18ufhk | why do "blank pages" in official documents always say "page intentionally left blank"? | I noticed that in a lot of documents, "blank" pages tend to have "INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK" or something of the like in really big, bold letters. Why say that the page was intentionally left blank if there is clearly a message printed on it, that makes it not-blank?
All of the standardized state tests I've taken have done this, as well as documents like the [California DMV Driver's Handbook](_URL_0_). | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/18ufhk/eli5_why_do_blank_pages_in_official_documents/ | {
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"A true blank page may cause the reader to believe the blank page is accidental. Typing the 'intentionally left blank' message prevents that. ",
"You do that so if there is every any dispute, or if you have to refer back to the document you can be sure that someone hasn't replaced a page or deleted a section and substituted different info than what was originally agreed upon. \n\nFor the example you cited - it is so people aren't confused and know that the preceding page was the last page and they don't have a defective book or something. "
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34uk0l | why does a bell ring? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/34uk0l/eli5_why_does_a_bell_ring/ | {
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"A bell rings because of it's shape. It's perfect for when it is tapped for the metal to wobble in such a way (known as oscillation) that it bumps around the air around it. Those sound waves are it's ring. Their shape is quite special because the oscillations can last for quite a long time.",
"Imagine being on a swingset at a playground. Rather than swinging yourself forward and backward your parent comes along and pulls you all the way back then lets you go. You swing back and forth, slightly lower each time, until you come to rest.\n\nImagine flicking one of those coiled metal doorstop things (that go boing-ing-ing-ing-ing and are either awesome or super annoying, depending on your mood). You push the tip away from its middle point, then the springiness of the coil pulls it back towards center but it keeps on going to the other side, and back and forth and back and forth, smaller each time until it comes to rest.\n\nThese examples are cases of periodic motion (just means it repeats) that arises when you have two things: a force that tries to pull something towards an equilibrium state, and a tendency of things that have been pulled to want to keep on going until they get pulled the other way (i.e. inertia). It turns out that a bell has these, too.\n\nIf you pulled on the wall of a bell then you could get it to bend a tiny amount. Bells are pretty strong, though, so you can't get it very far (perhaps not even enough to see). Also, the wall of a bell has mass, so once it starts moving it wants to keep on moving. When something strikes the bell it pushes the wall away from equilibrium. The natural springiness pulls it back, but the wall wants to keep on moving so it overshoots equilibrium until it gets slowed down and ultimately pulled back the other way by the springiness of the metal. The whole time it's doing this it is pushing air out of its way, which we hear as sound.\n\nIt's worth pointing out that in general when you have an oscillator like this you'll have a higher frequency when you increase the springiness (e.g. using a stiffer metal), but a lower frequency when you increase the inertia (e.g. using a denser metal). "
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99t228 | why is talking about politics in the united states taboo, socially, when that is what the nation was founded upon? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/99t228/eli5_why_is_talking_about_politics_in_the_united/ | {
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"Your friend groups are closed minded people. They don't like challenges to their status quo. ",
"The old axiom is that you never talk about religion, politics, or money in polite conversation. That is because the first two subjects almost always turn adversarial very quickly, and the third is likely to make people feel bad about not making enough (or making too much) compared to their friends.\n\nThe key word there is **polite**. Polite conversation isn't meant to sway people's core beliefs. It exists to pass the time, to lubricate social interactions, and to amuse and entertain. More intense discussions are for different occasions, and different company.\n\nIf you want to talk politics with your friends invite them to a political occasion. Given a fair warning and a chance to politely decline most people will be happy to argue their stance.",
"Talking Politics is a fight in a box. It gets dicey even in Canada and places in Europe...\n\nBut in the USA? Where people are regularly told they're under attack and that anyone who disagrees with deregulating mining protections of national parks wants the terrorists to win? Talking politics with friends can be a quick and easy way of making sure those who were quietly holding radically opposing views are about to drop the whole 'friends' part.\n\nYou can probably naturally end up talking politics with good, close friends, but work-colleagues and the like, people are used to it ending badly."
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6p6qa5 | how can an individual providing testimony to the senate not be under oath? | I was under the impression that any time you are speaking to a judge or giving personal testimony, you are forbidden from telling anything BUT the truth. Is this correct? Is there a difference? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6p6qa5/eli5_how_can_an_individual_providing_testimony_to/ | {
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"To be out under oath, you literally have to make a formal declaration that you're going to tell the truth before an official who is authorized to administer oaths. In court, witnesses generally have to do this before their testimony is admissible. As far as I know witnesses are typically asked to do this in congressional hearings. Is there a specific situation you have in mind?"
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8oln7r | how did human go from thinking that dinosaur bones were dragon remains, to knowing that they belonged to dinosaurs? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8oln7r/eli5_how_did_human_go_from_thinking_that_dinosaur/ | {
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"What's the difference? Mythological dragons came in all sorts. Likely the fire breathing ones have some root in history, some reason why they'd be associated with flames. For the rest: the only difference is in the name. They became dinosaurs when we applied scientific classification to the bones and gave them a latin name. And even this took a LONG time; people still believe that the brontosaurus was a dinosaur, even though the bones were found to be mis-arranged bones of other dinosaurs back in the 1950s. Of course, scientists have now named a new dinosaur \"brontosaurus\" which muddies things a bit, but the one people imagine is just as mythical as any dragon.",
"Take the identification of one of the first dinosaurs in Britain (although that name came later). [Gideon Mantell](_URL_0_) acuired fossils in Sussex from quarries and a collector [Mary Anning](_URL_1_). this was a time when stratigraphy was giving clues to the age of various rock layers so indicating the age of the fossils.\n\nOne find was large fossil teeth associated with the large bones in Mesozoic strata. Mantell identified features of them resembling the 20-times smaller teeth from the modern day iguana. After a lot of debate the relationship was accepted by the scientific community in 1825. The large reptillian creature was called Iguanadon (Iguana + tooth). Other large reptiles were identified in the following years.\n\nMantell's rival [Richard Owen](_URL_2_) actually coined the name dinosaur and acquired Mantell's collection for his newly founded Natural History Museum in London.",
"Geology+zoology\n\nBasically mostly throughout the 1800's scientists built up evidence to show that the earth was way older than previously thought. Instead of 6000 years now they were trying to conceptualize the earth being millions of years old. At the same time the idea that the earth changed during that time also gained acceptance. Fossils of fish and seashells were found high in Italian mountains, so clearly things had changed. At the same time the idea that fossils were the remains of long dead creatures gained traction.\n\nMeanwhile the science of zoological comparative anatomy (comparing the body parts of different animals to learn things about them) exploded. This allowed us to more effectively place animals into groups. As the world was explored we built up a better picture of what life on earth looks like and they idea that dragons (or other mystical creatures) exist but \"somewhere over there\" died. Extinction wasn't accepted as possible till the 1800's but combining that with the idea of an old, changing earth as well as better zoological anatomy led to the concept of dinosaurs.\n\nThis is perhaps a bit brief so I'll accept follow up questions. r/askhistorians is a good place if you want a more elaborate answer.",
"Others have covered the basic facts, but I wanted to say that it's worth noting that many \"dragon bones\" were likely from Pleistocene megafauna rather than dinosaurs, since those fossils were easier to find. For example, there's a \"dragon skull\" from the middle ages in Europe that is in fact the skull of a wooly rhino (no, it doesn't have a horn).\n\nIt's also often the case that the mythological creatures attached to the bones had no similarity at all to the actual animal that left them. Anatomy was not a modern science at the time and fossils are nearly always incomplete and jumbled, not at all like the perfect arrangements you see in museums. It seems that in general bones were interpreted in the context of preexisting legends rather than new legends arising based on the shape of the bones, if that makes sense. "
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dcj6po | why do spots appear so much more readily on the face? why not the body? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dcj6po/eli5_why_do_spots_appear_so_much_more_readily_on/ | {
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"Your body is covered by clothing your face is not. Sun hits your face, triggering more oil production.\n\nMore oil production = more chance of zits and spots showing up."
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agzkck | what exactly was exile and whatever happened to it? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/agzkck/eli5_what_exactly_was_exile_and_whatever_happened/ | {
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" > Exile is an unincorporated community located in the town of Rock Elm, Pierce County, Wisconsin, United States.\n\n\n_URL_0_\n\n\nI expect give it's location, it's about the same as it has ever been."
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8iaqsm | how does webcam spying work? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8iaqsm/eli5_how_does_webcam_spying_work/ | {
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"Odds are slim, not what most people go for. Depends on if it's a known exploit/program. Fairly easy if you install programs from untrusted sources and/or have it rooted. If you only do it from the app/play store, not as likely but still possible. Yes, it could. Anti virus typically just looks for what's known to be out there. If someone has a new way to get in, it would likely not detect it. "
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4vee6m | why does windows 10 recommend i use a four-digit pin over an x-digit password? | Wouldn't a shorter, 4-digit PIN be easier to guess and thus crack, rather than a password that can be of a much longer length? Yet Windows 10 recommends I use a PIN to log in instead of a password. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4vee6m/eli5_why_does_windows_10_recommend_i_use_a/ | {
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"The PIN only works for logging in from that one device. Your Microsoft account password works from anywhere. Needing that one device acts as additional security, like how you need both a debit card and a PIN to withdraw money from an ATM.\n\nAlso, if someone keeps entering wrong PINs, then PIN entry will stop working. They have a very low chance of guessing the PIN because of that.",
"Because the PIN system is actually tied to the physical device you are using, which makes it safer if your input is intercepted.\n\n > A password is transmitted to the server -- it can be intercepted in transmission or stolen from a server. A PIN is local to the device -- it isn't transmitted anywhere and it isn't stored on the server. When the PIN is created, it establishes a trusted relationship with the identity provider and creates an asymmetric key pair that is used for authentication. When you enter your PIN, it unlocks the authentication key and uses the key to sign the request that is sent to the authenticating server.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nAdministrators can actually change the requirements for PINs, such as requiring they be longer or contain special characters or uppercase letters.",
"As other users have mentioned, the PIN authentication mechanism is different (it operates in a local context and is tied to a single machine as opposed to the password mechanism which involves server-based authentication in a global context).\n\nYou are correct, however, that if the authentication mechanism was the same, then using a long/complex password would be objectively much more secure than a 4-digit PIN.\n\nEXCEPT that when people are told to create complex passwords, they often write them down or re-use passwords (from other accounts/services) which is a problem.\n\nSo using a basic 4-digit PIN is more convenient and means you are less likely to write it down (for example)... but yes, compared to a longer and more complex PIN/password, it is not very secure.\n\nHowever, you will find that PIN-based authentication systems will often only let you try authenticating with a PIN once or a few times. If you repeatedly enter the wrong PIN, you will typically be locked out for a period of time and/or have to authenticate with other credentials (e.g. your complex password). This prevents people from using brute force / repeated guessing from gaining unauthorized access to your computer."
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aflwr8 | why do bunker freezers still work in grocery stores even though they have no lids to trap cold air inside? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/aflwr8/eli5_why_do_bunker_freezers_still_work_in_grocery/ | {
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"1. Cold air sinks while warm air rises, so unless there's a strong breeze it's not really going anywhere.\n2. Some of them generate an artificial recirculating cold breeze (an \"air curtain\") to further limit unwanted air flow."
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1tw6i6 | why do i find things interesting? why does my brain like to learn about new things? | To be more specific, for example why do I sit here and read about North Korea? I find the subject fascinating but I don't really gain anything by knowing it. I hope this makes sense. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1tw6i6/eli5_why_do_i_find_things_interesting_why_does_my/ | {
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"It a defense mechanism or rather a survival one. The more you understand and can predict the higher your odds of survival. "
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3ne6pv | in government, why is it that people with little or no knowledge of a subject are put in charge of that thing? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ne6pv/eli5_in_government_why_is_it_that_people_with/ | {
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"Government is not the only place where people get put in charge of things they have little experience with. People get hired for positions all the time based on their connections or money, and they have no idea how to competently do their jobs. It's just a fact of life. ",
"The minister's job is not to organize the day to day operation of the ministry, but to provide ideological guidance to the ministry at the top level. The ministry will bring forward plans that are workable and at least moderately intelligent that meet the minister's requirements, and he will select from these plans.\n\nThis ensures that the people have a voice in the complex operation of government without preventing educated and intelligent people from ensuring that the government behaves properly within that will. The process unfortunately struggles when citizens advocate specific policies instead of ideologies.\n\nFor example, if tasked with limiting illegal immigration, a complex set of plans can be put together, priced, and the minister who wanted his ministry to focus on that will decide from among good plans. If, however, the people explicitly want a wall, a wall must be included even if it is not the best or most cost effective plan. This directive itself may also be questionable, but it is ideological, not practical; illegal immigration isn't bad for the economy and doesn't create measurable problems, but it still upsets people because they would prefer it if all immigration was conducted fairly.\n\nAs such, it is your duty as a citizen to pick people who will focus on reasonably approximating the will of the people, rather than to try to micromanage ministries based on polls. Focus on directives, and let people take the appropriate steps. Try to elect people who promise plausible things when you can, but don't focus too hard on a particular solution, just on a particular problem.",
"Ministers are not personally responsible for day-to-day front-line actions. They need to provide leadership for the department, with a broad direction of travel. They should have an overview of where they want things to go, and be able to manage the department in that direction. The actual activities are carried out by career specialists in the civil service, who work out all the options, and their pros/cons, and present them to the politicians to make the decisions. Decision made, the implementation goes back to the experts who did the drawing-up. The people actually doing things know what they're doing, the people at the top are chosen by the public.",
"At my job, it happened because the manager is a about 5'5\" tall and has a bad Napoleon complex, so he has to receive affirmation from powerful colleagues and surround himself with the most beautiful women as support staff (who all have to agree with him at all times).\nMost recently, he hired a woman this past July with no education, no training, and no experience to be his \"executive assistant\". He also made her a deputy to an older woman who's a long-time department head. He has told her he's firing that older woman at the end of the year, simply because she's old and frumpy.\nThis girl literally went from painting her nails and surfing Facebook all day, to a $70,000/year department head position simply because once casual Friday comes along, she fills a pair of jeans sooo well.\nElsewhere in the building, morale is at an all-time low. Can you guess why?!?",
"1) It isn't the only place it happens.\n\n2) Running a ministry is not teaching so teaching skills are not relevant job experience for a minister.\n\n3) Practitioners within a field are often negatively qualified to view that field at the high level demanded of a ministerial position. E.g. a highly skilled practitioner of classroom education is likely to dismiss the 1:1 tutor education model because it does not align with her experience. Likewise a successful individual tutor may dismiss the entire classroom approach as inappropriate for nurturing young minds. These specialists share a common goal of providing a high quality education, but have very different perspecives and may develop professional enmity due to the differences of their approach. As such, both experienced educators are less qualified for a ministerial position than a non-practitioner candidate, lacking their biases, would be.",
"The best leaders surround themselves with experts with far greater knowledge than themselves. You don't want your best scientist sitting in meetings and shaking hands - you want them doing science. ",
"The job of a Government leader is to know how to make laws, and how to operate the bureaucracy of thing. Their job is not to be an expert in what they are put in charge of, that is the job of their assistants and advisers.\n",
"your logic is the same that is often used in movies where the main character is Average Joe, who busts into some corporate office/ government office/ military planning room, and blurts out how because he has practical knowledge, he is obviously far more qualified than all the people who are far more educated but lack \"common sense\". \n\nIn reality \"common sense\" is a lot less common than people want to think. People coming into a complex organization and proposing some off the cuff idea would more than likely result in a bunch of people quickly explaining why that sounds like a good idea at first but then give a list of reasons why that would fail horribly. \n\nSure, if a teacher oversaw all the teachers, they might have a better understanding of how the typical teacher has to deal with lack of supplies half way through the year, but they aren't going to know the first thing about allocating hundreds of millions of dollars across dozens of districts. If they are a math teacher, they are probably going to say math is underfunded and want to give more to those teachers. If they are a music teacher, they will likely say music programs are horribly under funded and want to give money to those programs. \n\nAlso, when someone runs who has a career history in that field, people accuse them of working for that industry and trying to influence the government. For example, if someone who use to be a vice president of a car company runs for a transportation position, he would be accused of trying to get into politics to crush electric cars and keep the big oil companies and car companies profitable under their current direction. "
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1ry0zx | church of scientology | What exactly is the Church of Scientology and what are their core beliefs? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ry0zx/eli5_church_of_scientology/ | {
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"A prolific SF writer named L. Ron Hubbard reportedly said to some colleagues one time \"The real way to get rich is to start your own religion.\" He later wrote a book called \"Dianetics\" which gave people advice about how their own BS was holding them back from success in life. It was mostly stuff he made up, but the book became a best seller. The book became the basis of the teachings of the Church of Scientology, which Hubbard founded. (He later claimed that Dianetics was revealed to him when he died in a dentist's chair and then came back to life.) \n \nHere's a bit from [_URL_0_](_URL_1_) describing one of the key beliefs of Scientology: \"*Auditing* is a central practice in Scientology through which a practitioner is cleared of negative influences known as engrams in order to heighten spiritual awareness and access currently untapped potential. The Church of Scientology claims the procedure is 100% effective so long as the auditor properly administers it and the recipient both follows the rules and is honestly seeking change. Auditing can become immensely expensive, leading some to question the Church's ultimate motivations.\"\n \nAuditing includes the use of an \"E-meter\" to measure the subject. Teardowns of E-meters have shown them to be simple devices that measure skin resistance. (This is one of the many things a polygraph measures.) According to Scientologists, the E-meter measures mental mass and energy, which are affected by engrams. \n \nPeople have many, many issues with Scientology. It isn't really much like most other religions, and a lot of people believe that its status as a religion is just a tax dodge. (Including the German government.) You have to pay to get in, and have to continue to pay over time. As you go up in levels and learn more of the core teachings, you get to some stuff that isn't just New Age psychobabble, it's certifiably crazy. (Of course, you have to invest a lot of time and money to even get to the point of those being revealed to you.) If you really want to learn more, google \"Xenu\" or \"Thetans\". \n \nThere's a fairly recent book called \"Going Clear\" by Lawrence Wright that goes through all this, if you are interested. I've heard some interviews with the author, and he's done his homework. It's actually quite interesting, in a slightly sad sort of way. Hubbard was a complicated guy...talented and perceptive, but deeply insecure and more than a little nutty. Some of his SF is pretty decent. \n \nIt used to be hard to find good information about the CoS on-line because in the past they have been very vigorous about attacking anyone who said anything negative about the church, although it's gotten a lot easier in the last few years. They seem to try very hard to control everyone in the group and information about their teachings. If you create a website about Scientology, they will probably eventually attack you. But with so much social media these days I think they've had a hard time applying pressure on-line like they used to. \n \n**TL;DR** - It's mostly crazy bullshit, but *profitable* crazy bullshit."
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472wv7 | how does a vr headset with its screen right near my eyes let me focus on an image when normally i need things at least a foot away to comfortably focus on them? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/472wv7/eli5_how_does_a_vr_headset_with_its_screen_right/ | {
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3f1l41 | why bother with satellite communications? given the enormous expense of a build and launch, and the trouble once it's up there, wouldn't it just make more sense to propagate on-land (fibre optic) or ota (microwave?) communications? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3f1l41/eli5_why_bother_with_satellite_communications/ | {
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"I think you have an odd perspective on how easy it is to build giant glass wires running everywhere compared to just building one satellite. ",
"Satellite communication has the ability to broadcast and receive signals from a very large area.\n\nIf you're in a remote part of the world, then a terrestrial network is costly. You may also not have a fixed location to communicate from. Think ships, planes, the military, etc...\n\nMost of our communications are terrestrial anyways, since it's much cheaper and reliable than satellite. But for some use cases, satellite is the only possible solution.",
"Satellites are expensive to build and deploy, and incredibly cheap to maintain. And once they are deployed, it is extremely inexpensive to add stations, pretty much anywhere, that can access them.\n\nFiber optic is expensive to deploy, and has to be maintained. And there are places where it's not economically viable to run the cables to. This is where satellite really shines. A remote village in the jungle? Do you want to spend 10 million dollars for a full fiber-optic infrastructure and maintenance? Or $2,000 for a satellite receiver? Once you realize that there are thousands of places like this, the cost benefit of a satellite becomes clear."
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2d6yqy | since the gravity on a celestial object like the moon europa is lower than earth, would that mean that the pressure in its ocean at an equivalent depth under earth's ocean would be less? | For example, if I was send a robotic probe 10 kilometres down under the ocean of Earth, it would experience a pressure of nearly 1,000 atmospheres. (Earth atmospheres, that is)
I'm assuming if I sent that same probe to that same depth under Europa's ocean (if indeed it has one), I'm assuming the pressure would not be quite the same, due to different gravity? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2d6yqy/eli5_since_the_gravity_on_a_celestial_object_like/ | {
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"Short answer: Yes.\n\nSlightly longer answer: pressure from fluids in an open container such as the ocean comes from the column of fluid above whatever point you're at. This is literally the weight (which is caused by gravity) of the air on your shoulders, for lack of a better phase. Except pressure is applied to the surface area of an object from every direction because fluids exert pressure on themselves which normalized the pressure at any given altitude."
