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ELI5:Five dimensional hard drive

How does it work? We live in only a 3D space.

"5d" is a misnomer. The storage medium is still 3D, of course, but instead of just using one method of encoding, the "5d" medium uses multiple encoding methods for a single storage location, meaning that a single location can contain more than one bit. In a CD or DVD, for example, it's strictly bump or no-bump, 0 or 1. But what if those bumps could also be red or blue? And what if they could also be oriented like | or like -? We're already up to 3 possible bits per location, or eight possible values.

ELI5: At certain speeds, why do wheels (on cars, bikes, etc.) look like they're going backwards?

EDIT: Thanks for all the replies!

Say you have a film camera running at 30 frames per second. Point it at a wheel with a big bright pink line on it. Then start turning the wheel slowly (let's say 1 rotation per second). Every time the wheel turns slightly, that bright pink line will move slightly more forwards around the wheel. In each successive frame you can see that pink line moving slightly more and more forward. Now, increase the speed of the wheel (to say 5 rotations per second). You will see that pink line moving even more and more quickly around the wheel. Everything up this point makes sense, right? Now let's say you make that wheel rotate so fast it's rotating at 30 rotations per second. If you film this with that camera and play it back, the wheel looks like it's not moving! Why? Because every time the wheel completes a rotation, the camera captures that pink line in exactly the same place as it was before! The wheel will look like it's standing still! Decrease the speed of the wheel to 29 rotations per second. If you film this with that camera and play it back, the wheel looks like it's going backwards! This is because just before the wheel completes a full rotation the camera will take a picture. Then just before it can complete the next rotation, the camera will take another picture. Every time the camera takes a picture the wheel completes most of a rotation, but not an entire one. The wheel then looks like it's turning backwards!

ELi5: Is it possible to suffer a heart attack from a nightmare?

Heart attacks happen when the heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen and the muscle cells die. So healthy heart muscle cells are dependent on getting (1) enough oxygen (oxygen supply) (2) for their needs (oxygen demand)- (1) Which means getting enough oxygen (normal breathing, normal gas exchange from the lungs into the blood) through wide enough blood vessels to the cell. (2) Which also means that the demand for oxygen of the cells can't exceed oxygen supply. Nightmares could in theory induce a kind of fight-or-flight response: heart beats faster and more forcefully. This increases oxygen demand of heart muscle cells, which could exceed the supply. In practice this would probably not happen in nightmares, except in pre-existing conditions of badly damaged coronary arteries (blood vessels supplying the heart), or other conditions which decrease supply (breathing problems such as smoker's lung, sleep apnea, pre-existing heart failure, heart rhythm disturbances, heart valve disease, anemia...) or increase demand (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, intense exercise, sex, drug use such as cocaine or methamphetamines, hyperactive thyroid, ...). So a nightmare possible could increase the work your heart has to do, but would realistically only lead to heart attack with significant pre-existing risk factors.

ELI5: Why is -273.15C the lowest possible temperature?

One of the smallest possible things are called atoms, everything is made up of these atoms, and they are always moving. As things get colder they move slower and slower, it's best to think of water in this sense as it moves slower it becomes ice and stops moving. At some point, in this sense -273.15 C, atoms completely cease to move around at all. This is also called 0 Kelvin. Scientists call this the lowest possible temperature because the atoms are no longer moving. edit: formatting

[DC] Can Shazam’s feats also be used for the characters he’s named after?

It’s pretty common knowledge that Shazam is named after characters that he has the powers of. Wisdom of Solomon, Strength of Hercules, Stamina of Atlas, etc. Does this mean any feat Shazam does with those powers can also be attributed to their owners? For example, if Shazam is able to move at 5 million miles per hour, does that mean Mercury (who Shazam gets his speed from) can also be said to be able to move that fast?

If I’m taking it as a literal translation…. If Shazam has the speed of Mercury, it means he can go as fast as Mercury can. If Shazam can move at 5,000,000 per hour, so can Mercury. If Shazam has the strength to move a billion tons, Hercules has the same strength level…

ELI5: How does clearing browser cache fix a lot of website issues?

In the case of a web browser, sometimes temp files and cookies are not current, or even become corrupted. Either way, if changes were made in the browser when trying to load, if the browser is attempting to use what is cached and it is conflicting with what the website currently has, then it can load screwy or not load at all. So clearing it forces the the browser to load it as if it were visiting the page for the first time. Also to note, sites that use a page count, such as newspapers who allow a limited number of articles to be read without a subscription, use cookies and temp files to show that this browser/pc has read x-number of articles, which would cause it to load that annoying screen prompting you to log in or subscribe. Clearing the cookies removes that reference point.

[Men in Black] Did James Edwards pass the tests?

There were a series of tests when Edwards arrived at the MIB quarters but did Edwards succeeded or did he get in only due to K's recommendation? in the final one at the shooting range he was being questioned by Z. Edwards gave a curated answer as to why he shot the girl but was that the correct answer or only a way of messing with Z?

MIB agents operate in fairly contradictory environments. They need to be able to identify possible threats through disguises while walking down mundane NYC streets, to pick out the most minute details of an ordinary setting which seem out of place, and furthermore to do so without the typical reaction of shooting anything remotely threatening first. This is not the job for which government agents with military backgrounds are typically trained and the MIB needs people who are brazen enough to question the official story / authority, not follow it by default. "Gentlemen, you are everything we've come to expect from years of government training" wasn't a compliment

CMV: Louis CK's career shouldn't have ended for what he did.

Louis CK was recently accused of inappropriate sexual behavior, where he exposed himself and masturbated in front of several woman, who were shocked, confused, or disturbed by his behavior. While this behavior is certainly inappropriate and distasteful, he never actually forced these women to watch, and he didn't have any physical contact with the women. If they wanted to, they could have left the room at any time or told him to stop. He might have been in a position of power, but these women still had free-will regardless. Because of what he did, his entire career has ended. All of his film, television, and stand-up projects have been cancelled. He has admitted that he was wrong and has given what seems to be a heartfelt apology. He is one of the greatest living comedians and his style of brutally honest, self-reflective comedy has had a positive impact on millions of fans. Therefore, his career should be allowed to continue. _____ > *This is a footnote from the CMV moderators. We'd like to remind you of a couple of things. Firstly, please* ***[read through our rules](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/rules)***. *If you see a comment that has broken one, it is more effective to report it than downvote it. Speaking of which,* ***[downvotes don't change views](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/guidelines#wiki_upvoting.2Fdownvoting)****! Any questions or concerns? Feel free to* ***[message us](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/changemyview)***. *Happy CMVing!*

This type of behavior would end your career in literally any workplace, and the ones that it wouldn't would be subject to a quick and easy Title IX lawsuit. C.K.'s behavior is unacceptable. Yeah, it's not sexual assault, but there's a lot of unacceptable behavior in between appropriate behavior and sexual assault. CK routinely exploited his position and through that made his projects a place where up and coming female comics had to choose between their careers and their dignity and safety. That's unacceptable. So why should the entertainment industry continue to support someone who abused the power they gave him? Nothing is stopping CK from doing new material. If he wants to do some stand-up, he can throw it on YouTube. If he wants to do a new series, he can crowdfund it. But C.K. isn't owed anything. He works in an industry where image is everything, and he destroyed his. Nobody is obligated to support him. Not to mention he's wiped out two of his biggest wells of material. Much of his comedy has been as a voice for progressive issues, but these circumstances have ruined his credibility on that, and another big thing he draws from is sex, but good luck trying to make your audience laugh while people are making the obvious connections to your sexual misconduct toward female comics. CK has a very accomplished history, but his viability as a comedian is questionable after his image has been tainted.

Eli5: Why is it that after a run I feel like I have the energy to keep on going, but 30 minutes after, my energy levels would dipped substantially

It is likely adrenaline and cortisol. Your body knows during, and just after, the run that you need more energy. Once you finish the run your hormone levels will drop and that extra energy you feel will dissipate.

eli5: Why do we always get strong urge to be lazy if its better for the brain to be active

I mean its so much better for the brain to be active working doing useful things stimulating your brain or working out, we all have a reward system and everytime we finish a task we feel a sense of accomplishment but everytime you should be doing something that you know will feel good in the end you just get this urge of doing nothing today and just relaxing, shouldnt our brain be chasing this sense of accomplishment? Where does this feeling come from

The environment we find ourselves in today is very different from the conditions that humankind has faced for the vast majority of our time on planet Earth. For most of our existence (and for most species alive today) a steady diet was not guaranteed, and malnutrition/starvation was a very real danger. If our far-distant ancestors found themselves in a safe place with plenty to eat & drink, one of the wisest things they could choose to do was *nothing,* which conserved valuable calories and exposed them to no new dangers.

ELI5:How do directions work in space? Are North and South still a thing?

You can still refer to directions. North and South aren't really a thing, in space. In general all space navigation is done in terms of orbit shapes. So they might describe the orbit as how high it is at it's furthest point, how low it is at it's closest point and what angle it is orbiting. So if you want to change what the orbit looks like you can fire a rocket and travel in a few directions. So where you're facing relative to your orbital path might be used as a direction. Forward and Back are called Prograde and Retrograde respectively. Towards the thing you are orbiting and Away from the thing you are orbiting is called Radial/Nadir for towards, Anti-Radial/Zenith for away. Up and Down would be Normal and Anti-Normal

ELI5: How do people who speak Asian languages such as Chinese or Japanese explain how to spell words?

In Western languages we have letters that build into words, however in most Asian dialects there doesn't seem to be letters. So if someone from China didn't know how to spell a word, how would his friend explain how to spell that word or symbol?

Aside from kanji, the the japanese written language (hiragana & katakana) is phonetic just like the western alphabet. In fact, it's even more phonetic then English, considering that many English words aren't pronounced via their letters, but historical roots of the word.

[Mass Effect] What to Omni-tools actually look like?

Standard Omni-tools project a holographic interface on the user's arm which can be used for hundreds of different things. What I don't understand is where the actual tool is kept. I assumed it was part of the armor characters wear but Shepherd can be seen using his with bare arms. Is the omni tool some kind of chip implanted into someone's arms?

Not sure, but in the Citadel DLC for Mass Effect 3, a character can be seen activating their omni tool via a disc embedded in the palm of their glove. I'd imagine that simpler omni tools could be implanted.

eli5 How can Australian skin cancer rates be so different depending on the source

So it's no secret that Australia has the world's highest prevalence of skin cancer. Looking for information, I repeatedly come across conflicting data with one site saying that [it's 36 per 100k](https://wiki.cancer.org.au/skincancerstats/Skin_cancer_incidence_and_mortality#:~:text=The%20International%20Agency%20for%20Research,of%20melanoma%20in%20the%20world.), others saying [it's 2 in 3 before the age of 70](https://actcancer.org/prevention/sunsmart/skin-cancer-in-australia/), and other different numbers. What am I missing here?

You’re missing the age thing. 36 per 100k essentially means that 36 people for every 100,000 will get skin cancer in the year. That 100,000 includes kids, babies, teens, young adults, middle aged people, etc etc. 2 out of 3 before the age of 70 is a totally different way of framing. This means instead of looking at everyone, you’re only looking at people turning 70, and that on average 2 out of 3 of them will develop some form of skin cancer during their lives.

[Rick and Morty] How does detective Rick have intel on evil Morty, and why does he choose to specifically give it to campaign manager Morty?

It seems kind of confusing, out of all the people detective Rick could have given the intel to, he chooses to give it to Campaign Manager Morty? Why not assassin Morty? Or an assassin like Krombompulus Michael?