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1ht695 | skyrim/the elder scrolls' story | I've recently begun playing skyrim and while it's a fun game to walk around in vast open landscapes, i haven't gotten to understand the story to the game. There is a lot of text and i feel so overwhelmed to learn everything. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1ht695/eli5_skyrimthe_elder_scrolls_story/ | {
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"I think there was an eli5 to this a month or so ago with a great answer, try to search for it. I know it's ok to repost q's but there there was a really good answer in a previous thread. ",
"Disclaimer: It's been awhile since I followed all this, so some information might be a bit off, but the gist of it is OK...\n\n\nSo, it's easier if you get this in 2 separate perspectives, so **here's the Nord perspective of Skyrim**:\n\nA long time ago the Nords of Skyrim worshipped pretty much everything around: Wolves, deer, bears, trees, and of course dragons. Dragons were bigger and smarter than everyone else, so dragons quickly decided that they were the best and should be rulers of all things. The dragons went to the people who worshiped them directly (dragon priests) and granted the minimal power so that they could \"sway\" people. This basically means the dragon priests, now with a lot of power, went down and used their magic to scary/intimidate people into giving them tribute. \n\nAs you would expect, eventually everyone got tired of this and banded together against the dragon priests...this didn't go to well with *most* of the dragons, and they began slaughtering nords en masse. This is the start of the Dragon Wars. Soon some dragons started having 2nd thoughts and started trying to help the humans. They taught the humans \"thu'um\" which is basically how to yell magical dragon words and use dragon magic against them. Eventually the dragons were either killed, or ran off into hiding.\n\nFrom the **Dragon perspective**:\nDragons are an ancient race created by, what is thought to be, the very first (of many) Gods: Akatosh. Akatosh himself is a big ol' dragon. Of Akatosh's creations his most powerful was Alduin. Aldiun came to call himself \"First-Born of Akatosh\" and became ruler of all dragons. It was Alduin's job to periodically cleanse the world and bring an end to all things. However, in the time just before the Dragon Wars Alduin decided he didn't want to destory the world anymore; he wanted to rule it. He instructed the dragons to empower some nords, and use that to rule over everything and achieve \"Godhood\". At this point his brother Paarthurnax really began second guessing Alduin since he'd abandoned his purpose and started trying to get people to worship him as a God. So when the human rose up against Alduin, Paarthurnax led a detachment of dragons to help the humans.\n\nSo that's the backstory. During the opening events of Skyrim Dragons start showing back up, and you eventually learn that Alduin has returned and has begun raising an army of dragons from those who have fallen in the past to once again rule over Skyrim. \n\nAnd then... the **Dragonborn / Dovakhiin**:\n\nThe dragon born historically is a mortal ~~nord~~ that is born with the soul of a dragon. The main point of this is that their \"thu'um\", or dragon voice for shouting dragon words, is way more power than others. They can also learn dragon words much easier. There is never more than 1 Dragonborn alive at any given time.\n\n The Dragonborn in Skyrim is the *last* Dragonborn. S/he not only has the a very powerful thu'um, but he also has the power to absorb dragon souls and further enhance his abilities. This isn't something most Dragonborn can do, and (as far as we know) only 1 other can. The last Dragonborn is the prophesied to return to Skyrim and, once and for all, defeat Alduin and end his tyranny.\n\nSo that's the story for Skyrim. The backstory for **all** of the Elder Scrolls is...expansive. There's a *lot* of Gods, and demigods, and falsegods, and races, and different religions...you get the idea.\n\nSo here's the, short, and admittedly unsatisfying answer to the \"big\" question:\nThe Elder Scrolls are magical scrolls that are believed to hold *all* knowledge (Like all knowledge ever past, present, and future). It is very difficult to read them, and anyone who tries to do so for an extended period of time will go blind. The scrolls are very...inconsistent in that they don't necessarily have to show everyone the same thing, they don't necessarily have to show everyone person everything on the scroll, we have no idea how many scrolls there are, and we have no idea where they came from.\n\nSoooooo tl;dr version of that: The Elder Scrolls are based on an infinite amount of scrolls that predict an infinite number of possibilities ensuring Bethesda will continue to profit off the series for a long time.",
"Basic Elder Scrolls plot: You are a prisoner who is secretly the prophesied hero who will save the world from impending doom.\n\nSkyrim time\n\nThe Elder Scrolls games take place on the continent of Tamriel, Tamriel has a number of different countries/provinces on it. One of these is Skyrim, home of the Nords. Long long ago a Nord named Talos created the Empire, taking on the name Tiber Septim. The Empire consisted of (IIRC) Cyrodil(Imperials), Skyrim(Nords), Highrock(Bretons/orcs), and Hammerfell(Redguards). When Tiber Septim died he was believed to have become a god, the Ninth Divine, Talos.\n\n~50 years before Skyrim the Empire went to war with the Aldmeri Dominon (a confederation of the Altmer and the Bosmer). The Empire basically lost that war and signed the \"White-Gold Concordat\" which brought peace on the condition that the worship of Talos was banned (since the Elves will be damned if they let a lowly human be a god).\n\nSkyrim is made up of nine holds, each ran by a Jarl. The Jarls elect a High-King who rules over all of Skyrim. Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak of Windhelm started a rebellion to free Skyrim from the Empire so that they can worship Talos, he did this by using the \"Thu'um\" to defeat High King Toryyg. This gets the Empire involved in Skyrim and brings us to the game start.\n\nYou are a prisoner who was picked up by the Empire for undisclosed reasons and setenced to death in Helgen. While waiting for your execution a Dragon attacks and you escape in the chaos.\n\nDragons have not been seen in Skyrim for many years, so you go to warn the Jarl of Whiterun (the nearest hold to Helgen) about the dragons. A dragon attacks and you kill it, when you kill it you are revealed to be \"dragonborn\" someone with the blood of dragons running through them which enables them to absorb a dragon's soul and master the Thu'um.\n\nThe Thu'um is a dragon shout, dragons are so powerful that their words have power to effect reality. When a dragon \"breathes\" fire they are giving a physical manifestation to the concept of fire.\n\nThe dragons have returned because a powerful dragon named Alduin has appeared, Alduin is also known as the \"World-Eater\", and his coming signifies the end of days. As Dragonborn you are the only one able to defeat Alduin and prevent the end of the world.",
"The universe of TES is far too vast to explain in one sitting, but here's some of the basic history behind Skyrim specifically.\n\nSkyrim is a province in the continent of Tamriel on the planet of Nirn.\n\nThe Nords of Skyrim revere a legendary hero named Tiber Septim as Talos, the divine. Most of Tamriel worships nine divines with Talos included. The Aldmeri dominion (Or Thalmor, high elves) believe that Talos was only a man, and so worship the other eight divines.\n\nWhen the Aldmeri dominion fought a war on the empire, the Imperials ended it by signing a treaty which put an end to the war and made it illegal to worship Talos, much to the dismay of the Nords. \n\nThis is where Skyrim's civil war starts. Ulfric Stormcloak leads a rebellion fighting for their freedom to worship as they please. The Imperial army fights to keep peace between the nations, lest war break out again. One of the main quests is to choose which of these sides to be loyal to and be a key player in the civil war.\n\nMeanwhile, Alduin (An ancient dragon, \"The World-Eater\") has broken free of imprisonment for thousands of years. He's the dragon that attacks Helgen in the intro sequence. Another main quest is discovering why he's there and how to defeat him as he seeks to bring an end to the world.\n\nYour character is the Dragonborn of legend, able to speak the language of dragons and learn their Thu'ums (Or shouts). It's foretold that your destiny is to defeat Alduin and bring peace to Nirn.\n\nThis is just my understanding of a couple of the main aspects of TES:V. There's so much more at _URL_0_ where there's information about every game individually and the lore that ties it all together. If you find yourself with extra time, I highly recommend reading some articles there.",
"You could try asking over in /r/skyrim but [here's](_URL_0_) the prologue to a series of videos (long ones) that full explain the Elder Scrolls Lore. They are lengthy (about 20 min each) but explained simply and thoroughly. There's 9 or 10 of them and each chapter explains a certain topic (Daedric Princes, Guilds, Elves, Nords, etc.). If you have a couple hours to kill, they're interesting to watch consecutively. They helped my understanding of the ES world immensely."
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9ed07c | why couldn't vr headsets correct for prescription glasses when rendering images so you wouldn't need to wear them with a headset. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9ed07c/eli5_why_couldnt_vr_headsets_correct_for/ | {
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"They can. But you need modified lenses, basically same strength as your regular prescription. I read that Oculus Go will offer this. Won't be cheap, I bet.\n\nIf you wonder why the image can't be altered by the headset to be \"in focus,\" it doesn't work that way. You need to be able to focus on the screen, requiring appropriate lenses if your vision is poor. No amount of image manipulation can make incoming light focus properly on your retina to be detected."
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3hakfe | how hackers can find and then get into various servers and systems | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3hakfe/eli5_how_hackers_can_find_and_then_get_into/ | {
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"depends on the system. The easiest and most universal way is to rely on human negligence and hubris. Similarly, email. most risky, studying a network for known vulnerabilities and attempting to covertly exploit them. "
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5698pc | why our bodies can't synthesize vitamins? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5698pc/eli5why_our_bodies_cant_synthesize_vitamins/ | {
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"the short and sweet version of the answer is that evolutionary change happens by random mutation, followed by the less fit mutations dying off. It does not pick the best possible way of doing things. it only picks those that are better at surviving than what there already is. \n\n",
"If a vitamin is abundant in our diet, there's no selective pressure to weed out those who don't produce it. \n\nChimps can make their own vitamin C, making scientists suspect that humans or human ancestors were able to do so in the past, but lost the ability. But since the diet supplied plenty of vitamin C, this did not inhibit reproductive success, so the trait continued to be passed on.\n\nIt wasn't until humans started making long voyages where we couldn't bring perishable foods like fruits and vegetables that our inability to make these chemicals became a real disadvantage. For a hundred thousand years before that, it just hadn't been a problem."
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3vfm4r | does snoozing in the morning have any actual positive physical effect, or is it just denial of having to get up and doesn't actually help? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3vfm4r/eli5_does_snoozing_in_the_morning_have_any_actual/ | {
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"I'm glad someone is trying to justify this. I've just resigned myself to thinking I'm lazy. So yea, Redditors, any science I can use to stay in bed longer?",
"I do hope someone answers this, I call it snooze syndrome and damn I do it every single day. For hours if I can",
"Makes me feel worse. If I just get up the first time I ultimately feel better than when I snoozed six times. Never snooze anymore, though I used to set my alarm either 24 or 48 minutes early so I could snooze the precise amount of time. \n\nAt one point I knew why most snooze buttons were 8 invites, though I can't remember.",
"Can we add: why is the standard snooze time 9 min? ",
"Actually it tends to have a negative effect on your day. You're setting yourself up to feel less aware during the day by doing this. By starting another sleep cycle that is only going to last about 15 minutes (or however long you snooze button lasts) and then abruptly ending it before it can finish, you're going to feel exhausted. The Nation Sleep Foundation (yes this is a real thing) refers to this as \"sleep inertia\" which is the grogginess that comes from being woken up from a deep sleep without having a chance to finish a cycle. Imagine that sleep is watching a movie and the best way to feel rested is to finish the movie. By hitting the snooze button you're starting another two hour movie but only watching the first fifteen minutes.\n\nEdit: So what I'm getting from everyones comments is that this isn't actually factual. It seems that it's really personal preference. I know that personally, it is true for me that a 15 minute snooze makes more more groggy. This seems to vary from person to person though.",
"I don't recall ever reading something scientific about it but never have I ever read anything suggesting hitting the snooze button has positive effects. There's plenty out there suggesting it is bad for you though. \n\nAnecdotally the people I know personally that are ritual snooze buttoners have the worst sleeping habits of anyone I know.",
"I used to do this to create an artificial sense of quality sleep. I would have 6 or so alarms set on my phone spaced out 15 minutes each, and would repeatedly wake and \"snooze\" and fall back asleep.\n\nIn hindsight, this method is clearly unhealthy, but falling back asleep over and over feels great initially.",
"Sorry, but snoozing has no positive effects, and can actually make you more tired. [This video](_URL_0_) does a much better job at explaining than I ever could, and his language is very much ELI5 material. You should all seriously watch it, its only 140 seconds long!",
"The more I snooze, the worse I feel and the more tired I am. But all I want in that moment is to sleep more, at any cost....\n\nThe issue is that you're likely to drop back into deep sleep very quickly, so next time your alarm goes off, you're woken out of a deeper sleep than you were the first time.",
"\"She was burned with a laser, and quite liked the experience\" \n“I think she quite enjoyed the experiment” \n \nAre we sure it was pain she was feeling? Seems like she might have felt some new sensation, but if it truly was pain, I would think the reaction would be \"that sucked, but I'm glad I can feel it.\"",
"I've never used a snooze button... ever. \n\nAm i broken?",
"For me, it's denial. My brain can't understand that it's OK to get out of bed when my alarm first goes off because I'll be back in bed in 16 hours or whatever. It's like my brain thinks I'll never get to be in bed ever again. I hit snooze way too many times and then feel more tired when I do finally get up. It's just so comfy... \n\nIANAD or scientist, just my personal experience.",
"I conduct research on sleep. Hitting that snooze button and trying to get a bit more sleep does not add high quality sleep time. We can't know precisely what phase of sleep you were in when the alarm went off (despite what your app may tell you; it takes pretty sophisticated equipment to get an accurate read), nor can we know exactly what phase of sleep you will get to during a 15 minute snooze session. That's because phases of sleep vary in their duration based on a lot of factors (when people talk about 90 minute cycles, they are talking about averages, and even that is misleading). But it is fair to say that the likelihood of you getting much sleep value out of a snooze session is very low.\n\nIf you have the time to sleep later, just set your alarm later to start with. That way you don't disrupt the quality of the sleep by waking and hitting the snooze button. Then you will be less tired the next morning when the alarm goes off. Don't get caught in a cycle of disrupting your sleep with the snooze button, making you more tired, so that the next morning you are more likely to use the snooze button....\n\nTLDR; using the snooze button is a bad idea",
"Sleep science is a bit of a crapshoot in general but research generally leans towards snoozing being bad for you. Your body goes in and out of cycles of sleep rapidly and unnaturally and it can potentially have adverse effects on your sense of wakefulness. ",
"Not a sleep specialist, but my best friend is. The short story is that hitting snooze is bad for you. Hitting snooze essentially confuses your body. \"When my alarm goes off, does that mean go to sleep, or get up and be alert?\".",
"It depends on the person. Most people are \"ready\" to wake up when their alarm goes off. Hitting snooze then either delays the inevitable, or risks starting another sleep cycle (which can take as little as 10 minutes). Waking after starting a sleep cycle will make you more tired and generally screw with your morning.\n\nSome people do not wake quickly in the morning. A \"signal\" prompting them that it's almost time to wake up is useful, their brain wakes up slowly over the course of several minutes. Hitting snooze or something similar is essential to making this process as gentle as possible. ",
"There is an app called sleep cycle that will wake you at the best time during your sleep cycle. It tracks your sleep and graphs it as well. Say you need to be awake at 8am it will wake you at your lightest sleep usually no earlier than a half hour prior to that time. It's a neat little app. _URL_0_",
"It has a physical effect when your room mate smacks the shit out of you for letting the alarm go off so many damn times.",
"I thought this said sneezing.. which I do a lot when I'm in the bathroom. Any word on this?",
"I don't know. But the worst thing is when you accidentally hit stop instead of snooze and you have to make another alarm.",
"I so don't care. I love that time laying in bed, listening to the news, maybe poking around on twitter. It's great. I doze in and out, cuddle the dog and cat. It's fucking glorious. ",
"Usually I don't fall right back to sleep. I use that ten minutes to just chill. Sometimes snuggle up to the gf to make her feel loved, and warm for a few minutes or just lay and kind of plot out my day then when the alarm goes off again I quickly turn it off and go poop. Day started.",
"Supposedly, what matters is where in your sleep cycle do you wake up. You should try the sleep cycle app - it monitors your sleep cycle and wakes you up in the optimal sleep state. This app kind of changed my life for the better. I never even feel like I want to hit snooze now, I just wake up refreshed and get out of bed. ",
"I read an article about this a few years ago that said snoozing makes you more tired when you eventually wake up. Because it resets your sleep cycle so that when you wake up again, you are now in the early stages of your sleep cycle, so you feel worse than if you had got up when the alarm first went off. ",
"The longer I snooze, the worse I feel usually. I take heavy duty psych meds that make me feel god awful in the morning, so to counter act my zombie mode, I have 6 alarms in different places in my room each one set to go off 1 minute after the next. After the 8th or 9th alarm I am so fucking angry that the rage wakes me up and I get out of bed usually only having spent 10 minutes battling instead of an hour.\n\nMy poor roommate is cool about hearing me screaming in the morning, \"FINE I'M GETTING UP I'M GETTING UP JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!\" ",
"I'm studying this now. Sleep cycle lasts around 90 minutes. It consists of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. REM is basically when your brain is working REALLY HARD in the background to make you dream for example (among other stuff). Oh and it's pretty hard to wake you up at this point. However, you only reach REM sleep after going through 4 (yes four) stages of NREM sleep. NREM sleep is basically when you're dosing off, your body temperature is dropping, you're easy to wake. Accordingly, I'd assume snoozing only allows you to experience this shallow sort of sleep aka REM. Also, if you're just sitting there with your eyes closed and you don't dose off, you're still awake and you're not really benefitting. ",
"I can't recall the specific study.\nI've read that snooze sleeping is about 50-70% efficient.\nIt's healthier to set a time and just wake up to that time. \n_URL_0_\n",
"I would set my alarm an hour and a half earlier then when I wanted to wake up, then snooze 30 minutes at a time, it would slowly wake me up while giving me the wonderful feeling of having 30 more minutes 3 times.",
"Related question. Why is it that everybody has mistaken this thread for an /r/AskReddit of \"How do you feel after using a snooze alarm?\". I'm seeing many anecdotes and no actual answers.",
"You should post this to askscience. I'm interested in less anecdotal answers and I think it'd be better suited there than here. \n",
"I had a sleep therapist once who always told people to forget that the snooze button exists. You are not hitting REM again in that amount of time so it is basically confusing your body.",
"It's funny how different partners can be about the whole snoozing thing. On the one hand, if my alarm goes off, I shut it off immediately because it's 5:30am and I don't want to wake my husband (who gets up at 7:30). On the other hand, if it's my day off and he works, he will hit the snooze button an endless amount of times.\nHaven't killed him yet.",
"I don't get it, are people just making up bullshit excuses? When I haven't had enough sleep on the weekend, I might snooze a bit and I'm all like, \"that's better!\". Never felt any different my whole life. Are people maybe not taking into account their perspective of the situation and how perhaps something emotionally or mentally different may be happening to someone who's totally cool with it than someone who feels like shit after it?\n\nSeems kind of ignorant to assume one is true over the other because a bunch of people say it anecdotally. I know people who can't snooze and I know people who can without issue yet I don't go around trying to work out which one of us is \"right\" when we both feel differently about it, where would that get me?",
"I think this thread is missing the elephant in the room. People are rallying around snooze being bad for you. But alarms altogether are bad for you in the first place. It's not rocket science. You're disrupting sleep your body wants to artificially wake before it wants to, because society and modern life demands you get to school, work, etc. Snooze only happens because you're disrupting it so much with the initial alarm, you still have trouble getting up. The real problem with snooze itself (beyond the initial alarm) is that snooze is so damn addictive. ",
"My girlfriend claims is psychological. Like she's gotten a 1up on life because she's hitting snooze.\n\nI just use _URL_0_",
"What I've learned from this thread is that the most outspoken people are talking about non-factual information on sleep. All they are using is their \"personal experiences\" as a point of reference. And then telling every other poster their information is wrong. Which, is bad science and bad for open discussion.\n\nCmon sheeple. This is a subreddit where there is open conversation not the close minded junk we are watching unfold in the San bernadino shooting media blitz.\n\nYes, hitting the snooze button and falling back asleep will negatively impact your day. Your body knows when to wake up. BUT, for this to work effectively you need to be waking up naturally and not from an alarm clock.\n\nThis is a great quick article on snoozing and why it's bad.\n\n_URL_1_\n\nIf you want to find out more about sleep the best resource is Harvard Medical's sleep website.\n\nWARNING: You will get lost on this website\n\n _URL_0_",
"My gf too, had multiple alarms set about 5 min apart. She usually has about 10 alarms and hits the snooze on all of them and she set her snooze for 3 min intervals, and wonders why I rarely sleep with her. She would sleep all day if you let her. Then me on the other hand, I get up with usually one alarm as long as I get 5 hours of sleep, and I stay up later at night. But everyone's dif with sleeping habits and it also depends on if you have a sleeping disorders, such as sleep apnea, diet, caffeine intake, alcohol consumption and many more things play a role in it, also.",
"If I want, or need to get to sleep at night, I can't do it straight away and it's frustrating.\n\nHowever. if I set my alarm early to snooze, I'll wake up to the alarm, hit the button, and fall asleep again within seconds. This satisfies me, although I know it's wrong. It may have a negative physical effect, but helps me mentally.",
"In my experience, it can have a positive mental effect. Sometimes it's very healthy to just lay there, semi-awake, and contemplate the dream you just had. Sometimes, the dream will continue.\n\nAs for all the comments about your partner hitting the snooze button and keeping you awake, instead of bitching just try the opposite. \n\nExample: I once dated, then lived with a girl who had a new job/career that required her to get up at 4:30 am. I didn't have to be at work until 9:00. She would snooze sometimes then wake up short of time and panicking. So here is what I did.\n\nI got up at 4:15 am, made coffee, and served it to her with a croissant in bed every morning. She always left relaxed and alert. After she left, I found that I really loved the quiet, early morning time to myself for reading and drawing. Some days I'd go back to sleep. Most days I'd read or work on a design.\n\n30 years later, I still bring her coffee every morning in bed. Best investment ever.",
"I do, almost always\n I do it because I can return to my dreams and say farewell, then (while dreaming) prepare for the day.\n I've always been able to do this, but time doesn't work. \nie: I've had a few nightmares where I awoke and was able to return to a similar scenario where I was able to turn it all around... say falling turns into hangliding, which turns into flying...\n the first time was my dream of motorcycling across the desert..and instead of hitting bumps, or falling into holes, I was able to hover...then ride the motorcycle upside down...then I realised I could fly...\n well, these days, I sometimes awaken just before the alarm, and silence it..then sleep another 30 minutes until my 2nd alarm sounds....which is the one I climb out of bed for.\n there have been a few times (like less than 20) where I wouldn't want the extra 30 minutes...but those were because I either had to relieve myself or had some really scrumptious food \n I\"d say 1 out of 10 times I can return to my dreams, and 9 out of 10 I have short fantasies about my future day...",
"If the effect is two more minutes with my face buried between Christina Ricci's legs, then yes. it helps.",
"Scientific results of these things of course are never 100% universal.\n\nI guarantee that if I get up immediately, more often than not I will have higher blood pressure for one to two hours, and will have a more difficult time focusing or gathering energy to get moving.\n\nNow, the \"snooze\" period can only be five to 20 minutes though. Much longer and I'll get too deep into sleep and have a negative effect. The benefits of that brief snooze however are critical to my mood and physical attentiveness.",
"Waking up in your semi conscious state and going to sleep again could cause you to have some pretty lucid dreams if you had the time to sleep. Artists like Dali would hold an object and wake up just as it hit the floor to induce this kind of dream like state",
"The best decision I've made is to put the alarm on the other side of the room so I had to get up to go turn it off. \nWhen I used to intentionally snooze a few times, I'd be tired and end up a little late to get ready and just sluggishly get out of bed. \nNothing get me up faster than turning off that God forsaken alarm, then to the toilet I go! ",
"Don't know about the scientific evidence. But these extra couple of minutes for me are incredibly blissful. This is the time when we discover that we've always taken a good night's sleep for granted. ",
"I'm still trying to figure out why that last 10 minutes of sleep is more important than a whole nights sleep.",
"What you have to do is get up for a couple of hrs then go back to sleep, you will wake up feeling like youve actually got a good night sleep plus it helps with mental clarity.",
"I used to set my alarm 1 hour earlier than necessary just so I can wake up, look at the clock and happily know I get to sleep one more hour. That \"extra\" hour was always so good..",
"Part of hitting the snooze for me is that it's just a few more minutes of a quiet mind before I have to face the stressful job i have and start the very long day.",
"My alarm makes me solve a math problem every time I try to hit snooze so I just wake up because math is STUPID",
"This has always confused me, I know it's bad for me, but when I get woken up hearing others getting ready, and then sleep 'til I hear my own alarm, I feel great. Wide awake right away, and I know my day is about to be great, as opposed sleeping through my family's morning cycles, and frequently dozing off in the shower as a result. Could someone explain this to me? ",
"For some reason a little wank helps me wake up in the morning, which is weird because it also helps me fall asleep at night.",
"This helps _URL_0_ ASAPscience made an awesome video answering that exact question",
"I read this as \"sneezing\" at first and i've been so confused for the last few minutes of reading."