Because he's more interested in playing out his bit than taking the most efficient route. This is a common recurring flaw of the Ricks and Mortys of the Citadel, who find themselves rewarded for finding a niche and filling it, which is one of the few ways you can stand out in a society made out of your doppelgangers and avoid being stuck as some poor interchangeable bastard on an assembly line. By the time Detective Rick has met Manager Morty, he's in too deep to back down from his gimmick as a noir private dick, take a sober look at things, and do what's right for the Citadel (like giving that shit to the press) instead of what's right for his bit.

Dating/marriage and Tenure Track Academia

I am in my final year of my PhD and also in my late 20s. I am currently single but I find it constantly weighing on me that I feel like I should be dating if I don’t want to be single for the rest of my life but also the demands of academia are significant. I currently am fulfilling a senior role in my lab that is much closer to a postdoc than PhD student with regards to research and management responsibilities, that plus teaching activities, and finishing my dissertation leave me very busy and often overwhelmed. Every time I look at getting into a relationship I can’t honestly say I have the time that most people want. I don’t work a 9-5. I work kind of insane hours. Also, I worry that any time I dedicate to a relationship is time I could be spending writing that next article or doing XYZ thing to advance my career. Does it get better? How do you all find/make the time? Do you feel like it takes away from your career? Field: Engineering Title: PhD student Country:US

At some point you need to define for yourself a work life balance. There is no time card in academia. You could work 50 hours a day and there would always be more to do. More to read, more to write, more ways to pad your CV. And no one is going to stop you except you. Do you want to write that next article, or do you want to have that time for yourself, whether it's for a relationship or anything else

ELI5 Why is Earth's core hotter than the surface? What's causing the heat?

A couple of reasons. One is that the Earth is rather, well, big and the core has heat left over from the formation of the Earth. It takes a long time to get rid of all that heat. This brings us to the second reason which is that when the Earth was molten the denser material sank into the core. This included most of the Earth's radioactive materials. The decay of these materials keeps the core hotter than it otherwise would be. As to why the core is hot and not the surface. This is because the core transfers heat away from the core to the surface where the energy can then radiate into space.

ELI5: If both ADHD and autism are considered neurodivergent, why do we only have ADHD stimulants but no medication to treat autism?

This isn't meant to be poor in taste. I have autism myself, but am I'm often really confused when it comes to the whole I understand that ADHD/autism are often co-morbid and that autism doesn't need a cure. I'm just stumped on how ADHD is considered neurodivergent even though there's medication to control symptoms, while the severely autistic are left to struggle in constant sensory overload and become extremely agitated to the point of violence towards themselves and others.

Neurodivergence is a broad category, and it doesn't mean that ADHD brains and autistic brains function the same way or can be treated with similar meds. Some people have both conditions at the same time, and the meds only work on the ADHD symptoms because autism affects the brain in different ways that don't respond to meds (so far).

Why do we need a quadrupole "oscillation" to get gravitational waves, but a dipole for electromagnetic waves?

I was told that this is the case and I don't know where to start to untangle why.

Gravity is a rank-2 tensor field while E&M is rank-1. This is why the photon has spin-1 and the hypothetical graviton has spin-2. So EM radiation can carry no less than one unit of angular momentum, while gravitational radiation can carry no less than two.

ELI5: How come there’s just 1 line of continuous bubbles coming from the bottom of the glass if you’re drinking something like champagne?

When you see a line of bubbles coming from a single point, that point is called a 'nucleation site'. What is happening is that there is probably a small imperfection in the glass there where a tiny bubble of air can be trapped. It is much easier for an existing bubble to get bigger than it is for a new bubble to form out of nothing. So, what happens its that this tiny trapped bubble grows until it gets too large for the imperfection and it then breaks off and rises to the top of the glass. When the bubble breaks off it leaves behind another tiny bubble trapped in that imperfection in the glass. The cycle then repeats. You can reproduce the experiment by putting a large grain of sand in the bottom of the glass. This grain of sand is likely a lot rougher than the glass and will contain small trapped bubbles. After filling the glass with a carbonated drink, the rough grain of sand will likely be one of the locations from which lines of bubbles rise.

Why did Nietzsche live a life opposite of what he preached?

From what I gather, Nietzsche philosophy is all about life\-affirmation, and, generally speaking, he seems pretty opposed to Plato and successors with their ideas on conventional morality, emphasis on some other ideal world instead of our imperfect material world, emphasis on the rational faculties and suppression of the carnal, the idea of nobility in asceticism; condemning these concepts to be life\-denying. However, he seemed to live a rather ascetic and quiet, and dare I say it, textbook Apollonian life himself. Why is that, why didn't Nietzsche live a Dionysian life, or at least a good mix of Apollonian and Dionysian? Did he not believe in what he preached? Are there more obscure and wild aspects of Nietzsche's life that don't get touched in most summarized biographies, perhaps?

Life affirmation to Nietzsche doesn’t mean going out there and living life through all sorts of wild experiences. It means saying yes to life in its entirety. Even if it’s filled with pain and suffering. And Nietzsche lived this. He suffered a lot: he went through intense and debilitating pain and headaches. His health was so crap he had to retire young. He failed to woo the woman he loved. But he found it in himself to be joyful, and to say yes to life. Nietzsche is the chap who took the concept of eternal recurrence from the stoics and turned it into a test: if you were told you had to relive every moment of your life, in its entirety, over and over into eternity, would you feel yourself to be blessed or damned by it? Despite all his suffering, he wanted to be a “yes-sayer”. To say yes to life, even if it was utter shit. And he lived up to what he preached.

ELI5: Why aren't people getting sick from using their phones in the bathroom?

With all of the people using their smartphones while on the toilet, at the gym, etc and then later while eating, why aren't more people getting hepatitis / other illnesses? It seems that touching a phone with dirty hands, pocketing it, then using it later would be almost as bad as not washing your hands

The real issue is that washing your hands in the bathroom isn't as crucial to avoid illnesses as you'd think. It's just that washing your hands IN GENERAL is, and reminding people to do so after using the bathroom is easier since you're already in a place with a sink.

CMV: EV's (for personal use) are one of the worst things to happen to climate policy because they offer a faux solution to the car problem and eat up a ton of resources.

EV's at the moment are objectively unsustainable and impossible to implement at a large scale. There's not enough lithium and our grid isn't developped enough. They're a gadget upper middle class people buy for themselves to virtue signal and political parties that build policy aruond them are being disingenuous. They take away from real policies that could combat car use like investing in public transport and bike lanes. I do think they can have a use in the transport sector but i don't think we should be wasting lithium on toys for rich people that are only barely less destructive to the climate then normal cars are. A lot of European countries are banning the sale of non-electronic vehicles in 2030. This seems to me a "poor people can't have a car" rule. I have a feeling a lot of the batteries that could have been used for electronic bicycles are gonna be used for electric cars which will make the price of those skyrocket.

>A lot of European countries are banning the sale of non-electronic vehicles in 2030. This seems to me a "poor people can't have a car" rule. Is that not what you want? Your alternative proposals are all about eliminating car useage, so if requiring electric cars eliminates them, it will force the implementation of those policies.

As an applicant, what would be some good questions to ask during a PhD interview?

I have a PhD interview coming up and I can't seem to think of an impactful question that I may ask at the end of the interview. As an applicant, I think that I would need to ask something that may showcase my readiness and motivation for the PhD position. The questions I have in mind feel a little too basic. I would really appreciate some suggestions. Thank you :)

I would ask how things were going for people who got their PhD's at their department. It's a potential huge investment by both parties, and if they are worth their salt they should be able to present actual employability numbers.

ELI5: Why does it take so long to download and interpret Black Box info after a plane crash?

I realize it can take time to find the black box. But why isn’t there a computer program that hooks up to the BB and acts like a simulator? All the data is there. Why can’t they plug it in and watch a recreation of what happened immediately?

The “black box” isnt a single system, its made up of separate recording devices through the aircraft. It doesnt record EVERYTHING, only the Time, Engine specifics and altitude, the other records cockpit voice and conversations. The data recording systems on aircraft flights saves burst data, meaning it only starts actively storing information on systems during burst periods of input, as soon as altitude. Flight pattern. Engine function or flap position starts changing quickly, like a problem has occurred, it begins capturing the movement and data. It doesnt record every aspect of the flight or its systems. Only those that are changed via pilot manual input basically. Its like trying to take a 30 second movie trailer and building the entire movie from it. Edit: spelling

How come our eyes don't feel cold when it's frigid temperatures outside?

The only portion of the eye that has thermoreceptors is the cornea, which is a terribly small surface area. That being said, I've spent a good deal of time outside in -15 to -45 windchill. At a certain temperature, your eyes start to feel gummy upon blinking-which isn't temp but texture sensations- and they start to sting and water quite a bit. I'd say you haven't been cold enough.

CMV: r/The_Donald is the ultimate Safe Space.

"Safe Space" is defined as "a place or environment in which a person or category of people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment, or any other emotional or physical harm." Since the beginning of Donald Trump's campaign, r/The_Donald has practiced systemic banning, derision, and overall silencing of users who do not agree with their political views. Users of the sub ostensibly go there to hear their thoughts repeated back at them, because any time users who disagree try to engage in conversation, they're either banned or otherwise silenced by the r/The_Donald community. The biggest criticism of safe spaces is that they don't allow people to experience discomfort necessary for personal growth, and that they limit free speech. It seems to me that r/The_Donald fits within these parameters perfectly. CMV! _____ > *This is a footnote from the CMV moderators. We'd like to remind you of a couple of things. Firstly, please* ***[read through our rules](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/rules)***. *If you see a comment that has broken one, it is more effective to report it than downvote it. Speaking of which,* ***[downvotes don't change views](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/guidelines#wiki_upvoting.2Fdownvoting)****! Any questions or concerns? Feel free to* ***[message us](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/changemyview)***. *Happy CMVing!*

Wouldn't the ultimate safe space be wholly separate and unreachable from external views and ideas? Any one of us can visit r/The_Donald and post anything we like. It may get deleted quickly or it may not, but if it does someone might still see it. Certainly, at the very least, the user who reported it and the mod who deleted it would have seen it. It's not the ultimate safe space. Not even close.

Will the antibodies from a blood donor attach to the antigens of the donation recipient?

I know that O- is the universal donor and that AB+ is the universal recipient because O- lacks major antigen groups while AB+ has the 3 major antigen groups. However, what still confuses me is why the antibodies received from the donor don't attach to the recipient's own blood cells. For example, if an O- person donates blood to an AB+ person, won't the antibodies from the O- donor attach to the RBCs of the AB+ recipient? Is this just a volume issue? Are there just not a large amount of antibodies present to attach to the recipient's cells? Thanks for any and all responses!

Blood group O is an universal blood donor, because as you point out, neither A,B or AB have antibodies towards O (because O is the base glycoprotein). But as you've pointed out, those who have blood group O have antibodies against A,B and AB. What you've missed is the fact that when you receive blood from a donor it's "only" the erytrocytes that you receive, the erytrocytes have been separated from the plasma and thus separated from antibodies. This also means that AB is the universal plasma donor!

ELI5: How does battery charger knows when the batteries are full?

It depends on the type of charger. Chargers for older batteries such as NiCad batteries simply dump power into the battery and observe the rate at which the voltage increases. Each battery has a predefined "peak" at which the voltage will start to level off. At this point, the charger knows to shut off. Your phone is a bit different. Lithium Polymer batteries do not have a peak. You can keep pumping power into them until they explode. So your phone's charger (which is actually inside your phone, not in the wall wart) pumps power in until the battery is about 85% full (based on a predefined voltage threshold). At this point, the charger reduces its power proportionally to the voltage output of the battery. So, the charger slowly tapers off as the battery reaches "100%" of its rated capacity. This does mean that those newer LiPo batteries have chargers matched to them. This is also why the charger circuitry for expensive devices exists in the device itself, so you don't accidentally blow up your phone using the wrong charger. Edit: Spelling

Why is it an accretion disc and not a spheroid or cloud?

I'd imagine it's the same thing that gives galaxies their shape? I didn't get the opportunity to ask during my intro geology class but it's something I've been wondering for a bit.

It's all about angular momentum. When you have a cloud of particles, either freestanding or around a stellar body, all the particles are orbiting the center of mass of either the cloud itself or the body. Either way, they're all moving on their own orbits, mostly at random. And when you compound all these movements and orbits, you can calculate the movement of the whole cloud, and it's angular momentum, which is a measure of how much it's spinning. The cool part about angular momentum is that, unless acted upon by an outside force, it never changes. So what happens is, over time, particles that are moving not on the plane of rotation (the eventual "disc", if you will) will collide with each other and cancel out their perpendicular momentums, but not their rotational ones, and will tend to drift towards the disc plane. Eventually, enough mass accumulates on the disc to start attracting any stray particles and the disc is formed. I should note that the particles in the disc don't perfectly orbit the center of mass like Earth does around the Sun. Their movement is akin to what the Solar System does around the galactic core, bobbing up and down the disc while rotating around the center.

[Culture]Why don't other slap drone ships follow the Meat Fucker around to stop it from torturing people it judges to be bad or evil?

I just reread the part where it killed that old nazi stand in, ....then I went and drank some vodka to help me stop thinking about it. EDIT:don't say they agreed he deserved it, the Culture's general ethical framework doesn't include retribution. That's why they only slap drone killers, and why they insisted Vepers being a total monster wasn't a reason to just assassinate him.

If you knew that one of your friends pulled wings off insects for fun, would you call the police on him? The analogy isn't perfect - Minds are beyond humans to a far greater extent than humans are beyond flies - but it illustrates the relevant issues. On a practical level, you can't just slap-drone a Mind. Keeping a Mind from doing *anything* it wants to do requires at least one other Mind, and probably more than one, devoting a significant portion of its entire existence to preventing that Mind from doing what it wants to do. So you have to build or recruit those dedicated Minds, which means convincing a lot of other Minds that this is a worthy use of time and resources. Let's call this analogous to 'going to the police and asking them to investigate your friend for animal cruelty'. And that brings us to the second issue. Animal cruelty is a crime, sure. Technically. But torturing flies is just not worth the police department's time to investigate. They have limited time and resources and many far more significant crimes to deal with. They'll probably agree with you that your friend has a disgusting habit, but decline to intervene. So what do you do? You talk to your other friends, and let them know what this friend does, and your friends agree with you that this guy has some serious issues. And then maybe you stop talking to him. Maybe you mention to other people in his social circle that, hey, this guy tortures insects for fun, he might not be the best guy to hang out with. But you're not going to break into his house and take his wasp factory away or anything like that. That sort of violation of the law (and personal autonomy) *would* get the police involved, and it's just not worth it to deal with that. That's where the Culture is with *Grey Area*. He has an unpleasant personal habit that probably reflects something deeply wrong with him, and, as a result, he's a social pariah and held in contempt by the other Minds. But it's not worth the time and effort to actually stop him from torturing people. If he was going around exterminating the populations of entire planets, sure, it might be. But one human here and there is simply not that important.

CMV: If you are pro-life, it is in your best interest to still make abortion legal.

The pro life stance is that killing an unborn baby is immoral as it is a person being murdered. If you believe this, then you should make it legal. This study shows how countries with the most restricted abortion laws have the highest abortion rates: https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-worldwide From the study: "In analyses that exclude China and India, whose large populations skew the data, the abortion rate is actually higher in countries that restrict abortion access than in those that do not."

I can make a fairly simple argument here. If you believe allowing abortion will land you in hell, then it almost doesn't matter whether or not it actually decreases or increases rates of abortion. Given that a lot of people base their pro-life position on a religious view of biology and morality in combination with a morality that cares more about justice than a raw utilitarian calculation of what makes life better or worse, it really is quite rational to find abortion abhorrent and to believe criminalisation is needed.

ELI5: Why does the word 'liberal' refer to the left in the US?

I assume it is because of the lack of a significant 'socialist' movement. In much of Europe, for example, liberals are considered centrist or even fiscal conservatives. Why is this not the case in the US? It confuses me.

The word liberal originally meant something like "people should have liberty." That meant stuff like elected government, rule of law, that kind of stuff. No one is really against that anymore so anyone can call them selves "liberals" by this old meaning. In the 20th century, one group of liberals became important in the US and a different one in Europe. They both came out of the old meaning of liberal so they both called themselves liberal. In the US the thinking was something like, "To give people more liberty the government needs to help them out when they are down." In Europe it was something like, "To give people more liberty the government needs to get out of the way." Both are still about liberty but how to get it was very different. An important note: Conservative's aren't against liberty. Of course not, By the old definition, conservatives are also liberals. The opposite of a conservative isn't a liberal by that meaning, it's a progressive.

ELI5: Why do spreadsheet programs like excel and google sheets have the default text wrapping set to 'overflow'? It seems like everyone switches it to "wrap".

Is there some use for excel that's extremely common that I don't know about that uses overflow frequently?

Spreadsheets are made mostly for numbers. Numbers are usually not as long as text so wrapping isn't as likely to happen. Another reason is that reading down a list with uneven row heights isn't as easy and doesn't look as good.

ELI5: With variables such as tides and waves, how do scientists measure sea level changes of just millimeters in height?

Hundreds of measurements taken at hundreds of locations, averaged out over time and compensating for seasonal shifts. With all of that taken together, you can get a pretty good estimate of average increases.

Why does a helicopter's propeller make a broken thumping sound but an aircraft propeller make a continuous sound?

While walking to work I heard a helicopter and noticed the familiar "thump thump thump" sound that helicopter blades make, and a few minutes later a small prop plane flew by which creates a completely different sound. My questions are: why do the propellers on these aircraft create such different sounds? Are they aerodynamically that different? Does the Vertical/horizontal orientation of the propellers make a difference on the sound they create? Let me know if I should ask this in /r/AskEngineers for a better answer. Thanks!

The most important reason is that propeller doesn't spin faster than the speed of sound, because of drag, aerodynamic disturbance and sound production. A small one therefore can spin a lot faster than a big one before the tips break the sound barrier. So the main difference is that an airplane has a small fast moving propeller and a helicopter a big slow moving one.

[Mass Effect] Are Krogan Biologically Mortal?

I can't think of a single historical record of a Krogan dying of natural causes. Even Krogan history points out that before the invention of gunpowder, the main source of mortality was being eaten by predators, and afterwards it became death by gunshot wounds. I've heard of Krogan warlords who were headbutting enemies back when us humans were still headbutting each other over which one of us was more worthy of fighting by Thor's side, and well, most Krogan leave this earthly realm in states decidedly unsuitable for an open-casket funeral. So, do they ever kick the bucket naturally? Or does their redundant biology and naturally accelerated healing mean that they could technically live forever if they managed not to be eaten, stabbed, shot, lit on fire, used as a living anti-ship torpedo, or in the worst case get in Shepard's way and get eaten by Wrex?

Yes, they can die naturally. But it almost never happens due to their society and biological predisposition to violence. (A handy survival feature when born on a planet actively trying to kill you, even before nukes turned it into a pule of dusty rubble.) There are most likely records of many millions of Krogan who have lain down and let time take them out, but they rarely share their records with aliens, so you'll never see them. And they're probably not proud of those who do choose to die in such a way, either, which makes them double unwilling to share. Krogan are estimated to have an average lifespan of about 1500 years, give or take a century or two. Nakmor Drack explains that, at his very advanced age of 1400, he's due to keel over at any time. But unlike humans, who tend toward growing frail and weak, Krogan remain just as strong and hearty as their physical prime right to the end. So it's difficult to really tell exactly *when* a Krogan will actually pass away peacefully.

CMV: Non-Violent Felons should get their guns rights and voting rights back and unless jobs involve kids, pets, or the elderly, they shouldn't be screened for prior criminality

Let's take a hypothetical case of a mid-level polydrug dealer. He carries either an illegal or legal firearm to abate the tumultuous way he makes his money with Robbery as a major risk factor. Unless he aimed, or shot to kill or maim, he's just as responsible as the gun owners that work for MJ dispensaries if they are unfortunately barred from using the banking sector because of federal illegality. They should also get their voting rights back because they're still citizens. Even if not model ones. Unless working with vulnerable populations felons shouldn't be screened for employment. Hell at my HS we had some sketchy security guards. One short Hispanic guy had popular gang tattoos still on his hand and when asked about them by my friend. He said it was because it was from his "before Christ" days. He was a nice guy. Also my school district apparently wanted to pay guards less. Edit Clarify: I believe everyone should have the right to vote.

So accounting firms shouldn't screen for past history of tax fraud, insurance fraud, or other financial crimes? Publishing companies shouldn't screen for copyright infringement? Or plagurism? I get what your saying, but employers should always be allowed to screen for crimes that pertain to their particular industry, even if those crimes are non violent, and don't involve kids/elderly.

I think that if you "break check" someone in the Passing Lane instead of just getting out of the way, you're being a jerk. CMV

If someone is in the [Passing Lane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passing_lane) and is going slow, I don't get too close to them, but I also stay where I am instead of passing on the right. Often, I'll use my horn to try and get the driver to move out of the way, since passing on the right is more dangerous. Sometimes, these people will then tap their brakes, in which case I'll honk louder, and then try and pass them. This is now law in several states, [including Florida,](http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/state-legislature-passes-bill-making-it-illegal-to-drive-slow-in-the-fast-lane) which is supposed to make it illegal to drive slow in the fast lane. But I often see cops not pulling people over, just following slow drivers until they move out of the way. There's also nothing that makes "brake checking" illegal, which is also dangerous behavior that can lead to more accidents. So I still think brake checking is dumb, dangerous, more likely to get you into an accident, and should be just as illegal as driving slow in the fast lane. CMV. On a side note, drivers aren't often aware of these changes due to taking the driving exam once in their life. Taking a driving exam more often, or at the very least getting an updated rule book when you renew your license, could help alleviate this problem. Edit: Sorry for using the wrong "break" :-)

There are some people who just can't get off your ass for whatever reason, maybe they have no depth perception. What you could do instead of brake checking, which is an abrupt maneuver, instead decelerate slowly to a more reasonable speed for the following distance that they want to give you.

ELI5: Given that currents can throw a boat off course, how did submarine navigators know precisely where they were while submerged pre-GPS?

Compass bearings, knowledge of the currents, and dead reckoning. Prior to nuclear power submarines spent most of their time on the surface because their batteries had very limited endurance. So they could regularly take star sightings and utilize radio navigation beacons. Modern submarines have very advanced inertial navigation systems, since GPS doesn't work underwater.

Eli5: the lens of your eye flips the image of what is happening in front of you and displays it on your retina, then your brain “flips” it again for you to perceive. What is the brain doing for that second flip?