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64ak0b | why does it seem like no new large cities have emerged in the us lately? (ones with skyscrapers, etc.) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/64ak0b/eli5_why_does_it_seem_like_no_new_large_cities/ | {
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"The cost to make them can heavily outweigh the projected value they'd bring to the area. Skyscrapers aren't cheap to build, taxes for anybody already living there will go up immensely, property values will go up, pricing many people out of the house they've lived in for years. Slow progress over several decades and large city-wide income is near required for this, with household income discrepancy between high and low being very minimum to properly achieve this goal.\n\nThat, or rich people making their own city separate from everyone else with a minimum income restriction.",
"It really depends on your area. I live in North Texas and we're actually growing pretty fast.\n\nLet me tell you about the Frisco area, which is very quickly becoming a large city.\n\nCities in the US had specialized functions. They usually were closely related to certain industries like the railroad, oil, factory work, fishing, or farming. The city's future may be based on how that industry changes and grows. So factories were closing left and right, this caused many midwest cities to shrivel up and die.\n\nA city like San Francisco may have started out as this west coast port city exporting Gold from the gold rush and resources coming to and from the other parts of the country. It got bigger and bigger as more people started trying to find work in this city.\n\nEventually that function starts to slow down. But as luck would have it, the computer industry and internet industry started cropping up around San Francisco because of major schools around the area that were fueling the tech boom this caused San Francisco to grow all over again.\n\nLet's get back to Frisco, TX though. Frisco was mostly a Farm and Ranch town near a railroad hub. A few families owned huge farm and ranch land. And others worked on or near the railroad. Eventually the railroad disappeared from Frisco. And farming and ranching stopped being so lucrative over time. Frisco stayed small for a while. But then families started selling off chunks of their land back to the city or to developers. The city started getting smart about zoning and growth plans. They able to take old farmland and build hundreds of houses on it. People started moving there because it was close enough to a big city like Dallas, but quiet and safe to raise a family. Plus the houses were more affordable. Now with families came businesses and all this started to multiply itself.\n\nSo Frisco went from old dusty farmland to a booming family friendly suburb for new houses and commercial districts. \n\nAlso pay attention to travel. Cities grow and die based on the travel options. Is there a railroad that comes by? Is there a major interstate highway? Is there a port? Is there an international airport? Maybe a military base? All these things can make or break the way a city grows.",
"It will fill out some more, like Frisco guy mentioned. But at the same time there is an obvious trend toward people moving toward existing cities. It's expensive to live out in the middle of nowhere, and the cities and towns that have existed in the US for the last 300 years exist much for the same reason they existed 300 years ago - their proximity to water, their geographic ease of access, their climate, etc..\n\nThere's tons of room in the US, like, feasibly enough for billions or tens of billions of people. But population trends are predicting 11 billion is where the global population will top out. So new cities are probably not going to happen, because, believe it or not, the relevance of most cities other than Palo Alto California or Shenzhen China is tied to something other than microchips. This all might change with the emergence of self-driving electric vehicles, which could make long-distance commuting over hundreds of miles feasible and allow people to spread out more.",
"Jersey City is a now a major grower of tall glass buildings. Every time I drive by another tall tower has popped up, still dark, waiting for the lights to turn on. Not joking.",
"Las Vegas has done this in the last few decades. What kind of time frame do you have in mind? "
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52g4ck | what is it about trees that makes them want to take in co2? do they just store it away somewhere, or is it necessary for the roots/branches? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/52g4ck/eli5_what_is_it_about_trees_that_makes_them_want/ | {
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"Trees turn carbon dioxide + water into sugar. They then either use that sugar for energy (the same way your body does) or covert it into cellulose which is a major component of the structural part of the tree (i.e. wood). The latter is the primary way that trees end up 'storing' carbon dioxide. ",
"They use it as a source of carbon. When a seed grows into a mature plant, all of the carbon in the structures they develop actually comes from the CO2 they take in from the air.",
"There are two main processes that keep plants alive. Photosynthesis and Respiration. They are different from each other.\n\nIn Photosynthesis plants take in Carbon Dioxide and Water to create glucose in a chemical reaction powered by the sun's energy. Unlike animals, who have to obtain external food sources which are chemically broken down to glucose during digestion (even stored fat and muscle was once an external food source we have 'saved',) plants can make their own glucose via the process of Photosynthesis. This process produces glucose and oxygen.\n\nIn respiration the glucose is then broken down by the plant cell using oxygen in a virtually identical chemical reaction to the way that animal cells use oxygen to break down glucose and create energy to run the cell and keep the plant alive. This process produces carbon dioxide and water.\n\n"
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2brvdh | how is it that countries like australia are able to break un/international rules concerning asylum seekers and get away with it? | 'Stop the boats', was the Liberals main slogan to get into power in Australia. But by doing this they have broken laws concerning asylum seekers and human rights | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2brvdh/eli5_how_is_it_that_countries_like_australia_are/ | {
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"The UN is only as strong as its members. If the UN tried to punish a powerful country, and that country withdrew from the UN, the system would fail. So often powerful countries can get away with violations simply because the UN as a whole knows it isn't worthwhile to go after them.\n\nThis is why the permanent members of the Security Council have veto power -- if any of these members were to oppose a motion and ignore it, the entire system would collapse, so the UN gives them the power to veto things so that scenario never happens and they stay at the table."
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3tc0a0 | where does that style of writing that graffiti artists always use come from, and why do so many of them use it? | It seems like most graffiti artists use a font like [this one I found on Google](_URL_0_). Where does this come from, and why does it seem like everybody uses it? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3tc0a0/eli5_where_does_that_style_of_writing_that/ | {
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"Grab a can of spray paint and start trying to write. With very thick lines created by the wide spray you are limited in the legibility if you don't write like that."
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2n99op | why do they have heaters on right next to the entrance in retail shops? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2n99op/eli5_why_do_they_have_heaters_on_right_next_to/ | {
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"To keep the outside air out, and to maintain the temperature indoors. Also aren't heaters, they're called [Air Doors](_URL_0_)",
"If you warm the coolest spot in the room (doors, windows and etc) then you have warmed the room ",
"They can also be called air curtains. They help keep flying insects out of the buildings"
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8b6vzb | how come when on a vehicle, reading a physical book makes me feel sick after a few minutes but reading text on a phone when on a vehicle has no effect on me? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8b6vzb/eli5_how_come_when_on_a_vehicle_reading_a/ | {
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"It may be that with a book you're blocking the view of the road but with your phone you could see that you're moving.\n[from _URL_4_](_URL_2_)\n \n > But when you're reading in a car, your muscles and eyes tell your thalamus that you're sitting still while your inner ear says that you're in motion. \n > This mismatch is what causes the unpleasant feeling. Your brain may not understand modern transport, but it does understand that contradictory signals can be caused by poison, so it reacts as if that's the case. What happens when you're being poisoned? Dizziness, nausea, and possibly vomit. However, the effects are different for different people. Some can handle cars and trains, but not boat rides. Others are fine in the backseat, but they must look out the window. This action can help their brains reconcile that they're indeed moving by taking in external information.\n \n[Here's a wiki how](_URL_1_)\n \n[something similar](_URL_3_)\n \n[and a post on r/books about this](_URL_0_)\n\nSorry that this isn't a ELI5 answer just saw your question on \"new\" just thought I would attempt to answer it since I get motion sick every time I attempt to look down in a car."
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"https://curiosity.com/topics/why-reading-in-the-car-makes-you-carsick-curiosity/",
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dvxtlt | could shoes with good arch supports be a substitute for orthotics to solve foot problems? or would the orthotics be preferred? | If a doctor recommends orthotics due to falling arches, ankles that bow out slightly, swollen bones in the foot, and one leg being shorter than the other (thus causing gait problems), would a higher-end pair of shoes with good arch supports serve the same purpose? Or would orthotics be preferred? Why? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dvxtlt/eli5_could_shoes_with_good_arch_supports_be_a/ | {
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"Orthotics can be customized. Shoes with better arch support put less load on tendons & stuff. Not that you should get medical advice from the Internet, but it seems like you have a lot going on and customization might be important to good results.",
"For ordinary foot pain good shoes will do it, but these sound like more severe problems that will require a more custom-fitted approach. Orthotics are likely the way to go here. (You should still always buy the best shoes you can afford, though.)",
"Look up mortons foot. It is the most common problem amongst humans, yet orthotics would solve the problem and mean less frequent and ongoing clientele for practitioners...\n\nEdit: mortons foot*"
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5uk7uf | the whole pewdiepie saga. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5uk7uf/eli5_the_whole_pewdiepie_saga/ | {
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"Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie) gets famous playing videogames and talking about stuff on youtube. I don't know why kids even like this junk. I guess I'm old. \n\nHe's \"signed\" with Makers Studio. I also don't know what they do. \"produce\" I guess. Disney bought Makers Studio at some point. Anyway, they all get paid through ads. \n\nHe gets on YouTube Red which you have to pay for. He cleans up his act a little.\n\nThen he does this bit where he shows that people will do anything for money. He sets up a job on Fivver, which is like Mechanical Turk where people online pay people to do stuff. \n\nHe fucks up though, and the \"anything\" he gets people to do is walk around with a sign saying \"DEATH TO ALL JEWS\". People get offended. The media gets involved. Disney, ala Makers Studio, drop him. \n\n"
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6xt45q | high-functioning autism. | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6xt45q/eli5_highfunctioning_autism/ | {
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"I highly recommend speaking with a professional in this case; head to your local college/university and speak with one of the psychology teachers. They can't diagnose him, but they can tell you if he's on the spectrum.\n\n\nOtherwise; autism is a spectrum disorder. This means that there are a variety of symptoms that might be present, and your friend may have some and not others. A \"high functioning\", or \"Level 1\" person with ASD might display inflexibility in their behavior, significant interference in general functionality like difficulty switching between tasks, having problems organizing or planning, which hampers their ability to be independent. They might have difficulty initiating social interactions, or fail to respond to social queues in an appropriate manner. They might be able to speak full sentences and engage in communication, but their back-and-forth often fails. They might be unable to make friends, or more importantly, have oddities in their approach to making friends. These fall under the category of \"failing to understand the rules of social engagement\", which is a common ASD symptom.\n\nWhat it means to be a \"high functioning\" or Level 1 person with ASD is that your friend might need some help navigating social interactions, he might have difficulty holding down a job that requires \"multi-tasking\", or planning and living life on his own. Of course, he may do just fine on his own, but these are common symptoms. ",
"I cannot advise for your case, but in general a high functioning autist means that he has some cognative disorders and symptoms related to the spectrum but the do not pose a significant disturbance or difficulty in his life. Common traits may include difficulty in social interactions, being unaware or have difficulties of social culture and situations (especially in new or unfamiliar circumstances), difficulty emphasising with others, being unble to do things most of us do naturally such as read and project emotions or body language, obsessive behavior with things of interest, and generally having to manually learn behavior and rules society expects to be picked up naturally without effort.\n\nEach person is different, but having a very rigid worldview, social difficulties, and needing everything to have a reason or a rule are common tells.",
"As a high functioning Autistic: Not much, how old is your friend (going to assume 25+)? Are they doing alright in life? Then don't worry about it.\n\nThe difference between high function Autistic people and normal people is generally social awkwardness in new situations (new means not successfully handled before) and an over adherence to routines (and the routines can be only for really weird events). Nothing outside the range of normal people unless you look really closely at it.",
"If he was high functioning autistic, he wouldn't lose his job. At least in the United States, that is illegal. Many high functioning autistic people are very smart with social issues, or they have cognitive issues but very social. The only way to tell is seeing a specialist. The earliest someone can show signs of autism and be diagnosed is at the age of 2. Most people are diagnosed from ages 2 - 10 ish. If he is a grown man, and not diagnosed he most likely not. (He still could be, another reason coming.) Usually teachers, parents, and school psychologists notice signs at elementary ages and will suggest testing. A lot of times parents or guardians will refuse testing because they don't want to believe their child needs help, or have a disability. In this case, many will not get the services and not be properly diagnosed. Again, he will not lose his job if he is diagnosed, and if he really wanted to know he can see a specialist, but high functioning autistic people usually can have very normal (or close to normal) lives. If he isn't having issues, and can do daily living skills, then a diagnosis will not do much but label. I hope this information helped a little. :) You can ask me more specific questions if you want, and I can try to help.\n\nSource: I'm a special education teacher in the United States.",
"hoo boy! all right. I can't answer some of these questions directly, but as an autistic person, I've got some things for you to keep in mind. I'm gonna do my best not to sound angry, because I'm not angry and this is a great question, but I can get up in arms about it sometimes. Im sorry if this ends up long.\n\nIt's true that Autism is a spectrum disorder. However, a lot of people seem to think this means that the spectrum is a continuum of \"less autistic/high functioning\" to \"more autistic/low functioning\". This is very untrue. \nThe analogy I think works best is that of a sundae bar; imagine all the ice cream toppings on a sundae bar as specific, individual traits of autistic people. One autistic person might have graham crackers, gummy worms, and caramel, and this in real life represents nonverbal communication, strict adherence to routines, and intensely logical/mathematic thought. Another person might have cherries, fudge, and peanuts, representing more intense emotional responses, sensory sensitivities, and extroversion. Neither person has any of the same features, but they are both the same \"amount\" of autistic. Neither is more or less autistic than the other. \n\nAlso, calling someone high or low functioning (what we autistics call \"functioning labels\") is a dangerous and inaccurate game to play. When you ask what it means to be a high functioning autistic person, the most accurate and honest answer I can give you is that it doesn't mean anything. It's an outdated term that was never based in anything concrete to begin with. A lot of us (autistics) have never liked it because it doesn't actually describe our experiences. Most of the \"professionals\" throughout history have decided that they can tell if someone is high or low functioning based on one trait of their choosing. Some people think the line is speech; if you can speak normally, you're HF, if youre nonverbal, you're LF. Some people base it on whether or not you can drive a car, or attend school, or make eye contact, or perform hygienic routines unassisted, or perform well on standardized tests. All of them are bullshit. A person not looking into your eyes when they speak to you doesn't mean they can't care for themselves. A person who can't prepare their own meals isn't necessarily intellectually challenged. A person driving a car by themselves doesn't mean they understand social cues. Judging people on one ability tells you NOTHING about any of their other abilities. \n\nAlso, an individual's functioning level may CHANGE on any given day! Most people would consider me high functioning because I can live independently, I attend college, I can drive, I make eye contact and speak in complete sentences. However, these people dont see me on days when i am overwhelmed by work or crowds or sensory input, which can cause me to go nonverbal, shut down socially, and rock side to side in the dark. They dont see me struggle to do simple arithmetic or spend an hour trying to figure out a simple bus schedule. If they saw this, they would call me low functioning, despite all the things i can do for myself. I can't be both high and low functioning at once, but i do all of these things and display all of these behaviors. \n\nI hope this information is useful to you. I'd love to talk more about this in a more direct way, if you're willing. I think i could answer more specific questions about your friend that way. My inbox is always open to people who genuinely want to learn more. ",
"Other people have given a good overview of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) in general. Since you asked for things that might be important for someone who is autistic (and/or those around them) to know, I thought I might share a bit about that.\n\nSince your friend confided in you that they think they might be autistic, they probably already have an idea of what this entails. \n\nGenerally speaking, being an autistic person in a non-autistic world tends to mean learning to mask autistic behaviour. *I'm not advocating this*, I'm talking about the status quo.\n\nSo it can include things like \n\n* learning many social rules and cues by heart, even when they make little logical sense -- learning to \"pretend to be normal\"\n\n* learning to imitate behaviour that is socially desired (learning to do basic small talk, no matter how pointless/tedious it is; learning to approximate eye contact, learning to tolerate handshakes, etc)\n\nWhile not part of the diagnostic criteria yet, sensory sensitivities are also common. Many autistic people have trouble tolerating loud noises, bright lights, strong smells, specific textures, etc. These things can stress us out a lot. It can be very useful to try and actively identify things that cause distress in order to better deal with them when necessary.\n\nThere are many places online where your friend and you can go look for more information, I'll list a couple of links here:\n/r/aspergers \n\n(and, since you mentioned you're Swedish, /r/SvenskmedAspergers, tiny though it may be)\n\n_URL_3_\n\n_URL_0_ (they also have a [youtube channel](_URL_1_) if you prefer video)\n\nAlso, a heads-up: HFA generally just means \"not (as) obvious to casual observers\" or \"masks symptoms well\". \"High functioning\" is generally a label that other people apply to an autistic person. Many individuals in the autistic community believe functioning labels are not a good way of dividing autistic people into groups. A good example / explanation of why can be found [here](_URL_2_). "
]
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"http://neurowonderful.tumblr.com",
"https://www.youtube.com/user/neurowonderful",
"http://nbnightwing.tumblr.com/post/115589517351",
"http://www.wrongplanet.net"
]
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|
egtkh1 | how do documentary film makers get interviews with fugitives? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/egtkh1/eli5_how_do_documentary_film_makers_get/ | {
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"text": [
"Chances are that those various agencies know where the fugitive is but they have no authority to prosecute them or remove them from that location/country. The technical term is a non extradition treaty."