It’s just your brain deciding that it’s stupid to have things upside down and deciding not to anymore. An experiment was done where they had volunteers put on goggles that flipped everything upside down. They wore them all the time: sleeping, showering, everywhere all the time. After about a week, the brain said “screw this, this is dumb” and flipped everything right side up again, and the volunteers functioned normally. They still had the flipping goggles on, and their brain just undid it. At the end of the experiment they took the goggles off, and everything was upside down again. And again, after a week or so, the brain flipped everything back again. Your brain just makes stuff up about what you see. It does a tremendous amount of image processing. Your eyes move and wiggle small amounts constantly, it fixes that and makes things appear steady. Your eyes suck at color in your peripheral vision, your brain remembers what color things are and what life should look like and fills things in. You have a blind spot in each eye that you can only notice if you specifically trick your brain at failing at fixing it. There is no “ground truth” in what you see. It’s all interpreted, from shapes to contrast to color.

I believe that the vast majority of rape is about sex, not power. CMV

I’m a woman.  I’ve never done any formal reading on women’s studies (probably everything I know comes from reddit, whatever that’s worth). In any case, I most certainly have heard that rape is about power, domination, violence, etc. and so forth – but not about sex. It sounded weird when I first heard it many years ago (probably in a movie or on the news, who knows) and honestly it still does. If rape isn’t about sex, why does sex occur instead of just non-sexual violence or abuse? I guess I don’t get it. In the comments of [this thread]( http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/1kbeez/i_believe_that_pornographys_overall_net_impact_on/) on pornography from yesterday, u/Medicalizawhat posted a link to [this article] (http://www.drtraycehansen.com/Pages/writings_politics.html) about rape, power, politics, feminists, etc. It was an interesting read. I don’t know anything about Trayce Hansen, I trust him just as much as any rando on the internet (not a lot), but much of what he said makes sense (I’m ignoring the broad fairly negative brush with which he seems to like painting feminists). Anyway, I believe that while some rape is undoubtedly about power, **most** rape is about sex. Some people want it (men, women, ducks) and they don’t mind “taking” what they want, even when it is not freely offered. For the record, I have seen the studies saying that rapists admit to selecting the most submissive victims rather than the most attractive: I don't think this conclusively proves rape is about power. It seems just as likely that rapists are not complete idiots and while they want to satisfy their sexual urges, they still pick the targets that are low effort and low risk (of being vocal, reporting, etc). My belief doesn’t mean that I deny rape culture (pretty hard to argue after Steubenville, no?) and I don’t think that this means anyone should change what they are wearing (“well, dressed like that, she was ASKING for it!!!”) or their actions (“what did he expect, getting blackout drunk and falling asleep next to someone he doesn’t know, of course he wanted it”). Likewise, my belief that rape is usually about sex doesn’t excuse anyone from even an iota of the blame (except maybe ducks): human men and women alike are both absolutely capable of stifling their sexual urges/desires and it should be the barest of expectations in a civilized society no matter what someone is wearing or how they are acting. So yea… CMV!

You're misunderstanding the point. (Which isn't your fault. Lots of people do.) Rape does of course fulfill sexual urges, which is why rapists choose to rape people rather than do some other violent crime. The question is *why* rape is such a big deal. We used to think that it was just because of the sex; there was some sort of sexual innocence or purity that the rapist destroyed. But this implies that women who have been raped are somehow less innocent or less pure, and makes it very difficult to argue that marital rape or male-victim rape are real. We now think that's horrible, but we still oppose rape just as much. So where does the issue really lie? People have a right to control their own sexuality, and rapists violate that by asserting the *power* to control other people's sexuality. Rape is a serious crime because we think that this is an important right, not because there's something magical about sex.

[Digimon] What makes Veemon have so many potential digievolutions?

Where most Digimon have a rookie, champion, ultimate and mega forms, digi armour and a dna evolution. Veemon doesn't, he has numerous potential evolutions. Veemon's evolutions include: Veedramon (and his evolutions) and ExVeemon, DigiArmour evolutions including Magnamon. As well as DNA Digivolving into Paildramon and then Impeildramon, why does he have so many potential final forms?

The code that was in charge of making the Royal Knights ran through many generations and settled with having two off shoots of Veemon becoming final members of the Royal Knights. Not all other generations were deleted in the end though allowing the multiple branches of evolution.

CMV: "It's just human nature" or "Greed is just human nature" is no argument for capitalism.

First of all, I don't want to discuss capitalism itself, so if you agree with me on the point that capitalism is not justified by greed being human, but just want to discuss any negatives I associate with capitalism, this is not the thread for you. So, my main point is, that more often than not, people are arguing for capitalism because it is just "human nature" and say that "greedy is just what people are" which I find to be bad or no arguments at all. Now, let's deal with greed first. Greed is something that most people posses to a varying degree, there are people who are greedy at every chance, always wanting more, no matter what and there are people who are easily contempt. So, what differences greed from any other characteristic humans posses? Hatred, the ability to hate is in every human, give anyone a proper cause and he will hate, but do we justify anything by "Hate is just human nature"? No, we don't, we put heavy restrictions on it and are trying to prevent it at every turn, we condemn it and generaly think that hating something is bad and the world would be better off without hatred. We have the same for nearly everything, lust is moderated by many things, we can't just rape people, we can't just fuck in the streets, we can't just masturbate in the metro, we are bound by our laws and the values our society holds. Why would greed be not just any characteristic like that? I'd even go so far as to say that greed isn't just not shunned by society, of course, everybody says that greed is bad, but does that reflect on society? Not at all. People are greedy all the time and greed is the main doctrine after which our society functions. A good salesman sells you the most, a good buyer gets the most bang for their buck and a good job is one that earns you money. We are always concerned about how much we can get and are always taught to get just more and more that I can't really say that it is not a value of our society, even if it hurts other people. Our society is basically everyone trying to fuck everyone else over for their own gain. So, is that an argument? No, not at all. In times of hardship, people are known to look out for another, sharing is much more common when times are hard and people would justify taking action against people who are greedy in those situations. Would you blame a bunch of hungry people in a warzone if they robbed a man who is hoarding food just for the profits? I wouldn't. So I conclude that greed is taught by society, at least in the context we are using it, in our society, greed is acceptable and most things we would view as "success" (A nice house, a nice car, money in general) is tied to greed. This is very long already, but I will shortly address my second point: "It's human nature" and it's cousing "If left to their own devices, people will always come up with it". The second one is really a no brainer. Despotism, slavery or racism is probably something people will always come up with and nobody views those as good (or at least, most people don't) so there is no reason to argue that because we would come up with it every time (Which isn't even something to be sure of) it's therefore natural or good. It could just as well be another thing like the three mentioned above that we would come up with, but would overcome. Most of our concepts are refined and overhauled versions of concepts that come "naturally".

I think that you’re coming at this from the wrong angle. Greed doesn’t justify capitalism, but it does denounce communism. Greed is the reason that communism doesn’t work - people will inherently prioritize their own interests. That’s why people won’t work as hard under communism, it’s because the greed for more money is what gets people to work hard but there is no possibility of more money in a communist society. For that reason, greed is an indirect justification for capitalism. Greed is the core reason that communism doesn’t work, and capitalism is an alternative to communism that doesn’t suffer from that same flaw. It’s not Greed -> capitalism It’s more like Greed -> not communism -> capitalism

Looking for honest advice on recovering from a huge mess up

I graduated with a double-major BA in Linguistics and German from a large T30 state school just before turning 24. I was burning out at the time and dealing with a number of mental health issues + family issues + relationship issues, but I ignored all of that and went on to a MA in Linguistics at a somewhat smaller school. Unfortunately these issues really caught up with me, and after attending the MA program part-time for 3 semesters, I left with a couple Ws and a couple Fs, just before turning 26. I took a number of graduate level courses during my undergrad, and had done graduate level research during my undergrad. The work of the MA program was not at all a challenge for me, it was just terrible timing in my life and I completely fell apart. In retrospect I should've taken a year or 2 off before attempting the MA, but oh well. I then spent about 2 years underemployed at a restaurant, seeking much needed treatment for anxiety, depression and ADHD. I left the restaurant halfway into 2020 and went on unemployment voluntarily, because although i did enjoy working in a kitchen, I was only there to stay busy and support myself while I worked out these issues. I did not see it as my career and it wasn't worth it for me to stay during COVID. I took a bit of a downturn mentally at the beginning of unemployment, but I'm doing much, much better now than I was when I dropped out of the MA program. Now I have moved across the country to live with my parents (who have finally started to settle down a little), and I am starting a BS in Computer Science in a week or so at a state school. This program should take me about 1.5-2 years because of my previous BA. I'm turning 30 the day before this program starts. My goal is to pursue a MS in either Computer Science or Computational Linguistics, and I still have hopes of following that into a relevant PhD. My question is, is my previously failed attempt at an MA insurmountable? If I do well in this 2nd BS, will admissions overlook that screwed up MA attempt? I'm also very nervous about my age now, given that I probably wouldn't be able to finish a PhD until I'm 38 or 40 at least. I feel like I'm in a very difficult situation with all of this. I'd really appreciate any general advice or outlooks as well. I know that at the very least, a BS in computer science would help me land a much better job, but my brain still won't stop pushing me towards an academic career.

Don't take life too seriously. Pursue what you feel love for and screw everything else. Don't do stuff to get "a better job", do it to have fun, meet people and make memories. A failed rocket scientist is closer to becoming a successful one than someone just thinking of becoming one. You have academic experience under your belt, leverage that to accomplish your goals. Failure points you in the direction of success. Experiment, fail, repeat while taking into consideration the data you've gathered in the previous attempt!

[Spider-Man] Spider-Man's radioactive blood was able to cure him of vampirism in mere hours - but at the same time he's had colds and flus that have lasted for days. Does this mean the colds and flus are stronger?

What it likely means is that the biological base for vampirism is much more complex than a virus. Viruses are very resistant to radiation because they are small and very simple. See, radiation damages cells when a particle of radiation happens to impact part of the genetic code. Viruses are small and simple enough, and have little redundant bits of code, that they don't get hit often, and when they do it often doesn't destroy them. Large, complex cells, like bacteria, or whatever transmits vampirism, will get hit much more often, and an error in their code can be much worse because of all the processes that interact and depend on each other.

[Star Wars] What are the benefits for working for the Empire?

I am just an orphan who wants to work but no one will hire me so I want to work for the Empire as a stormtrooper. I am 20 and in good health but before I do what do I get out of it?

They feed you, house you, and pay you. If you're more ambitious, a military career is an essential element to advancing through Imperial politics. The odds might be against you, but theoretically anyone could rise through the ranks. You may very well have your own star-system some day.

When it rains on the ocean, does the fresh rainwater harm the marine plankton? If not, why not?

There is so much salt water in the ocean that rain doesnt even begin to dilute it to harmful levels. In estuaries where rivers meet the ocean there is whole environment that is a different biome from the rivers and oceans with brackish plants and fish and everything.

Government Spending is Being Blamed for Inflation - How Exactly has Recent Government Spending Contributed to Inflation?

Most of the analyses I’ve seen put government stimulus at around 10% to 50% of the peak inflation we’ve seen. This is balanced with similar analyses that credit government stimulus with a very quick recovery and millions of jobs created/poverty avoided. This is referring to the US at least.

What technological advancements would be necessary for humanity to travel into deep space?

Hard mode: If immortality is indeed attainable, is it also necessary to explore space? Might I live to see such achievements within my lifetime? (young adult)

advanced radiation and micrometeorite shielding, high specific impulse AND thrust propulsion systems, food growth and/or synthesis in space, medical procedures to face unexpected health issues, possibly criostasis, possibly robots to perform extravehicular work and repairs, possibly methods to harvest resources. Also, building the ship would require much more cost-effective methods of bringing materials, components and crew into space, so I'd look into a space elevator. Exploring space is absolutely necessary. Our development as a species is completely incompatible with long-term confinement to Earth alone, which will eventually be unable to sustain our demand for and food and resources (helium is running out fast). There is also a reasonable number of ways our planet will eventually find itself unable to sustain most forms of life. No, we will most likely not see anything of that in our lifetimes. We have good chances of seeing a moon base and the first humans walk on mars, maaaaaybe on a moon of Jupiter. But that heavily depends on the political and economical situation. If we really wanted, we could put people on mars in 15 years, but nobody sees the worth of that investment at the moment.

ELI5: How is low rep strength training different from higher rep size training? How do the muscle fiber grow differently to accomplish this?

Muscles work by snapping some muscle fibers under whatever stress you are putting them to, then replacing them with more fibers. This allows them to match whatever your needs are using only simple rules, a common theme across all of biology. While strength training, you're focused on the healing part more: you want more muscle fibers in exactly the places you need to strengthen the muscles you are training. Therefore, you do some reps to break a few fibers and then them heal up, making sure your body's systems can keep up with the healing. In mass training, you're trying to make your body massively overcompensate by breaking tons of fibers with long strings of reps, leaving little time for the healing process to begin. By breaking everything at once, the body rushes in to repair the damage, going overboard in the process so less damage is done the next time you do that. In addition, that many reps quickly runs your muscles out of oxygen, forcing those cells to begin building up lactic acid and burn through their sugar supplies very quickly. The lactic acid also damages cells and sends signals to the surrounding tissue which encourage vascularization, the growing of new blood vessels and widening of existing ones. The increased blood flow also helps bulk up a bit just due to there being a lot more fluid in the area now, and also creates the huge, prominent veins you see in bodybuilders.

[Samurai Jack] Why did none of the aliens Jack helped come back to liberate earth from Aku?

In the old videologs and records of the time, it is clear that Jack helped at least one powerful alien species (the wasp people), and possibly several others with advanced technology. Why did none of them return to earth to liberate us from Aku?

Because their conventional weapons don't really work against Aku. For example, when Jack visits Atlantis and those creatures try to fight back against Aku, their weapons are basically powerless; their arrows go straight through him. Only Jack's magic sword works.

I feel embarrassed to say I'm a programmer

I am a CS student and roughly spent a year learning to code. I'm mostly into web development. I know JavaScript, Python and their frameworks like React and Django. But, every time I have to solve a unique problem using my programming knowledge, I get lost and can only get a solution after doing a google search about almost everything. Because of this, I can't start to write the first line of code for my next projects which I already sketched in my mind. It's not like I don't know jack shit about the coding solution. But, I feel like having all the ingredients to make a recipe but don't know how to make it. Is there anything I can read, watch to get knowledge about building problem-solving skills or what am I actually missing despite knowing programming fundamentals?

Youre likely picking projects that are too large for you rn. Try and do some smaller projects and just get them working. Don’t bother with trying to do it the „right“ way. You can refactor later and that will help you understand clean code bases/design patterns in the future as well

[Transformers] How does the Decepticons keep losing?

The Decepticons are made out to be a powerful army made up of more battle hardened warriors then the autobots and yet they lose almost every battle we see. So why do they lose when they are more trained, better equipped and have more soldiers then the Autobots. Are the Answers the same in G1 , the Movies and Prime

I think it's because the Autobots use different strategies and even in the Great War used various aspects to their advantage. For example, in WFC games they had Metroplex and Omega Supreme. The cons had Trypticon, as he was defeated. The Decepticons aren't as trained as you'd think. They pretty much rely on brute weaponry and savagery

Whenever you look at any light source, lines or streaks protrude from them. Why is that?

Someone else already answered why this happens with camera and telescope lenses. If you’re using just your eyes, it’s not supposed to happen (but often does). It’s caused by small imperfections in the cornea and/or lens in your eyes. If its bad (ex. it makes driving at night difficult), see your eye doctor. It’s likely a sign of astigmatism.

Is crypto an economic bubble?

I very recently began studying economics and I began to read very basic books about it. In one of these books there was a chapter about Charles Mackay and his thought about economic bubbles. This made me think is crypto an economic bubble? Might sound stupid but I thought I would ask!

The short answer is that we don’t really know for sure if something is a bubble until it pops (which crypto may be doing right now). But Crypto has a lot of features of a bubble. One of the things that makes something a bubble is that people start investing or buying into the product to speculate on its price, rather than for the inherent value of the product. In the Dutch Tulip Bubble, people started to buy tulips and then work to sell them for a profit. This has clearly happened in crypto. At the beginning, people bought crypto because they genuinely believed in its value as a “currency” that could be used at some future time. Now, a lot of people got into crypto because the price went up for a long time. Another big feature of the bubble is the graph we see with crypto every two years or so - price runs up a great deal, people hold, price drops to a fraction of what it was. Several features of the crypto market also make it apt for a bubble - low regulation makes it easier to lie when selling, or misrepresent a product as a safe investment, lack of general understanding makes the product seem like it’s just a number that goes up, and the opaqueness of a lot of these companies make it impossible to tell if they’re responsible actors in the space or speculators betting on numbers going up. It doesn’t help that crypto has been hawked by a lot of celebrities either. All in all, hard to tell until it bursts, but it bears some clear resemblances to a bubble

ELI5: how can scientist determine a robot is self-aware after just one question?

Seriously, I've heard AI say a lot of other things, a lot more impressive than this, so am I missing something? Is there something I don't understand? Please help as so far I've failed to be impressed by what should be one of the biggest technological achievements to date. [Source](http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/09/25/first-self-aware-robot-created/) Edit: Grammar and source

They can't of course. You have to understand that science and technology reporting stinks on ice. Ignorant reporters parrot back any wild-ass claim they hear, and most of the public can't tell the difference between science and junk. You can relax: there are no self-aware robots.

How long is the Vagus nerve?

How long is the vagus nerve, end to end? Not counting branches (or is someone actually approximated that, awesome.) I tried finding an answer and failed!

Vagus' nuclei are in the medulla oblongata, which is inside your skull, towards its base. The lower-most fibers innervate the small intestine, which runs below your belly button. If you touch the base of your skull with one hand and your pubic symphysis (the bony bump below your belly and above your genitals) with the other hand, that's close to the length of the vagus nerve.

If transcription and translation are coupled in prokaryotes, how do mRNA quantification methods provide meaningful results?

Wouldn't it be more of a measure of the brief latency between transcription and translation than an indicator of transcript or protein level?

Huh? It's not like the mRNA gets destroyed during translation. It's just a measure of how much RNA is present. It's true that it may not give you a good idea of how much protein is there, but that's the nature of the method.

ELI5:The American civil war

As a European, this war is something I've never understood but I feel like I probably should by now.. Can someone help me out please?

American politics from the late 1820s until 1860 were focused primarily on slavery. The "free states" in the North jockeyed politically with the "slave states" in the South for power. There were a number of crises and a number of compromises. In the 1850s tensions rose as the USA expanded westward across the continent: would the new territories allow slavery, or not? Blood was spilled. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the USA as a member of the newly-formed Republican Party, an explicitly anti-slavery party. Lincoln had not even been on the ballot in some Southern states, but because of the greater population of the North and the way the election worked out, he won without getting a single electoral vote from the South. In 1860 and early 1861, fearing that the new President would take their slaves away, Southern states began seceding from the USA. They formed themselves into the Confederate States of America. Lincoln refused to recognize them as a sovereign nation. In April 1861 they attacked a US Army fort, Fort Sumter, in the southern state of South Carolina. Thus began the war. The North's strategy was devised early in the war, and never much changed. It was a four-point plan: 1) Use the North's navy to blockade all Southern ports (the South had no Navy to speak of) 2) Capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, which was only 100 miles from Washington DC 3) Use combined land and naval forces to take control of the Mississippi River, cutting the CSA into two 4) Invade the CSA's heartland The South's strategy was to defend themselves until the North decided that fighting them was not worth it anymore. They also hoped for foreign intervention from Britain, France, or Russia. In 1861 the war was mostly minor and stalemated. The naval blockade (Union point 1) went into effect. But in the East an attempt to take Richmond (point 2) was repulsed. In the West, the North succesfully persuaded the states of Missouri and Kentucky to not secede. Confederate displays of strength dissuaded them from moving farther South. In 1862 the conflict really erupted. The naval blockade continued. In the East, Southern forces repelled two more attempts to take Richmond, invaded the Northern state of Maryland themselves but were defeated, then repelled another assault. In the West, Union forces pushed south through Tennessee and into Mississippi, and repelled a Southern invasion of Kentucky. On the Mississippi, Northern forces pushed southward. A combined-arms force from the Gulf of Mexico captured New Orleans at the mouth of the river and began pushing northward. By the end of the year the North controlled nearly all of the river. Only the fortress town of Vicksburg, Mississippi held a bend in the river, preventing total Union control. 1862 saw the first *real* Civil War battles, and all pretense of a quick or bloodless war was gone. Modern technology and outdated battlefield tactics meant that these battles were slaughters. Each battle saw losses comparable to England's at Waterloo. But where Waterloo had been a decisive battle, these battles happened again and again. The dead began to pile up. In 1863, the tide truly turned against the South. The naval blockade continued. In the East, Southern forces repelled another assault on Richmond, then tried invading the North again. They were decisively defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg, and they started to no longer be able to replace their losses. On the Mississippi, Vicksburg fell. This put the entire river in Union hands, accomplishing Point 3 of the Union strategic plan. The CSA was cut in two, and Union river traffic could proceed down to the Gulf of Mexico. The army that took Vicksburg was free to turn to the Western Front, combining with the armies there and forcing the Southern forces back into Georgia. After 1863's prominent victories, people thought the end of the war was near. It was not. 1864 was a bloody mess as Union forces marched onward. The naval blockade continued. In the East, Southern forces fought off another assault on Richmond. But instead of retreating as they had after previous defeats, the Northern army simply repositioned and struck again. Stalled again, they repositioned and struck again. And again. And again. Each time, they pushed a little closer to Richmond, until finally they had the Southern army caught in a siege. The two armies would remain there, bleeding each other dry in proto-WWI trench warfare, for nine months. In the West, Union forces maneuvered their way into Georgia, forcing the Southern army constantly backwards. They took Atlanta, but allowed the army to escape. Attempting to pull the Northern army back north out of Georgia, the Southern forces drove northward back into Tennessee. The Union forces split in two. Half pursued the Southern troops, and decisively defeated them by year's end, destroying the last serious Southern fighting force (that wasn't holed up in the siege in the East). The other half of the Union army headed eastward from Atlanta. With no army to oppose them, they burned their way across the land, destroying farms and railroads. By year's end they had reached the Atlantic Ocean, a trail of scorched earth behind them. Point 4 of the Union strategy had been accomplished. By 1865 the war's outcome was clear to all. But that didn't stop the South from fighting on. The naval blockade continued. In the East, the siege continued. Confederate troop replacements and supplies were running dry. On the "Western" Front (now more South than West), the Union forces turned northward, and began burning their way through South Carolina as they had done to Georgia. Their goal was to meet up with the forces besieging the last remaining Confederate army, and crush them with overwhelming force. But that wouldn't be needed. The Union forces finally broke through the fraying Southern lines after nine months of siege. The Southern army was forced to retreat into the Virginia countryside, abandoning Richmond. Union troops took the city, finally accomplishing point 2 of the Union strategy. They pursued the retreating Southerners and surrounded them. The last Confederate forces surrendered, in April 1865, after four years of terrible, bloody war. President Lincoln lived just long enough to see the first of the major surrenders on April 9, 1865. Five days later, he was shot and killed by an assassin.