]
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[]
] |
||
78ldd8 | how can people not get source code for a game even though they have the exe and files | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/78ldd8/eli5how_can_people_not_get_source_code_for_a_game/ | {
"a_id": [
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"The .Exe just contains the compiled code, which is pretty hard to reverse engineer into source code. This compiled code is what the computer actually reads and for the most part is just long strings of numbers and next to impossible for a human to read fluently. The problem with reverse engineering compiled code is that a lot of information is lost during the compiling process. It just becomes setting, moving and copying data from other places in memory. What those numbers actually mean is lost pretty quickly. ",
"Computers don't need to run code that makes sense to humans. Executable code doesn't have function names that infers meaning, variable names that have meaning, object and library names that have meaning. Executable code is also rewritten by the compiler to make it more optimized so it doesn't even need to follow same execution steps as the human typed source code.",
"Because the code you write gets compiled into a executable, and isn't readable code anymore.\n\nThink of it like cooking. You've got a chef that writes a recipe, then gives that recipe to a cook, who then makes the soup out of it. The soup is then sold. Just because you have the soup doesn't mean you have any idea how to make it. Just like in code, you can reverse engineer the soup a bit to know what's in it, but the exact steps used to make it can't be recovered from the end product.\n\nIn the code sense, the \"recipe\" or the source code is given to the \"cook\" compiler, which makes the soup and prepares it for distribution. "
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66rkvk | why does the brain come up with solutions to problems at random times ,sometimes even weeks after when we aren't even thinking about them? | For example coming up with a comeback after someone bested you like 2 weeks ago or something like that. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/66rkvk/eli5why_does_the_brain_come_up_with_solutions_to/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Because you continue to think about it, even if you're not really paying attention to thinking about it.\n\nThe best way to compare this is, imagine you click on a website and begin loading a webpage. You get bored of waiting and open a new window and start browsing a different website. Then a few minutes later, you remember that you were trying to load a webpage. You switch back and the page is loaded.\n\nBasically your mind is still thinking of solutions for the problem even though your focusing on it and that's why when the problem returns to your attention, you immediately have this \"eureka\" moment. It didn't just happen in the few seconds you started thinking of the problem again, your mind thought up a solution and either saved it for when it was relevant or it prioritized it over whatever thoughts you were thinking."
]
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|
31d979 | narcotics. | Sorry if this is a stupid question, but can someone explain to me why exactly narcotics are harmful? I understand that they're addictive and that if taken in excess can slow/stop breathing, but if someone was consistently taking them at a regulated dose are they really all that bad? Why?
Longer story: I've been sick with the flu and found some of my mom's old prescription cough medicine in the fridge. (PMS-hydrocodone.) I was fed up with my cough so I decided to take some, recommended dose was 1 teaspoon but I took probably more like 1 1/2 teaspoon since I didn't have a real teaspoon to measure it. It got rid of my cough (yay!) but I noticed it also helped my anxiety and gave me a slight "buzz" if you will. Took it again last night for the cough and to help me sleep, same thing. Took it once more today for the cough again but partly for the relaxation and I'm really enjoying the effects. But it got me wondering if this is something that can harm me and why it's illegal.
Thanks Reddit!
Edit: Does it still harm you even if you don't increase the dose to get that same "buzz"? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/31d979/eli5_narcotics/ | {
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"It can harm you by making you addicted.\n\nIf you get into larger doses and stronger narcotics, you become unable to function as a normal person when using them.\n\nIf you become addicted, you become unable to function without the drugs. Since you're not much use when you're on the drugs either, this becomes a bit of a problem.\n\nSure, there's people that can use them for fun without getting addicted but most addicts started out thinking that *they* could control it. It's harder than you think - you can easily lie to yourself saying \"oh, just one more time\" or \"just one last time\" without admitting to yourself that you've got a problem.\n\nIf you wanna get high, you're probably better off smoking a joint or drinking a beer.\n"
]
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3rnjwb | why, when using yeast, can people still make carbonated drinks without alcohol? do they distil it out or prevent it from forming? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3rnjwb/eli5why_when_using_yeast_can_people_still_make/ | {
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"text": [
"Yes, just stop it early and don't give it much sugar to work with.\n\n_URL_0_\n"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ginger-ale-recipe.html"
]
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||
1tnjck | markov chains | Can you explain what these are, and maybe offer some resources that a third year physics student can learn about them from? Wikipedia is a bit too advanced | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1tnjck/eli5_markov_chains/ | {
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"text": [
"Markov Chains are a way for you to model situations with discrete, different states with defined probabilities of moving between individual states. \n\nA simple example is what's called a random, unbiased walk. Say you have five states labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. From each state, you have an equal probability of moving to any adjacent state. So from 2, you could move to either 1 or 3 with a 50/50 chance. Say that you start at state 1. What's the chance you'll be at state 4 after 7 steps? That's where the chain comes in. A markov chain is a fancy name for how you model where you end up after a given number of time steps. \n\nOther examples and applications include room-based mazes, weather prediction, genetics, and economics."
]
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|
5y4qmi | why do so many churches and banks claim to be "first"? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5y4qmi/eli5_why_do_so_many_churches_and_banks_claim_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"den9475",
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"text": [
"Marketing.\n\nYou make more money with more people, if you are the \"first church of Jesus\" it sounds better.\n\nSo if that means that a few more people come to you than the \"church of Jesus\" you make more money, and so it worth calling yourself the \"first____\" to try and get one more person in the door",
"I think for such traditional community institutions, organization that symbolize the stability (religious and financial) longevity is an asset and therefore marketed. \n\nMany people devote much of their community outreach and interaction in churches and store a large portion of their income/wealth either directly or indirectly in banks. Therefore, one would prefer to conduct such dealings in more stable organizations. "
]
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||
2u0a6y | how animals can evolve to copy colors around them into their own bodies? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2u0a6y/eli5_how_animals_can_evolve_to_copy_colors_around/ | {
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"Say you have a species of some kind of wild predator. Let's say they're wolflike animals that live in a savannah like grassland. (This is a totally made up scenario, and I am no kind of scientist.) These wolves come mostly in dark browns and black. The dark brown ones are most likely to be able to feed themselves because they blend in to the tan grasses just a little bit better. Their prey can't see them coming, and they can hide from enemies better too. Over many many years there get to be fewer and fewer wolves that are black because they aren't as good at surviving and therefore aren't as good at breeding as the brown ones. Genes aren't perfect; they mutate randomly as the generations go on. Some of these mutations may be detrimental: albino individuals stick out like a sore thumb to prey and so aren't as likely to contribute to the gene pool, and short-legged wolves might be too slow to catch prey, etc. One random mutation we get that is useful in this case is that occasionally a pup is born who is tan in color. Just like before with the brown wolves being better than black, the tan wolves have a leg up over the dark wolves."
]
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[]
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||
8it1dc | why does aspirin increase chances of reye's syndrome? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8it1dc/eli5_why_does_aspirin_increase_chances_of_reyes/ | {
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"text": [
"[This paper](_URL_0_ ) goes over the mechanism in some detail. However, it's not ELI5, it's written in doctor rather than English.\n\nIn the liver there is an ongoing process of fatty acid metabolism called b-oxydation. If this process is disrupted, bad stuff (including ammonia) can build up in the blood and damage the brain. Though sensitivity has a genetic component, the conditioned is triggered during a viral illness. The body's response to the virus raises the child's temperature, and use of aspirin to treat the fever triggers the problem and inhibits the b-oxydation process."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10354521"
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||
31zp5d | how come you can sue despite signing a paper that says your employment is at will? | When you get a new job, you sign acknowledging the job is at will and that you can be terminated at any point, even without reasons. How come people still sue (even when they are at fault) and sometimes win despite their signed agreement? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/31zp5d/eli5_how_come_you_can_sue_despite_signing_a_paper/ | {
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"text": [
"Because contracts can't trump laws. For example, we can't sign a contract where I get to kill you. And currently, there are laws that govern how employers can treat their employees. Additionally, other agreements between the employee and employer may created expectations and restrictions that might be legally binding.",
"Funny thing about at will employment - if you are terminated without cause you have little legal recourse, but if your employer states a reason for your dismissal you then have a basis for a claim of wrongful termination if you can demonstrate the reason provided was illegal.\n",
"They can terminate you for no reason. But they cannot terminate you for *any* reason. For example, federal discrimination laws make it illegal for a business to fire you on the basis of race, gender, religion etc. If you can prove during the course of a lawsuit that your employer violated certain laws when they fired you then \"at will\" employment isn't going to protect them."
]
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37n74y | why does blasting the heat help with an overheating car? | Summer time is here and my car over heats. Seems to cool down as soon as I blast the heat, but it's getting unbearable in 30+ degree weather (Celsius). | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/37n74y/eli5_why_does_blasting_the_heat_help_with_an/ | {
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"text": [
"How the heater works: It diverts the heated water from the engine to a small \"radiator\" in the cabin where a blower fan heats the car by blowing the air across it into the car. This is an extra bit of cooling for the engine as the fan blows across the heater, thus cooling the water flowing through it.",
"The heater core is basically a small second radiator for the car. But it is not going to help a whole lot. You need to find the cause of your vehicle overheating."
]
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[],
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|
m9yof | my leg falling asleep (or other body parts) | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/m9yof/eli5_my_leg_falling_asleep_or_other_body_parts/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"You feel tingles when a bug crawls across your arm right? When you touch something very hot, your hand moves away before your body can even react as if you were shocked. These sensations are caused by nerve impulses which react to any stimulus regarding touch. \n\nNerves send information using electrolytes (electrical ions such as sodium and potassium) as if they are shooting off an electrical signal. I can go into more detail with how a nerve works if it would be helpful. Well, in the most basic sense, putting pressure on these nerves does not allow them to fire off a signal and communicate. \n\nWhen you sit on your foot, you stop the nerve action in the area where you are putting pressure. You are also restricting blood flow, which drops the pressure in your foot. When you stand up, the blood pressure flows back into your foot, your nerves, which were under pressure before are now free to fire off their signals. A rush of warmth grows in your foot and then a nerve symphony explodes. Your nerves are confused and feel strange pressures (which they are sensitive to) and it feels like hundreds of ants are crawling across your foot. \n\nThe sensation is the process of nerves firing off randomly (when nerves shoot off a signal, they have to recharge before they send another, each tingle, or ant crawling, is a different nerve firing off). The nerves eventually all fire off their signals and things return to normal before they get a chance to send another one, so the sensation dies in about 30 seconds. \n\nI hope that helps. Try this: Sit on your foot for a little while (the nerves will not be damaged by short term pressure) Then set your foot on the floor. As soon as the tingling starts, begin bouncing your foot up and down. This causes the nerves to fire off faster than they normally would (from my knowledge) and the sensation is multiplied tenfold. It feels like your foot is shooting out electricity!",
"You feel tingles when a bug crawls across your arm right? When you touch something very hot, your hand moves away before your body can even react as if you were shocked. These sensations are caused by nerve impulses which react to any stimulus regarding touch. \n\nNerves send information using electrolytes (electrical ions such as sodium and potassium) as if they are shooting off an electrical signal. I can go into more detail with how a nerve works if it would be helpful. Well, in the most basic sense, putting pressure on these nerves does not allow them to fire off a signal and communicate. \n\nWhen you sit on your foot, you stop the nerve action in the area where you are putting pressure. You are also restricting blood flow, which drops the pressure in your foot. When you stand up, the blood pressure flows back into your foot, your nerves, which were under pressure before are now free to fire off their signals. A rush of warmth grows in your foot and then a nerve symphony explodes. Your nerves are confused and feel strange pressures (which they are sensitive to) and it feels like hundreds of ants are crawling across your foot. \n\nThe sensation is the process of nerves firing off randomly (when nerves shoot off a signal, they have to recharge before they send another, each tingle, or ant crawling, is a different nerve firing off). The nerves eventually all fire off their signals and things return to normal before they get a chance to send another one, so the sensation dies in about 30 seconds. \n\nI hope that helps. Try this: Sit on your foot for a little while (the nerves will not be damaged by short term pressure) Then set your foot on the floor. As soon as the tingling starts, begin bouncing your foot up and down. This causes the nerves to fire off faster than they normally would (from my knowledge) and the sensation is multiplied tenfold. It feels like your foot is shooting out electricity!"
]
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[],
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75bg2y | how practical would a society of vegans have been before agriculture became widespread? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/75bg2y/eli5_how_practical_would_a_society_of_vegans_have/ | {
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"Not very,but then again agriculture isn't exactly a new concept. They would probably survive better than any modern person placed into the same conditions (pre-agriculture). If we were hunter gathers then being vegan would be hard, but I don't know about you, I would probably find it pretty hard as an omnivore as well.",
"Before agriculture and the rise of agrarian civilizations, you're basically talking about a hunter-gatherer model, and in this case without the \"hunter\" part. It would be nearly impossible to sustain more than a handful of individuals on just what vegetation could be gathered from the wild, and even then I wouldn't expect them to last more than a year anywhere other than where the weather and temperatures stayed relatively stable year-round. Without bones for sewing needles, or hides/skins, they would not have much in the way of clothing.\n\n",
"I think in asking this question, you also have to consider the other side. How feasible would it have been for a society heavily dependent on meat to survive preagriculture? Factory farming relies so heavily on agriculture to feed the livestock, without it, the society would have to hunt truly wild animals or breed their own livestock, in which they would need farming to feed it. If the society could produce enough plants source enough water to raise enough livestock to feed the people, then they could have produced more than enough plants and sourced more than enough water for the survival of their society. I would link statistics and articles but they are extremely easy to find depending on what exactly you are looking for. But in general, it takes far more resources to raise livestock to feed people than it would to just feed people crops.",
"In addition to the other comments, veganism is a more modern philosophy rooted in being against the way food animals are raised and slaughtered etc. They see much of it as inhumane and cruel as well as having a significant environmental impact (livestock methane is a major factor in climate change). \n\nIn the past that was not the case. If your only protein source today is meat, you eat it, and while the chase and slaughter might still seem cruel to you, you understand it is a necessary part of life and survival. It is natural. But what we do *today* in the livestock industry is not nearly as natural! \n\nHere's a way to look at it: Vegans don't believe that a wolf in the forest shouldn't eat meat. That's nature. What vegans have issue with is that we aren't hunting and eating to survive, we're wantonly slaughtering millions of animals per day so that we can eat far more food than we actually need, about 40% of which in the US goes to waste anyway, and that is slowly causing the climate to change, not to mention the perceived suffering the animals go through as they are being fattened up for the blade.\n\nSo in reality, there wouldn't have been a society of vegans \"before agriculture became widespread\" Also worth noting that the word agriculture refers also to livestock, but the \"plant version\" goes back as far as 100,000 years",
"Thank you for all the replies. I learned quite a bit and was even exposed to quite a few things I never even considered."
]
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207n30 | how do ships keep time when travelling? | Say i'm a modern day ship captain and I want to roster my crew for sentry duty across multiple days, and perhaps I might not know beforehand where the ship is going to go. Do modern ships have a time system that can deal with this?
(i know there is a wiki article called "nautical time", but I need a simpler explanation) | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/207n30/eli5_how_do_ships_keep_time_when_travelling/ | {
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"They use the same principle as countries that move the clocks forward or back in the middle of the night for Daylight Saving. Ships move relatively slowly so that helps for a start. Even going quickly across timezones, the ship's time would only need to be reset at most every other night. The crew will know that their local time is going to change before they go on watch. Some sentries will get lucky and have an overnight watch that's an hour shorter, some an hour longer. As the ship moves around, they can decide whether or not they need to tweak their time accordingly. ",
"Zulu time. Never changes no matter your location. "
]
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1wasnz | the hormone functions occuring in the ovarian and menstrual cycle | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1wasnz/eli5_the_hormone_functions_occuring_in_the/ | {
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"OK, your cycle is all about preparing the uterus like a bed for a baby, making a baby, and growing a baby. If a baby isn't made, then it becomes about getting rid of that bed.\n\nThe cycle begins when a woman gets her period. This is the shedding of the lining (cozy blankies!) if the egg wasn't fertilized in the last cycle. Clean slate for a new, possible conception. All hormones are super low at this point, which is why some/most women feel like crap.\n\nThere are a couple of hormones involved in the cycle, but the ones most people focus on are estrogen, progesterone, and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH).\n\nAfter a lady's period ends, the body starts gearing up for ovulation and potential baby-making. The lining of the uterus starts to build, and estrogen rises and rises, peaking around day 10-14. Sex drive is related to estrogen. Around the same time estrogen peaks, the FHS suddenly spikes, which makes the egg go pop and travel into the uterus. Estrogen is related to your basal body temp, which is why some women \"temp\" when trying to conceive (or avoiding conception): when the temp peaks, estrogen is peaking, which means you are very fertile because there is an egg waiting in the blankies for some sperm. I conceived using temping!\n\nAfter the egg pops, either it gets fertilized or it doesn't. The body isn't sure right away if the egg is fertilized, or if it has been fertilized, if it will remain viable. Just in case, it cranks up the progesterone, which preserves everything and waits for a signal from the embryo that all is good (luteal phase, lasting 10-14 days). If the egg implants, the embryo releases human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the human-is-growing-here hormone, and everything stays as is, and progesterone continues to rise. If it doesn't, everything says OK FINE SCREW IT and tanks, and you feel like crap again as you get your period. Lather, rinse, repeat."
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cl7xit | why are federal judges / justices appointed by presidents? does this not innately politicize the decisions? is there no other method of a neutral committee making the choices? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cl7xit/eli5_why_are_federal_judges_justices_appointed_by/ | {
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"You can’t have democratically elected judges. They’d be too focussed on maintaining their public image instead of just making the right decision. The most just decision isn’t always the most popular one. \n\nYou also can’t have a system where judges appoint themselves because that would separate the federal justice system from the general public and create tension between them. \n\nThe current system sounds like a decent enough compromise.",
"Checks and Balances. \n\nFederal Judges are nominated by the President and Confirmed by the Senate in order for both the Executive and Legislative branches to have checks on the Judicial. The only alternative would be to have them elected by direct vote of the populace which would be far more political. \n\nThere is no such thing as a \"neutral committee\". All people have political views, and those views skew their decisions."
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qwk13 | can someone please explain gramsci's cultural hegemony? i'm a bit lost. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/qwk13/can_someone_please_explain_gramscis_cultural/ | {
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"Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony states that the dominant class manipulates culture to reinforce its own dominance by naturalizing its own ideologies. In other words, the people in power (for example, rich straight white men) are in control of cultural production (media, TV, movies, etc) that impose their worldview as the norm or status quo, so that subjugated groups of people (women, PoC, working class, LGBT, etc) are then cast as deviant or abnormal.\n\nFor a very microcosmic example, think about a stereotypical high school culture. The dominant class would be the popular kids - jocks, rich girls, etc. They are in control of cultural production, because they set the standards of what is cool, hip, fashionable, or whatever. The non-dominant groups, like goths, nerds, etc., are seen as abnormal because they do not fit in to whatever standard the popular kids have normalized.\n\nAccording to Gramsci, society functions like this, except that the dominant class has much more power to enforce its norms on the rest of society, so the subjugated groups face societal oppression through institutionalized racism (example: blacks are more likely to be incarcerated than whites b/c white hegemony casts blacks as criminal), sexism (ex: debates over government funding of birth control & legality of abortion, b/c male hegemony casts females as domestic/only useful for raising children), homophobia (ex: debates over gay marriage, b/c heterosexual hegemony casts homosexuality as sinful and unnatural), etc.\n\n**EDITED** to add concrete examples in American society.",
"Someone else will probably be able to give a better answer, but I'll give it a go - it perhaps is not something that can really be explained well to a five year-old though...\n\nIt is the idea that the ideas and thinking (ideology) of the people in a society with the most power (ruling class), become the ideas and thinking of the people with the least power (working class). It happens because those with the power have the materials to spread their ideas to those with the least. It is according to Gramsci what allows the ruling class to maintain power and prevent the working classes from having ideas that might lead them to starting a revolution (taking power from the ruling class)."
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4dbyve | "one person, one vote" and the recent supreme court decision about it | I saw [this article from NPR](_URL_0_) which talks about a lot of things I'm not familiar with. Could someone elucidate this for me?
Let me know if I need to be more specific. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4dbyve/eli5_one_person_one_vote_and_the_recent_supreme/ | {
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"So, when states draw their congressional districts, they are required to make the equal, so that there's the same number of people in each of them.\n\nSome people in Texas had sued on the \"one person one vote\" idea, which basically says that these boundaries should be drawn based on the number of voters, not the number of people. The reason for this is that districts with a large immigrant (legal or illegal) population will have fewer voters in it than other districts, thereby diluting the effective vote of people in other districts.\n\nImagine two districts, each with 1000 people. The first has a large immigrant population. As a result, there are 200 voters in the district. The other district, with far fewer immigrants (and therefore more citizens) has 400 voters.\n\nSomeone in the second district may feel that their vote is only half as effective as someone in the first district. And that's the basis of the challenge, that such an arrangement is unconstitutional.\n\nThe Supreme Court unanimously rejected this idea, stating that the boundaries ~~have to~~ may be drawn on *actual* population, and not just voters. The idea here is that while there may be differing number of voters, the overriding concept is representation -- and people in Congress represent *all* of the people of their district, whether those people vote or not.",
"The US Constitution guarantees everyone the \"equal protection of the laws\", and the US Supreme Court has said that this requires that, to the extent that it's reasonable, representative legislative bodies should have members that are elected from districts with equal numbers of people. So you can't have one representative that represents a district with 100 people and another that represents a district with 100,000 people. The theory is that in that case, the people in the more-populated district have less influence on government than the people in the less-populated district, and thus are not equally protected. That principle is shorthanded to the \"one person, one vote\" principle.\n\nThe case that was recently decided concerned the question of what counts as a \"person\" in terms of counting the total population of a district. In particular, they wanted the Court to rule that only registered voters (or alternatively, eligible voters) should count, since otherwise the votes of people who live in a district with more people who can't vote (eg, young people, prisoners, or non-citizens) are more powerful than the ones of people who live in districts with few non-voters. The Court ruled that using total population is acceptable, based largely on the fact that the US has done it that way pretty much forever and there's evidence that the alternative had been considered at various times and rejected by people involved in writing the Constitution and its Amendments.",
"It comes down to, when deciding how to set up a voting district (like a house district or state legislature district) do you count children (who aren't eligible to vote) or non-citizens (who also aren't eligible to vote). \n\nI'll set up an extreme example (1 and 2 assign districts based on eligible voting population A, B and C use total population):\n\nDistrict|Population|of which are Voters\n:-:|:-:|:-:|\nDistrict 1|20,000|8,000\nDistrict 2|10,000|8,000\nDistrict A|10,000|4,000\nDistrict B|10,000|4,000\nDistrict C|10,000|8,000\n\nDistrict A and B are splits of District 1 which contains a large non-citizen population, both districts have 20% of their population under 18. \n\nUnder plan 1,2,3 the people of district 1 have 1 representative which is in line with the number of eligible voters in the district. Under plan A, B, C the people in districts A and B have two representatives which is in line with the number of people in the district. If districts 1 or A & B are with one party and 3 or C are the other party, the party that only wins 3/C is likely to favor the 1,2,3 plan, while the other is going to favor the A,B,C plan. \n\nThe supreme court ruled that total population should be used to establish voting districts (which favors urban centers with larger populations of people who are ineligible from voting). ",
"Doesn't this kind of make voters responsible for representing not just themselves but the immigrants in that district as well? Do people have the right to be represented, even by proxy, if they are not citizens? Dunno the answers but it us interesting.",
"Let's boil this down to the simplest possible situation.\n\nThree people are going out to dinner: Paul, Mary, and John. John is bringing his five kids. They decide to vote on where to go to dinner, and they decide only adults can vote. Paul and Mary vote for McDonald's, John votes for Wendy's. Where should they go?\n\nOn the one hand, maybe they only count people who can vote. So, two voters voted for McDonald's, one voted for Wendy's. They go to McDonald's.\n\nOn the other hand, maybe you count people's votes based on the number of people they represent. The one vote cast for Wendy's represented six people. So, they go to Wendy's.\n\nThat's basically what's going on with \"One Person, One Vote\". When deciding how much weight votes carry, do you do it based on the number of people in the area, or the number of voters in the area?\n\nWhy is this a big deal? Well, McDonald's and Wendy's each want to win more of these votes. And, in general, people with big families tend to prefer Wendy's, while individuals tend to prefer McDonald's. So if you make a general rule along the lines of the first idea, then you're favoring individuals. If you make a general along the lines of the second idea, you're favoring families. It's less about \"which is fair\" and more about \"which one wins us more elections\".\n\nReplace 'McDonald's' with 'Republicans' and 'Wendy's' with 'Democrats', and you have your answer. Areas that vote for Democrats tend to have more people that aren't eligible to vote -- children and immigrants, mostly. Areas that vote Republican tend to have fewer people that aren't eligible to vote. So, Republicans want to only count the voters, while Democrats want to count everyone. Paul and Mary want to only count Paul, Mary, and John, while John wants to count his five kids, too.\n\nWhat's particularly troubling about this is that the same groups that are elected *by* these procedures are the ones in charge of writing these procedures. So, to go back to the original example: not only do Paul, Mary, and John vote on where to go, but they vote on how to count their votes. Obviously, whichever group is in charge right now is going to cast vote to stay in charge. What's more, the people in charge right now can see how things are going to change, and vote to keep their power in the future.\n\nLet's say John has a daughter, Emily, turning 18. That daughter will tie the votes between the McDonald's (Paul and Mary) and Wendy's (Emily and John). But right now, Paul and Mary still have the power, so they vote to change the age of an 'adult' to 21 -- and since they're in charge right now, they can do that. So, whoever is in charge right now can rewrite the rules to make sure they stay in charge.",
"On a related vote, could an elected official deviate away from the promises that got him elected and just say \"I'm going with the will of the non-voters\"?"
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1j70yn | what did "the breakfast club" do that made it such a milestone of a movie? also, why was it called "the breakfast club"? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1j70yn/eli5_what_did_the_breakfast_club_do_that_made_it/ | {
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"Most of us Gen X'ers were either in High School or Middle School when the movie came out, so we were able to relate to the characters, since we all knew someone like them. The jock, the nerd, the pretty girl, the outcast, etc. were all people we saw daily at school, so it was something relatable. It was titled that b/c they had detention on Saturday morning, so they had to be at school during breakfast time.",
"NO DAD, WHAT ABOUT YOU?!",
"They were called The Breakfast Club because they met VERY early in the morning. It's been years since I've seen the movie, but I believe they started at 6-7AM which is at least an hour before high school started for me. The name reflects just how early it was in that they might as well be having breakfast.\n\nIt's a milestone of the movie because anyone who was in high school then (and even into the 90s because so many of the stereotypes held) could relate to the characters. You had the jock, the pretty girl, the delinquent, the nerd and the outcast girl which even teenagers today could peg into a social clique in their respective schools based on what kids are doing today. Combine that with the jerk teacher we all knew and the surprisingly cool staff member (the janitor) and you had a cast everyone could relate or understand on some level. \n\nWhat made it work was the utter simplicity which is often what a movie needs. It was just a group of characters, who knew nothing of each other, talking to one another and emphasizing and understanding that they all have their strengths and weaknesses (because, in the end, they are all human). The script worked on this very real and visceral level of emotion because it tapped into high school insecurities and used pure dialogue to its advantage.",
"Does OP have an assignment on the Breakfast Club?",
"Saturday school wasn't that attractive as a title. ",
"The other thing about it is that John Hughes made a movie about high school kids being high school kids. They weren't running in gangs. The kids weren't being arrested, spotting alien spacecraft that were about to destroy the world. The actors were portrayed as normal kids you would meet in high school. (Well, mostly normal.)\n\nThe kids at that time loved it and it has survived a generation because kids can see the roles they play in their high school classes. It also spawned a bunch of other films that were never nearly as good. ",
"It was also one of those rare occurrences in the movie industry when the perfect cast, the perfect director, and the perfect script all come together in sync at once. That stuff doesn't happen very often in Hollywood.",
"Walt Jr's fav movie",
"I miss highschool more than anything else in my life. But you couldn't pay me enough to live it over again.",
"'Don't You (Forget About Me)\nDon't Don't Don't Don't\nDon't You Forget About Me\nplayed during the opening and closing credits \nWas what made the movie And song \n Brian signs the essay as \"The Breakfast Club\"",
"I remember watching this when I was about 12, the reason they went to school on a saturday is that they had a detention for some reason.\n\n* Why was it spell binding for us in that generation? it is one of those things that you had to be there, it was like being there when nirvana came out, it must of been the same for all major events like the Beatles, I missed that but I understand that it was big in that time.\n* Alas I digress a little, so it starts out that they have to spend time in the library doing lines or homework or sitting there, and basically they are all good kids who did something a bit wrong. All they really wanted was to fit in at school, be accepted for who they are and not have to fit in, for their parents to understand them but have permission to break the rules and its ok.\n* its kinda hard to explain but over 20 years ago, it was a really big deal to fit in and make your parents and teachers happy. The pressure this causes is quite intense but as it is part of the culture and you are young you dont realise that you are operating in culture constraints.\n* What this did for so many of us is that it opened our minds into how we are being constrained, not that it was on purpose.\n* we also learnt that everyone struggles, and really who cares what other people at school think. \n* It was a real eye opener in that there was underlying physcology going on to understand the characters, who are all the major characters in school, the rebel, the hot girl, the nerd, the misfit etc. So what the movie did was to unpack their lives, the pressure they are under and how their lives have been shaped. AKA this meant that this applies to the kids at your school, which means you can now understand them and connect to them.\n* this means that the movie acted as a social lubricant for you to understand other kids, and that really they are all like you.\n* also the guy gets the girl, it was super funny. It was one of those movies that you had to be there for at the time as it was unique for its time and space....",
"I was a sophomore in high school when this came out. It was special because we could all relate to everything in that movie and it wasn't gimmicky or cute. It just was and that worked.",
"I know this reply is a little late and maybe no one will read it, but this is honestly one of my favourite movies.\n\nIt's fantastic because it's very grounded in reality and anyone can relate to the insecurities of high schoolers. They're very human. It also has elements of fantasy, because the characters reveal very personal, intimate aspects of their lives without negative consequences. It almost presents an ideal, which the average person can dream of."
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ap6kve | how are new graphics cards and similar technology made so quickly? are advances in that area really being made that frequently? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/ap6kve/eli5_how_are_new_graphics_cards_and_similar/ | {
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"They aren’t really groundbreaking technology changes. They’re basically refinements on the same tech to make each individual part smaller, and as a result more power efficient and often faster. You can also fit more into the same size device which helps achieve even more power.\n\nThey are not designed quickly. Designs are started *years* in advance based on the technology that is expected to be available and affordable by the time that design is finished. Sometimes the theories they’ve been working on for years are met with worse-than-expected ability to actually produce the design, and you get crazy high costs or low numbers of them available. These troubled designs are still produced and marketed however because it’s not like they can just spend a week tweaking the design and re-release it! They have to wait for the next project they’re already working on to be completed, which takes forever. ",
"There are two lines of advancement:\n\n* Miniaturization - cramming more transistors into smaller spaces.\n\n* Multiprocessing - having more and more processor cores, to handle a bigger workload.\n\nMiniaturization usually happens from one threshold to the next. Basically, in order to focus the circuitry image onto a smaller area, you need a \"[more precise](_URL_1_)\" [manufacturing process](_URL_2_), which will likely involve changing major parts of the robotics or devices in the plant in order to handle the new process. So each level of precision is a threshold, and once the machines are in place in the factory, improvements in quality can be made gradually by just being more efficient and accurate during manufacturing.\n\nMultiprocessing, on the other hand, involves going from 2000 processors to 3000 processors to 4000 processors on the chip, and is more about having an efficient architecture so that the memory chips can transfer the data to the more processors more efficiently. It's basically more about \"good design\" and where you put the memory vs. how you bring the wires in / around the processors, etc.\n\nAnd yes, advances are made quite frequently, because there's a need for more processing power, because of games, virtual currency, and [gpu computing apps](_URL_0_)."
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oj11s | what was so controversial about the reagan administration? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/oj11s/what_was_so_controversial_about_the_reagan/ | {
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"I'm no expert on the topic, but Reagan was a proponent of what he called \"Trickle down economics\" or \"Reagonomics.\" Basically, the idea was that if the government drastically cut taxes on the rich, they would have more money to pay more workers and increase worker wages. Thus, the money would trickle down from the top to the bottom. Unfortunately, public debt through this time more than doubled. However, many people still put forth this economic strategy, even though it was a decided failure. I'm sure there is someone here who can give you a more detailed explanation, but that's the basics.",
"He backed governments in Central America that did some bad things. They killed men, women, and children and buried them in mass graves. Reagan denied that such graves existed. Later it turned out they did exist. ",
"Iran-Contra, for one.\n\n_URL_0_"
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cs7x7i | how does national debt work? and if the debt is astronomically high, is it commonplace for a strategy to be followed to pay it off or is the expectation that it'll never actually be paid back? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cs7x7i/eli5_how_does_national_debt_work_and_if_the_debt/ | {
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"National debt is good for two things: 1) it lets government spend more money than they have on hand; and 2) it lets investors balance their bond portfolio risk with ultra safe government bonds, making risky corporate bonds more liquid.\n\nBorrowing more than you can pay back leads to austerity and suffering and change of government, so nobody wants that.\n\nPaying it back kills benefit #2, disrupting the investment market and collapsing the economy, and change of government, so nobody wants that.\n\nThe key is to stay between those two levels.",
"The national debt is generally composed of bonds, agreements to pay back a certain amount of money at a certain time in the future. Note the limitations here: A bond holder cannot choose to \"call in the debt\" sooner than the date the bond matures, so fear mongering about foreign countries demanding payment all at once are baseless.\n\nThe government is expected to pay off bonds as they become due, and for the US there is no trouble in doing this. Paying off all outstanding bonds immediately or in short order is impossible for several reasons; the money isn't available but also the agreements don't allow it.\n\nBut that is all ignoring the fact that the government *doesn’t want to do that.* Borrowing money in a comfortable, sustainable way is desirable. Have you ever heard the phrase \"You have to spend money to make money\"? Controlling wealth is beneficial in that it allows you to produce more wealth from it. A business for example might borrow money to open a new store and do business, making enough profit to cover the loan and its interest with extra left over.\n\nIn a similar way the government can use its control over greater amounts of wealth to generate more income in the future, benefitting from offering bonds to whoever wishes to purchase them. For the US those government bonds are seen as essentially zero risk and the interest rates required to sell them are extremely low. That means the cost of debt for the government is extremely low and the reasonable debt burden is quite high. While a private citizen might desire to become debt free in their personal finances that goal simply is not shared by most businesses or the government.",
"Simply stated, government debt has value.\n\nOur debts have value, too, but it's not that high. \n\nUS government debt has a great bit of value because the US government ALWAYS pays its debts. Namely, the interest.\n\nSo, it's traded around. Other governments buy into it. Now, those other governments have a vested interest in making sure the US pays its debts. \n\nThis creates stability around the world as every major nation invests into each other and work together to keep the peace, because war means that debts don't get paid. \n\nBy the way, the debt isn't astronomically high, and no, no one expects it to ever be paid back in full. That's counter-productive.",
" > if the debt is astronomically high, is it commonplace for a strategy to be followed to pay it off or is the expectation that it'll never actually be paid back?\n\nWhen the debt gets too high, the government will probably eventually print more money to pay back the debt. Printing money causes inflation (since there's more money chasing the same amount of goods). You literally get paid what you're owed -- the numerical amount of dollars or yen or whatever -- but it buys less goods and services (because of inflation).\n\nA country can only do this if it borrows its own kind of money. For example, the US borrowing dollars, or Japan borrowing yen.\n\nWhy doesn't every country have its own money and use it for borrowing?\n\nBecause they have to have someone to borrow *from*. Many people will only loan money to countries that have strong economies and a history of paying their debts.",
"National debt works like this. The government wants to do a project, maybe build and interstate system, or a new navy fleet, or whatever. They could hoard taxes for a few years and then pay for it out of pocket, OR they could take a loan (or several) and get the projects started now. They go to various banks and financial institutions and ask for a loan. Typically each institution will only pay for part of whatever project, it is rare and unlikely that any one institution funds an entire project.\n\nThis is done a number of ways, most notably through bonds, but there are a lot of ways to go about it. One of the really funky ones is borrowing money, with interest, from other parts of the same government. And every once in a while we go to forgein powers to ask for a loan. Of our debt about 1/4 is owed to forgein powers, about 1/4 is owed within the government and over 1/2 is owed to american businesses and citizens. \n\nThis money that is borrowed is the national debt. \n\nNow here's one of the other points, being in debt as a government is not a bad thing. In theory it has allowed for a lot of projects to happen way sooner than they otherwise would have, if at all. The other big thing is this, it keeps the parties that are owed money interested in keeping the current government in power. Because if that government is overthrown, it is unlikely whatever new government(s) form would honor those debts. This means that within the USA there's over 15 trillion reasons that people don't want the government to fail. Among foreign powers there's over $7 trillion owed to various groups, and they won't see a cent if the government fails, so now some foreign powers want to ensure america prospers. \n\nThat last bit owed to other departments of the government internally is more about internal politics, but can occasionally be used to affect economic growth and such. \n\nNow if the government was actually debt free, no foreign powers have any real reason to care about unrest in the country, or if the government is overthrown. Likewise powerful financial institutions would have nothing to lose if they sponsored a coup. \n\nI hope this answers the bit about why it isn't a strategy to actually pay it off, but this does come with one huge caveat. And this one is a big deal. **The debts must be paid back on schedule.**\n\nThe united states federal government has never missed a single payment on any loan. It is the most safe investment you can make in the world. However, lets back up and look at this. We owe $1.7 Trillion to China, we have never missed a payment, China knows that $1.7 trillion will come, as long as nothing dramatic (like war) happens between us. They only know this because we have never missed a payment, we have a perfect history. But what if we didn't? What if we missed payments or couldn't pay. China just got dicked out of $1.7 trillion. Maybe they want to do something to recover that. And now there's no reason for them to have any sort of restraint. A Chinese-American war wouldn't have as dire consequences. They would be more confident posturing against us on a global scale. \n\nInternally failure to repay loans would mean institutions would have to write off those debts. Many would collapse. The economy would grind to a halt. Whenever it does stabilize, the financial institutions would never loan to the government again, or if they did at a crazy inflated rate. This would mean slower growth and less spending. Instead of 20 new ships in the navy we would get 5 for the same price. Economic growth would be hurt too. If you had anything in the stock market forget about it, and 40% of all money in the USA would be gone, just like that. \n\nIntragovernmentally I don't think it would have as dire of consequences if we were to default, although would definitely signal severe weakness to the rest of the world. \n\n**So how much debt can we take on before it's actually a problem?** As long as a government collects more revenue in taxes than what it owes in interest on it's debt, then the debt can be worked off. Why is this important? Well let's say a government collects $1 trillion a year in taxes. $1 trillion isn't a lot for a big government. But lets say that this government can secure loans at 4% APR. How much money can they actually work with? Well this government could conceivably be $24,999,999,999.99 in debt and *eventually* work that debt off. This does mean that almost 100% of all the money brought in is going towards interest (not actually paying off the debt, just keeping it from getting bigger), but this would theoretically prevent defaulting on loans.\n\nThis was actually an issue in Europe during the 2008 economic recession. Spain and Greece (and almost Italy) went past those points. Where their tax revenue dropped (because real estate and construction were big industries and those industries were hit hard be the recession). And the reduction in revenue brought their total revenue less than what was owed on interest. The EU previously had rules about what % of revenue goes to interest, but it turns out the Greeks were lying about their numbers, so when the EU bailed out Spain, they were not expecting to have to save Greece too, which caused even more problems. The EU started regulating tighter after that."
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3v70xm | how does the party doing the gerrymandering know in advance which regions will vote for whom? | All explanations of gerrymandering I’ve seen assume that the party that redraws the district boundaries knows where their supporters and their opponents live. In a democracy in which elections are fair and votes are secret, how do they know? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3v70xm/eli5_how_does_the_party_doing_the_gerrymandering/ | {
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"In some cases you base it on demographics and assumptions. In some cases you base it on polling. But depending on the scale, you. An also base it on returns for local and national elections as aggregated by districts, regions, polling, etc. You dont have to know who voted for whom to know that this polling center gets 70% one way and the one on the other side of town leans 70% the other.",
"It's based on historical data. Demographics change, but usually not that quickly. So if a district voted 80% Republican in 2014, you can safely bet it will vote Republican again in 2016. The Republican may only get 76% of the vote this time around, but it will still be a win. If there's enough change over time, the Republicans will realize that district is becoming unsafe. It's possible that a major change could happen in the district that would change Republican support, but that would likely be obvious.",
"Votes are only secret on an *individual* level. Vote totals are reported for each election district / precinct, which is a small area that contains a few hundred to a few thousand voters."