Scheduled C-section - how does the body know its no longer pregnant?

Pretty straightforward question - how does the body know it's not pregnant after a scheduled C-section? I'm guessing when it goes through labor for a vaginal delivery the body is preparing to not be pregnant any longer, but how does it know when there is no labor involved? After the C-section is it just like "oh, no baby here, guess we're done."? Thanks!

The placenta secretes a ton of hormones. One of the critically important steps in a C-section is for the surgeon to go over the uterus and make sure that every bit of the placenta is removed, and scrape off anything that isn't. Even small bits of placenta can cause serious complications, like heavy bleeding. As a medical condition this is called "retained placenta" and can happen after C-sections, vaginal delivery, miscarriages, or abortions. In some cases a complete hysterectomy may be required to treat.

[Zombieland] where the Hell did Columbus get a rifle?

In Zombieland, Columbus tells us his backstory about how he is a reclusive, somewhat cowardly, college student. 2 months into the apocalypse, he has a rifle and he is a pretty good shot. Like a really good shot. I know the answer could be simple- he got one after the inevitable riots occurred and the gun stores were left abandoned. But in that time, it seems unlikely he could survive even a week without that sort of protection. Seeing as he was on college, which is doubtful to let students carry rifles on campus, he was a cowardly recluse, and he couldn't have known about the apocalypse occurring, how did he get a rifle and where the hell did he learn to shoot?

Making some broad assumptions about his capabilities and location. He probably holed up in his dorm as long as possible during the beginning of the outbreak. Surving the initial hordes subsisting off of ramen and frozen dinners from the other dorms or apartments around. Using stairwells and simple barricades to keep the slow clumsy rotters out. He then used his skills as an avid gamer using lightguns and wii remotes with a target shooting rifle collected from the campus locker room. It's not a powerful gun but enough to kill a zed with an accurate shot. He then ventured out for food and supplies finding a better rifle and ammunition among the dead or in an abandoned big box store like Walmart. Or alternatively he had an upbringing that included training with firearms as many American children from rural areas often do. He collected the rifle from somewhere else but already had skills prior to the apocalypse. And the third more worrisome option is he was prepared for the apocalypse. Either through LAARP or simple fantasy play he imagined an apocalypse and wrote up the rules for zombie survival beforehand. He is reasonable in shape and knowledgeable despite his unassuming nature. He could have simply been someone that trains for the apocalypse as a joke or for fun and suddenly found himself in a real apocalypse where it came in hand. Sort of like those doomsday preppers but actually effective instead of just planning different murder devices and thinking MREs have an unlimited shelf life.

ELI5: Why does clear phone cases turn yellowish over time?

Think of the material as being made of long strings. Something like a bug screen on a window, in fact a whole bunch of those screens stacked up so the holes match up perfectly and light can keep passing through. Over time the environment (mostly UV light) breaks some of those strings down. As they break into smaller units, the various twists and snags start to block some of the grid of openings, so instead of all the light passing straight through some of it is blocked and reflected back as that yellowish color. We're talking about polymers breaking down, here, but maybe that visual makes sense? Polymers are long strings of molecules arranged just so into a material. As they break down into smaller, more randomly arranged strings their appearance changes and they can go through physical property changes like becoming brittle, depending on the exact material on question. As the structure breaks down, other additives can also leak into bits of the structure it wasn't meant to be in and colors it, too.

[Pokémon] Isn't Brock a little weak to be a Gym Leader?

What happens when a kid who grew up in Fuchsia comes along, who had to train to beat Sabrina first? Do the gym leaders have teams of strength appropriate pokémon for different challengers? Or does the Gym challenge HAVE to be done in a specific order?

Per the Pokemon Trainers Handbook: Regulation 10.5.9 Gym Leaders and their teams. Each gym leader is to possess a number and variety of Pokemon for use in duels against opposing trainers. Any gym leader not possessing at least six Pokemon of varying skills will face expulsion of forfeiture of their gyms and gym leader status. It is the duty of the gym leader to properly train any and all Pokemon in order to be a challenge to trainers of varying levels and abilities. Each Pokemon must be of varying levels and abilities, from beginning Pokemon to experienced battlers per Regulation 6.8.2 "Gym Leader Certification" in order to best challenge the hopeful trainer. Any gym leader found to abuse or neglect this rule will be sent before the Pokemon World Training Authority and will face sanctions not limited to expulsion and forfeiture of his gym leader status and gym. It is the duty of the trainer to notify all gym leaders of how many badges they have received, and how many Pokemon they possess. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of any and all badges per the gym leaders discretion. Any failure to do so may also result in the gym leader utilizing his or her strongest Pokemon for use in the duel. Failure of notification will result in a "Duel Regiment", and allows the gym leader to determine any and all regulations to the battle.

[Beauty and the Beast] Which war did Gaston fight in?

Potentially the War of Austrian Succession, a global conflict that lasted 8 years, from 1740 to 1748, and involved nearly all major powers in Europe as well as their colonies. A subset of the fighting between the British and the Spanish in the Caribbean was known as the War of Jenkins's Ear.

ELI5: Household electricity is delivered at different voltages and frequency in different countries around the world. How did these multiple standards arise? Is one system better than others?

Somewhat haphazardly is the answer to how. It was really what was thought best at the time early on, and developing countries tended to use the system from their colonizers or whomever was hired to come in and advise on the electrical infrastructure. As to which is better, that is a subjective thing. Better at what and how? For example Europe uses a higher voltage than North America, but the original reason was to use smaller wires and so less copper. North America has lots of copper, so those countries saw no problem with thicker wires. Source: Electrical Trainee

[Star Wars] How are trade routes taxed/tracked? Everyone just seems to jump into hyperspace without regulation.

Id assume like they are now. Goods are marked from point of origin amd taxed by the planet you land on. Hyperspace routes are likely taken from the nav computer and a tax for use is likely given to the discoveror for the first 20 years or so.

ELI5: why can't we just take the carcinogens out of cigarettes to make them safe?

Some of the things that are bad/dangerous about cigarettes come from combustion (burning) that is part of smoking. Even if you removed any kind of chemical additives and just smoked tobacco, you’d still be inhaling the products of combustion, which are not good for your lungs.

Do spiders scout out multiple places before deciding to spin their web and if so, are environmental conditions taken into account (wind speed, temperature, humidity, etc.)?

A lot of spiders spin test webs, just a few strings in several locations and check on them later to see which one roughed it out better. Now, spiders have several sensory organs that determine a location's appropriateness based on humidity, heat, cold, wind, light, etc., but sometimes a spot is just not good for non-environmental reasons. So many spiders set up individual strings here and there, and the one that lasts the longest or remains intact the most will later be used.

ELI5: How do the results differ between a workout of 100 pushups straight vs. 100 pushups throughout the day?

100 pushups straight (or however many your body can handle) rips your muscles up. This way your body knows to repair itself stronger than before so it doesn’t rip itself up again. 100 pushups throughout the day gives your body enough time to recover between the sets and thus not ripping up as much (or at all if your body can handle it).

[Free Fallin'] Why are all the vampires in Los Angeles traveling west on Ventura Boulevard?

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west; Ventura Boulevard is a major east-west thoroughfare. As the sun is setting, the eastern side of the street gets darker first, with deeper shadows to hide in. Thus, "the vampires traveling west" on Ventura Boulevard suggests that the sun is setting, and they are able to move more freely as the shadows move westward. The many shopping locations along Ventura Blvd., such as Studio City, make this a prime feeding ground for younger vampires that require nightly hunting to maintain their undead existence, but cannot afford to live south of Ventura, and so have to make the trek every night.

Why can we talk in our heads?

Hey guys, I've always wondered how we are able to talk in our heads. I can say a whole sentence in my head and when I think about that it seems crazy that we can do that. So how are we able to speak in our head without saying it?

Language related information in the brain is represented at different levels of abstraction. At one end of the spectrum you have the basic visual and/or auditory input coming in from our sensory organs. This information must be preprocessed and analyzed by sensory cortex to reach the point at which we represent it as an actual word form. At the next level, word forms are represented amodally (i.e. equivalently across sensory modalities) and are linked to their grammatical properties. Finally you reach the other end of the spectrum of abstraction where words are linked to their semantic content. In language production this process is essentially reversed, the primary difference being the fact that the lowest level of abstraction is motor programming of the mouth and throat rather than input from the eyes and ears. Inner speech essentially just stops short of this lowest level - auditory word forms and their grammar are represented, but we don't actually send the necessary information to enunciate them. It's worth pointing out that not all of our thoughts - even complex, abstract ones - are "spoken" to ourselves in this way. Mental imagery is a good counterexample. As to why, in an ultimate sense, we have/make use of this ability: from an evolutionary perspective it may simply be a spillover benefit from language (which of course is hugely adaptive for us). However, given the role of language in enhancing working memory via the phonological loop, it may also give us the capacity to think about more at the same time.

Which is better, a 90% chance that you get $1, or a 50% chance that you get $2? (This chance is occuring every second)

I’m just curious for the game I’m playing, this has no real scholarly or practical application. Also assume no inflation or anything like that, it’s just a game lol.

To solve this question, you have to solve for the EV (Expected Value). EV = (Value of prize \* probability of winning) - cost of entry Assuming you don't have to pay to play this game, cost of entry is 0. EV = $1 \* .9 = 90 cents EV = $2 \* .5 = $1 Clearly, the second choice is better, because you earn an expected value of $1 per trial.

CMV: The biggest issue facing the LGBTQ community is itself, and it’s full of toxic, non inclusive, insecure people that gatekeep personality and sexuality.

I’m a bisexual man that tends to lean more towards guys, and in the past few days can recount multiple separate negative interactions I’ve had with other gay guys / girls. Obviously this is a small sample size below, but Ive had more negative experiences with LGBTQ people than positives. As I’ve been an open member of this community for more than a year and have made many gay friends / acquaintances, I feel I have fair grounds to comment on its toxicity. These are the three most recent experiences I’ve had and the issues I have with them: 1) Extreme body shaming / bullying — this is a big one. I’ve suffered from anorexia in my life and am currently 6’3, muscular and sitting at 210~ lbs. I was in a discord call with a couple people for league clash tonight (one gay) while we start posting pictures of ourselves comparing ourselves to League of Legends champions. Due to my hairstyle, I posted myself next to Sett. I was immediately told by the gay guy that I look nothing like “sett daddy” and was called fatty and told to “tone up and drop some more pounds.” Unoffended at this point, I informed him I used to be 300 lbs with no muscle, until I was bullied into developing anorexia and only recovered like 6 months ago. His response was “should’ve kept going, you ain’t anywhere near a snack rn.” This cut pretty deep, especially when the community preaches “inclusivity.” 2) I’m apparently a fake gay if I’m bisexual and use it for sympathy, and I’m not allowed to be “straight acting” — An IRL acquaintance I was speaking to during a zoom meeting noticed an LGBT flag hanging in the back of my room. She exclaimed “OMG u/speculatory I had no idea you were gay!” And I clarified “well actually no, haha, I’m bisexual.” I was then bombarded with accusations of “cultural appropriation” and “sympathy seeking” as I was “clearly a straight man from how I act.” Again, it seems odd for a community that is supposed to be all inclusive to degrade me for how I act and who I love. 3) EXTREME sexualization / gay is a personality trait — During the same clash game as in #1, one of my close friends had his little brother (8 years old) in the room and was playing League on speakers since he had to watch him. The gay guy died in lane, and starts moaning and saying “this rengar just raped my boy pussy oooh” and other stuff. My close friend tells him to shut up because his 8 year old brother is in the room and gay guy immediately calls me friend a “homophobic fuckboy” and says he’s probably “closeted” and should come over and try some “boy pussy.” At this point my close friend left the call and gay guy resumes with his extremely hyper sexualized remarks during a video game. There’s a fine line between being yourself and just being extremely vulgar to the point where your presence offends and shocks a group of 20 year olds. As I’ve said, these aren’t one time occurrences — similar situations to those above have happened at least half a dozen times each to me personally from different people. I can’t say I’m proud to be part of a community that is built entirely on drama, sex, and appearance.