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9u6ntq | if myself, and millions of other americans, pay into social security with every pay check, how are the funds not going to be there when we are older like everyone says? that is, if future generations continue to pay into ss. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/9u6ntq/eli5_if_myself_and_millions_of_other_americans/ | {
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"Because more and more people are living longer and longer. Eventually, the fear is that the pay in won't be enough.",
"Because there are some who do not pay into it, but collect instead. Say there are three people. All three initially pay into social security, but something happens to one of them and they can no longer work. Say that person is only in their twenties. Now, two of the three have to pay into social security so that the one can survive financially. This would not leave enough for the two others to receive everything that they have paid when it is time for their retirement. They will receive a lesser amount than originally planned.",
"Because Republican presidents moved SSDI money to the general fund and spent it on Cold War machinery. \n\nThat’s why there won’t be any SSDI money left for your generation.",
"Social Security is not, never has been, and never was intended to be a savings account. It has always been current workers paying for current collectors. When it was first developed there were over 40 workers per collector paying into the system which actually allowed them to get a surplus that was used to invest in various things. In modernity we only have around 4 workers per collector due to the retirement of the Babyboomers. This is not enough collections to meet demand and so they are using up the surpluses of previous decades rather rapidly. Once those surpluses have been consumed they will either have to fund SS in a different way, or cut benefits. ",
"Another issue is that the millennial generation is having less kids, largely due to economic issues. Student debt and unlivable wages usually translates to less income to spend on non-essential things (including kids). Less kids means less future workers to pay into social security so you can have some when you retire. ",
"Because what you pay on your paycheck go into a pool of money that is used by the older generation right now. With lower birth rate and longer lifetime in modern developped countries, it mean that there is less and less young people to pay for more and more older people.\n\nRight now the system is able to sustain it, but it the current trend continue, there will not be enough young people in the future to keep paying for the older folk.",
"Your social security is actually paying for old people today. It has always been like that.\n\nHave you heard people saying that Millennials, or young people, are lazy moochers? That is actually backwards We are paying for old people's social security, and we will possibly get nothing when we are old.\n"
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8y5ajt | why aren't there more tiny houses in cities in the developed world? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8y5ajt/eli5_why_arent_there_more_tiny_houses_in_cities/ | {
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"Often building codes prevent this. Even more modest sized homes in the 800-1200 Sq ft range are not allowed in new construction ",
"Population density is a predominant factor in making building code decisions. Putting 100 homes where one home was sounds like it just means fewer people without homes, but it also means 100 times the water and power used, 100 times more electricity, 100 times more garbage that has to be picked up, and so on.\n\nAreas can these services expanded or upgraded to meet the increased demand, but that comes at great cost. That cost is passed on to the current residents, who will also have to adjust to more crowded streets and schools. Local legislation from city government decides the building codes, and elected officials try not to piss off their voters. \n\nAdding more residents can strain existing communities, and not all people are willing or able to make that sacrifice. ",
"Land in cities tends to be quite valuable, so it's a lot better economically to build tall apartment buildings and then you've turned your small plot of land into a large building where hundreds or thousands of people can live. In big cities, also, there can be very small apartments. In New York some apartments are almost like closets. Think of an apartment building as like a large number tiny houses that are very close together."
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190re0 | why isn't it illegal for big trucks to completely block traffic? | I feel like there is always a UPS truck or beer delivery truck that is parked all janky, and in order to get around them, I have to drive in the opposing lane of traffic. Why isn't it illegal for them to do this? Or is it, but no one ever calls them on it? I've even seen a beer truck park completely across my street when delivering to the corner store....
EDIT: Thanks for all the responses. This wasn't as much a complaint about trucks blocking me, as I was just curious about whether or not they were legally allowed to park wherever, like some DOT classification. I'll take a minor inconvenience of waiting anytime, so long as it means a fresh supply of delicious beer and groceries (in that order) :) | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/190re0/why_isnt_it_illegal_for_big_trucks_to_completely/ | {
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"It is illegal. But the risk of getting caught is so small that its worth them to just do it anyway, in places like new york they hve no choice... Finding a parking spot for every delivery would slow them down so far as to drive them out of business. \n\nThey do get caught and they do get tickets, its just worth the risk for them. ",
"Come to NYC. Delivery truck side mirrors are stuffed with parking violation tickets.",
"How else would deliveries happen? You may say: they should use a smaller truck, but then costs would go up because you would need more of them to make the same deliveries.\n\nAlso, if UPS couldn't park temporarily in the street, due to some strict law or massive fines, then they could not make deliveries. \n\ntldr: sometimes society has to allow certain things that are undesirable for society to work effectively.",
"These fellas got a job to do, quit being a turd and drive around them.\nEdit: this is what i would say to you as a 5 year old.",
"In NYC, delivery trucks are ticketed regularly but the bigger companies often have enough leverage that they end up paying a smaller fine by working out a settlement with the city. I can't find the specific article that mentions it but [this article](_URL_0_) sort of alludes to it.",
"If you get in an accident because you have to go around them, who is responsible and who is liable for damages?",
"Remember this next time you need a package, beer, soda, all goods delivered on trucks. This is what we call a first world problem. ",
"Because trucks can't levitate. ",
"Worked with UPS in NYC, wasn't uncommon to get 3 parking tickets in an 8 hour day. \n\nedit: UPS was happy to pay the tickets.",
"UPS man here, I park where I want!",
"I'm more interested in how it is not illegal for big trucks to block all the lanes on interstates, with all of them going the same speed. I was on the local highway here earlier today and all three lanes were blocked by three separate trucks all going 5 miles under the speed limit. That just has to be illegal...",
"We paid a tow truck to sit off to the side and hook them up every time they leave the truck, that stopped that quickly"
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62yflj | how are comic books printed? | Why pictures like this (_URL_0_ the way they are? I can't seem to find out. How were comic books printed? Was is a process of colors being printed sequentially (first red, then blue, then yellow, then black)? Were they all printed at once? Why are only some sections blocks of color? Why is black almost always the only solid block of color? Were solids printed first and then the dots? Were chemical baths involved? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/62yflj/eli5_how_are_comic_books_printed/ | {
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"AFAIK the process was usually a standard 4 colour process (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Black), so each 'plate' of colour would've been printed in that order. The decision to use dots allows 'different' colours to be used - also allowing a closer percentage of dots would allow shading of that new colour. The reason black is usually a solid, is that's it's the last plate of colour to be used, and is usually used for text, borders, outlines, etc, all of which are needed for impact. The reason for using some solid colours would usually be to reinforce the main colours of the hero or villian (think solid blue/red for Superman, etc). \n\nUntil modern printing techniques appeared (so digital, spot colour printing), it'd stay like this and became a look that people tie to the 'art' of comics - think Pop Art. \n\nEdit - apparently order is usually YMCK (yellow, magenta, cyan, black). "
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2dtuc7 | what happens when you mix antidepressants with marijuana? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2dtuc7/eli5_what_happens_when_you_mix_antidepressants/ | {
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"Not much, really. \n\nAntidepressants don't actually have recreational value. They affect your brain chemistry quite a bit, but the effects are felt subtly. If you react poorly, you might feel a little sweaty or queasy or restless. They can be helpful if they were prescribed to you, but if not, don't expect anything fun to happen. \n\nMarijuana is generally not good for people with anxiety and depression. As an occasional experience, it might make you feel a minor epiphany that could help relieve those issues. But long term consequences use and the negative experiences are usually anxiety and depression, so exactly the worst thing for you. \n\nTThe two together shouldn't have any special or extra effects. But if you're on antidepressants, it seems likely that marijuana isn't going to be especially fun. And if you weren't prescribed them, antidepressants are not going to be fun. ",
"Different antidepressants (TCAs, SSRIs, etc.) will interact with different types of marijuana (sativa or indica) to produce unpredictable effects. There is no definitive answer as everyone has different brain chemistry and reasons for taking either drug.\n\nIf you're regularly prescribed antidepressants, the combination might be unremarkable and may result in dulled effects of both of the drugs. Alternatively, you could cause lasting changes to your behavior and undetermined effects on your brain chemistry. Or, you might just end up stoned. Generally this isn't worth gambling to find out.\n\nIf you're taking antidepressants for recreation, then you seriously need to rethink your life decisions.",
"I was on Prozac the first time I got high, and I reacted horribly to it. I was really anxious and paranoid and it was one of the least enjoyable experiences of my life. My parents found out and called my psychiatrist to see if it could be a medicine interaction and I think she said that it was. She had to prescribe me Seroquel so that I would calm down. "
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4devi3 | how do doctors know where a blood clot originated? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4devi3/eli5_how_do_doctors_know_where_a_blood_clot/ | {
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"They generally don't without further investigation, but more often than not it's the legs, and if it's not there it's at the site of some trauma or recent surgery.\n\nThere are multiple risk factors for blood clots, the big ones are trauma, recent surgery, long periods of immobility (casting, transatlantic flights, long car rides), smoking, birth control pills, pregnancy, prior/family history and blood clotting disorders. \n\nThe further you get from the heart, the lower your blood pressure is and the less forceful the movement and this leaves the blood more likely to stagnate to a point where it can clot. Your blood pressure is highest in your aorta and decreases the further you get from the heart. If a clot forms, generally will stay put- it can grow and become painful and lead to several physical symptoms that clinically will lead a physician to diagnose it. Most times this is it's origin, and even from there if it went to the lungs (pulmonary embolism) or brain (stroke aka Cerebrovascular accident or CVA), a common workup for either of the latter findings is an ultrasound of the lower legs as it's more often than not the place where the clot originated.\n\nThere are other places clots can form however, for many, many different reasons. Common ones are the heart (cardiac thrombi) which result from abnormal heart rhythms, like atrial fibrillation. Other places can be places like the arm, which can be the same way that you'd get leg (immobility, trauma etc) but also things like fistulas (for hemodialysis) and peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) lines can lead to vascular damage which can lead to clotting.\n\nMore often than not, there is a clinical sign or history finding that will lead physicians to look at an area and see if there is a clot there. Usually this is with an ultrasound but other imaging methods can be used to find a clot as well, ultrasound is just cheap, easy and effective.",
"Thank you for that explanation. =) "
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737sjo | why jehovah’s witnesses have no online presence? so instead of going door to door they can get involved in people’s facebook, twitter, ig etc? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/737sjo/eli5_why_jehovahs_witnesses_have_no_online/ | {
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"They have [_URL_0_] (https://www._URL_0_/), that's their online presence. You're asking specifically about social media, they don't seem to do a lot of that. But they have an online presence.",
"A person belongs to a Kingdom Hall in a certain locale, and they are assigned territory locally to call upon others in their ministry. This person would not be asked to do this globally {think Facebook etc.}, And anything on that level is handled by the organization. \n\nFurther, the ministry is somewhat patterned after the first-century Christians who, I think, were scripturally told to witness, in effect, door to door, in person. It is important to connect with your neighborhood directly as opposed to global citizens worldwide.\n\nI am sure a JW could tell many more reasons for this approach and cite scriptures etc. I have only a simple knowledge of these things.",
"The running headline for many years (i grew up on the inside) was that internet was evil and only used for porn. The later years they have backed a little off from that story. \n\nSince they use old school sales techniques when they show up at your door i reckon sending PMs and beeing active on social media is not the most effective way to lure people into their brainwashing. \n\nAnd they are advised to not have contact with anyone on the \"outside\" except for possible recruits because EVERYONE that is not with them, are against them (according to the \"elders\"). ",
"It is a pyramid scheme and cult. They don't want to recruit everybody, only the gullible.\n\nHaving a social media presence would allow outsiders to make comments about them. They don't want their sheep to get any logical ideas.",
"Door to door recruitment isn't about getting new people, it's about reinforcing ingoup/outgroup mentalities.\n\nIt's true for both JWs and Mormons.",
"It’s because they (formerly we) believe that social media is harmful to your spirituality and should be limited as much as possible. There are lots of snares online, such as being in too much contact with non Witnesses, pornography, and apostate material. \n\nMost witnesses will only have Facebook and instagram to keep in touch with fellow witnesses, and those who choose to add non witness relatives definitely feel a moral obligation to preach to them by leaving comments with scriptural messages, or posting their own similarly themed statuses. Other sites just aren’t as popular, like twitter and tumblr, and some are seriously frowned upon, like snapchat. \n\nThe organization is building an online presence through _URL_0_ though, just not through social media. ",
"Dude. What are trying to do? Don't give em ideas. ",
"Because they would get mercilessly trolled by ex dubs. \n\nWhich they deserve. \n\nSource: am apostate ",
"Also \"independent thought\" is specifically denounced as a tactic of Satan. And the wicked wicked internet is full of opinions.\n\nGod I would really enjoy trolling them.",
"One of the most important reasons that the Watchtower organization does not Advocate using social media or the internet to preach, is that they don't want people Googling Jehovah's Witnesses.\n\nThey don't want Jehovah's Witnesses on the internet at all really, except for the use of _URL_0_... it's far too risky, and the internet is already drastically cutting into their numbers. After decades of a fairly regular growth, Jehovah's Witnesses are now in much the same situation as Scientology... the ease with which you can obtain information on the group makes it all but impossible to maintain a stranglehold on people's minds, which has been their practice for over 100 years. \n\nJehovah's Witnesses are told that anyone who speaks against the organisation is mentally diseased, anyone that leaves the organization is an apostate and not to be trusted, and any secular authorities that challenge the organisation is driven by Satan.",
"Well with only \"144,000\" spots in heaven available - why would they voluntarily reduce their own chances?",
"Please don't give them that idea! I hardly ever use it because of MLM and stay at home moms trying to sell me stuff!",
"Now why on earth would you give them an idea like that?",
"Jehovah's witnesses are not encouraged to seek a higher education. In fact their organizations approach to communications with their members discourages critical thinking of basically any kind. The members willing to go proselytize are very likely not able to use computers well enough to do what your suggesting. Also due to the internet being a source for open dialogue most Jehovah's witnesses would spend all their time defending one of their numerous irrational and unhealthy church policies like their aversion to blood transfusions and such which really are not defendable. In an open dialogue Jehovah's witnesses just won't fair well. But in ooerson where the doctrine doesn't Matt er much and where friendships do they can possibly succeed in their proselytizing...But any group willing to hold to irrational and dangerous beliefs without good reason will be actively criticized online. ",
"Don't give them ideas it's bad enough they come to my door now I have to ignore them on social media too",
"I think the idea is that if someone wants information, it's readily found on _URL_0_, so there is no for a social media presence. I imagine a organisation social media presence would quickly become a negative one. You'll find that many jws migrated to instagram however and the often have \"proud jw\" or w/e in their bios. The post pics of ministry and nature and praise jehovah, it's lovely... -_-\n\nOn a general note, I've never understood the aggression.... to each his own right? I was df'd and I just got on with life... I made my choice and I respect that the members of the church believe they can no longer associate with me. That's their belief and I believe they are entitled to it.\n\nHowever, I have been told I'm emotionally dead... so could just be me.",
"The JWs are a very high control group. They control all aspects of their members lives including dictating who they can and can't associate with. They do have a website which they run, and they tell their members that all other websites are \"worldly\" which means they are likely under the control of Satan and his forces of evil. This is why JWs are scared to post or even look at many websites. This high control group also snoops on what its members are doing on FB and social media and JWs can get in trouble for posting pictures of parties and similar normal events. For example if a JW posted pictures of them celebrating their birthday or Christmas they would be shunned (totally ignored and not even talked to) by all members, including close family.",
"Strictly speaking the actual organisation (the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) does have an online presence, at _URL_0_. Potential converts met face to face in the real world are often directed there for further info.\n\nIndividual JWs aren't encouraged (it's \"frowned upon\") to get involved in online discussions. The big difference with private online discourse is that there is no second group member present to police the other group member's reactions to any alternative ideas encountered, whereas in their real-world \"Ministry\" JWs (and Mormons) almost always travel in pairs. This means that the information and communication within that particular environment (\"milieu control\") is as controlled as it can be by the group. Sending individual members off into the realms of Facebook and Twitter unchaperoned would risk the group's milieu control failing, which in turn could (and often does) lead to a drop in membership."
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10488d | the ending of fight club | I get the dynamic between Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, but the final gunshot still doesn't make sense to me 13 years after the movie's release.
I am Jack's confused moviewatcher. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/10488d/eli5_the_ending_of_fight_club/ | {
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"Im not sure if theres a real explanation, remember the scene where hes being pulled by brad on the camera? How the f$ & k did he \"drag\" himself across the floor? Movie was awesome but didnt make sense in some parts. ",
"The way I saw it, since Brad Pitt wasn't real and Edward Norton was insane... Edward Norton thought that shooting himself would kill Brad Pitt, and since Brad Pitt doesn't exist, that's what happened. Shooting himself in the face was just a way for Edward Norton to actualize his separation from Brad Pitt.\n\nI'd say to read the book, but that's probably no less confusing if I remember it correctly. You should read the book because it's awesome, but it's at least as insane as the movie. Actually you should read all of Chuck Palahniuk's books if you like completely batshit storylines.",
"This is the way I see it:\n\n\"Jack\" has to kill himself. He has to kill himself because if he doesn't then he will just become the bad guy. He looses control more and more over the course of the movie. He thinks Tyler is out of control and there isn't much he can do to stop him. \n\nSo he looks at him and says \"My eyes are open\" because he knows that they only way he can end this is by killing both of them. \n\nOnly he messes up the shot. The reason Tyler dies is because he knows that \"Jack\" was really trying to kill himself with the gun shot. If he still existed, then \"Jack\" would just try to kill himself again. It's like the ultimate line in the sand...\n\n",
"Basically, Tyler knows that \"Jack\" is ready to kill himself. Reflexively, Tyler knows that the trigger was pulled with the gun in his/\"jack's\" mouth. Tyler has no way of knowing the shot was bad, and \"thinks\" that \"Jack\" really did just kill himself. This allows \"Jack\" to reject/eject Tyler's personality. Tyler think that he is dead. Since he isn't \"real\", and \"Jack\" isn't actually dead, this means that Tyler is effectively out of \"Jack's\" head. ",
"Think back to when Tyler gave \"Jack\" the chemical burn. \"It's only after we've lost everything that we are free to do anything\".\n\nUnderstand that Jack needed, or rather wanted Tyler, despite all the problems he caused. \"I look like you want to look, I fuck like you want to fuck, I am free in all the ways you are not\"...\n\nJack shooting himself was a way of him saying, once and for all, \"NO. I do NOT want you anymore and would rather die\". Jack made himself \"lose everything\" so he could be \"free\" of Tyler. \"My eyes are open\" was him saying, \"I have this moment of clarity. Right now, with this absolute act, I am going to show you how much I do not want you anymore. I am ready to sever our bond.\"\n\nI personally do not believe he wanted to kill himself, or screwed up the shot. If he wanted to do that, he would have shot himself under the chin, upwards, like he did when he first put the gun to his head (Just before Tyler says \"...why would you want to put a gun to your head?\"). Let's be honest, Tyler would know that that's a sure kill shot, and if Tyler knows, Jack knows."
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8waw1f | why does glyceryl trinitrate cause headaches? | Glyceryl Trinitrate is found in various medications. How does this cause headaches when applied to the skin or ingested? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8waw1f/eli5why_does_glyceryl_trinitrate_cause_headaches/ | {
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"They use nitroglycerin as a vasodilator in some heart conditions, it causes blood vessels to expand. \n\nThe blood vessels expanding in your brain can cause some discomfort (headaches like you said, and also some migraine-like symptoms). Blood vessels that are too constricted will have pretty much the same effect."
]
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17uyda | how do websites like amazon and netflix generate suggestions for every entry? | I curious to know how much of it is based on some kind of 'human' input from an Amazon/Netflix employee with and how much of it is just machine logic based on algorithms and such. Or do these complement each other? Thanks!
(sorry for my English, my Dutch is better) | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/17uyda/eli5_how_do_websites_like_amazon_and_netflix/ | {
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"If you watch Lesbian Vampire Killers and Super Bad, Netflix will suggest other movies that have the same \"tag words\". It's not so much algorithms. It's more easily described through Venn Diagrams and intersection.",
"N9n is correct, but they also have more sophisticated methods.\n\nThey take what you've bought or watched and make a 'profile' of you and compare it to other similar profiles. They then take movies/items they've watched or bought and suggest it to you.\n\nAll of it is automated, though there's a 'human' that designed the system in place.",
"You watch super bad and lesbian vampire hunters, and you rate them highly. So Netflix looks at other people who rated them highly, and suggest movies they also liked. Of course, they have a larger sample size, since most people watch more than two movies. \n\nAmazon does the same, look at your buying history, and what other people who bought the same things bought, and suggest this.\n\nAt least that's the short version. They have a few other more advanced techniques, but it's the same principle. "
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1jvvus | why is it on movie posters actor names are rarely in the order that they appear on the cover art? | Some googling came up with mixed results and a lot of people guessing. Some people suggested that the bigger names go to the left and others said the biggest name goes in the middle.
Wouldn't it be counter productive in terms of marketing the for the actor? A lot of people (I still get a some stars mixed up, only example I can think of right now Marky mark and Damon took me for ever after watching the Departed in theatres) don't know the names of anyone who isn't huge (I am a bit of a film buff and I probably couldn't name 20 actors a few years ago) and this makes it harder to remember when people talk about actors being in various things. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1jvvus/eli5why_is_it_on_movie_posters_actor_names_are/ | {
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"text": [
"The goal of the movie poster is to promote the movie, not the actors themselves. Therefore, they will put the names in an order that suits this goal, attempting to highlight the bigger names in the movie.",
"It's unbelievable how much goes into the order of names. Who gets top billing is very important to people. The names go in order of how the producers and actors eventually agreed on them going with typically the \"biggest\" star on the left and then declining order as you move to the right. Sometimes they put the names alphabetically to make things smoother.\n\nSometimes you'll see \"with\" or \"also starring\" or something like that. Those are big names but aren't the stars of the movie. Again, this is political so lots of discussions regarding this.\n\ntl;dr - A lot of importance is placed on what order names are listed in movies and the names have nothing to do with the picture."
]
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4xjs0l | what causes my shower to regurgitate that extra dribble of water while i'm toweling off? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4xjs0l/eli5_what_causes_my_shower_to_regurgitate_that/ | {
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"After you shut off the pressure, there is basically an inverted column of water open to the atmosphere at the shower head, and closed at the faucet's valve. The water is held in place by the cohesiveness of the water to its self and the pipe. \n\nIt takes a bit of time for air to creep up the inverted column, but it does, and when it get somewhere near the top, well, new sciencey stuff happens, the water flows out and, there you go."
]
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||
atoeuc | how can a fast chargers only work on specific brand and now the others? | For example google and OnePlus chargers only fast charge their own brand phones. Both are type c but won't fast charge the other | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/atoeuc/eli5_how_can_a_fast_chargers_only_work_on/ | {
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"Google's Pixel chargers use the USB Power Delivery standard. So, they can indeed be used to fast charge another brand of phone that supports USB-PD.\n\nOnePlus's dash chargers use a proprietary method that is not standardized. The phone communicates with the charger and once the charger confirms that the phone is compatible it will send more current than it otherwise would.",
"Some fast chargers contain a signaling mechanism, wherein the phone can request more voltage. These are not fully standardized.",
"The chargers actually communicate with the phone, to let the phone know how much amperage the charger can supply, so the phone knows if it can pull more current and fast charge. Because the different brands do this communication differently, they default to the lower current charging when the phone cant understand the charger."
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7wqyvc | what is benign cancer and what can you do to cure it? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7wqyvc/eli5_what_is_benign_cancer_and_what_can_you_do_to/ | {
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"There is no such thing as benign cancer. You may be thinking of benign tumors. These form in different areas of the body, and occur for a variety of reasons. This link has a good explanation:\n\n_URL_0_",
"A tumor can be benign (non-malignant) OR cancerous (malignant).\n\nThere is no such thing as benign cancer.",
"To answer the second part of your question, benign tumours can either be removed (if they're causing pain or are in a bad location or even just as a precaution) or left in place - if they're benign, they shouldn't be growing and removal has its own risks. "
]
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"https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/benign-tumors-causes-treatments#1"
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||
210tnu | why do news channels consider twitter a reliable, relevant, and serious source for different things? | I thought Twitter was just for teens and young adults but apparently it's relevant for news. Can someone explain this to me? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/210tnu/eli5_why_do_news_channels_consider_twitter_a/ | {
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"It gets the attention of a variety of viewers. They're trying to be relevant with young adults. It's all a game.",
" > Twitter was just for teens and young adults\n\nWhen reputable sources starting using it to disseminate information, that is no longer the case.\n\nTwitter is an easy way to reach a massive number of people, be it to share a major headline, or a photo of your dinner plate. ",
"Reliable, relevant, and serious news sources don't consider Twitter a reliable source for news. They do consider it a source for news leads but still do their own reporting before publishing or even retwitting that information. ",
"Newspaper reporter here. Proof: _URL_0_ \n\nJournalists use Twitter as a place for information the same way we talk to people as sources. There are a lot of people on Twitter who do and say newsworthy things. Barack Obama, Pope Francis, tons of politicians, scientists and business people all have Twitter accounts. Sometimes they post things that are relevant to larger audiences.\n\nThe other thing that's great about Twitter is when breaking news happens. During the Boston Marathon bombings manhunt, average citizens posted information about what streets police shut down and provided details about what they heard and saw from places journalists couldn't get to. The people on Twitter gave first-hand accounts that reporters used as leads to tell the rest of the country what was going on.\n\nSocial media in general made a huge impact on the Arab Spring, which started in 2010 when citizens took to the streets in protest against various governments throughout the Middle East. Average people's tweets and videos became the first recordings of history. It was an incredible moment that showed how social media could make such a profound impact on the world at large.\n\nGood reporters take what they see on Twitter with a grain of salt just like we treat all information we receive with a bit of skepticism. Twitter is never used as the full story but it has become a major way people around the world share information. People in the media can't and shouldn't ignore it as a legitimate place to learn more about what is happening outside of our newsrooms."
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4kdsic | how do animals/insects develop patterns that match their surroundings? (e.g. moth with what looks like branches on its wings - how did the moth's genes "know" what a branch looks like?) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4kdsic/eli5_how_do_animalsinsects_develop_patterns_that/ | {
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"By having the animals/insects who stand out get killed off.\n\nThink about it like that:\nThe only ones left alive are the most camouflaged specimens. When they reproduce, there’s a chance they produce a better-camouflaged offspring. Those who stand out the most will either get eaten or starve to death due to their ostentatiousness, leaving only the most camouflaged specimens. Rinse and repeat."
]
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||
abohpn | how do car intakes keep rain from getting in when driving in the rain? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/abohpn/eli5_how_do_car_intakes_keep_rain_from_getting_in/ | {
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"Well, the primary way is that the intake is usually under the hood where it's out of the rain.\n\nBut, even for ram air intakes there isn't usually that much water in the air. The little air that is there usually splatters on the back of the ducting. Ultimately, there is a filter on the air intake that doesn't let water in."
]
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5i1wd5 | why does apple cider vinegar work so well as a wart remover? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5i1wd5/eli5_why_does_apple_cider_vinegar_work_so_well_as/ | {
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"Ok, so I can answer this. ACV basically breaks down the very top layer of your skin. If you just put ACV on a wart or a mole (like I did), all that will happen is that the very top layer will get rubbed off and it will often lose a little pigment.\n\nTo really remove a wart or mole with ACV, you have to either keep putting ACV on top of it for a long time or do something barbaric like poke holes in it (greater surface area of the wart = more wart exposure to ACV). However, I don't recommend his for many reasons, the biggest being that these things typically have part of themselves under your skin too, and unless you want a wart-sized crater there from ACV you're not going to get rid of the whole wart. See a dermatologist to remove skin abnormalities; they will also be able to tell you if you have skin cancer or not."
]
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||
64zuc0 | why is coffee brewed, but tea is steeped? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/64zuc0/eli5_why_is_coffee_brewed_but_tea_is_steeped/ | {
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"Tea is also brewed; steeping is just the technique used to do it. *Brewing* covers pretty much any process where you produce a potable beverage by treating materials with hot water.",
"I wondered the same thing, more specifically, the chemistry of the two processes, [but this explained it to me pretty well](_URL_0_). I won't copy it for you here and just let you read it. Gives good analogies. The gist of it is that ground coffee beans and dried tea leaves are made up of different materials and offer different results in the way of flavors and aromas. They react differently to the hot water and need to be exposed to it at different rates to accomplish the optimal flavor/aroma result. "
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[],
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"http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/science-of-tea-versus-coffee-brewing.html"
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||
1r7fvw | modern file systems | Okay, so I know that the two main file systems currently in use on Windows NT-based systems are FAT32 and NTFS. I've also heard of exFAT on GNU/Linux systems, and ReFS in Windows Server 2012.
What benefits do exFAT and ReFS have over NTFS, which was Microsoft's replacement for the ridiculously sagging FAT32 system, which had a limit of 4 GiB for a single file.
Also, when can I expect to see ReFS support for boot drives and general support in Windows for consumers? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1r7fvw/eli5_modern_file_systems/ | {
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"ReFS is a newer filesystems that is designed to have more resiliency then NTFS by doing things like having checksums to validate that a disk drive isn't corrupting data (what you wrote is what you read) and store more data then NTFS can safely, as well as not requiring extended disk checks to ensure its internal structures aren't corrupt. That last part is important when a single filesystems can store petabytes of data, and taking the system down to do a CHKDSK can take many hours where in a corporate setting not having the file server available is a major issue. \n\nReFS doesn't support all the features that NTFS does - it is specifically designed to be the file system for a large corporate file server. _URL_0_ has a good outline of the differences between ReFS and NTFS. It's only available on Windows Server right now, and only for data drives. It's not a replacement for NTFS, it has a very different design goal at present. \n\nReFS has larger drive limits (up to 2^78 bytes) then NTFS does and is better designed to handle them then NTFS is. ReFS is also not supported on removable disks at all. This is pure conjecture, but we might see it as consumers in the next client version of Windows (Windows 9?), or if there is ever going to be another Windows Home Server. I don't know if it will ever be supported as a boot drive file system.\n\nexFAT is completely different - it's actually closer to FAT/FAT32 then it is to NTFS, and Microsoft has patents on it, making it proprietary and requiring licensing from Microsoft to implement. It is designed to be used on larger ( > 32 GiB I'd say) removable / flash storage and support files larger then 4GiB. The downside is that not all devices support it. It does optionally support a lot of the same features that NTFS does (meaning they're in the spec, but not required to be implemented), but it's also not designed to replace NTFS. It's not a journaling file system - meaning if the system crashes while it's writing to the disk there is a chance (albeit pretty small in my experience) that the disk will be corrupted and require either a CHKDSK or reformat to be usable again. exFAT is not well supported by Linux systems due to the patent issues either (in my experience), and only fairly new devices and operating systems support it. It does have less overhead on disk compared to NTFS which is why it is better suited to removable flash drives then NTFS, where the media may not do wear levelling.\n\nNTFS is actually a predecessor to FAT32 - it was first released with Windows NT 3.1 in 1993, while FAT32 was introduced in Windows 95 OSR2 in 1996. As a guess, it was easier to support and convert older FAT16 drives to FAT32 and to write a FAT32 driver for Windows 95/DOS7 then to write a NTFS driver - not to mention all the backwards compatibility that had to be added to DOS to make the hodgepodge actually hold together. The new filesystems from Microsoft aren't replacements for the old ones yet, though it might happen over the next several years."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2013/01/02/windows-server-2012-does-refs-replace-ntfs-when-should-i-use-it.aspx"
]
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|
3rp28i | how do reality tv shows pull contests aside to ask for their opinion without interrupting the flow of the show? | If they do it after filming. Then how do they make their comments seem genuine? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3rp28i/eli5_how_do_reality_tv_shows_pull_contests_aside/ | {
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"They do it afterwards. The comments are genuine, but they ask the question in a way to put them back in that situation. \"x just happened, what were your thoughts at that time?\"",
"They do it afterwards. They don't make their comments seem genuine. Have you ever watched any of these shows? They are mostly poorly acted reading off a script written by some intern in seconds. It is complete garbage TV but people don't seem to mind that they don't appear genuine at all. "
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6xe91l | how police finds criminals with no or nearly no details about them? | Like when someone get mugged and can only remember that the mugger was from a specific color, or a murder with no witnesses? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6xe91l/eli5_how_police_finds_criminals_with_no_or_nearly/ | {
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"Many of those cases remain unresolved and the criminal goes free. But later on they may leave some trace behind them in another crime, and when the police get them for that, they can connect them to the first crime too (because they may still have what they stole on them/at home, or traces in the mobile phone, or even the corpse dug down in the backyard!).",
"The number one way that police solve crimes is somebody ratting out the perpetrater. They use paid informants or cultivated stoolies that will be let off the hook for a lesser crime if they can bring them the goods on a bigger fish. This is why most police are against legalizing low grade drugs. For example; It helps the police to be able to hold a small marijuana possession charge over a petty criminals head. The payout is that person can be turned into a stoolie on a bigger criminal. \n ",
"In your specific example, being mugged means you were probably in a public place. There are cameras everywhere now. When I served on a grand jury, I heard a case kind of like that: some guy was going to work and was randomly beaten, the only description given was \"black male\". \nThe cops were able to find some security cam footage and track him down to a homeless shelter or halfway house a few blocks away.\n\nThere were also a few cases where a criminal would be arrested for a different crime, and in order to reduce his sentence, he told the cops something like \"oh you know that Tomer8009 case? I heard a guy talk about it when we were smoking crack together\"."
]
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nrtfv | arab spring. how/why did it start? who is involved? how has it progressed? where is it now? | . | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/nrtfv/eli5_arab_spring_howwhy_did_it_start_who_is/ | {
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"How/why did it start?\n\nThe Arab Spring began with the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor. Bouazizi was operating a street vending cart without a permit and an inspector came around. As was customary in Tunisia, the inspector expected to be bribed, but when Bouazizi could not come up with the bribe, his inventory was confiscated and in protest he set himself ablaze in front of a government office. Increasingly obvious government corruption and a growing young adult population in North African and Southwest Asian countries are the stage on which the Spring was set. Inability of governments to provide adequate economic conditions to support the large labor force and a general lack of effective (read: pious) governance were the precipitates. \n\nWho is involved?\nMost immediately, a large 18-25 demographic in Arab countries. These countries include Tunisia, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Libya and many others.\n\nHow has it progressed?\n\nThe actual revolutions (Tunisia, Egypt; civil war in Libya) that the Arab Spring has produced spawned first from protests against the government and the subsequent reactions by those governments. It has progressed by spreading from country to country via increased accessibility to international media coverage and social media technology used to organize protesters. \n\nWhere is it now?\n\nRight now, Syria is in the midst of a massive defection of their armed forces and Yemen's former president is considering a move to the US to help smooth Yemen's transition of power. Egypt has been under rule by the military, but after a few months of little progress and strict operations protests are being rekindled there with a heavy emphasis on women's role in the Egyptian revolutions. \n\nI hope this helps!\n\n",
"How/why did it start?\n\nThe Arab Spring began with the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor. Bouazizi was operating a street vending cart without a permit and an inspector came around. As was customary in Tunisia, the inspector expected to be bribed, but when Bouazizi could not come up with the bribe, his inventory was confiscated and in protest he set himself ablaze in front of a government office. Increasingly obvious government corruption and a growing young adult population in North African and Southwest Asian countries are the stage on which the Spring was set. Inability of governments to provide adequate economic conditions to support the large labor force and a general lack of effective (read: pious) governance were the precipitates. \n\nWho is involved?\nMost immediately, a large 18-25 demographic in Arab countries. These countries include Tunisia, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Libya and many others.\n\nHow has it progressed?\n\nThe actual revolutions (Tunisia, Egypt; civil war in Libya) that the Arab Spring has produced spawned first from protests against the government and the subsequent reactions by those governments. It has progressed by spreading from country to country via increased accessibility to international media coverage and social media technology used to organize protesters. \n\nWhere is it now?\n\nRight now, Syria is in the midst of a massive defection of their armed forces and Yemen's former president is considering a move to the US to help smooth Yemen's transition of power. Egypt has been under rule by the military, but after a few months of little progress and strict operations protests are being rekindled there with a heavy emphasis on women's role in the Egyptian revolutions. \n\nI hope this helps!\n\n"
]
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1q7m7q | how have there been so few fatalities due to the storm in the philippines? | Somehow it seems, especially not in a fully industrialized country, that a lot of people would have gotten killed by a storm of this magnitude? Anybody know how they stayed so resilient? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1q7m7q/eli5_how_have_there_been_so_few_fatalities_due_to/ | {
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"This isn't the first time its happened. When you live out on an island in the pacific where these storms happen regularly, you get used to it.\n\nIts kind of like how Florida can regularly get hit by high category Hurricanes with minimal (relatively speaking at least) damage, while someone further up the coast gets hit and its virtually ends the world. Florida knows it gets hit a lot, so they prep everything to handle it when it happens.",
"It is very hard to count bodies during the middle of the biggest storm in history.\n\n\nWait until next weekend, and then you tell me the death count."
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7f69ma | what is dwarf fortress and why it is made difficult? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7f69ma/eli5_what_is_dwarf_fortress_and_why_it_is_made/ | {
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"**Long response incoming because I love this game.**\n\n > why it is made like this\n\nDwarf Fortress is made by one person (Toady), with some help from his brother. Simply put, in Dwarf Fortress you embark with a small band of dwarves, which you carefully manage as you construct a suitable fortress. The fortress will be attacked by unpredictable, randomly-generated monsters, and your dwarves will start problems too. They might refuse to work when their friends die, sabotage things when they're upset, or even attack other dwarves.\n\n Toady's explicit goal with making Dwarf Fortress is to create an incredibly detailed game that tells unique stories every time. This means that all of his development effort (which he does for free) goes towards detail and emergent story-telling, not graphics. There are mods that replace the ASCII with \"graphics,\" so it's not his concern. When the game is simulating combat down to each individual finger and randomly generating so many things, modern visuals aren't viable.\n\n**In fact it's so complex that not even Toady can predict what will happen**. There used to be a famous bug where Toady couldn't determine why cats were constantly getting drunk. It turned out that they were walking around the beer-soaked dining halls, recognizing that their paws were dirty, and licking them. The bug was that these cats were getting a full \"dose\" of beer from their paws each time rather than just a little bit.\n\n > and difficult to understand\n\nDwarf Fortress is hard to learn because of both the UI and aforementioned level of detail. Not only are the menus covered in dozens of hotkeys that have to be memorized, but there's also a lot of detail in management. You can't just tell the Dwarves \"make food here\" -- you have to specify which crops to grow each season, where to store the seeds and produce, which Dwarf should be in charge of farming, etc. People get discouraged because there's a lot of work that goes into learning the basics, **plus** you've got all the random bad stuff happening. You're trying to figure out hotkeys and how to create a basic farm layout, but your designated farmer is now throwing a tantrum and starving himself to death because he hates the job he's best suited for.\n\nDF actually isn't very difficult once you get over that learning cliff, but most people don't make it. It's a game that requires numerous failed attempts just to learn the basics. Even once you've learned how to play effectively, you're still going to lose a lot -- only now in spectacular fashion."
]
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||
56ijx3 | the difference between enthalpy, entropy, and free energy | I get them in a science way but I can't really visualize them in a simple way. I understand they're related, but what makes something Entropy instead of Free Energy? Why isn't Entropy + free energy equal to the Enthalpy? Why is one Free Energy different from another? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/56ijx3/eli5_the_difference_between_enthalpy_entropy_and/ | {
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"First, entropy needs to be separated from the others. Because entropy is fundamentally a different quantity than the others. Entropy is related to the number of ways to rearrange your system on a microscopic level and have it look the same on a macroscopic level. The other two quantities are energies, but entropy is **not** an energy.\n\nNow on to the other two. The enthalpy and the free energy *are* energies. (I assume you're asking about the Gibbs free energy, but it's the same for the Helmholtz free energy, internal energy, etc.) \n\nThe difference between them are their independent variables. The enthalpy \"naturally\" takes the entropy and the pressure as its independent variables. The Gibbs free energy \"naturally\" takes the temperature and the pressure as its independent variables.\n\nWhen doing thermodynamics, you pick the energy function which is most convenient for your given situation. If temperature and pressure are the variables you can most easily control, you want them as your independent variables. So the Gibbs free energy is the most useful one for you. This is often the case in chemistry labs, which is why chemists care so much about the Gibbs free energy."
]
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[]
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|
8a0kf8 | if the evaporation temperature of water is 100°c, why on warm days does it not rain? | [deleted] | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8a0kf8/eli5_if_the_evaporation_temperature_of_water_is/ | {
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"The boiling temperature of water is 100 degrees. Water evaporates at almost any temperature. Thats why puddles disappear of you leave then. Boiling means it is all evaporating, but if its not boiling then still some of it can evaporate.\n\nIt does rain on warm days, though rain tends to lower the temperature. Only a few places have droughts through their summer",
"What do you mean that it doesn't rain on warm days? It most certainly does"
]
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[],
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2986q7 | our current water systems. how safe is it to drink water out of a sink? | Right, so we can't drink water directly from lakes because of parasites and bacteria, and so the water goes to pump stations where it's purified. But then water has to to travel through pipes before it arrives at your kitchen sink, and so I'm wondering, how safe is it to drink said water? Does water build up residue from traveling along the pipes, or are the pipe walls built to last? And after the water arrives at a household, how safe is it to drink exactly? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2986q7/eli5_our_current_water_systems_how_safe_is_it_to/ | {
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"The answer to your question differs very greatly depending on where you live.",
"Depends on where you live and what type of water source you have. If you have municipal water, that is \"city/state water\" then it's very safe as the EPA closely regulates the quality of water in the US. Other national agencies in modernized nations also monitor their respective water sources. Water from a well, or well-water, is NOT regulated by the EPA, although the EPA can be asked to monitor it. Well-water has a higher range of acceptable values of different chemicals before they get too high for consumption.\n\nMost likely, you have municipal water. Your pipes are probably made from iron or copper. Most pathological parasites and bacteria that would come from the source of the water are killed as the water is pressurized, and since there is zero food for bacteria or parasites in the kilometers of piping they have to travel through. Water can become laden with metallic ions from the piping, such as iron and copper. While that may sound alarming, it's not considering how little iron is involved and because many people are deficient in copper. Many city pipes contain a non-polar lining of the interior of the pipe, such as a type of wax or plastic which does not allow water to contact the pipe. This extends the life of the pipe.\n\nIf you live in a 1st world nation, drink the tap water. It's cheap and it's as good as any other water. If you live in a remote area and have well-water, consider getting it professionally tested by the EPA/relevant national agency, if they don't do so already."