I absolutely agree that biphobia in the LGBTQ+ community is a massive issue, and the bodyshaming is incredibly gross and another big issue. These are for sure big issues facing the LGBTQ community, and it's also gross to have insecure people in the community (often younger white gay men from fairly affluent backgrounds) constantly screech about sex. There's no way that's the biggest issue facing the community. In Hungary the president (who just gave himself dictatorial power without oversight or end date) is trying to make being trans illegal as fast as possible, and in Idaho one priority during a pandemic was to make sure you can inspect a girl's genitals before you let her play sport, in case she's trans. There are 17 states in the USA where you can be fired for being gay and you have no legal recourse. The death penalty is in place and enforced in Saudi Arabia and Iran, and homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment across the middle east and northern Africa. Before the pandemic, if you had planned an around-the-world trip, you'd have had to take into serious consideration which countries and states you would have to avoid, and which were serious risks to your health. Try and cut out the gross people in your life, for sure, and the issues you raised are serious ones that need addressing in our community. But this is a fight for our lives; some scummy dude shouting about his boipussy in public is just an embarrassment, and embarrassment is not our biggest problem. It's the people who want to exterminate us personally, and our sexuality even in theory, who are our biggest problem.

ELI5: Why can't they make CPUs bigger if heat dissipation is a problem?

If heat is distributed through larger area/volume it will be easier to dissipate, no?

It's a bit unintuitive, but that's not exactly how it ends up working. A more densely packed, smaller CPU design made out of smaller individual transistors is actually more power efficient. It suffers less electrical losses, and so it generates less heat. The performance and efficiency benefits to going smaller generally far outweigh any consequent heat dissipation issues that might be caused by the increased density. Removing heat from the die isn't that big a problem anyway.

What inspiration did early christianity have from greek philosophy?

I heard they took some ideas from stoicism and platonism. And apparently aristotle's metaphysics?

There was an important social and cultural shift that occurred in the Roman empire during the third century. Prior to this shift, Stoicism was more or less dominant in the philosophical culture of the empire, whereas after this shift, neo-Platonism became dominant. Christian writings from this period often show significant debts to the dominant philosophical culture of their time, so that the earlier Christian writings often show the influence of Stoicism, while those after the third century often show the influence of neo-Platonism. Aristotelian metaphysics was a significant influence on neo-Platonism, which was not just a return to Plato but also to a considerable extent a syncretic reflection on the Greek philosophical tradition broadly, so that the early Christians received their Aristotle through the broad tradition of late antique Platonism, which included Aristotle as the second great thinker of the Greek classical period. But often when people speak about Aristotle's influence on Latin Christianity, they have in mind the particular influence that becomes prominent in the 13th century, much later than the period of early Christianity, following the Latin reception of Islamic Peripateticism.

Do artificial sweeteners cause tooth decay?

As an example, if you were to drink coke or coke zero every day for a year without brushing what results would you see?

Short answer: no. There are four things required for caries (cavities) to form: the host (tooth), bacteria (usually strep. mutans), food for the bacteria (fermentable sugars), and time (it takes longer than you might think...roughly 14 days for a complex community of harmful acidogenic bacteria to become established). If you're missing just one of those 4 things decay will not occur. Artificial sweeteners are not fermentable and therefore will not be able to be used by the bacteria, so the bacteria cannot make the acids that decay your teeth. Some artificial sweeteners even have a protective effect (i.e. xylitol). However, artificial sweeteners are often found in acidic, carbonated drinks. The acidic pH of sodas etc can act in a similar manner as the acid caused by bacteria and lead to erosion. A big factor that would determine the amount of decay in your scenario is HOW the soda is consumed. The longer your oral pH is dropped below 5.5, the more damage you are likely to experience. So shotgunning a coke zero (or even a few) very quickly is not near as bad for your teeth as slowly sipping on one can throughout the entire day. Source: dental student

Can generalized anxiety spread throughout a group of individuals?

What brought up the question/ the parameters. My friends and I were all together tonight (4 of us). We were doing what we usually do, sitting around playing poker and listening to music, when everyone myself included got the urge to leave, so we go on a walk. I can tell one of my friends is getting distressed, so I suggest we get something to eat. While there I got the very eerie and intense feeling that someone was watching me. My one friend just seems outright depressed at this point. At the end if the night one if the other friends tells me that something just did not feel right at all that night, unrelated to my or the other friend's situation, as we didn't mention it to him. So, I was wondering if it was merely a coincidence, it if there is some psychological reason this may have happened. I would be intrigued to know. Thanks in advance

Sure, and not just anxiety. Lots of emotional processing is heavily influenced by the affect of people around you, and if they have a negative affect or are predisposed to it then it's hardly surprising. It's also worth noting that a lot of affective/emotional processing happens below the level of conscious awareness, so it's quite possible for people to be "feeding off each other's energy" without being aware of it. This is super-simplified, and someone may well come along and flesh it out if they want, but short answer's yes.

How do people find time to work on multiple research projects and publish multiple papers? I can barely find the mental capacity for one.

I'm an MSCS student who does research in machine learning. I've noticed that many people work on several projects at once (usually their own project and as a participant in another) and often have multiple papers published in venues. Right now I'm trying to get my own research project going as I'm graduating next semester and need to write my thesis anyway, and am also involved in another project with a PhD student at my lab. I find myself usually spending 100% of my time on this project, and my colleague seems to expect that as well. I spend the entire day at the lab working on that project, and at night I'm also constantly wondering what kind of ideas I could try out. I've tried doing the "alternate days" thing, but I find that it often takes me more than a day to work on some ideas, and when I'm done with that there are more things to do for one project. Maybe my predicament is the result of me being relatively junior and not trained enough, but if there are any tips that you guys could give me that'd be great. The most advice I get from my lab mates and advisor is along the lines of "everyone goes through it." Thanks.

It just comes with experience. Time management is critical, too. Once your own project is up and running, you’ll hit points where there’s nothing to do but sit and wait for data, IRBs, reviewers, finding, etc. Those are the gaps you fill with other projects. Plus you’ll gain enough expertise to serve in more of a consulting role which doesn’t take as much time as running a project by yourself.

[Star Trek] Can The Borg adapt to high speed projectiles such as a bullet?

In the movie First Contact, Picard uses a Tommy Gun to kill some Borg saying that even a holographic bullet can kill. Can the Borg adapt to a high speed projectile? If not, why don't they just replicate some AR-15s and clean them up pretty quick. Also could that be effective again their ships?

The Borg are certainly capable of adapting their shielding to project a standard force field, which is all that would be necessary to stop a simple kinetic energy-based projectile weapon. While Capt. Picard was able to use an ancient-model weapon effectively, the Borg were unprepared for it, and he did only use it on two drones. No doubt after those drones were killed, the others adapted their shielding to be prepared for that kind of an attack. The basic point is this: the Borg adapt, and are incredibly versatile. An unconventional attack can damage them, but they will adapt their defenses quickly to account for any new tactic. Especially when the tactic could be as easily neutralized as a bullet.

[Star Wars] Why are IG units not used in war?

We’ve seen their (or at least one) fighting capabilities in The Mandalorian, so why not deploy them in general combat like during the clone wars? Is it just they’re too expensive? Or is it some other reason?

I think they're too independent for war; IIRC they rebelled against their creators and went off taking jobs for themselves so they probably wouldn't make good soldiers. But good bounty hunters and assassins, for sure.

ELI5: Why do girls, with virtually no boobs, wear bras?

Hi! Just thought if this as I, in my hallway, looked at my magnificent semi-fatguy-goes-bodybuilding-body; I've got bigger boobs than my ex-gf and my current. Both of them uses bras, but I don't. I don't see why I should wear one. They, on the other hand, who are as good as completely flat with the bras off, uses them. There's nothing to support, really, so that one reason probably goes away. So, why is this? Marketing? Habit? Because girls are supposed to wear them? Trying to make the boobs look bigger like some Spinal Tap-stuffing-thingie? I don't want to ask my gf, because I don't want her to think that I don't like the way she looks :) TL;DR Why do girls without boobs wear bras when there are nothing to really lift/support/whatever?

Firstly, there is often more breast tissue than is immediately apparent. For wide-rooted breasts, a significant portion of breast tissue can lie around the underarm area. So don't underestimate the mass of boob just because they don't stick out much at the front! A well-fitted bra will support all the tissue and cup it so that the stuff which tends to lie at the sides is comfortably moved to create fuller breasts and more cleavage. Breast tissue can also be very uncomfortable when moving quickly, especially when jogging. Imagine wearing a hoodie, with something heavy in the pocket on the front. You know the way it bounces around when you run? That's how boobs feel, even small ones, and it can be painful! The right bra eliminates that. They can also protect sore breasts and nipples from rubbing, smooth outlines under clothing, and make you feel good about your body.

GPS satellites work because they adjust for similar bending of spacetime to coordinate with systems on Earth. Why wouldn't they?

What possible errors could they make without this adjustment? I thought all they do is to point us direction or pinpoint our location. Why are they really concerned about time?

GPS satellites need to know the time. They don't know what direction you are in, and even if they did the error would be humongous. It would be very tricky to make a satellite system that could accurately pinpoint a transmitter in this way. The way it works is GPS satellites continually transmit both the current time according to their onboard clocks and their current position, which is known very accurately. At a given time your receiver will simultaneously get this information from a handful of different satellites (I believe 4 at minimum should be necessary) . The time data won't be precisely the same since the different satellites are different distances from you. If, for example, satellite A time is 1 second earlier than satellite B then you know that satellite A is 1 lightsecond farther away from you that satellite B. You use the data from several satellites to work out the relative distances to them from you and, since you know where each of them are, you can finally compute your location (and the time at your location actually). The reason they need to adjust for relativity is that both the speed they are moving at (relative to the surface of the Earth) and the gravitational field they are in (relative to the surface of the Earth) effects how the onboard clocks tick relative to each other. If the time on board each satellite does not precisely match each other then you will not be able to work out the time of flight of the signals and you cannot then work out the relative distances to the satellite. This would ruin the ability of GPS to function.

ELI5: A single tree might shed thousands of seeds a year, but most of these won't grow into anything. What starts the growth of a mighty tree?

If you look closely, many trees are surrounded by saplings. Most won’t make it to maturity because there isn’t enough sunlight reaching them under the canopy of large trees. Sometimes, an old tree will die, allowing some saplings to grow until they become mighty and take the place of the dead tree. This type of “growth from death” happens in many ways. For example, some pine cones only open up when they get extremely hot during a forest fire. The fire revitalizes the nutrients in the soil and opens up the canopy, allowing light to reach the ground and new trees to grow.