]
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2cb8dj | what is a motif, and how do i use it? | I'm a self taught musician with very little technical know how. I understand that it's a "theme", but I'm not entirely sure how this is applied to music. I watched a video, and the guy said "This is a motif." and then started banging the same key, maybe 8 times, and then moved on to some other keys, and did the same. He then explained that while the sequence was essentially nothing, that you are supposed to build off of it. He then played something considerably more complex, and I couldn't find any resemblance. I don't think he did a bad job explaining, I just didn't understand it.
The main things I'm looking for are an explanation, some easy examples, and maybe some tips on applying motifs to a creative process. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2cb8dj/eli5_what_is_a_motif_and_how_do_i_use_it/ | {
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"A very simplified definition of a motif is \"a recurring subject, feature, theme, idea, etc/a dominant idea or feature.\" In music the motif of a song or piece is the central recurring core, a note/line/riff/segment that keeps appearing and which the rest of the piece is framed and built around.\n\nThis can also be extended to over an entire group of pieces with a single motif. For instance, if one were to listen carefully to many movie/tv/video game soundtracks, often many of the songs composed specifically for a movie or whatnot will share a recurring motif.\n\nEdit: [As an example](_URL_0_) listen carefully to the brass section in each segment of that clip and the motif should be fairly easy to identify."
]
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[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glsyYJksGtg"
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|
2goggp | after a file finishes downloading it goes into a period of "processing" before it can be accessed. what is happening to the file during this time? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2goggp/eli5_after_a_file_finishes_downloading_it_goes/ | {
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"Oftentimes a file is downloaded in pieces. This way if the download is interrupted for whatever reason your computer doesn't have to start all over again from the beginning. \n\nOnce all the pieces have been downloaded your computer checks them for integrity and then assembles them together in to the full file. This is what's going on when your computer is \"processing\" at the end of the download. "
]
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||
45v0hr | why does the fate of syria seem to be so important to the world powers? | What's the real no bullshit reason behind the giant goatfuck that is now the Syrian conflict, and why does the world seem to give a fuck? There are tons of wars going on in other countries...and people dying horrible deaths all over the world which get no attention. Why is Syria special? (Serious) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/45v0hr/eli5_why_does_the_fate_of_syria_seem_to_be_so/ | {
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"countries care for different reasons. The biggest reasons are for security and economic reasons. Economy = oil in the region. Security = terrorists and destabilization in the region. \n\nAlso, if your enemy/definitely-not-friend is interested in something, you want to try to prevent them from succeeding right? Well, Iran wants to control the middle east with its influence. Russia wants to be involved. The US wants to be involved. Saudi Arabia wants to be involved (who the US helps). None of those actors necessarily like each other or have the same interest in mind. \n\nThe word of the game is: geopolitics.",
"* Iran gives a fuck because Syria is one of the few Arab states where they have some pull and they want to move from being isolated to being a major regional power.\n\n* Syria is Russia's only ally in the region and hosts their only Mediterranean military bases.\n\n* The gulf states hate Assad he hates them. States like Saudi Arabia intent on curbing Iranian influence see him as an Iranian proxy at this point as well.\n\n* The US basically hates it whenever a government collapses and there's general chaos. Shit's bad for business and good for terrorists.\n\nAs for:\n\n > and people dying horrible deaths all over the world which get no attention.\n\nSyria is, by far, the largest conflict in the world right now any way you measure it. Also, other conflicts still get plenty of attention. What conflict do you think is getting short shrift?"
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373jgb | how do cats know when they'll get fed like clockwork when they can't tell time? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/373jgb/eli5_how_do_cats_know_when_theyll_get_fed_like/ | {
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"If events happen at roughly the same time every day then they become part of our \"circadian rhythm\". A scientific term for our internal biological clock.\n\nSome people's clock is more precise or they are better at taking cues from their clock. These are the people who have no problem getting up, they know it's time. They always have a good idea of what time it is without needing a clock etc.\n\nMost living things have a circadian rhythm. _URL_0_"
]
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"http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm"
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||
3qw6fh | why do american pharmacies use those orange containers? | Why do American pharmacies use those orange containers? In Europe, we use the original packaging sealed by the manufacturer. What is the advantage? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3qw6fh/eli5_why_do_american_pharmacies_use_those_orange/ | {
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"It is to designate it as prescription medication, and because original packaging is not given in the prescription sizes that doctors issue. Original packaging is large containers of pills. You may need 10 you may need 100 to fill a prescription. ",
"Pill bottles get custom labels with the prescribing doctors exact dosage orders and have child resistant caps to prevent accidental overdoses. The custom labels also have a phone and prescription # to make ordering refills easier. Manufacturers blister packs and other packaging provide none of these things. ",
"The orange tint is to protect the pills from sunlight in the same way that beer bottles are normally brown or green."
]
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evc0mi | why does breathing on an "empty" pen make it write again? | You all know this situation: your pen stops to write all of a sudden. You start to draw invisible circles on one side of your paper, but your pen seems to be dead. Then you remember: once you were a child, you've been told to breathe on a pen to make it write again.
But why is that? Why and how does this work? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/evc0mi/eli5_why_does_breathing_on_an_empty_pen_make_it/ | {
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"text": [
"You’re getting just enough moisture from your breath to let the ball get rolling again. The pen isn’t empty, it’s just stuck/dry and if the ball isn’t rolling you aren’t writing."
]
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[]
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|
au0dg0 | what is political polarization? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/au0dg0/eli5_what_is_political_polarization/ | {
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"Polarization is the act of becoming extreme one side or the other such as a magnet, it's side is either positive or negative. There is no neutral. \n\nSo in politics it means either full conservative or full liberal. Only issue is there is middle ground or those that don't go hard right or left. However the opposing side views anyone not at their level to be traitorous to their side and belonging to the other. Which makes those middle grounders need to prove they do belong to one side or the other. This furthers the divide and weakening the middle ground. It sends a message to all that you can only be fully one or the other. With that, more and more people tend to move their ideologies further from the middle. \n\nThis is political polarization, having ONLY 2 sides. ",
"Worth noting that the Democrats being a liberal party is not actually on the left. They are just to the left of the Republicans.\n\n\nThe idea of polerazation is that parties are unable to work on common goals to focus on things that are of interest only to one side or the other.\n\n\nNot necessarily good or bad. But in America where both major parties tend to agree on most things people don't like it.."
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awdxia | why are esports so much more popular in south korea than other places? | I've been watching a lot of Overwatch League and one pretty apparent thing is that a ton of players come from South Korea. I've heard the explanation to this is that eSports in general is extremely popular in South Korea. Is this true? If so, why aren't they more popular other places? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/awdxia/eli5_why_are_esports_so_much_more_popular_in/ | {
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"Their culture is much more accepting of gaming then most of western culture. Especially when it comes to gaming as a career. They even have college courses on how to be a pro gamer. In a place like say the U.S though gaming still has a stigma as being for kids and or lazy people. Taking a college course on gaming would be seen as worse than flushing money down a toilet and make it harder for you to get a job. It's still not seen as a viable way to provide a living for ones self. That's slowly changing with the rise of things like twitch and gaming on youtube but it's still far from being like it is in SK. Also take into account that SK is a tiny and relatively isolated country this allows gaming to be a viable path for a lot of people there. In a much larger country though you're gonna have a hard time having it be a viable path more than a small amount for people.",
"Rewind back to the mid-90's. The country had decided to heavily prioritize its broadband infrastructure. (Google the Korean Information Initiative for more info) Between 1995 and 1998, the government heavily funded the laying of fiber-optic lines throughout the country, making for readily-available, cheap, and fast internet access.\n\nOf course, you need a computer to use this infrastructure... and computers are expensive... So there was great demand for internet-cafes where you could access this high-speed resource without necessarily needing to pay high prices for your own computer.\n\nIn a heartbeat, internet-cafe culture was EVERYWHERE. Per-capita, the US doesn't hold a candle to South Korean connectivity. If you had a cafe near you, you could get online, and given that such a high proportion of the country lives in high-density urban areas, this basically permeated the entire country.\n\nNote that at this time, in the US, you'd be lucky to even have a 56.6k dial-up modem, let alone broadband.\n\n1998 rolls around, and Starcraft gets released. Korean school children eat it up. It becomes the most popular activity at internet cafes (which are ubiquitous). An entire generation grows up on Starcraft. And overnight, it becomes the national pastime.\n\nEntire channels pop up to broadcast Starcraft. Sponsorships, teams etc. arise. Korea becomes the birthplace of eSports, and the rest is history.",
"An answer, is that they've had an NGO called the Korean E-Sports Association since the year 2000, whose main purpose is to make it into an official sport and to 'commercialize E-Sports in all sectors.' It's backed by several corporations and the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.\n\nAnother answer is that the Asian financial crisis in 1997 laid the groundwork for internet connectivity and leisure time to play games (because of high unemployment).",
"There are a few factors:\n\n1) South Korea is heavily urbanized. Most South Koreans live in small, dense cities.\n\n2) South Korea doesn't have a history of organized sports. What sports do exist in the country were introduced by American servicemen following the Korean war, and they were never popular. Because of this, South Korea never invested into sport facilities. While South Korea's cities have plenty of parks, those parks just don't provide the same degree of access to things like soccer/football fields, baseball diamonds, or basketball courts that you would expect in America.\n\n3) South Korea is a relatively wealth country in which nearly everyone has access to a computer capable of playing video games.\n\nWhen you combine these factors you get a country full of people who have no interest or access to physical sports, but plenty of access to e-sports.\n\nThis is also why China is starting to become an e-sports giant as well - China has the same high population densities and lack of access to sporting facilities that Korea does. However, China is dirt poor and very few people have access to a good computer. That situation is changing - China is becoming wealthier and more people are gaining access to good computers - which is why China wasn't historically a big e-sports player but is now starting to dominate the scene.\n\nJapan is sort of an outlier. It has all of the same factors as Korea, and you would expect it to be a major e-sports country. The reason that its not is because the Japanese government has historically viewed the e-sports industry as being a front for illegal gambling and heavily regulates it. \n\nThose regulations make it very difficult to organize competitions. They also restrict how much you're able to earn through competitions and sponsorships to the point that its almost impossible to earn a living by playing video games in Japan. The fact that its so difficult for professional e-sports players to exist in Japan has prevented e-sports in general from developing much interest there."
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z9hfu | please eli5 why do we have to turn off our cellphones and electronic devices whenever we fly in a commercial airplane? would we have to do the same on private planes? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/z9hfu/please_eli5_why_do_we_have_to_turn_off_our/ | {
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"Takeoff and landings are the most dangerous part of flying and the staff want your full and undivided attention during them. \n\nNo you probably would not have to do the same on a private flight. ",
"Put your cell next to your radio, that beeping noise? Yeah that's pretty annoying when you're trying to communicate with other people/planes etc on the radio. "
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3gb9pj | how/why do car dealerships adgertise "guaranteed financing or the car is free."? does anyone actually get a free car? | This always confused me when listening to the radio. What's the catch? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3gb9pj/eli5_howwhy_do_car_dealerships_adgertise/ | {
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"Not at all. If you were a car dealership, which would you do: give a car out for free or give out a car on a loan? The latter is going to make more sense in any case.",
"A lot of dealerships also own their own finance company, which means even if you have shitty credit, they'll write a loan at 29% interest if they have to just to sell you a car, when no bank would touch you. No one will ever get a free car. "
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46m8qa | how is creativity measured? | Sometimes I see studies about how certain types of people are more creative, or that certain things make you more creative. For example, one study found that walking while thinking about something made someone more creative. Does creativity have units of measure? I've never understood how you could measure creativity to say one person is more creative than another. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/46m8qa/eli5_how_is_creativity_measured/ | {
"a_id": [
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"No tests are perfect in this area, but there are rough ways to measure someone's creativity. Imagine I asked you to name as many possible uses of a brick. I can score your responses on a few things like how many responses you could come up with as well as how unique each response was. I can repeat that test for other people to see how you compare to the average person. This example is known as the Guilford test."
]
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c74u5k | why do some us electrical plugs have a "ground" and many do not? | I don't know much about how plugs or electricity works, obviously, but I was taught that one side is the "positive", one side is the "negative", and the bottom (seemingly quite optional) is the "ground". It's odd to me that so few plugs use the "ground", so it made me curious why it exists, and why it's optional. Are there any safety benefits to having a "ground", or safety concerns with not having one? Thank you! | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/c74u5k/eli5_why_do_some_us_electrical_plugs_have_a/ | {
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"The alternating current coming out of a power socket is like a dog zooming back and forth between the positive and negative plugs represented by opposite sides of a backyard. Normally, this is okay if there are no other things in sight of the doggy.\n\nBut the doggy has a huge prey drive that represents how much electricity loves to flow from high potential to ground. If a squirrel comes within eye contact of the dog, the fence and other people could try and stop it, but it will run through them as eager as possible. With just two sockets, electricity can easily jump through objects (like people) if there is a path to ground.\n\nAdding a ground prevents this by providing a direct ground to go through if the electricity leaks in any way. Often, electronics enclosures are grounded. This is like putting a tube for the running path of the dog so it never gets distracted enough to run out.\n\nA ground has other advantages such as providing a fixed reference for signals in case certain circuits are noisy.",
"Positive and negative doesn't really apply here, because they switch back and forth 60 times per second. You have hot and neutral. Hot is connected to one of the phases, neutral is the same potential as ground, but only connected to ground in the main breaker box. stuff that uses a lot of power will often have two hot wires with 240v between them, and the neutral wire is halfway in between. If you have an appliance with a metal case, you connect the ground wire to the case, so that in the event of a failure somewhere, the outside of the device shorts that back to ground and trips the breaker, instead of sitting there at mains voltage waiting for someone to touch it.\n\nTwo prong plugs are used for double insulated appliances, usually items with plastic shells that won't conduct electricity if there's a failure, but it can also apply to metal items so long as a single fault won't cause an electrocution hazard.",
"Two prong outlets were installed in ungrounded systems-no actual connection to ground on the property at all.\n\nThree prong outlets were installed in grounded systems-the neutral is physically connected to the earth at one single point at the main disconnect.\n\nThe grounded system is safer because it bonds all metal in the system together and it also bonds w metal pipes in homes and with metal cases on equipment that plugs in.\n\nIf a voltage is accidentally placed on a metal pipe (for example) in an ungrounded system, the voltage stays there until it is removed or it may even push a current through your body if you touch that metal pipe.\n\nIf a voltage is accidentally placed on a metal pipe in a grounded system, a current will immediately flow through that metal pipe and everything bonded to it back to the main service. Since the impedance is purposely very low through all these bonded metals, the current will quickly grow large. The circuit breaker for this branch circuit will then trip very quickly because this current demand is large. In a properly bonded system, this would happen very quickly and the risk of shock and fire goes down tremendously.",
"Things which are ungrounded are double insulated. They have near zero possibility of having a failure which causes any exposed metal parts to have dangerous voltage on them. A large appliance normally has a metal case and it will be grounded for protection.",
"Everybody else wrote how wires and stuff work. I'm gonna approach this from the other direction:\n\n & #x200B;\n\nThere are categories (appliance classes) that tell you what kind of protection an electric appliance needs. A small fan will not require the same protection as an electric stove. Class 2 is double insulated (housing protects you from electrical shock), and it does not require connection to ground (so that's why plugs have no ground). If you see a box-in-a-box icon on the appliance, that means it's class 2.\n\n & #x200B;\n\nIf you want to read more on these, here's a [Wikipedia site](_URL_0_)",
"As others have said, the neural is the same as the ground in concept. The difference is that neutral is Ground at the Power Plant and Ground is the ground in your home."
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3k8qr0 | if a black hole has only as much mass as the star that created it, how is it more dangerous? why didn't the star itself have an event horizon? | So, a black hole is formed by a collapsed super massive star. But it still can only have as much gravity as that star. As such, it shouldn't really be able to "suck in" anything that the original star couldn't, right?
The best I've been able to explain this to myself is that the gravity of the star is less concentrated. In the traditional analogy of putting a heavy object on a sheet to represent gravity, I'm imagining this boils down to putty two equally heavy objects on the sheet, one the size of a beach ball, and one the size of a marble. The beach ball isn't going to make nearly as deep a "dent" in the sheet, since it takes up so much more space. The marble however, can make a much deeper dent in the sheet, and past a certain depth is the event horizon, which the beach ball may have never formed.
Is this a sound interpretation? Even if it is, I still don't understand how black holes can grow so massive that they can pull in other star systems, etc. being that they had limited mass/gravity to begin with. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3k8qr0/eli5_if_a_black_hole_has_only_as_much_mass_as_the/ | {
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"text": [
" > But it still can only have as much gravity as that star.\n\nWell, no. It can have a lot *more* gravity. This is because gravity is a function of both mass *and distance*.\n\nIf you were falling toward a normal star, once you hit the surface (and assuming that you're indestructible), you'd begin to feel gravity *decrease* as you approached the center of the star. This is because of something called the Shell Theorem, which describes how gravity works for spherically-symmetrical shells of material. In short, if you're inside a spherical shell, you feel zero gravity from that shell. And now you're inside the shell of the star's outer layers.\n\nBut with a black hole of the same mass, you can reach the distance where the equivalent star's surface would have been, but the entire mass of the black hole is still beneath you, so you keep falling, and gravity keeps getting stronger, and *stronger*, and **stronger**, well beyond anything that the original star was capable of.\n\n > Even if it is, I still don't understand how black holes can grow so massive that they can pull in other star systems, etc. being that they had limited mass/gravity to begin with.\n\nThey generally can't. The popular interpretation of black holes as some sort of \"cosmic vacuum cleaner\" is wrong. Black holes only pull in things that were already on a collision course because of the original mass's gravitational pull.",
"The stars size works against it. Typically speaking, the even horizon of a black hole is much smaller that the volume of the star that birthed it. \n\nIf you could travel that close to the core of an existing star, some of the star's mass would be all around you, counteracting the gravitational pull of the rest of the star to some degree.\n\nHowever, if you pack all that matter into a point, you get an event horizon."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
|
bs9or2 | it's 2019. why do callers on the radio still sound awful? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bs9or2/eli5_its_2019_why_do_callers_on_the_radio_still/ | {
"a_id": [
"eokgmy8"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"The way a telephone works is by making an approximation of your voice that doesn't have all of the detail of your real voice, and transmitting that to the destination. If your phone, and the recipient, has HD voice or HD calling, then you would have a much higher quality phone call. HD calling uses a phones data network instead of the normal phone network."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] |
||
g23ccy | do our smartphones constantly check (i.e. every second) for push notifications? | Or do they just receive it without even checking?
If I were sitting on a chair and a banana hit me, I’d know it hit me just by being conscious. Is it the same with phones or would I need to constantly ask someone if there are any bananas coming my way?
Hope I formulated the question right. | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/g23ccy/eli5_do_our_smartphones_constantly_check_ie_every/ | {
"a_id": [
"fnk0x7o",
"fnj7b9z",
"fnj8dln"
],
"score": [
2,
8,
6
],
"text": [
"On iOS, the device establishes a persistent TCP/IP connection to the Apple Push Notification (APN) service. Messages can then be pushed through this connection to the device. [Source](_URL_0_).\n\nAndroid works almost exactly the same, but using Google's Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) service. [Source](_URL_1_)\n\nThese connections are built into the respective OS and are designed to be as energy efficient as possible. Also the fact that the connections are centralised on the device, rather than each app having its own persistent connection, makes them the preferred choice for push notifications.",
"By definition “push notifications” get pushed onto the phone. Your phone isn’t checking for them, just merely in the line of sight of the banana.",
"Your phone keeps a constant TCPIP connection open to the push notification gateway. The gateway knows what connections are associate with what device and app unique IDs. When the push gateway gets a message to deliver, it looks at the destination unique ID and send the message down that IP connection. The phone receives\nIt and does whatever."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/NetworkingInternet/Conceptual/RemoteNotificationsPG/APNSOverview.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40008194-CH8-SW1",
"https://developer.android.com/training/efficient-downloads/regular_updates"
],
[],
[]
] |
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