ELI5: what causes halucinations in your brain when you take LSD and how do they differ from hallucinations that someone with schizophrenia would have?

Technically what you see when you take LSD isn't a hallucination, it's a pseudohallucination. The difference is that people on LSD recognize that what they're seeing isn't real, but people with schizophrenia don't. The visual effects of LSD have to do with it interacting with serotonin receptors that control vision. The mechanism isn't well understood.

Is there a way for us to know what the population of any given species of dinosaur was during their time on earth? And if so, how?

Certainly not. In a field where we aren't sure what are separate species, there is little chance of being able to make such precise observations. We can estimate that X dinosaur was more numerous than Y dinosaur for a given period, but anything more would be too poorly supported.

[Star Trek] What kind of water comes from the replicators?

I know you can program different “recipes” into the replicator, but what is dispensed when someone orders water? Specifically, is it just H2O, or are there other chemicals like we would see in city/tap water? I imagine specialty items like Spring Water or Mineral Water would have their own formulas programmed.

It's probably "just" water, with only the minerals and such that can be tolerated by all (or at least the majority) of Federation citizens. Of course, it's also possible that the replicator knows who's asking, and gives them a glass of whatever they'd get from a very clean river on their homeworld.

CMV: Assuming the allegations against him are true, the decision to fire Jeremy Clarkson was the right one

It's simple. If I get in a fight in my workplace and send someone (who appears to not have fought back) to the hospital, I deserve to be fired. It doesn't matter how shitty my work conditions are, punching someone in the face after several minutes of cussing someone out is not acceptable behavior. But then, fans say, he's too important! He's an *icon* and a *fundamental part of the show*; you can't compare his position to a *normal* job! IMO this is stupid argument. Many shows have switched hosts and become equally successful. And simply being famous is not an excuse for acting like an ass. Many a CEO/producer/actor has been fired for this kind of behavior, and I simply don't think Clarkson should be exempted from this standard. Please CMV. _____ > *Hello, users of CMV! This is a footnote from your moderators. We'd just like to remind you of a couple of things. Firstly, please remember to* ***[read through our rules](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/rules)***. *If you see a comment that has broken one, it is more effective to report it than downvote it. Speaking of which,* ***[downvotes don't change views](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/guidelines#wiki_upvoting.2Fdownvoting)****! If you are thinking about submitting a CMV yourself, please have a look through our* ***[popular topics wiki](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/populartopics)*** *first. Any questions or concerns? Feel free to* ***[message us](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/changemyview)***. *Happy CMVing!*

I agree with you but will dispute your view for the sake of argument: While it may have been the right decision morally, it is not a good decision for the BBC. Top Gear is a huuuuuuge moneymaker for them, and it is largely Clarkson's creation. What's more, Hammond and May (mostly May) seem to be suggesting that they won't return to the program without Clarkson. A refreshed Top Gear with new hosts likely won't do nearly as well as one with Clarkson, Hammond, and May. It depends on your criteria of "right decision". Right morally, sure.Right financially, not so much. Edit for additional argument: According to the BBC report, Clarkson both A) was the one who reported this incident, and B) made repeated attempts to apologize to Mr. Tymon. The BBC appeared to do very little to acknowledge these in its 'sentencing'

ELI5: What is the biological basis for laughing?

Some anthropologists think that when ancient people got startled or scared by something that could have been a predator, but wasn't, relieved laughter let the tribe know things were safe. But it's just one of many theories.

[Star Wars] What are the chances a planet which strikingly resembles 21st Century Earth in terms of culture, technology and geological diversity exists in the galaxy?

Geologically? There are plenty of diverse planets around the GFFA. Culturally? Most planets aren't as diverse as ours, but the galactic culture itself is hugely diverse. Technologically? Essentially nonzero. You have to remember that galactic society has existed to some degree or another for at least twenty-five thousand years. The chances of a planet being left behind technologically, barring it being some weird cultist shithole in Wild Space or the Unknown Regions, are practically nonexistent.

Cars, solariums, and greenhouses can get really hot because they trap heat coming in through the glass. Why can't the heat leave just as easily? Why doesn't it balance out?

The energy comes in as light and doesn't turn into heat until it gets absorbed onto the interior surfaces. Then the heated materials and air inside do not leave the car while continuing to accumulate more heat. Some heat is always leaving the car but until the sun goes down there will be more heat coming in than is leaving.

[Dragonball] Why do the androids seem to go in reverse order of power?

Note that I understand this isn't strictly true: Androids in the original Red Ribbon Army (that Terminator-looking one, and Android 8) are almost certainly weaker than most other forms we've seen. Also i'm discounting Cell and 21, even if they are technically Androids. That said, starting with Android 13 we see the strongest regular android, followed by 14 and 15, 16 seems to possess a lot of raw power but be unrefined, and 17 and 18 seem to be below him since they couldn't really do much to Cell to begin with, or so it seemed. Also 19 and 20... exist. Briefly. And get utterly wrecked by Super Vegeta, who is then trashed by 18.

I don't know where you got the idea that 14 and 15 are stronger than 16, 17, 18, or even 19 and 20. 14 and 15 manage to give some trouble to the Saiyans, but only in their base forms. When they go Super Saiyan, the androids get demolished almost instantly, putting them around the league of 19 and 20. As for 13, he's only particularly powerful when he absorbs components from 14 and 15, in a manner similar to Cell absorbing parts from 17 and 18. Before that, 13 is shown to be able to keep up with a Super Saiyan, but not easily overpower it like 17 and 18 could. It's not specifically stated why 19 and 20 are weaker than all of the others (ignoring the terminator-like one and 8), but I'd hazard a guess that it's because Gero decided that absorbing energy was more useful than infinite energy (he clearly turned out to be wrong). <Doylist> (By the way, in Daizenshuu, Akira Toriyama states that #16 is more powerful than #13.) </Doylist>

[The Amazing World of Gumball] How do interspecies couples manage to have kids? And what determines the kids species or resulting mix?

Most couples seen in the series are of the same species/being of creatures, no issue there. However the titular character's family and some others are mixes, sometimes VERY ODD mixes. Nicole and Richard Watterson are a Cat and a Rabbit, so mammals, and they have a cat boy and a bunny girl, (and adopted a fish). How? Coach is a... female block...of... something slightly mushy, married with a Pinypon-looking guy. Their daughter looks like a Pinypon, but has some "mushy" properties. The mountain witch (Mrs. Jötunheim) had a giant kid, probably with another giant... Gumball (a cat) is going out with Penny a... Spiritual(?) Peanut Reindeer energy being that can shapeshift... what are their kids gonna look like? Edit: I just remembered Richard W. is the son of a Pink bunny and a Grey Rat, so rodents, at this point it's almost logical it would work out...

The world that we see in the show has little resemblance to the one that we live in. The different characters are manifestations of ideas, not flesh and blood like we are. That's how such a large variety of beings can exist, from cats and rabbits, to dinosaurs and bananas. When two characters reproduce, their children can look like one of the parents, or a mix of both.

If mass matters in the solar system with relation to gravity (Jupiter vs Mercury for example), why doesn't that apply to mass of smaller objects (a feather and a bowling ball). Why do those two fall at the same rate?

For some people equations work best to explain something, so let's give this a try. Force of Gravity (F) = G*m1 *m2/ r^2 Say m1 is the earth and m2 is the bowling ball or feather. And they are both the same r from the center of the earth. Now the rate they fall is determined by the acceleration with the following equ: a = F/m2 Sub this into the first equation. m2* a = G *m1 *m2 / r^2 the m2s cancel out and your acceleration is just dependent on the earth's mass. This works since the acceleration of the earth is so small. If two objects with similar mass was used then you couldn't just look at one since both would be moving towards each other. a = G*m1 / r^2

CMV: When rehabilitation is not an option for a prisoner i.e. those on life sentences, the prisoner should have the option of completing his sentence or state assisted suicide.

I feel as though debates on the death penalty vs life sentences are very tricky. Life sentences are often criticized for costing too much money. The death penalty is often criticized for being barbaric and inhumane. I feel as though the best approach to the problem is through a compromise in which the prisoner chooses the method of his punishment. I feel as though this compromise is the most humane among the two previously debated options. Some prisoners would value their life and take life in prison as they fear death. Some prisoners would take death as they don't want to live the rest of their lives in a prison. Rehabilitation should be the number priority, and when one cannot be rehabilitated I think the second most important thing is that the person be removed from society in the most humane way possible. Giving the option of life or death is much more humane than either giving them life with no choice or death with no choice. I also believe that if this were to be implemented that it should only be an option to those on life sentences not to your ordinary prisoner. It would also likely decrease the amount of money spent on life sentences as some prisoners would take the option of assisted suicide. Tell me why this wouldn't be a great idea.

A life sentence isn’t about just dying in prison. It’s about spending the rest of your life, however long it is paying for your crimes. Letting people commit suicide is a cop out. And to be perfectly honest, they can just do that anyway.

ELI5: What exactly was the danger of the Y2K bug - what are the consequences of a computer recognizing '2000' as '1900'?

The consequences are that a calculation involving the difference between two dates suddenly returns nonsense values. Imagine you're running a system that pays a pension for people aged 65 or over. Someone born in 1930 might have been quite happily claiming their pension as a 69 year old in 1999, but in 2000 the computer would think that they weren't even going to be born for another 30 years!

ELI5: Brainfreeze

Whenever I get brainfreeze, I was always taught to put your thumb on the roof of your mouth. Is there any actual "science" behind this? Is it really a tiny transfer of body heat that makes the brainfreeze go away, or is your brain just distracted by something so obsurd that it "forgets" about the brainfreeze?

There is some evidence for it, but pressing your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth works better. Brainfreeze happens when your body goes OH SHIT THATS TOO MUCH COLD RIGHT NEXT TO MY BRAIN! So it opens up all the blood vessels trying to warm it up, and that's what caused the pain. Warming it up will shrink the blood vessels back down, no more pain.

ELI5: why is Henri Matisse's "Apparition I & II" considered inestimable art when it's just a sketch.

[talking about this one](https://imgur.com/a/YqZ2QoE)

Matisse was a skilled painter. Drafting/sketching had always been a part of the process. Through his career, he was spurred in part by a rivalry with Picasso. Both strived for a ‘purity of means’ meaning they wanted to create art, real art, that didn’t depend upon fancy-schmansy supplies. So, they both experimented with cubism and later, drafting. Matisse’s work looks effortless, although it took years for him to get the desired effect. You’re used to it now, but when this debuted it was groundbreaking. Have you ever tried to doodle something like this? It’s incredibly hard, but a true master makes it look effortless much like a pro athlete. It’s also a lot like wearing a tailored suit or how some people can look fabulous in a t-shirt a jeans. It’s all about the lines.

[Star Trek]why Ferengi never invent fiat currency?

it's my understanding fixing money to a hard finite commodity, like Latinum, makes it really hard for governments to do anything about stuff like recessions?

It's important to remember that the Ferengi system isn't just a lifestyle - it is quite literally a religion, and one of holy texts of said religion is The Rules of Acquisition. The Rules very clearly state that "Nature decays, but latinum is forever".

ELI5: why do images of things on a microscopic level not have color?

You are probably referring to electron microscope images which are taken with electron bombardment rather that visible light; indeed some of the structures may be too small to image with visible light because the wavelength is too large. Under such circumstances there is no color in the resulting image because color has no meaning.